In this elegant new book, the sequel to his earlier, much praised treatment of the Devil, Philip Almond reveals that - whether in Judaism, Christianity or Islam - God is seen to be at once utterly beyond our world yet at the same earnestly desiring to be at one with it. In the Christian chapter of this story the paradox arguably reaches its improbable zenith: in the fragile form of a human being the infinite became finite, the eternal temporal. The way these and other metaphysical tensions have been understood is, the author demonstrates, the key to unlocking the entire history of religion in the West. Expertly placing the narrative of divine presence within the wider history of ideas, Almond suggests that the notion of a deity has been the single greatest conundrum of medieval and modern civilization. In this rich, nuanced appraisal, 'God' is shown to be more complex and fascinating than ever before.


Preemptive rights are thought to protect minority shareholders from cheap-stock tunneling by a controlling shareholder. We show that preemptive rights, while making cheap-stock tunneling more difficult, cannot prevent it when asymmetric information about the value of the offered shares makes it impossible for the minority to know whether these shares are cheap or overpriced. Our analysis can help explain why sophisticated investors in unlisted firms and regulators of listed firms do not rely entirely on preemptive rights to address cheap-stock tunneling, supplementing them with other restrictions on equity issues.


Transition metals represent the d block element which includes groups 3-12 on the periodic table. Their d shells are in a process of filling. This property of these kinds of metals realized the foundation of coordination structures. Some of new gold (III) compounds have been prepared that are enough consistent under physiological conditions and are promising contender for pharmacological testing as cytotoxic and antitumor administrators. In vitro pharmacological studies point out that some of these novel gold (III) structures are astoundingly cytotoxic toward refined human tumor cell lines. Preliminary results on legitimate to DNA in vitro were exhibited, raising that the affiliations were generally slight. A few of Au (III) mixes with multi-dentate ligands such asen (ethylendiamine), dien (diethylendiamine) and sticky (N-benzyl-N, N-dimethylamine) have been seen to be dynamic against human tumor cell lines.


The selection and adoption of an appropriate information technology projects is one of the most challenging business tasks of the last decade. IT projects often record the largest capital expenditure for most service oriented companies. Unfortunately, many IT projects have not met their expectation despite their huge expense. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop a framework that will assist in the analysis and selection of these IT projects. In this dissertation, classical financial theory coupled with Real Options analysis, namely a Mean-Variance (MV) model is used to provide new insights on project selection and analysis. More specifically, this dissertation presents an easy-to-use framework that will assist managers to evaluate potential ATM deployment projects. In addition, a case study to demonstrate how to apply the framework in a typical bank of a growing economy is presented. This dissertation contributes to IT management field by defining the risk dimensions of IT investments and providing insights based on interdisciplinary financial theories.


This letter addresses a dye-doped planar cholesteric cell as a one-dimensional photonic crystal, which can be lased at the band edges of the photonic band gap. The effect of the composition of the material and the thickness of a cholesteric cell (CLC) on the lasing action, and the photo-control of the lasing frequency, are experimentally investigated. Adding a tunable chiral monomer (TCM) allows the CLC's reflection band to be tuned by varying the intensity and/or exposure time of the UV curing light, enabling the lasing frequency of the CLC sample to be tuned.


Multilevel thresholding is an important technique for image processing. The maximum entropy thresholding (MET) has been widely applied in the literature. This paper presented a novel optimal multilevel thresholding approach based on the maximum entropy measure and L´evy-Flight Firefly Algorithm (LFA) for image segmentation. This new method was called, the maximum entropy based on l´evy-flight firefly algorithm for multilevel thresholding (MELFAT) method. In this paper, five famous benchmark images were used to evaluate the proposed method and the results were evaluated by the uniformity measure. The obtained results were compared with five wellknown methods, like Gaussians mooting method (Lim, Y. K., & Lee, S. U. (1990), Symmetry-duality method (Yin, P. Y., & Chen, L. H. (1993), improved GA-based algorithm (Yin, P. -Y. (1999), the hybrid cooperative-comprehensive learning based PSO algorithm (HCOCLPSO) ( Maitra, M., & Chatterjee, A. (2008)) and a new social and momentum component adaptive PSO algorithm (SMCAPSO) (Chander, A.,& Chatterjee, A.,& Siarry, P.(2011)) . The experimental results confirmed the performance and capability of the proposed method to find optimal threshold values.


Over-consolidated clays and shales forming part of the core section of earth dams, natural slopes, and clay deposits undergoing desiccation, can be subjected to dynamic loads from earthquakes, waves, traffic load, or machine vibrations. This research asks "what happens to fissured clays under dynamic loading?".Static and dynamic compression laboratory tests were done on fissured kaolinite clay specimens. The samples were subjected to uniaxial, biaxial and triaxial stress conditions. Crack propagation was analyzed using both Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics and Discrete Element and Finite Difference methods. Crack propagation and failure in the samples was found to vary depending on the state of water distribution in the clay pores: the saturated-funicular state, the complete pendular state, or the partial pendular state. Finding that accepted theories of unsaturated soil mechanics don't apply in latter two states, a new approach using the equivalent effective stress concept is presented and then be applied to all three states, showing that the strength of the clay is proportional to the equivalent effective stress in the soil. Since tensile stresses at the tips of a crack produce additional propagation, a new apparatus was developed to study the strength of clays under tension, and it was found that the fissured clay failed specifically were shear and tensile stresses occurred within a region of high tension. Also, subsequent dynamic compression tests revealed the crack stability thresholds (the compressive stress below which no crack propagation takes place in a fissured clay). The threshold appeared: almost constant in the complete and partial pendular states, but greatly diminished in the funicular-saturated state as water content increased. In the saturated-funicular state, the water flowed around the crack tip from zones receiving high compressive stress, to zones with highly-concentrated tensile stress. The higher the water content of the clay, the lower the tensile strength.


On January 21, 1981, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Order No. 122, revising and expanding the periodic inspection program established in 1965 by the Federal Power Commission (FPC), the predecessor of the FERC. This program was intended to provide third-party, unbiased safety evaluations of dams at the Commission's licensed projects. Inspections were to be performed at five year intervals by 'independent' consultants engaged by the licensees. The FPC program included projects having a dam exceeding 10. 7 meters (35 feet) in height or having a gross storage capacity in excess of 2. 5 million cubic meters (2,000 acre-feet). By the time Order No. 122 was issued, most of the licensed dams already had been inspected three times. With the regulations promulgated by Order No. 122 now more than five years old, the second round of inspections are underway. This paper presents a discussion of the success of the program, its importance within the context of the Commission's dam safety program, problems encountered relative to approval of consultants, the quality of reports submitted, the application of current design criteria to existing dams, and the independence of consultants.


The adsorption behavior of a potential polynuclear Schiff base, (s)-2-(anthracen-9(10H)ylideneamino)-3-phenyl propanoic acid (A9Y3PPA) on carbon steel (CS) in 1M hydrochloric acid solution has been investigated using weight loss measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization studies. The surface morphology of the carbon steel specimens in the presence and absence of the inhibitor was evaluated by AFM analysis. The corrosion inhibition efficiencies of parent amine and parent ketone on carbon steel in 1M HCl solution have also been investigated using weight loss studies. The adsorption of A9Y3PPA obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Thermodynamic parameters (Kads, ∆G 0 ads) were calculated using the adsorption isotherm. Activation parameters of the corrosion process (Ea, ∆H* and ∆S*) were also calculated from the corrosion rates obtained from temperature studies. Tafel plot analysis revealed that A9Y3PPA acts as a mixed type inhibitor. A probable inhibition mechanism was also proposed.


Perchlorate ion interferes with thyroid function by competitively inhibiting the sodium-iodide symporter, thus blocking iodide uptake into the thyroid gland. In this study, the effect of perchlorate exposure on thyroid function and thyroid-responsive gene expression were examined in (1) embryos from eggs laid by perchlorate-treated Japanese quail hens and (2) perchlorate-treated young Japanese quail. I hypothesized that perchlorate exposure would decrease thyroid function and that the consequent hypothyroidism would alter the expression of thyroid sensitive genes. Laying Japanese quail hens were treated with 2000 mg/l and 4000 mg/l ammonium perchlorate in drinking water. Eggs from these hens were incubated. Embryos, exposed to perchlorate in the egg, were sacrificed at day 14 of the 16.5 day incubation period. Japanese quail chicks, 4-5 days old, were treated with 2000 mg/l ammonium perchlorate in drinking water for 2 and 7.5 weeks. Thyroid status was evaluated by measuring plasma thyroid hormone concentrations, thyroid gland weight and thyroidal thyroid hormone storage. Expression of thyroid-responsive genes was evaluated by measuring the mRNA levels of Type 2 deiodinase (D2) in the brain and liver, RC3/neurogranin mRNA level in the brain and Spot 14 mRNA level in the liver. Maternal perchlorate exposure led to embryonic hypothyroidism, demonstrated by thyroid hypertrophy and very low embryonic thyroidal TH storage. Embryonic hypothyroidism decreased body growth and increased D2 mRNA level in the liver (a presumed compensatory response to hypothyroidism) but did not affect the mRNA levels of D2 and RC3 in the brain. Spot 14 mRNA was not detected in embryonic liver. In the second part of the study, quail chicks showed early signs of hypothyroidism after two weeks of 2000 mg/l ammonium perchlorate exposure; plasma concentration and thyroid gland stores of both T4 and T3 were significantly decreased. After 7.5 weeks of perchlorate exposure, all thyroid variables measured indicated that the chicks had become overtly hypothyroid. D2 mRNA level was increased, a compensatory response to hypothyroidism, and spot 14 mRNA level was decreased, a substrate-driven response in the liver of quail chicks after two weeks of perchlorate exposure. However, no difference was observed in the mRNA levels of D2 and spot 14 in the liver after 7.5 weeks of perchlorate exposure, suggesting there was some adaptation to the hypothyroid condition. The mRNA level of D2 and RC3 in the brain was not affected by perchlorate-induced hypothyroidism in quail chicks after either 2 or 7.5 weeks of perchlorate exposure. As in the embryos, this suggests the brain of chicks was "protected" from the hypothyroid body conditions.


