We have determined a detailed three-dimensional P wave velocity structure of the Japan subduction zone to 500-km depth by inverting local, regional, and teleseismic data simultaneously. We used 45,318 P wave arrivals from 1241 shallow and deep earthquakes which occurred in and around the Japan Islands. The arrival times are recorded by the Japan University Seismic Network which covers the entire Japan Islands densely and uniformly. We also used 4211 travel time residuals from 100 teleseismic events which are read from seismograms recorded by seismic stations in northeastern Japan. In comparison with the previous results obtained from only local and regional events, the present result for the area around the lower plate boundary and the mantle below the plate is determined more reliably because of the addition of 7035 data from 100 teleseismic events and 41 very deep earthquakes. In the crust and uppermost mantle, low-velocity zones are clearly visible beneath active volcanoes. In the mantle wedge the low-velocity zones generally parallel with the slab and exist continuously to a depth of about 200-km, which is consistent with the petrological, geochemical and geodynamic studies. We consider that the existence of volcanism-related low-velocity anomalies in the mantle wedge is a general Seismological characteristic of subduction zones, in light of all the available tomographic results for many subduction zones in the world. The Pacific slab beneath Japan is imaged more clearly than in previous studies as a high-velocity zone with a thickness of 80–90 km and a P wave velocity 4–6% higher than the normal mantle. Lower velocity anomalies are found in the mantle below the slab.


Abstract. While heterotrophic respiration (Rh) makes up about
a quarter of gross global terrestrial carbon fluxes, it remains among the
least-observed carbon fluxes, particularly outside the midlatitudes. In situ measurements collected in the Soil Respiration Database (SRDB) number
only a few hundred worldwide. Similarly, only a single data-driven
wall-to-wall estimate of annual average heterotrophic respiration exists,
based on bottom-up upscaling of SRDB measurements using an assumed
functional form to account for climate variability. In this study, we
exploit recent advances in remote sensing of terrestrial carbon fluxes to
estimate global variations in heterotrophic respiration in a top-down
fashion at monthly temporal resolution and 4∘×5∘ spatial resolution. We
combine net ecosystem productivity estimates from atmospheric inversions of
the NASA Carbon Monitoring System-Flux (CMS-Flux) with an optimally scaled
gross primary productivity dataset based on satellite-observed solar-induced
fluorescence variations to estimate total ecosystem respiration as a
residual of the terrestrial carbon balance. The ecosystem respiration is
then separated into autotrophic and heterotrophic components based on a
spatially varying carbon use efficiency retrieved in a model–data fusion
framework (the CARbon DAta MOdel fraMework, CARDAMOM). The resulting dataset
is independent of any assumptions about how heterotrophic respiration
responds to climate or substrate variations. It estimates an annual average
global average heterotrophic respiration flux of 43.6±19.3 Pg C yr−1.
Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses showed that the top-down Rh are
more sensitive to the choice of input gross primary productivity (GPP) and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) datasets than to the
assumption of a static carbon use efficiency (CUE) value, with the possible exception of the wet
tropics. These top-down estimates are compared to bottom-up estimates of
annual heterotrophic respiration, using new uncertainty estimates that
partially account for sampling and model errors. Top-down heterotrophic
respiration estimates are higher than those from bottom-up upscaling
everywhere except at high latitudes and are 30 % greater overall (43.6 Pg C yr−1 vs. 33.4 Pg C yr−1). The uncertainty ranges of both methods are
comparable, except poleward of 45∘ N, where bottom-up
uncertainties are greater. The ratio of top-down heterotrophic to total
ecosystem respiration varies seasonally by as much as 0.6 depending on
season and climate, illustrating the importance of studying the drivers of
autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration separately, and thus the
importance of data-driven estimates of Rh such as those estimated here.


Modern microprocessors include a sophisticated hierarchy of caches to hide the latency of memory access and thereby speed up data processing. However, multiple cores within a processor usually share the same last-level cache. This can hurt performance, especially in concurrent workloads whenever a query suffers from cache pollution caused by another query running on the same socket. In this work, we confirm that this particularly holds true for the different operators of an in-memory DBMS: The throughput of cache-sensitive operators degrades by more than 50 %. To remedy this issue, we devise a cache allocation scheme from an empirical analysis of different operators and integrate a cache partitioning mechanism into the execution engine of a commercial DBMS. Finally, we demonstrate that our approach improves the overall system performance by up to 38 %.


Relevance: Firstly, w e report the incidence of disclosure of a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) by
physiotherapy students in a Higher Education Institute (HEI), making it relevant to the congress theme,
Education. Secondly, w e compare this to reports of disclosure in the NHS w orkplace, challenging
managers to address the apparent discrepancy. This makes it relevant to the congress theme, Policy,
Strategy and Influencing (in the w orkplace).
Purpose: 1) To design an evidence-based data retrieval procedure from HEI databases to
accurately report students disclosing a SpLD; 2) To identify characteristics of students w ho have
disclosed a SpLD on an NHS commissioned physiotherapy programme and compare to NHS employer
Equality and Diversity annual reports.
Approach/Evaluation: This w as Phase 1 of a 3-phase evaluation. In order to extract data relevant
to the reporting of SpLD, a literature search w as carried out to identify relevant factors. A repeatable
procedure w as then designed to allow HEIs to retrieve and compare the data. We benchmarked
three physiotherapy cohorts at a UK HEI and compared them to: 1) overall student data at the HEI; 2)
the percentage of staff w ho disclosed a disability in the NHS.
Outcomes: Students w ith a SpLD access higher education via both traditional and non-traditional
routes. The most frequently disclosed SpLD w as dyslexia. On average, more physiotherapy
students (11%) disclosed a SpLD than students in the university as a w hole (7%) or compared to
NHS staff (3.5%). A smaller percentage of students w ith a SPLD did not proceed through the
programme compared to those w ithout a SpLD. Students w ho disclosed their SpLD and in receipt of
a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) generally achieved a better degree classification than those w ho
disclosed but w ere not in receipt of a PLP. No students w ith a PLPobtained a Third Class Honours
degree over the three cohorts studied.
Discussion and conclusions: We have produced an evidence-based, repeatable data retrieval
procedure to allow comparison across HEIs. In Physiotherapy, there is a higher incidence of
disclosure of a SpLD compared to the general student body and in the NHS w orkplace. Phase 2
explored reasons for disclosure or non-disclosure w hilst as a student in University, on placement
and in the w orkplace.
Impact and Implications: By reporting the incidence of disclosure of a SpLD by physiotherapy
students in higher education, and comparing this to reports of disclosure in the NHS w orkplace, w e
challenge managers to address this apparent discrepancy. We anticipate this w ill improve support
mechanisms for the employee and also facilitate the transition of physiotherapists w ith SpLD, from
student to employee and back again.
Funding Acknowledgement: Health Education Northw est (HENW)


Most previous research done in probabilistic schedulability analysis assumes a known distribution of execution times for each task of a real-time application. This is however not trivial to determine it with a high level of confidence. Methods based on measurements are often biased since not in general exhaustive on all the possible execution paths, whereas methods based on static analysis are mostly worst-case execution time - WCET-oriented. Using static analysis, this work proposes a method to obtain probabilistic distributions of execution times. It assumes that the given real time application is divided into multiple tasks, whose source code is known. Ignoring in this paper hardware considerations and based only on the source code of the tasks, the proposed technique allows designers to associate to any execution path an execution time and a probability to go through this path. A source code example is presented to illustrate the method.


Sharing is as old as civilization itself. Corporations now are taking an old idea and creating a strategic model with the help of technology. This modern sharing economy, while having roots in sustainable practices, can often be mistaken as an inherently sustainable business model. We present the outcomes of a project on e-scooters as an example to emphasize the potential impacts and characteristics of a business operating within the sharing economy. To understand and gain public opinion, a survey was conducted gathering 222 responses regarding e-scooter usage in Edmonton, Alberta. Another source of information was the interview with a top executive of Lime Scooters, an e-scooter company operating in Edmonton. We found that while online platforms make resource sharing between peers easier to access, they are not always economically sustainable. Literature review on life-cycle analysis of e-scooters revealed that environmental sustainability is also not ingrained in practice, and careful consideration of business operations is needed to mitigate potentially negative impacts. In addition, thoughtful policies need to be considered and put into place in-order to encourage public and private trust. Overall, the sharing economy can be quite effective in creating a sense of community and social sustainability, but it should not be graded as a wholly sustainable practice without evidence.


'It looks very home dressmakey,' is a term often levelled at students during toile and garment fittings. Interpreted it means that the garment has been cut and manufactured in a way that looks home dress made as opposed to professionally finished. The phrase also implies that the student's work is poor and that a garment that looks home dress made, in fashion terms is amateurish. The process of teaching and learning that enables students to grasp this concept is intricate. It includes developing an appreciation of what constitutes good and bad design and an empathy and understanding for the most appropriate technical methods that need to be acquired in order to professionally realise the design.

This paper is a reflective investigation and celebration of the activities involved in making clothes and suggests ways in which to instil a passion for this technology in fashion students. In particular it explores teaching strategies that enable final year fashion design students to successfully realise their degree collections. It also examines the work of Jean Muir, a designer who;
'Was in love with the process and craft of dressmaking and always used very high quality materials and details.' (Soutar, 2008 p2).
Research into her work was undertaken at Lotherton Hall in Leeds who hosted a major Jean Muir retrospective in 1980.The example of the designer's work is used as a catalyst to discuss the educational processes developed in order to teach students about what a professional garment should really look like.


