The progesterone receptor from hen oviduct is isolated as a complex of two subunits, A and B. The A protein binds one molecule of progesterone and also binds to DNA with high affinity. The native A protein can be labeled with iodine with no loss of DNA-binding activity. Limited Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion of the labeled preparation results in a number of DNA-binding and non-DNA-binding fragments of the receptor. The progesterone-binding domain contains iodine label. However, two low-molecular-weight DNA-binding fragments do not contain iodine label, indicating a lack of susceptible tyrosine residues near the DNA-binding site of the native receptor. The labeled receptor and its fragments will facilitate studies of the isolated DNAbinding and progesterone-binding domains of the hen A protein as well as of the activity of the native receptor in the presence and absence of hormone.


Abstract Species that occupy the same area and use the same resources must either compete with each other or find ways to minimize competition. For rodents, 1 important resource is nesting sites. In this study I present data from direct behavioral observations in the succulent karoo of South Africa that show aggressive interactions between bush karoo rats (Otomys unisulcatus) and striped mice (Rhabdomys pumilio). Because both species nest in shrubs, the potential exists for interspecific competition for nesting sites. Because of a severe drought in 2003, the bush karoo rat became locally extirpated. As a result, striped mice nested significantly more often in shrubs that contained bush karoo rat nests than in 2001 and 2002, when the population density of bush karoo rats was high. Furthermore, I observed that striped mice never nested in the shrub Lycium cinerum, the favorite nesting site of bush karoo rats, when bush karoo rats were present, but regularly used these nesting sites after bush karoo rats became extirpated. I conclude that striped mice and bush karoo rats compete actively for access to preferred nesting sites in the succulent karoo.


Ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes are common in the eukaryotic and viral domains of life, but they are rare in bacteria, the exception being a few obligate or facultative intracellular Proteobacteria species. Despite having a reduced genome, the arthropod strains of the alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia contain an unusually high number of ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes ranging from 23 in wMel to 60 in wPip strain. This group of genes has attracted considerable attention for their astonishing large number as well as for the fact that ankyrin proteins are known to participate in protein-protein interactions, suggesting that they play a critical role in the molecular mechanism that determines host-Wolbachia symbiotic interactions. We present a comparative evolutionary analysis of the wMel-related ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes present in different Drosophila-Wolbachia associations. Our results show that the ankyrin repeat domain-encoding genes change in size by expansion and contraction mediated by short directly repeated sequences. We provide examples of intra-genic recombination events and show that these genes are likely to be horizontally transferred between strains with the aid of bacteriophages. These results confirm previous findings that the Wolbachia genomes are evolutionary mosaics and illustrate the potential that these bacteria have to generate diversity in proteins potentially involved in the symbiotic interactions.


Hydrogen-rich compounds have been extensively studied both theoretically and experimentally in the quest for novel high-temperature superconductors. Reports on sulfur hydride attaining metallicity under pressure and exhibiting superconductivity at temperatures as high as 200 K have spurred an intense search for room-temperature superconductors in hydride materials. Recently, compressed phosphine was reported to metallize at pressures above 45 GPa, reaching a superconducting transition temperature (T-C) of 100 K at 200 GPa. However, neither the exact composition nor the crystal structure of the superconducting phase have been conclusively determined. In this work, the phase diagram of PHn (n = 1,2,3,4,5,6) was extensively explored by means of ab initio crystal structure predictions using the minima hopping method (MHM). The results do not support the existence of thermodynamically stable PHn compounds, which exhibit a tendency for elemental decomposition at high pressure even when vibrational contributions to the free energies are taken into account. Although the lowest energy phases of PH1,2,3 display T-C`s comparable to experiments, it remains uncertain if the measured values of T-C can be fully attributed to a phase-pure compound of PHn.


Abstract. The amount of solar radiation transmitted through Arctic sea ice is determined by the thickness and physical properties of snow and sea ice. Light transmittance is highly variable in space and time since thickness and physical properties of snow and sea ice are highly heterogeneous on variable time and length scales. We present field measurements of under-ice irradiance along transects under undeformed land-fast sea ice at Barrow, Alaska (March, May, and June 2010). The measurements were performed with a spectral radiometer mounted on a floating under-ice sled. The objective was to quantify the spatial variability of light transmittance through snow and sea ice, and to compare this variability along its seasonal evolution. Along with optical measurements, snow depth, sea ice thickness, and freeboard were recorded, and ice cores were analyzed for chlorophyll a and particulate matter. Our results show that snow cover variability prior to onset of snow melt causes as much relative spatial variability of light transmittance as the contrast of ponded and white ice during summer. Both before and after melt onset, measured transmittances fell in a range from one third to three times the mean value. In addition, we found a twentyfold increase of light transmittance as a result of partial snowmelt, showing the seasonal evolution of transmittance through sea ice far exceeds the spatial variability. However, prior melt onset, light transmittance was time invariant and differences in under-ice irradiance were directly related to the spatial variability of the snow cover.


This paper disciplines a model with search over match quality using microeconomic evidence on worker mobility patterns and wage dynamics. In addition to capturing these individual data, the model provides an explanation for aggregate labor market patterns. Poor match quality among first jobs implies large fluctuations in unemployment due to a responsive job destruction margin. Endogenous job destruction generates a burst of layoffs at the onset of a recession and, together with on-the-job search, generates a negative comovement between unemployment and vacancies. A significant job ladder, consistent with the empirical wage dispersion, provides ample scope for the propagation of vacancies and unemployment.

https://www.clevelandfed.org/~/media/content/newsroom and events/publications/working papers/2019/wp1904.pdf


This thesis examines the application of internal imaging technologies to the detection of defects within felled logs. This application requires images of moderate resolution to be generated at high-speeds. Transmission tomography is suggested as the most appropriate imaging technology, with particular reference to X-ray transmission tomography. High-speed X-ray scanners suitable to the application exist. An international literature search was performed to find reconstruction systems capable of high-speed reconstruction of the X-ray data. Those systems claiming to be high-speed are discussed in regard to their means of achieving high-speed reconstruction. The discussions show that most effort has been directed toward sophisticated hardware implementation of the reconstruction process, rather then the mathematics of the reconstruction process itself. To increase the achievable rate of reconstruction, the mathematics of each process in the reconstruction algorithm are examined in this thesis, with the aim of reducing computational complexity. Convolution backprojection is the most commonly used reconstruction method in transmission tomography when the X-ray data are complete, and can be neatly separated into two separate processes, convolution (filtering) and backprojection, as the name suggests. This reconstruction method was chosen as suitable for the log processing application because of its mathematical simplicity and quality of image reconstruction. Truncation of the convolution kernel is examined, and simulated results show adequate reconstruction quality with significant truncation. An inexpensive hardware design capable of performing the convolution operation in real-time is developed. The backprojection process normally employed is computationally expensive, and is the major encumbrance to the realisation of simple high speed image reconstruction from projections. A new backprojection algorithm for use in high-speed parallel-ray tomographic reconstruction systems is presented. The algorithm has the same functionality as the standard backprojection algorithm. However it has been arranged so that fast table look-up methods may be used, eliminating the need for time consuming mathematical calculations. The modified backprojection algorithm reduces the size of the required look-up table by an order of magnitude. Simulated results using the modified algorithm are provided and compared to those obtained using the unmodified algorithm. The resulting images are comparable with respect to feature identification, confirming that the two algorithms function similarly. High-speed implementations of the modified backprojection process used in tomographic reconstruction are presented. By combining both the convolution and backprojection implementations presented, an inexpensive reconstruction system suitable for detection of defects in felled logs is achievable.


Japanese banks experienced severe adverse shocks during the post bubble period due to the collapse of the so-called bubble economy. This paper investigates the performance of Japanese bank stocks in the bubble period and post-bubble period. We show in this article that in the case of Japan there is a clearunequal link between bubbles and the post bubble period's bank stock performance. We found that banks that did better during'the bubble period performed worse over the 1990-1998period. This result must be'dependent on the lending behavior of banks during the bubble economy.


Ni and alloys of Ni (with Fe, Co, Mo) still represent the most suitable electrodes for HER in alkaline media. Bimetallic nanoparticles of NiFe and NiCo were fabricated by coprecipitation and thermal reduction by oleylamine. The process of co-precipitation involves NaOH as a precipitation agent to precipitate the metal-based nitrates, while thermal reduction process involves the synthesis of metal-containing compounds using oleylamine, which act as reducing agent, surfactant, and solvent. Different synthesis conditions in terms of composition were studied. Structural characterization of nanoparticles was carried out using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and BET surface area. Electrochemical behavior of nanoparticles was investigated using rotating disk electrode. The electrochemical characterization studied the effect of catalyst composition on the electrochemical behavior of the catalyst.


Increased rates of tree senescence and mortality in and adjacent to an ephemeral lake in the Western Australian wheatbelt have been attributed to increased levels of soil salinity and inundation following agricultural clearing. Winter lake salinities approximate freshwater lake values, but during periods when the lake is dry, capillary rise of groundwater is thought to increase surface soil salinity.

An undescribed species of Melaleuca and Casuarina obesa dominated the seasonally inundated regions of the lake bed. Aeolian deposits of higher elevation were dominated by Eucalyptus loxophleba, Allocasuarina huegeliana or species of Banksia. Woodland of E. oleosa var. longicornis and E. salmonophloia occurred predominantly on upland fluviatile deposits of sand and sandy clays.