Trefoil peptides are a family of small proteins expressed by goblet cells that are secreted onto the apical gastrointestinal mucosal surface, where they are present in high concentrations. These peptides appear to both protect the epithelium and promote healing after injury. However, the factors regulating the expression and secretion of these proteins contributing to mucosal defense have not been characterized. To determine the mechanisms controlling production of trefoil peptides, the human colon cancer-derived model cell line HT-29 was exposed to a variety of potential secretagogues. Expression and secretion of human intestinal trefoil factor (hITF) as well as the intestinal apomucin MUC2 were assessed by Northern and Western blot analysis. Carbachol, an analog of acetylcholine, and the neuroendocrine peptides somatostatin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) stimulated increased expression of hITF mRNA within 5 min. These same factors stimulated parallel secretion of the hITF peptide, with maximal stimulation observed at concentrations ranging from 10(-6) M (carbachol and somatostatin) to 10(-7) M (VIP). Expression and secretion of hITF in response to carbachol, VIP, and somatostatin was independent of production of apomucin. hITF was not regulated by other neuroendocrine transmitters including histamine and substance P. Similarly, hITF expression and secretion was not modulated by peptide growth factors (epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta, and keratinocyte growth factor), cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-2, IL-7, and IL-11], or arachidonic acid metabolites (prostaglandin E1/E2 and leukotriene B4). In conclusion, trefoil peptides appear to be integrated into mechanisms of mucosal defense and repair through the enteric neuroendocrine system and independent of the classical mucosal immune cytokine network.


This paper presents a systematic review of several digital signal processing (DSP)-enabled technologies recently proposed and demonstrated for high spectral efficiency (SE) 400 Gb/s-class and beyond optical networks. These include 1) a newly proposed SE-adaptable optical modulation technology-time-domain hybrid quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), 2) two advanced transmitter side digital spectral shaping technologies-Nyquist signaling (for spectrally-efficient multiplexing) and digital pre-equalization (for improving tolerance toward channel narrowing effects), and 3) a newly proposed training-assisted two-stage carrier phase recovery algorithm that is designed to address the detrimental cyclic phase slipping problem with minimal training overhead. Additionally, this paper presents a novel DSP-based method for mitigation of equalizer-enhanced phase noise impairments. It is shown that performance degradation caused by the interaction between the long-memory chromatic dispersion compensating filter/equalizer and local oscillator laser phase noise can be effectively mitigated by replacing the commonly used fast single-tap phase-rotation-based equalizer (for typical carrier phase recovery) with a fast multi-tap linear equalizer. Finally, brief reviews of two high-SE 400 Gb/s-class WDM transmission experiments employing these advanced DSP algorithms are presented.


The dependence of the light field of a limited radiation beam in a turbid medium on the form of the forward-scattering index is investigated in the small-angle-scattering approximation. The contribution of small-angle scattering to the attenuation index of the separate spatial harmonics of the beam's initial radiance distribution is analyzed. Calculations are carried out with the volume scattering functions experimentally measured by Petzold for three types of sea water (clear ocean, coastal ocean, and turbid harbor) and Dolin's model index, as well as in the small-angle diffusion approximation. A discussion is given of how the "small-angle" scattering index affects the irradiance-attenuation index and the size of the light-beam cross section in the problem of remote laser probing of the ocean.


Abstract Arch bridges are slender structures and can be efficiently used in the range of medium to large spans. These structures have an improved aesthetic aspect and in the same time a low construction height, with obvious advantages regarding reduced costs in the infrastructuers and their foundations. For this type of structures usually composite or orthotropic decks are used. Lately, innovative solutions have been used in designing arch bridges, especially discarding the top wind bracing system. The level of axial forces and bending moments in the arches and tie imply the design of sections with sufficient stiffness and strength in both directions in order to ensure the general stability of the arches, without the need for top wind bracing. Moreover, the cross section of the arches is not constant, but shifts in accordance with the variation of the bending moments, in order to ensure their lateral stability. This paper studies a road bridge with parallel Bowstring arches, with a span of 108m and a carriageway 7.00m wide, sustained by a deck made up of crossbeams 2m apart and a concrete slab. The main beams are held by ties arranged in the Langer system, 10 to 14m apart from each other. The sag of the arches is 18m high. The analyzed structure was proposed for construction in the city of Oradea and is used for crossing the "Crişul Repede" river, between Oneştilor street on the left bank and the Sovata, Fagului and Carpaţi streets on the right bank. The performed analyses have the following two main objectives: to establish the critical load for which the failure of the arches occurs by instability and to underline the influence of different wind bracing systems on the bridge's collapse loads respectively.


BACKGROUND
Throughout time, perineal colostomy in abdominoperineal resection, as a way to avoid abdominal colostomy, was studied. Perineal colostomy associated with a slowing down mechanism for stool transit has been studied for many years with satisfactory results.

AIM
The investigation of a colic valvoplasty in dogs which have undergone an abdominoperineal resection plus perineal colostomy, and the discussion of the results achieved in clinic and histopathologic analysis are the objective of this study.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The experimental model of this research studied the colon of dogs. Sixty five animals were operated and divided in five groups: 10 animals in the pilot group, 15 animals in control group and 40 animals in 3 other groups of observation with 10, 20 and 30 days of postoperative care. The dogs underwent a rectal partial abdominoperineal resection with perineal colostomy associated to a circumferential extramucosal seromiotomy of the left colon (except in the control group).

RESULTS
Through postoperative and post-mortem observation it was possible to verify solid stool before the valves showing the efficiency of the mechanism in slowing it down. The histological analysis of the valves showed connective growth with fibrosis in the whole incised serous and muscular layers, separating them. A fibrous ring diminished the colon lumen in response to the artificial valve created by the scar that appeared in the inverted suture of the serous and muscular layers. The inflammatory fibrous repair process occurred in all valves, associated to foreign body type reactions and to partial stricture of the colon lumen.

CONCLUSION
The circumferential seromiotomy produces a fibrous ring that provides stool retention on the descending colon.


This paper presents a novel mechanism to adapt surrogate-assisted population-based algorithms. This mechanism is applied to ACM-ES, a recently proposed surrogate-assisted variant of CMA-ES. The resulting algorithm, s*ACM-ES, adjusts online the lifelength of the current surrogate model (the number of CMA-ES generations before learning a new surrogate) and the surrogate hyper-parameters.
 Both heuristics significantly improve the quality of the surrogate model, yielding a significant speed-up of s*ACM-ES compared to the ACM-ES and CMA-ES baselines. The empirical validation of s*ACM-ES on the BBOB-2012 noiseless testbed demonstrates the efficiency and the scalability w.r.t the problem dimension and the population size of the proposed approach, that reaches new best results on some of the benchmark problems.


Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of addition of hydrated milk whey (HMW) or a combination in equal parts of HMW previously fermented or not fermented (H/FMW) on tropical grass (TG) silage. The first experiment evaluated the fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability of silage from a mixture of two naturalized TG, Buffel ( Cenchrus ciliaris ) and railroad-track grass ( Dichanthium annulatum ) when HMW was applied at the rate of 0,5, and 10% (w/w) to green forage. Results indicated that HMW addition at both rates reduced the pH to levels below 4.5 during the fermentation versus values greater than five in the control treatment. Upon exposure to air the pH remained low in the treatments with additive, especially 10% HMW, relative to that of the control. The second experiment evaluated Pangola grass ( Digitaria decumbens ) silage with respect to microbial populations, fermentation characteristics, and aerobic stability. Additives were 10% HMW and 10% H/FMW. Although both additives reduced the pH, increased the population of lactic acid-producing bacteria, decreased the coliform population, and did not affect the populations of molds and yeasts, the addition of H/FMW was more effective than that of HMW. Upon exposure to air, the silages with additive were better preserved in terms of pH, temperature, content of soluble carbohydrate, and in vitro dry matter degradability. It is concluded that both HMW and H/FMW improve the quality of silage made fromTG because of their contribution of fermentable carbohydrate.


