Within the silicon photovoltaics (PV) community, there are many approaches, tools, and input parameters for simulating solar cells, making it difficult for newcomers to establish a complete and representative starting point and imposing high requirements on experts to tediously state all assumptions and inputs for replication. In this review, we address these problems by providing complete and representative input parameter sets to simulate six major types of crystalline silicon solar cells. Where possible, the inputs are justified and up-to-date for the respective cell types, and they produce representative measurable cell characteristics. Details of the modeling approaches that can replicate the simulations are presented as well. The input parameters listed here provide a sensible and consistent reference point for researchers on which to base their refinements and extensions.


For orthopaedic, dental or craniofacial applications osteointegration is critical for short-term initial stability and long-term success of the implant.
Important efforts have been made in the past to optimize the osteointegration of titanium implants in bone-contact applications, focusing mainly on biofunctionalization methods of its surface to reduce healing times and accelerate integration into the host tissue.
In the present in vitro study a heparin binding peptide (FHRRIKA) and a recombinant fragment of fibronectin, which contains an heparin binding domain as well (HBII), have been covalently immobilized onto titanium.
Both the peptide and the recombinant protein fragment promoted the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblast-like cells (Saos-2) and fibroblasts (HFFs). In contrast, they only supported modest levels of cell spreading.
Titanium functionalized with the peptide stimulates the expression of both osteoblast- and fibroblast-related genes, while titanium functionalized with the protein fragment stimulates only osteoblastic differentiation genes, being this strategy more selective.
This study demonstrates that heparin-binding domains play an important role in a variety of biological processes, however it must be noted that surfaces coated with FHRRIKA or HBII did not reach the efficiency required for a material to be implanted. Nevertheless, the possibility of include in a single coating several cell surface receptors found in osteoblasts might be an interesting approach for developing novel biomaterial surfaces used in bone contact applications, in this coatings FHRRIKA or HBII could be included.


Summary

Knowledge sharing networks are increasingly recognised as means of mobilising the knowledge and capacities needed to respond to complex and changing realities, such as the challenges posed by climate change. AfricaAdapt is one such network that describes its aim as 'facilitating the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoods between researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations and communities who are vulnerable to climate variability and change across the [African] continent'. This paper takes a 'behind the scenes' look at the AfricaAdapt Network and the partnerships on which it is based and is thus intended to be useful for others seeking to collaboratively develop knowledge sharing networks.

We focus on the dynamics of design and implementation of a knowledge sharing network in a distributed partnership, from the perspective of the former lead partner. Rather than looking at the delivery and outcomes of network activities, we explore the way in which the partners sought to develop sustainable relationships and ways of working to underpin the network, areas that are frequently under-examined, particularly among practitioners. Areas covered include: governance and management, staffing and planning, financial management, partnership dynamics, learning, capacity development, monitoring and evaluation.

Although all knowledge sharing networks are different we have tried to identify insights and principles from this specific example that can be adapted and applied in other contexts. We hope that these insights will provide a useful contribution to the broader body of theory and experience around networks and knowledge sharing.


During the past decade the experimental studies of biopolymer conformations have reached an
unprecedented level of detailization and allow to study single molecules in vivo [1]. Processing of
experimental data essentially relies on theoretical approaches to conformational transitions in
biopolymers [2]. However, the models that are currently used, originate from the early 1960's and
contain several unjustified assumptions, widely accepted at that time. Thus, the view on the
conformational transitions in the polypeptides as a two-state process has very limited applicability
because the all-or-none transition mechanism takes place only in short polypeptides with sizes
comparable to the spatial correlation length; the original formulation of Zimm-Bragg model is
phenomenological and does not allow for a microscopic model for water; the implicit consideration of
the water-polypeptide interactions through the ansatz about the quadratic dependence of free energy
difference on temperature can only be justified through the assumption of an ideal gas with a constant
heat capacity. To get rid of these deficiencies, we augment the Hamiltonian formulation [3] of the
Zimm-Bragg model [4] with the term describing the water-polypeptide interactions [5]. The analytical
solution of the model results in a formula, ready to be fit to Circular Dichroism (CD) data for both heat
and cold denaturation. On the example of several sets of experimental data we show, that our formula
results in a significantly better fit, as compared to the existing approaches. Moreover, the application
of our procedure allows to compare the strengths of inter- and intra-molecular H-bonds, an
information, inaccessible before.

References
[1] I. Konig, A. Zarrine-Afsar, M. Aznauryan, A. Soranno, B. Wunderlich, F. Dingfelder, J. C. Stuber, A. Pluckthun, D.
Nettels, B. Schuler, (2015), Single-molecule spectroscopy of protein conformational dynamics in live eukaryotic
cells/Nature Methods, 12, 773-779.
[2] J. Seelig, H.-J. Schonfeld, (2016), Thermal protein unfolding by differential scanning calorimetry and circular
dichroism spectroscopy. Two-state model versus sequential unfolding/Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics, 49, e9, 1-24.
[3] A.V. Badasyan, A. Giacometti, Y. Sh. Mamasakhlisov, V. F. Morozov, A. S. Benight, (2010), Microscopic formulation
of the Zimm-Bragg model for the helix-coil transition/Physical Review E, 81, 021921.
[4] B. H. Zimm, J. K. Bragg, (1959), Theory of the Phase Transition between Helix and Random Coil in Polypeptide
Chains/Journal of Chemical Physics, 31, 526.
[5] A. Badasyan, Sh.A. Tonoyan, A. Giacometti, R. Podgornik, V.A. Parsegian, Y.Sh. Mamasakhlisov, V.F. Morozov,
(2014), Unified description of solvent effects in the helix-coil transition/Physical Review E, 89, 022723.
Corresponding author: Artem Badasyan (email@example.com)


The traditional music of America in collection is musically representative of pioneer settlements of the country from Mexico to Canada and from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. To insure that each section of this vast country was musically represented naturally would require a systematic and thorough coverage by those persons who have made this work their primary concern for a good many years. A look at the map of these United States gives the observer an acute awareness of the stupendous undertaking for those who were first to begin their trek into the regions of the land where folk song abounds, into communities into which fast-moving civilization has been slow to penetrate. Early in their history these communities were isolated because of the hardships and dangers of travel. With the spread of civilization, however, the country was tamed and became more densely populated so that the growth of folk song and traditions within the social life of these isolated communities was a natural sequence.


This book provides a comprehensive overview of the most important themes in German HIV/AIDS prevention and care from the beginning of the epidemic to the present. Multidisciplinary in approach, it highlights the unique contributions of Germany to AIDS work, making available for the first time knowledge which can be applied to other countries as well as to other fields of public health practice. Topics discussed include: *structural prevention, a concept which unites political and behavioural change *the synchronistic relationship between AIDS policy and gay politics *the dominance of love and intimacy over other 'risk factors' *an approach to prevention among drug users which emphasis human rights and accepts the using behaviour *a unique partnership between public authorities and the voluntary sector *services for women working in cross-national border prostitution *an AIDS survivor syndrome among gay men *HIV in the context of emotional risks taken by women in relationships. In addition, specifically German themes are described, including special needs of gay men from the former East Germany, the difficulties of providing adequate outpatient care for people with HIV/AIDS and the history of the AIDS prevention debate in Germany. The book offers medical, nursing, public health, sociological, psychological and social work perspectives on the German response to AIDS.


Seven years after the fall of the Taliban regime, Afghans--and the international community--are still struggling to construct a state with a functioning government, licit economic growth, and improved social conditions. While the country has seen significant advancements since 2001, particularly in terms of health, education, and other socioeconomic factors, few would argue that the situation in Afghanistan is progressing well. Security has deteriorated in recent years, opium cultivation continues at high levels, and most Afghans lack access to basic necessities such as electricity and clean water. The weak state of Afghanistan's government is at the forefront of the nation's challenges. President Hamid Karzai regularly comes under attack from both his countrymen and internationals for overseeing an administration and civil service riddled with corruption and inefficiency. Transparency International recently ranked Afghanistan 172 out of 180 countries in its 2008 global corruption index. Afghans themselves commonly perceive that corruption has increased within government ranks in the past five years. Corruption is endemic throughout the developed and developing world, but it is particularly damaging in Afghanistan, where the lack of a credible government threatens the country's already volatile security situation. As Afghans lose confidence that their government can provide them with basic services, they are more likely--particularly in rural areas--to look to the Taliban for support and subsistence. International donors such as the United States and World Bank exacerbate the problem by channeling two-thirds of their aid money outside of government systems. The result is that the Afghan government loses out on the ability to build capacity and monitor cash flows, and government officials receive little recognition when successes do occur. No consensus exists on the best way to combat corruption. Some call for a change of leadership, which may occur if security constraints do not preclude presidential elections in 2009. Others demand a systemic overhaul of the sclerotic international aid system. But such drastic reforms are unlikely to transpire in the near future. In reality, the best hope for realizing a functioning Afghan state is an approach that creates and strengthens mechanisms for the prevention, detection, and prosecution of corruption. Public administration reforms, which attempt to obviate corruption and increase transparency and efficiency by establishing effective national systems through incremental steps, are being enacted and refined. The first phase of reform in 2002 focused on stemming low-level corruption such as bribery, which affects nearly all Afghans. Afghans often must pay tips--"shirini," in Dari--to civil servants in order to receive services, from passports and visas to electricity. In Afghanistan's border provinces, customs officials allow goods to flow out of the country untaxed in exchange for bribe money. Initial reforms increased government pay scales, under the belief that raised salaries for public officials--who traditionally earn far less than other professionals--would alleviate their desire to collect bribe money. When disappointing results ensued, new measures were designed to improve the civil service, prioritizing competence and performance over pay increases. …


For real-world applications of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), potential electrolyte materials with high proton conductivity should possess activation energy as low as possible so that good conductivity can be achieved even at low operating temperatures. It is desirable and yet challenging to devise such materials with very low activation energy (<0.1 eV) while maintaining high conductivity. In this work, we have prepared phloroglucinol-based porous organic polymers (POPs) 1S1M, 1S2M, and 1S3Mvia post-synthetic impregnation of sulfuric acid into the pores. The superprotonic conductivity of 1S1M is 2.35 × 10−1 S cm−1 at 70 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH), with a significantly low activation energy of 0.075 eV. The conductivity exceeds that observed for POP-based conductors and is even superior to that of Nafion. Proton-conducting mixed matrix membranes (1S1MP, 1S2MP, and 1S3MP) composed of these powders and poly(vinylidene fluoride) have been fabricated via a drop casting method. 1S3MP exhibits a high proton conductivity of 2.13 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 80 °C and 90% RH. To the best of our knowledge, the activation energy (0.039 eV) of 1S3MP is the lowest recorded value among those for any proton conductive materials. The membrane, which is easy to fabricate and scalable for mass production, is durable over 3 weeks with invariant conductivity.