Measurements of soil salinity and the calculation of percentage inundation from tree elevations and observations of tree vigour and xylem pressure potential response indicated that tree deaths in Melaleuca sp. and C. obesa were due to increased levels of salinity. Deaths and low vigours in E. rudis were attributed to both increasing salinities and prolonged inundation. We believe control of ground water levels should be a major consideration in the preservation of this ephemeral lake and the water fowl populations it supports.


Real time constraints on AI systems require guaranteeing bounds on these systems' performance. However, in the presence of sources of uncontrolled combinatorics, it is extremely difficult to guarantee such bounds on their performance. In production systems, the primary source of uncontrolled combinatorics is the production match. To eliminate these combinatorics, the unique-attribute formulation was introduced in (Tambe and Rosenbloom, 1989), which achieved a linear bound on the production match. This formulation leads to several questions: is this unique-attributes formulation the best conceivable production system formulation? In fact, are there other alternative production system formulations? If there are other formulations, how should these alternatives be compared with the unique-attribute formulation? This paper attempts to address these questions in the context of Soar. It identifies independent dimensions along which alternative production system formulations can be specified. These dimensions are based on the fixed class of match algorithms currently employed in production systems. These dimensions create a framework for systematically generating alternative formulations. Using this framework we show that the unique-attribute formulation is the best one within the dimensions investigated. However, if a new class of match algorithms is admitted, by relaxing certain constraints, other competitor formulations emerge. The paper indicates which competitor formulations are promising and why. Although some of the concepts, such as unique-attributes, are introduced in the context of Soar, they should also be relevant to other rule-based systems.


The United States is often called the land of opportunity. In many ways it has proven so, but this is not always the case. International student athletes are not granted equitable treatment with their American peers under National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) amateurism rules. While the NCAA bylaws, through Proposal 2009-22, grant international student athletes the right to participate on professional teams, the proposal does not give the athletes the ability to truly exercise that right. Through the lens of Turkish basketball player Enes Kanter, this Note explores amendments to NCAA bylaws that are necessary for the NCAA to promote such an opportunity for international student athletes. The value of education and the acknowledgment of cultural differences require further steps to protect these athletes. This Note advocates for the recognition of education expenses as necessary and for a ""pay-back"" provision for excess compensation to protect athletes from issues arising from cultural and language differences.


Homophobia rather than homosexuality came to Africa from the West through colonisation (Mbaye, 2013:110). Today globalisation both fuels homophobic reactions and supports contestations and resistance against it. At Dak'Art 2014, there were several works that contested homophobia and discussed same-sex sexualities. Some of these works were selected by the curators for the international exhibition, and some were part of so called Off-exhibitions, arranged by independent galleries related to, but outside, the actual Biennial. At the independent gallery Raw Material Company there was an Off-exhibition called Precarious Imaging: Visibility and Media Surrounding African Queerness. This exhibition was closed for security reasons, after having been attacked, on May 12, by a group of religious fundamentalists. The leader of a Senegal-based Islamic organization went on TV to demand the closure of all exhibitions related to homosexuality. However, the artworks at the main exhibition of Dak'Art were left in peace. In my presentation I describe and interpret the works in question and discuss how art at the biennial exhibition was protected by the international attention attributed to this global arena.


Several epidemiological models predict a positive relationship between host population density and abundance of directly transmitted macroparasites. Here, we generalize these, and test the prediction by a comparative study. We used data on communities of gastrointestinal strongylid nematodes from 19 mammalian species, representing examination of 6670 individual hosts. We studied both the average abundance of all strongylid nematodes within a host species, and the two components of abundance, prevalence and intensity. The effects of host body weight, diet, fecundity and age at maturity and parasite body size were controlled for directly, and the phylogenetically independent contrast method was used to control for confounding factors more generally. Host population density and average parasite abundance were strongly positively correlated within mammalian taxa, and across all species when the effects of host body weight were controlled for. Controlling for other variables did not change this. Even when looking at single parasite species occurring in several host species, abundance was highest in the host species with the highest population density. Prevalence and intensity showed similar patterns. These patterns provide the first macroecological evidence consistent with the prediction that transmission rates depend on host population density in natural parasite communities.


Asthma affects more than 300 million people worldwide and its prevalence is still rising. Acute asthma attacks are characterized by severe symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing, tightness of the chest, and coughing, which may lead to hospitalization or death. Besides the acute symptoms, asthma is characterized by persistent airway inflammation and airway wall remodeling. The term airway wall remodeling summarizes the structural changes in the airway wall: epithelial cell shedding, goblet cell hyperplasia, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) bundles, basement membrane thickening and increased vascular density. Airway wall remodeling starts early in the pathogenesis of asthma and today it is suggested that remodeling is a prerequisite for other asthma pathologies. The beneficial effect of bronchial thermoplasty in reducing asthma symptoms, together with the increased potential of ASM cells of asthmatics to produce inflammatory and angiogenic factors, indicate that the ASM cell is a major effector cell in the pathology of asthma. In the present review we discuss the ASM cell and its role in airway wall remodeling and angiogenesis.


INTRODUCTION California prides itself as a leader in climate-change policy. In 2006, with passage of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), (1) it became the first state in the nation to regulate greenhouse gases by requiring that emissions be reduced to their 1990 levels by 2020. (2) AB 32 did not, however, give the state authority to regulate the sprawling development that contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions. A recent bill, SB 375, (3) which some have called a "sea change" in California's land-use laws, attempts to give the state these missing tools. (4) Due to opposition from local government and development interests, though, this attempt to curb sprawl may not be as powerful or revolutionary as some have claimed. (5) However, its additions to local land-use planning and incentives encouraging public transit-oriented development may help push California toward embracing denser communities with shorter commutes, thereby enabling the state to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. I. LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE AND HISTORY On September 30, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 375 into law, calling it "landmark legislation" (6) that "once again puts California on the leading edge of climate change policy." (7) Introduced by Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg in February 2007, SB 375 aims to improve "land use and transportation policy ... to achieve the goals of AB 32." (8) When passed in 2006, proponents heralded AB 32 as the first attempt in the nation to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, setting an ambitious goal of bringing emissions back to their 1990 levels by 2020. (9) AB 32 did not outline, however, the specific ways that the state would achieve those reductions. Instead, it tasked the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to create a "Scoping Plan" by January 1, 2009 that would detail exactly how the state would reduce its emissions. (10) Because transportation accounts for the largest contribution to statewide greenhouse gas emissions, at 39%, (11) environmental groups and policy analysts agree that no reduction measure can be effective without reducing emissions from transportation. (12) Reducing transportation emissions may be accomplished in part by designing more efficient vehicles and creating low-carbon fuels, but any reduction those developments can achieve will be quickly overtaken by increases in the amount of driving by Californians. (13) Because of sprawling development patterns, the number of "vehicle miles traveled" (VMT) (14) in California has increased 3% per year from 1975 to 2004, outpacing population growth. (15) The California Energy Commission estimates that increases in driving from continued development will cause carbon dioxide emissions to increase 16.6% by 2020. (16) Due to sprawl's large impact on transportation emissions, environmental advocacy groups insisted that AB 32's greenhouse gas reduction goals "[could not] be met without changes in land use." (17) Land-use plans that create dense, walkable communities well connected to public transit (known as "smart growth") emit only a fraction of the greenhouse gas of their suburban, sprawling counterparts. (18) Past efforts to counteract the impact of land use on emissions have failed, however, largely because land-use policy has been a function of local government (cities and counties), and state laws have not mandated specific planning requirements. Land-use decisions are governed by California planning and zoning law, (19) which requires local governments (cities and counties) to draft a General Plan to govern future growth (20) and create zoning ordinances that are consistent with their General Plan. (21) But state law leaves the substance and policy direction of the plans up to the discretion of local officials, with no power for state review. (22) Efforts to bring stronger state control to this process have not been successful. …


Blessed with abundant land and water resources, Nigeria's agricultural sector has a high potential for growth, but this potential is not being realized. Productivity is low and basically stagnant. Farming systems, which are mostly small in scale, are still predominantly subsistence-based and for the most part depend on the vagaries of the weather. Many agricultural policies have also been ineffective, either because they have been misguided, or because their impacts have been swamped by macro policies affecting inflation, exchange rates, and the cost of capital. Recognizing these challenges, the Federal Government of Nigeria has identified the modernization of the agricultural sector as a major priority. In this paper we have applied the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) framework to estimate the growth potential of agriculture in Nigeria. Our results show that although a 1% percent technological progress in the oil sector gives the largest welfare benefits in dollar terms ($142.72 million), when we abstract for size several food and agricultural sectors have a value that is higher than that for the oil sector. Some subsectors in the agricultural sectors (e.g. cattle, fruit and vegetables) outperform some of the oil and manufacturing sectors in terms to return to investment. Also our results show technological improvements related to unskilled labor produced the highest returns in agriculture compared to any other sector. In manufacture, the highest returns are obtained from technological improvements related to capital.


Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) consist of satellite technologies such as GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo. These technologies have effectively been used in many application areas. GNSS Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) have also been applied successfully in many areas of forested industry. Typical applications include fire prevention and control, harvesting operations, insect infestation, boundary determination, and aerial spraying. Forest and natural resource applications can be achieved efficiently employing GNSS/CORS data collection technologies. However, there are limiting factors in the environment, such as the forest canopy, which has adverse effects on the reception of GNSS signals. In terms of saving time, Point Positioning with GNSS/ CORS in forested areas is a significant challenge in the acquisition of highly accurate coordinates of points. The time for integer carrier-phase ambiguity solution takes approximately one-hour or more for point positioning under forested areas with GNSS/CORS. In this study, an alternative method for providing point coordinates under a forested area is proposed. This method gives the positioning results with centimeter level accuracy and nearly 15 minutes are required to provide the new point location in the forested area. The method proposed may also be of practical use in indoor applications with desired accuracy at cm level, which is reached in a short observation time. In this study, we conducted fieldwork to achieve coordinates of the point in a forested area with GNSS/CORS system and supplementary measurements by establishing two control points observed by GNSS/CORS located at the border of the forested area. The result shows that a satisfactory solution for forested area is reached at cm level (≈ ± 6 cm) in a short observation time.


By presenting Kuwaiti merchants as a case study for the Arab merchants of the Gulf, this dissertation takes a fresh look at the way that the merchants of this region conducted trade as part of the first global economy. This has been useful in helping us paint a broad picture of the Gulf merchants' communities in the pre-oil period. This serves to elucidate a model and the relationships and reasons for success or failure in this network and thereby to add to the large historiography on Indian Ocean networks. The main analytic framework of this study is based on Claude Markovit's argument for going back to the idea of a trade network by examining it through "the circulation of men and things". This was developed into a "circulation society" by Aslanian. The dissertation draws on original materials from Kuwait, Bahrain and London, in addition to the rozenamahs of the nakhodas (log books of the dhow captains) and interviews with some pre-oil merchants in particular, which together constitute important Asian primary sources. These sources which are pivotal to it for a framework of the circulation connections trace the concomitant development of the family firms of merchants based in India but centred on Kuwait and explores how they operated/integrated legally and illegally in the Indian Ocean economy. At the same time, it examines how the merchants expressed the economic and social institutions of pre-oil Kuwait through their long-distance trading and pearl industry and even their smuggling networks. It further explores how Kuwaiti merchants in an ocean-wide commercial society constructed relationships of economic mutualism with one another by mobilizing mudaraba (commenda) partnerships with trusted partners. Taking the broadest picture, the dissertation argues that by organizing business in creative ways in the developing world of commerce, adjusting to the rise in contemporary capitalism in the Indian Ocean and by tactically moving into global markets, the merchants could develop their increasing commercial organization whilst becoming fundamental to economic and social life in Kuwait. From the middle of the 19th century to 1946, they played a critical role in structuring and developing Kuwait's social, economic and political life and also its stability. More importantly, by making a case study of the Kuwaiti network, the dissertation demonstrates Kuwait's importance in the global economic structure.


Bulk and single-layer 2 H-NbSe2 exhibit identical charge density wave order (CDW) with a quasi-commensurate 3 × 3 superlattice periodicity. Here we combine scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) imaging at T = 1 K of 2 H-NbSe2 with first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the structural atomic rearrangement of this CDW phase. Our calculations for single-layers reveal that six different atomic structures are compatible with the 3 × 3 CDW distortion, although all of them lie on a very narrow energy range of at most 3 meV per formula unit, suggesting the coexistence of such structures. Our atomically resolved STM images of bulk 2 H-NbSe2 unambiguously confirm this by identifying two of these structures. Remarkably, these structures differ from the X-ray crystal structure reported for the bulk 3 × 3 CDW which in fact is also one of the six DFT structures located for the single-layer. Our calculations also show that due to the minute energy difference between the different phases, the ground state of the 3 × 3 CDW could be extremely sensitive to doping, external strain or internal pressure within the crystal. The presence of multiphase CDW order in 2 H-NbSe2 may provide further understanding of its low temperature state and the competition between different instabilities.


OBJECTIVE
To analyse the sensitivity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by nitrate reductase assay (NRA) and the Hain molecular line probe assay (LPA) in sputa of tuberculosis (TB)/HIV co-infected patients in Guyana.

DESIGN
Sputum samples were collected from known TB patients at Georgetown Chest Clinic and were analysed at the Reference Laboratory, Guyana, over the period April 2010 to April 2011.

RESULTS
Both methods recorded greater sensitivity for rifampin (RIF) than of isoniazid (INH). Both methods detected four RIF resistant, two INH resistant and two multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains and they had greater negative agreement indices than positive agreement indices.

CONCLUSION
It was established that the sensitivity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by the NRA and Hain LPA in TB/HIV co-infected patients has acceptable correlation and that HIV infection does not affect drug susceptibility testing.


We have investigated the role of chromosomal translocations in the pathogenesis of human leukemias. The study of T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemias and T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia has led to the identification of TCL1, a novel gene that is deregulated by translocations, t(14;14)(q11;q32), or inversions, inv(14)(q11;q32.1). Introduction of a human TCL1 gene juxtaposed to the Ick promoter into fertilized mouse eggs resulted in the development of transgenic mice that developed mature T-cell leukemias, indicating that TCL1 is a transforming oncogene. We have also investigated acute leukemias with abnormalities at chromosome 11q23. We have identified a gene, ALL1, that can fuse to many different genes in acute leukemias. We have also shown that ALL1 can fuse with ALL1 in acute myelogenous leukemia. We have proposed that the ALL1 fusion genes may act by a dominant negative mechanism.


Importance
Additional data comparing longer-term problems associated with various bariatric surgical procedures are needed for shared decision-making.

Objective
To compare the risks of intervention, operation, endoscopy, hospitalization, and mortality up to 5 years after 2 bariatric surgical procedures.

Design, Setting, and Participants
Adults who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or sleeve gastrectomy (SG) between January 1, 2005, and September 30, 2015, within the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. Data from 33 560 adults at 10 centers within 4 clinical data research networks were included in this cohort study. Information was extracted from electronic health records using a common data model and linked to insurance claims and mortality indices. Analyses were conducted from January 2018 through October 2019.

Exposures
Bariatric surgical procedures.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcome was time until operation or intervention. Secondary outcomes included endoscopy, hospitalization, and mortality rates.

Results
Of 33 560 adults, 18 056 (54%) underwent RYGB, and 15 504 (46%) underwent SG. The median (interquartile range) follow-up for operation or intervention was 3.4 (1.6-5.0) years for RYGB and 2.2 (0.9-3.6) years for SG. The overall mean (SD) patient age was 45.0 (11.5) years, and the overall mean (SD) patient body mass index was 49.1 (7.9). The cohort was composed predominantly of women (80%) and white individuals (66%), with 26% of Hispanic ethnicity. Operation or intervention was less likely for SG than for RYGB (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65-0.79; P < .001). The estimated, adjusted cumulative incidence rates of operation or intervention at 5 years were 8.94% (95% CI, 8.23%-9.65%) for SG and 12.27% (95% CI, 11.49%-13.05%) for RYGB. Hospitalization was less likely for SG than for RYGB (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.78-0.87; P < .001), and the 5-year adjusted cumulative incidence rates were 32.79% (95% CI, 31.62%-33.94%) for SG and 38.33% (95% CI, 37.17%-39.46%) for RYGB. Endoscopy was less likely for SG than for RYGB (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.43-0.52; P < .001), and the adjusted cumulative incidence rates at 5 years were 7.80% (95% CI, 7.15%-8.43%) for SG and 15.83% (95% CI, 14.94%-16.71%) for RYGB. There were no differences in all-cause mortality between SG and RYGB.

Conclusions and Relevance
Interventions, operations, and hospitalizations were relatively common after bariatric surgical procedures and were more often associated with RYGB than SG.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02741674.


Abstract Background Although free-vascularized long-bone transfer is useful for reconstruction of a large segmental bone defect, it is limited by availability of transplantable bone, meticulous microsurgical technique, and donor-site morbidities. Hence, easier, readily available, and safer surgical procedures are warranted. This study evaluated the effects of vascularized small corticocancellous bone grafting for reconstruction of a large segmental rabbit femur defect. Methods A 1.5 cm defect was created in the femurs of 40 New Zealand white rabbits and divided into a control group (n = 10, bone defect without graft), group A (n = 10, bone defect filled with morselized autogenous bone), group B (n = 10, bone defect grafted with a vascularized small corticocancellous bone and morselized autogenous bone), and group C (n = 10, bone defect grafted with a vascularized small corticocancellous bone). Simple radiographs were taken postoperatively, and bone healing ability was scored using Taira's radiologic scale. Histologic examinations were scored using Emery's histologic scale. The expression of osteogenesis-related growth factors (BMP-2, -4, and -7, VEGF, and RANKL) was analyzed. Results Radiologically, group B showed superior biological efficacy in bone formation and consolidation over the other groups. Histologically, the defect in group B was filled with more abundant mature bone than the other groups. Group B showed higher gene expression of BMP-2, -4, and -7, and VEGF. Conclusions The grafting of the morselized autogenous bone (MSB) combined with the vascularized small corticocancellous bone is more effective than that of the MSB alone for repairing a large segmental bone defect.