This paper presents new econometric methods for the empirical analysis of individual labor market histories. The techniques developed here extend previous work on continuous time models in four ways: (1) A structural economic interpretation of these models is presented. (2) Time varying explanatory variables are introduced into the analysis in a general way. (3) Unobserved heterogeneity components are permitted to be correlated across spells. (4) A flexible model of duration dependence is presented that accommodates many previous models as a special case and that permits tests among competing specifications within a unified framework. We contrast our methods with more conventional discrete time and regression procedures. The parameters of continuous time models are in- variant to the sampling time unit used to record observations. Problems plague the regression approach to analyzing duration data which do not plague the likelihood approach advocated in this paper. The regression approach cannot be readily adopted to accommodate time varying explanatory variables. The functional forms of regression functions depend on the time paths of the explanatory variables. Ad hoc solutions to this problem can make exogenous variables endogenous to the model and so can induce simultaneous equations bias. Two sets of empirical results are presented. A major conclusion of the first analysis is that the discrete time Markov model widely used in labor market analysis is inconsistent with the data. The second set of empirical results is a test of the hypothesis that "unemployment" and "out of the labor force" are behaviorally different labor market states. Contrary to recent claims, we find that they are separate states for our sample of young men.


The aim of this study was to seek the views of a national sample of dental educators regarding the importance of learning domains in dental education, their defined outcomes of those domains, and their perceived effectiveness of their schools in guiding learning in those domains. The study defined the educational domains important for training future dentists as knowledge, technical skills, critical thinking, ethics, social responsibility, and interprofessional education/practice (IPE/IPP). A survey of members of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Special Interest Group on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning was conducted in 2017. In addition to reporting their demographics, participants were asked to rate and rank the importance of each learning domain as well as answer open-ended questions. Of the 89 respondents (response rate 12.5%), 31% were course directors, and 48% had been dental faculty members for more than ten years. Knowledge was ranked as the most important domain, followed by critical thinking, technical skills, clinical decision making, ethics, problem-solving, social responsibility, and finally IPE/IPP. When rating the absolute importance of these domains in the training of dental students, the respondents gave all but IPE/IPP and social responsibility the highest rating. Knowledge and technical skills were rated highest for respondents' confidence in defining student outcomes with similar high ratings for their confidence in guiding this learning. There was little consensus concerning a definition of critical thinking, and a third of the respondents were uncertain of specific learning outcomes for it. Participants expressed even less confidence in defining outcomes for ethics, IPE/IPP, and social responsibility. This baseline information will be used for a future in-depth study to aid in the development of strategies for articulating outcomes, guiding learning, and assessing performance in U.S. dental schools.


Social Policy Reform in Hong Kong and Shanghai: A Tale of Two Cities, edited by Linda Wong, Lynn T. White and Shixun Gui. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 2004. xix + 292 pp. US$69.95 (hardcover). Social policy reform is not new to China. In the first half of the 20th century, both the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party adopted legislation designed to provide a measure of protection to workers, even though they were unable to implement most of these policies. Before the establishment of the People's Republic, the Communist Party tested welfare and retirement programs for industrial workers in a limited number of fields, and medical care programs for job-related injuries. Though much of the profit made in Shanghai enterprises was diverted to other regions of China, the city's industrial workers were recipients of various benefits under Mao. Post-Mao, much of Shanghai's profits were retained locally, with the result that in the past twenty years there has been a marked upgrading of housing, schools and medical services. In Hong Kong, post-World War II developments were the reverse of those in Shanghai. The "laissez-faire" attitude in this British colony initially eschewed state intervention in housing, education, medical care and other social reform activities (except perhaps policing). Only slowly and cautiously did the colonial government allocate finances for some social services, for example providing low-cost housing when catastrophic fires left no other choice. Beset by a refugee population and needing workers for manufacturing companies, the Hong Kong government slowly implemented modest educational programs and some medical services, but this conservative policy slowly changed, especially as the date for a return to Chinese control drew near. As the 21st century now unfolds, it is interesting to consider how these two important urban centers compare. This book, edited by Linda Wong (City University of Hong Kong), Lynn White (Princeton University) and Gui Shixun (East China Normal University), provides a first "cut" at this comparison. What have the two cities done and how successful have they been? The book has nine chapters. Excluding the introduction (Wong and Gui) and the concluding commentary (White), the seven core chapters are analytical descriptions and comparisons of Hong Kong and Shanghai policies with respect to health finance, housing, education, labor, poverty and social security, elder care, and migration and competitiveness. Each topical chapter (all of these have three authors) presents data in the form of charts, and summarizes and analyses relevant legislation. All have bibliographies, mostly (though not exclusively) of Chinese sources. Despite effort, a comparison has been difficult to achieve, for two reasons. Although each chapter has three authors, most of them have expertise about only one city, with general knowledge of the other. This results in uneven coverage and a disparity of space allocated between the two cities. …


We study edge dynamics in the presence of interlayer tunneling, parallel magnetic field, and various types of disorder for two infinite sequences of quantum Hall states in symmetric bilayers. These sequences begin with the 110 and 331 Halperin states and include their fractional descendants at lower filling factors; the former is easily realized experimentally while the latter is a candidate for the experimentally observed quantum Hall state at a total filling factor of 1/2 in bilayers. We discuss the experimentally interesting observables that involve just one chiral edge of the sample and the correlation functions needed for computing them. We present several methods for obtaining exact results in the presence of interactions and disorder that rely on the chiral character of the system. Of particular interest are our results on the 331 state, which suggest that a time-resolved measurement at the edge can be used to discriminate between the 331 and Pfaffian scenarios for the observed quantum Hall state at filling factor 1/2 in realistic double-layer systems.


This article explores the role and value of indigenous songs in education. The article draws from a study of grade five learners from a school in the Eastern Cape. The study was designed to answer the question; could Xhosa children in South Africa sing Xhosa indigenous songs significantly better than European folk songs. The experimental group received instruction of Xhosa indigenous songs accompanied by indigenous instruments. The control group received instruction in European folk song singing accompanied by Orff instruments. Instruction included traditional dancing, antiphonal singing technique and improvisation.
The results of the study suggest that the Xhosa children sing the indigenous repertoire expressively and significantly better than the European songs. In this article I argue for the inclusion of indigenous songs in Arts and Culture Curricula.
The intention of this article is not to replace the existing European music and its instructional methodology that currently exist and prevail music curricula today. The primary focus is to add other meaningful pedagogical instructions through African indigenous music and dance that has been relegated for centuries in South African school.


"Encouraging signs of growth acceleration in Africa may herald a new development era of rapid transformation. In an effort to promote the future success of African transformation, we herein provide an extensive literature review on development economics and empirical observations from successfully transformed countries, along with analytic narratives on the transformations of Thailand and Mexico. To conclude, we derive six key messages for African transformation. We find that the traditional development economics theory is consistent with the transformation practice of successful countries. However, this theory needs to be broadened in light of rising inequalities during transformation. Success vitally depends on agricultural development; early withdrawal of public support away from agriculture slows down transformation, and the resulting inequalities are recognized as a persistent development challenge. Transformation also depends on industrialization strategies, but we find that winner-picking industrialization negatively affects other aspects of development, whereas home-grown, export-oriented industrialization led by private entrepreneurs opens up broader opportunities for sustainable growth. Finally, government support will be required to create a business-promoting environment and to offer incentives for African entrepreneurs to lead growth." from authors' abstract


The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), enacted in 1977, has served as an important tool to foster access to financial services for lower-income communities across the country. This study provides new evidence on the effectiveness of CRA on mortgage lending by focusing on a large number of neighborhoods that became eligible and ineligible for CRA credit in the Philadelphia market because of an exogenous policy shock in 2014. The CRA effects are more evident when a lower-income neighborhood loses its CRA coverage, which leads to a 10 percent or more decrease in purchase originations by CRA-regulated lenders. Lending institutions not subject to CRA can substitute approximately half, but not all, of the decreased lending by CRA lenders. The increased market share of nondepository institutions in previously CRA eligible neighborhoods, however, was accompanied by a greater involvement in riskier Federal Housing Administration lending. This study demonstrates how different lenders respond to the incentive of CRA credit and how the use of metropolitan division median family incomes can generate unintended consequences on CRA lending activities.


According to a new global narrative, the Danes are the happiest people in the world. This paper takes a critical look at the international media discourse of "happiness", tracing its roots and underlying assumptions. Equipped with the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach to linguistic and cultural analysis, a new in-depth semantic analysis of the story of "Danish happiness" is developed. It turns out that the allegedly happiest people on earth do not (usually) talk and think about life in terms of "happiness", but rather through a different set of cultural concepts and scripts, all guided by the Danish cultural keyword lykke. The semantics of lykke is explicated along with two related concepts livsglaede, roughly, 'life joy' and livslyst 'life pleasure', and based on semantic and ethnopragmatic analysis, a set of lykke-related cultural scripts is provided. With new evidence from Danish, it is argued that global Anglo-International "happiness discourse" misrepresents local meanings and values, and that the one-sided focus on "happiness across nations" in the social sciences is in dire need of cross-linguistic confrontation. The paper calls for a post-happiness turn in the study of words and values across languages, and for a new critical awareness of linguistic and conceptual biases in Anglo-international discourse.


We are often told that the Victorians were far less violent than their forbears: over the course of the nineteenth century, violent sports were mostly outlawed, violent crime, including homicide, notably declined, and punishments were hidden from public view within prison walls. They were also much more respectable, and actively sought orderly, uplifting, domestic and refined pastimes. Yet these were the very same people who celebrated the exceptionally violent careers of anti-heroes such athe brutal puppet Punch and the murderous barber Sweeney Todd.