BACKGROUND
Fish contain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, principally eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which are known to interfere with the body's inflammatory response and may be of benefit in chronic inflammatory conditions.

METHODS
We studied the relation between the dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 8960 current or former smokers participating in a population-based study of artheroscierosis. Intake of fatty acids was estimated with a dietary questionnaire. The presence of COPD was assessed by a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and by spirometry. Three case definitions of COPD were used: symptoms of chronic bronchitis (667 subjects), physician-diagnosed emphysema reported by the subject (185 subjects), and spirometrically detected COPD (197 subjects).

RESULTS
After control for pack-years of smoking, age, sex, race, height, weight, energy intake, and educational level docosahexaenoic acid was inversely related to the ris of COPD in a quantity-dependent fashion. The adjusted odds ratio for the highest quartile was 0.66 for chronic bronchitis (95 percent confidence interval, 0.52 to 0.85; P<0.001 for linear trend across the range of intake value), 0.31 for physician-diagnosed emphysema (95 percent confidence interval, 0.18 to 0.52; P for liner trend, 0.003), and 0.50 for spirometrically detected COPD (95 percent confidence interval, 0.32 to 0.79; P for linear trend, 0.007).

CONCLUSION
A high dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids may protect cigarette smokers against COPD.


Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single dose of 2 mg IV hydromorphone administered to emergency department patients in acute severe pain. Design: Prospective interventional. Setting: Urban academic emergency department. Patient, participants: Nonelderly adults (21-64 years old) with acute severe pain and baseline oxygen saturation (SO2)≥95 percent. Interventions: Two milligrams IV hydromorphone administered over 2-3 minutes. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was use of naloxone as a reversal agent. Secondary outcomes included degree of pain relief as measured on a numerical rating scale, frequency of oxygen desaturation (SO2 < 95 percent), and side effects. Results: Of the 269 patients, none received IV naloxone. Median pain scores fell from 10 (worst pain possible) at baseline to 1 within 5 minutes and to 0 (no pain) at 30 minutes. SO2 was ≥95 percent at all time points in 68 percent of patients (95 percent CI 62-73 percent), while 26 percent (95 percent CI 21-32 percent) had one or more SO2 levels between 90-94 percent, and 6 percent (95 percent CI 4-10 percent) had SO2 values below 90 percent at one or more time points. The lowest SO2 was 82 percent. The incidence of nausea and vomiting were 16 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Conclusions: Two milligrams IV hydromorphone provides efficacious and rapid pain relief in nonelderly adults presenting to the ED with acute severe pain. However, oxygen desaturation below 95 percent occurred in about one third of patients. Although no noticeable clinical signs of hypoxemia occurred, a conservative interpretation of this finding suggests that 2 mg IV hydromorphone is too much opioid to be given routinely to patients in pain as a single initial dose.


Coralline algae constitute a cosmopolitan group of calcifying rhodophytes (red algae) that display characteristic optical fingerprints due to light absorption by specific light-harvesting pigments. The spectrally conspicuous nature of coralline algae makes them potential candidates for optical remote sensing surveys. Recently, underwater hyperspectral imaging (UHI), which we believe is a novel optical remote sensing technique, also has become the subject of marine research. The aim of the study was to characterize the spectral properties of different coralline algal species and to assess the potential of UHI as a coralline algal identification and mapping tool. Four species of coralline algae were investigated: Corallina officinalis, Lithothamnion glaciale, Phymatolithon lenormandii, and Phymatolithon tenue. Important coralline algal pigments were identified using spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Reflectance spectra of all species were obtained using both a spectrometer and UHI. Multivariate statistical analyses were performed on the reflectance data to identify spectral differences between the species and the instruments. Supervised classification of coralline algae in UHI transects recorded both in vivo and in situ was also carried out. R-phycoerythrin and chlorophyll a were found to be the most dominant coralline algal pigments. The analyzed species of coralline algae displayed highly similar reflectance spectra, and dips in reflectance corresponding to the absorbance peaks of R-phycoerythrin and chlorophyll a were identified in all spectra. Wavelengths corresponding to R-phycoerythrin light absorbance were the greatest contributors to interspecific spectral differences, but the investigated coralline algal species could not be spectrally distinguished with great accuracy. Optical signatures recorded using different instruments were comparable, but inter-instrumental spectral differences were found to be greater than interspecific differences. Supervised UHI classification was unable to accurately map different coralline algal species due to the similarity of the optical fingerprints; however, as a group, coralline algae could easily be identified. In the future, large-scale UHI surveys of coralline algal habitats should be carried out using platforms such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to enhance our understanding of this widespread and ecologically important organism group.


Background and Aims: The aim of this descriptive longitudinal study was to determine the type of teeth that were more prone in accidental bracket debonding and also to investigate the relationship between broken bracket bond and intervening factors such as age, type of malocclusion and sex. Materials and Methods: We used a pilot study to determine the correct sample size for this study. According to the pilot study which consisted of 20 records of patients, it was concluded that 576 patient' records was needed. The mean time for a bracket before it fails was also measured using Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analysis was done to examine the effect of age, gender, and class of malocclusion on each tooth with broken bracket. Data were analyzed using the software SPSS 20. Results: Results showed that the percentage of unexpected broken bracket bond for each tooth varied and they were significantly related only in second premolars in both jaws with malocclusion that was different for each tooth (P=0.037, P=0.004). Conclusion: Maxillary second premolars and mandibular second premolars had the highest rate of unexpected broken bracket bond in CL II CL I malocclusion respectively. Age, gender and malocclusion had no effect on the unexpected broken bracket bond for other teeth.


This piece is a Street Arts performance developed in collaboration with Orlando Britts and Annie Brooks.  Throughout my career I have been ideologically motivated to develop skills in forms of practice that foster a sense of Communitas, and appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Alongside work in cabaret and puppetry, I also spent 7 years seasonal touring a street theatre clown show called 'The Incredible Bull Circus'. The Terrible Shaman marks a return to this area of work. It was partly conceived as a gentle parody of the appropriation of 'the shamanic' by Live Art / Performance work, and a celebration of the spontaneous, unselfconscious creativity of children, the 'primitive' and other outsider artists. The original idea was inspired by the strangely haunting voice of a priest character in a computer game, exhibitions of collaborative work made by children shown at the Islington Arts Factory, and my rediscovery of the work and writings of French painter, Jean Dubuffet. His work was a strong influence on the visual work I made at college – where I developed a form of excessive 'doodling' during which I entered a highly absorbed and meditative state of 'Flow'. I wanted to return to this approach in this project, in the making of both visual and performance material (costumes, props, dances, songs), aiming towards a creative process where the work is completely made up as we go along. As such, and in keeping with street theatre generally, I expect for it to continually develop before and during each new presentation. In this respect it is also informed by literature on improvisation and 'flow', and represents a tentative exploration of the application of Zen in the art of clowning. It also grew out of the clown work I had done with Il Pixel Rosso on their project, 'And the Birds Fell from the Sky'.


Substantial progress has been made over the past three decades in understanding breast cancer (BC) molecular biology, genomics, and targeted therapy. The recent comprehensive molecular and pathological diversity observed in BC patients indicates that BC is not a homogeneous disease; It may be appropriately defined as a myriad of diseases. The explosion of molecular information in the past 10 years has led to a better understanding of the biologic diversity of breast cancers (BCs), and clues to the different etiologic pathways to BC development. It will be useful to study the epigenetics of BC cells and define the mechanisms of both genetic and epigenetic driving alterations beside the mutations. Identifying the oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes is the purpose cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. Oncogenes as well as novel ones involved in the significantly altered regions would enable researchers to identify new causes and molecular pathways that may be targeted at BC treatment. Our main goal is to provide comprehensive understanding of underlying molecular mechanisms and hallmarks of BC, focusing on the identification of fingerprints and novel molecular targets that will greatly improve the cancer predictive, prognostic, and diagnostic biomarkers and, in addition, the possible targets for novel therapies.