This article explores the development of an e-business marketing model that capitalizes on customer participation and the likely consequences of such efforts, principally site brand loyalty. A conceptual model illustrates how consumers' goals in visiting a website (task or experiential) affect their propensity to be site brand loyal and how characteristics of the site, including personalization and community, are related to brand loyalty. The model also shows that creating site brand loyalty leads to predictable affective, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes from customers, such as repeat visits to and patronage of the site, fewer intentions to defect to competitors, and more favorable attitudes toward the site. Case studies of corporate websites provide empirical evidence to support the model. The paper concludes by suggesting that customer participation in the e-business model fundamentally changes the way brands are developed. That is, producers no longer create an image for a brand and pass it on to the consumer; instead, the producer and consumer are interactively creating the e-business brand.


Student dissatisfaction with feedback is widely acknowledged in Higher Education. This has resulted in investigations that have offered suggestions for improving student satisfaction levels. This article examines one area of student concern by focusing on the feedback that students receive on examinations. The article reports the findings of student surveys and focus groups with regard to attitudes towards and experience of examinations. In addition, the article reviews the findings of an exemplar exercise that is highlighted as a particular way of enhancing feedback practices on examinations. The research findings are the product of a three-year study into student experience of feedback that paid particular attention to the case of dialogue as a means of improving the student experience. Analysis of the findings emphasise the need to tackle the feedback deficit on examinations and in turn lead to a number of recommendations for creating a model of dialogic exam feedback.


A prototype isolated word recogniser was constructed, with an auditory-based analysis component and a pattern classification module based on a parallel distributed processing paradigm. The auditory model used was a band-pass non-linear (BPNL) configuration which incorporates the effects of lateral suppression. Pattern classification was performed by a layered, feed-forward neural network, consisting of an array of input nodes representing the binary features output by the auditory model, a set of hidden nodes and an array of output nodes representing the word to be recognised. A suitable internal representation was learned by the method of back-propagation of errors by gradient descent using the generalised delta rule. This prototype recogniser was trained to recognise English digits spoken by male and female speakers. Recognition rates for the digit set, (zero to ten) were better than 80%.<<ETX>>


This study investigated the effects of bilateral injections of a serotonin (5-HT) receptor agonist into the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) on the intake of NaCl and water induced by 24-h water deprivation or by sodium depletion followed by 24 h of sodium deprivation (injection of the diuretic furosemide plus 24 h of sodium-deficient diet). Rats had stainless steel cannulas implanted bilaterally into the LPBN. Bilateral LPBN injections of the serotonergic 5-HT1/2 receptor antagonist methysergide (4 μg/200 nl at each site) increased hypertonic NaCl intake when tested 24 h after sodium depletion and after 24 h of water deprivation. Water intake also increased after bilateral injections of methysergide into the LPBN. In contrast, the intake of a palatable solution (0.06 M sucrose) under body fluid-replete conditions was not changed after bilateral LPBN methysergide injections. The results show that serotonergic mechanisms in the LPBN modulate water and sodium intake induced by volume depletion and sodium loss. The finding that sucrose intake was not affected by LPBN serotonergic blockade suggests that the effects of the methysergide treatment on the intakes of water and NaCl are not due to a mechanism producing a nonspecific enhancement of all ingestive behaviors.


18 S T E V E S T A N K IE W IC Z IE E E S P E C T R U M • N o ve m be r 20 03 MANUFACTURING• A method to remove the masks—and millions of dollars in costs—from some optical chipmaking processes is under development at a pair of European companies, and while it's not "smoke and mirrors," the idea is, in fact, to do it all with mirrors. Photolithography uses a mask, or reticle, with the pattern for a computer chip etched into it. Laser light shining through the mask exposes a light-sensitive material on the surface of a silicon wafer, inscribing the lines that make up the transistors on the chip, much like a negative in photography. Each reticle contains the pattern for only part of the semiconductor wafer, and usually several reticles are used for different layers of circuits. A practical problem arises as chipmakers try to make the inscribed lines smaller and the patterns more complex. A set of 25 to 30 reticles for today's chips, which are based on 130-nm-thick lines, can cost US $500 000. For the next generation of devices, the 90-nm node, a reticle set is expected to cost more than $1 million, and for the 65-nm node, scheduled to be introduced in 2007, some people are projecting a cost of $3 million per set. Now Micronic Laser Systems AB of Täby, Sweden, and ASML of Veldhoven, the Netherlands, have teamed up to build a lithography system that replaces the reticles with arrays of millions of microscopic mirrors, which would direct the laser light to the wafer according to patterns fed to them by a computer. Micronic makes laser pattern generators for producing photomasks, and ASML is one of the world's largest manufacturers of lithography equipment, such as steppers. Their system would use several arrays totaling approximately 13 million aluminum alloy mirrors, each perhaps 8 μm on a side. The exact design will depend on how the companies decide to balance various tradeoffs—larger mirrors are easier to build but have a shorter field of view, for instance.


High-temperature superconducting materials have found considerable technological application and still have a largely unrealised potential. The key to unlocking this potential depends on a better understanding of their properties; in particular, the maximum 'critical current density' which these materials, in the form of wires, tapes, thin-films and bulk monolithic forms, are able to support for high-current applications. The 'critical current density' in a polycrystalline high-temperature oxide superconductor system is determined by a percolation process of the super current through a three dimensional grain-boundary network. Grain-boundaries in these systems behave as Josephson junction 'weak-links' and they severely limit the critical current density in the presence of even moderate self or applied magnetic fields. In the present work, isothermal quasi-static magnetisation measurements on the polycrystalline YIBa2Cu307-x system are presented and analysed. An effective granular penetration depth in conjunction with a critical state model, which includes an approximate treatment for the percolation process, is used to obtain many of the salient physical parameters of the grain-boundary Josephson junctions and of the three-dimensional grain boundary junction network. Determination of the temperature and magnetic field dependence of several of these parameters, in particular a magnetic field-independent critical current which depends on the micro structure of the grain-boundary junction network, allows for testing and verification of models of the weak-link and network behaviour. This treatment has been carried out specifically on various silver doped polycrystalline Y1Ba2Cu30 7-x specimens in order to determine and quantify the effects of silver doping. An improvement in the critical current density with silver doping is explained in terms of silver scavenging and ridding grain-boundaries of impurities, and a proximity effect where trace amounts of silver residing in the grain-boundaries decreases the normal resistance of the grain-boundary Josephson junction. The insight gained from silver doping experimentation led to a macroscopic investigation into the joining of large single-domain YIBa2Cu307-x specimens for large-scale applications.


The objective of the study is to determine indications for alveolar bone reconstruction after tooth extraction according to orthodontic indications. Material and methods. 62 patients (first maturity level) with dental arch asymmetry due to loss of a premolar on one side of the mouth were examined and treated. Frontal-diagonal coefficient of the dental arch was used to determine the correlation between tooth size and dental arch parameters. Results. It has been demonstrated that changes of the alveolar ridge following the extraction of the first premolars in patients of the experimental group were less significant as compared with the controls. Conclusion. It is reasonable to apply this method simultaneously with the removal of a tooth for orthodontic indications or when the alveolar ridge in the post-extraction socket leaves insufficient bone volume.


In Only One Place of Redress David E. Bernstein offers a bold reinterpretation of American legal history: he argues that American labor and occupational laws, enacted by state and federal governments after the Civil War and into the twentieth century, benefited dominant groups in society to the detriment of those who lacked political power. Both intentionally and incidentally, claims Bernstein, these laws restricted in particular the job mobility and economic opportunity of blacks.

A pioneer in applying the insights of public choice theory to legal history, Bernstein contends that the much-maligned jurisprudence of the Lochner era—with its emphasis on freedom of contract and private market ordering—actually discouraged discrimination and assisted groups with little political clout. To support this thesis he examines the motivation behind and practical impact of laws restricting interstate labor recruitment, occupational licensing laws, railroad labor laws, minimum wage statutes, the Davis-Bacon Act, and New Deal collective bargaining. He concludes that the ultimate failure of Lochnerism—and the triumph of the regulatory state—not only strengthened racially exclusive labor unions but contributed to a massive loss of employment opportunities for African Americans, the effects of which continue to this day.

Scholars and students interested in race relations, labor law, and legal

or constitutional history will be fascinated by Bernstein's daring—and controversial—argument.


The aim of this work is to show that a significant increase of the efficiency of a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) can be achieved already at an early design stage, through the choice of a turbine and control regulation, by means of an accurate Wave-to-Wire (W2W) modeling that couples the hydrodynamic response calibrated in a wave flume to a Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) test bench with sizes and rates not matching those of the system under development. Information on this procedure is relevant to save time, because the acquisition, the installation, and the setup of a test rig are not quick and easy. Moreover, power electronics and electric machines to emulate turbines and electric generators matching the real systems are not low-cost equipment. The use of HIL is important in the development of WECs also because it allows the carrying out of tests in a controlled environment, and this is again time- and money-saving if compared to tests done on a real system installed at the sea. Furthermore, W2W modeling can be applied to several Power Take-Off (PTO) configurations to experiment different control strategies. The method here proposed, concerning a specific HIL for testing power electronics and control laws for a specific WECs, may have a more general validity.


