This article argues that the core of legal ethics curriculum should be decision theory. That means that legal ethics courses should integrate rational choice theory (in the form of game theory) and limitations on rational choice (in the form of lessons from social psychology) so that the course becomes a study in the nature of judgment. The point of the curriculum should be to explain what makes good judgment good, and to illustrate risks that might cause lawyers to make errors in judgment. To ground these rather abstract points, the article develops them through a case study of a real lawyer. Her name is Jesselyn Radack. A graduate of Brown University and the Yale Law School, Ms. Radack worked in the Professional Responsibility Advisory Office of the Department of Justice (PRAO). Ms. Radack claims the Department forced her out of her job in retaliation for giving the Department advice it did not want to hear about its treatment of John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban." The Department claimed she exercised poor judgment and did a poor job. I discuss Ms. Radack's story in detail (and reach conclusions that differ from accounts of the case published to date.) I then explain how rational choice theory implies conclusions that differ from those Ms. Radack reached, and offer conjectures grounded in social psychology that might explain how someone in Ms. Radack's position might reach conclusions that differ from those implied by rational choice theory. I conclude with recommendations for integrating decision theory into the legal ethics curriculum.


This paper describes the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sirius and presents its participation in a scientific expedition to survey drowned reefs along the shelf edge of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in Queensland, Australia. The primary function of the AUV was to provide geo-referenced, high-resolution optical imagery to facilitate validation of seabed habitat characterisation based on acoustic data. We describe the AUV capabilities and its operation in the context of the cruise objectives to document these relic reef sites. The data processing pipeline involved in generating SLAM-based navigation and large scale 3D visualizations of survey data is briefly described. We also present preliminary results illustrating the type of data products possible with our system and how these complement data gathered by other ship-borne instruments on the cruise.


The article considers the importance and aims of implementation of ecologistic strategy at an enterprise. The author analyzes the factors of harmful effect of logistic processes at an enterprise on industrial and natural environment. The place of logistics and ecologization processes at an enterprise and their interconnection were efficiently estimated. The figure of Green Supply Chain Model (GrSCM) at an enterprise was constructed. The contradictions between logistics and ecologization processes were revealed, which allows esteeming the real perspectives and obstacles in ecologistical strategy implementation.


Objective: Eating habits and taste preferences begin to develop early in life, yet little is known about self-efficacy and struggles related to promoting FV among young children directly from the maternal perspective. Poor diet quality, including low FV consumption, is associated with race/ ethnicity- and income-based health disparities in the U.S., with low-income African Americans reporting the lowest intakes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore parenting strategies that are perceived as effective for encouraging FV consumption among low-income African American mothers of young children in order to inform future interventions for this at-risk population.
Methods: Mothers of 3 to 5-year-old children from two Head Start programs in a southeastern state of the U.S. were recruited for focus group participation. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using a content analysis to identify main themes in relation to perceived effective practices, and key barriers and facilitators to encouraging children's FV consumption.
Results: Accessibility strategies were uniquely perceived as effective for encouraging fruit. Negotiating/coaxing, making available, and using rules were perceived as effective and unique practices for vegetables. Child openness and maternal FV preferences facilitated maternal efforts to encourage FV consumption. Mothers identified three primary barriers to FV consumption: 1) child's "difficult" temperament; 2) negative family influences, and 3) low maternal FV preferences/modeling.
Conclusions: Low-income African American mothers utilize a large number and variety of strategies to encourage children's FV intake. Mothers themselves can serve as a key source of tips/strategies for each other's social and educational support. Future research should examine specific strategies that emerged in the current study in relation to actual FV consumption in lowincome African American children


As infertility becoming the burning issue day by day and Male infertility factors contribute to approximately 30% of all infertility cases and some of the treatments are expensive that every infertile couple cannot take the benefit of it. It is important to introduce a traditional unique and inexpensive treatment for such a society. Ricinus communis is a widely used drug in Ayurvedic medicine for different diseases. Acharya Charaka mentioned the root of Ricinus communis in Agryasangraha which acts as an aphrodisiac i.e. improves the quality, quantity, and abnormality of sperm. Therefore spermatogenetic effects of the root of Ricinus communis were studied in male Wistar rats. The effect of decoction of the root of Ricinus communis on the serum testosterone, sperm count, testis, and on the weight of testis and body weight was studied for the assessment of spermatogenetic activity. The root decoction elevated the level of serum testosterone, sperm count, and body weight significantly. It may be concluded that due to its medicinal properties Root of R. communis is effective against male infertility and shows a gain in weight, testosterone, sperm count and acts as good aphrodisiac, hence increases the spermatogenesis.


Scholarly evaluation practices in learning and teaching projects are under-reported in the literature. In order for robust evaluative measures to be implemented, a project requires a well-designed evaluation plan. This research study describes the development of a practical evaluation planning framework through an action research approach, using primary data from learning and teaching practitioners in higher education. Underpinned by the literature, this framework is accessible to a wide range of disciplinary scholars and is accompanied by a set of recommendations that together contribute to the improvement of the evaluation of learning and teaching innovations in higher education.


There are studies showing what happens if agile teams are introduced into a non-agile organization, e.g. Higher overhead costs and the necessity of an understanding of agile methods even outside the teams. This case study shows an example of work motivational aspects that might surface when an agile team exists in the middle of a more traditional structure. This case study was conducted at a car manufacturer in Sweden, consisting of an unstructured interview with the Scrum Master and a semi-structured focus group. The results show that the teams felt that the feedback from the surrounding organization was unsynchronized resulting in them not feeling appreciated when delivering their work. Moreover, they felt frustrated when working on non-agile teams after have been working on agile ones. This study concludes that there were work motivational affects of fitting an agile team into a non-agile surrounding organization, and therefore this might also be true for other organizations.


Abstract Mudrocks are effective top seals for hydrocarbon accumulations because they possess very low permeabilities, high capillary entry pressures, and are often laterally continuous basin-wide. For leakage through the seal to take place, an additional mechanism must provide enhanced permeability in mudrocks. Tectonically induced, dilatant faulting and fracturing in brittle rocks is such a mechanism. The effectiveness of mudrocks as seals may be compromised by a number of other factors, such as tectonic fault displacements in excess of the seal thickness; tensile fracturing under extreme fluid pressure conditions; and leakage via a network of juxtaposed thin leaky beds across sub-seismic faults within the seal. Before hydrocarbon trap integrity analysis, seismic interpretations should honour the fundamental geometry of the trap as closely as possible because top seals can be reliably appraised only when basic geometries are accurately determined. Fluid pressure is a proven risk in many exploration provinces, in terms of mudrock top-seal leakage via opening mode fractures. This natural hydrofracturing can take place if buoyancy pressures, combined with fluid overpressures, exceed the minimum in situ horizontal stress, plus the tensile strenght of the seal, an occurrence that leads to mechanical failure of the seal rock. The rheology of a seal is another important factor as it determines the failure mode, i.e. whether the rocks are ductile and remain sealing after deformation or whether they deform in a brittle manner to create permeable leak paths. Several techniques have been developed to predict rock rheology; these rely on uplift, sonic velocity and clay content data. Burial curves can be used to determine overconsolidation of mudrocks. Sonic velocity data can be used to estimate unconfined compressive strength in mudrocks. The most direct method utilizes relationships between mudrock friction angle, swelling clay content and mudrock surface area to determine ductility. The effect on trap integrity of sub-seismic faults is also quantifiable because advances in structural geological technology now permit predictions of the numbers of sub-seismic faults in a trap. This information, combined with detailed top-seal stratigraphic data, provides the power to screen traps for the risk of top-seal leakage via sub-seismic fault juxtapositions within the seal. A simple strategy incorporating these factors and linking them to other structural and stratigraphic information can contribute to reducing uncertainty about top-seal leakage caused by tectonic deformation.


Second-language (L2) users frequently demonstrate a strong interest in developing,
establishing and maintaining social relations with other L2 users through the medium of the
second language and I argue in this thesis that this is often achieved through a variety of
supportive and creative ways as interactants jointly construct interpersonal talk. My main
aim in this thesis is to explore the workings of L2-L2 interpersonal language use and, as a
secondary aim, to propose pedagogic intervention that will help the L2 learner to interact
supportively and creatively in the target language.
To develop this argument, I will build on the work on Aston and his description of how
successful social relations in the target language are negotiated through supportiveness and
solidarity and his use of the terms some and any (taken from Sacks, 1970-1971, and
Schenkein, 1978) to examine how the L2 user can participate as a distinct individual in L2-
L2 talk as opposed to interacting as an anonymous language user.
Second-language interpersonal talk is problematic because the language user seeks to
conform with others but, at the same time, wants to interact in creative ways. In discussing
creative language use, I build on the work of Mead and his distinction between the creative
I and the socially-conforming me and argue that L2-L2 creative language use is jointly
constructed between second-language users as they seek to develop successful social
relations.
I aim to analyse the problematic nature of L2 interpersonal language by examining data
collected on second-language users engaged in L2-L2 small talk in a target-language
context and through interviews with such users. While building on Aston's description of
solidarity and supportiveness in L2 interpersonal discourse, I also explore how creative
language use allows the second-language user to achieve successful social relations and, at
the same time, helps her to interact in her own distinctive way.