Pharmacological properties were evaluated for the antidiarrheic wood creosote ingredient 2-methoxy-4-ethylphenol (2M4EP), which was shown to be protective against neurotoxicity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), to modulate Ca(2+) influx across acquired and native NMDA receptor (NMDAR) channels. NMDA markedly increased intracellular free Ca(2+) levels in HEK293 cells transfected with the expression vector of either NR2A or NR2B subunit together with the essential NR1 subunit vector. Further addition of dizocilpine inhibited the increase by NMDA in intracellular Ca(2+) levels in both types of acquired NMDAR channels, while 2M4EP and the NR2B-subunit-selective antagonist ifenprodil were more effective in inhibiting the increase by NMDA in HEK293 cells expressing NR1/NR2B subunits than in those with NR1/NR2A subunits. 2M4EP significantly prevented the increased intracellular Ca(2+) levels by NMDA in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Brief exposure to NMDA led to a drastic decrease in cellular viability 24 h later in cultured hippocampal neurons, while 2M4EP significantly prevented the loss of cellular vitality by NMDA. Similarly, 2M4EP more efficiently protected HEK293 cells with NR1/NR2B subunits than those with NR1/NR2A subunits. These results suggest that 2M4EP may protect neurons from excitotoxicity through inhibition of Ca(2+) influx across NMDAR channels composed of NR1/NR2B, rather than NR1/NR2A, subunits.


Prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Kuru in humans, scrapie in sheep and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle are a group of neurodegenerative diseases that invariably lead to death. The current hypothesis states that the cellular prion protein (PrPC) gets converted into a misfolded form
PrPSc, characterized by a high β-sheet content (Aguzzi and Calella, 2009). The misfolded PrPSc oligomerizes and grows into fibrils. Broken fibrils can then serve as a
seed and lead to further conversion and oligomerization, and therefore be used as a surrogate for infectivity (Knowles et al., 2009). The in vivo conformation of prion fibrils is not defined; hence, developing specific inhibitors remains challenging.
Other therapies targeting both prion replication and the intracellular signalling pathways that mediate neurotoxicity have not been successful. Consequently, to date no effective prion therapy exists.
Prion disease represents one if not the best-studied protein aggregation disease. An in vitro model for prion-induced pathology has been established in our laboratory.
When cerebellar organotypic cultured slices (COCS) are infected with prions, they exhibit all the characteristic features as prion replication, astro- and microgliosis,
vacuolation and neurotoxicity (Falsig et al., 2008; Falsig et al., 2012).
Luminescent conjugated polythiophenes (LCP) are polymeric fluorescent molecules that preferentially bind to protein aggregates with regular cross-β-sheet structures,
including those formed by PrPSc, and can be used to stain many different amyloids in tissues (Klingstedt and Nilsson, 2012). Recently, our laboratory found that treatment of prion-infected brain homogenates and prion-infected COCS with LCPs reduced infectivity. Interestingly, the prionostatic effect seems to rely on hyperstabilization, rather than dissociation, of PrP aggregates (Margalith et al., 2012).
More recent findings from our lab have shown that full length, monovalent antibodies or single chain antibodies that target the globular domain (termed globular domain ligands; GDL) of prion protein (PrPC) lead to dramatic neuronal cell loss when applied in cultured organotypic cerebellar slices or stereotactically injected in the cerebellum of mice (Sonati et al., 2013). It was also found that neurotoxicity involves the production of reactive oxygen species and activation of calpains.
This thesis focuses on the evaluation of LCPs as a therapy in a mouse model of prion diseases, the comparison of the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying neurotoxicity elicited by GDL or prions and signaling mechanisms involved in prion induced neuronal cell death.


Crops grown in salt affected soils may suffer from drought stress, ion toxicity, and mineral deficiency leading to reduced growth and productivity. The present study was conducted to determine how salinity affects growth, water relations, and accumulation of cations of nutritional importance in various organs of grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Two Kenyan sorghum varieties, Serena and Seredo, were grown in a greenhouse in quartz sand supplied with a complete nutrient solution to which 0 (control), 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 mM NaCl was added. The 250 mM NaCl treatment significantly reduced the relative shoot growth rates, measured 25 d after the start of salt application, by 75 and 73%, respectively, for Serena and Seredo, and stem dry weight by 75 and 53%. In a similar way, young leaves were affected, with leaf blades of both varieties being reduced by 67% while sheaths were reduced by 83 and 87% for Serena and Seredo, respectively. Leaf water potential, osmotic potential, leaf pressure potential, and relative water content significantly declined with increasing salt stress. Roots and stems accumulated substantial amounts of sodium, saturating at 150 mM external NaCl. Accumulation of K+ and Ca2+ in the roots, stems, and leaves was strongly inhibited by salinity. Magnesium concentration of the roots was minimally impaired but that of the stems and leaves was strongly affected. Leaves continuously accumulated sodium, which was preferentially deposited in the sheaths. Mature leaves contained more Ca2+ and Mg2+ than young ones. The two sorghum varieties appear to sequester Na+ predominantly in roots, stems, leaf sheaths, and older leaf blades sparing the growing tissues as a salt tolerance mechanism. Nevertheless, greatly reduced concentrations of Ca2+, K+, and Mg2+ in leaves under salinity could cause cation deficiency which reduces plant growth.


Skillful streamflow forecasts at seasonal lead times may be useful to water managers seeking to provide reliable water supplies and maximize system benefits. In this study, streamflow autocorrelation and large-scale climate information are used to generate probabilistic streamflow forecasts for the Lower Colorado River system in central Texas. A number of potential predictors are evaluated for forecasting flows in various seasons, including large-scale climate indices related to the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and others. Results indicate that, of the predictors evaluated, only hydrologic persistence and Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature patterns associated with ENSO and PDO provide forecasts which are statistically better than climatology. An ordinal polytomous logistic regression approach is proposed as a means of incorporating multiple predictor variables into a probabilistic forecast model. Forecast performance is assessed through a cross-validation procedure, using distribution-oriented metrics, and implications for decision making are discussed.


Discovering God is a monumental history of the origins of the great religions from the Stone Age to the Modern Age. Sociologist Rodney Stark surveys the birth and growth of religions around the world--from the prehistoric era of primal beliefs; the history of the pyramids found in Iraq, Egypt, Mexico, and Cambodia; and the great "Axial Age" of Plato, Zoroaster, Confucius, and the Buddha, to the modern Christian missions and the global spread of Islam. He argues for a free-market theory of religion and for the controversial thesis that under the best, unimpeded conditions, the true, most authentic religions will survive and thrive. Among his many conclusions: Despite decades of faulty reports that early religions were crude muddles of superstition, it turns out that primitive humans had surprisingly sophisticated notions about God and Creation.The idea of "sin" appeared suddenly in the sixth century BCE and quickly reshaped religious ideas from Europe to China.Some major world religions seem to lack any plausible traces of divine inspiration.Ironically, some famous figures who attempted to found "Godless" religions ended up being worshiped as Gods.Most people believe in the existence of God (or Gods), and this has apparently been so throughout human history. Many modern biologists and psychologists reject these spiritual ideas, especially those about the existence of God, as delusional. They claim that religion is a primitive survival mechanism that should have been discarded as humans evolved beyond the stage where belief in God served any useful purpose--that in modern societies, faith is a misleading crutch and an impediment to reason. In Discovering God, award-winning sociologist Rodney Stark responds to this position, arguing that it is our capacity to understand God that has evolved--that humans now know much more about God than they did in ancient times.


Electric vehicles (EV) are promoted as a foreseeable future vehicle technology to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional vehicles. This paper proposes a data-driven approach to improving the electrification rate of the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by a taxi fleet in Beijing. Specifically, based on the gathered real-time vehicle trajectory data of 46,765 taxis in Beijing, we conduct time-series simulations to derive insight for the public charging station deployment plan, including the locations of public charging stations, the number of chargers at each station, and their types. The proposed simulation model defines the electric vehicle charging opportunity from the aspects of charge time window, charging demand and charger availability, and further incorporates the heterogeneous travel patterns of individual vehicles. Although this study only examines one type of fleet in a specific city, the methodological framework is readily applicable to other cities and types of fleets with similar dataset available, and the analysis results contribute to our understanding on electric vehicles' charging behavior. Simulation results indicate that: i) locating public charging stations to the clustered charging time windows is a superior strategy to increase the electrification rate of VMT; ii) deploying 500 public stations (each includes 30 slow chargers) can electrify 170 million VMT in Beijing in two months, if EV's battery range is 80 km and home charging is available; iii) appropriately combining slow and fast chargers in public charging stations contributes to the electrification rate; iv) breaking the charging stations into smaller ones and spatially distributing them will increase the electrification rate of VMT; v) feeding the information of the availability of chargers at stations to drivers can increase the electrification rate of VMT; and vi) the impact of stochasticity embedded in the trajectory data can be significantly mitigated by adopting the dataset covering a longer period.