The present study has been undertaken to evaluate renal and hepatic toxicity of the extracts of Calotropis gigantea Linn. Animals were divided into various control and experimental groups. Crude and ethanolic extracts were prepared and 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight doses were selected. At lower dose of 150 mg/kg body weight the toxicity was not so much pronounced whereas at 300 mg/kg body weight both extracts were found to be highly toxic. They produced hypertrophy of liver cells together with their nuclear degeneration and hyperchromasis. These changes can be due to improper carbohydrate metabolism. Kupffer cell population increased considerably. There was disruption of tunica intima of central vein. Tubular necrosis, loss of epithelium and shrinkage of glomeruli are commom degenerative changes in the kidney at 300 mg/kg body weight dose


Background: The Physical Internet is a young concept. This term has existed since 2006. But since the last five years (from 2012 world, from 2014 Poland) this concept has been intensively discussed in theory and practice. Currently, two facts are diagnosed: small number of conferences and scientific articles and small number of project implementations. Accordingly, the Physical Internet could be treated as a pilot concept. Material and methods: The aim of the paper is to review of scientific articles dedicated to Physical Internet topic (the authors' article solely regards the physical aspects of the problem). Method of systematic review of literature was used. Systematic review of literature was divided into four steps: initial recognition of literature in PI topic, selection of publications in criteria of two streams: scientific and practice, analysis of content of publications and final conclusions. The analysis aims at identifying considerable articles in the Physical Internet topic area. The article has a fundamental influence on further concept shaping. The research time span includes scientific articles published in the years 2004 – 2017. The research subject was Web of Science and Scopus databases. Results: As regards to the theoretical stream, the Scopus scientific database is a slightly larger source of the knowledge about the Physical Internet than Web of Science (number of articles, number of citations). From the point of view of ranking in citations, the Web of Science is better than Scopus (both old and new publications). As to the theorists, the most worldwide renowned (cited) people (Web of Science and Scopus) are: E. Ballot, B. Montreuil, S.L. Pan and Y. Sallez. Conclusions: One might distinguish two Physical Internet evolution phases from 2004 to 2017: years 2004 – 2012 (the Physical Internet occurrence, no interest in the concept and return to its thematic scope) when the physical internet concept assumptions were developed and clarified and years 2013-2017 (renaissance of the Physical Internet as a future concept of efficient supply chain management) when the concept was introduced (implemented) in logistic reality. The first period of the Physical Internet is characterised by the focus on its theoretical assumptions, the second one is characterised by the domination of presenting application and implementation solutions (pilot projects mainly with the case study status).


Ethel D. Currie, D.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.S.E., F.G.S., F.M.A.—Ethel Dobbie Currie (1899-1963) dedicated her life to Geology, achieving high eminence both in administration and in research. She matched her concern for the well-being of her science with an altruism and an integrity that allowed her to give unstintedly the greatest personal assistance to fellow geologists old and young, in furtherance of their work and in the use of the collections submitted to her care. Her whole professional career was spent in the University of Glasgow. She graduated under Professor J. W. Gregory in 1920, and after a short period as Demonstrator in his department was appointed Assistant Curator of the geological collections in the Hunterian Museum. There she had the onerous tasks of bringing into order and cataloguing the minerals, rocks, and fossils that, some going back to William Hunter's day, were the riches of nearly two hundred years' accumulation, and that were rapidly increasing in number as generations of students and researchers came and went. This office work, laborious and never-ending, was in its nature less well known to the public than it deserved to be; and visitors to the Museum were better acquainted with her through the many exhibits she prepared to illustrate various aspects of Geology, notably the instructional show-cases in petrology, mineralogy, and palaeontology, and in the illustration of evolutionary lines. In her later years, with the expert technical help of Mr. F. Munro, she took a special interest in the morphology and relations of fossil vertebrates: This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract


It has become a corny cliche, but it is true: the European Union (EU) is a peace project. The only way to avoid that two world wars would be followed by a third one, was to entangle the states of Europe in such a tight web of cooperation that waging war against each other would become a practical impossibility. What started with six countries sharing the control over coal and steel, has now reached the stage where twenty-eight countries have pooled their sovereignty in many core areas of government. And the project has not finished yet: ever closer union remains the long-term trend.


Limiting performance is the absolute optimal response of a structure under a specified transient load. Reanalysis methods are computational techniques for analyzing locally modified large-scale structures without solving the full set of equations of motion. This paper makes use of the recent advances in these two areas to establish a method for designing structural components of systems subjected to blast loading. First, the parts of the system to be designed are replaced by control forces. These forces are allowed arbitrary variation in time and are chosen to optimize a preselected performance index. Then, reanalysis methods are applied to design the actual structural components so that the system response approximates as closely as possible the limiting performance.


The paper describes a method for computing the response of a hypothetical photographic emulsion, given a detailed model for latent-image formation and development. A digital computer generates a random sequence of events simulating those which occur during and after exposure of a photographic grain. The computer records all of the active centers which form as a result of these events, and gives as a final result the number of silver specks of each size. The application of some developability criterion to these data determines whether or not the grain is developable and how many development centers it contains. The process is repeated until an adequate sampling of grains is represented, and the results are compared with data from actual emulsions. The method yields D–log E, reciprocity-failure, or development-center distribution characteristics. The authors propose a model as a working hypothesis to explain the response characteristics of a simple photographic emulsion [ H. E.
 Spencer
 R. E.
 Atwell

 , J. Opt. Soc. Am.54, 498 ( 1964); H. E.
 Spencer
 L. E.
 Brady
 J. F.
 Hamilton

 , ibid. 54,492 ( 1964)]. This model contains many features in common with the Gurney–Mott mechanism of latent-image formation, including: reversible electron-trapping; ionic neutralization of trapped electrons; recombination; thermal decay of single silver atoms; permanent hole-trapping; permanent electron-trapping at silver aggregates, etc. The effects of changes in various physical parameters on photographic response are determined. The study shows that the observed effects of sulfur sensitization of this emulsion can be simulated by moderate increases in the depth of electron traps and in the stability of single silver atoms.


This paper includes 19 saxicolous species of Caloplaca from North and Central America that are characterized by distinctive elongated marginal lobes, non-paraplectenchymatous hypothecium, and presence of anthraquinones. In various ways this group has been referred to as Caloplaca section Gasparrinia or even separated at the generic level. The group, however, is not regarded as natural and consequently not given taxonomic status. Descriptions, keys, and distribution maps are provided for all treated taxa. Three new species are described for the region: Caloplaca appressa, C. stellata, and C. texana. Several lectotypes are selected. Caloplaca augustina is a new synonym of C. galactophylla. Color illustrations are provided for most species or references to previously published color illustrations. Additional notes are presented for six related non-American species.


This thesis describes the design and development of an eye alignment/tracking system which allows self alignment of the eye's optical axis with a measurement axis. Eye alignment is an area of research largely over-looked, yet it is a fundamental requirement in the acquisition of clinical data from the eye. New trends in the ophthalmic market, desiring portable hand-held apparatus, and the application of ophthalmic measurements in areas other than vision care have brought eye alignment under new scrutiny. Ophthalmic measurements taken in hand-held devices with out an clinician present requires alignment in an entirely new set of circumstances, requiring a novel solution. In order to solve this problem, the research has drawn upon eye tracking technology to monitor the eye, and a principle of self alignment to perform alignment correction. A handheld device naturally lends itself to the patient performing alignment, thus a technique has been designed to communicate raw eye tracking data to the user in a manner which allows the user to make the necessary corrections. The proposed technique is a novel methodology in which misalignment to the eye's optical axis can be quantified, corrected and evaluated. The technique uses Purkinje Image tracking to monitor the eye's movement as well as the orientation of the optical axis. The use of two sets of Purkinje Images allows quantification of the eye's physical parameters needed for accurate Purkinje Image tracking, negating the need for prior anatomical data. An instrument employing the methodology was subsequently prototyped and validated, allowing a sample group to achieve self alignment of their optical axis with an imaging axis within 16.5-40.8 s, and with a rotational precision of 0.03-0.043°(95% confidence intervals). By encompassing all these factors the technique facilitates self alignment from an unaligned position on the visual axis to an aligned position on the optical axis. The consequence of this is that ophthalmic measurements, specifically pachymetric measurements, can be made in the absence of an optician, allowing the use of ophthalmic instrumentation and measurements in health professions other than vision care.


Ractopamine hydrochloride often used as a bronchodilator, but its β-adrenergic agonist effects on un-striated muscle and its withdrawal time have not been assessed for Etawah goats and sheep. The aim of this study was to determine the safe time to slaughter goats and sheep post-treatment with ractopamine. Five clinically healthy adult goats and sheep (20 kg body weight) were treated with a single dose of ractopamine (1 mg, intravenously). Whole blood was sampled from the jugular vein at 120 min, 180 min and 300 min post-treatment. Ractopamine as a veterinary drug was analysed using HPLC at wavelength 225 nm. The concentrations at 120 min, 180 min and 300 min were 817.156 ± 13.460 μg.mL, 554.468 ± 50.157 μg.mL, and 294.588 ± 52.845 μg.mL in goats and 706.266 ± 89.856 μg.mL, 579.194 ± 45.664 μg.mL, and 209.36 ± 54.797 μg.mL in sheep, respectively. The withdrawal times in goats and sheep were 1141.710 ± 255.85 h and 989.741 ± 167.633 h, respectively, no drug residues detected. The safe time to slaughter goats after administration of 1 mg of ractopamine was approximately 3 months and 5 days post-treatment at a safety factor of 2, which was later than the sheep at 2 months and 22 days by a safety factor of two.