Objective: There are many risk factors for postoperative bronchopleural fistula (BPF), including extensive resection, diabetes, chronic infection, perioperative steroid therapy, preoperative chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the risk of bronchopleural fistula increases with resection for inflammatory diseases, especially Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of using double pedicled intercostal muscle flaps with dual blood supply to buttress the bronchial stump after pneumonectomy for tuberculous lesions as a prophylactic new technique from post-pneumonectomy BPF. Methods: Between 2007 and 2011, 47 patients with pneumonectomy for post tuberculous lesions in the department of cardiothoracic surgery, Zagazig University Hospital were divided into two groups. Group A: 28 patients with single pedicled intercostal muscle flap used and applied on the bronchial stump after pneumonectomy. Group B: 19 patients with double pedicled intercostal muscle flaps used and applied on the bronchial stump. The mean age of the patients was 42.9 years (range 27 - 67 years) in Group A, 44.8 years (range 36 - 71 years) in Group B. Results: Bleeding in one patient in Group A (3.5%) and two patients in Group B (10.5%); empyema in two patients (7.1%) in Group A only one of them developed bronchopleural fistula; arrhythmias in one patients (3.5%) in Group A and one patient in Group B (5.2%); chylothorax in one patients (3.5%); Chronic chest pain in one patient in Group A (3.5%) and two patients in Group B (10.5%). The mean follow up period was 32.7 ± 12.9 months (range between 3 and 48 months). All patients remained symptom free with no evidence of late bronchopleural fistula in Group B. Conclusions: Double pedicled intercostal muscle flaps with dual blood supply buttressing the bronchial stump is new prophylactic technique from BPF after pneumonectomy for pulmonary tuberculous lesions in high risk patients.


Many organizations whose core purpose is to advance a social mission pay employees below-market wages. We investigate two under-appreciated benefits of below-market pay in these social-mission organizations. In a series of experiments, we predict and find that, holding employees' outside opportunities constant, those attracted to social-mission organizations that pay below-market wages perform better individually and cooperate more effectively in teams than those attracted to social-mission organizations that pay higher wages. The individual performance effect arises because below-market pay facilitates the selection of value-congruent employees who are naturally inclined to work hard for the organizational mission. The team cooperation effect arises because employees expect team members who have selected a social-mission job that pays below market to be more value-congruent and, therefore, more cooperative than those who have selected a social-mission job that pays higher wages. Collectively, we demonstrate that in social-mission organizations, offering below-market pay can yield selection benefits.


No single factor has had a more significant effect on the ebbs and flows of history than water. Water creates civilizations, and water brings them to extinction. Even today, thousands of years after we learned to harness the power of water, we continue to struggle in determining how to prioritize competing uses of water resources, how to make water available to all who need it, and how to protect it. Yet, these are questions that humans have faced since as long as history dares to recollect.
What factors guide civilizations in their decision whether, and to what extent, to regulate and protect inland waterways? This article looks at four legal codes from three distinct civilizations: From the Romans, The Institutes of Gaius and the Corpus Juris Civilis; from the Visigoth Kingdom, the Visigothic Code; and from the English, Magna Carta. This article proposes that, perhaps more so than inherited Roman tradition, two sets of factors influenced the extent to which these codes protected inland waterways: perceptions of water resource abundance and the propensity for navigability and trade of these civilizations' inland waterways.


This article reports a research study conducted with four chemistry teachers in three high schools (two government schools and one private school) in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The study investigated questions concerning common difficulties high school (Grades 9 and 10) students experience in chemistry classroom, the possible reasons for these difficulties, and the ways in which teachers help students overcome these difficulties. A qualitative case study method was used to investigate the questions, which used in-depth interviews with teachers, classroom observation, and postobservation discussion with the teachers, as main data collection tools. The key findings of the study allude to a huge gap between what is intended in the National Curriculum in terms of students' learning in chemistry and what actually happens in the classroom where students learn chemistry. Promoting in-depth learning appeared to be an uphill task for the teachers. The main hurdle lies in students' inability to demonstrate a good understanding of very basic concepts of the subject. Despite faced with such a challenge, the teachers appear to be committed to teaching their subject. The implications of the results of the study are explained in the context of schools, teachers, and other educational stakeholders by emphasizing the need for synchronization and integration of efforts on the part of schools.


There is a pressing need for a better understanding of how access to various types of financial products can impact retirement behavior, especially if this access comes from a change in the incentive scheme through a reform of the current Social Security system. This is especially important if we are to provide useful policy recommendations regarding reform to the current social insurance system. In this paper I focus on the "annuity puzzle," the question as to why the annuity market is so narrow. I present a model that endogenizes the annuity decision along with the consumption/saving and labor supply decisions. This research enhances our understanding of how annuities work in a life cycle model with more realistic characterizations of the choices and incentives that individuals face. My results show that the low rates of annuitization can be the product of optimal decision making by individuals in a life cycle model which endogenizes the labor/leisure decision and accounts for Social Security. The government should pay particular attention to the rules regarding withdrawal of benefits through annuities or lump-sums when introducing individual retirement accounts or other privatization schemes, given the interaction between retirement incentives and the attractiveness of annuities.


A companion to our guides to San Francisco and New York, Beat Atlas: A Guide to the Beat Generation in America is a state-by-state guide to the rest of the nation's significant Beat locales. From Jack Kerouac's Lowell to William Burroughs' Lawrence, Kansas, to Neal Cassady's Denver--and everywhere in between--Beat Atlas contains a wealth of historical information subdivided by region and state for easy reference and is illustrated with photographs by Allen Ginsberg. Written by Ginsberg biographer and Beat authority Bill Morgan, and rich with literary lore, Beat Atlas makes an ideal companion for armchair travelers as well as those "on the road."


A sweeping condemnation of the decline of American culture since the 1970s by one of Americas leading conservative writers. . For many, the 1970s evoke the Brady Bunch and the birth of disco. In this first, thematic popular history of the decade, David Frum argues that it was the 1970s, not the 1960s, that created modern America and altered the American personality forever. A society that had valued faith, self-reliance, self-sacrifice, and family loyalty evolved in little more than a decade into one characterized by superstition, self-interest, narcissism, and guilt. Frum examines this metamorphosis through the rise to cultural dominance of faddish psychology, astrology, drugs, religious cults, and consumer debt, and profiles such prominent players of the decade as Werner Erhard, Alex Comfort, and Jerry Brown. How We Got Here is lively and provocative reading.


Providing safe food to the consumer remains, in part at least, the responsibility of the food service provider. There is an added obligation on behalf of authorities to ensure that any establishment serving food to the general public does so in a manner that complies with the regulations, and to monitor compliance thereto. These regulations are detailed in both the Health Act, No. 63 of 1977 and the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act of 1972. Furthermore, standards have been developed to guide food service establishments in providing food safe for human consumption.


Capillary Electrophoresis of Biomolecules-Nicola Volpi 2013 Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a relatively new separation technique suitable for handling small amounts of sample very important in bioanalytical research and in various clinical, diagnostic, genetic, and forensic applications. In Capillary Electrophoresis of Biomolecules: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field provide key techniques to investigate CE focusing on simple and complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides), aminoacids, peptides and proteins, enzymes, and nucleic acids. Along with practical procedures, reviews discussing CE applications related to bio(macro)molecules are also included. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Capillary Electrophoresis of Biomolecules: Methods and Protocols provides the reader with the latest break throughs and improvements in CE and CE techniques applied to several classes of bio(macro)molecules.


Soft exosuits facilitate more normal walking after stroke. A softer recovery after stroke Passive assistance devices such as canes and braces are often used by people after stroke, but mobility remains limited for some patients. Awad et al. studied the effects of active assistance (delivery of supportive force) during walking in nine patients in the chronic phase of stroke recovery. A soft robotic exosuit worn on the partially paralyzed lower limb reduced interlimb propulsion asymmetry, increased ankle dorsiflexion, and reduced the energy required to walk when powered on during treadmill and overground walking tests. The exosuit could be adjusted to deliver supportive force during the early or late phase of the gait cycle depending on the patient's needs. Although long-term therapeutic studies are necessary, the immediate improvement in walking performance observed using the powered exosuit makes this a promising approach for neurorehabilitation. Stroke-induced hemiparetic gait is characteristically slow and metabolically expensive. Passive assistive devices such as ankle-foot orthoses are often prescribed to increase function and independence after stroke; however, walking remains highly impaired despite—and perhaps because of—their use. We sought to determine whether a soft wearable robot (exosuit) designed to supplement the paretic limb's residual ability to generate both forward propulsion and ground clearance could facilitate more normal walking after stroke. Exosuits transmit mechanical power generated by actuators to a wearer through the interaction of garment-like, functional textile anchors and cable-based transmissions. We evaluated the immediate effects of an exosuit actively assisting the paretic limb of individuals in the chronic phase of stroke recovery during treadmill and overground walking. Using controlled, treadmill-based biomechanical investigation, we demonstrate that exosuits can function in synchrony with a wearer's paretic limb to facilitate an immediate 5.33 ± 0.91° increase in the paretic ankle's swing phase dorsiflexion and 11 ± 3% increase in the paretic limb's generation of forward propulsion (P < 0.05). These improvements in paretic limb function contributed to a 20 ± 4% reduction in forward propulsion interlimb asymmetry and a 10 ± 3% reduction in the energy cost of walking, which is equivalent to a 32 ± 9% reduction in the metabolic burden associated with poststroke walking. Relatively low assistance (~12% of biological torques) delivered with a lightweight and nonrestrictive exosuit was sufficient to facilitate more normal walking in ambulatory individuals after stroke. Future work will focus on understanding how exosuit-induced improvements in walking performance may be leveraged to improve mobility after stroke.