State repression is a prominent feature of non-democracies, but its effectiveness in quieting dissent and fostering regime survival remains unclear. We exploit the location of military bases before the coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power in Chile in 1973, which is uncorrelated to pre-coup electoral outcomes, and show that counties near these bases experienced more killings and forced disappearances at the hands of the government during the dictatorship. Our main result is that residents of counties close to military bases both registered to vote and voted "No" to Pinochet's continuation in power at higher rates in the crucial 1988 plebiscite that bolstered the democratic transition. Potential mechanisms include informational frictions on the intensity of repression in counties far from bases and shifts in preferences caused by increased proximity to the events. Election outcomes after democratization show no lasting change in political preferences.


The article shows the results of the structure of collective knowledge management (CKM), defined from the concept of research management of research groups in the university with the use of a semantic algorithm. The process begins with the creation of a site in the social network facebook with the subject of the investigative management in the university. Through a structure of dimension given by profile, role, category and subcategory making direct connection with a relational database called MySQL. Through the application of metadata and algorithm is expected to obtain the lessons learned from these groups during the development of their projects. The result is the proposal of a functional scheme that allows the design and creation of a collective knowledge management model as support for university research.   Keywords: Knowledge management, Collective knowledge, Knowledge model, Scientific Production


existing concerns about food security in developing countries. According to ERS research, the number of food insecure people (those consuming below the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization's recommended level of 2,100 calories per person per day) increased from an estimated 849 million in 2006 to near 1 billion in 2007 across 70 low-income developing countries. This change was largely attributed to higher prices, which reduced the capacity of these countries to import food. At the same time that more people seem to be vulnerable to food insecurity, the level of global food aid donations has declined. Food aid has long been the major international food safety net provided to low-income countries to augment or stabilize consumption. Most donor countries allocate a specific budget to food aid. Therefore, when commodity prices rise, the quantity of food aid provided falls. Based on statistics from the UN's World Food Program, food aid deliveries have fallen from more than 11 million tons in 2000 to under 6 million tons in 2007. In fact, that 2007 level was the lowest since 1961. The U.S. is the world's largest supplier of food aid, with a 55-percent share of global donations since 2000. The operating budget for the U.S. food aid program for fiscal year 2008 was approximately $2.5 billion. The U.S. is the only major donor that provides most of its food aid in the form of commodities rather than cash. Arguments against commodity donations cite the costs and time required to transport food over long distances. Given the tremendous rise in fuel prices, the costs associated with shipping food aid from the U.S. to recipient countries have risen dramatically. Freight costs now consume about half of the U.S. food aid budget. As a result, the amount of food that can be provided, given a set budget, is much smaller than it was a few years ago when fuel prices were lower. In addition, it is estimated that once a country makes a request for food aid, it takes anywhere from 3 to 5 months for a U.S. shipment to reach the recipient. Under a pilot program for food aid in the 2008 Farm Act, the U.S. has made a commitment to provide cash of $60 million over 4 years to be used for local food purchases in recipient countries. This approach reduces transportation costs, allows for more timely delivery of the food to the vulnerable populations, and supports local farmers by raising demand, and thereby prices, for their output. It also has the potential to encourage future investment in local agriculture and infrastructure.


Suicide is one of the most important causes of death in modern societies. To develop more effective preventive measures, we have to be aware of and learn more about its neurobiological foundations. In recent years, the tools of modern neurosciences have increasingly been utilized to characterize the pathophysiology of complex human behaviors such as suicide. To improve suicide risk assessment and suicide prevention, a better understanding of its pathophysiology is crucial. This includes research from a variety of disciplines such as neuropsychological, psychosocial and cultural studies but also findings from biochemistry, neuropathology, electrophysiology, immunology, neuroimaging, genetics, and epigenetics. Important results have, for example, been obtained in the field of gene-environment interaction and suicidal behavior. We have just begun to understand how early-life adversity may increase suicide risk by epigenetic mechanisms. Based on such insights, novel therapeutic interventions and preventive measures can be developed. Furthermore, a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in suicidal behavior could reveal the mechanism of compounds like lithium salts. In this book, suicidal behavior and its prevention is discussed by international experts in the light of the most recent results from a broad spectrum of neurosciences.


Cherenkov telescopes could have the capability of detecting high energy tau neutrinos by searching for very inclined showers. If a tau lepton, produced by a tau n eutrino, escapes from the Earth crust, it will decay and initiate an air shower which can be detected by a fluoresce nce/Cherenkov telescope. Here we present a detailed Monte Carlo simulation of event rates induced by tau neutrinos in the energy range from 1 PeV to 1 EeV. Topographic conditions are taken into account for a set of example locations. As expected, we find a neutrino sensitivity which depends on the shape of the energy spectrum from astrophysical sources. We compare our findings with the sensitivity of the dedicated IceCube neutr ino telescope under different conditions. We also find that a difference of several factors can be observed dependi ng on the topographic conditions of the sites sampled.


Abstract: The tricarinate skink Scincus multifasciatus was described by Kuhl in 1820, without the subsequent designation of a type specimen or specific type locality. In 1930, Mertens assigned the type locality as Java, Indonesia, but still with no type specimen. Therefore, in order to stabilize the name with a recognized type specimen, we designate a neotype for Eutropis multifasciata from western Java, and we accept Merten's type locality assignment. We examined all the available synonym type voucher specimens of E. multifasciata and associated subspecies deposited in museum collections throughout Europe, Indonesia, and India. Examination of the types of E. m. balinensis and E. m. tjendikianensis show nearly identical to the forma typica. Hence, we synonymize both subspecies to E. multifasciata. We compared the holotypes of E. macrophthalma (type locality: Java) and E. grandis (type locality: Sulawesi). Interestingly, the two species are morphologically and genetically nearly identical, and there are no diagnostic characters for their separation. Thus, we synonymize E. grandis with E. macrophthalma. The two type specimens of E. macrophthalma reached Europe from Java, through commercial animal trade, hence their type locality "Java" is suspicious. Eutropis macrophthalma has never been recorded from Java and the two type specimens probably originated in Sulawesi, from which museum vouchered specimens with precise locality are known. We consider E. macrophthalma to be a Sulawesi endemic, and conclude that the recorded type locality, Java, is erroneous.


The aim of this thesis is to provide insights into what the concept of audit quality means for a number of parties who have responsibilities for delivering, commissioning or evaluating audit quality in practice - auditors, AC members and quality inspectors concerning. It explores the influence of internal and external factors in the auditing setting on the construction of meaning of audit quality and how meaning is symbolised in practice. This research is based on an interpretive approach employing research methods of document analysis, semi-structured interviews and a survey questionnaire. Drawing on a symbolic interactionist framework, the research illustrates the process of giving meaning to audit quality in practice. The study identifies various constructs that give meaning to audit quality in practice ? auditors? characteristics, firm?s characteristics, compliance obligations, the content and control of audit procedures, financial statement quality and client service orientation. It also identifies acts such as asking challenging questions, professional appearance, the quality of interaction between auditor and AC, consultation and training, and objects such as documents and records as fundamental in symbolising audit quality in practice. The study also highlights the existence of possible conflicts between some of these constructs of audit quality and the potential for problems in audit quality in practice.The research reports that the audit practitioners predominantly framed their conceptions of the meaning of audit quality around four important constructs: client service, compliance obligations, the technical audit process or content, and individual auditors? characteristics. Client service is found to have a particular importance for the practitioners? meaning of audit quality. Their construction of the meaning for audit quality is influenced by interactions with other audit market constituents as well as by economic and societal forces in the auditing environment. Auditors perceptions of what quality means in practice are underpinned by factors such as the need to legitimise the conduct of the auditor, to restore trust and confidence in the public at large about the quality of audit services, to maintain profitability and the survival of the audit firm given the competitive and commercial pressures in the audit market, and to legitimise firm methodology and the resulting audit process to outside constituents.Amongst the AC members interviewed, the meaning of audit quality appears to be associated with the characteristics of individual auditors, in particular, auditors? interpersonal and behavioural skills, attributes of the audit firm (size and industry specialisation) and financial statement quality. The findings show that AC members perceptions of audit quality significantly depend on the ?relational? rather than the technical attributes of individual auditors. The quality of the financial statements also dominates the AC members? perceptions of audit quality rather than a technical interpretation of the quality of the content of the audit process. The AC members? conception of meaning for audit quality is influenced by interaction and communication with the external auditors. For the quality inspectors, the meaning of audit quality is mainly constructed in relation to the conduct or content of an audit. Therefore, the level of challenge to the management of the audit, and the sufficiency of evidence and documentation are important for constructing their perceptions of audit quality. They also ascribe considerable importance to the internal compliance-quality control applied within the audit firm the notion of audit quality. Overall, the study describes the multifaceted meaning of audit quality and how this is influenced and shaped by interactions ? based on role expectations, self-image, economic and social factors ? and illustrates the way in which various acts and objects are used to represent practical meaning for the abstract concept of audit quality in practice. These findings have relevance for auditors, other parties to audit engagements, policy makers and regulators concerned with the contribution of auditing to the financial reporting system and for academic researchers seeking to develop a deeper understanding of how that contribution is achieved in practice.