Oak decline is affecting the forests in the Interior Highlands of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. In 2002 and 2003, field plots were established throughout the region to evaluate the influence of topographic position and aspect on oak decline. Density and basal area of dead and dying oaks did not significantly differ by either topographic position or aspect. Lack of differences by topographic position may be partially explained by the low number of sample plots on ridgetops. It is also likely that factors other than topography and aspect influenced oak decline severity.


With the rise of the number of electric vehicles, the installment of public charging infrastructure is becoming more prominent. In urban areas in which EV users rely on on-street parking facilities, the demand for public charging stations is high. Cities take on the role of implementing public charging infrastructure and are looking for efficient roll-out strategies. Municipalities generally reserve the parking spots next to charging stations to ensure their availability. Underutilization of these charging stations leads to increased parking pressure, especially during peak hours. The city of The Hague has therefore implemented daytime reservation of parking spots next to charging stations. These parking spots are exclusively available between 10:00 and 19:00 for electric vehicles and are accessible for other vehicles beyond these times. This paper uses a large dataset with information on nearly 40.000 charging sessions to analyze the implementation of the abovementioned scheme. An unique natural experiment was created in which charging stations within areas of similar parking pressure did or did not have this scheme implemented. Results show that implemented daytime charging 10-19 can restrict EV owners in using the charging station at times when they need it. An extension of daytime charging to 10:00-22:00 proves to reduce the hurdle for EV drivers as only 3% of charging sessions take place beyond this time. The policy still has the potential to relieve parking pressure. The paper contributes to the knowledge of innovative measures to stimulate the optimized rollout and usage of charging infrastructure.


The thesis considers economic models of family decision-making, and their application to intergenerational justice. The predictions of several previous "cooperative" models of family decision-making depend crucially on the outcome of failure of spouses to cooperate. The first part of the thesis develops a model which predicts behaviour of caring spouses who fail to cooperate. The model has three distinctive features. First, caring between spouses is modelled using sympathy preferences. Second, transfers between spouses are made in income. Third, the interdependence between family members is resolved in two ways; first, assuming that family members have Cournot-Nash conjectures, that is, they maximize their own well-being taking the other family member's behaviour as given and, second, assuming that family members have rational conjectures. The model predicts how the division of income between spouses influences the outcome of family decision-making. When each spouse has enough income to pay for his or her personal expenditures, expenditures are determined by the interaction of both spouses' preferences. When one spouse is poor enough that she receives an income transfer from the other spouse, expenditures reflect the preferences of the wealthier spouse. The second part of the thesis uses the model to analyze the tax treatment of the family. When spouses' incomes are comparatively equal, or when one spouse is dependent on the other, small government imposed transfers are irrelevant. However, if one spouse earns just enough to pay for her private consumption, income transfers between spouses have effects on social welfare. The final part of the thesis considers intergenerational altruism in the "original position" described in Rawls' Theory of Justice. Intergenerational altruism is crucial to Rawls' account of justice between generations. It is argued that, given the nature of the choice problem, and concern for descendants strong enough to generate positive bequests, Rawls' intuition that intergenerational altruism guarantees intergenerational justice is correct. However, if each child has two concerned parents, and the conditions for intergenerational justice to hold are satisfied, small redistributions of income are irrelevant. This result leads to a re-examination of the intergenerational justice conditions and the background institutions for distributive justice.


In this paper we propose an application for accessing privileged services on the web, which is deployed on JADE (Java Agent Development Framework) platform. There are many Organizations/ Institutes which have subscribed to certain services inside their network, and these will not be accessible to people who are a part of the Organization/Institute when they are outside their network (for example in his residence). Therefore we have developed two software agents; the person will request the Client Agent (which will be residing outside the privileged network) for accessing the privileged services. The Client Agent will interact with the Server Agent (which will be residing inside the network which is subscribed to privileged services), which will process the request, and send the desired result back to the Client Agent.


Several factors may contribute to occurrence of road accidents which are human factors, vehicle factor, road factor and environmental factor. There has been recent evidence of a relationship between road accidents and emotional distress as well as fatigue. Monotonous and complex road environments are the road factor that relates to the internal factor within driver. The overall aim of this study was to compare driving stress, fatigue and driving error between complex and monotonous driving. This experimental study was carried out to measure the stress level, fatigue status and driving performance among hundred male drivers (20-59 years) with driving experience more than one year. Cortisol concentration from respondents' saliva was obtained to measure the stress level due to the driving test. Cortisols were measured using Salimetrics cortisol Enzyme Immunoassay kit (ELISA). Fatigue status was measured by using EEG test to the respondents while conducted the simulator driving test. Driving performance was measured based on the recorded data of Running-of-the Roads (RORI) and Large Speed Variation (LSV) index from the simulator system. This study found that there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between cortisol levels, EEG value and driving errors of monotonous and complex driving. Salivary cortisol level was found higher during monotonous driving compared to complex driving. Theta wave which indicates sleepy and fatigue condition was found higher on monotonous driving compared to other brainwaves which is alpha and beta state. RORI and LSV index was higher recorded during driving in complex road environments. The main implications of this study for road safety shows that monotonous driving had significantly induced driving stress and fatigue while complex driving lead to higher driving errors. Human factors and road factors could possibly put drivers in a higher risk to be involved in road accidents.


Synopsis: Historically, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) lacked authority over the siting of electric transmission lines. The FERC's siting role was limited to issuing certificates of public convenience and necessity for the construction of interstate natural gas transportation facilities. State agencies, in contrast, authorized the construction of electric transmission facilities. This regulatory landscape shifted, however, when the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EP Act 2005) was enacted. Recognizing the need for new transmission infrastructure in many areas of the country, the U.S. Congress established a four-part approach to the siting of new transmission facilities in congested areas. First, Congress directed the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study transmission congestion. Second, based on the results of such study, Congress vested the Secretary of the DOE with authority to designate National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs). NIETCs are geographic areas experiencing transmission congestion that adversely affects consumers and wherein the relief of congestion would promote this country's energy independence, national security, and economic growth. Third, Congress allowed the states the opportunity to act first on applications for authority to site new transmission facilities within NIETCs. Fourth, Congress empowered the FERC with new backstop authority to site transmission lines within NIETCs under certain circumstances where, for example, a state fails to act quickly enough or imposes onerous conditions which effectively destroy the economic viability or benefits of a project. Exercising its new authority, the DOE designated two, large NIETCs spanning several Southwestern and Mid-Atlantic States, which are now being challenged in Federal Court. The FERCs backstop siting regulations also were challenged, resulting in a Federal Court decision vacating those regulations in significant part. Moreover, the only utility to commence the process of seeking FERC backstop siting approval for a new transmission project has since announced that it no longer intends to pursue a FERC permit. While the mere threat of potential federal preemption may have some influence on the siting behavior of states, by inducing them to approve more certificate applications at a faster pace or engage in greater regional cooperation, the provisions granting FERC siting authority in NIETCs do not appear to be a driving force for new transmission investments. Instead, other factors such as transmission rate incentives, authorized under Section 1241 of EP Act 2005, appear to have a much greater impact on the development of new transmission facilities. Since the adoption of the FERC's Final Rule on transmission rate incentives, the FERC has approved some form of rate incentives for over thirty transmission projects. This article addresses recent legislative, regulatory, and litigation developments affecting the siting of transmission projects across the country, including remaining barriers to infrastructure development and actions being taken to overcome those barriers. We examine factors affecting the development of new transmission projects post-EPAct 2005, including the downturn in the U.S. economy, access to and the cost of capital, transmission rate incentives, the availability of federal grants or loans, the siting process, cost allocation disputes, renewable energy standards, reliability standards, and regional transmission planning. Our research found that, despite the recent downturn in the U.S. economy, the number of applications filed with state commissions and the amount of investments made in transmission projects appear to have increased post-EPAct 2005. We also found that: (1) more applications appear to have been filed with state commissions for projects outside of NIETCs than for projects inside NIETCs; and (2) many state commissions acted on applications in approximately one year, both pre-and post-EPAct 2005. …


The paper considers the broader policy context in which English Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) is placed, examining the model of class implicit within policy documents and particular currents within new Labour thinking. It notes that class relations and patterns of
inequality have deepened. Class as a structural feature of the social formation has been obscured as a result of individualisation and allied theorisations. Whilst class may be obscured, it remains a salient feature of contemporary society. Personalisation of the curriculum and changes to 14-19 education are related to class formation and the on-going generation of inequality. The closing section of the paper comments on current work that examines teaching and learning in the sector, suggesting that class needs to be placed in a pivotal position in such
analyses. It concludes by arguing that a concern with social justice as well as one that seeks to interrupt processes of class formation necessitates a politicised practice that extends beyond the classroom. This requires an analysis that stresses the salience of class but also
works with an expansive notion of practice that calls for a politicised understanding of PCET.