ABSTRACT The genus Kujdanowiaspis Stensiö, 1942 has long been considered as the archetype of placoderms; hence, it has been often used as outgroup in phylogenetic analyses involving placoderms, or used as a representative of all the placoderms for all early vertebrate works. Nevertheless, there has been no real work on the taxonomy of this genus since Denison (1978). Here we propose a revision of the material of Kujdanowiaspis from the Old Red Sandstone of Podolia (including neurocrania, skull roofs and thoracic armours), together with the description of unpublished specimens of the genus Heightingtonaspis White, 1969. Among the available Podolian material, three species are considered valid: Kujdanowiaspis buczacziensis (Brotzen, 1934), K. podolica (Brotzen, 1934) and Erikaspis zychi (Stensiö, 1945) (K. podolica and K. buczacziensis only differ in size and in the density and size of the tuberculated ornamentation; the dermal plate pattern of E. zychi differs from that of the genus Kujdanowiaspis). The axillar area of the scapulocoracoid of K. podolica is compared with those of an osteostracan "agnathan" and of a non-tetrapod sarcopterygian. In the three cases, the articulation of the pectoral fin is of the monobasal type. An analogy with the embryonic development of the pectoral fin of the actinopterygian Danio rerio (Hamilton, 1822) suggests that the monobasal articulation would correspond to the plesiomorphic condition compared with the multibasal one of the adult actinopterygians and some derived brachythoracid placoderms. The suprasynarcual is a newly identified, chondrified element of the vertebral column, supposed to respond to the height of the median dorsal plate in Kujdanowiaspis podolica.


The glassy transition of superparamagnetic (SPM) (r < r0) nanoparticle systems usually occurs at a very low temperature that greatly limits its application to high temperatures. In this work, we report a spin-glass-like (SGL) behavior near the Curie point (TC), i.e., T0 = 330 K, in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) nanofibers (NFs) composed of nanoparticles beyond the SPM size (r ≫ r0), resulting in a significant increase of the glass transition temperature. This SGL transition near the TC of bulk LSMO can be explained to be the scenario of locally ordered clusters embedded in a disordered host, in which the assembly of nanoparticles has a magnetic core-shell model driven by surface spin glass. The presence of a surface spin glass of nanoparticles was proved by the Almeida-Thouless line δTf ∝ H2/3, exchange bias, and reduced saturation magnetization of the NF system. Composite dynamics were found - that is, both the SPM and the super-spin-glass (SSG) behavior are found in such an NF system. The bifurcation of the zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) magnetization vs. temperature curves at the ZFC peak, and the flatness of FC magnetization involve SSG, while the frequency-dependent ac susceptibility anomaly follows the Vogel-Fulcher law that implies weak dipole interactions of the SPM model. This finding can help us to find a way to search for high temperature spin glass materials.


In this paper we describe special loci on the fibered face of a 3-manifold that correspond to generalized Penner sequences of mapping classes and to handlebody mapping classes. As an application, we show that the logarithm of the minimum dilatation of handlebody mapping classes on a closed genus g surface behaves asymptotically like the inverse of the genus. We also show that the minimum dilatation of mapping classes with homological dilatation equal to one shares this asymptotic behavior.


In this paper we provide a first physical interpretation for the Event Horizon Telescope's (EHT) 2017 observations of Sgr A. Our main approach is to compare resolved EHT data at 230GHz and unresolved non-EHT observations from radio to X-ray wavelengths to predictions from a library of models based on time-dependent general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations, including aligned, tilted, and stellar-wind-fed simulations; radiative transfer is performed assuming both thermal and nonthermal electron distribution functions. We test the models against 11 constraints drawn from EHT 230 GHz data and observations at 86 GHz, 2.2 μm, and in the X-ray. All models fail at least one constraint. Light-curve variability provides a particularly severe constraint, failing nearly all strongly magnetized (magnetically arrested disk (MAD)) models and a large fraction of weakly magnetized models. A number of models fail only the variability constraints. We identify a promising cluster of these models, which are MAD and have inclination i" 30°. They have accretion rate (5.2–9.5)× 10 Me yr, bolometric luminosity (6.8–9.2)× 10 erg s, and outflow power (1.3–4.8)× 10 erg s. We also find that all models with i… 70° fail at least two constraints, as do all models with equal ion and electron temperature; exploratory, nonthermal model sets tend to have higher 2.2 μm flux density; and the population of cold electrons is limited by X-ray constraints due to the risk of bremsstrahlung overproduction. Finally, we discuss physical and numerical limitations of the models, highlighting the possible importance of kinetic effects and duration of the simulations. Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: Black hole physics (159); Galactic center (565)


This publication presents comprehensive world energy statistics on all energy sources – coal, gas, oil, electricity, renewables and waste. It covers energy supply and consumption for 150 countries and regions, including all OECD countries, over 100 other key energy producing and consuming countries, as well as world and regional totals. The book includes detailed tables by country in original units for the year 2015, and summary time series on production, trade, and final consumption by sector. It also presents provisional 2016 supply data for OECD countries, and initial 2016 estimates for non-OECD countries' production and trade of natural gas, primary coal and oil.
In the 2017 edition of World Energy Balances, data are presented as comprehensive energy balances expressed in energy units.


Laura L. Adams offers unique insight into nation building in Central Asia during the post-Soviet era through an exploration of Uzbekistan's production of national culture in the 1990s. As she explains, after independence the Uzbek government maintained a monopoly over ideology, exploiting the remaining Soviet institutional and cultural legacies. The state expressed national identity through tightly controlled mass spectacles, including theatrical and musical performances. Adams focuses on these events, particularly the massive outdoor concerts the government staged on the two biggest national holidays, Navro'z, the spring equinox celebration, and Independence Day. Her analysis of the content, form, and production of these ceremonies shows how Uzbekistan's cultural and political elites engaged in a highly directed, largely successful program of nation building through culture.

Adams draws on her observations and interviews conducted with artists, intellectuals, and bureaucrats involved in the production of Uzbekistan's national culture. These elites used globalized cultural forms such as Olympics-style spectacle to showcase local, national, and international aspects of official culture. While these state-sponsored extravaganzas were intended to be displays of Uzbekistan's ethnic and civic national identity, Adams found that cultural renewal in the decade after Uzbekistan's independence was not so much a rejection of Soviet power as it was a re-appropriation of Soviet methods of control and ideas about culture. The public sphere became more restricted than it had been in Soviet times, even as Soviet-era ideas about ethnic and national identity paved the way for Uzbekistan to join a more open global community.


There are currently 13 indications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The European Consensus Conference on Hyperbaric Medicine has 28 indications approved for its use. However, neither includes the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for neurological conditions such as migraines with aura. Recent research has made the attempt to fully understand the use of hyperbaric therapy in treatment of neurological conditions, but results have so far been inconclusive. We report a 23-year-old female with an 11-year history of migraines with aura who has received inadequate pharmacological treatment for her migraines since she began having them. Migraines have led her to significant loss of function. The patient underwent treatment at 1.5 absolute atmospheres in a hyperbaric chamber Monday through Friday for 1 hour each day for a total of 40 sessions but reported missing a few sessions over the 8-week period. No more than 1 session during a given week was missed and the patient received no other treatments for her migraines throughout this time period. By her 24th treatment, the patient had only experienced a single migraine with aura but without debilitating pain. The patient stated she had never had a migraine with such little intensity prior to initiation of hyperbaric treatment and did not have to take any days off from work or school. Follow-up at the end of her 40-day treatment period revealed a highly-satisfied patient who had only experienced the single episode of a mild migraine during the entire course of treatment. Thus, we believe that further research needs to be done to realize the full potential of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the treatment of neurological conditions as this case highlights the potential for using hyperbaric oxygen therapy as prophylaxis against attacks in patients with treatment resistant migraines with aura.


This part sets forth regulations implementing the country of origin marking requirements and exceptions of section 304 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1304), together with certain marking provisions of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (19 U.S.C. 1202). The consequences and procedures to be followed when articles are not legally marked are set forth in this part. The consequences and procedures to be followed when articles are falsely marked are set forth in § 11.13 of this chapter. Special marking and labeling requirements are covered elsewhere. Provisions regarding the review and appeal rights of exporters and producers resulting from adverse North American Free Trade Agreement marking decisions are contained in subpart J of part 181 of this chapter.


In the first quarter of 2008 QinetiQ Novare completed three months of intensive testing and analysis on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) in order to deliver recommendations for the lifing of explosive ordnance (EO) items deployed to the Middle East Area of Operation (MEAO). The study and associated detailed analysis of over 200 items of EO delivered on average a 400% increase over current deployed lives. In some instances QinetiQ Novare was able to substantiate increases greater than 700% than the extant lives promulgated by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for some items of EO in the MEAO. The range of EO items studied under this task included a variety of 5.56-mm, 9-mm, and .50 cal small arms ammunition natures, 25-mm MP-T and HEI-T, a selection of aircraft countermeasures, aircraft flares and hand employed flares, various signal kits, lethal and non-lethal 40-mm natures, 66-mm rockets, and the 84-mm Carl Gustav family of weapons. As a direct result of the program, it is anticipated that the CoA will have the opportunity to realise savings in the order of tens of millions of dollars per annum (for each year the ADF remains operationally deployed in a MEAO-like environment) across the operational and logistic supply chain whilst significantly increasing the ADF's deployed operational capability.