Growing interest in wood bridges during the past decade has led to the use of new wood products and innovative designs for bridges. One new wood bridge system that is becoming increasingly popular involves solid, laminated veneer lumber T-beams that are stress laminated together. As part of the development of these bridges, an evaluation program to monitor field performance of six bridges was implemented. This paper describes results of field performance related to bar force, moisture content, and condition assessment, with presentation of load test and analytical evaluations for two of the six bridges.


Much evidence has accumulated in favor of such a dual view of reasoning (Evans, 2003, in press; for arguments against, see Osman, 2004). There is however some vagueness in the way the two systems are characterized. Instead of a principled distinction, we are presented with a bundle of contrasting features - slow/fast, automatic/controlled, explicit/implicit, associationist/rule based, modular/central - that, depending on the specific dual process theory, are attributed more or less exclusively to one of the two systems. As Evans states in a recent review, "it would then be helpful to have some clear basis for this distinction"; he also suggests that "we might be better off talking about type 1 and type 2 processes" rather than systems (Evans, in press). We share the intuitions that drove the development of dual system theories. Our goal here is to propose in the same spirit a principled distinction between two types of inferences: 'intuitive inference' and 'reflective inference' (or reasoning proper). We ground this distinction in a massively modular view of the human mind where metarepresentational modules play an important role in explaining the peculiarities of human psychological evolution. We defend the hypothesis that the main function of reflective inference is to produce and evaluate arguments occurring in interpersonal communication (rather than to help individual ratiocination). This function, we claim, helps explain important aspects of reasoning. We review some of the existing evidence and argue that it gives support to this approach.


Laboratory studies demonstrate negative relationships between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and cortisol responses (Mikolajczak, Roy, Luminet, Fillee & De Timary, 2007). The current study examined whether EI influenced stress reactivity in an applied setting, with students giving group oral presentations. Participants were either presenters (high stress condition) or observers (controls); cortisol and mood were measured within subjects at three time points (baseline, time 2 [20 minutes after onset] and time 3 [40 minutes after onset]). The stress manipulation successfully increased cortisol scores (AUCg and AUCi) in presenters. No significant relationships emerged between cortisol and either total EI or EI subscales, although the emotional control subscale predicted mood. Results may indicate that EI influences stress processes in some students but not others, they may reflect the study methods and EI measure used, or they may reflect the complexity of group assessments. Content validity of EI measures is a contentious issue and domain coverage varies between measures; coverage of the chosen EI measure may have influenced findings. Additionally, increasing ecological validity decreased experimental control, removing the ability to impose strict timings on saliva collection; potentially impacting on results. Alternatively, EI may have insufficient influence over group assessment to impact on physiological stress responses.


Theology is a grand conversation, comprised of a myriad of voices and viewpoints. A great temptation exists within theology today, however, which could signal the loss of a unique Christian identity. The creedal formulations of the early church were never meant to serve as shackles constricting further theological exploration. They were, and still are, relevant guides in assessing the crowded conversation of theology. Early creedal formulations identified and articulated primary affirmations of the biblical narrative not to put an end to the conversation but rather to focus the conversation on the unique Christian identity of God as presented in Scripture. This book examines the function of early creedal formulations as essential identity markers in theological discourse with the goal of constructing an approach to the various subcategories of systematic theology that mirrors the creedal process. This approach, termed here as "Essential Identity Markers" (or simply EIM), seeks to identify and articulate the essential identity markers of a given theological subcategory, in order to define the proper parameters for theological discourse while still allowing such discourse to develop and expand within the articulated identity markers. The EIM model constructed and proposed in this book offers an approach to theology that mirrors the creedal process and seeks to guide modern theological conversations as the community of faith continues to explore the space framed by these markers.


This paper addresses the design, development, evaluation, and implementation of efficient low bit rate speech coding algorithms based on the sinusoidal model. A series of algorithms have been developed for pitch frequency determination and voicing detection, simultaneous modeling of the sinusoidal amplitudes and phases, and mid-frame interpolation. An improved sinusoidal phase matching algorithm is presented, where short-time sinusoidal phases are approximated using an elaborate combination of linear prediction, spectral sampling, delay compensation, and phase correction techniques. A voicing-dependent perceptual split vector quantization scheme is used to encode the sinusoidal amplitudes. The perceptual properties of the human auditory system are effectively exploited in the developed algorithms. The algorithms have been successfully integrated into a 2.4 kbps sinusoidal coder. The performance of the 2.4 kbps coder has been evaluated in terms of subjective tests such as the mean opinion score and the diagnostic rhyme test, as well as some perceptually-motivated objective distortion measures. Performance analysis on a large speech database indicates that the use of the proposed algorithms resulted in considerable improvement in temporal and spectral signal matching, as well as improved subjective quality of the reproduced speech.


"Word Power Made Easy" is a comprehensive vocabulary building system created by legendary grammarian Norman Lewis that provides a simple, step by step method to increase your knowledge and mastery of the English language. "Word Power Made Easy" is the best and quickest means to a better vocabulary in the English language. As you complete the exercises in this book, you will learn how to tell if you re using the right word as well as how to pronounce and spell it. You will also learn how to avoid illiterate expressions and how to speak grammatically, without making embarrassing mistakes. A complete handbook for building a superior vocabulary, "Word Power Made Easy" will teach you how to speak and write with confidence as well as how to read more effectively and efficiently. It will help you to learn more quickly, develop social contacts, and increase your earning power. Each chapter ends with review. Each section ends with a progressive check. Numerous tests will help you increase and retain the knowledge you acquired. "Word Power Made Easy" does more than just add words to your vocabulary; it teaches ideas and a method of broadening knowledge as an integral part of the vocabulary building process."


New provisioning rules introduced by IFRS 9 are expected to reduce the procyclicality of provisioning. Heterogeneity among banks in the procyclicality of provisioning may not only reflect the formal accounting rules, but also variation in discretionary provisioning policies. This paper presents empirical evidence on the heterogeneity of provisioning procyclicality among significant banks that are directly supervised by the ECB. In particular, this paper finds that provisioning is relatively procyclical at banks that have i) high loans-to-assets ratios, ii) high shares of non-interest income in total operating income, iii) low capitalization rates, and iv) low total assets. Supervisory guidance provided to banks on how to implement IFRS 9 has mostly been of a qualitative nature, and may prove inadequate to prevent an undesirably wide future variation in provisioning among EU banks.


Long-term deformation tests on ice from the Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP) deep ice core show that ice from the different climate zones in the ice core has flow properties correlated with the concentrations of impurities in the sample. The deformation tests are performed by uniaxial unconfined compression at -16 degrees C with an octahedral compression stress of 3 bars. The ice samples are compressed for 1/2 to 3 years until the tertiary strain rate is reached. It is believed that by the end all downhole flow conditions are forgotten and that the ice sample has settled in a state determined by the applied stress and temperature conditions. All samples are tested under the same stress and temperature conditions so the resulting deformation rates and final ice crystal size and fabrics can only differ due to varying impurity concentrations. The results show that ice from cold climatic periods with high concentrations of impurities deforms more slowly than ice from warm climatic periods in compression. When tertiary creep is reached, the crystal size is smaller in the cold ice than in the warm. The ice from warmer climatic periods with lower concentrations of impurities deforms at a factor of 2-3 times more rapidly in compression. The tertiary steady state crystal size is increased by 50% and the ice crystals have oriented more favorably for the applied compression in the warm ice, which is believed to be the reason why the strain rates are greater here than in the cold ice. In the bottom 200 m of the GRIP ice core, zones are observed with folds on the scale of 1-8 cm. An investigation of the ice layers in and around the folds shows that the layers are composed of ice from different climatic zones. The folding is believed to result from the different flow and rheological properties of the layers involved in the folding structures.


Existing multigrid methods for cloth simulation are based on geometric multigrid. While good results have been reported, geometric methods are problematic for unstructured grids, widely varying material properties, and varying anisotropies, and they often have difficulty handling constraints arising from collisions. This paper applies the algebraic multigrid method known as smoothed aggregation to cloth simulation. This method is agnostic to the underlying tessellation, which can even vary over time, and it only requires the user to provide a fine-level mesh. To handle contact constraints efficiently, a prefiltered preconditioned conjugate gradient method is introduced. For highly efficient preconditioners, like the ones proposed here, prefiltering is essential, but, even for simple preconditioners, prefiltering provides significant benefits in the presence of many constraints. Numerical tests of the new approach on a range of examples confirm 6--8x speedups on a fully dressed character with 371k vertices, and even larger speedups on synthetic examples.


This study analyses the perceptions of English as a foreign language (EFL) lecturers of their use of technology to support teaching and learning at a Libyan university. A case study is used to understand the experiences at one university in Libya based on data from 12 semi-structured interviews with EFL lecturers and classroom observations of their practice. The study uses two analytical frameworks: Bennett's (2014) Digital Practitioner Framework (DPF), which analyses the development of lecturers' use of learning technologies, and Said's (1978) Orientalism model, which critiques the dominance of the West. Using these two frameworks the study illustrates that greater importance needs to be placed on the cultural and socio-political harmonisation. This study shows that Libyan EFL lecturers possess positive attitudes towards the effective use of technology to support teaching and learning. Libyan EFL lecturers were motivated, excited, and interested to bring in technology for language teaching. Most experienced lecturers are more motivated and make effective use of technology to develop meaningful learning activities. However, there are factors that impede the effective use of technology to enhance the teaching and learning of EFL in Libya, such as institutional, pedagogical, and socio-political factors. These findings are situated not only in the continuation of the national context of a country with strong religious commitment but also the 2011 Libyan war. This study helps to conceptualise the dilemma of Western-educated teachers whose efforts of implementing technology-enhanced pedagogy are challenged by the notion of cultural appropriation, the public conservativeness, and the damage to academic facilities. It provides a detailed understanding of the technology-enhanced learning (TEL) topic in the higher education context in Libya and helps to inform educationalists and policy makers on the refinement of TEL in the EFL classroom. The study did not focus on the views of students nor were female lecturers' views gathered, however, this study adds to the perspectives on the body of literature on TEL in the Arabic culture.