Subtle changes in social cognition are associated with naturalistic fluctuations in estrogens and progesterone over the course of the menstrual cycle. Using a dynamic emotion recognition task we aimed to provide a comprehensive description of the association between ovarian hormone levels and emotion recognition performance using a variety of performance metrics. Naturally cycling, psychiatrically healthy women attended a single experimental session during a follicular (days 7–13; n = 16), early luteal (days 15–19; n = 14) or late luteal phase (days 22–27; n = 14) of their menstrual cycle. Correct responses and reaction times to dynamic facial expressions were recorded and a two-high threshold analysis was used to assess discrimination and response bias. Salivary progesterone and estradiol were assayed and subjective measures of premenstrual symptoms, anxiety and positive and negative affect assessed. There was no interaction between cycle phase (follicular, early luteal, late luteal) and facial expression (sad, happy, fearful, angry, neutral and disgusted) on any of the recognition performance metrics. However, across the sample as a whole, progesterone levels were positively correlated with reaction times to a variety of facial expressions (anger, happiness, sadness and neutral expressions). In contrast, estradiol levels were specifically correlated with disgust processing on three performance indices (correct responses, response bias and discrimination). Premenstrual symptoms, anxiety and positive and negative affect were not associated with emotion recognition indices or hormone levels. The study highlights the role of naturalistic variations in ovarian hormone levels in modulating emotion recognition. In particular, progesterone seems to have a general slowing effect on facial expression processing. Our findings also provide the first behavioural evidence of a specific role for estrogens in the processing of disgust in humans.


We observe that routing, in optical burst switching (OBS) networks, is basically motivated by reducing contention-induced loss and not by the objective of global resource optimization. Here, we propose a routing scheme for OBS networks that minimizes the burst loss probability of individual bursts and at the same time achieves the routing goal of maximization of the minimum unutilized bandwidth of links in the network. All OBS nodes periodically exchange their scheduler-state information, and hence all nodes learn the topology of the network along with the occupancy states of each link. Based on this information the end-to-end wavelength availability states of the routes are computed, and bursts are then routed through the path that is likely to give minimum loss. The scheme can be applied in both source-routing and hop-by-hop-routing modes with provision for deflection routing in each mode. We studied the performance of the proposed scheme through simulation and found that it reduces the loss rates significantly. The performance in the source-routing mode was found to be better for small and medium-sized networks, whereas the performance for the hop-by-hop-routing mode was found to be better for larger networks.


Problem, research strategy, and findings: A number of studies have examined the property value impacts of historic preservation, but few have considered how preservation shapes neighborhood composition. In this study, we ask whether the designation of historic districts contributes to changes in the racial composition and socioeconomic status of New York City neighborhoods. Bringing together data on historic districts with a panel of census tracts, we study how neighborhoods change after the designation of a historic district. We find little evidence of changes in the racial composition of a neighborhood, but report a significant increase in socioeconomic status following historic designation. Takeaway for practice: Our research offers empirical evidence on changes in the racial composition and socioeconomic status of neighborhoods following the designation of a historic district. It suggests that historic preservation can contribute to economic revitalization in urban neighborhoods, but that these changes risk making neighborhoods less accessible to lower-income residents. Planners should consider ways that the city government can work to preserve the highly valued amenities of historic neighborhoods while mitigating the potential for residential displacement.


In this paper, a research about the usability, advantages and disadvantages of using Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) is presented, implementing an algorithm based on populations called Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) (5). In order to test the performance of the proposed algorithm, a hide watermark image application is put into practice. The PSO is used to optimize the positions where a watermark has to be inserted. This application uses the insertion/extraction algorithm proposed by Shieh et al. (1). This algorithm was implemented for both sequential and CUDA architectures. The fitness function—used in the optimization algorithm—has two objectives: fidelity and robustness. The measurement of fidelity and robustness is computed using Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Normalized Correlation (NC), respectively; these functions are evaluated using Pareto dominance.


Aim We incorporate diversity-dependent colonization and extinction rates into process-based models of species geographic range dynamics to explore their effects on species richness gradients, and on extent and occupancy of species ranges. In particular, we investigate whether diversity dependence promotes or inhibits the emergence of mid-domain effects (MDEs) in homogeneous environments. Location A theoretical one-dimensional domain. Methods We formulated diversity-independent (DI) and diversity-dependent (DD) models that simulated colonization, local extinction and speciation within a homogenous domain. In the DD model, colonization and extinction probabilities were functions of diversity, whereas in the DI model, they were constants. For a wide range of parameter values, we examined local and regional species richness gradients and species range size frequency distributions (RSFDs). Results In contrast to the DI model, for which MDEs only occurred in a very narrow parameter range, the DD model generated a MDE in regional richness (range overlap) that was robust to colonization and extinction parameters, over a broad range of speciation rates. However, neither model could produce gradients in local richness (patch occupancy). The DD model also produced more realistic RSFDs than the DI model. In the latter, all species generally either became highly pandemic or went globally extinct, depending on the balance of colonization and extinction probabilities. Main conclusions Diversity-dependent colonization and extinction rates can have strong effects on species richness gradients and distributions of range extent and occupancy. Models with such diversity dependence amplify MDEs in regional richness, but largely eliminate MDEs in local richness, relative to DI models. DD models also generate more realistic RSFDs. These findings suggest that diffuse species interactions can strongly influence patterns of range size and overlap, but also that environmental gradients are likely to be necessary to explain many species richness patterns in nature, which exhibit both local and regional diversity gradients.


Tired of video games in which the sound lags far behind the rest of the user's experience? If so, and if you're ready to do better, you need this forward-looking volume! In these pages, sound artist extraordinaire Alexander Brandon provides a broad-ranging exploration of how game audio is created today and how it should be done in the future in order to create groundbreaking audio. After providing a map of the audio development process in Chapter 1, Alexander discusses the basic preproduction, workflow, production, post-production, and technology issues audio designers must address today. Then, after a post-mortem analysis of the audio development process for a game that's currently on the market, Alexander takes a good, hard look at the heights to which video-game audio can be taken in chapters on ideal workflow, technology, and production. Throughout, the focus is on the practical advice you need to create better (and better!) sound!


The effect of temperature on the evolution of the isovector dipole and isoscalar quadrupole excitations in $^{68}$Ni and $^{120}$Sn nuclei is studied within the fully self-consistent finite temperature quasiparticle random phase approximation framework, based on the Skyrme-type SLy5 energy density functional. The new low-energy excitations emerge due to the transitions from thermally occupied states to the discretized continuum at finite temperatures, whereas the isovector giant dipole resonance is not strongly impacted by the increase of temperature. The radiative dipole strength at low-energies is also investigated for the $^{122}$Sn nucleus, becoming compatible with the available experimental data when the temperature is included. In addition, both the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance and low-energy quadrupole states are sensitive to the temperature effect: while the centroid energies decrease in the case of the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance, the collectivity of the first $2^{+}$ state is quenched and the opening of new excitation channels fragments the low-energy strength at finite temperatures.


Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a liver disorder that can result in cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV infection remains a major global health problem, as it affects more 350 million people chronically and kills roughly 600,000 people annually. Drugs currently used against HBV include IFN-α that decreases viremia, inflammation and the growth of liver fibrosis, and adefovir that decreases the viral load. Each of these drugs can have severe side-effects. In the present paper, we consider the treatment of chronic HBV by a combination of IFN-α and adefovir, and raise the following question: What should be the optimal ratio between IFN-α and adefovir in order to achieve the best 'efficacy' under constraints on the total amount of the drugs; here the efficacy is measured by the reduction of the levels of inflammation and of fibrosis? We develop a mathematical model of HBV pathogenesis by a system of partial differential equations (PDEs) and use the model to simulate a 'synergy map' which addresses the above question.


Most robots in urban search and rescue (USAR) fulfill tasks teleoperated by human operators (Such as controlling robot movement to avoid obstacles and explore unknown environments). The operator has to know the location of the robot and find the position of the target (victim). This paper presents an augmented reality system using a Kinect sensor on a customly designed rescue robot. Firstly, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) using RGB-D cameras is running to get the position and posture of the robot. Secondly, a deep learning method is adopted to obtain the location of the target. Finally, we place an AR marker of the target in the global coordinate and display it on the operator's screen to indicate the target even when the target is out of the camera's field of view. The experimental results show that the proposed system can be applied to help humans interact with robots.


Does regional unemployment increase or rather decrease entrepreneurial activity? Although this question has been hotly debated among researchers for decades the answers yielded so far are ambiguous and inconclusive. The paper proposes an innovative approach that takes not only interregional differences in unemployment rates, but also in unemployment duration and the human capital of the unemployed-i.e. in the structure of regional unemployment-into account. Both, the skill structure of the unemployed and the share of long-term unemployment are found to have an important impact on regional start-up activity. Moreover, the impact of unemployment structure on new firm formation is found to vary with the knowledge-intensity of the start-ups.


A significant hurdle for the widespread adoption of iris recognition in security applications is that the typically small imaging volume for eye placement results in systems that are not user friendly. Separable cubic phase plates at the lens pupil have been shown to ameliorate this disadvantage by increasing the depth of field. However, these phase masks have limitations on how efficiently they can capture the information-bearing spatial frequencies in iris images. The performance gains in information acquisition that can be achieved by more general, nonseparable phase masks is demonstrated. A detailed design method is presented, and simulations using representative designs allow for performance comparisons.