By drawing attention to the wide range of gruesome, bloody and confronting amusements patronised by ordinary Londoners this book challenges our understanding of Victorian society and culture. From the turn of the nineteenth century, graphic, yet orderly, 're-enactments' of high level violence flourished in travelling entertainments, penny broadsides, popular theatres, cheap instalment fiction and Sunday newspapers. This book explores the ways in which these entertainments siphoned off much of the actual violence that had hitherto been expressed in all manner of social and political dealings, thus providing a crucial accompaniment to schemes for the reformation of manners and the taming of the streets, while also serving as a social safety valve and a check on the growing cultural hegemony of the middle class.


This paper seeks to provide greater specificity to demands for transparency in the commercial content moderation practices of digital platforms. We identify gaps in knowledge through a thematic analysis of 380 survey responses from individuals who have been the subject of content moderation decisions. We argue that meaningful transparency should be understood as a component of a communicative process of accountability (rendering account) to independent stakeholders. We make specific recommendations for platforms to provide people with clear information about decisions that affect them, including what content is moderated, which rule was breached, and a description of the people and automated processes responsible for identifying content and making the decision. Beyond providing more information to individuals about particular decisions, however, we note the major challenge of improving understanding of content moderation at a systems level. General demands for greater transparency should be reframed to focus on enhanced access to large-scale disaggregated data that can enable new methods and collaborations between academia, civil society, and journalists to make these systems more understandable and accountable.


Mega projects have become an important new development strategy in globalizing cities, and a new or emerging form of development in economic, technological, social and political life, influenced by global flows of capital. Despite being acknowledged as an important factor in globalizing economies, the role of mega projects has failed to receive appropriate research attention in terms of analysis of the various advantages and disadvantages that they carry. This research seeks to achieve a better understanding of the nature of urban development, and its implications for Dubai. The research involves an assessment of whether urban mega projects actually develop as a result of globalisation processes and draws conclusions on conflicting discussions about economic growth and social change. The research aims to establish Dubai's attitudes towards urban mega projects and globalisation, focusing on the ways the phenomenon is conceptualized, and on understanding the impacts of the new urban paradigm, with particular reference to the Jumeirah Palm Island mega project. The research sets out to examine three key issues; firstly what are the effects of global economic factors and foreign direct investment, and how have economic factors have become a catalyst for development? Secondly, the thesis considers the technological and architectural features of large-scale development. Thirdly, it focuses on new social trends and the extent of public participation, and analyses the political dimensions of globalisation. The research reveals that whilst there are some similarities with other mega projects around the world, the Jumeirah Palm Island mega project is the product of a unique development policy. There are many global elements in the Palm Island development but there is also a significant regional dimension, as in many of the underpinning capital flows. It is argued that the adoption of a mega projects policy may have had negative consequences on the indigenous population of Dubai, which has become a minority 12% of the total population.


Abstract. Accumulated snow in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, while limited, has great ecological significance to subnivian soil environments. Though sublimation dominates the ablation process in this region, measurable increases in soil moisture and insulation from temperature extremes provide more favorable conditions with respect to subnivian soil communities. While precipitation is not substantial, significant amounts of snow can accumulate, via wind transport, in topographic lees along the valley bottoms, forming thousands of discontinuous snow patches. These patches have the potential to act as significant sources of local meltwater, controlling biogeochemical cycling and the landscape distribution of microbial communities. Therefore, determining the spatial and temporal dynamics of snow at multiple scales is imperative to understanding the broader ecological role of snow in this region. High-resolution satellite imagery acquired during the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 austral summers was used to quantify the distribution of snow across Taylor and Wright valleys. Extracted snow-covered area from the imagery was used as the basis for assessing inter-annual variability and seasonal controls on accumulation and ablation of snow at multiple scales. In addition to landscape analyses, fifteen 1 km2 plots (3 in each of 5 study regions) were selected to assess the prevalence of snow cover at finer spatial scales, referred to herein as the snow-patch scale. Results confirm that snow patches tend to form in the same locations each year with some minor deviations observed. At the snow-patch scale, neighboring patches often exhibit considerable differences in aerial ablation rates, and particular snow patches do not reflect trends for snow-covered area observed at the landscape scale. These differences are presumably related to microtopographic influences acting on individual snow patches, such as wind sheltering and differences in snow depth due to the underlying topography. This highlights the importance of both the landscape and snow-patch scales in assessing the effects of snow cover on biogeochemical cycling and microbial communities.


The reflection of an optical wave from metal, arising from strong interactions between the optical electric field and the free carriers of the metal, is accompanied by a phase reversal of the reflected electric field. A far less common route to achieving high reflectivity exploits strong interactions between the material and the optical magnetic field to produce a "magnetic mirror" that does not reverse the phase of the reflected electric field. At optical frequencies, the magnetic properties required for strong interaction can be achieved only by using artificially tailored materials. Here, we experimentally demonstrate, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the magnetic mirror behavior of a low-loss all-dielectric metasurface at infrared optical frequencies through direct measurements of the phase and amplitude of the reflected optical wave. The enhanced absorption and emission of transverse-electric dipoles placed close to magnetic mirrors can lead to exciting new advances in sensors, photodetectors, and light sources.


Background: A simple, precise stability-indicating NormalPhase Thin-Layer Chromatography (NPTLC)/ Densitometry method has been studied for estimation of zolpidem tartrate in bulk and in tablet formulation. Method: The chromatographic separation was accomplished on aluminium backed precoated silica gel 60 F254S as the stationary phase using Ethyl acetate: Methanol: triethylamine (9: 1: 0.3 v/v) as mobile phase. Densitometric analysis of zolpidem tartrate was achieved at λ max 293 nm. The method was validated for robustness, precision and accuracy. Stress degradation of zolpidem tartrate was carried out under various reaction conditions including acid, base, oxidation, photo-degradation and dry heating treatment. Result: This system was found to give compact spot for zolpidem tartrate at Rf value 0.56 ± 0.02. The data of linear regression analysis of zolpidem tartrate indicated a good linear relationship over the range of 300 – 1800. LOD and LOQ found 18.10 and 54.84 ng. Resulted stress drugs were analyzed with the developed TLC/ densitometry method. Conclusion: Statistical analysis proves that the method is repeatable and selective for the estimation of zolpidem tartrate in bulk and in formulation. As the method could effectively separate the drug from its degradation products, it can be employed as a stabilityindicating method.


Anthracnose is the one of the most devastating
diseases of mango produced in the southern part of Senegal. The field trials
against post harvest rot due to anthracnose took place in three orchards over
two production seasons, in 2009 and 2010. Three systemic fungicides
(thiophanate methyl, azoxystrobin and myclobutanyl) and one contact fungicide
(mancozeb) were tested for their efficacy. The first treatments in 2009 took
place in the rainy season, while 20% of mangoes on trees exhibited anthracnose
lesions. At ripening stage, 100% of fruits from non treated control mango trees
were affected by anthracnose and got rotten, while between 73.2% and 80% of
mangoes ripened free of disease when treated with thiophanate methyl. With the
treatment with azoxystrobin, between 46.6% and 60% of fruits were not infected.
Treatment with myclobutanyl was less effective. This level of effectiveness was
clearly improved in 2010 by preventive spraying, days ahead of onset of the
rainy season, before the appearance of anthracnose symptoms on fruits. The
level of effectiveness was higher
respectively for thiophanate methyl (between 96% and 100% of fruits not
infected) and azoxystrobin (between 84% and 96% of fruits not infected).


The study's purpose was to discover student understanding of play-based curriculum. Traditionally, play has been misunderstood in pedagogical terms, and was widely interpreted in our study. The Early Years Learning Framework suggests educator guidance in sustaining play is essential for learning and development. As teacher educators, we wanted to reflect on Play and Pedagogy (A new fourth year unit) that expected students to create a conceptual play model for use in practice. Twenty-six students volunteered de-identified assignments. From these, common conceptual elements were identified. We selected quotes from student's work to support identified concepts and entered a methodology of dialogue commentary to enrich analysis. Students focused discussion on adult's pedagogical approach linking play to pedagogy through varied interpretations of the concept of sustained shared thinking. We found student conceptualisations of play–based curriculum addressed complexities of their role as beginning early childhood educators in new ways.


Life as we know it is completely dependent on metal ions. Gradients of metal ions drive metabolism, metal centers often form the active sites of enzymes, and metal-ion coordination is largely responsible for protein and RNA folding. This dependence on metal ions likely reflects the environment from which cellular life emerged. However, long chain biological polymers were not present on prebiotic Earth. Therefore, the chemical reactions leading to Earth9s first cells must have made use of alternative catalysts that were later superseded by RNA and protein. Here, we discuss the similarities between free metal ions, minerals, and biological enzyme catalysts, and how cellular life could have exploited prebiotic metallocomplexes.


The central located tumors has been reported to have nipple areola complex (NAC) involvement, most of the time NAC resection is also required to achieve good oncologic outcome. The tumor in this location used to be one of the indication for mastectomy. Clinical trials have proved that breast conservative surgery in centrally located tumor is similar to those who undergo mastectomy. However, in this particular situation, lumpectomy alone with simple closure may cause the deformities of the breast. This highlights the concepts of 'immediate partial reconstruction' during the breast conservative surgery to be able to prevent the poor cosmetic sequelae. In this study, we describe the surgical technique used in retroareolar breast cancer in non ptotic breast. The patient underwent central quadrantectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy. Reshaping the breast by using the vertical skin pattern technique with inferior dermoglandular flap is required to fill the defect after removing central volume of the breast from breast conservative surgery (BCS). Inferior dermoglandular flap shows good outcome in non-ptotic breast with retroareolar tumor. However, a major disadvantage of our technique is the high-riding of the new NAC location. A simple and effective technique of the inferior dermoglandular flap is presented, in combination with the vertical skin pattern. This combined method allows correction of the central located tumor and parenchyma defect after BCS in all cases with acceptable results.