As a result of forensic investigations of problems across Iowa, a research study was developed aimed at providing solutions to identified problems through better management and optimization of the available pavement geotechnical materials and through ground improvement, soil reinforcement, and other soil treatment techniques. The overall goal was worked out through simple laboratory experiments, such as particle size analysis, plasticity tests, compaction tests, permeability tests, and strength tests. A review of the problems suggested three areas of study: pavement cracking due to improper management of pavement geotechnical materials, permeability of mixed-subgrade soils, and settlement of soil above the pipe due to improper compaction of the backfill. This resulted in the following three areas of study: (1) The optimization and management of earthwork materials through general soil mixing of various select and unsuitable soils and a specific example of optimization of materials in earthwork construction by soil mixing; (2) An investigation of the saturated permeability of compacted glacial till in relation to validation and prediction with the Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM); and (3) A field investigation and numerical modeling of culvert settlement. For each area of study, a literature review was conducted, research data were collected and analyzed, and important findings and conclusions were drawn. It was found that optimum mixtures of select and unsuitable soils can be defined that allow the use of unsuitable materials in embankment and subgrade locations. An improved model of saturated hydraulic conductivity was proposed for use with glacial soils from Iowa. The use of proper trench backfill compaction or the use of flowable mortar will reduce the potential for developing a bump above culverts.


We study the connections between spectral clustering and the problems of maximum margin clustering, and estimation of the components of level sets of a density function. Specifically, we obtain bounds on the eigenvectors of graph Laplacian matrices in terms of the between cluster separation, and within cluster connectivity. These bounds ensure that the spectral clustering solution converges to the maximum margin clustering solution as the scaling parameter is reduced towards zero. The sensitivity of maximum margin clustering solutions to outlying points is well known, but can be mitigated by first removing such outliers, and applying maximum margin clustering to the remaining points. If outliers are identified using an estimate of the underlying probability density, then the remaining points may be seen as an estimate of a level set of this density function. We show that such an approach can be used to consistently estimate the components of the level sets of a density function under very mild assumptions.


It is never out of season to recall James Wilson's line that the purpose of this Constitution was not to invent new rights, but to secure and enlarge those rights we already had by nature. (1) In radical contrast, Blackstone said that when we enter civil society, we give up that unrestricted set of rights we had in the state of nature, including the "liberty to do mischief." (2) We exchanged them for a diminished set of rights under civil society-call them "civil rights"--which are rendered more secure by the advent of a government that can enforce them. To which Wilson responded: When did we ever have a "liberty to do mischief"? (3) When did we ever have, as Lincoln would say, a "right to do a wrong"? (4) The laws that restrained us from raping and murdering deprived us of nothing we ever had a "right" to do. And so when the question was asked as to what rights we give up in entering into this government, the answer tendered by the Federalists was, "none." As Hamilton said in Federalist No. 84, "Here ... the people surrender nothing." (5) It was not the purpose of this project to give up our natural rights. And so, what sense did it make to attach a codicil, a so-called "bill of rights," reserving against the federal government those rights we did not give up? How could we do that without implying that, in fact, we had given up the corpus of our natural rights in coming under this Constitution? If we are invoking traditions here, this is the tradition I would claim. I should represent nothing exotic in this assembly; I am here to sound again the things we used to hold. (6) My friend Dan Robinson remarked that he wanted on his tombstone the inscription "He died without a theory." A former President of Amherst College remarked that "Hadley has a theory of natural law." I remarked that when one says something like that, one imagines a detached observer, watching theories whiz past him, and somehow coming to a judgment on the fragments of those theories he regards as plausible or implausible, true or false. And I said, take me back to the ground on which you make those judgments, and you would be led back to what some of us have regarded as the ground of the natural law in "the laws or canons of reason," or what Blackstone called "the laws of Nature and reason." (7) That first generation of jurists in this country showed a remarkable knack for tracing their judgments back to those anchoring axioms of the law. Hamilton remarked in Federalist No. 78 that we draw on this rule of construction: Any later statute supersedes an earlier one. (8) But that is not the rule of construction we draw upon for the Constitution, for the Constitution, coming earlier, must be able to override a statute, coming later, or else it loses its function as a control on the legislative power. Hamilton asked how this rule of construction was derived. It was not part, he said, of the positive law--it was not a rule set down in the Constitution. Rather, it ran back, he said, to the "nature and reason and nature of the thing." (9) We may recall that at the end of Gibbons v. Ogden, as a kind of throwaway line, John Marshall apologized to his readers for spending so much time demonstrating what should stand in the class of an "axiom." (10) He assumed that all of his literate readers understood that, before we can carry out a demonstration, certain axioms had to be in place--like the law of contradiction. They were things that had to be grasped, as the saying went, per se nota as true in themselves. As Hamilton put it in the Federalist No. (31), there are certain "primary truths, or first principles, upon which all subsequent reasonings must depend." (11) They contain, he said, "an internal evidence which antecedent to all reflection or combination commands the assent of the mind." (12) We grasp the law of contradiction in the same way we grasp that it is senseless, even in the age of "animal rights," to sign contracts with horses and cows or seek the informed consent of our household pets before we authorize surgery on them; but, we continue to think that those beings who can give and understand reasons deserve to be ruled with a rendering of reasons in a regime that elicits their consent. …


Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a condition characterized by a defect in the diaphragm that leads to the protrusion of the abdominal contents in the thoracic cavity which interferes in the pulmonary development. Diaphragmatic eventration is a very infrequent condition in children, asymptomatic or commonly present with low or gastrointestinal respiratory manifestations and whose diagnosis is based on an incidental finding when requesting images to verify a diagnostic suspicion occurring in most cases of late occurrence. It can be of congenital or acquired cause. The prognosis in general is good, with probable complications being chronic lung infection, diaphragmatic rupture, ulcers and stomach volvulus. Treatment is a topic depend size and location of the defect, size and location of the defect, some pediatric surgeons do not operate if the patient is asymptomatic and only plicate the symptomatic patients. Due to its importance in pediatric population, through this is intended to make a quick review of the updated literature on the subject contributing to have relevant information regarding the issue cooperating with the diagnosis and appropriate treatment in our practice.


The crisis in Syria has exposed both the power and the fragility of the UN system, and it has highlighted the limited power exerted by norms of intervention to sway governments to action. I focus in this brief comment on one aspect of the situation: the question of a responsibility to protect (R2P), and what we can learn about R2P from the activities of the United Nations in Syria. R2P began as an idea put forward by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), an independent body established in response to the failures of the international community in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Kosovo. (1) Facing questions not only about how to generate political will to intervene in humanitarian crises, but also about how to overcome the paralyzing force of the Security Council veto, the ICISS articulated as the core of R2P the notion that "sovereignty implies responsibility." (2) As a result of this foundational understanding, the ICISS asserted in its 2001 report that every government has a responsibility to protect its own people. Moreover, if a government fails this duty, then the international community has a responsibility to step in and intervene. (3) R2P encapsulates a range of actions. Beyond urging reaction to atrocities, it also consists of a responsibility to prevent and a responsibility to rebuild. (4) Nonetheless, it is the responsibility to react that has earned the most attention, and it is the responsibility of the international community, rather than that of the territorial government, that has generated the most controversy. (5) This controversy is at least somewhat unwarranted, as the ICISS was relatively measured in its call for a new sense of responsibility on the part of the international community. Contrary to some interpretations, it did not advocate an overthrow of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter; instead, it recommended that military intervention, when necessary, should take place through the Security Council. (6) The report warned, however, that should the Security Council fail to discharge its responsibility to protect, it might suffer a crisis of legitimacy. Still, the ICISS did not go so far as to recommend that individual states should undertake military intervention without Council authorization. Instead, the report notes that states "may not rule out other means" to discharge their responsibility if the Council fails to act. (7) "[M]ay" should be read as "might"--an expression of possibility, but not of permission; states might act outside of the Council, so the Council should be careful to take seriously its responsibility for international peace and security. (8) The original ICISS report thus urged a responsibility on the part of the Security Council to take action in the face of massive human rights abuses. After R2P made its way through the United Nations, however, it looked quite different. The concept was taken up in debate at the 2005 World Summit, and the resulting Outcome Document included a section on R2P. This was heralded as a triumph, an "embrace" of R2P. (9) A closer look at what was adopted in the Outcome Document, however, makes clear that this was a drastically stripped-down version of the concept. The Outcome Document expressed support for the notion that a government has a responsibility toward its own people, (10) and it recognized the international community's responsibility "to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means ... to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity." (11) With respect to coercive measures, however, the Outcome Document diverged sharply from the ICISS's original proposal. Instead of articulating any responsibility, the Outcome Document stated only that governments were "prepared" to use coercive measures "on a case-by-case basis." (12) By the time the concept emerged from the United Nations, there was little responsibility left in the responsibility to protect. …


A new Erythropinae mysid, Dactylamblyops corberai n. sp., is described from specimens sampled with a 500-mm plankton net attached to a bottom trawl in the Ionian Sea (eastern Mediterranean). This new species is the first Dactylamblyops species described from the Mediterranean Sea. Based on a revision of additional material from several cruises made in recent years, we conclude that D. corberai is a widespread species in the deep Mediterranean near-bottom suprabenthic community at depths between 398 and 1859 m. The main distinguishing features of D. corberai are the shape of the eyes and their ocular process, and the shape of the labrum with two rows of clusters of short setules and two areas covered with small, scale-like protrusions not described in any other species of the genus. D. corberai belongs to the morphological hodgsoni group of Dactylamblyops species.