For the French writer Paul Valery, the Mediterranean was a kind of "pre-Europe"; it produced the European man, universal man, Protagoras's man as the measure of all things; on its shores, peoples and cultures mixed, exchanging blows and trade. Writing from Algeria, Albert Camus saw the inhabitant of a Mediterranean city as having greater affinity with the inhabitants of any other place on the Mediterranean coast (such as Genoa, or Mallorca) than with a citizen of Alsace. The Bosnian-born Predrag Matvejevic writes that the Mediterranean is at once a world to itself and the centre of the world. For the Turkish writer Halikarnas Balikcisi it is itself a continent, separate from Africa, Asia, or Europe. It has been called by some a liquid continent, by others a lake of cultures; more a bridge than an obstacle or a boundary. For the Catalan Manuel Vazquez Montalban – more of a pessimist, cynical satirist than any of the other writers mentioned so far – the Mediterranean has been a succession of barbarisms that have accumulated and mixed until they produced the hybrid Mediterranean man, who eats oil, olives and aubergines. Matvejevic also points out that if the Mediterranean sea is a sponge full of knowledge, it is also full of shipwrecks. Indeed. From Odysseus's lost ships and shipmates to Aeneas' journey as a refugee from burning Troy (Dido too, of course, was a refugee), to the refugees and asylum seekers and "economic migrants" of the present, the Mediterranean is still crossed by people who seek to escape violence and destruction, who search for a better life. The fate of Azel in Leaving Tangier, by the Moroccan Tahar Ben Jelloun, or of Anpalagan Ganeshu in The Ghosts of Portopalo by the Sardinian Giovanni Maria Bellu – real and imagined characters who seek entrance to what has been called, with sinister echoes of the Wehrmacht's Festung Europa, "Fortress Europe" – is a whole world away from that of Aeneas, chosen to found and Empire that would unify the Mediterranean and Europe. Matvejevic says that, unlike in Europe, the centres of the Mediterranean are cities, not states or nations. Comparative Literature has often been criticized in recent years – it has even been declared dead, or compromised – for its Eurocentrism and its origins in European nationalism. In my paper I want to ask, what can a Mediterranean perspective offer to Comparative Literature today, and to a reassessment of its history?


We provide an overview of the methodologies essayed by us to achieve three‐dimensional magnetophotonic crystals (3D‐MPCs) with enhanced magneto‐optic responses. The crystals were fabricated by infiltrating direct and inverse opals with magnetic nanoparticles either via opal impregnation in liquid colloidal dispersions of ex situ synthesized nanoparticles or in situ nanoparticle formation exploiting a microwave‐assisted sol‐gel route. Using these approaches, we have realized 3D‐MPCs with high‐quality, long‐range structural order (at least in the order of a few mm2) and high magnetic filling ratios up to above 30%. As a consequence, the resulting 3D‐MPCs exhibit a large magnetophotonic imprint in their magneto‐optic spectral responses, achieving large signals at the stop‐band edge frequencies. These results offer a promising route towards novel materials for photonic applications, in which the optical spectral responses can be tailored at will. Additionally, the versatility of the microwave‐assisted chemistry to achieve high‐quality conformal coatings of intricate 3D structures for applications that could go beyond photonics is demonstrated.


Introduction The history of cooperative collection development is a tapestry interwoven with the strong fibers of a shared belief in the theoretical value and promise of cooperation and a rather ragged record of achieving that promise. Dominguez and Swindler open their insightful analysis of cooperative collection development at the Research Libraries Triangle University Libraries with the statement that, "[c]ooperative collection development is the flag, motherhood, and apple pie of librarianship." Using one of these three icons as a metaphor, one might observe that it is easier to salute the flag than to put into practice the beliefs and values that it symbolizes. Dominguez and Swindler go on to note that despite extensive literature on the topic, there are few "critical analyses based on long-term case studies that document what has worked and why." Others have also observed the scarcity of critical analyses of cooperative collection development ventures (Bennett, Branin, Weber). This article offers a descriptive account and critical analysis of three cooperative collection development projects undertaken by the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA)--a consortium of the academic libraries in Virginia. We begin with a review of the current state of cooperative collection development efforts among academic libraries and a synopsis of the collective work undertaken by VIVA librarians, who, with the help of a consultant, planned and conducted the pilot projects. Background on Cooperative Collection Development Libraries have a long, successful tradition of cooperation in many areas. At least one writer traces the tradition back to "the great library at Alexandria's lending materials to Pergamum in approximately 200 B.C." (Sohn) Cooperation in the functions of acquisitions and collection development is a more recent phenomenon. Most of the extensive literature on its history cites Walter Lichtenstein's South American buying trip in 1913-14 as the first joint acquisitions program and the Farmington Plan of 1948 as the initial cooperative collection development program. (Sohn) The fifty-year chronicle of cooperative collection development programs is summed up by many authors as filled with only modest successes (Atkinson, Bennett, Hewitt and Shipman, Shreeves, Weber.) Our collective sense of having achieved only limited success may itself constrain our potential. Branin concluded that,"[t]his lack of significant, ongoing achievement is certainly one force blocking more cooperative activity in the field of collection development, for momentum has never been established." The chronicle is not entirely bleak. Articles abound that describe the promise of cooperative collection development ventures--particularly in the early years of such ventures. (Dannelly, Dowd, Farrell and Reed-Scott, Ferguson, Forcier and Powell, Gwinn and Mosher, Hacken, Pettas and Bates, Sohn) In general, these more optimistic articles describe only one specific project, rather than a cumulative record of success in multiple projects, or describe the onset rather than the culmination of--or several years of experience with--a project. Dismal notes are more often struck usually in the articles that essay to evaluate the cumulative record of cooperative collection development nationwide. In these writings, there is consensus that the greatest successes have been achieved either at the local level (where geographic proximity is a critical success factor) or among libraries with similar missions and of similar size. (Branin, Hewitt and Shipman, Keller, Rutstein) Most recently, some writers have begun to question the value of cooperative efforts to develop print collections. Shreeves makes a strong case for focusing cooperative ventures on the acquisition or creation of digital collections and for sharing expertise rather than print collections. He states that, "[t]he changes being experienced during the present transition to a largely digital environment offer new opportunities for cooperative collection development efforts but also call into question the value of investing in models based on a predominantly print environment. …


The situational factors effective in globalization change the scope of activities and the competition types of businesses; and also transform the organizational structures and applications together with managerial practices. In the light of the reflections of these developments on human resources management, the objectives of this study are to determine the contemporary approaches within international context and to make evaluations in terms of strategic approaches and regional models. With this purpose, main human resources management journals were determined among SSCI journals with the criteria that the name of the journal includes either "human", "personnel", "manpower", "labor force" or "work force". The time span was chosen as between 1998-2008. Within found to have more researches on European Countries. Choosing the researches in Europe–hosting the birth of human resources management- in spite of America–hosting the development and dispersion of the discipline- was due to its geographical proximity to the researchers' country. It was found that the contemporary trends centre around "application and functions of human resources management" and "new employment types". Moreover, it was determined that global conditions cause isomorphism on business applications and that American model is influential in Europe and there is not a unified model in Europe.


Tortoiseshell coat color is normally restricted to female cats due to X-linkage of the gene that encodes the orange coat color. Tortoiseshell male cats do, however, occur at a low frequency among tortoiseshell cats because of chromosome aberrations similar to the Klinefelter syndrome in man: the extra X chromosome of a 39,XXY karyotype introduces the possibility of an orange and a non-orange allele which produce the mixture of orange and non-orange coat spotting known as tortoiseshell. We analyzed the chromosome complement of a fibroblast culture and did histological examinations of testicular tissue from a tortoiseshell male cat referred to us. Chromosome analysis using RBA-banding consistently revealed a 39,XXY karyotype. Histological examinations of testis biopsies from this cat showed degeneration of the tubules, hyperplasia of the interstitial tissue, and complete loss of germ cells. Immunostaining using anti-vimentin and anti-VASA (DDX4) showed that only Sertoli cells and no germ cells were observed in the testicular tubules. As no sign of spermatogenesis was detected, we conclude that this is a classic case of a sterile, male tortoiseshell cat with a 39,XXY chromosome complement.


ABSTRACT
The upcoming 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) will include a comprehensive classification of chronic pain for the first time, which is based on the biopsychosocial definition of chronic pain. This presents a great opportunity for pain research and clinical practice. The new classification consists of seven main diagnostic categories of chronic pain, which are further divided into increasingly specific levels of diagnoses. Each diagnosis is characterized by clearly defined operationalized criteria. Future users will need to familiarize themselves with the new system and its application. The aim of the present publication is to provide users of the ICD-11 chronic pain classification with answers to frequently asked questions regarding the ICD-11 as a whole, the ICD-11 chronic pain classification, and its application to common pain syndromes. The questions compiled here reached the International Association for the Study of Pain Task Force via different routes (e.g., at conferences, by letter, or during field testing). Furthermore, the authors collected questions posted to the ICD-11 browser and contacted early users of the classification to enquire about their most frequent difficulties when applying the new diagnoses. The authors of the present publication prepared answers to these frequently asked questions. This publication intends to act as a guide for the future users of the new ICD-11 chronic pain classification, hence facilitating its implementation.


Isolation, characterization and virulence of the culturable bacteria from entire tissues of larval Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) were studied to obtain new microbes for biological control. A total of 16 bacteria were isolated from living and dead larvae collected from different maize fields in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. The bacterial microbiota of O. nubilalis were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (On1), Brevundimonas aurantiaca (On2), Chryseobacterium formosense (On3), Acinetobacter sp. (On4), Microbacterium thalassium (On5), Bacillus megaterium (On6), Serratia sp. (On7), Ochrobactrum sp. (On8), Variovorax paradoxus (On9), Corynebacterium glutamicum (On10), Paenibacillus sp. (On11), Alcaligenes faecalis (On12), Microbacterium testaceum (On13), Leucobacter sp. (On14), Leucobacter sp. (On15) and Serratia marcescens (On16) based on their morphological and biochemical characteristics. A partial sequence of the 16S rRNA gene was also determined to confirm strain identification. The highest insecticidal activities were obtained from P. aeruginosa On1 (80%), Serratia sp. On7 (60%), V. paradoxus On9 (50%) and S. marcescens On16 (50%) against larvae 14 days after treatment (p < 0.05). Also, the highest activity from previously isolated Bacillus species was observed from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis Xd3 with 80% mortality within the same period (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that P. aeruginosa On1, Serratia sp. On7, V. paradoxus On9, S. marcescens On16 and B. thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis Xd3 show potential for biocontrol of O. nubilalis.