Many developing countries have witnessed the urgent need of accelerating cadastral surveying processes. Previous studies found that large portions of cadastral boundaries coincide with visible physical objects, namely roads, fences, and building walls. This research explores the application of airborne laser scanning (ALS) techniques on cadastral surveys. A semi-automated workflow is developed to extract cadastral boundaries from an ALS point clouds. Firstly, a two-phased workflow was developed that focused on extracting digital representations of physical objects. In the automated extraction phase, after classifying points into semantic components, the outline of planar objects such as building roofs and road surfaces were generated by an α-shape algorithm, whilst the centerlines delineatiation approach was fitted into the lineate object—a fence. Afterwards, the extracted vector lines were edited and refined during the post-refinement phase. Secondly, we quantitatively evaluated the workflow performance by comparing results against an exiting cadastral map as reference. It was found that the workflow achieved promising results: around 80% completeness and 60% correctness on average, although the spatial accuracy is still modest. It is argued that the semi-automated extraction workflow could effectively speed up cadastral surveying, with both human resources and equipment costs being reduced


Economic performance in Latin America has been disappointing. After a successful recovery from the global financial crisis, growth in 2014 was in most countries, much below expectations and in 2015, growth would still be low. Among the largest seven economies of the region (LAC7), a contraction of output is expected in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, while in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, growth would be about 3 percent. This paper discusses the main factors that explain why growth has been declining. There are cyclical reasons, and, as should have been expected, after rapid recovery, a deceleration should follow. In addition, the evidence would support that potential output growth is below what was experienced at the beginning of this decade, whereas previous assessments were optimistic. The slowdown started before commodity prices started declining, and terms of trade were not significantly low. Therefore it is difficult to blame external factors on the slowdown. However, prospects of lower commodity prices will add to the drag of economic growth. The commodity price boom had a relevant effect on activity, but more than an income effect, it resulted in an investment boom. This has been particularly relevant in Chile and Peru, where that boom has come to an end, adding to the deceleration. Although monetary and fiscal policy may still have a role in supporting demand within inflation target regimes, the main problem in the region is not a lack of demand, but low productivity growth. Efforts must be made to foster productivity. More recently, the cost of institutional weakness and high degrees of inequality have highlighted areas of progress which should be actioned in order to resume high sustainable growth.


Distributed storage platforms draw much attention due to their high reliability and scalability for handling a massive amount of data. To protect user and data privacy, encryption is considered as a necessary feature for production systems like Storj. But it prohibits the nodes from performing content search. To preserve the functionality, we observe that a protocol of integration with searchable encryption and keyword search via distributed hash table allows the nodes in a network to search over encrypted and distributed data. However, this protocol does not address a practical threat in a fully distributed scenario. Malicious nodes would sabotage search results, and easily infiltrate the system as the network grows. Using primitives such as MAC and verifiable data structure may empower the users to verify the search result, but the robustness of the overall system can hardly be ensured. In this paper, we address this issue by proposing a protocol that is seamlessly incorporated to encrypted search in distributed network to attest and monitor nodes. From the moment a node joins the system, it will be attested and continuously monitored through verifiable search queries. The result of each attestation is determined via a standard quorum-based voting protocol, and then recorded on the blockchain as a consensus view of trusted nodes. Based on the proposed protocols, malicious nodes can be detected and removed by a majority of nodes in a self-determining manner. To demonstrate the security and efficiency, we conduct robustness analysis against several potential attacks, and perform performance and overhead evaluation on the proposed protocol.


The authors have liaised with the UK Government over time to highlight the risks associated with the procurement of ICT systems in the public sector and how they should best be addressed, given its unfortunate history of failed projects and the current systems security agenda. Their focus has been the integral issue of the assurance of software quality. This resulted in their being invited to submit independent "Third Party Guidance" which covers both the available procurement process options and the technical issues and opportunities (drawing on lessons from Industry). The guidance was submitted in February 2013, and after due consideration, it has now been circulated to Government teams that have an interest in this area, including the Government Procurement Service itself. There were two main components to the guidance: Technical aspects and Procurement processes. Technical aspects: There are industrial standards to ensure process quality for both hardware and software. The software component of any system is usually the most problematic, in part because there are a number of different, existing standards. These vary from the largely arbitrary and advisory (e.g. Carnegie Mellon Software Institute's Capability Maturity Model, Level Five (CMM5)) to the prescriptive (e.g. Avionics' DO-178b). In addition, the Motor Industry Software Reliability Association (MISRA) has a range of programming standards, which are adopted worldwide. CMM5 has been used in the procurement of public sector systems, but this falls short of what is required, and so greater emphasis should be placed on the level of criticality involved in systems. There are many causes for problems. Some of these are perceived (e.g. avaricious ICT suppliers fool the naive civil servants and Government ministers), some are root causes (e.g. changing requirements impacting on bolt-on protective and corrective actions) and some are faulty assumptions (e.g. using tried and trusted systems as the basis for new systems will lead to more reliability). There are potential solutions to the problems facing Government Acquired Software, which have different merits. They include: contractual mechanisms; requirements freeze; wrappers; and agile techniques. Lessons should be learned from industries with consistent, successful records of implementing software systems: Nuclear, Avionics and Telecommunications. Specific ways in which the risks inherent in public sector software-based systems can be reduced were then recommended. Procurement processes: Whilst public procurement processes usually place responsibility for the efficacy of software squarely with the providers, failures still occur. A basic premise in the purchase of any artefact is the balance between price and quality, with the general rule (assumed) that the higher the quality the higher the price. Yet the particular problem for information systems is that there is usually no discernable quality assessment visible to either the purchaser or even the provider. Three options were presented for improving procurement processes to minimise the risks associated with poor-quality software: Accreditation Approach; Consortia Approach; and, Contract Requirement. The latter was recommended as the most practical way forward, which can be quickly acted upon. The ongoing collection and collation of results from related audits can then strengthen Government intelligence.


Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), especially those with high-risk disease, other comorbidities, or of advanced age, still have a limited prognosis. In addition to cytotoxic chemotherapies, hypomethylating agents such as decitabine (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine) and azacitidine (5-azacytidine), have been approved during the past decade and represent a very important option for the treatment of MDS today. Due to their lower toxicity compared to conventional chemotherapy, hypomethylating agents are often a safe and feasible alternative also for frail patients. Decitabine has been shown to be active in numerous studies including International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) intermediate-1 to high risk patients, in secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) arising from MDS, and in MDS with poor-risk cytogenetics. Furthermore, decitabine has been studied in the allograft setting and in combination treatment regimens, and may play a role in epigenetic "priming" before conventional chemotherapy. This review summarizes the results of clinical trials and experiences with decitabine not only in first-line and single-agent treatment regimens but also as second-line treatment after prior treatment failure, in the context of the allograft setting and as part of combination treatment regimens.


Sheikh Mufid, a highly distinguished theologian and jurist, was the founder of developing the tradition in the fields of theology (kalam) and legal studies (fiqh). His role included establishing an independent identity of the school of Ahlul Bayt, created a model for the development of Shi'i fiqh, and formulated a method in theology and legal studies based on logical coherence between reason and revelation. This paper offers an explanation of Sheikh Mufid's efforts to revive the principles of fiqh and kalam, a brief history of the political situation during his time, and his status with prominent scholars and the Ahlul Bayt.


Summary 1. Increasing sophistication of population viability analysis has broadened our capacity to model population change while accounting for system complexity and uncertainty. However, many emergent properties of population dynamics, such as the coupling of demographic processes with transmission and spread of disease, are still poorly understood. 2. We combined an individual-based demographic (Vortex) and epidemiological (Outbreak )m odel using a novel command-centre module (MetaModel Manager) to predict the progression of bovine tuberculosis in introduced swamp buffalo Bubalus bubalis in northern Australia and validated the model with data from a large-scale disease-monitoring and culling programme. We also assessed the capacity to detect disease based on incrementing sentinel (randomly sampled individuals) culling rates. 3. We showed that even high monitoring effort (1000 culled sentinels) has a low (<10%) probability of detecting the disease, and current sampling is inadequate. 4. Testing proportional and stepped culling rates revealed that up to 50% of animals must be killed each year to reduce disease prevalence to near-eradication levels. 5. Sensitivity analysis indicated that prevalence depended mainly on population demography (e.g. female age at primiparity) and the additional mortality induced by disease, with only minor contributions from epidemiological characteristics such as probability of transmission and encounter rate. This is a useful finding because the disease parameters are the least well known. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our models suggest that details of population demography should be incorporated into epidemiological models to avoid extensive bias in predictions of disease spread and effectiveness of control. Importantly, we demonstrate that low detection probabilities challenge the effectiveness of existing disease-monitoring protocols in northern Australia. The command-centre module we describe linking demographic and epidemiological models provides managers with the tools necessary to make informed decisions regarding disease management.