Protein precipitation is a common front-end preparation strategy for proteome analysis, as well as other applications (e.g. protein depletion for small molecule analysis, bulk commercial preparation of protein). Highly variable conditions used to precipitate proteins, ranging in solvent type, strength, time and temperature, reflect inconsistent and low recovery. As a consequence, incomplete proteome coverage diminishes the utility of precipitation for proteome sample preparation ahead of mass spectrometry. We herein investigate and optimize the conditions affecting protein recovery through precipitation using acetone at a defined ionic strength. By increasing the salt concentration and incubation temperature with 80% acetone, we show rapid (2 min) precipitation provides consistently high protein recovery (98 ± 1%) of complex proteome extracts. Rapid precipitation is also applicable to isolate extremely dilute proteins starting as low as 1 g mL-1. Furthermore, analysis of the protein pellet by bottom-up MS reveals unbiased recovery of all proteins with respect to molecular weight, pI and hydrophobicity. Our robust strategy to isolate proteins maximizes recovery and throughput, exploiting the analytical advantages of precipitation over alternative techniques. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD015674.


Components of high speed trains such as bolsters and bogie are subjected to continuous dynamic loads under varying environmental and operational conditions. Scheduled maintenance of these components at regular intervals is not feasible as these inspections are costly, burdensome, and increase structural downtime. Moreover these conventional inspections require dis-assembly of different components of the train structure. Oftentimes these dis-assemble and re-assemble operations leads to new damage initiation if these operations are not followed correctly. Structural Heath Monitoring (SHM) technologies are ideal solutions to monitor this kind of critical structure. Guided Wave-based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) techniques are currently widely used in aerospace and energy industries to monitor structural damages such as fatigue crack, delamination, debond, and corrosion etc. The damage detection sensitivity of any SHM technique highly depends on the sensor network design. This paper presents model-based quantification technique to design and verify the performance of the sensor network. In a joint program between the CRRC and Acellent Technologies, sensor network design techniques were demonstrated and validated through case studies on high speed train bolsters.


In the increasingly interdependent national securities markets, the regulation of insider trading activity has taken on increasing importance. Universal recognition of the illegality of such activity may one day lead to universal prohibition and enforcement across national boundaries. However, today national regulation and enforcement regimes vary in their laws and enforcement of insider trading. The following is a description of cooperative efforts between national regulators to coordinate international efforts in this area. PART I. INTRODUCTION The securities markets(1) of both the advanced industrial and developing market economies have undergone dramatic change in recent years. This change has taken the form of both globalization(2) and integration(3) of these markets, creating "internationalized" markets(4) out of formerly purely national ones. While this development has been heralded as a boon to the investment community,(5) it has created a fundamental problem for the national regulators of securities markets on how to apply purely national securities laws and regulations to international securities transactions that may involve foreign national investors, foreign national issuers, and foreign national markets as well as those of the regulator's own country. This problem involves both issues of substance (e.g., the applicable body of law, the conduct of the investigation, and the gathering of evidence) as well as procedure (e.g., the existence of jurisdiction, the exercise of jurisdiction, and the service of process). The problem of securities regulation and enforcement in international markets is particularly acute for the principal U.S. regulatory body, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Because of the size and sophistication of U.S. capital markets, the U.S. securities regulatory regime exerts substantial influence on the behavior and regulation of foreign and international securities markets.(6) Further, by allowing financial innovation and facilitating international capital mobility, the U.S. regulatory system has increased the operational efficiency of securities markets.(7) This has lead to increased international securities issuance and trading. "The SEC repeatedly has stated . . . that it is seeking to encourage and foster the development of international capital markets, and that it believes such development should occur in both the primary and secondary trading of securities."(8) The SEC and its fellow regulatory bodies have attempted to develop responses to deal with internationalized markets. This note will outline the responses to a particularly salient problem: insider trading in publicly registered securities. Part II describes the internationalization of the securities markets. Part III discusses the regulation of insider trading in the United States and the problems that internationalization has caused for U.S. regulators. Part IV deals with the major regulatory responses, of both the SEC and foreign regulators, to the challenges posed by international insider trading. Part V concludes that the most advanced cooperative effort at insider trading regulation, the European Economic Community Directive on Insider Trading (EEC Directive), while attempting a harmonized approach to regulation, falls short of its goal and represents primarily the mutual recognition of distinct national insider trading legislation. A. The Phenomenon of Internationalization The internationalization of commercial activity as a phenomenon has gained increasing currency in the economic, political, and legal discourse of our time. This is so because although international trade has been important historically, its rate of growth accelerated tremendously in the 1970's and 1980's, exceeding the underlying rate of economic growth. For example, while world commodity output grew at an average rate of just over four percent between 1963 and 1982, world exports grew at an average rate of just under six percent. …


The degree of people's participation in development programs appears to be the major determinant of development successes or failures. However, the strategy which makes participation efforts successful remains a mystery. This study aims to unravel that mystery by investigating factors significantly associated with farmers' participation in rural development programs. Using a probability random sample of 215 households from the rural community in the municipality of Samarinda, Indonesia, this study explores four major groups of variables (social exchange, individualism, social structure, and socio-political atmosphere) as they encompass factors associated with the degree of farmers' participation. The findings suggest that the social exchange perspective is a fruitful device for explaining the nature of social participation. From this view point, variable patterns of farmer participation in development program which produce optimal benefits for both farmers and society can be explained by analysis of exchange relationships. A most interesting aspect of these findings reveals the sub stantial impact that power of authority has on the degree of farmers' participation. Findings suggest that the ability of authorities to exercise power in persuading farmers to cooperate is exchanged for recognition, social service, and social approval of the farmers by the authorities. This appears to be particularly true for communities where people are oriented towards the longstanding tradition of paternal-type social relationships.


We propose introspective convolutional networks (ICN) that emphasize the importance of having convolutional neural networks empowered with generative capabilities. We employ a reclassification-by-synthesis algorithm to perform training using a formulation stemmed from the Bayes theory. Our ICN tries to iteratively: (1) synthesize pseudo-negative samples; and (2) enhance itself by improving the classification. The single CNN classifier learned is at the same time generative --- being able to directly synthesize new samples within its own discriminative model. We conduct experiments on benchmark datasets including MNIST, CIFAR-10, and SVHN using state-of-the-art CNN architectures, and observe improved classification results.


Fine-grained Entity Recognition (FgER) is the task of detecting and classifying entity mentions into more than 100 types. The type set can span various domains including biomedical (e.g., disease, gene), sport (e.g., sports event, sports player), religion and mythology (e.g., religion, god) and entertainment (e.g., movies, music). Most of the existing literature for Entity Recognition (ER) focuses on coarse-grained entity recognition (CgER), i.e., recognition of entities belonging to few types such as person, location and organization. In the past two decades, several manually annotated datasets spanning different genre of texts were created to facilitate the development and evaluation of CgER systems (Nadeau and Sekine 2007). The state-of-the-art CgER systems use supervised statistical learning models trained on manually annotated datasets (Ma and Hovy 2016). In contrast, FgER systems are yet to match the performance level of CgER systems. There are two major challenges associated with failure of FgER systems. First, manually annotating a large-scale multi-genre training data for FgER task is expensive, time-consuming and error-prone. Note that, a human-annotator will have to choose a subset of types from a large set of types and types for the same entity might differ in sentences based on the contextual information. Second, supervised statistical learning models when trained on automatically generated noisy training data fits to noise, impacting the model's performance. The objective of my thesis is to create a FgER system by exploring an off the beaten path which can eliminate the need for manually annotating large-scale multi-genre training dataset. The path includes: (1) automatically generating a large-scale single-genre training dataset, (2) noise-aware learning models that learn better in noisy datasets, and (3) use of knowledge transfer approaches to adapt FgER system to different genres of text.