Over two decades sub-Saharan Africa has grown an average by 4.8% per annum. A trend called "Africa rising in the literature†but this robust economic growth seem to have benefited only a minority of elite individuals as poverty in the region remains high and income inequality continues to rise. Critics attribute this to a lack of financial inclusion. This study analyses the relationship between various aspects of financial inclusion and income inequality in sub-Saharan African using the Findex 2011 dataset with the intention to determine which aspects of financial inclusion have the greatest effect on income inequality.Our results show that formal account use for business, electronic payments and formal savings have a positive relationship with income inequality. This possibly reflects the low level of financial inclusion in the region. Furthermore, the positive relationship may suggest that owning a formal account does not necessarily lead to improvement in access to credit. That is, most of the account owners are likely first time users and problems such as moral hazard and information asymmetries, which are associated with a lack of financial infrastructure in the region still holds. This is likely to encourage banks to hold excess liquidity and thus grant fewer loans. The study accordingly recommends efforts to increase financial inclusion as well as reduce excess liquidity in the banking system through the development of financial infrastructure in order to encourage banks to support economic activities through lending.


Examining the perceived internal and external effectiveness of NGOs in the Palestinian Territories: The Role of Complexity, Resilience, and Job Adaptability Naira Musallam The current study examined some key factors that have the potential to impact non governmental organizations' (NGOs) effectiveness operating in war and conflict settings. Previous research suggested that integrative complexity (Streufert, 1970; Suedfeld, Tetlock, & Streufert, 1992), behavioral complexity (Lawrence, Lenk, & Quinn, 2009), emotional complexity (Kang & Shaver, 2004), job adaptability (Pulakos, Arad, & Plamondon, 2000) and resilience (Masten, 2001) are linked to positive individual outcomes. However, no systematic studies have been conducted to examine the potential impact of these variables on perceived work effectiveness in the context of volatile and violent environments. Therefore, I investigated the relationship between individual integrative complexity, perceived behavioral and emotional complexities of Top Management Teams (TMTs), perceived job adaptability of TMTs, perceived resilience of TMTs and their relationship to perceived internal and external effectiveness of their respective NGOs working in the Palestinian Territories. A total of 133 participants participated in the study, representing TMTs from 26 local NGOs based in Ramallah, West Bank working in various fields such as community development, children and youth, human rights, women empowerment, agriculture, health and psychological counseling, advocacy, education, and culture. Participants were asked to fill out a battery of questionnaires assessing these variables. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were utilized to analyze the data. The overall results indicated that integrative complexity was negatively associated with leader's perceptions of the external effectiveness of their NGO, and was not found to be related to perceived internal effectiveness. Both perceived behavioral complexity and emotional complexity of TMTs' were positively associated with perceptions of internal and external effectiveness. An exploratory analysis revealed an interaction effect between behavioral and emotional complexity in terms of their combined impact on perceived internal and external effectiveness. In addition, perceived job adaptability of TMTs was significantly related to perceived external effectiveness, but not with perceived internal effectiveness. Finally, perceived resilience of TMTs was not found to be associated with any outcome variables. The theoretical, practical and future research implications of the results are discussed.


Sweden finds itself in the midst of the most heated debates about defence policy and the direction of military reforms since the end of the Cold War, as Stockholm faces the challenge of finding a new military security formula.

From the Swedish point of view, the post-Cold War strategic timeout in Europe is coming to an end. The international environment is reverting to a situation in which the use of force among states is no longer an improbable scenario. Stockholm cannot rule out the emergence of crises or conflicts in Northern Europe in the future, which could directly or indirectly affect Sweden.

In this context, the transformations of Sweden's defence policy over the past twenty years have become a problem. Sweden has moved from neutrality, i.e. non-involvement on any side of an armed interstate conflict, to non-alignment, whereby it stays outside military alliances and freely shapes its policies during wartime. It has joined the European Union and co-operates closely with NATO on foreign missions. Its ability to defend its own territory, however, has diminished.


ABSTRACT The %Ca (molar Ca/(Ca + Mg) 100) in sedimentary dolomite, which ranges from 48 %Ca to 62.5 %Ca, can be determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, electron microprobe analysis, or powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The latter procedure, which relies on the fact that the position of the d104 reflection depends linearly on the Ca content, offers an easy and relatively inexpensive method of determining %Ca in dolomite. To date, such analyses have assumed that the dolostone is homogeneous with respect to the %Ca content of its constituent dolomite crystals. Herein, the XRD technique is extended to compositionally heterogeneous dolostones. A considerable amount of important information can be derived from X-ray diffractograms of dolostones if they are analyzed with peak-fitting techniques (PF-XRD). Specifically, this technique allows (1) determination of the %Ca with an accuracy of ± 0.5 %Ca, (2) identification of heterogeneous dolostone samples formed of more than one population of dolomite crystals as defined by their %Ca content, and (3) derivation of the proportion of each population of dolomite crystals with an accuracy of ± 10%. The PF-XRD technique is a powerful analytical tool that provides valuable information on the major-element composition of low-Fe dolomite. Compared to other techniques, the PF-XRD technique is accurate, rapid, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use.


ABSTRACT In this paper, three methods for constructing triangular norms on a bounded lattice L from t-norm W on sub-lattice of L are investigated. An example is added to reveal the difference of three construction methods. The smallest t-norm in the class of all triangular norms on a lattice L whose restriction to the subinterval of L is a priori fixed t-norm W is determined.


Detection of cancer is often equal to facing with a crisis by the patients. Traditionally it is believed that cancer diagnosis should not be told to the patients. The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes towards the disclosure of cancer diagnosis in patients with cancer and control group included healthy people. This crosssectional study was carried out in 2015 with a total of 531 people. We used three questionnaires to collect data. The first one was EORTC QLQ-C30 to assess quality of life of patients with cancer. The second one included items to assess the patients' willingness for detection of the cancer diagnosis. Finally, the third one was the DUREL to evaluate religiosity. Five hundred and thirty one subjects including 216 patients with cancer and 315 healthy people were studied. Mean age of participants was 44 ± 15.7, 50.5% were female. Overall, 63% of patients with cancer were informed of their disease status and 37% uninformed. A significant association was seen between the awareness of cancer with physical and social functioning of quality of life. There was a positive significant association between the tendency for being informed of the diagnosis and non-organizational religious activity in participants without cancer. Global health status and all dimensions of religious were correlated in patients significantly. We found the majority of subjects tend to be aware of the disclosure of diagnosis. The physical and social functioning of quality of life were better in uninformed patients than informed patients.


Graph stores are becoming increasingly popular among NOSQL applications seeking flexibility and heterogeneity in managing linked data. Conceptually and in practice, applications ranging from social networks, knowledge representations to Internet of things benefit from graph data stores built on a combination of relational and non-relational technologies aimed at desired performance characteristics. The most common data access pattern in querying graph stores is to traverse from a node to its neighboring nodes. This paper studies the impact of such traversal pattern to common data caching policies in a partitioned data environment where a big graph is distributed across servers in a cluster. We propose and evaluate a new graph aware caching policy designed to keep and evict nodes, edges and their metadata optimized for query traversal pattern. The algorithm distinguishes the topology of the graph as well as the latency of access to the graph nodes and neighbors. We implemented graph aware caching on a distributed data store Apache HBase in the Hadoop family. Performance evaluations showed up to 15x speedup on the benchmark datasets preferring our new graph aware policy over non-aware policies. We also show how to improve the performance of existing caching algorithms for distributed graphs by exploiting the topology information.


Understanding how the Tea Party has affected congressional elections and roll call voting helps us understand not only an important political move- ment, but how movements affect politics more generally. We investigate four channels for the movement to influence political outcomes: activists, constit- uent opinion, group endorsement activity and elite-level self-identification. We find consistent evidence that activists mattered both electorally and for roll call voting on issues of importance to the movement. Constituent opin- ion had virtually no impact on either political outcome. Group endorsement activity had possible effects on elections, but mostly no effect on congressional voting. Self-identification among elites did not enhance—or harm—Republican electoral fortunes, but did affect congressional votes important to the move- ment. These divergent results illustrate how movement politics can influence outcomes through multiple channels and call into question the usefulness of the "Tea Party'' moniker without important qualifiers.


A group of 814 men at large, 40 to 59 years old, have been placed in a diet relatively rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The study diet has significantly lowered the serum cholesterol levels and maintained these lower levels for periods as long as five years. The study protocol has also been effective in significantly reducing the incidence of obesity and hypertension during the first four years of study participation. Among a control group of 463 men of similar age, the prevalence of these conditions was stable. After the men had participated in the study for four years, the differences between the experimental and control groups in prevelance of these risk factors (obesity, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia) were statistically significant. Accompanying these significant differences, a statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups in morbidity from new coronary heart disease.


The international diffusion of policy ideas and practices is a subject of growing interest, raising such questions as: Why are there increasingly such waves of policy innovation? What prompts one country to emulate another's changes? Is it the influence of powerful international actors like the World Bank? Is it the motivations and interests of domestic actors? And how freely do imitators adapt foreign models to the needs and characteristics of their own countries, rather than simply replicating them? Essays by leading academic experts and by policy practitioners with academic background address these important questions in Learning from Foreign Models in Latin American Policy Reform. Two chapters examine the influence of the international financial institutions. Then experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico discuss how foreign models influenced their own decision making in crucial areas of social policy such as pensions, unemployment insurance, and health care. These case studies yield an unprecedented insider perspective on policy diffusion, in particular showing that the financial institutions have less clout than sometimes appears. They also show the crucial role played by policy specialists inside the public bureaucracy. Contributors: David Bravo, Sarah M. Brooks, Elena Carrera, Jose Paulo Zeetano Chahad, Carlos Cruz, Gustavo Demarco, Louise Haagh, Joan M. Nelson, Vinicius C. Pinheiro, and Juan Pablo Uribe.


We use two-dimensional numerical simulation to study the interaction between a pair of ferrofluid drops suspended in a rotating uniform magnetic field. Numerical results show four distinct regimes over the range of parameters tested: independent spin, planetary motion, drop locking and direct coalescence. These are in qualitative agreement with experiments, and the transition between them can be understood from the competition between magnetophoretic forces and viscous drag. We further analyse in detail the planetary motion, i.e. the revolution of the drops around each other while each spins in phase with the external magnetic field. For drops, as opposed to solid microspheres, the interaction is dominated by viscous sweeping, a form of hydrodynamic interaction. Magnetic dipole–dipole interaction via mutual induction only plays a secondary role. This insight helps us explain novel features of the planetary revolution of the ferrofluid drops that cannot be explained by a dipole model, including the increase of the angular velocity of planetary motion with the rotational rate of the external field, and the attainment of a limit separation between the drops that is independent of the initial separation.


In this paper I am concerned with human agency and the construction of social organization. I am suggesting three concepts of human agency derived (a) from radical constructivism and autopoiesis, (b) from interactive use of language, and (c) from my work in the sociology of design. The former provides a background for human agency. The latter lead to two concepts of organization that acknowledge human agency in slightly different ways. In that process I am extending the second-order cybernetic idea of putting the observer into the observed to acknowledging the agency of humans in the construction of social organization of which they are a part. I think, talking about social systems as if that talk had nothing to do with the systems it brings about gets us back into first-order cybernetics, perhaps with the awareness that we are the observers of social systems. So, I will be concerned not with observation but with constituting social reality by participating in it constitutively. I am opposed to trivializing human agency that takes place when adopting vocabularies from discourses that cannot reflect on their communicative roles. The most blatant trivialization of human agency that I observe is found in the design of "agent based computer programming," attributing agency to particular algorithms on account of being useful to computer users. One may take this use of agency as merely metaphorical, much as opening files and documents in humancomputer interfaces are metaphors of what happens behind the screen, but the latter should not be confused with human agency. A more serious trivialization of human agency can be seen in the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) of M. Callon (1986) and Bruno Latour (1997), attributing agency to text, images and technological artifacts alike. A third example is to talk of social systems as abstractions from the everyday practices of living, sociological abstractions in particular, in effect generalizing and offering causal relationships between these abstractions in which human agency – intentionality, choices, actions, purposes, language and communication – which is important in social life, is no longer recognizable, thereby delivering the human use of human beings to those who are able to use their human agency irresponsibly and unchecked. However, in this paper I will take Richard Rorty's (1989) suggestion to heart not to get sidetracked into critically reviewing what I am opposing and I shall propose instead vocabulary of what I am favoring, keeping in mind why I am doing this. Disciplines Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences This conference paper is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/528 Reconciling Radical Constructivism with Social Organizations as Networks of Conversations and of Stakeholders


The advent of protein engineering and sophisticated molecular technologies has opened possibilities for screening variants of enzymes and tailor-made proteins from microorganisms with enhanced production yields which may be of interest for specific commercial applications. During this investigation the indigenous strain of Bacillus subtilis MTCC 2414 procured from Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) Chandigarh, India was improved for enhanced laccase production by using physical mutagen (ultraviolet rays) and chemical mutagens viz.,0.5 mg/ml ethidium bromide and 0.5 mg/ml ethyl methane sulfonate. Mutant GCBR 4 with hyper laccase production (178.8 ± 3.67 U/ml)was obtained after treating wild strain for 80 min with ethidium bromide. The effectiveness of hyper laccase producing mutant GCBR4 indicates its possible applicability in various biotechnological and industrial processes. ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY


The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works was established in 1886 as the world's first multilateral copyright treaty and still acts as the cornerstone of international copyright protection today. This dissertation covers Canada's history with the Berne Convention from 1886 to its last revision in 1971.

Canada quietly joined the Berne Convention in 1886 as a British colony before attempting to denounce the treaty in 1889. Canada would have been the first country to withdraw from the Berne Union, and fears that such an action would destroy the nascent copyright union led the British government to use its Imperial control to prevent Canada's withdrawal. Canada eventually joined the Union as a full-fledged signatory in the 1920s. Canada's relationship to the Berne Convention continued to be conflicted, however: Canada refused to implement the 1948 revision of the treaty and was largely disengaged from the Berne Union up to the late 1960s. Debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s regarding the place of developing countries within the Union then sparked Canada's reengagement with Berne Union activities, although Canada did not accede to the most recent 1971 revision of the Berne Convention until 1998.

The path of Canadian international copyright has been, in part, a product of the norms, institutions and policies of Canadian foreign relations. Canada's history with the Berne Convention can be viewed as the struggle of a former British colony to find a place within the international system – a struggle to project an image of Canada that accommodated the desire to be engaged in a community of the most powerful nations while also reflecting the reality of a country that was a net copyright importer with a relatively small creative industry. Canada's international copyright policy was used as a vehicle to project an image of Canada to the international community – to portray Canada as a British dominion, a sovereign country, a good international citizen, a developed-and-developing country, and a middle power.


BACKGROUND
Questions regarding the efficacy of nonpharmacologic approaches for the treatment of stage 1 hypertension were addressed as part of the Treatment of Mild Hypertension Study (TOMHS), a 4-year, randomized clinical trial (N = 902). This report describes the lifestyle intervention program used in TOMHS, presents data on the lifestyle changes observed, and focuses on the effect of weight loss on blood pressure and blood lipid levels.

METHODS
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or one of five different antihypertensive medications. All took part in a lifestyle intervention program to reduce weight and sodium and alcohol intake and to increase physical activity.

RESULTS
Substantial changes from baseline levels were achieved for all lifestyle intervention variables. Mean weight change was -10.5 lb (-5.6%) at 1 year, -8.5 lb (-4.5%) at 2 years, -7.4 lb (-4.0%) at 3 years, and -5.7 lb (-3.0%) at 4 years. At 4 years, 70% of participants remained below baseline weight and 34% maintained a weight loss of 10 lb or greater. Mean change in urinary sodium excretion was -12.5 mmol/8 hr (-23%) at 1 year, -10.7 mmol/8 hr (-20%) at 2 years, -8.4 mmol/8 hr (-16%) at 3 years, and -4.6 mmol/8 hr (-9%) at 4 years. Alcohol intake declined by 1.6 drinks/week among drinkers at 4 years. Reported leisure physical activity increased by 86% at 1 year and remained 50% above baseline at 4 years. Beneficial changes in blood pressure and serum lipids were associated with these changes.

CONCLUSIONS
These results support a role for lifestyle interventions as the initial treatment for stage 1 hypertension and demonstrate that such interventions can be successfully implemented in the clinical setting.


Rhododendron album Blume (RA) has traditionally been used as an herbal medicine and is considered to have anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, we screened RA extracts with anti-inflammatory properties. The biological effects of an RA methanol extract (RAME) on inflammation were investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse RAW264.7 cells. We investigated the effects of RAME on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. To explore the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of RAME, we measured the mRNA and protein expression of pro-inflammatory mediators induced by RAME in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells by RT-PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. RAME significantly inhibited the production of NO, PGE2, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. It also suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) with a concomitant decrease in the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. These results indicate that RAME inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses. These effects were considered to be strongly associated with the suppression of NF-κB activation. We therefore suggest that RAME may be prove to be an effective therapeutic agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.


The New York Times Bestselling Weight-Loss Plan NOW LOSE MORE FAT IN LESS TIME-FASTER AND FOREVER! Conquer the Fat-Loss Code takes the bestselling Crack the Fat-Loss Code to the next level-for even faster, easier, longer-lasting results. Nutrition expert Wendy Chant builds upon her scientifically designed program of "macro-patterning," a simple routine of alternating carb-up, carb-down, and baseline days to outsmart your body, increase your metabolism, and burn away fat. Once you "conquer the code," you can conquer your dieting problems for life. Featuring all-new meal plans, easy recipes, and startling information about the timing of your exercise, Conquer the Fat-Loss Code offers a complete, personalized eight-week success planner so you can: MONITOR YOUR EATING with easy-to-follow guidelines RECORD YOUR PROGRESS with fill-in success trackers SPEED UP YOUR RESULTS with proven metabolic boosters GET AND STAY FIT FOREVER while exercising less Whether you've already "cracked the code" and want to lose even more weight or you're brand new to this revolutionary program, you'll be amazed at how quickly you can maximize your fat loss with minimal exercise-even indulge yourself on "cheat days." With Conquer the Fat-Loss Code, it's not hard to lose weight and still eat the foods you love. It's science.


Seismological studies give us a high-definition 3-D picture of the Earth's interior in terms of seismic velocity and density. Near the surface, observations of these properties can be compared with rock samples. As we go deeper into the Earth, interpretation of seismic data is more difficult. Laboratory measurements of velocities and other elastic properties of minerals are the key to understanding this seismic information, allowing us to translate it into quantities such as chemical composition, mineralogy, temperature, and preferred orientation of minerals. Here we present a description of modern techniques for measuring elastic properties at high pressures and temperatures, emphasizing those most relevant to understanding the interior of the Earth and other planets.


Names of zoological taxa are governed by a set of laws, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature or ICZN. In contrast to taxonomy, where decisions are based on interpretations, the laws of nomenclature are explicit and must be obeyed. One of the consequences, as discussed herein, is that paranomenclature, that reflects parataxonomic classifications based on parts of organisms independently of other parts, is not recognized under the ICZN and thus cannot be applied to formally diagnosed taxa. In the case of jawed polychaete annelids, parataxonomic treatments of the jaw elements as well as ICZN-governed naming of the reconstructed apparatus has divided their fossil record into separate but biologically overlapping groups of element-based and apparatus-based taxa. The independent treatment of groups created in this way has the potential for much confusion, if their names are used in formal systematics. Other recommendations of ICZN for effective diagnosis and illustration should also be considered in proposing names within groups such as this, where paranomenclature has been customary in the past.


Nanofluids are nanosize-powder suspensions that are of interest for their enhanced thermal transport properties. They are studied as promising alternatives to ordinary cooling fluids, but the tribiological effects of nanofluids on cooling-system materials are largely unknown. The authors have developed methodology that uses jet impingement on typical cooling-system materials to test such effects. The work is presented of the authors' research on the interactions of a typical nanofluid (2% volume of alumina nanopowders in a solution of ethylene glycol in water) which is impinged on aluminum and copper specimens for tests as long as 112 hours. The surface changes were assessed by roughness measurements and optical-microscope studies. Comparative roughness indicate that both the reference cooling fluid of ethylene glycol and water and its nanofluid with 2% alumina produce roughness changes in aluminum (even for the shortest 3-hour test), but no significant roughness differences were observed between them. No significant roughness changes were observed for copper. Microscopy observations, however, show different surface modifications in both aluminum and copper by both the nanofluid and its base fluid. The possible mechanisms of early erosion are discussed. These investigations demonstrate suitable methods for the testing of nanofluid effects on cooling system-materials.


This article describes a novel hand-operated end-effector device developed for loose body removal in hip arthroscopy. This sterilizable and reusable device incorporates a wire-ball joint mechanism that provides motion with 5 degrees of freedom. The design accounted for the following: (1) the diameter of the femoral head, (2) range of motion of the wrist joint of the operator, (3) ease of assembly of modular parts, and (4) material stiffness and durability. The developed device is composed of three parts: a pistol-shaped hand-held unit, forceps module, and end-effector module, all of which were constructed using polyamide-imide. Experiments were conducted to characterize the range of motion, pushing force, and lateral stiffness of the end-effector. Seven consulting surgeons evaluated the performance of the device in arthroscopic hip model and cadaveric studies in comparison with that of a conventional linear grasper. The experimental results show that the developed device can perform tasks that conventional linear graspers cannot. A specialized end-effector device was developed for hip arthroscopy where a high degree of stiffness is required. The end-effector module is interchangeable based on the required outer diameter, and it is also reusable after sterilization at high temperature.


This paper investigates the effect of market and liquidity risks on corporate bond pricing in Turkey, an emerging market, and in Europe. Results show that corporate bond returns have exposure to liquidity factors and not to market factors in both settings. Corporate bonds issued in Turkey have significant exposure to fluctuations in benchmark treasury bond liquidity and corporate bond market liquidity; while corporate bonds issued in Eurozone have exposure to equity market liquidity and are sensitive to fluctuations in a 10-year generic government bond liquidity. The total estimated liquidity risk premium is 0.7% per annum for Turkish "A" and above graded corporate bonds, and 1.08% for the last investment grade level (BBB-) long term bonds. For Eurozone, the total liquidity risk premium is 0.27% for investment grade 5-10 year term bonds, 1.05% for high-yield 1-5 year term bonds and 1.02% for high-yield 5-10 year term category. Key words: Corporate bond, Liquidity risk, Credit spread, Risk premium. JEL: G12, G13.


Pidgin English is the chief medium of communication for the great majority of Cameroonians. It sustains a world view, culture and way of life. Pidgin embodies concepts that would at best be partially expressed in formal English. A critical understanding of Pidgin English requires not only a thorough grasp of the socio-cultural matrix from which the words and expressions originate but also an immersion in an Afro-centric worldview. Majunga Tok: Poems in Pidgin English is the poet's attempt at capturing these speech patterns of ordinary Cameroonians in written form. Pidgin English, also called broken English, is a lingua franca spoken not only in Cameroon but also in many West African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia amonst others. This poetry anthology is inspired by the poet's desire to salvage a language that has been subjected to multiple forms of denigration because it is oral. In Cameroon, for instance, Pidgin English has been the target of myriad attacks from self-styled linguistic purists who claim that Pidgin is a bastardized variant of Standard English and, therefore, should not be allowed to thrive. The controversy and denigration directed at Amos Tutuola and his Pidgin English creative genius are vivid examples. This condescending attitude of speakers of Standard English stems from the fact that Pidgin is often associated with illiteracy.


One of the major obstacles facing project managers and information system designers is creating an appropriate environment to excel system design skills. Instructors in Information System Design (ISD) environments are responding to the increasing demands posed by time and complexity through investigating a variety of tools, system design methodologies and software technologies. The intention is to help students/information system designers to take more control over their own learning process and to demonstrate system design skills. The purpose of this article is to identify and discuss the relevant resources, which could enhance the teaching and learning processes necessary for ISD created through the Instructional Web Design Programme (IWDP) motivating the students to excel while trying to learn and understand concepts, and techniques that relate to information systems. This research was based on a qualitative, action research approach where individual interviews, focus group interviews, observation and document analysis were used to gather data (Yin 1994; Merriam 1998). Seventeen students at an institution of higher education were observed and their experiences were investigated through a focus group interview, journals and essays. In addition, an interview with the lecturer was performed to investigate her thoughts and feelings during the implementation of the IWDP. The most important findings were: Available physical, human and financial resources and their components set a basis for creating an effective climate for teaching of information system design; the


The welfare state could not function without judgments about how well off its citizens are. For example, governments devise progressive income taxes, which are designed to capture more wealth from the well off and less from the impecunious. These policies presume an ability to take a manageable amount of information about an individual's income or assets and make judgments about her welfare. In fact, people do this all the time, mostly without thinking about the methodological problems involved. The superficial casualness of our daily observations about welfare belies the state of the economic science of welfare measurement. Economists have attempted to measure welfare scientifically for more than a century, but after an early period of optimism, the general history of welfare measurement has not been a happy one. In the 1930s many economists began to conclude that the measurement of welfare involved interpersonal comparisons of utilities, and that we lacked the observation and measurement tools to make such comparisons scientifically.Progressive legal thought, and particularly the Legal Realists, developed out of the coalescence of three important ideas: (1) Darwinism in the social sciences, which was the view that all organisms, including the human race, are both evolving and struggling to survive in an essentially hostile environment; (2) marginalism in economics, which stressed that rational people make choices by ranking their preferences, committing resources to that which they want most first, and so on; and (3) objective welfare judgments, which are basically judgments about welfare that do not depend on assumptions about other people's mental states. Progressive legal thought was more republican than liberal in its social theory, and was never very comfortable with mainstream neoclassical economics. While economists became increasingly strict and pessimistic about the science of measuring welfare, Progressive legal policy was able to lay the foundation for the New Deal, and later the Great Society - both based on visions about the role of government that required elaborate and ubiquitous assumptions about people's welfare. The Progressives' use of "objective" welfare judgments serves to remind us that technical methodologies in the social sciences are used for a purpose, that they rarely lack alternatives, and that the search for methodological elegance and sophistication should never trump the search for answers.


In recent years, textualist scholars have advanced the argument that the First Amendment only applies to legislative action, and thus that executive authority is unencumbered by the First Amendment's prohibitions. According to this argument, the words "Congress shall make no law" cannot be construed to limit the powers of the executive branch. Upon first glance, it might seem that a textualist reading of the First Amendment's first word would give the executive branch carte blanche in the regulation of religion, expression, and association. Yet as this Article seeks to show, a textualist reading of the First Amendment's first word does not necessarily generate legal conclusions starkly at odds with modern-day doctrine. This is because as a general rule, statutes authorizing executive action either (a) empower the executive to abridge First Amendment freedoms (in which case the statute itself violates the First Amendment) or (b) do not empower the executive to abridge First Amendment freedoms (in which case executive actions abridging First Amendment freedoms are ultra vires). While the textualist argument implies that some First Amendment challenges to executive actions should be recast as claims that those executive actions are ultra vires, the results in most cases may be the same as if the First Amendment applied to the executive directly.Importantly, this equivalence only holds when the executive acts pursuant to legislative authorization under Article I of the Constitution. When the executive acts pursuant to its own Article II inherent authority, actions that infringe upon First Amendment freedoms do not necessarily violate any distinct constitutional provision. When, for example, the President acts as "Commander in Chief," a strict textualist could conclude that the President is not bound by the First Amendment at all. Notably, federal courts' deference to the executive in First Amendment cases involving military matters already seems to reflect the principle that the force of the First Amendment's prohibitions might hinge on the source (Article I vs. Article II) of the executive authority being exercised.


This report describes the results of a meeting held at the November
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) in Houston, TX, on November 2,
1993, to discuss the future of and approaches to a white pages
directory services for the Internet. This memo provides information
for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet
standard of any kind.


Localization of 99mTc-MDP in lymph nodes was apparent on the three-hour bone-scan image in seven dogs. In six dogs injection or leakage of the radiopharmaceutical into the perivascular tissues was associated with subsequent uptake in an ipsilateral lymph node. In the remaining dog, 99mTc-MDP localized in a lymph node infiltrated by metastatic osteosarcoma. This aided staging of the tumor. Possible mechanisms of 99mTc-MDP localization in soft tissues are briefly reviewed.


Much academic and public attention is devoted to the question of youth engagement in public life. Over the past decade, concerns about a decrease in youth civic engagement have given way to an examination of new ways in which young people relate to the political realm, often in digitally mediated ways. Youth—as a period of time in life—is of particular consequence to political socialization, as the formative experiences of youth and engagement in politics during this time period shape future patterns of participation and engagement. This article examines how youth responded to the results of the 2016 US elections, as a potential formative political event, in a variety of online networked spaces. Our focus is on what their participation in these spaces reveals in terms of their relationships to traditional politics. We find that these platforms afford youth different modes of expression (including memes, games and artwork) and enable them to communicate openly about politics with peers. At the same time, the discourse on these sites may also exacerbate political cynicism, fear and a disconnection from the political process.


Purpose: Suppression of P53 (tumor protein 53) transcriptional function mediates poor therapeutic response in patients with cancer. Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and human double minute 2 (HDM2) are negative regulators of P53. Herein, we examined the role of AURKA in regulating HDM2 and its subsequent effects on P53 apoptotic function in gastric cancer. Experimental Design: Primary tumors and in vitro gastric cancer cell models with overexpression or knockdown of AURKA were used. The role of AURKA in regulating HDM2 and cell survival coupled with P53 expression and activity were investigated. Results: Overexpression of AURKA enhanced the HDM2 protein level; conversely, knockdown of endogenous AURKA decreased expression of HDM2 in AGS and SNU-1 cells. Dual co-immunoprecipitation assay data indicated that AURKA was associated with HDM2 in a protein complex. The in vitro kinase assay using recombinant AURKA and HDM2 proteins followed by co-immunoprecipitation revealed that AURKA directly interacts and phosphorylates HDM2 protein in vitro. The activation of HDM2 by AURKA led to induction of P53 ubiquitination and attenuation of cisplatin-induced activation of P53 in gastric cancer cells. Inhibition of AURKA using an investigational small-molecule specific inhibitor, alisertib, decreased the HDM2 protein level and induced P53 transcriptional activity. These effects markedly decreased cell survival in vitro and xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Notably, analysis of immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays revealed significant overexpression of AURKA and HDM2 in human gastric cancer samples (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Collectively, our novel findings indicate that AURKA promotes tumor growth and cell survival through regulation of HDM2-induced ubiquitination and inhibition of P53. Clin Cancer Res; 20(1); 76–86. ©2013 AACR.


Citizen orientations towards their political leaders, institutions and political systems sits at the heart of political science and political behaviour, yet despite the potential challenges distrusting citizenries pose for the operation and stability of democratic systems, there has been no consensus on what political distrust really is, what it means for the citizens that express it, what its implications are for political systems and how to best capture it across established democracies. The dissonance between empirical observations of citizen distrusting attitudes and the analytical concepts used to study political orientations, which have mainly focused on trust, make this the right time to ask "What is political distrust?" and to investigate how this attitude area can help social scientists better understand current phenomena of political behaviour across democratic systems. This thesis postulates that we cannot conclusively interpret the significance of plummeting trust indicators nor apprehend their consequences for democratic politics without a clear understanding of citizens' political distrust, defined in its own right and separated from competing notions, such as cynicism or the lack of trust.
The thesis follows a mixed methodological approach to the study of political distrust from the perspective of citizens. It develops a conceptual model for distrusting political attitudes based on theoretical work and novel empirical evidence from three European democracies – Italy, the UK and Greece. Our model conceptualises political distrust as a dynamic, relational and evaluative attitude that follows technical, ethical and interest-based assessments to judge the untrustworthiness of political agents. Further, the thesis puts this conceptual model to the test, creating a novel survey indicator and providing new quantitative evidence regarding the structure and operation of political distrust. It finds support for our conceptualisation of
distrusting attitudes as retrospective and prospective evaluative judgments and highlights the prominence of perceptions of unethical political conduct in shaping political distrust. Using a multiple-item indicator tapping into evaluations of national parliament and a citizen's preferred political party we explore the dimensionality and hierarchy of each evaluation and unravel a double operation of distrusting attitudes, both as specific assessments of political agents along these three dimensions and as a cognitive evaluative shortcut acting in a cyclical reinforcing manner. We also investigate how the newly identified aspects of political distrust relate to citizens' behavioural intentions for participating in politics and find differences in the motivating and demotivating influence of distrusting attitudes targeted at different parts of the political system.


Abstract Ex situ conservation of species is risky and expensive, but it can prevent extinction when in situ conservation fails. We used the IUCN Guidelines on the Use of Ex Situ Management for Species Conservation to evaluate whether to begin ex situ conservation for the South-east Asian subspecies of Bengal florican Houbaropsis bengalensis blandini, which is predicted to be extinct in the wild within 5 years. To inform our decision, we developed a decision tree, and used a demographic model to evaluate the probability of establishing a captive population under a range of husbandry scenarios and egg harvest regimes, and compared this with the probability of the wild population persisting. The model showed that if ex situ conservation draws on international best practice in bustard husbandry there is a high probability of establishing a captive population, but the wild population is unlikely to persist. We identified and evaluated the practical risks associated with ex situ conservation, and documented our plans to mitigate them. Modelling shows that it is unlikely that birds could be released within 20–30 years, by which time genetic, morphological and behavioural changes in the captive population, combined with habitat loss and extinction of the wild population, make it unlikely that Bengal florican could be released into a situation approximating their current wild state. We considered the philosophical and practical implications through a decision tree so that our decision to begin ex situ management is not held back by our preconceived notions of what it means to be wild.


Liverpool John Moores University and FRAME conducted a research project, sponsored by Defra, on the status of alternatives to animal testing with regard to the European Union REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) system for the safety testing and risk assessment of chemicals. The project covered all the main toxicity endpoints associated with the REACH system. This paper focuses on the prospects for the use of alternative methods (both in vitro and in silico) in developmental and reproductive toxicity testing. It considers many tests based on primary cells and cell lines, and the available expert systems and QSARs for developmental and reproductive toxicity, and also covers tests for endocrine disruption. Ways in which reduction and refinement measures can be used are also discussed, particularly the use of an enhanced one-generation reproductive study, which could potentially replace the two-generation study, and therefore considerably reduce the number of animals required in reproductive toxicity. Decision-tree style integrated testing strategies are also proposed for developmental and reproductive toxicity and for endocrine disruption, followed by a number of recommendations for the future facilitation of developmental and reproductive toxicity testing, with respect to human risk assessment.


In many engineering situations, we need to make decisions under uncertainty. In some cases, we know the probabilities pi of different situations i; these probabilities should add up to 1. In other cases, we only have expert estimates of the degree of possibility i of different situations; in accordance with the possibility theories, the largest of these degrees should be equal to 1. In practice, we often only know these degrees pi and i with uncertainty. Usually, we know the upper bound and the lower bound on each of these values. In other words, instead of the exact value of each degree, we only know the interval of its possible values, so we need to process such interval-valued degrees. Before we start processing, it is important to find out which values from these intervals are actually possible. For example, if only have two alternatives, and the probability of the first one is 0.5, then - even if the original interval for the second probability is wide - the only possible value of the second probability is 0.5. Once the intervals are narrowed down to possible values, we need to compute the range of possible values of the corresponding characteristics (mean, variance, conditional probabilities and possibilities, etc.). For each such characteristic, first, we need to come up with an algorithm for computing its range. In many engineering applications, we have a large amount of data to process, and many relevant decisions need to be made in real time. Because of this, it is important to make sure that the algorithms for computing the desired ranges are as fast as possible. We present expressions for narrowing interval-valued probabilities and possibilities and for computing characteristics such as mean, conditional probabilities, and conditional possibilities. A straightforward computation of these expressions would take time which is quadratic in the number of inputs n. We show that in many cases, linear-time algorithms are possible - and that no algorithm for computing these expressions can be faster than linear-time.


Information Technology (IT) is a diverse environment and managing all areas of IT has increasingly become difficult for an organization's internal Information Systems group. Coupled with the fact that performance requirements have become dynamic, there is a greater need to search the world for the most capable supplier(s). An approach towards global outsourcing of software development or offshore development has been witnessed in the United States; however, organizations in Australia have not been as aggressive in pursuing this strategy. This study aims to document the reasons behind this stance via multiple case studies. Specifically, the study aims to document the awareness, practicality, drivers and risks in adopting a pro-active global outsourcing strategy in Australian industry.


An efficient dynamic schedule for layered belief-propagation (LBP) decoding of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes is presented, in which the check nodes connecting to a variable node with maximum relative message residual are chosen in each dynamic decoding iteration, and then LBP is performed for these check nodes. In this schedule we combined the features of lazy schedule and node-wise residual belief propagation (NWRBP) together while keeping the extra computational complexity very low. Simulation results show that the new schedule speeds up the convergence rate and greatly improves error performance at medium to high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when compared to the standard LBP decoding algorithm.


HJM is pleased to present "Editor's Choice " - a new feature appearing in each issue where we highlight selections from recent works on Massachusetts history that we feel are especially noteworthy and thought-provoking. Maggie Holtzberg, Manager of the Folk Arts & Heritage Program at the Massachusetts Cultural Council, is the state folklorist. This selection is excerpted from her introduction to Keepers of Tradition: Art and Folk Heritage in Massachusetts (2008), a beautifully illustrated volume that celebrates the work of a wide array of living folk artists. Traditional art, passed down from person to person within both long-settled and new immigrant communities, involves the shaping of deeply held cultural values into meaningful artistic forms. Keepers of Tradition presents material drawn from eight years of intensive field research by folklorists at the Massachusetts Cultural Council. HJM is pleased to be able to share their innovative work with our readers. I attended the annual Boston Caribbean Carnival for the first time in 2003. Four years later, enormous crowds gather along Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, braving the hot and humid August weather in anticipation of a spectacle. Multiple sound systems on flatbed trucks blast calypso music, and the smell of jerk chicken is in the air. Vendors sell flags and trinkets from Trinidad, Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, and a number of other West Indian islands. No one seems to care that the parade rolls out two to three hours past the time advertised. What the gathering crowd awaits is a succession of mas (masquerading) bands from competing clubs that dance their way down the twenty-one-block parade route. A king and queen lead each band, adorned in dazzling handmade costumes of bent wire, steel frames, fabric, feathers, sequins, and glitter. Junior king, junior queen, individuals, and sections of dancing masqueraders complete each club's entourage. The final stop on the parade route is a street stage, where Trinidadian judges observe the celebrants from a viewing station. Many in the Caribbean cultural community live for carnival. "This is something that people do out of their hearts. It is a cultural thing from where we came from," says Henry Antoine, executive director of the Caribbean Cultural Festivities Association. More than 600,000 attended Boston's 2007 carnival. Yet outside the participating community, most Bostoniane are completely unaware that a festival of this magnitude in pageantry, beauty, and spirit takes place in their own city. Bandleaders tell me it takes considerable time and substantial resources to participate in carnival. Preparations begin in late May and lead right up to the week of carnival. Lacking roomier facilities, most local clubs do the work of conceptualizing, designing, and constructing costumes in basements and backyards. . . . From the street it would be difficult to know that inside the basement of this house fabulous carnival costumes are constructed every year. Similarly hidden is the Canadian-American Club in Watertown. Known by insiders as the "Can-Am," the club is housed in a nondescript brick and glass-tiled building on Arlington Street. Each month the club hosts dances, seisiuns (music jam sessions), and concerts where an older crowd goes to socialize, listen to music, and dance. Smoking is still allowed downstairs. There is a cash bar but one can also find "tea" (really more a meal of sandwiches and cake) for sale in a room adjacent to the dance hall. You never know who might drop in from "down home."1 Aside from a small sign outside the Canadian- American Club building, there is nothing to let you know what goes on inside. But if you happen by on a Saturday night and the door is open, you will hear the driving sounds of Cape Breton strathspeys and reels played on fiddle, guitar, accordion, and piano. "You hear the feet. The building practically pulses," says Marcia Palmater, host of Boston radio station WUMB. …


Over the last two decades, Slow Slip Events (SSEs) have been observed across many subduction zones, primarily through continuous GNSS networks. SSEs represent shearing of two tectonic plates, at much slower rates than earthquakes but more rapidly than plate motion. They are not dangerous in themselves, but change the stress field and can potentially trigger devastating earthquakes. While highly valuable, GNSS networks at most locations lack the spatial-resolution required to describe the spatial extent of the slow slip at depth. A better constraint of slow slip at depth in combination with other observations from seismology could be essential in addressing key research questions. These include: "Why do slow slip events occurs in some regions and not others?", "What drives slow slip events?", "Do slow slip events delay the occurrence of devastating earthquakes?", and "Can slow slip events trigger devastating earthquakes?". Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is an established and attractive technique to study surface displacements at high-spatial resolution. Until now, InSAR has not been fully exploited for the study of SSEs. Here, I provide the necessary InSAR methodology, and further demonstrate the use of InSAR for static and time-dependant slow slip modelling. My developments have a direct benefit for various other applications such as earthquake cycle processes.

I Specifically address the following two challenges which limit the wide uptake of InSAR: (1) Decorrelation noise introduced by changing backscattering properties of the surface and a change in satellite acquisition geometry, making it difficult to correctly unwrap meaningful signal. I address this problem by applying existing advanced time-series InSAR processing methods. (2) Atmospheric delays masking the smaller slow slip signal. These are mainly due to spatial and temporal variations in pressure, temperature, and relative humidity in the lower part of the troposphere, which result in an apparent signal in the InSAR data. Different tropospheric correction methods exist, all with their own limitations. Auxiliary data methods often lack the spatial and temporal resolution, while the phase-based methods cannot account for a spatially-varying troposphere. In response, I develop a phase-based power-law representation of tropospheric delay that can be applied in the presence of deformation and which accounts for spatial variation of tropospheric properties. I demonstrate its application over Mexico, where it reduces tropospheric signals both locally (on average by ~0.45 cm for each kilometer of elevation) and the long wavelength components. Moreover, I provide to the research community a Toolbox for Reducing Atmospheric InSAR Noise (TRAIN), which includes all the state-of-the-art correction methods, implemented as opensource matlab routines. When comparing these methods, I find spectrometers give the largest reduction in tropospheric noise, but are limited to cloud-free and daylight acquisitions. I also find that all correction methods perform ~10-20% worse when there is cloud cover. As all methods have their own limitations, future efforts should aim at combining the different correction methods in an optimal manner. Additionally, I apply my InSAR methodology and power-law correction method to the study of the 2006 Guerrero SSE, where I jointly invert cumulative GNSS and InSAR SSE surface displacements. In Guerrero, SSEs have been observed in a "seismic gap", where no earthquakes have occurred since 1911, accumulating a seismic potential of Mw 8.0-8.4. I find slow slip enters the seismogenic zone and the Guerrero Gap, with ~5 cm slip reaching depths as shallow as 12 km, and where the spatial extent of the slow slip collocates on the interface with a highly coupled inter-SSE region as found from an GNSS study. In addition, slow slip decreased the total accumulated moment since the previous SSE (4.7 years earlier) by ~50% Over time and while accounting for SSEs, the moment deficit in the Guerrero Gap increases each year by Mw ~6.8. Therefore I find that the Guerrero Gap still has the potential for a large earthquake, with a seismic potential of Mw ~8.15 accumulated over the last century. Finally, I show the application to use InSAR for time-dependant slow slip modelling. From a simulation of the 2006 SSE, I demonstrate that InSAR is able to provide valuable information to constrain the spatial extent of the slow slip signal. With a future perspective of continued high repeat acquisitions of various SAR platforms, my expansion of the Network Inversion Filter with InSAR will become a powerful tool for investigating the spatio-temporal correlation between slow slip and other phenomena such as non volcanic tremor. Moreover, this approach can apply to earthquake cycle processes. Studying the broader earthquake cycle will further our knowledge of seismic hazard and increase our resilience to such events.


This paper analyzes the effects of climate change on hydrology and water resources in the Limpopo River Basin of Southern Africa, using a semidistributed hydrological model and the Water Simulation Module of the International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT). The analysis focuses on the effects of climate change on hydrology and irrigation in parts of the four riparian countries within the basin: Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Results show that water resources of the Limpopo River Basin are already stressed under todays climate conditions. Projected water management and infrastructure changes are expected to improve the situation by 2030 if current climate conditions continue into the future. However, under the four climate change scenarios studied here, water supply situations are expected to worsen considerably by 2030. Assessing hydrological impacts of climate change is crucial given that expansion of irrigated areas has been postulated as a key adaptation strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa. Such expansion will need to take into account future changes in water availability in African river basins.


Now available in its fifth edition, The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques presents a comprehensive survey of all aspects of making ceramics for craft potters and ceramic artists. With its sound, practical explanations of ceramic processes, this indispensable reference book has gained a reputation as "the potter's bible." Professional potters, beginners, students, and collectors will find authoritative information clearly and logically presented. Frank and Janet Hamer explain the sources and character of materials, the behavior of clays and glaze minerals during forming and firing processes, forming methods, and glaze construction. In addition to brief outlines and detailed articles with cross references to illustrations, color photographs illustrate glaze effects and surfaces featured in the work of inventive, contemporary potters. The varied techniques of Raku, maiolica, crystalline glazes, salt and soda, stoneware, and porcelain are also presented in a new color section. This new edition has been updated to include auto-reduction, crystalline glazes, insulation, stains, and specialized firing and fuming techniques. With upwards of 800 illustrations to clarify everything in the ceramic world, in its fifth edition The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques will continue to serve as the authority on all things ceramic.


In this article, we show experimentally that individuals can adapt their decision making to social environments, like markets, and respond strategically to biases, such as regret aversion. We find they can employ herding as a behaviorally rational strategy to improve their expected outcomes and shift anticipated regret when regret would otherwise bias them towards a suboptimal status quo. Herding can improve decision making when people observe the choices of professionals and businesses, who are less likely to be biased by regret. Focusing on others' choices can allow decision makers to shift their reference point, and their bias, to favor their optimal choice. We find that decision makers exploit this process to shift their bias strategically. They seek information when their reference point is not optimal, but block it otherwise. They also strategically select among different types of decision makers and focus on those that made the better decision. Our research suggests that decision makers employ strategies to reduce the welfare effects of biases in certain domains. Policy responses may support private ordering by seeking to complement, rather than substitute for, these strategies.


We consider different techniques for increasing the multiprocessor performance of an interpreted processing language in a large real-time telecommunication system, called Billing Gateway. We have implemented a prototype in which we first translate the language into C++ code, and then compile it using a C++ compiler. In our prototype we achieved a more than fourfold increase in throughput, compared to the original system, when running on an SMP with eight CPUs. The prototype also shows better scalability than the original system, due to less use of dynamic memory.


This article focuses on the impersonal uses of personal pronouns and personal verbal endings in Spanish. I argue that impersonal readings are based on the personal deixis inherent in the pronouns/verbal endings in question and that impersonality constitutes an extension of rather than a breach in deixis. Metonymy appears to be the mechanism that allows for this extension in almost all cases. I propose an organization of the different impersonal values in three major areas, ranging from the more generic (universal or generalizing) to the more indefinite (unspecified reference), with an intermediate area of "group membership". Finally, I call for a more thorough presentation of pronominal impersonals in grammar books and foreign language manuals, as the same expression is used quite differently from language to language with respect to both frequency and context.


Neuroeconomics is a discipline aimed at investigating the neural substrate of decision-making using, along an interdisciplinary way, research methods and information deriving from economics, cognitive and social psychology, and neuroscience. The combination of economic game theory and neuroscience has the potential to better describe the interactions of social, psychological and neural factors that may underlie mental illnesses. These concepts will allow a description of psychopathological disorders as deviation from optimal functioning. Neuroeconomic models can lead to identify quantitative phenotypes that will allow for further investigations in individuals with mental disorders. In this paper evidences from the interaction between neuroeconomics and psychiatry are reported, supporting the utility of economic concepts such as under ambiguity/risk and social decision making to psychiatric research, in order to improve diagnostic classification and therapy eventually.


ORIGINAL ARTICLE Background: Murder is a violent social behavior, which stems from various reasons. The purpose of the present research is to evaluate the reasons for murder from the perspective of killers. Methods: The present research is a qualitative study which involves 23 male killers sampled purposefully from Adel Abad prison in Shiraz. After conducting a semi-structured interview, data was analysed through qualitative content analysis. Results: The results showed that three reasons including Honor (fear of prolongation of trial, recognition of the legitimacy of murder), unintentional (mental stress, consumption of alcohol and psychotropic substances, availability of weapons), and subcultural values (considering crime to be a normal event) are the major reasons for emergence of murder among these people. Results of the research indicate that murder occurs based on interpretive structures of actors; which form their values and behaviors and potentially can lead to murder. Conclusion: In order to decline violent behavior especially murder; policies of the judicial system in the country should ensure security for citizens. This security can be achieved through non-prolonged trials, timeliness of law especially in matters of Honor, banning weapons in civil society and ultimately reducing the influence of anti-social and subcultural values in various social contexts.


In the last years, research efforts have been addressed on the effects of single and multiple pollutants on human health, in particular in densely populated areas. Modelling tools, integrating atmospheric science with the latest evidence available from air pollution epidemiology and exposure science, represent a valuable support to health impact assessment. This article considers the latest developments of the DIATI Dispersion and Externalities Model (DIDEM). To extend DIDEM's scope of analysis, the integration with different pollutant dispersion models was recently implemented. Particularly, in this article, a comparative evaluation between CALPUFF (California Puff) Lagrangian puff model and SPRAY Lagrangian particle model is presented. To help reaching this objective, the case study of Turin's district heating system, presented in previous publications, was re-considered and deepened. CALPUFF and SPRAY models were compared on the same emission scenario. NO x and total PM concentrations resulting from the simulations were of the same magnitude, with some difference in the spatial distribution. Total health damage costs differed between 8.5% and 9.7%, with lower values corresponding to SPRAY simulations. This difference mostly corresponds to the different spatial distribution of pollutant concentrations which, in turn, correspond to different exposure levels. The possibility of selecting different modelling tools extends the usability of DIDEM to a larger set of applications, including a wider scope of application and a larger range of users. The results provide important information in the view of the characterization of the overall uncertainty of the impact pathway approach methodology.


Computer building energy simulations are an important tool in the design of low-energy buildings. Building energy modeling is used to predict annual energy consumption, determine peak loads for sizing equipment, complete cost-payback analysis to select appropriate energy efficiency measures, and show compliance with standards. While energy modeling is a cost effective tool to assist in design, there are a number of challenges in the current building energy modeling industry. Most energy modeling programs are too technical to be used by architects, and too complex for early design when many mechanical system parameters are not known. Programs that are easy to use lack accuracy and the ability to model new, innovative systems. Programs that allow the simulation of new systems are very complex and have a high learning curve. A computer program to model building energy loads and energy consumption of mechanical systems has been developed. The program, titled "Building Energy and Loads Analysis" or BELA, has a transparent, open architecture to allow additions and changes, and facilitates the simulation of both simple early design and detailed later design. BELA is currently a simple, single-zone model but could be expanded in accuracy and in its range of capabilities. This paper presents the theory and calculations used in the BELA program. To demonstrate the application of this program, a group of sample office buildings are modeled in both BELA and eQuest, a popular energy modeling program. The annual energy consumption calculated by each program for the sample group of buildings is compared, and it is seen that there is between 5% and 15% difference between the total energy consumption results of the BELA and eQuest programs.


[Summary of the book containing this chapter:] Pornography has always been central to debates about sex and emerging new media technologies. Today, debate is increasingly focused on online pornographies. This collection examines pornography's significance as a focus of definition, debate, and myth; its development as a mainstream entertainment industry; and the emergence of the new economy of Porn 2.0, and of new types of porn labor and professionalism. It looks at porn style behind the scenes of straight hardcore, in gay, lesbian, and queer pornographies, in shock sites, and in amateur erotica, and investigates the rise of the online porn fan community, the sex blogger, the erotic rate-me site and the visual cultures of swingers. Treating these developments as part of a broader set of economic and cultural transformations, this book argues that new porn practices reveal much about contemporary and competing views of sex and the self, the real and the body, culture, and commerce.


Malaysia has evolved from a production-based to knowledge-based economy in order to stay relevant and compete in the global marketplace. Thus, the purpose of this article is to discuss current trends in Malaysian higher education and how these affect education policies and practices. Four main trends are discussed in this study: Globalization, Teaching and Learning, Governance, and the Knowledge-Based Society. These are followed by four elements that affect education policy and practices: Employability, Quality Assurance, Academia, and English Language Competency. The transformation that has taken place will surely contribute to the success of Malaysia's Vision 2020 policy of becoming a fully developed nation in the near future.


Objectives Although fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures (FGIP) have provided major advances in the treatment of various common diseases, radiation exposures associated with these procedures may cause adverse health effects in workers. We assess risk of circulatory disease incidence and mortality in medical radiation workers performing FGIP. Methods A US nationwide prospective cohort study of 90 957 radiologic technologists who completed a cohort survey during 1994–1998 was followed until completion of a subsequent survey during 2003–2005 for circulatory disease incidence, or until 31 December 2008 for mortality. Incidence analyses were restricted to the 63 482 technologists who completed both the second survey (1994–1998) and the third survey (2003–2005). Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess adjusted HR and 95% CIs for mortality from all causes, all circulatory diseases, all heart diseases, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, acute myocardial infarction and hypertension in participants who reported ever performing FGIP compared to technologists who never performed FGIP procedures. Adjusted HRs were calculated for self-reported hypertension, stroke and myocardial infarction. Results We observed a 34% increase in stroke incidence (HR=1.34, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.64) in technologists who performed FGIP compared to those who never performed these procedures. Mortality from stroke was also modestly elevated, although not statistically significant (HR=1.22, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.73). We observed no statistically significant excess risks of incidence or mortality from any other outcome evaluated. Conclusions Our finding of elevated risk of stroke in workers performing FGIP needs to be confirmed in studies with individual radiation dose data, but nonetheless underlines the need to keep radiation exposure as low as reasonably achievable without compromising key diagnostic information.