Theological interpretation of the Bible is one of the most significant debates within theology today. Yet what exactly is theological reading? Darren Sarisky proposes that it requires identification of the reader via a theological anthropology; an understanding of the text as a collection of signs; and reading the text with a view toward engaging with what it says of transcendence. Accounts of theological reading do not often give explicit focus to the place of the reader, but this work seeks to redress this neglect. Sarisky examines Augustine's approach to the Bible and how his theological insights into the reader and the text generate an aim for interpretation, which is fulfilled by fitting reading strategies. He also engages with Spinoza, showing that theological exegesis contrasts not with approaches that take history seriously, but with naturalistic approaches to reading.


The set of minutia points is considered to be the most distinctive feature for fingerprint representation and is widely used in fingerprint matching. It was believed that the minutiae set does not contain sufficient information to reconstruct the original fingerprint image from which minutiae were extracted. However, recent studies have shown that it is indeed possible to reconstruct fingerprint images from their minutiae representations. Reconstruction techniques demonstrate the need for securing fingerprint templates, improving the template interoperability, and improving fingerprint synthesis. But, there is still a large gap between the matching performance obtained from original fingerprint images and their corresponding reconstructed fingerprint images. In this paper, the prior knowledge about fingerprint ridge structures is encoded in terms of orientation patch and continuous phase patch dictionaries to improve the fingerprint reconstruction. The orientation patch dictionary is used to reconstruct the orientation field from minutiae, while the continuous phase patch dictionary is used to reconstruct the ridge pattern. Experimental results on three public domain databases (FVC2002 DB1_A, FVC2002 DB2_A, and NIST SD4) demonstrate that the proposed reconstruction algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art reconstruction algorithms in terms of both: 1) spurious minutiae and 2) matching performance with respect to type-I attack (matching the reconstructed fingerprint against the same impression from which minutiae set was extracted) and type-II attack (matching the reconstructed fingerprint against a different impression of the same finger).


Abstract The calc-alkaline, gneissic El Shalul granite is the westernmost gneiss dome or core complex within the Arabian–Nubian Shield. Previous studies have indicated that it represents either a window into the underlying pre-Neoproterozoic Sahara metacraton or a melt derived from the metacraton. U–Pb LA-ICP-MS dating of magmatic zircons from two samples of the variably foliated El Shalul pluton gives ages of 637 ± 5 Ma and 630 ± 6 Ma, excluding it from representing exhumed cratonic rocks. The ages are, however, indistinguishable from the age of the Um Ba'anib pluton, constituting the core of the Meatiq Gneiss Dome, as well as several other plutons in the Eastern Desert, indicating an important magmatic pulse in the Arabian–Nubian Shield in Late Cryogenian time. Major and trace element data indicate a within-plate setting. Bulk rock Nd-isotope and Hf-isotope data on zircons from the El Shalul pluton indicate derivation of the primary melt from a relatively juvenile source, either the lower crust of a mid-Neoproterozoic volcanic arc or as a result of fractionation of a mantle-derived mafic melt. Sm–Nd bulk rock isotopic data indicate a model age of c. 720 Ma for the protolith from which the melt was derived. Time-corrected Hf-isotope data obtained on the magmatic zircons indicate that the bulk of the source rock was extracted from the mantle around 810 Ma.


Presently the Doha Round negotiations for ensuring disciplines in the area of subsidies and countervailing measures are going on at the multilateral level. In particular, a major focus of the current negotiation is on removal of the actionable subsidies being provided in the fishery sector. The current analysis looks into the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and points out the areas for further reform with reference to the findings on the disputes lodged at the dispute settlement body of the WTO. In addition, the analysis attempts to identify the concern areas for the ongoing fisheries subsides negotiation.


Inclusion of historical perspectives is considered necessary for the comprehensive assessment and management of complex social-ecological systems. Marine conservation biologists have increasingly recognized the value of non-traditional sources such as historical anecdotes as a way to estimate pre-anthropogenic baseline conditions in wildlife populations. The present study demonstrates that examination of eyewitness sightings of unidentified marine objects (UMOs), that were thought at the time to have been sea serpents of the "many-humped" or "string-of-buoys" typology, reveals that Australian marine fauna may have been victims of entanglement in fishing gear for a much longer period than is generally assumed. If this illation is correct, the onset of entanglement in Australia predates by many decades the advent and use of plastic in fisheries and other maritime operations in the later half of the twentieth century. Additionally, given the alarming global promulgation of pseudoscientific rhetoric, the present study offers a pedagogical opportunity in which to contrast alternative explanations of folklore and cryptozoology versus those of euhemerism and scientific parsimony. RÉSUMÉ


This study is an attempt to describe syllables with
different onset structure not only in terms of durational
changes but using ultrasound also in terms of
the distance the tongue travels over a syllable by using
ultrasound and to compare the ratio between the
two parameters, expressed as speed. Results indicate
that both measures increase with an increasing
number of onset segments but not to the same degree
for all targets. Therefore speed was not constant
over all of them. Additionally, type of onset
constituent greatly influenced the three parameters
and there were large between-speaker similarities in
case of durational changes.


As ethnographers practicing within an engineering driven industry, we often struggle with visibility and its effects. Exposing the methodological and technical underpinnings of ethnographic practice can bring us closer to the teams we work with, but it can also draw attention to the ways that engineering and anthropology clash. In this brief paper we describe the rationale for deliberate and highly selective visibility in our engineering-driven workplace. We will draw on our experience as anthropologists "embedded" in teams of engineers to discuss our own claims to authority and examine how legitimacy is conferred upon ideas and actions in a technology-driven environment.


........................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. ix


Background : Oral health behaviour is essential for planning & evaluation of oral health promotion programmes. This study was conducted to assess the oral health behaviour among adolescents aged between 11 to 19 years in Kannur district, Kerala state in India, including their inter-dental cleaning habits. Methods : 512 school children aged 11 to 1 9 years, studying from 6th to 12th standards formed the study subjects. Results : 52.5% were females and remaining were males. 40.8% were Hindus. Brushing of teeth twice daily was practiced by 75% of students. A significant association was found between the correct brushing technique and male gender as well as students in upper primary school compared to high school and higher secondary school education level. The prevalence of inter-dental cleaning habit was observed to be 58%. 76.3% of males and 58.9% of females used coconut leaf toothpicks for inter-dental cleaning. Multivariate analysis revealed age, religion and positive attitude towards inter-dental cleaning as significant factors associated with the practice of inter-dental cleaning. Conclusions : There was a statistically significant association between gender, age, class of study and recommended method of tooth brushing. More than half of the study subjects practiced inter-dental cleaning and the materials used were locally and easily available those are not recommended by oral health professionals. Multivariate analysis shows age, religion and attitude were the factors significantly associated with regular practice of inter-dental cleaning. Oral health professionals can plan, propose and implement school oral health promotion activities as part of building up oral health promoting school.


Detailed within this thesis are the production of diasteromerically enriched α-aryl carbonyl compounds prepared by a new and mild method based on the Truce-Smiles rearrangement; the synthesis of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds utilising a Baker-Venkataraman rearrangement; and the synthesis of salicylic acid derivatives and amides by a novel Baker-Venkataraman-retro-Claisen cascade. In addition, the in vitro screening of the cyclooxygenase inhibitory activity of some of the diarylethers of the acetamide based substrates prepared, has been undertaken.
The introduction summarises the significance and use of both the Truce-Smiles and Baker-Venkataraman rearrangement reactions in the synthesis of α aryl and α acyl carbonyl compounds, respectively. Additionally, a detailed review on some currently available chiral auxiliaries along with their applications is also mentioned. The discussion begins with the application of phase transfer catalysts, based on cinchona alkaloids, for the induction of chirality in ketone-based precursors. Further discussion continues with the synthesis of amide-based substrates from lactones and amines, and the use of C2-symmetric chiral auxiliaries to induce chirality during aryl migration. Using such an approach, a new and mild method for the production of diasteromerically enriched α aryl carbonyl compounds has been achieved. It was found that propanamide-based substrates did not rearrange whilst acetamide-based substrates did, favouring a five-membered transition state during aryl migration. In these initial efforts, only modest diastereoselectivies (dr= max. 1.7:1) were observed.
The amide-based substrates did not undergo the Baker-Venkataraman rearrangement, but instead suffered from facile hydrolysis. Thereafter, the section focuses on the investigation of a serendipitously discovered, novel Baker-Venkataraman-retro-Claisen cascade and its subsequent applications in the synthesis of important amides, in which, unusually, the ketone appears to act as an alkyl donor and the carbamoyl moiety as an alkyl acceptor.
A separate chapter is given to the cyclooxygenase activity of some of the diarylethers prepared, wherein the diarylethers of certain acetamides were screened for their activities against cyclooxygenase enzymes, COX I and COX II. The preliminary results showed that the best compound was a pyrrolidyl-acetamide based precursor which showed good to modest inhibitory activity against both COX I and COX II (25-37% and 44-70%, respectively) in the in vitro screening assay.
The thesis concludes with the experimental section encompassing the experimental details, spectroscopic and analytical analysis of all the compounds prepared and described.


Contemporary people live in a society featured by a continuously increasing complexity. As a consequence, interdisciplinary approaches represent a must for every scientist that aims to efficiently manage a certain problem. Cancer evolution and the associated proper medication strategy is an example of such a complex problem that requires an interdisciplinary approach in order to be properly addressed. The first section addresses some basic aspects regarding how cancer research could benefit from the cooperation between mathematics and biology. The second section of the paper discusses about the cancer modelling at a very basic level and describes a drug medication optimization pattern based on the very well-known model of Fister and Panetta, which is modified in order to increase its readability and predictive capacity.


Amongst Indigenous Australians, "cancer" has negative connotations that detrimentally impact upon access to cancer care services. Barriers to accessing cancer services amongst Indigenous Australians are widely reported. In contrast, factors that facilitate this cohort to successfully navigate cancer care services ("enablers") are scarcely reported in the literature. Through qualitative interviews, this article examines factors that assist Indigenous Australians to have positive cancer experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve adult Indigenous oncology patients recruited from a tertiary hospital in Queensland, Australia during 2012–2014. Data generated from the interviews were independently reviewed by two researchers via inductive thematic analytical processes. Discussions followed by consensus on the major categories allowed conclusions to be drawn on potential enablers. Two major categories of enablers were identified by the researchers: resilience and communication. Individual's intrinsic strength, their coping strategies, and receipt of support improved participant's resilience and consequently supported a positive experience. Communication methods and an effective patient-provider relationship facilitated positive experiences for participants. Despite potential barriers to access of care for Indigenous cancer patients, participants in the study demonstrated that it was still possible to focus on the positive aspects of their cancer experiences. Many participants explained how cancer changed their outlook on life, often for the better, with many feeling empowered as they progressed through their cancer diagnosis and treatment processes.


The first breaths of life in newborn mice increase energy metabolism at the expense of proliferation in cardiomyocytes. Whereas the hearts of some vertebrate species have remarkable regenerative capacity, the mammalian heart can regenerate for only the first week after birth. Puente et al. found that the transition to an oxygen-rich postnatal environment induces DNA damage that stops proliferation in cardiomyocytes. Mitochondria in hearts from postnatal day 7 (P7) mice had increased DNA content, cristae density, and aerobic respiration enzyme abundance (all measures of mitochondrial function) compared with those in hearts of newborn mice. Aerobic respiration causes oxidative stress through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ROS production was increased in hearts from P7 mice compared with those from newborns. Nuclear staining for the oxidative DNA lesion 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG), the number of 8-oxoG foci, and the abundance or activation of DNA damage response (DDR) proteins, including the kinase ATM, were increased in P7 compared with newborn hearts, indicating that ROS-induced DNA damage was increased after birth. Exposure to a hyperoxic environment from just before birth accelerated the increase in oxidative DNA damage and DDR protein activation after birth and decreased cardiomyocyte proliferation. In mice born in a mildly hypoxic environment, oxidative DNA damage and DDR protein activation were decreased, and heart weight and cardiomyocyte proliferation were increased, although cardiomyocyte size was decreased. Additionally, cardiomyocytes from hearts injected with hydrogen peroxide or from mice injected with ROS inducers had increased DNA damage and DDR activation, decreased mitosis, and were larger than controls, suggesting that ROS inhibits cardiomyocyte proliferation. ROS production, oxidative DNA damage, activation of the DDR, and cardiomyocyte size were decreased and cardiomyocyte proliferation was increased in mice treated with a ROS scavenger (NAC) or in mice expressing a mitochondrial-specific catalase only in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac function after ischemic injury at P21 was increased and fibrotic scar formation decreased in mice that received NAC injections from birth compared with those that had not. This finding identifies a key protective mechanism in newborn hearts, in which energy metabolism is promoted at the expense of cell proliferation, and may indicate therapeutic strategies for inducing regeneration in the adult heart. B. N. Puente, W. Kimura, S. A. Muralidhar, J. Moon, J. F. Amatruda, K. L. Phelps, D. Grinsfelder, B. A. Rothermel, R. Chen, J. A. Garcia, C. X. Santos, S. Thet, E. Mori, M. T. Kinter, P. M. Rindler, S. Zacchigna, S. Mukherjee, D. J. Chen, A. I. Mahmoud, M. Giacca, P. S. Rabinovitch, A. Aroumougame, A. M. Shah, L. I. Szweda, H. A. Sadek. The oxygen-rich postnatal environment induces cardiomyocyte cell-cycle arrest through DNA damage response. Cell 157, 565–579 (2014). [PubMed]


Langmuir probes are ubiquitously used for in-situ measurements of plasma parameters. These probes have been placed on many different platforms, including experimental sounding rockets for measurements in mesosphere-lower-thermosphere, and also onboard satellites to obtain data sets over an extended period of time in the ionosphere. To accommodate such different situations, many different variations of the Langmuir probe design have been made. This thesis covers two such implementations, as well as the data analysis and issues that can arise with such instruments. The first of these implementations is a set of sweeping Langmuir probes on the Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU) that is deployed on-board the International Space Station. We compare the output of NASA's current data processing algorithm for FPMU to that of our own algorithm. This work shows how instruments degrade overtime, and how data analysis can partially work around such degradation. Our analysis also demonstrated how various environmental effects need to be accounted for to get an accurate measurement during data analysis of Langmuir probes. The second implementation considered in this thesis is a new multi-needle Langmuir probe (mNLP) design as recently flown aboard some German sounding rockets. Our work confirms that mNLP instrument shows great promise, but also cautions in its data processing algorithms which can easily lead to 50% errors unless appropriately dealt with. We then present a new way to analyze mNLP data that can bring the measurement error to within 10%.


In this paper we have argued for a new conceptualisation of strategic foresight. The existing approaches are largely based on too simple a concept of future. It is usually assumed that one is able to conceptualise already in the present all possible future developments. We contrast this with the concept of a 'radically open' future, which might develop in ways which go beyond of what our cognitive categories allow us to conceptualise. Drawing on linguistic philosophy it is shown how our thinking and communicating is limited by our linguistic categories. Strategic foresight from this perspective is largely concerned with the adjustment of the linguistic system to novel developments of the world. This requires an openness towards new linguistic categories. Drawing on the philosophical concepts of 'anticipating critique' by Paul Feyerabend and 'occasional reason' by Helmut Spinner we try to show how such an openness can be accomplished.


The digitalization of the Global South, particularly with respect to African countries, is moving at a fast pace. This can be seen in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in different domains such as healthcare, education, industry, entertainment, as well as in the provision of e-government services, to name just a few. Such digital progress is seen as positive and often presented as such in international development discussions, for example at the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2019 on ICTs for achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Despite the positives, there are also negative aspects of digitalization, which have to be addressed in the form of ethical concerns. This paper discusses these concerns by specifically exploring the aspect of power in light of the digital transformation of the Global South. The discussion advanced in this paper is informed by a review of literature.


Smallholder agriculture in many developing countries has remained largely self-financed. However, improved productivity for attaining greater food security requires better access to institutional credit. Past efforts to extend institutional credit to smaller farmers has failed for several reasons, including subsidized operation of government-aided credit schemes. Thus, recent efforts to expand credit for smallholder agriculture that rely on innovative credit delivery schemes at market prices have received much policy interest. However, thus far the impacts of these efforts are not fully understood. This study examines credit for smallholder agriculture in the context of Uganda, where agriculture is about 35 percent of gross domestic product, most farmers are smallholders, and the country has introduced policies since 2005 to extend credit access to the sector. The analysis uses newly available household panel data from Uganda for 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 to examine (a) whether credit effectively targets agriculture, by examining determinants of borrowing across different sources; (b) agricultural and nonagricultural determinants of supply and demand credit constraints among non-borrowers; and (c) the effects of borrowing and credit constraints on household income, consumption, and agricultural outcomes. The analysis finds that although not many households report borrowing specifically for agriculture, credit is fungible and agricultural outcomes do substantially improve with institutional borrowing, particularly microcredit. Among non-borrowers, supply and demand credit constraints have fallen considerably over the period, particularly in rural areas. Access to institutions and infrastructure play a strong role in alleviating the negative effect of credit constraints on welfare outcomes, as well as determining the source of lending among borrowing households.


Elementary school students are experiencing heightened levels of test anxiety which is blocking their access to learning. Practices such as art therapy, meditation, and mindfulness are rising in popularity as means for controlling and reducing anxiety. Recent studies have found success in using these practices with students to reduce test anxiety (Putwain et al., 2014; Cho, Ryu, Noh, & Lee, 2016). This study used a preand post-test quantitative quasi-experimental design to compare the levels of test anxiety between the treatment group (n = 21) who received an intervention of coloring while listening to a guided meditation before a math test, and the control group (n = 18), who received the math test without any intervention. After data were gathered in a six-week study, independent and paired samples t-tests were performed to determine if statistically significant differences arose between the two groups. The results showed the treatment group had slightly lower levels of test anxiety following the intervention, but not enough to prove that the intervention was directly related to lowering test anxiety. Recommendations for further work include using a larger sample size with more students who have test anxiety to increase statistical power.


The impact of three cropping histories (sugarcane, maize and soybean) and two tillage practices (conventional tillage and direct drill) on plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes in the following sugarcane crop was examined in a field trial at Bundaberg. Soybean reduced populations of lesion nematode (Pratylenchus zeae) and root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) in comparison to previous crops of sugarcane or maize but increased populations of spiral nematode (Helicotylenchus dihystera) and maintained populations of dagger nematode (Xiphinema elongatum). However the effect of soybean on P zeae and M. javanica was no longer apparent 15 weeks after planting sugarcane, while later in the season, populations of these nematodes following soybean were as high as or higher than maize or sugarcane. Populations of P zeae were initially reduced by cultivation but due to strong resurgence tended to be higher in conventionally tilled than direct drill plots at the end of the plant crop. Even greater tillage effects were observed with M. javanica and X. elongatum, as nematode populations were significantly higher in conventionally tilled than direct drill plots late in the season. Populations of free-living nematodes in the upper 10 cm of soil were initially highest following soybean, but after 15, 35 and 59 weeks were lower than after sugarcane and contained fewer omnivorous and predatory nematodes. Conventional tillage increased populations of free-living nematodes in soil in comparison to direct drill and was also detrimental to omnivorous and predatory nematodes. These results suggest that crop rotation and tillage not only affect plant-parasitic nematodes directly, but also have indirect effects by impacting on natural enemies that regulate nematode populations. More than 2 million nematodes/m(2) were often present in crop residues on the surface of direct drill plots. Bacterial-feeding nematodes were predominant in residues early in the decomposition process but fungal-feeding nematodes predominated after 15 weeks. This indicates that fungi become an increasingly important component of the detritus food web as decomposition proceeds, and that that the rate of nutrient cycling decreases with time. Correlations between total numbers of free-living nematodes and mineral N concentrations in crop residues and surface soil suggested that the free-living nematode community may provide an indication of the rate of mineralisation of N from organic matter.


ABSTRACT Research on informal settlement upgrading tends to focus on one-off case studies. This article investigates the changing experiences, over nearly 25 years, of people living in an upgraded informal settlement. We sought to determine how the perceptions of the residents of Freedom Square changed. Our latest survey (2014) included responses from 199 household representatives and followed earlier surveys. Firstly, we find that the upgrading of Freedom Square represents a first step towards ensuring the housing rights of black people in urban South Africa. Secondly, spatial infilling and locational advantage continue to play valuable roles. Thirdly, dweller control, in terms of which residents themselves are able to design extensions to their houses, remains important. Fourthly, social cohesion among community members is proving to be more important than access to a stand. Fifthly, urban management remains an important long-term requirement. Lastly, elements of informality persist in the area.


In this review the analytical techniques for measuring microplastics in sediment have been evaluated. Four primary areas of the analytical process have been identified that include (1) sampling, (2) extraction, (3) quantitation and (4) quality assurance/quality control (QAQC). Each of those sections have their own subject specific challenges and require further method development and harmonisation. The most common approach to extracting microplastics from sediments is density separation. Following extraction, visual counting with an optical microscope is the most common technique for quantifying microplastics; a technique that is labour intensive and prone to human error. Spectroscopy (FTIR; Raman) are the most commonly applied techniques for identifying polymers collected through visual sorting. Improvements and harmonisation on size fractions, sampling approaches, extraction protocols and units for reporting plastic abundance would aid comparison of data generated by different research teams. Further, we advocate the development of strong QAQC procedures to be adopted like other fields of analytical chemistry. Finally, inter-laboratory proficiency testing is recommended to give an indication of the variation and reliability in measurements reported in the scientific literature that may be under- or overestimations of environmental burdens.


Abstract Objectives The risk nurses face related to exposure to blood borne pathogens associated with IV therapy are daily challenges. Providing a product with the least risk of exposure is the responsibility of the healthcare organization. Where the two meet creates an environment that fosters a safe work environment and raises the awareness that safety is everyone's job. Project Following identification of exposure rates from IV catheter stylets the Carilion Clinic undertook a project to improve the practices and provide a higher level of safety for its staff. Results Following staff evaluation and selection of a new IV catheter, the exposure rate related to contaminated IV catheter stylets dropped from 13 in 2005 to 2 in 2007. Numerous other practices and products related to IV therapy were reviewed and improved upon following the catheter conversion as well. Conclusion and Implications for Practice A higher level of safety can be achieved when nurses are involved in the selection of a product, staff education, and support from leadership.


Excerpt] Each year, the Baker Program in Real Estate, in conjunction with the Cornell Real Estate Review (CRER), awards the Industry Leader Award which recognizes transformational leadership in the real estate industry. Formerly known as the "Executive Profile" appearing in the Cornell Real Estate Review, this award is a top honor given to those with the influence and integrity to have created a lasting legacy within the industry. Past recipients include: Robert Duncan, chairman, co-founder, and managing principal of Transwestern Investment Company; Art Gensler, founder and CEO, Gensler, a global architecture firm; Andrew Florance, founder and CEO, Costar, the commericial real estate information company; Samuel Zell, chairman and president, Equity Group Investments, a major Chicago-based private real estate investment firm; and William Sanders, chairman, Verde Realty, a leading developer, owner and operator of corporate facilities on the U.S.Mexico border.


ABSTRACT Curcumin, the primary bioactive component isolated from turmeric, has been shown to possess variety of biologic functions including anti-cancer activity. However, molecular mechanisms in different cancer cells are various. In the present study, we demonstrated that curcumin induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by increasing the expression levels of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved PARP and decreasing the expression of BCL−2 in U937 human leukemic cells but not in K562 cells. We found some interferon induced genes, especially interferon-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 2 (IFIT2), were significantly upregulated when treated with curcumin in U937 cells by gene expression chip array, and further confirmed that the expression of IFIT2 was obviously higher in U937 than that in K562 cells by Western blot assay. In addition, inhibiting the expression of IFIT2 by shRNA in U937 rescued curcumin-induced apoptosis and exogenous overexpression of IFIT2 by lentiviral transduction or treating with IFNγ in K562 cells enhanced anti-cancer activity of curcumin. These results indicated for the first time that curcumin induced leukemic cell apoptosis via an IFIT2-dependent signaling pathways. The present study identified a novel mechanism underlying the antitumor effects of curcumin, and may provide a theoretical basis for curcumin combined with interferon in the cancer therapeutics.


Smart societies have an increasing demand for quality-oriented services and infrastructure in an industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) paradigm. Smart urbanization faces numerous challenges. Among them, secured energy demand-side management (DSM) is of particular concern. The IIoT renders the industrial systems to malware, cyberattacks, and other security risks. The IIoT with the amalgamation of big data analytics can provide efficient solutions to such challenges. This paper proposes a secured and trusted multi-layered DSM engine for a smart social society using IIoT-based big data analytics. The major objective is to provide a generic secured solution for smart societies in IIoT environment. The proposed engine uses a centralized approach to achieve optimum DSM over a home area network. To enhance the security of this engine, a payload-based authentication scheme is utilized that relies on a lightweight handshake mechanism. Our proposed method utilizes the lightweight features of the constrained application protocol to facilitate the clients in monitoring various resources residing over the server in an energy-efficient manner. In addition, data streams are processed using big data analytics with MapReduce parallel processing. The proposed authentication approach is evaluated using NetDuino Plus 2 boards that yield a lower connection overhead, memory consumption, response time, and a robust defense against various malicious attacks. On the other hand, our data processing approach is tested on reliable datasets using Apache Hadoop with Apache Spark to verify the proposed DMS engine. The test results reveal that the proposed architecture offers valuable insights into the smart social societies in the context of IIoT.


Abstract This work describes the possible use of thick Early Cretaceous clay deposits, which occur in the southern sector of the Sierra de la Demanda range, as raw materials in the manufacture of ceramic articles. The global mineralogical composition is characterized by high proportions of phyllosilicates and quartz with variable quantities of feldspars, carbonates and hematite. The clay mineralogy differentiates two types of raw materials: illitic clay and kaolinitic-illitic clay. A granulometric distribution in the 2-60 μm fraction, good behaviour during the drying stage and acceptable results in firing tests confirmed that most samples can be utilized as raw material in the building ceramics industry. The range of suitable firing temperatures for these materials is 950-1000°C, a temperature which needs to be raised for samples with a high percentage of kaolinite and quartz. Moreover, other materials with abundant calcite (20-30%) are suitable for use as modifiers of some properties or colour.


Dementia affects individuals, families and their relationships. While there is increasing evidence about the experiences of family caregivers of people with dementia, relatively little is known of their experiences when their relatives are living in nursing homes with dementia. This narrative literature review aimed to synthesise current knowledge about family caregivers' experience of having relatives living in nursing homes with advanced dementia, particularly focussing on community-dwelling spouses. Using a systematic approach, textual narrative synthesis was undertaken. Four themes were identified: changing relationships, the need for companionship, adjusting to new roles and relationships and anticipating death/looking towards the future. Two additional themes were present only for spouses: changing identity – feeling married, being married; and alone but… The review demonstrates that some aspects of spouses' experiences are different from those of other family caregivers. Longitudinal studies are required to better understand spouses' motivations to continue caring in this context and to find ways of supporting them.


In this work we consider asymmetric correlation channels and focus on the achievability of the rate-distortion function when the source is binary uniform. This lies in contrast with conventional symmetric correlation channel models employed in the literature. The rate-distortion function for binary source coding with correlated side information is expressed as a function of an auxiliary random variable with an alphabet size smaller or equal to three. Complementing our recent findings on the problem, we propose a numerical analysis of the differences between assuming binary and ternary auxiliary variables in the derivation of the rate distortion bound. We also show that, even if the proposed bound does not admit an analytical expression, it always admits a unique solution.