Significance Our study reported significant findings of a "social genome" that can be quantified and studied to understand human health and behavior. In a national sample of more than 5,000 American adolescents, we found evidence of social forces that act to make friends and schoolmates more genetically similar to one another compared with random pairs of unrelated individuals. This subtle genetic similarity was observed across the entire genome and at sets of genomic locations linked with specific traits—educational attainment and body mass index—a phenomenon we term "social–genetic correlation." We also find evidence of a "social–genetic effect" such that the genetics of a person's friends and schoolmates influenced their own education, even after accounting for the person's own genetics. Humans tend to form social relationships with others who resemble them. Whether this sorting of like with like arises from historical patterns of migration, meso-level social structures in modern society, or individual-level selection of similar peers remains unsettled. Recent research has evaluated the possibility that unobserved genotypes may play an important role in the creation of homophilous relationships. We extend this work by using data from 5,500 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine genetic similarities among pairs of friends. Although there is some evidence that friends have correlated genotypes, both at the whole-genome level as well as at trait-associated loci (via polygenic scores), further analysis suggests that meso-level forces, such as school assignment, are a principal source of genetic similarity between friends. We also observe apparent social–genetic effects in which polygenic scores of an individual's friends and schoolmates predict the individual's own educational attainment. In contrast, an individual's height is unassociated with the height genetics of peers.


IMPROVING FMRI ANALYSIS AND MR RECONSTRUCTION WITH THE INCORPORATION OF MR RELAXIVITIES AND CORRELATION EFFECT EXAMINATION M. Muge Karaman Marquette University Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) use the physical principles of nuclear MR to provide high resolution representations of brain activity and connectivity. As the fMRI and fcMRI signals are detected from the excited hydrogen atoms in a magnetic field, the acquired data is determined by the underlying physical processes, such as the MR relaxivities. In fMRI and fcMRI, the Fourier encoded frequency space measurements are reconstructed into brain images, then spatiotemporal processing operations are applied before computing the brain activation and connectivity statistics. This dissertation seeks to utilize the magnetic resonance (MR) relaxivities at different stages of the fMRI pipeline, and aims to observe the statistical implications of the spatiotemporal processing operators on the fMRI and fcMRI data. We first develop a new statistical complex-valued nonlinear fMRI activation model that incorporates the MR relaxivities of gray matter into the brain activation statistics by utilizing the physical MR magnetization equation and the first scans of the fMRI data. We provide both theoretical and experimental comparison between the proposed model with the conventional linear magnitude-only and complex-valued fMRI activation models. Our statistical analysis results show that the new model provides better accuracy in computing brain activation statistics while theoretically eliminating false positives in non-gray matter areas. We then develop a linear Fourier reconstruction operator that incorporates the MR relaxivities into the image reconstruction process to account for their effects. The utilization of a linear system makes it achievable to theoretically compute the statistical implications of the use of the proposed operator. By focusing on longitudinal relaxation time, T1, to include into the image reconstruction, we show that the application of the proposed Fourier reconstruction operator provides better image contrast in the reconstructed images by recovering the information of the tissue characteristics that exist prior to T1 equilibrium. We finally examine the effects of time series preprocessing on computed functional correlations through the use of linear operators and provide ways of accounting for such effects in computing functional activity and connectivity statistics. Using both theoretical and experimentally acquired functional connectivity data, we examine the correlations induced by commonly used spatial and temporal processing operations. Furthermore, we provide the expansion of the statistical fcMRI and fMRI models to incorporate the quantified processing induced correlations in computing brain activity and connectivity statistics.


Surgical treatment of thoracic disc herniation is technically challenging from anterior, lateral or posterior approaches. Because of the deeply located thoracic discs and non-retractable thoracic thecal sac, standard anterior and lateral procedures for discectomy require extensive tissue dissection causing prolonged lengths of stay in hospital. In this video, the authors present a case of calcified disc herniation at the level of T10/11 causing paraplegia and voiding difficulty. The patient was operated on via an endoscope-assisted minimally invasive transforaminal thoracic interbody fusion (EA-TTIF). The herniated disc and calcification were removed through a 26-mm tubular retractor, under microscopes via a unilateral transpedicular approach. The endoscopes were used for direct visualization of the ventral thecal sac and confirmation of complete decompression. After the operation, the patient's neurological function completely recovered. Minimally invasive EA-TTIF is a viable and effective option for the surgical management of thoracic disc herniation. Thoracic interbody fusion can be achieved through a minimally invasive approach from the back. The video can be found here: http://youtu.be/54rRMtvSyCM.


Abstract The Winteraceae are traditionally regarded as the least-specialized descendents of the first flowering plants, based largely on their lack of xylem vessels. Since vessels have been viewed as a key innovation for angiosperm diversification, Winteraceae have been portrayed as declining relicts, limited to wet forest habitats where their tracheid-based wood does not impose a significant hydraulic constraints. In contrast, phylogenetic analyses place Winteraceae among angiosperm clades with vessels, indicating that their vesselless wood is derived rather than primitive, whereas extension of the Winteraceae fossil record into the Early Cretaceous suggests a more complex ecological history than has been deduced from their current distribution. However, the selective regime and ecological events underlying the possible loss of vessels in Winteraceae have remained enigmatic. Here we examine the hypothesis that vessels were lost as an adaptation to freezing-prone environments in Winteraceae by measuring the responses of xylem water transport to freezing for a diverse group of Winteraceae taxa as compared to Canella winterana (Canellaceae, a close relative with vessels) and sympatric conifer taxa. We found that mean percent loss of xylem water transport capacity following freeze-thaw varied from 0% to 6% for Winteraceae species from freezing-prone temperate climates and approximately 20% in those taxa from tropical (nonfreezing) climates. Similarly, conifers exhibit almost no decrease in xylem hydraulic conductivity following freezing. In contrast, water transport in Canella stems is nearly 85% blocked after freeze-thaw. Although vessel-bearing wood of Canella possesses considerably greaterhydraulic capacity than Winteraceae, nearly 20% of xylem hydraulic conductance remains, a value that is comparable to the hydraulic capacity of vesselless Winteraceae xylem, if the proportion of hydraulic flow through vessels (modeled as ideal capillaries) is removed. Thus, the evolutionary removal of vessels may not necessarily require a deleterious shift to an ineffective vascular system. By integrating Winteraceae's phylogenetic relationships and fossil history with physiological and ecological observations, we suggest that, as ancestors of modern Winteraceae passed through temperate conditions present in Southern Gondwana during the Early Cretaceous, they were exposed to selective pressures against vessel-possession and returned to a vascular system relying on tracheids. These results suggest that the vesselless condition is advantageous in freezing-prone areas, which is supported by the strong bias in the ecological abundance of Winteraceae to wet temperate and tropical alpine habitats, rather than a retained feature from the first vesselless angiosperms. We believe that vesselless wood plays an important role in the ecological abundance of Winteraceae in Southern Hemisphere temperate environments by enabling the retention of leaves and photosynthesis in the face of frequent freeze-thaw events. Corresponding Editor: T. Givnish


Purpose: Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) was found overexpressed in tumor cells and played a significant role in tumor formation and growth. We sought to explore the correlation of PKM2 expression with cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis in bladder cancer cell line. Materials and Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were performed to determine the expression level of PKM2 at mRNA and protein level. MTT and flow cytometry were respectively used to explore the proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis in bladder cancer cell line in vitro. Results: The results suggested that suppression of PKM2 significantly decreased the proliferation rate, invasive cell number, and migration ability of bladder cancer cells compared with blank group. Moreover, proteins such as MMP2 and MMP9 as well as P38 expression were also affected by the PKM2 expression changes. These results proved that PKM2 could be involved in the progression of bladder cancer by mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathway. Conclusion: The data presented in this study revealed that PKM2 up-regulation may promote the development and metastasis of bladder cancer through promoting cell proliferation, migration and invasion via MAPK signal pathway.


Longevity of piped water-supply systems remains an elusive goal in rural Madagascar. In 1999, the local enterprise Sandandrano negotiated the first public-private partnership (PPP) in the Malagasy water-supply sector. Other companies have followed suit and now there are at least 20 piped water systems under private management in the country, collectively providing services to an estimated 120,000 people in rural areas. This paper explores the evolution of the PPP model for the construction and management of piped water systems in rural Madagascar. Three case studies highlight how PPP has proven effective at sustaining service levels in three geographically diverse settings. Four key factors that have contributed to making the PPP model successful are discussed: political will, size and geographic location, latent demand, and donor support. The paper also shares recommendations for replicating the model in large rural towns where the opportunities are greatest, and the cycle of construction, mismanagement,...


The fourth edition of "Developing Clinical Proficiency in Athletic Training: A Modular Approach "takes the skills that athletic training students need and organizes them into a modular system that will help students progressively develop while providing instructors with a systematic means of assessing their students' learning. The manual presents a flexible system consisting of three levels that are broken down into 146 modules used for assessing students' clinical skill development over the course of their athletic training program. The text is presented in such a way that it allows instructors to adjust the order of presentation of the modules while maintaining a complete record of the competencies achieved. Previously titled "Assessing Clinical Proficiencies in Athletic Training, " this latest edition guides students and clinical instructors through the maze of educational competencies required of entry-level athletic trainers. All of the current National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Athletic Training Competencies are embedded in the text. Because it covers all the competencies, this workbook can be used in conjunction with any athletic training text. The NATA competencies are noted in each module and are cross-referenced in an appendix. The following are new features of the fourth edition: -Coathor Dr. Kirk Brumels joins author Ken Knight as a veteran clinic educator and a longtime user of the modular system. -The 26 new modules enhance the existing modules and improve the coverage of competencies from the previous edition. -Three new groups of modules are included: Developing Clinical Skill, The Body, and Professional Development." -A new module, Foundational Behaviors of Professional Practice, has been added to all three levels to ensure that students and clinical instructors have an ongoing dialogue concerning these behaviors.In the fourth edition of "Developing Clinical Proficiency in Athletic Training, " the authors have reduced the number of levels from four to three and increased the number of modules in order to give instructors greater flexibility in adapting the text to their curriculums. They also have included more introductory material to help students and instructors better understand the integrated nature of athletic training education, and they discuss the nature of critical thinking and why it is essential to clinical practice. The text's unique concept allows for multiple evaluations of proficiencies in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. Through the modules, students are given the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of clinical proficiencies as instructors gauge their competencies across multiple exposures throughout the training experience. This approach ensures that students demonstrate both knowledge and the practical skills they need in order to be successful athletic trainers. As such, it is a great tool for instructors and the jump-start that students need as they prepare to move into their careers as athletic trainers. "Developing Clinical Proficiency in Athletic Training, Fourth Edition, "is part of Human Kinetics' Athletic Training Education Series. Featuring the work of respected athletic training authorities, this collection of six outstanding textbooks, each with its own supporting instructional resources, parallels and expounds on the content areas in the accreditation standards of the NATA Educational Council.


Given samples from an unknown distribution $p$ and a description of a distribution $q$, are $p$ and $q$ close or far? This question of "identity testing" has received significant attention in the case of testing whether $p$ and $q$ are equal or far in total variation distance. However, in recent work, the following questions have been been critical to solving problems at the frontiers of distribution testing:
-Alternative Distances: Can we test whether $p$ and $q$ are far in other distances, say Hellinger?
-Tolerance: Can we test when $p$ and $q$ are close, rather than equal? And if so, close in which distances?
Motivated by these questions, we characterize the complexity of distribution testing under a variety of distances, including total variation, $\ell_2$, Hellinger, Kullback-Leibler, and $\chi^2$. For each pair of distances $d_1$ and $d_2$, we study the complexity of testing if $p$ and $q$ are close in $d_1$ versus far in $d_2$, with a focus on identifying which problems allow strongly sublinear testers (i.e., those with complexity $O(n^{1 - \gamma})$ for some $\gamma > 0$ where $n$ is the size of the support of the distributions $p$ and $q$). We provide matching upper and lower bounds for each case. We also study these questions in the case where we only have samples from $q$ (equivalence testing), showing qualitative differences from identity testing in terms of when tolerance can be achieved. Our algorithms fall into the classical paradigm of $\chi^2$-statistics, but require crucial changes to handle the challenges introduced by each distance we consider. Finally, we survey other recent results in an attempt to serve as a reference for the complexity of various distribution testing problems.


The current study compared different learners' static and dynamic mental images of unseen scientific species and processes in relation to their spatial ability. Learners were classified into verbal, visual and schematic. Dynamic images were classified into: appearing/disappearing, linear-movement, and rotation. Two types of scientific entities and their related processes were investigated: astronomical and microscopic. The sample included 79 female students from Grades 9 and 10. For the purpose of the study, three instruments were used. The Mental Images by Guided Imagery instrument was designed to investigate participants' visualization of static and dynamic mental images. The Water-Level Task was adopted to estimate participants' spatial ability. The Learning Styles Inventory was used to classify participants into verbal, visual and schematic learners. The research findings suggest that schematic learners outperformed verbal and visual learners in their spatial ability. They also outperformed them in their vividness of microscopic images; both micro-static and micro-dynamic images; especially in the case of appearing/disappearing images. The differences were not significant in the case of astronomical images. The results also indicate that appearing/disappearing images received the least vividness scores for all three types of learners.


This study addresses the complex phenomenon of overtourism in the EU. By focusing on a set of case studies, the study reports on overtourism indicators, discusses management approaches implemented within different destinations and assesses policy responses. It concludes that a common set of indicators cannot be defined because of the complex causes and effects of overtourism. Avoiding overtourism requires custom-made policies in cooperation between destinations' stakeholders and policymakers


This paper presents the implementation and validation of a Remote laboratory for Practical Works (PWs) of power electronics for embedded systems. This work falls within the framework of an international project between several universities of the Maghreb and Europe. This project aims at the creation of a Remote practical laboratory of 3 rd year Bachelor degree in Electronics and Optics e-Learning for Embedded Systems (EOLES). This article presents the topologies of the various realized practical manipulations. It also presents the description and architectures of the software and hardware platforms developed for this purpose. The presented results relate to 3 PWs of the power electronics and their discussions were made on two levels. The first is a comparison of the results of electronic measurements with the theory. The second deals with comparison of this Remote system with the same PW performed by the classical method "in-class". An analysis of the Quality Assessment of these PWs was done by L3 students. The results are discussed and show the limits of validity and reveal the strengths and weaknesses of this new educational strategy in the university pedagogical system, and the possibility of its used in other types of training and disciplines.


Alignment of 3D objects from 2D images is one of the most important and well studied problems in computer vision. A typical object alignment system consists of a landmark appearance model which is used to obtain an initial shape and a shape model which refines this initial shape by correcting the initialization errors. Since errors in landmark initialization from the appearance model propagate through the shape model, it is critical to have a robust landmark appearance model. While there has been much progress in designing sophisticated and robust shape models, there has been relatively less progress in designing robust landmark detection models. In this paper we present an efficient and robust landmark detection model which is designed specifically to minimize localization errors thereby leading to state-of-the-art object alignment performance. We demonstrate the efficacy and speed of the proposed approach on the challenging task of multi-view car alignment.


The processes of replacement of party leaders are well-published events in media outlets across the world's democracies, but are scarcely analysed by political scientists. In this article we examine the extent to which incumbent party leaders are able to control their own fate in the face of various types of challenges that herald a possible end to their rule. It discusses three related research questions derived from this main objective: (1) what makes incumbents quit? (2) How do incumbents respond to various types of triggers heralding a possible end to their rule? (3) To what extent does incumbent behaviour prior to and following succession affect the fortunes of their successors and their party? We draw on a four-country–eight-party data set of leadership successions between 1945 and 2005, and on findings of in-depth studies of Australian cases to show that not only do Australian leaders get challenged and replaced more frequently than do other leaders, but they are also forced to combat more internal rivalry than their counterparts elsewhere.


We present the mass distribution, gravitational redshifts, radial velocities, and space motions of white dwarf stars in common proper motion binary systems. The mass distribution we derive for the 41 DA white dwarfs in this study has a mean of 0.68 ± 0.04 M⊙. This distribution has a slightly higher mean and larger dispersion than most previous white dwarf studies. We hypothesize that this is due to a higher fraction of cool (average Teff ∼ 10,000 K), hence old, white dwarfs in our sample. Our results indicate that samples made up of predominantly cool, old white dwarf stars tend to have a bimodal distribution with a second mass peak at ∼1.0 M⊙, which skews the mean toward a higher mass. Both the mean and individual white dwarf masses we report here are in better agreement with those determined from model atmosphere spectroscopic fits to line profiles than with most previous gravitational redshift studies of cool white dwarfs. Our results indicate that measurement biases and weak geocoronal emission lines in the observed spectra may have affected previous gravitational redshift measurements. These have been minimized in our study. We present measurements for some previously unobserved white dwarfs, as well as independent new measurements for some that have been reported in the literature. A list of complete space motions for 50 wide binary white dwarfs is presented, derived from radial velocity measurements of their nondegenerate companions. We find that the UVW space motions and dispersions of the common proper motion binaries that contain white dwarf components are consistent with those of old, metal-poor disk stars.


The number of older adults requiring nursing home level of care continues to rise and is expected to continue as the baby boom generation ages. The quality of nursing home care has been a significant policy issue for several years, as poor quality of care continues to be an endemic problem in many of the U.S nursing homes. The Nursing Home Reform Act passed in 1987 was designed to set quality standards to improve nursing home care quality. In 1998 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid responded by implementing Nursing Home Compare, which is a tool to inform consumers about nursing home quality. Social workers often play a key role in advocating for resident rights and ensuring residents' psychosocial needs are being met. Care quality can have a large impact on the overall wellbeing of a resident. The purpose of this study was to learn about nursing home social workers perspectives of what quality care is and if their perspectives are similar to quality indictors identified on the Minnesota Nursing Home Report Card and Nursing Home Compare. Eight nursing home social workers participated in individual semi-structured interviews answering fourteen questions regarding their perspectives of quality care in the nursing home setting. The participants' responses demonstrated similar quality care indicators compared to the Minnesota Nursing Home Report Card and Nursing Home Compare. Participants' responses evolved into themes regarding resident centered care and quality of life, quality indicators and lack of response, staffing ratios, retention and burnout, leadership and empowerment, awareness and use of report cards and informed consumers. Developing an understanding of indicators that contribute towards good quality care in the nursing home setting will allow social workers to advocate for residents to ensure they experience the highest achievable quality of life possible. SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVES OF QUALITY IN NURSING HOMES iii


This concise edition of the definitive 3-volume Dictionary of European Proverbs constitutes a fascinating collection of proverbs in 29 languages. The entries are arranged alphabetically according to the English equivalent, allowing the reader to identify common trends easily and quickly. * All proverbs listed in original language * 29 European languages featured * Includes all proverbs in current use * Thoroughly checked by language specialists to ensure accuracy. The Concise Dictionary of European Proverbs is based on over 40 years in-depth research by the compiler. It is an essential reference source for linguists, ethnologists and folklorists, and of interest to anyone wanting to know about the origins, development and current usage of the proverb. Emanuel Straussis a world-renowned expert on proverbs.