In the context of sustainable development, there is a growing interest in mapping soil characteristics and land use, in particular to evaluate threats to soil quality. Fast non-invasive geophysical surveys have been used to estimate the areal distribution of soil properties, such as moisture content, texture and salinity. All geophysical methodologies rely on constitutive relationships to convert the measured variables in the corresponding properties of interest. Among the most used methodologies are those that measure soil electrical properties, in particular DC electrical conductivity and permittivity in the static limit. Traditionally, these two variables have been treated separately, that is, different constitutive models have been used to parameterize and link the measured response of the soil to its hydrological state and its texture. A number of works however have shown that these two quantities depend to a large extent on the same soil characteristics, and can therefore be jointly studied. The aim of this study was to develop unified conceptual framework to link electro-magnetic variables to soil properties. A new petrophysical equation – suitable to model DC conductivity and permittivity – was derived combining the Hashin and Shtrickman upper and lower bounds with Archie's law. The model was further extended to simulate low-frequency (induced) polarization (IP). The contribution of both EDL and membrane polarization was incorporated. Comparison with experimental data demonstrated that the constitutive equation is able to reproduce satisfactorily measurements of DC conductivity and permittivity, even when all parameters were estimated independently. Concerning IP measurements, the model showed a behavior overall consistent with the observations, even for variably saturated conditions. Discrepancies between measurements and observation were however found. These raise a number of theoretical questions that will be presented and discussed.


The idea of a bankruptcy procedure for large, systemically important financial institutions exercises an irresistible draw for some policymakers and academics. Financial institution bankruptcy promises to be a transparent, law- based process in which resolution of failed financial institutions is navigated in the courts. Financial institutions bankruptcy presents itself as the antithesis of an arbitrary and discretionary bailout regime. It promises to eliminate the moral hazard of too-big-to-fail by ensuring that creditors will incur losses, rather than being bailed out. Financial institutions bankruptcy holds out the possibility of market discipline instead of an extensive bureaucratic regulatory system.
This Essay argues that financial institution bankruptcy is a dangerous siren song that lures with false promises. Instead of instilling market discipline and avoiding the favoritism of bailouts, financial institution bankruptcy is likely to simply result in bailouts in bankruptcy garb. It would encourage bank deregulation without the elimination of moral hazard that produces financial crises. A successful bankruptcy is not possible for a large financial institution absent massive financing for operations while in bankruptcy, and that financing can only reliably be obtained on short notice and in distressed credit markets from one source: the United States government. Government financing of a bankruptcy will inevitably come with strings attached, including favorable treatment for certain creditor groups, resulting in bankruptcies that resemble those of Chrysler and General Motors, which are much decried by proponents of financial institution bankruptcy as having been disguised bailouts.
The central flaw with the idea of financial institutions bankruptcy is that it fails to address the political nature of systemic risk. What makes a financial crisis systemically important is whether its social costs are politically acceptable. When they are not, bailouts will occur in some form; crisis containment inevitably trumps rule of law. Resolution of systemic risk is a political question, and its weight will warp the judicial process. Financial institutions bankruptcy will merely produce bailouts in the guise of bankruptcy while undermining judicial legitimacy and the rule of law.


Silicon (Si) self-diffusivity in a Si nanopillar under dry oxidation was quantitatively evaluated by atom probe tomography of Si isotope heterostructure interfaces. Dry oxidation of a nanopillar with 200 nm diameter at 920 °C for 4 h revealed that the Si self-diffusivity was the same as the one measured for the standard planar oxidation despite the fact that the diffusion region probed in the pillar was surrounded by approximately seven times more oxidation interface areas than the simple planar oxidation case. This finding can be understood by considering the large diffusion length of ∼300 μm of the interstitials for our thermal oxidation condition. The excess interstitials injected by the pillar oxidation as well as those injected by the oxidation of the base (100) plane can easily diffuse through the sample, including interiors of the pillars, making the concentration of the excess interstitials practically equal to those injected for the (100) planar oxidation case.


As the demand for hydrocarbons increases, more complex, non-conventional plays have been targeted in volcanic margin settings. Consequently, it is important to understand the role igneous rocks have in affecting hydrocarbon systems. This is particularly relevant to the Rosebank Field, offshore UK Continental Shelf, North Atlantic. The field was discovered in 2004 with the 213/27-1z well and encountered Palaeogene volcanic rocks interbedded with siliciclastic and volcaniclastic rocks, representing a brand new play type. Three appraisal wells were drilled and encountered good quality light oil (37° API) with drill steam tests achieving ~ 6000 STB per day (Duncan et al., 2009). Initially four companies had a stake in the field; Chevron (40%), Statoil (30%), OMV (20%) and Dong (10%) however in 2011, OMV bought out Statoil leaving them with a 50% stake. Chevron remain the operators.

The importance of volcaniclastic sediments within these sequences has previously been overlooked and so a better understanding of how these rocks behave during burial is essential. This research quantitatively characterises and assesses the reservoir potential of a range of volcaniclastic and siliciclastic sedimentary rocks within such basins.

The Rosebank Field comprises a range of volcaniclastic lithic arenites and lava flows interbedded with sublithic arenites and quartz arenites. However samples could only be taken from limited the limited cores. This made interpreting 3D architecture difficult and therefore it was decided that a onshore analogue was required. The Staffa Formation of the Palaeogene Mull Lava Field, NW Scotland, provides an excellent analogue to the Rosebank Field within the Faroe-Shetland Basin. It comprises basaltic lava flows interbedded with a variety of volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks. A range of rock types occur within the Staffa Formation, including vent-proximal pyroclastic rocks, such as massive scoria rich tuffs to re-worked volcaniclastic lithic arenites to vent-distal facies where the siliciclastic component begins to dominate, such as quartz arenites. The Staffa Formation has therefore, been compared and contrasted to the Rosebank rocks to better understand composition, burial history and reservoir potential.

Detailed characterisation of the volcaniclastic rocks has been undertaken using a variety of analytical techniques (optical microscopy, SEM and XRD), and demonstrates that volcanic material in potential reservoir rocks may significantly reduce their reservoir quality. Proximal pyroclastic rocks, which can have reasonably good porosity and permeability at the surface, degrade to non-reservoir values at shallow depths (<1km), as reactive volcanic components alter to both grain-coating and pore-filling clays during diagenesis. This process dominates diagenesis meaning that it only requires small proportions of volcanic material to be incorporated within a sediment to destroy its porosity. In some cases, alteration is so severe that the original rock textures and clast outlines are lost, making the rock difficult to identify. Several generations of pore-filling and grain-coating clays, formed from the alteration of volcanic glass, including gel and fibrous palagonite, Fe-smectite and chlorite, have been identified in the volcaniclastic rocks samples from both the Rosebank core and the Staffa Formation.

The nature of the volcanic material plays an important role in a rock's ability to retain reservoir quality. Factors such as the composition, shape and grain size of volcanic clasts in these rocks affect how the sediment behaved during diagenesis. Spatter bombs and scoria, for example, react differently clasts derived from lava. Labile volcanic ash shards that underwent minimal surface reworking altered to fibrous clay, and were then flattened and moulded around framework grains during diagenesis and burial. This reduced the local porosity and permeability in the rocks. Clay alteration of weathered basaltic clasts resulted in the development of pseudomorph grains that preserved the original grain structure and had only a minimal effect on surrounding pore throats. Clay formation in these rocks was extremely heterogeneous and highly dependent on the immediate grain-scale mineralogy. Clay phases developed during early diagenetic stages blocked or altered later fluid pathways, which led to an extremely patchy diagenetic mineralogy. Rocks inferred to be located at more distal locations from the vent have higher proportions of siliciclastic components and somewhat simpler paragenetic sequences that are characterised by carbonate and silicic cements and minimal authigenic clays. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data provide constraints on pore water chemistry and temperatures during diagenesis.

Together, these data have been used to determine the diagenetic histories of the Rosebank Field and Staffa Formation, and enabled the development of a conceptual model to determine the threshold at which volcaniclastic rocks are no longer viable as petroleum reservoir rocks. The model shows that volcaniclastic rocks containing more than 10% volcanic clasts are likely to have very poor reservoir quality at depth. However, this is dependent on a number of factors such as clast size, clast type, depositional setting, sorting, pore water composition and timing. These data will be of use in the assessment of potential plays in volcanic rifted margins worldwide.


Data Warehouses and Business Intelligence have become popular fields of research in recent years. Unfortunately, in daily practice many Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence solutions still fail to help organizations make better decisions and increase their profitability, due to intransparent complexities and project interdependencies. In addition, emerging application domains such as Mobile Learning & Analytics heavily depend on a wellstructured data foundation with a longitudinally prepared architecture. Therefore, this research presents the Data Warehouse Capability Maturity Model (DWCMM) which encompasses both technical and organizational aspects involved in developing a Data Warehouse environment. The DWCMM can be used to help organizations assess their current Data Warehouse solution and provide them with guidelines for future improvements. The DWCMM consists of a maturity matrix and a maturity assessment questionnaire with 60 questions. The DWCMM has been evaluated empirically through expert interviews and case studies. We conclude that the DWCMM can be successfully applied in practice and that organizations can intelligibly utilize the DWCMM as a quickscan instrument to jumpstart their Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence improvement processes.