Background Putative nucleotidyltransferase MAB21L1 is a member of an evolutionarily well-conserved family of the male abnormal 21 (MAB21)-like proteins. Little is known about the biochemical function of the protein; however, prior studies have shown essential roles for several aspects of embryonic development including the eye, midbrain, neural tube and reproductive organs. Objective A homozygous truncating variant in MAB21L1 has recently been described in a male affected by intellectual disability, scrotal agenesis, ophthalmological anomalies, cerebellar hypoplasia and facial dysmorphism. We employed a combination of exome sequencing and homozygosity mapping to identify the underlying genetic cause in subjects with similar phenotypic features descending from five unrelated consanguineous families. Results We identified four homozygous MAB21L1 loss of function variants (p.Glu281fs*20, p.Arg287Glufs*14 p.Tyr280* and p.Ser93Serfs*48) and one missense variant (p.Gln233Pro) in 10 affected individuals from 5 consanguineous families with a distinctive autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental syndrome. Cardinal features of this syndrome include a characteristic facial gestalt, corneal dystrophy, hairy nipples, underdeveloped labioscrotal folds and scrotum/scrotal agenesis as well as cerebellar hypoplasia with ataxia and variable microcephaly. Conclusion This report defines an ultrarare but clinically recognisable Cerebello-Oculo-Facio-Genital syndrome associated with recessive MAB21L1 variants. Additionally, our findings further support the critical role of MAB21L1 in cerebellum, lens, genitalia and as craniofacial morphogenesis.


By analysing Rousseau's conception of the general will, Zev Trachtenberg characterises the attitude of civic virtue Rousseau believes individuals must have to cooperate successfully in society. Rousseau holds that culture affects political life by either fostering or discouraging civic virtue. However, while the cultural institutions Rousseau endorses would motivate citizens to obey the law, they would not prepare citizens to help frame it. Rousseau's view of culture thus works against his account of legitimacy, and Trachtenberg concludes that Rousseau's political theory as a whole is inconsistent.


Every Critical Infrastructure (CI) uses a road system for its operations, whether to receive resources or to execute support activities. The road system may fail at any time and this could have repercussions on the CI's usage. With the methodology developed by the Centre risque & performance (CRP), it is possible to characterise and model the road system as a CI. Using a consequence-based approach, this paper proposes a simplified approach of addressing dependencies with the road system while evaluating interdependencies between CIs.


The automotive industry is undergoing a strategic transition. Cost pressure from rising stock levels in the market and increasing incentives needed to sell these vehicles are forcing vehicle manufacturers to rethink their prevalent "stock-push" approach, building vehicles against a forecast and selling from stock, in favor of a stock-less "build-to-order" order fulfillment strategy. More responsive order fulfillment at the vehicle manufacturer level however will not only require flexible and responsive component supply, but will also have wide ramifications for the logistics operations. Based on three case studies of major inbound logistics operations, this exploratory study assesses their ability to support such a build-to-order approach, as well as the potential implications of such transition. The paper concludes with a set of general strategies for how these implications could be mitigated.


International Journal of Exercise Science 6(4) : 320-327, 2013. For many athletes, sprinting acceleration is vital to sport performance. The purpose of this study was to observe the influences of starting position, type of initial step taken, and a focal point on sprinting velocity, stride length, and acceleration over a 9.1 m distance. Two trials of four conditions were video recorded in which subjects had no focal point (n = 10) or a lateral focal point (n = 9). The four conditions were: forwards (control), backwards, 90° left (90°L), and 90° right (90°R). Lower velocities (p > 0.05) were observed with focal point usage from the 90°R and 90°L starting positions. Four initial steps were observed during the forwards, 90°L, and 90°R conditions: backwards step, anterior tilt with forward step, pivot-crossover step, and lateral side step. The use of a backwards step resulted in an increased velocity (+0.80 m·s-1, p < 0.01) for the 90° turn trials and increased acceleration (+ 0.37 m·s-2, p < 0.01). Our results indicate that looking at a target can cause a decline in sprint velocity and acceleration over a short distance. Moreover, utilizing a backwards step to initiate a 90° turn may generate more power and force, increasing their velocity for short sprints. We recommend training athletes with a target or focal points to help combat the reduced speed and initiate movement with initial backwards step.


Traditional agri – environmental measures (schemes) have been used in many countries. European Communities established the joint programmes which have been implemented since 1992. Agri – environmental measures aimed to maintain or promote environmentally – friendly farming, including biodiversity conservation. After 10 years of implementation of these measures, several researchers in some EU countries carried out investigation and assessed effectiveness of agri – environment measures. Assessments in different countries revealed that the measures have been implemented in ineffective ways since they have been focusing on farmers' participation, but not on results and outputs. Meanwhile biodiversity - friendly farming aims on farmers' practices outcomes and outputs, but it is not attractive to farmers due to additional requirements for farmers. Engagement of farmers in biodiversity - friendly farming depend on different social and economical aspects in certain countries. It was conducted interviews with Lithuanian farmers concerning willingness to participate in biodiversity – friendly farming. The results discovered that farmers are not willing to participate in the programme not only to social and economical barriers, but also to insufficient understanding of biodiversity conservation importance.


In our paper, we discuss the potential of topic modeling as a big data research tool to open the almost limitless archival and real-time open access databases in order to find novel ways of studying organizations. We build on literature that makes languageframings, vocabularies, and wordscentral to understanding organizations and institution, specifically with respect to fields. We illustrate our arguments with findings from two empirical projectselectromobility and energy transition in Germanyand explain how field level change could be mapped and investigated with big data strategies. Overall, our aim is to provide more insights about the scopes of topic modeling applications in management research and encourage organizational researchers to unlock the potential value of available big data in their respective empirical contexts.


In the wake of the global financial crisis a considerable amount of research has focused on integrating financial factors into macroeconomic models. Two common approaches for doing so include the financial accelerator and collateralised lending, examples of which are Gilchrist, Ortiz and Zakrajsek (2009) and Iacoviello (2005). This paper proposes that two useful ways to evaluate such models are by focusing on their implications for business cycle characteristics and whether the models can match several stylised facts about the impact of financial conditions. One of these facts is that credit crises produce long-duration recessions. We find that while in the Gilchrist et al (2009) model financial factors can impact on particular cycles, they do little change to the average cycle characteristics. Some, but not all, of the stylised facts are captured by the model.


Since taking up photography in the mid-1960s, Robert Adams (born 1937) has quietly become one of the most influential chroniclers of the evolving American landscape. Carefully edited by Adams from a remarkable body of work that spans over four decades, What Can We Believe Where? Photographs of the American West, 1965-2005 presents a narrative sequence of more than 100 tritone images that reveals a steadfast concern for mankind's increasingly tragic relationship with the natural world. Adams's understated yet arresting pictures of the vast Colorado plains, the rapid suburbanization of the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, and the ecological devastation of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States register with subtle precision the complex and often fragile beauty of the scenes they depict. The most accessible collection of Adams's work to date, this compact and thought-provoking volume is an essential addition to the bookshelves of students, photographers, and anyone interested in the recent history of the American West and its wider implications.


The authors constructed a dynamic simulation model of a nuclear fusion power plant on Modelica language to obtain fundamental knowledge on the plasma control requirements for the future commercial fusion power plants. The fusion power plant model was designed with a 1500-MW thermal output tokamak reactor with He-cooled Li2TiO3 solid breeder blanket (coolant outlet conditions: 8 MPa and 515.8 °C). A superheated Rankine cycle was designed to achieve the electrical output of 485.38 MW with the operating pressure of 20.5 MPa. Two plasma output patterns, a step decrease of power and a single pulse decrease of power, were simulated to assess the response of the power plant. A sudden step decrease in fusion neutron led to an immediate decrease in the blanket temperature and the first coolant temperature. In order to avoid the sharp temperature drop, a need for a turbine bypass mechanism or a He coolant boiler bypass mechanism was indicated. On the other hand, because of the delay in the plant responses, the deviation of the electrical output from steady state could be minimized by recovering the plasma output in few tens of seconds. Based on the findings, a new diagram was presented that illustrates an important plasma control requirements for future commercial fusion power plants.


We consider the problem of optimal planning in stochastic domains with resource constraints, where the resources are continuous and the choice of action at each step depends on resource availability. We introduce the HAO* algorithm, a generalization of the AO* algorithm that performs search in a hybrid state space that is modeled using both discrete and continuous state variables, where the continuous variables represent monotonic resources. Like other heuristic search algorithms, HAO* leverages knowledge of the start state and an admissible heuristic to focus computational effort on those parts of the state space that could be reached from the start state by following an optimal policy. We show that this approach is especially effective when resource constraints limit how much of the state space is reachable. Experimental results demonstrate its effectiveness in the domain that motivates our research: automated planning for planetary exploration rovers.


Comments on published articles, short communications of a preliminary nature, case reports, technical notes and the like are accepted under this heading. The articles should be short and concise and contain a minimum of figures, tables and references.


This study reports findings from in-depth semistructured interviews with 20 transgender-identifying individuals to understand how they negotiate privacy while crowdfunding to finance top surgery. Participants expressed privacy concerns about the body becoming public and fears of being criticized or attacked. Crowdfunding also necessitated a discussion of the fact that participants had breasts, which was distressing to some. Despite all of this, most participants embraced the crowdfunding experience as an opportunity to share their stories and to reject what they viewed as the normal trans narrative as too narrow. Findings suggest an intensification of privacy calculus theory as it applies to individuals from marginalized communities: Perceived costs and benefits of online disclosure may be greater when publicizing an identity that is often subject to attack. In addition to privacy calculus theory, we use the identity shift framework and taxonomies of privacy to explore tensions between publicness, privacy, self-expression, and support.