This research project shows a technique for allowing a user to "see" a 2D shape without any visual feedback. The user gestures with any universal pointing tool, as a mouse, a pen tablet, or the touch screen of a mobile device, and receives auditory feedback. This allows the user to experiment and eventually learn enough of the shape to effectively trace it out in 2D. The proposed system is based on the idea of relating spatial representations to sound, which allows the user to have a sound perception of a 2D shape. The shapes are predefined and the user has no access to any visual information. While exploring the space using the pointer device, sound is generated, which pitch and intensity varies according to some given strategies. 2D shapes can be identified and easily followed with the pointer tool, using the sound as only reference.


Chlamydia trachomatis (Chlamydia) is the most common sexually transmitted infection diagnosed in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics and affects one in ten sexually active young people. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhoea) is the second most common. They are asymptomatic in at least three-quarters of patients. Untreated infection can lead to serious health problems; including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women. In men, it can cause urethritis and Reiter"s Syndrome (arthritis). The number of diagnoses of uncomplicated chlamydia in GUM clinics in England increased by 288% between 1995 and 20061. Co infection with chlamydia and gonorrhoea is not uncommon. Up to half of patients diagnosed may be infected with both pathogens and, therefore, it is important to test sexually active individuals for both chlamydia and gonorrhoea using a multiplex system2. Electrochemical detection of specific DNA sequences offers advantages over established fluorescence techniques; including cost and ease of miniaturisation. The electrochemical gene sensor described here uniquely utilises enzymatic T7 Exonuclease digestion to generate ferrocenylated oligonucleotide fragments in a matched (gene sequence presence) sensor. These fragments exhibit a characteristically high response upon electrochemical analysis, using Differential Pulse Voltammetry and have been designed based on the ability to "tune" the oxidation potential of ferrocene by using electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituent groups. Ferrocenylated oligonucleotide labels have been synthesised, each with a characteristic oxidation potential. Results from a study of the adsorption and electron transfer kinetics of T7 exonuclease - digested and undigested oligonucleotide redox probes at screen-printed carbon paste electrode (SCPE) surfaces will be considered as a basis for the assay discrimination. The high selectivity of the T7 Exonuclease digest is demonstrated using the ferrocenylated oligonucleotides and a triplex genomic electrochemical assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and the human 7 beta-actin gene as an internal control for the assay using clinical samples will be presented.


Abstract:AI advances are shattering assumptions that both our democracies and our international order rely on. Reinventing our "democratic infrastructure" is thus critically necessary—and the author argues that it is also possible. Four interconnected and accelerating democratic paradigm shifts illustrate the potential: representative deliberations, AI augmentation, democracy-as-a-service, and platform democracy. Such innovations provide a viable path toward not just reimagining traditional democracies, but also enabling the transnational and even global democratic processes critical for addressing the broader challenges posed by destabilizing AI advances—including those relating to AI alignment and global agreements. We can and must rapidly invest in such democratic innovation if we are to ensure that our democratic capacity increases with our power.


Bringing together scholars from Russia, the United States and Europe, this collection of essays is the first to explore the slippery phenomenon of post-Soviet nostalgia by studying it as a discursive practice serving a wide variety of ideological agendas. The authors demonstrate how feelings of loss and displacement in post-Soviet Russia are turned into effective tools of state building and national mobilization, as well as into weapons for local resistance and the assertion of individual autonomy. Drawing on novels, memoirs, documentaries, photographs and Soviet commodities, Post-Soviet Nostalgia is an invaluable resource for historians, literary scholars and anthropologists interested in how Russia comes to terms with its Soviet past.


A small collection of unnamed parasitic nematodes belonging to the Australian Museum was submitted to us for examination. Those from marsupials have already been dealt with (Johnston and Mawson, 1940), the remainder, from reptiles, birds and rodents, are recorded in this paper. The greater part of the collection was made by Mr. E. Troughton while visiting South Australia on a collecting trip on behalf of the Museum. Two other members of the staff, Messrs. F. A. McNeill and H. S. Grant, also contributed to it. Some material belonging to the old collections of the Museum and obtained by G. Masters and G. Krefft was also examined, but its condition was rather unsatisfactory. The host names, locality, parasites identified, and Museum registered number, are as follows:


The genus Inula L. (s.l.) is systematically revised from Pakistan and Kashmir. A synthetic approach is adopted by utilizing the data from different aspects including palynology, cypsela morphology, chemistry and phytogeography. The data is analyzed numerically as well. In all 6 genera (22 species) are recognized from Pakistan and Kashmir, which includes one new genus: Lackia R. Dawar; Inula L. (s.str.), Pentanema Cass., Duhaldea DC., Dittrichia Greuter and Iphiolla Casso Two new species viz., Inula koelzii Dawar & Qaiser (already published) and Inula stewartii Dawar are described, while two new combinations (Duhaldea latifolia (DC.) Dawar & Qaiser and Lackia rhizocephala (Schrenk) Dawar) are also proposed. All the taxa are grouped into 4 different pollen types, namely Inula acuminata-type, Pentanema divaricatum-type, Duhaldea cappa-type and Lackia rhizocephala-type, mainly on the bases of polar length, tectum pattern between spines and apices of spines. Two types viz., Inula acuminata-type and Duhaldea cappa-type have much more morphologically diverse and higher number of taxa. Morphological data of cypselae also strengthen the existence of different genera with the exception of Inula complex (including Inula L. (s.str.) and Duhaldea DC.) which have :I: similar type of cypselae. Twenty one taxa are analyzed for their p'1enolic constituents and most of the taxa can be delimited on the bases of presence or absence of certain phenolic constituents, Q-coumaric acid along with sakuranetin 1aesculin with sakuranetin and tricin 5-glucoside with O-coumaric acid are exclusively present in Dittrichia Greuter ,Lackia R.Dawar and lphiona Cass., respectively. However, the genera lnula L. (s.str.) and Pentanema Cass., do not have any specific compounds. The data obtained from macro and micromorphology of cypselae, pollen grains and chemistry are analyzed numerically by clustering to study the relationships among different species and genera of lnula L. (s.1.), As far as the distribution pattern is concerned, out of twenty one taxa 15 taxa are uniregional elements from which 7 are typically Irano-Turanian, 4 are Sino-Japanese,2 are Saharo-Sindian, one is Indian and last one is Mediterranean element. While, 5 taxa are biregional elements, out of them 3 taxa occur equally in Irano-Turanian and Sino-Japanese region. One of them penetrates from Irano-Turanian to Saharo-Sindian region and remaining one occurs in Indian and Saharo-Sindian region. Only one taxon is pluriregional element as it is distributed in Irano-Turanian, Euro,-Siberian and Mediterranean region. Only two species (lnula koelzii Dawar & Qaiser and I. stewartii Dawar) are found to be endemic to Kashmir (Irano-Turanian region).


Maku lotus plants were grown in snow tussock grasslands at 1460 m altitude on steep ungrazed slopes. A total of 960 plants were transplanted in spring 1980 to five sites. In March 1984 survival was 72% and 68% on two NW sites and 66%, 56% and 46% on three ESE sites. Survival rates did not differ between 100 and 300 kg/ha sulphur enriched superphosphate applied in the transplant year, but dense native vegetation appeared to contribute to poorer survival on the eastern slopes. Mean lotus plant size, expressed as an index of ground spread was consistently larger on NW than on ESE, and in February 1984 was three times larger (1422 cm* cf. 429 cmZ). Mean DM yields per plant in February and March 1984 were from 1.3 to 3.0 times greater on NW sites. Ground spread indices and D.M. yields showed a response to the higher rate of fertiliser on some sites only. Higher air and soil temperatures on NW aspect, particularly in early spring and In autumn favouied a longer period of growth compared with E.S.E. The trials showed that Maku lotus could be a valuable herbage resource on warmer northerly aspects above 1000 m. In addition, the high variability amongst l.otus plants suggested that production for such cool environments could be improved by selection within existing populations.


Banking in Japan offers a wide-ranging survey of the institutional structures, operating principles and regulatory frameworks of Japan's financial system from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 to the mid-1990s. This collection is an invaluable resource for researchers and students of the Japanese economy and banking and finance worldwide. Japan's financial system is the subject of intense debate. Immediately after the Second World War, Japan's financial order was derided by Western commentators as unsuited to modern industrial economy. By the 1970s derision had turned to respect as it became clear that Japan's banking system played an important part in Japan's post-war economic success. The most influential articles written by Western and Japanese scholars since the Second World War are included. Critical questions asked include: * how is the Japanese financial system different from American and European models? * how can the distinctive evolutionary trajectory of Japanese banking be explained? * is Japan's system unique?