Cartilage is a tissue that has a low potential for self-repair. One of the methods for improvement of regeneration and metabolism in cartilge, is to stimulate physical factors on chondrocytes as cartilage based cells. In this research, two physical factors, oxygen tension and pH, were changed to measure the cell viability of chondrocytes on Degrapol®, as a biodegradable polyurethane (DBS), and alginate scaffolds and cell viability onto these substrates are compared. The results showed that, physical factors like oxygen and pH could change cell viability. After 3 days cell culture for both types of scaffolds, the cell viability was higher with 5% O2 and pH=7.4 and it was not dependent on the type of scaffolds. Our results showed that cell viability on alginate beads is more than DBS scaffold for different conditions.


Two-phase alloys of zirconium, Zr-1wt% Nb and Zr-2.5wt% Nb, are widely used in nuclear reactors as fuel-clad and structural material, respectively. Post-irradiation studies on Zr-Nb alloys have shown Nb rich β (containing more than 50wt% Nb) precipitation within the α-Zr phase. In the present study, slow deformation of the two alloys at elevated temperature was carried out on unirradiated material at different temperature up to 873 K. Secondary phase (β-Nb), identified by TEM, micro diffraction and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, was observed to precipitate within the primary phase (α-Zr), which is similar to the observations in the irradiated material. The precipitation was dependent on temperature and imposed strain. Measurements of the lattice parameter of the α-Zr phase using X-ray diffraction show a sharp increase in samples deformed above 550 K, where the precipitation was also observed. This change is due to Nb drawn out of the supersaturated α-Zr phase during precipitation. There is a progressive increase in the dislocation density, measured by X-ray diffraction, due to strain on elevated temperature tensile deformation (up to 723 K). No such change in lattice parameter was observed in the case of samples aged at test temperatures without deformation. Dislocations generated during deformation provide enhanced Nb diffusivity, increased preferential nucleation sites, and reduced the strain energy required for nucleation of the β-Nb phase within the existing α-Zr phase. The similarity in the secondary phase precipitation observed between slow deformation at elevated temperature and irradiation is explained on the basis of dislocation-enhanced precipitation. The change in the texture due to the uniaxial tensile deformation at elevated temperature gives information on the acting deformation mechanisms. By measurement of texture at each test temperature, the deformation mechanisms were determined, which is related to the observed precipitation behavior.


The authors present an object-oriented framework for constructing parallel implementations of stencil algorithms. This framework simplifies the development process by encapsulating the common aspects of stencil algorithms in a base stencil class so that application-specific derived classes can be easily defined via inheritance and overloading. In addition, the stencil base class contains mechanisms for parallel execution. The result is a high-performance, parallel, application-specific stencil class. The authors present the design rationale for the base class and illustrate the derivation process by defining two subclasses, an image convolution class and a PDE solver. The classes have been implemented in Mentat, an object-oriented parallel programming system that is available on a variety of platforms. Performance results are given for a network of Sun SPARCstation IPCs.<<ETX>>


Separation Anxiety Disorder has been recently classified into the DSM-5 section of Anxiety Disorders, acknowledging its role not only in childhood and adolescence but also across the whole lifespan. In the DSM-IV-TR, in fact, this condition was typically considered to begin in childhood. Clinical data report prevalence rates from 20 to 40%, showing high comorbidity rates with most mental disorders. Epidemiological data highlight that in fact one third of childhood cases persist into adulthood, while the majority of adult cases reports its first onset in adulthood. In all cases, Separation Anxiety Disorder is associated with a severe impact on the overall functioning. Most relevant research in the field is discussed highlighting the need of a paradigm shift in which clinicians are alerted to identify and treat this condition in all age upon the recent DSM-5 reformulation will be highlighted.


In the spring of 2006, an 80 pages booklet, sponsored by four Israeli law reviews, and titled Uniform Citation Rules in Legal Writing, was published in Israel. Given its cover color and notable similarity to the American Bluebook, we called it The Purplebook. The Haifa Law Review had to decide whether to substitute the new rules for its traditional citation method. The Editors' reflections on this seemingly technical matter generated interesting queries about the need for uniform citation rules, the process of their formulation, endorsement and modification, their substance and their form. The unprecedented opportunity to seriously deliberate on the various aspects of legal citation has yielded this essay. To begin with, the essay examines the need for uniformity in citation, and discusses the advantages and shortcomings of such uniformity on different levels of abstraction. Considerations pertaining to aesthetics, efficiency, and preservation of unique-identities (pluralism) go against the attempt to impose a uniform set of citation rules on Hebrew legal writing in its entirety. Next the essay appraises the production process of the new booklet on two levels. First, it presents the historical development of legal citation rules in Israel and demonstrates that the Purplebook pretends to be the successor of a long-standing custom, where none actually existed, and makes false claims of originality by ignoring the historical background - as a means for acquiring legitimacy and authority. Second, the essay criticizes the exclusion of second- and third-tier journals from the process - as a means for perpetuating the existing hierarchy in Israeli system of legal education. Finally, the essay criticizes the Purplebook's substance and form from various theoretical perspectives. The conclusions have led to an outright rejection of the new rules by the editorial board of the Haifa Law Review.


Community detection in social networks varying with time is a common yet challenging problem whereby efficient visualization of evolving relationships and implicit hierarchical structure are important task. The main contribution of this paper is towards establishing a framework to analyze such social networks. The proposed framework is based on dynamic graph discretization and graph clustering.The framework allows detection of major structural changes over time, identifies events analyzing temporal dimension and reveals command hierarchies in social networks.We use the Catalano/Vidro dataset for empirical evaluation and observe that our framework provides a satisfactory assessment of the social and hierarchical structure present in the dataset.


In this research an attempt has been made to reduce the axillary odour formation in textile material with the help of Terminalia chebula finish. Knitted cotton textile materials with different structures were used for in-vivo analysis. The initial study shows that, the odour formation in textile material is strongly correlated with the thickness and mass per square meter. The odour analysis was repeated after the Terminalia chebula extract finishing. The subjective analysis results of treated fabric shows significantly lower odour intensity after in-vivo study. Further it is also confirmed the bacterial reduction in the axilla worn material objectively. The bacterial isolation was performed and count was analysed and the results shows a significant reduction in bacterial percentage. The test results on the effectiveness of Terminalia chebula treatment against the odour causing bacterial strains like Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 737), Corynebacterium Sp (MTCC 8730), Corynebacterium Sp (ATCC 3021), B. licheniformis (MTCC 429), M. luteus (ATCC 49732), Corynebecteriurn acnes (MTCC1951), Pseudomonas Sp.,(MTCC 6628), Escherichia coli (MTCC 1687), shows that there is a maximum bacterial reduction in terms of zone of inhibition up to 42 mm. The presence of active substance like tannins, phenols and saponins are the major reason for inhibiting odour formation. Hence, this study suggests an alternative and eco friendly way of finishing in textile material against odour propagation and retention.


The daughter of a wealthy railway magnate, Paula Power inherits De Stancy Castle, an ancient castle in need of modernization. She commissions George Somerset, a young architect, to undertake the work. Somerset falls in love with Paula but she, the Laodicean of the title, is torn between his admiration and that of Captain De Stancy, whose old-world romanticism contrasts with Somerset's forward-looking attitude. Paula's vacillation, however, is not only romantic. Her ambiguity regarding religion, politics and social progress is a reflection of the author's own. This new Penguin Classics edition of Hardy's text contains an introduction and notes that illuminate and clarify these themes, and draws parallels between the text and the author's life and views.


Despite the often quoted characteristics of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the plethora of untested 'good ideas' in the Australian literature, no systematic and empirically-based research provides any conclusive indication of 'what works' in influencing Indigenous students' learning (Price & Hughes, 2009). As Rowe (2003) laments, there is a growing uneasiness related to how little is known about teacher quality from Indigenous students' own perspectives. This is echoed by Price and Hughes (2009) who claim that there is [still] astoundingly little known about what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students see as the qualities of effective teachers, and the impact this has on educational outcomes. Considering the significant contribution in Canada and New Zealand made by government-funded, evidence-based studies in culturally responsive teaching grounded in Indigenous communities and their students' voiced identification of influences upon their learning (for example, Lewthwaite et al in Canada and Bishop et al in Aotearoa-New Zealand), it is disturbing that no similar empirically-based research exists in the Australian context. As Craven asserts (2007, p. 4) "there is astoundingly little known about what Aboriginal students see as the qualities of effective teachers and the impact this has on educational outcomes." As well, she states, "There is a need to critically validate the generalisability of the commonly cited claims [for example, by Hattie and Rowe] to Aboriginal students to tease out facets of quality teaching that are salient to Aboriginal students; elucidate their perspectives of teacher quality; and test the influence of specific facets of quality teaching on academic outcomes and the consequences of the findings for developing interventions for Aboriginal school students." The research described herewith focuses on addressing this imperative. This study presents the outcomes of the first phase of a three phase Australian Research Council research initiative which focuses on identifying through the voices of Aboriginal students, teachers and community members, the teaching practices that influence Aboriginal student engagement and learning. The study is associated with the Diocese of Townsville Catholic Education schools in northern Queensland, primarily in the Mount Isa area, a small rural city in northern Queensland, Australia. Through phenomenological aligned interviews, students, teachers and community members express their views of the characteristics of effective teachers and effective teaching. Considering that the national discourse in Australia is monopolised by discussion on teaching quality, we problematize this discourse based upon what the Aboriginal community asserts as characteristics of such practice.