The goal of this study is to extend the research and further validation of Lee and colleagues' measure of community-based consumer well-being. The measure is based on the notion that consumers experience well-being to the extent that they are satisfied with local marketplace experiences related to (1) shopping for desired consumer goods and services in the local area, (2) preparing locally purchased consumer durables for personal use, (3) consuming locally purchased goods and services, (4) owning consumer durables purchased in the local area, (5) using repair and maintenance services in the local area, and (6) using selling, trading-in, and disposal services in the local area. Data were collected from ten localities in nine countries/states (California, Minnesota, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Egypt, and China) using the mall intercept method. The data provided support for the predictive/nomological validity of the measure by providing empirical support for the relationship between the consumer well-being construct and other well-being constructs such as life satisfaction.


Understanding users in the era of social media is challenging, requiring organizations to adopt novel computation-aided approaches. To exemplify such an approach, we retrieved information on millions of interactions with YouTube video content from a major Middle Eastern media outlet, to automatically generate personas that capture how different audience segments interact with thousands of individual content pieces. Then, we used qualitative data to provide additional insights into the automatically generated persona profiles. Our findings provide insights into social media usage in the Middle East and demonstrate the application of a novel methodology that generates culturally adapted personas of social media audiences, summarizing complex social analytics data into human portrayals that are easy to understand by end users in real organizations.


In many sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, pregnancy and childbirth complications are among the leading causes of mortality and morbidities among women of reproductive age especially in rural communities. This paper examined how women in rural Benue State prepare for births especially as it relates to utilization of maternal healthcare services to avoid potential pregnancy and childbirth related complications. It specifically investigated the factors that hinder rural women from birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR). The study which was anchored on Rational Choice Theory utilized intra method triangulation to elicit qualitative data from women of reproductive age (15-49), Woman leaders and community health personnel from 6 rural communities drawn from 3 local government areas in Benue State. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and In-depth Interviews (IDIs) were the main instruments used for data collection in order to capture the nuances involved. Findings indicate that utilization of maternal health services in preparation for births among rural women is poor. Cost of transportation, poor knowledge and concerns over cost of service were key barriers to BPCR. The study recommends that policy makers and all stake holders should intensify awareness on the needs and importance of BPCR, and that government should consider complete removal of user-fees on maternal healthcare services in order to improve BPCR.


Artists: Ella de Burca, Lothar Gotz, Aoibheann Greenan, Barbara Kasten, Gareth Kennedy, David Noonan, Alexandre Singh, and Althea Thauberger.

Curated by Chris Clarke and Fiona Kearney

The theatre is traditionally seen as a space of storytelling and illusion, where the spectator surrenders to the narrative. In Enter Stage Left, various dramatic devices such as sets, props, lighting and scripts, are used by Irish and international artists to explore and disrupt the enchantment of thespian conventions. The exhibition is a peek behind the scenes, a revealing look at the craft of theatre and the ways in which artists have reimagined the stage through the prism of art.

Enter Stage Left includes work by artists whose practice delves into realms of stagecraft. Drawing on influences from the worlds of design, ballet, and music, as well as performance, their works reveal the hidden mechanics behind the staged production and the ways in which the theatre itself reflects wider social and political ideas.


European air travel has witnessed a tremendous evolution since the late 1990s following the liberalisation process, with many new entrants to the market. Several of these new entrants are low-cost carriers (LCCs), offering lower fares and thereby making air transport accessible to a larger number of people. This broader access and increased connectivity have the potential to bring people and regions closer together in Europe.

Against this background, the objective of the current report is to understand to what extent, and through which channels, LCCs have contributed and can contribute to European integration. Relying on a mixed set of approaches including desk research and data analysis based on quantitative and qualitative data sources, the study initially sets out the evolution of the air travel market in terms of the regulatory framework and economic principles. It then moves on to a mapping exercise showing the sharp increase in the number of air passengers carried over the last few decades and the large, yet still uneven, increases in seat capacity across Europe. The network of routes, thanks to point-to-point connections as the main focus of LCCs, has also expanded over time. Overall, the evidence from the literature and data analysis points to the enhancement of connectivity resulting from the entry of LCCs into the market.

As regards the channels through which LCCs can foster European integration, the study examines the significant increase in labour mobility, business travel, international student mobility and leisure tourism and their close links with corresponding developments in air travel and affordable fares in an expanded network of routes throughout Europe.

Qualitative data analysis based on LCC passenger interviews also reveals interesting travel patterns, reflecting a combination of personal preferences, family circumstances and career decisions. These results largely confirm the quantitative analysis and findings from the literature highlighting the contribution of LCCs to European integration through various channels, e.g. labour mobility, business commuting, international student commuting and leisure/tourism travel, as identified and analysed in the study.


This paper presents some of the key findings of a study into quality management practices of a number of Australian manufacturers with a known interest in and commitment to quality improvements. The information was derived from a detailed questionnaire completed by 52 organisations, and three in-depth case studies. Based on the analysis of the questionnaire survey and the case studies, this paper discusses the following: (i) the motivation for introducing quality improvement (TQM) initiatives; (ii) the major barriers to implementation; (iii) the requirements for successful implementation of TQM, including quality leadership, customer orientation, organisational structure, process capability and control, employee commitment and evaluation.


The goal in designing mode-evolution based devices is to realise short and high-fidelity components. The counterdiabatic protocol in coherent quantum state control can be used to cancel unwanted coupling between adiabatic modes in mode evolution but is not directly realisable in the coupled-waveguide system. By finding alternative coupled-mode equations that links to the same interaction picture dynamical equation as the counterdiabatic protocol via unitary transformations, we have derived a universal formalism for the design of short and high-fidelity mode-evolution based coupled-waveguide devices. Starting from a traditional adiabatic device design, the counterdiabatic protocol leads to a high-fidelity device, with its evolution following the adiabatic modes exactly even when the adiabatic condition is violated. Tolerance analysis shows that the countera-diabatic devices combine the advantages of adiabatic and resonant devices. The formalism is used to design asymmetric waveguide couplers.


We present results of a case study in which we analyzed the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) and cognitive scaffolding techniques introduced in our secondary social studies methods course on the perceptions and practices of 12 preservice teachers (PSTs) during their fall practicum and spring student teaching. Our PSTs reported teaching 54 PBL lessons and identified factors that encouraged their use of PBL: methods course PBL experiences; improved student exam scores and writing skills, increased engagement; and improved collaborative, deliberative, and cognitive skills. Discouraging factors included the time and effort to plan PBL lessons, coverage demands, and standardized testing. Findings suggest that PBL methodology, supported by professorial modeling and metacognitive training, had a transformative impact on our PSTs in terms of how they perceived their relationship with their students, the student outcomes they sought to facilitate, and their operational understanding the goals of social studies education offered by the National Council for the Social Studies.


Current research and evidence into Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) has mostly centred on effective delivery formats to engage consumers.
The perceptions and approaches that influence an individual engaging in CPD
have yet to be explored, particularly in nursing. This qualitative research
grounded in critical social constructionism and critical ethnography explores the
perceptions and influences for regional intensive care nurses from Victoria,
Australia as they engage in CPD. Participants from three field sites participated
in semi-structured interviews. Through interviews the major themes of fear and
vulnerability, isolation, professional inconsistencies and a myriad of concern for
the nursing profession were identified. Threaded throughout each theme was
the social influence of workplace upon nurses' perceptions and their approaches
toward CPD and the sharing of acquired knowledge amongst colleagues.
The theoretical perspective of Pierre Bourdieu have been used to explore and
discuss the findings of the research through the positions of orthodoxy and
heterodoxy. These two positions allow the reality and the rhetoric of mandatory
CPD for Australian nurses to be revealed, as shared by the participants.
Orthodoxy and heterodoxy bring to light a disconnect between the regulatory
body of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Board (NMBA), and the nurses it
registers. Nurses engage in CPD influenced by peers and often as a means of
protection or a strategic tool to acquire and hold capital and power. The NMBA
mandates CPD for knowledge growth and practice change. The findings reveal
that nurses' and the NMBA appear to be playing a game creating a state of
illusio, with many nurses looking to mandatory CPD to maintain their
employability rather than, public protection. This research highlights the
symbolic power of CPD exposing the influences of social culture, habitus and
the field in which nurses' practice.
Recommendations of this research suggest that the current model of CPD is
fundamentally flawed. Significant changes need to be undertaken to achieve the
goal of public protection through a contemporary and knowledgeable workforce.


Background Increasing evidence has shown that visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of blood pressure (BP) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of VVV of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) on the risk of CVD among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 10,163 T2DM patients who were not previously diagnosed with CVD from January 2008 to December 2012 in Ningbo, China. The VVV of BP was calculated using five metrics, including standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), variation independent of mean, average real variability, and successive variability (SV) of measurements, obtained over a 24-month measurement period. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression models for the associations of variability in BP with risk of CVD. Results A total of 894 CVD events were observed during a median follow-up of 49.5 months. The hazard ratio in the highest quintile of SD of SBP was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.52) compared with patients in the lowest quintile. The association between higher VVV of DBP and risk of CVD was not consistent across different metrics and sensitivity analyses. Conclusion Higher VVV of SBP was associated with an increased risk of CVD, irrespective of the mean SBP level. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings.