SummaryA study was made of the effects of cropping and manure applications on some of the physical properties of a heavy soil in eastern Nebraska. The results may be summarized as follows: 1.The addition of manure had no appreciable effects on the consistency constants, the moisture constants, the volume weight, or the aggregation. 2.For the first six-inch depth, the values for the uncultivated soil exceeded the average values for the cropped soil as follows: (a) the upper plastic limit, 9.8 per cent; (b) the lower plastic limit, 6.9 per cent; (c) the plasticity number, 2.9 per cent; (d) the scouring point, 7.4 per cent; (e) the moisture equivalent, 6.9 per cent, (f) the hygroscopic coefficient, 1.2 per cent; and (g) the maximum water capacity, 16.2 per cent. 3.The average "state of aggregation" for the cultivated soils was seventy-three per cent of that for the uncultivated soil. The great difference was in the aggregates larger than 0.5 mm. The cultivated soil had only 12.8 per cent as many aggregates larger than 0.5 mm., as were found for the uncultivated soil. 4.Air-drying the soil greatly decreased the size of the aggregates.


Failure of vascular grafts is often associated with high stiffness and bioinertness of current grafts, the majority of which are made of polytetrafluorylene. A biomimetic matrix that possess tunable mechanical properties and is biological compatible may have many advantages over polytetrafluorylene materials. The present study is to create and characterize biomimetic nanocomposites that might ultimately provide improved performances when used for vascular grafts. We have designed nanocomposites using functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNT) and collagen nanofibers, and developed binding and mixing strategies to engineer the nanointerface. The structural, mechanical and biological properties of the resultant nanocomposite materials were characterized.


Membranes having acrylic acid or sulfonate fixed charges were prepared by plasma polymerization. Acrylic acid-grafted membranes were prepared by gas phase polymerization in a plasma reactor with outer electrodes and a conjugate liquid vessel, followed by post-polymerization in the liquid phase on the microporous film of polypropylene (CG) or polyethylene (HP) as a base film. Fluorosulfonate charged-membranes were prepared by gas phase polymerization of both surfaces of the base film in a bell-jar type plasma reactor with inner electrodes, using trifluoromethane sulfonate and hexafluoropropylene. The effects of the operational conditions of plasma pressure, the RF power and the polymerization period, on the properties of a changed-membrane, grafting degree, the ion-exchange capacity, the membrane conductivity and the cation transference number, were examined experimentally. Acrylic acid-grafted membranes had high water content, and showed the high membrane conductivity. The transference number of cations of the membrane grafted on the CG film was higher than that of the membrane on the HP film. Fluorosulfonate-grafted membranes showed the resistivity lower than that of Nafion-117 membrane, and had the ion-exchange capacity competitive to that of Nafion and the high transference number of cations.


Ethnobotany started off as an appendage to classical taxonomy and systematic biology essentially listing species collected from wild and used by ethnic communities. Many indigenous communities have accumulated lot of empirical knowledge on the basis of their experience while dealing with nature and natural resources. The present study has been conducted on Gond Tribes in Gondwana region in state of Madhya Pradesh. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder in the endocrine system. It is defined as a state in which homeostasis of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism is improperly regulated by insulin. Diabetes is regarded as a group of disorder associated with high blood sugar levels which leads to several complications as increase in blood pressure, complications in vision through eyes, heart, kidney. The symptoms are observed by various age group with loss in weight, increase in thirst, increase in frequency of urination and in excretion of sweet urine. The information was documented through rapid roving survey method for selection of Gond localities in Gondwana belts for recording floristic diversity and their ethno-medicinal uses. During the visits a rapport was made with a number of elderly person of tribal communities and traditional herbal healers who were contacted to collect the information and interviewed. The discussion revealed local name of species, plant part used, formulation and dosages of herbal drug used by traditional healers and tribal communities. The specimens were collected, processed and identified with help of flora. The results of the study as documented from traditional healers conducted in districts of Hoshangabad and Seoni district revealed that the traditional healers found out of 500 persons suffered from Diabetes who were tested and examined for infestation in tribal pockets of Madhya Pradesh state were administered different herbal plant formulation based on availability of medicinal plants in their habitat. About 29% of tribals patients were benefitted from diabetes by use by use of leaf extract of Gymnera sylvestris, 18% of tribals patients were benefitted from diabetes by use of leaf juice of Ocimum sanctum, 16% of tribals patients were benefitted from diabetes by use of bark gum resins of Petrocarus marsupium, whereas 15% of tribals patients were benefitted by use fruit/leaf juice of Aegle marmelo, 13% of tribals patients were benefitted from diabetes by use of whole plant of Convolvulus arvensis and 21% of tribals patients were benefitted from diabetes by use leaf juice of Azadirachta indica, whereas 4% of tribals could not be benefitted by any herbal medicine found in their localities. Similarly traditional healers in Gondwana region of Jabalpur district revealed formulations prepared as seed powder of Abrus precatorius Linn., leaf mesh Aegle marmelos (Linn.) Correa, bark powder of Ailanthus excelsa (Roxb), leaf powder of Andrographic lineate Wall Ex Nees Azadiracta indica A.Juss., leaf powder of Caesalpinia bonduc Linn, root powder of Coccina grandis (L.)Voight, tuber extract or decoction Caralluma adscendes (Roxb.) R.Br, leaf powder of Costus specious (Koen) Smith, leaf powder of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd) Hook. F. and Th., and stem bark of Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb. had been found effective in controlling blood sugar of patients suffering from Diabetes. The study concludes a number of promising plants with different plant parts and formulations are prevalent in cure of diabetes used by tribal communities in Gondwana region to cure patients from diabetes among Gond tribes of Madhya Pradesh


We consider the question of how unlabeled data can be used to estimate the true accuracy of learned classifiers, and the related question of how outputs from several classifiers performing the same task can be combined based on their estimated accuracies. To answer these questions, we first present a simple graphical model that performs well in practice. We then provide two nonparametric extensions to it that improve its performance. Experiments on two real-world data sets produce accuracy estimates within a few percent of the true accuracy, using solely unlabeled data. Our models also outperform existing state-of-the-art solutions in both estimating accuracies, and combining multiple classifier outputs.


Descending monoaminergic inputs markedly influence spinal locomotor circuits, but the functional relationships between specific receptors and the control of walking behavior remain poorly understood. To identify these interactions, we manipulated serotonergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic neural pathways pharmacologically during locomotion enabled by electrical spinal cord stimulation in adult spinal rats in vivo. Using advanced neurobiomechanical recordings and multidimensional statistical procedures, we reveal that each monoaminergic receptor modulates a broad but distinct spectrum of kinematic, kinetic, and EMG characteristics, which we expressed into receptor-specific functional maps. We then exploited this catalog of monoaminergic tuning functions to devise optimal pharmacological combinations to encourage locomotion in paralyzed rats. We found that, in most cases, receptor-specific modulatory influences summed near algebraically when stimulating multiple pathways concurrently. Capitalizing on these predictive interactions, we elaborated a multidimensional monoaminergic intervention that restored coordinated hindlimb locomotion with normal levels of weight bearing and partial equilibrium maintenance in spinal rats. These findings provide new perspectives on the functions of and interactions between spinal monoaminergic receptor systems in producing stepping, and define a framework to tailor pharmacotherapies for improving neurological functions after CNS disorders.


This paper examines the impact of family income on the results of the Unified State Examination (the USE) and university choice in Russia. We argue that, even under the USE, which was introduced instead of high school exit exams and university-specific entrance exams, entrants from wealthy households still have an advantage in terms of access to higher education, since income positively affects USE scores through the channel of a higher level of investment in pre-entry coaching. Moreover, richer households make more effective decisions about university. We have found positive and significant relationships between the level of income and USE results for high school graduates, with an equal achievement before coaching. We subsequently propose that students from the most affluent households do invest more in additional types of preparation (pre-entry courses and individual lessons with tutors), and those extra classes provide a higher return for children from this particular income group. Finally, we show that holding the result of the USE equal, students with good and fair marks from wealthy families are admitted to universities with higher average USE score than those from poorer families. As a result, we can observe that income status is a factor that significantly influences enrollment to university.


We investigate carrier synchronization for coherent detection of optical signals encoding 3 and 4 bits/symbol. We consider the effects of laser phase noise and of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), which can arise from local oscillator (LO) shot noise or LO-spontaneous beat noise. We identify 8- and 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) schemes that perform well when the receiver phase-locked loop (PLL) tracks the instantaneous signal phase with moderate phase error. We propose implementations of 8- and 16-QAM transmitters using Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulators. We outline a numerical method for computing the bit error rate (BER) of 8- and 16-QAM in the presence of AWGN and phase error. It is found that these schemes can tolerate phase-error standard deviations of 2.48/spl deg/ and 1.24/spl deg/, respectively, for a power penalty of 0.5 dB at a BER of 10/sup -9/. We propose a suitable PLL design and analyze its performance, taking account of laser phase noise, AWGN, and propagation delay within the PLL. Our analysis shows that the phase error depends on the constellation penalty, which is the mean power of constellation symbols times the mean inverse power. We establish a procedure for finding the optimal PLL natural frequency, and determine tolerable laser linewidths and PLL propagation delays. For zero propagation delay, 8- and 16-QAM can tolerate linewidth-to-bit-rate ratios of 1.8/spl times/10/sup -5/ and 1.4/spl times/10/sup -6/, respectively, assuming a total penalty of 1.0 dB.


When we think about the legal drivers of globalization, why does the free movement of people lag so far behind the free movement of goods and services? While agreements to lower barriers to cross-border trade are enforced by global legal rules and institutions, national governments indisputably control and limit cross-border labor migration. However, the relationship between trade and labor migration in international law is anything but clear-cut and simple. Rather, as this Article shows, it is ad hoc, decentralized, and pluralistic. This Article focuses on the use of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as an illuminating example. SEZs enable countries to selectively open borders to higher-skilled foreign workers while maximizing economic returns and minimizing socio-political costs. While advantageous to individual countries, this Article argues that the pluralistic status quo hinders comprehensive initiatives to harmonize the liberalization of trade and labor and promote freedom of movement in international labor markets.


OBJECTIVE
Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra projecting to the striatum is responsible for the motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a well-established procedure to alleviate these symptoms in advanced PD. Yet the mechanism of action, especially the effects of STN-DBS on the availability of striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) as a marker of nigrostriatal nerve cell function, remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate whether 1) DAT availability changes within 1 year of STN-DBS and 2) the clinical outcome can be predicted based on preoperative DAT availability.

METHODS
Twenty-seven PD patients (mean age 62.7 ± 8.9 years; mean duration of illness 13.0 ± 4.9 years; PD subtypes: akinetic-rigid, n = 11; equivalence, n = 13; and tremor-dominant, n = 3) underwent [123I]FP-CIT SPECT preoperatively and after 1 year of STN-DBS. DAT availability as determined by the specific binding ratio (SBR) was assessed by volume of interest (VOI) analysis of the caudate nucleus and the putamen ipsilateral and contralateral to the clinically more affected side.

RESULTS
Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III scores improved significantly (mean preoperative on medication 25.6 ± 12.3, preoperative off medication 42.3 ± 15.2, postoperative on medication/off stimulation 41.4 ± 13.2, and postoperative on medication/on stimulation 16.1 ± 9.4; preoperative on medication vs postoperative on medication/on stimulation, p = 0.006), while the levodopa-equivalent daily dose was reduced (mean preoperative 957 ± 440 mg vs postoperative 313 ± 189 mg, p < 0.001). The SBR did not differ significantly before and 1 year after DBS, regardless of PD subtype. Preoperative DAT availability was not related to the change in UPDRS III score, but the change in DAT availability was significantly correlated with the change in UPDRS III score (contralateral head of the caudate VOI, p = 0.014; contralateral putamen VOI, p = 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, DAT availability did not change significantly after 1 year of STN-DBS. However, on an individual basis, the improvement in UPDRS III score was associated with an increase in DAT availability, whereas DAT availability before STN-DBS surgery did not predict the clinical outcome. Whether a subtype-specific pattern of preoperative DAT availability can become a reliable predictor of successful STN-DBS must be evaluated in larger study cohorts.


We extend the analysis of the intertemporal utility maximization problem for Hindy-Huang-Kreps utilities reported in Bank and Riedel (1998) to the stochastic case. Existence and uniqueness of optimal consumption plans are established under arbitrary convex portfolio constraints, including both complete and incomplete markets. For the complete market setting, Kuhn-Tuckerlike necessary and sufficient conditions for optimality are given. Using this characterization, we show that optimal consumption plans are obtained by re- flecting the associated level of satisfaction on a stochastic lower bound. When uncertainty is generated by a Levy process and agents exhibit constant relative risk aversion, closed-form solutions are derived. Depending on the structure of the underlying stochastics, optimal consumption occurs at rates, in gulps, or singular to Lebesgue measure.


No Miracle: What Asia Can Teach All Countries About Growth. By Mitchell Wigdor. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013. Pp. 262. There are many books about the Asian miracle economies and what other countries can learn from them. Scholars in the neo-liberal tradition have suggested that these countries demonstrate the virtues of markets and openness. Those following the world system and "dependencia" tradition have emphasized the exceptional global/regional circumstances that produced a dependency reversal. Culturalist scholars have highlighted particular deep-rooted values and belief systems. Other scholars have stressed the role of entrepreneurship and socio-cultural networks. Finally, statist scholars have explained the region's impressive economic growth by reference to the way in which the political-bureaucratic elites have guided the market, and the nature of state-business interaction. No Miracle: What Asia Can Teach All Countries About Growth belongs to the latter strand but is mostly concerned with relating itself to and criticizing the influential New Institutional Economics (NIE) approach. The book explores how institutions matter for economic transformation and in bridging the digital divide. More precisely, the "purpose is to allow a greater understanding of the role of institutions as a mediating factor in the relationship between ICT usage and growth and to provide actionable advice to the governments of less economically developed countries and others concerned with economic development who must decide which institutions are important and determine how to build them" (p. 22). Mitchell Wigdor is a Toronto-based lawyer and a business advisor who has twenty-five years of practical experience. The book is based on the author's dissertation from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law (2010). Wigdor is a strong believer in interdisciplinary approaches and the book cuts across the disciplines of economics, organization studies, law, business studies, innovation studies, and development studies. Apart from the introduction and conclusion, the book is organized into two parts. The first part looks upon ICT and institutions. Chapters 1 and 2 examine the increasingly strategic role of information and communication technology (ICT) for sustained growth. The author argues that ICT is a general purpose technology--the usage of which plays the same growth-enabling role as electrification did at an earlier stage. However, the link between ICT and economic growth is mediated by four critical factors: telecommunication infrastructure, investments in ICT use, human capital needed for effective use, and institutions. Chapter 3 studies FDI and growth because FDI represents the most likely channel for obtaining the ICT needed to expand economies. While the ICT chapters draw upon the endogenous growth theory, the FDI chapter mostly builds upon John Dunning's "eclectic paradigm". The author forcefully demonstrates that there is no "free lunch", so that it is important for governments "to determine what they want from FDI, how to get it and, once they get it, how to make most out of it" (p. 58). Furthermore, the spreading of potential benefits from FDIs is argued to be dependent upon three key factors: technology, human capital, and institutions. The first three chapters are well-organized and make a contribution to the literature in the way it combines existing approaches and empirical studies within the chosen themes. Wigdor argues that the importance of institutions for ICT use and as a locational determinant of FDIs are under-researched, which leads him to focus on institutions in the two following chapters. Chapter 4 is used to demonstrate that economists in general, and NIE (Douglas North) in particular, have mostly been concerned with whether institutions matter for growth and have presented institutions as slow-moving and outside what governments can influence. Moreover, the author finds that the definitions of institutions are unclear and/or unworkable. …


This article deals mainly with the English Catalogue of Honor (1610) and the Latin Nobilitas Politica vel Civilis (1608), both by Thomas Milles, and the Anglo-Saxon Geþyncðo text that appears in these works. The article focuses on the rise of the 16th-century interest in Anglo-Saxon culture and language, on Lambarde as the editor and translator of early English law texts, the complexity of editorial processes in Early Modern England, the detective work required for establishing the relationship between different versions of one and the same text passage, as well as on the socio-historical background that explains the Latin and English terms for the ranks of nobility in early England (e.g., L comes, colonus; OE eorl, ceorl). The paper also claims that Thomas Milles can be added to the list of translators of Anglo-Saxon laws into Latin.


Background Exercise training represents a central aspect of rehabilitation of heart failure patients. Previous work on passive heating suggests impaired thermoregulatory responses in heart failure patients. However, no previous study directly examined thermoregulatory responses to an exercise bout, that is, active heating, as typically applied in rehabilitation settings in heart failure. Design Cross-sectional observational study to compare changes in core body temperature (Tcore) and skin temperature (Tskin) during exercise between heart failure patients and controls. Methods Fourteen heart failure subjects (65 ± 7 years, 13:1 male:female) and 14 healthy controls (61 ± 5 years, 12:2 male:female) were included. Tcore (telemetric temperature pill) and Tskin (skin thermistors) were measured continuously during a 45-min cycle exercise at comparable relative exercise intensity. Results Tcore increased to a similar extent in both groups (controls 1.1 ± 0.4℃, heart failure patients 0.9 ± 0.3℃, 'time*group': p = 0.15). Tskin decreased during the initial phase of exercise in both groups, followed by an increase in Tskin in controls (1.2 ± 1.0℃), whilst Tskin remained low in HF patients (−0.3 ± 1.4℃) ('time*group': p < 0.001). Furthermore, we found that a given change in Tcore was associated with a smaller increase in Tskin in heart failure patients compared with controls. When comparing heart failure patients and controls who performed exercise at similar absolute workload, between-group differences disappeared (p-values > 0.05). Conclusion Heart failure patients and controls show comparable exercise-induced increase in Tcore, whilst heart failure patients demonstrate altered Tskin responses to exercise and attenuated elevation in Tskin per increase in Tcore. These impaired thermoregulatory responses to exercise are, at least partly, explained by the lower absolute workload and lower physical fitness level in heart failure patients.


This paper presents a synoptic account of the most important results emerging from studies on the phytoplankton communities in the deep southern subalpine lakes Garda, Iseo, Como, Lugano and Maggiore (DSL) in the second half of the 1990s. At present, the trophogenic layers of these lakes are trophically different, ranging from the oligo-mesotrophy of lakes Maggiore and Garda to the meso-eutrophy of lakes Iseo and Lugano. The research confirmed the existence of a common pool of species developing in the DSL, as already suggested by early studies conducted on a seasonal basis from the end of the 1970s to the first half of the 1980s. However, multivariate analyses (Correspondence Analysis, CA, and a subsequent application of Non Metric Multidimensional Scaling) demonstrated that the species in this common pool were developing differently or exclusively along a geographic and a trophic gradient. The major differences in the geographic distribution were found between the easternmost lakes (Garda and Iseo) and those farthest to the West (Lugano and, partly, Maggiore), with intermediate characteristics in Lake Como. These differences were due mainly to changes in the dominance relationships and only secondarily to compositional changes. The detection of the ultimate causes of these differences should take into account other factors not considered in the paper (i.e. the specific analysis of the food webs, local climatic conditions, hydrology and seasonal input of nutrients). Despite the observed differences, common patterns in the sequence of seasonal assemblages in the DSL could be recognised and defined. The second gradient in the species distribution identified by CA was strongly correlated with the principal trophic descriptors (algal biomass and total phosphorus); this meant that the phytoplankton taxa could be ranked along a trophic spectrum, from oligotrophy to eutrophy. A brief examination of the main differences which have historically arisen with the progress of eutrophication in the DSL showed that the species identified in this study as being indicative of more eutrophic conditions were increasing in importance in some of the lakes.


In this book Umberto Eco argues that translation is not about comparing two languages, but about the interpretation of a text in two different languages, thus involving a shift between cultures. An author whose works have appeared in many languages, Eco is also the translator of G?rard de Nerval's Sylvie and Raymond Queneau's Exercices de style from French into Italian. In Experiences in Translation he draws on his substantial practical experience to identify and discuss some central problems of translation. As he convincingly demonstrates, a translation can express an evident deep sense of a text even when violating both lexical and referential faithfulness. Depicting translation as a semiotic task, he uses a wide range of source materials as illustration: the translations of his own and other novels, translations of the dialogue of American films into Italian, and various versions of the Bible. In the second part of his study he deals with translation theories proposed by Jakobson, Steiner, Peirce, and others. Overall, Eco identifies the different types of interpretive acts that count as translation. An enticing new typology emerges, based on his insistence on a common-sense approach and the necessity of taking a critical stance.


Schools act as a key setting for the promotion of adolescent health and wellbeing. Initiatives based upon the World Health Organisation Health Promoting Schools framework have been shown to have positive impacts on adolescent health, yet are not adopted consistently as policy. This research used policy documents, interviews and observations to explore implementation of the Health Promoting Schools framework in Victorian secondary schools. The findings provided insight into current government support for implementation of the framework and possible factors contributing to how Victorian secondary schools may achieve successful implementation of health promoting schools.


Over the last decades, many attacks involving explosive materials have taken part in sensitive building and structures in different parts of the world. These events have stimulated scientists to study and provide solutions for this problem from different standpoints. From the point of view of the structural engineers, the studies have focused on the behaviour of structural materials subjected to blast loading and on the development of new construction materials with enhanced mechanical properties when subjected to high strain rates. According to the experience gained from this kind of events, many victims of these attacks were not caused by the direct impact of the explosion but by the so called progressive collapse. Previous researches have shown that the use of ductile materials may improve the structural behaviour against such progressive collapse. In this sense, self-compacting concrete reinforced with different steel fiber shapes can be considered a good candidate to improve structural behaviour against collapse due to its enhanced ductility. For these reasons this thesis focus on self-compacting concrete reinforced with two types of fibers, to investigate its properties under a wide range of loading rates. Three different self-compacting fiber-reinforced concretes, named A, B, and C, having the same cementitious matrix but different quantity and types of fibers were produced. The types of fibers considered were straight and hooked-end types. 40 kg/m3 of straight fibers were used in the three mixes, while the amount of hooked-end fibers was 0, 20 and 60 kg/m3 for the concretes A, B, and C, respectively. These three concretes exhibited different mechanical behavior in all tests performed on them, even under quasi-static loading rates. For the three concretes, three-point bending tests were conducted on prismatic notched beams with two different instruments, a servo-hydraulic testing machine and a drop-weight impact machine. The recommendations of the RILEM TC 162- TDF committee and the standard of EN 14651 were followed. With the servo-hydraulic machine two different loading rates were used: 2.20× mm/s (quasi-static) and 2.20× mm/s. The result showed an increase in peak load and fracture energy due to the increase in fibers content and in the loading rate. About the tests conducted with the drop-weight impact machine, three different heights were used (40mm, 160mm and 360mm) and a fixed weight for the impactor (120.6 kg), producing therefore three different impact energies and velocities. The results of these tests demonstrated again that the higher the strain-rate, the higher the specific fracture energy for the three concretes. However, such increase of the specific fracture energy is lower as the quasi-static strength of the concrete is higher. Besides the abovementioned laboratory tests, blast test were conducted on four slabs of each concrete type. To this end a steel structure with the capability of testing up to four slabs subjected to the same explosive load was used. For each concrete, one slab was subjected to an explosive load of 2.46kg of TNT equivalent, while three slabs were subjected to 3.18kg of TNT equivalent. In all cases the standoff distance of the explosive was kept fixed at 1.5m. The results indicated that increasing the amount of fiber prevents fragmentation of the specimens, leading to a more distributed crack pattern. Besides this, these tests were used to validate the numerical model for fracture of concrete under high strain rates presented in this thesis. In order to study the residual strength of the concretes, some of the slabs previously tested under explosive loading were retested under static loading to investigate the flexural load and to compare them with intact slabs. The results provides valuable experimental information concerning the behaviour of this kind of material against progressive collapse. In the numerical field, a new approach for the simulation of fracture of fiber reinforced concretes under high strain rates has been presented. Such approach is based on the cohesive zone model (CZM) in conjunction with the strong discontinuity approach. The original contribution of this new approach consists on the definition of the dynamic increase factor (DIF) for the tensile strength as a function of the cohesive crack opening. This new approach has been implemented in the finite element commercial code LS-DYNA through a user subroutine. The numerical model has been successfully applied to the experimental tests conducted in this thesis, with the only exception of the residual strength tests. The good agreement achieved between the numerical simulations and the experimental results supports the hypotheses made in this new model.


Housni Alkhateeb Shehada's Mamluks and Animals: Veterinary Medicine in Medieval Islam is the first comprehensive study of veterinary medicine, its practitioners and its patients in the medieval Islamic world, with special emphasis on the Mamluk period (1250-1517). Based on a large variety of sources, it is a history of a scientific field that is also examined from social and cultural perspectives. Horses, as well as birds of prey used for hawking and falconry, were at the centre of the veterinary literature of that period, but the treatment and cure of other animals was not totally neglected. The Mamluk period is presented here as the time when veterinary medicine reached its pinnacle in medieval Islam and often even surpassed human medicine.


The present study deals with some reflections emerged from my experience of many years making use of the Photolangage in training groups for family mediators. The choice of this method in training courses makes reference to the theoretical model of crisis event interpretation elaborated by Kaes. This model constitutes the theoretical basis for both my practice as a family mediator and for my work within training groups.


This thesis analyzes the online attention towards scientists and their research topics. The studies compare the attention dynamics towards the winners of important scientific prizes with scientists who did not receive a prize. Web signals such as Wikipedia page views, Wikipedia edits, and Google Trends were used as a proxy for online attention. One study focused on the time between the creation of the article about a scientist and their research topics. It was discovered that articles about research topics were created closer to the articles of prize winners than to scientists who did not receive a prize. One possible explanation could be that the research topics are more closely related to the scientist who got an award. This supports that scientists who received the prize introduced the topics to the public. Another study considered the public attention trends towards the related research topics before and after a page of a scientist was created. It was observed that after a page about a scientist was created, research topics of prize winners received more attention than the topics of scientists who did not receive a prize. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that Nobel Prize winners get a lower amount of attention before receiving the prize than the potential nominees from the list of Citation Laureates of Thompson Reuters. Also, their popularity is going down faster after receiving it. It was also shown that it is difficult to predict the prize winners based on the attention dynamics towards them.


Talking about resistance means raising the question of opposition, of denying all attempts at neutralizing opposites, which would be typical of ideological construction, either political or aesthetic. This essay investigates the meaning and the reasons of resistance according to a theoretical, aesthetic, and cultural point of view. The thesis is that resistance has to be considered as an articulation of difference, and that means following a different logic of thought, no longer rigid or monolithic but plural, like a new grammar, syntax, and practice of creativity, challenge, provocation, multiplicity, and pluralism. In this sense the aesthetics of resistance is an art of difference, the capability of creating cultural formations that provide elegance and refinement.


Shock wave refrigerators (SWR) refrigerate the inflow gas through periodical expansion waves with a rotating distributor. Due to its simple structure and robustness, SWR may have many potential applications if the efficiency becomes competitive with existing alternative devices. In order to improve the refrigerating efficiency, the characteristics of wave propagation and oscillation in the SWR are studied theoretically and numerically. Base on the shock tube theory, a simplified model is suggested, which includes the assumptions of flux-equilibrium and conservation of the free energy. This model allows the independent analysis of the operation parameters and design specifics. In order to analysis deeply the influence factors of the SWR efficiency, CFD is used to simulate the propagation of the vortex induced by the inflow injecting inside the oscillation tube. The reflection wave inside the tube with different shape of the nozzles and different structure of the tube tail are studied. The considerations to improve the SWR efficiency are given.


The oldest deep-water sediments of the flysch units in the western part of the Betic Cordillera (southern Spain) arc red and green pelagic claystones with intercalated siliciclastic and carbonate turbidites, ranging from Berriasian to Barremian in age. Autochthonous and redeposited benthic foraminiferal assemblages were studied in outcrops of this 'Complex à Aptychus' Formation in the 'Corridor de Boyar' near Grazalema. The assemblage of the autochthonous red and green claystones is wholly comprised of agglutinated forms, reflecting deposition beneath the calcium carbonate compensation depth (CCD). Compared to coeval abyssal and deep bathyal assemblages from the NW Australian Margin (Eastern Tethys), the Polish Outer Carpathians and the North Atlantic, the assemblage from the Betic Flysch Zone is more related to its Tethyan equivalents and may represent a truly abyssal Early Cretaceous sub-CCD environment.


The lack of access to the sea is frequently cited as a reason that helps to explain the low growth rate and underdevelopment of landlocked countries. Nevertheless, development is clearly a multidimensional process and therefore cannot be contingent solely upon geographical conditions. Composite indicators based on information linked to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) show that on average the development of landlocked countries is 20 per cent below what it would be if they were not landlocked (United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), 2013). In this context, this document analyses the various prospects for development, as well as the priorities of the Almaty Programme of Action for Latin America, and concludes with a set of recommendations to improve cooperation in the area of transport among landlocked and transit developing countries. The Almaty Programme of Action includes five priorities: i) Fundamental transit policy issues; ii) Infrastructure development and maintenance; iii) International trade and trade facilitation; iv) International support measures; and v) Implementation and review.


In adaptive optical systems that compensate for random wave-front disturbances, a wave front is measured and corrections are made to bring it to the desired shape. For most systems of this type, the local wave-front slope is first measured, the wave front is next reconstructed from the slope, and a correction is then fitted to the reconstructed wave front. Here a more realistic model of the wave-front measurements is used than in the previous literature, and wave-front estimation and correction are analyzed as a unified process rather than being treated as separate and independent processes. The optimum control law is derived for an arbitrary array of slope sensors and an arbitrary array of correctors. Application of this law is shown to produce improved results with noisy measurements. The residual error is shown to depend directly on the density of the slope measurements, but the sensitivity to the precise location of the measurements that was indicated in the earlier literature is not observed.


REX is an object-oriented, asynchronous, real-time expert system shell that can handle continuous streams of data, represent temporal knowledge, and perform process monitoring. REX has been developed to meet the challenges of the dynamic aerospace environment. The system's distinguishing feature is a semantically rich temporal representation facility for both data and knowledge. It handles the matching and firing of two rule types for encoding temporal knowledge: clock synchronized rules and spanning rules. To handle simultaneous, disjointed events, we have adopted a multiple rule-firing model. Also, in REX, rules are objects-and they are stored, retrieved, and managed exactly like data objects-unlike conventional object-oriented expert system shells, where rules operate on top of objects and are treated differently from objects.<<ETX>>


A novel method is presented for estimating a phase sequence from an ensemble of measured phase sequences that have noise and ambiguities of integral multiples of 2π rad. The maximum likelihood equation is approximately solved at a small measurement-error limit to obtain the new estimator. Statistical performance of the new estimator and the result of a numerical simulation of high-resolution imaging through the turbulent atmosphere are compared with those of the conventional phase unwrapping method which eliminates stepwise the 2π ambiguities by assuming some continuity constraints.


The goal of this paper is to forecast the glass fiber market with exponential smoothing model. Five exponential smoothing models are introduced and Holt linear model was selected due to data characteristic and tool limitation. Producer price index: glass fiber, textile-type and all other reinforced and Producer price index: fiberglass plastics products were applied in the forecast model. Parameter optimization was based on minimizing the root mean square error. Values for July 2012 through June 2017 were forecasted.


We study the collective effects that emerge in waveguide quantum electrodynamics where several (artificial) atoms are coupled to a one-dimensional superconducting transmission line. Since single microwave photons can travel without loss for a long distance along the line, real and virtual photons emitted by one atom can be reabsorbed or scattered by a second atom. Depending on the distance between the atoms, this collective effect can lead to super- and subradiance or to a coherent exchange-type interaction between the atoms. Changing the artificial atoms transition frequencies, something which can be easily done with superconducting qubits (two levels artificial atoms), is equivalent to changing the atom-atom separation and thereby opens the possibility to study the characteristics of these collective effects. To study this waveguide quantum electrodynamics system, we extend previous work and present an effective master equation valid for an ensemble of inhomogeneous atoms driven by a coherent state. Using input-output theory, we compute analytically and numerically the elastic and inelastic scattering and show how these quantities reveal information about collective effects. These theoretical results are compatible with recent experimental results using transmon qubits coupled to a superconducting one-dimensional transmission line [van Loo (unpublished)].


The garden house is a restorative sanctuary that combines the best of indoor comforts with the sunlight and greenery of the outdoors. Lushly photographed, "Garden House" is an inspirational guide to re-envisioning the home with a gardener's eye. From the simplest of concepts (placing potted aromatic herbs beside the bathtub to perfume a morning shower) to more elaborate ideas (creating an indoor hammock haven for napping in sun-dappled style), "Garden House "offers ingenious ways to make a place for the spirit of nature inside. It includes an inspiring text and page after wonderful page of innovative touches suitable for any house or apartment. Organized by home activity, such as bathing, working, relaxing, dining, sleeping, and dreaming, "Garden House" is brimming with original and easily adaptable ideas that will enhance the way you experience home. When did we decide being inside means shutting out the pleasures of nature? It's high time to blend gentle breezes with an air of sophistication.


Idle listening is one of the most significant causes of energy consumption in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), and many protocols have been proposed based on duty cycling to reduce this cost. These protocols, either synchronous or asynchronous, are mainly optimized for light traffic loads. A WSN, however, could often experience bursty and high traffic loads, as may happen for example with broadcast or convergecast traffic. In this thesis, I design and evaluate a new synchronous protocol, DW-MAC (Demand Wakeup MAC), and a new asynchronous protocol, RI-MAC (Receiver Initiated MAC), that are both efficient under dynamic traffic loads, including light or heavy loads. I also design and evaluate ADB (Asynchronous Duty-cycle Broadcasting), a new protocol for efficient multihop broadcasting in WSNs using asynchronous duty cycling.
DW-MAC introduces a new low-overhead scheduling algorithm that allows nodes to wake up on demand during the Sleep period of an operational cycle and ensures that data transmissions do not collide at their intended receivers; this demand wakeup adaptively increases effective channel capacity as traffic load increases. RI-MAC, instead, uses receiver-initiated transmissions, in which each transmitter passively waits until its intended receiver wakes up and transmits a beacon frame; this technique minimizes the time a sender and its intended receiver occupy the wireless medium to find a rendezvous time for exchanging data. ADB is integrated with RI-MAC to exploit information only available at this layer; rather than treating the data transmission from a node to all of its neighbors as the basic unit of progress for the multihop broadcast. ADB dynamically optimizes the broadcast at the level of transmission to each individual neighbor of a node as the neighbors asynchronously wakeup, avoiding redundant transmissions and transmissions over poor links, and allowing a transmitter to go to sleep as early as possible. In detailed simulation of all three protocols using ns-2, they each substantially outperform earlier competing protocols in terms of reduced energy and latency and increased packet delivery ratio. I also implemented RI-MAC and ADB in a testbed of MICAz motes using TinyOS and further demonstrate the significant performance improvements made over prior protocols.


Here, reprinted for the first time since its original publication, is muckraking journalist Upton Sinclair's lively, caustic account of the 1934 election campaign that turned California upside down and almost won him the governor's mansion. Using his 'End Poverty in California' movement (more commonly called EPIC) as a springboard, Sinclair ran for governor as a Democrat, equipped with a bold plan to end the Depression in California by taking over idle land and factories and turning them into cooperative ventures for the unemployed. To his surprise, thousands rallied to the idea, converting what he had assumed would be another of his utopian schemes into a mass political movement of extraordinary dimensions. With a loosely knit organization of hundreds of local EPIC clubs, Sinclair overwhelmed the moderate Democratic opposition to capture the primary election. When it came to the general election, however, his opposition employed highly effective campaign tactics: overwhelming media hostility, vicious red-baiting and voter intimidation, high-priced dirty tricks. The result was a resounding defeat in November. "I, Candidate" tells the story of Sinclair's campaign while also capturing the turbulent political mood of the 1930s. Employing his trademark muckraking style, Sinclair exposes the conspiracies of power that ensured big-money control over the media and other powerful institutions.


Domestic credit-rating agencies in China have been criticized for having no effect on the decisions of investors. We examine whether credit ratings and rating outlooks of the listed companies that are assigned by Chinese rating agencies have any effect on their stock returns. We use the pooled time-series cross-sectional issuer-rating data of 160 companies that are listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from Xinhua—Far East China Credit Ratings (a Hong Kong—based credit-ratings agency) for 2002 to 2004. Using a simultaneous equation model, we offer new insights into the determinants of Chinese credit ratings and whether credit ratings affect stock returns. The results suggest that profitability, debt structure, firm size, and past stock performance are important factors in determining Chinese credit ratings and rating outlooks. The model shows that credit ratings and the stock performance of the rated companies simultaneously influence each other. Chinese credit ratings are important to the stock returns of the rated issuers in China. Our empirical results provide preliminary evidence that contrasts the conceptual argument that credit ratings in China are not important to investors.


Introduction: Undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia has a number of common mechanisms with inadequate bone formation, including lack of its mineralization in childhood. The frequency of combinations of connective tissue dysplasia with osteopenia and osteoporosis is quite high, which leads to the hypothesis of the advisability of complex treatment of such combinations. The purpose of the research is to develop and evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the integrated treatment of connective tissue dysplasia and osteopenic syndrome in children. Materials and Methods: We examined 160 children aged 3–16 years, divided into 2 groups that were identical in number and age and sex content. Undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia and reduced bone mineral density (BMD) were diagnosed in all children included in the study. The concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, calcium, and magnesium in the blood and excretion of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were determined. Ultrasonic densitometry of the calcaneus was performed. Patients were under prospective observation for 2 years. In the comparison group, calcium and Vitamin D3 preparations were administered in the age-related therapeutic dosage during 6 months, followed by a change to prophylactic doses. In the main group, in addition to Vitamin D3 and calcium, a preparation of sodium chondroitin sulfate was given within 3 months, and after a break of 6 months, a 3-month course was repeated, as well as a magnesium preparation in the age-related therapeutic dosage, the duration of the course was 6 months, with a change to a prophylactic dose until the end of observation. Research Findings: The t-test level for densitometry in the main group increased more rapidly than in the comparison group. The significance of differences with the control group was absent after 18 and 24 months of treatment. After 24 months, significant differences in favor of the main group were determined by the rate of normalization of the BMD level (χ2 = 11.90, P = 0.015). At the same time, there were no significant differences in the content of the metabolite of Vitamin D and calcium in the blood. In contrast, magnesium content after 6 months revealed significant differences between groups of children with pathology in favor of the main group, which persisted until the end of the study. The decrease in GAG excretion in the study dynamics was revealed only in the children of the main group. This process continued after 6 months and at least up to 9 months, and during the entire observation period from 6 to 24 months, this indicator was lower in the main group than in the comparison group. Conclusions: (1) The use of complex treatment of children affected by undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia in combination with BMD reduction helps to increase BMD and in a significant number of cases (over 20%) contributes to full normalization of BMD within 2 years. (2) Complex treatment also provides correction of pathogenetic mechanisms of connective tissue disease, which should have a positive effect on the state of connective tissue and its adequate formation in the case of timely administration of therapy.


Fish from Nordic fish farms have been criticized for containing "too high" concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) among others dioxin and PCB. These allegations have caused debate and may have a negative effect on the sale of products from Nordic fish farms in addition to giving a generally bad reputation that affects more or less all Nordic fish farms. It is generally agreed that the relatively high concentrations of POPs detected in fish from Nordic fish farms are caused by the high concentrations of POPs in the fish feed produced and used in the Nordic countries. Beside potential health effects caused by high POP contents in the fish fillet, the surrounding environment may be impacted as well, not only by excreted POPs but also by veterinary medicines used in the fish farms. In Nordic fish farms, veterinary medicines are mainly used therapeutically against different infectious diseases. The amount of veterinary medicines used varies from year to year and in some years, considerable amounts have been used. The major environmental concern in relation to the use of veterinary medicines is the potential occurrence of antibiotic resistance in the naturally occurring micro flora.


A thematic session on the use of stable isotopes in the study of mineral deposits was held as part of the annual meeting of the Mineral Deposits Studies Group in Newcastle upon Tyne on 14th December 1987. Five of the papers presented at the meeting are published here, together with abstracts for six other contributions. The thematic session consisted of 15 papers, with invited contributions from D. T. Rickard and S. M. F. Sheppard. In order of presentation, S. H. Bottrell (University of Leeds) discussed the results of a stable isotope study of the Dolgellau black shale hosted gold mineralization, and demonstrated that the ore fluids were probably derived from an external igneous source, with considerable modification of isotope ratios by interaction with the host rock. P. Eakin (Queen's University of Belfast) then examined evidence for 13C isotopic fractionation as a consequence of radioactivity within uraniferous hydrocarbons, comparing data for samples from the North Wales orefield with others from Scandinavia and South Africa. This study showed that fractionation effects in excess of 10% may be caused by this process, requiring caution when interpreting C isotope data for organic matter from uraniferous mineral deposits. The following two contributions introduced two recently developed techniques to those within the audience who were not specialist isotope geochemists. S. P. Kelley (with A. J. Boyce, A. E. Fallick, P. J. Hamilton and R. M. McIntyre; SURRC, East Kilbride) described the use of laser microprobe extraction techniques which allow small samples to be studied without the


The project has explored the developmental trajectories of several cognitive functions related to different brain regions: parietal cortex (quantity manipulation, finger gnosis, visuo-spatial memory and grasping abilities) and occipito-temporal cortex (face and object processing), in order to investigate their contributions to the acquisition of formal arithmetic in the first year of schooling. We tested preschooler, first grader and adult subjects, using correlational cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches. Results show that anatomical proximity is a strong predictor of behavioural correlations and of segregation between dorsal and ventral streams' functions. This observation is particularly prominent in children: within parietal functions, there is a progressive separation across functions during development.
During preschool age, presymbolic and symbolic number systems follow distinct developmental trajectories that converge during the first year of primary school. Indeed a possible cause of this phenomenon could be due to the refinement of the numerosity acuity during the acquisition of symbolic knowledge for numbers.
Among the tested parietal functions, we observe a strong association between the numerical and the finger domain, especially in children. In preschoolers, finger gnosis is strongly associated with non-symbolic quantity processing, while in first graders it links up to symbolic mental arithmetic. This finding may reflect a pre-existing anatomical connection between the cortical regions supporting the quantity and finger-related functions in early childhood. In contrast, first graders exhibit a finger-arithmetic association more influenced by functional factors and cultural-based strategies (e.g. finger counting).
Longitudinal data has allowed us to individuate which cognitive functions measured in kindergarteners predicts better the success in mental arithmetic in the first year of school. Results show that finger gnosis, as well as quantity and space–related abilities all concur at shaping the success in mental calculation in first graders.
These results are important because, primarily, they are the first to observe a strong relation between visuo-spatial, finger and quantity related abilities in young children, and, secondly, because the longitudinal design provides strong evidence for a causal link between these functions and the success in formal arithmetic. These results suggest that educational programs should include training in each of these cognitive domains in mathematic classes.
Finally, specific applications of these findings can be found within the domain of educational neuroscience and for the rehabilitation of children with numerical deficits (dyscalculia).


A few facilities provided good access to and quality of family planning services, particularly urban, private, and higher-level facilities. Yet only one-third offered family planning services at all, and only 20% of these facilities met a basic measure of quality. Condoms, oral contraceptives, and injectables were most available, whereas long-acting, permanent methods, and emergency contraception were least available. Responding to the DRC's high unmet need for family planning calls for substantial expansion of services. A few facilities provided good access to and quality of family planning services, particularly urban, private, and higher-level facilities. Yet only one-third offered family planning services at all, and only 20% of these facilities met a basic measure of quality. Condoms, oral contraceptives, and injectables were most available, whereas long-acting, permanent methods, and emergency contraception were least available. Responding to the DRC's high unmet need for family planning calls for substantial expansion of services. Objective: To determine the availability and quality of family planning services within health facilities throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Methods: Data were collected for the cross-sectional study from April 2014 to June 2014 by the Ministry of Public Health. A total of 1,568 health facilities that reported data to the National Health Information System were selected by multistage random sampling in the 11 provinces of the DRC existing at that time. Data were collected through interviews, document review, and direct observation. Two dependent variables were measured: availability of family planning services (consisting of a room for services, staff assigned to family planning, and evidence of client use of family planning) and quality of family planning services (assessed as "high" if the facility had at least 1 trained staff member, family planning service delivery guidelines, at least 3 types of methods, and a sphygmomanometer, or "low" if the facility did not meet any of these 4 criteria). Pearson's chi-square test and odds ratios (ORs) were used to test for significant associations, using the alpha significance level of .05. Results: We successfully surveyed 1,555 facilities (99.2%) of those included in the sample. One in every 3 facilities (33%) offered family planning services as assessed by the index of availability, of which 20% met all 4 criteria for providing high-quality services. Availability was greatest at the highest level of the health system (hospitals) and decreased incrementally with each health system level, with disparities between provinces and urban and rural areas. Facilities in urban areas were more likely than in rural areas to meet the standard for high-quality services (P<.001). Public facilities were less likely than private facilities to have high-quality services (P=.02). Among all 1,555 facilities surveyed, 14% had at least 3 types of methods available at the time of the survey; the most widely available methods were male condoms, combined oral contraceptive pills, and progestin-only injectable contraceptives. Conclusion: Availability and quality of family planning services in health facilities in the DRC remain low, with inequitable distribution of services throughout the country. To improve access to and use of family planning, efforts should focus on improving availability and quality at lower health system levels and in rural areas where the majority of the population lives.


We introduce a new approach in dealing with pattern recognition issue. Recognizing a pattern is definitely not the exploration of a new discovery but rather the search for already known patterns. In reading for example the same text written in a hand writing, letters can appear in different shapes. Still, the text decoding corresponds with interpreting the large variety of hand writings shapes with fonts. Quantum mechanics also offer a kind of interpretation tool. Although, with the superposition principle it is possible to compose an infinite number of states, yet, an observer by conducting a measurement reduces the number of observed states into the predetermined basis states. Not only that any state collapses into one of the basis states, quantum mechanics also possesses a kind of correction mechanism in a sense that if the measured state is "close enough" to one of the basis states, it will collapse with high probability into this predetermined state. Thus, we can consider the collapse mechanism as a reliable way for the observer to interpret reality into his frame of concepts. Both interpretation ideas, pattern recognition and quantum measurement are integrated in this paper to formulate a quantum pattern recognition measuring procedure.


Langston Hughes and performers at the Karamu Theater. Courtesy of the Karamu House.KARAMU HOUSE is a neighborhood settlement that became nationally known for its dedication to interracial theater and the arts. It was founded as the Neighborhood Assn. at 2239 E. 38th St. in 1915 by 2 young white social workers, ROWENA and RUSSELL JELLIFFE, with the support of the Second Presbyterian Church, but it soon was popularly known as the Playhouse Settlement. As an entry into community life, the Jelliffes began producing plays with interracial casts in 1917. Their affiliation with the church ended in 1919, when they incorporated as the Neighborhood Assn. In 1920 they sponsored the Dumas Dramatic Club, which was renamed the Gilpin Players, after the noted black actor Charles Gilpin in 1922. A theater was acquired adjacent to the settlement in 1927 and named "Karamu," Swahili for "a place of joyful meeting," a name adopted by the entire settlement in 1941. In the 1930s the Gilpin Players established a collaboration with Karamu alumnus LANGSTON HUGHES, giving premieres of several of his plays. In 1940 a modern dance troupe from Karamu trained by Marjorie Witt Johnson won the praise of Life magazine for its appearance at the New York World's Fair. Following a fire which destroyed the theater in 1939, Karamu was eventually rebuilt in 1949, through the aid of LEONARD HANNA, JR., and the Rockefeller Foundation as a 2-theater complex at E. 89th and Quincy. Facilities were also provided for Karamu's noteworthy programs and classes in dancing and the visual arts. Led in the 1950s by such professional staff members as Benno Frank and Reuben Silver, Karamu gained a reputation as one of the best amateur groups in the country. With the rise of Black Nationalism in the 1970s, however, it embarked upon a controversial course which promoted theatrical presentations primarily by blacks about the black experience and its attempt to form a professional acting company in 1982 proved unsuccessful. In 1980 Marjorie Witt Johnson, together with Karamu artistic director Linda Thomas Jones, founded the Imani African American Dance Co., a troupe which danced to African drum beats, reminiscent of the original Karamu Dancers.With the appointment of Margaret Ford-Taylor as executive director in 1988, Karamu attempted to return to its multicultural roots as a metropolitan center for all races while fulfilling its "unique responsibility" for the development of black artists. The Karamu's Drama/Theater for Youth Project was cited for excellence by the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education in 1991 and in 1993 it won the first annual Anne Flagg Award given by the American Alliance of Theater in Education honoring outstanding work in the promotion of multicultural understanding. In May 1994 Karamu joined with BANK ONE toopen the Karamu Community Banking Center within the Karamu complex.As a community-based nonprofit arts and education institution, Karamu House has maintained its historic commitment to encouraging and supporting the preservation, celebration, and evolution of African-American culture. As a cultural institution, Karamu presented a regular yearly schedule of six plays ranging from serious dramatic plays to musical, and as an educational one, it provided classes in drama, dance, music, and art in conjunction with before- and after-school programming with acting instruction for youth. In 2008, the Department of Jusice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded Karamu House $170,000 to increase digital arts classes for children who do not receive computer training at school.Over its ninety years history, Karamu has cultivated a well-deserved reputation for nurturing African American actors. Among notable performers who refined their craft at Karamu and later found success on Broadway, in Hollywood, and at stages and concert halls throughout the world were Ruby Dee, Ron O'Neal, Robert Guillaume, and Imani Hakim. One of the most treasured of Karamu's productions was the annual holiday presentation of "Black Nativity," a play by LANGSTON HUGHES. It also hosted an annual free Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration and encouraged a candid public discussion of relevant issues in "talk-back sessions" preceding select performances.In 2009, Karamu House boasted three performing halls: 215-seat Jelliffe Theatre, 100-seat Arena Theatre, and 90-seat Anne Mae's Theatre. It also operated a day care facility, a summer camp, and a community outreach program. Gregory Ashe, the former president of Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland, served as the executive director of Karamu House since 2007 and Terrence Spivey as the artistic director of the venerable organization since 2003.Karamu House Records, WRHSRussell and Rowena Jelliffe Papers, WRHSSelby, John. Beyond Civil Rights (1966)


The promises of the Internet as a platform for reaching new outlets, markets of global dimensions, intimate customer relationships, low cost and streamlined distribution chains have largely been disappointing in the wine industry. This paper draws on an e-mail commercial survey to investigate web customer service offered by 300 wine companies across Italy. The overall feedback rate was 55%. The main problem of these firms was the inability to respond to customer inquiries in a timely and informative fashion. In particular, only 18% of these wineries responded within four hours, 37% responded within 12 hours. There are also significant differences in response rates by regional business location.


Traditional convolution layers are specifically designed to exploit the natural data representation of images – a fixed and regular grid. However, unstructured data like 3D point clouds containing irregular neighborhoods constantly breaks the grid-based data assumption. Therefore applying best-practices and design choices from 2D-image learning methods towards processing point clouds are not readily possible. In this work, we introduce a natural generalization flex-convolution of the conventional convolution layer along with an efficient GPU implementation. We demonstrate competitive performance on rather small benchmark sets using fewer parameters and lower memory consumption and obtain significant improvements on a million-scale real-world dataset. Ours is the first which allows to efficiently process 7 million points concurrently.


Conferences provide a forum for people from diverse interest areas to come together, share information and engage in some networking activities. The conventional panel format, which relies on speakers delivering set papers, is coupled with a structured question and discussion time. While beneficial in presenting new and exciting information and research directions, this approach restricts the level of engagement with the topic and limits the synergistic outcomes that can be drawn from more detailed, interactive and iterative discussions/debate. The interactive panel upon which this symposium is based was created as a way to overcome these limitations.


The concept of optical burst switching (OBS) aims to allow access to optical bandwidth in dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) networks at fractions of the optical line rate to improve bandwidth utilization efficiency. This paper studies an alternative network architecture combining OBS with dynamic wavelength allocation under fast circuit switching to provide a scalable optical architecture with a guaranteed QoS in the presence of dynamic and bursty traffic loads. In the proposed architecture, all processing and buffering are concentrated at the network edge and bursts are routed over an optical transport core using dynamic wavelength assignment. It is assumed that there are no buffers or wavelength conversion in core nodes and that fast tuneable laser sources are used in the edge routers. This eliminates the forwarding bottleneck of electronic routers in DWDM networks for terabit-per-second throughput and guarantees forwarding with predefined delay at the edge and latency due only to propagation time in the core. The edge burst aggregation mechanisms are evaluated for a range of traffic statistics to identify their impact on the allowable burst lengths, required buffer size and achievable edge delays. Bandwidth utilization and wavelength reuse are introduced as new parameters characterizing the network performance in the case of dynamic wavelength allocation. Based on an analytical model, upper bounds for these parameters are derived to quantify the advantages of wavelength channel reuse, including the influence of the signaling round-trip time required for lightpath reservation. The results allow to quantify the operational gain achievable with fast wavelength switching compared to quasistatic wavelength-routed optical networks and can be applied to the design of future optical network architectures.


The youth of today are being denied an opportunity to learn through service. Service can provide youth with a sense of direction and accomplishment. These foundations lead to confidence and compassion during the often tumultuous years of young adulthood. College and high school student organizations are ideal sites to teach service-excellence to tomorrow's leaders. The Southwest Texas State University's Student Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) is such an organization. The Mutual Adoption Pact (MAP) is an intergenerational service-mentoring program between youth and senior adults. The ultimate goal of MAP is to build enduring relationships that are mutually beneficial to those who give and receive care. Through this goal, those involved can gain a profound understanding of leadership, caring and service. Program description, development, and results are detailed for possible replication by other communities.


Robotic surgery has revolutionized medicine during the last 16 years by transformation of the classic operating theaters into computer-mediated working stations. Numerous procedures have been proved to be feasible and safe by using the continuously evolving, various robotic platforms. From the early beginnings of this revolution, challenging operations such as those concerning the gastroesophageal junction, especially in super-obese patients or during redo operations, proved out to have certain benefits when performed robotically, both for patients as well as for surgeons.


Vulvar Yestibulitis Syndrome (VVS) is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the vestibular epithelium of the vulva, which has been estimated to affect 15% of the female population (Goetsch, 1991 ). Many studies have attempted unsuccessfully, to elucidate the cause of this condition, and few advances have been made towards the understanding of the associated inflammatory response. The initial, and principal aim of this investigation was to characterise normal vestibular epithelium using electron microscopy. The ultrastructural characteristics of normal vestibular epithelium were compared with closely related epithelia, and with vestibular epithelia from VVS patients. Other aims included an investigation of the epidemiological characteristics of VVS; an assessment of vulvar sensitivity over several months, and an evaluation of ketoconazole as a non-invasive treatment for VVS. Transmission electron microscopy, confirmed that vestibular epithelium was non-keratinised, and closely resembled oral and vaginal mucosae. Intermediate cells were predominant, characterised by pale staining cytokeratin filaments and glycogen deposits. Leukocytes were present in small numbers. Using SEM, superficial cells were characterised by an interlacing network of rounded microridges. By comparison, vestibular epithelium from VVS patients demonstrated the presence of numerous, intensely staining, apoptotic-like cells.These cells were associated with membrane bound cytoplasmic lobules and leukocytes of varying types. A similar ultrastructural appearance was observed in post-treatment biopsies. However, apoptotic-like cells appeared heavily vacuolated, and the number of cytoplasmic bodies present was increased. Mature plasma cells, NK-Iike cells and macrophages were common in the dermis. Leukocyte counts, demonstrated a significantly greater number of leukocytes in the VVS biopsies compared with the controls, however, there was no statistical difference in the number of leukocytes in pre and post-treatment samples. The presence of apoptotic-like cells accompanied by a significant inflammatory cell infiltrate, may suggest a cell signalling defect, resulting in the pain associated with VVS. Treatment with ketoconazole cream was found to have very little effect on either the number of leukocytes or the frequency of apoptotic-like cells as quantified using image analysis. The epidemiological characteristics of YVS patients were investigated using a structured questionnaire interview. All of the VVS patients interviewed fulfilled the diagnostic criteria established by Fried rich ( 1987), and epidemiological findings were generally consistent with previous epidemiological reports. Unique to this study, HPY infections were rare, however recurrent Candida infections and cystitis were commonly reported. The 'Yulvar Algesiometer', was designed and developed in Plymouth, to assist diagnosis and assessment ofYVS patients. Using this equipment, VVS patients demonstrate heightened vestibular sensitivity when compared with control patients. The utilisation of a pain measuring device the 'Vulvar Algesiometer', in accordance with the questionnaire and ultrastructural investigation has formed a novel and balanced approach to the study ofVVS. This study has demonstrated several distinct features ofVVS which have not previously been described, features which may be important in elucidating the cause of this condition. These features centre around the presence of apoptotic-like cells and associated cytoplasmic bodies which have not previously been described in association with YVS.


We shed light on the impact of institutional quality and information barriers on trade in financial services using a novel panel data set on revenue earned on domestic and crossborder equity securities underwriting transactions. Our data set covers 91,511 transactions across 122 countries of origin and 145 countries of destination for the period 2000-2015. The granularity of our data set enables us to estimate theory-consistent gravity equations, avoiding the methodological caveats that apply to most of the existing literature on gravity in international finance. First, we find that institutional quality in the exporting country, proxied by the rule of law, is an important determinant of financial services trade. In addition, we provide support for the "bonding hypothesis" (Coffee, 1999) in the literature on the determinants of foreign listings. Foreign firms can increase their valuation by bonding themselves to high-quality institutions through cross-listing. In line with this hypothesis, we find that institutional quality matters primarily for transactions where the underwriter is located in the country of the stock exchange where the shares are listed. Second, we focus on the role of multinational business networks in breaking down information frictions. Specifically, we control for several measures of "connectivity" based on banks' parent-subsidiary networks and syndication ties across banks. We find evidence supporting our hypothesis. In all our estimations, we control for the classical determinants of trade in the gravity framework, including distance. Interestingly, we find that the inclusion of our institutional and informational variables leaves a very limited role for physical distance - supporting the consensus in the literature on gravity in international finance that the role of distance reflects institutional and information frictions.


Rhizoctonia‐like fungi were isolated from the roots of diseased wheat plants sampled from the centre and periphery of three bare patches, and from apparently healthy plants from outside the patches. Of the isolates recovered, 81% were multinucleate and belonged to R. solani anastomosis group 8, and pectic zymogram group 1‐1; the remaining isolates were binucleate Rhizoctonia spp. The multinucleate isolates could be grouped into highly virulent, intermediately virulent, and weakly virulent types. The binucleate isolates were all non‐pathogenic. The multinucleate isolates were obtained at a significantly higher frequency from plants within the patches compared with outside the patches, and with the exception of a single isolate, the highly virulent isolates were not found outside the patches. The weakly virulent isolates were present at much lower frequencies than the highly virulent and intermediately virulent forms within the patches. The frequency of occurrence of binucleate isolates did not vary significantly among the locations sampled. None of the multinucleate isolates contained plasmids. Some of the isolates contained a prominent single dsRNA species and one or more minor dsRNA species. The distribution of these dsRNAs was not correlated with pathogenicity.


The public health costs of tobacco consumption have been documented to be substantially larger than those of marijuana use. This study is the first to investigate the impact of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on tobacco cigarette consumption. First, using data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), we establish that MMLs induce a 2 to 3 percentage-point increase in adult marijuana consumption, likely for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Then, using data from the NSDUH, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and the Current Population Survey Tobacco Use Supplements (CPS-TUS), we find that the enactment of MMLs leads to a 1 to 1.5 percentage-point reduction in adult cigarette smoking. We also find that MMLs reduce the number of cigarettes consumed by smokers, suggesting effects on both the cessation and intensive margins of cigarette use. Our estimated effect sizes imply substantial MML-induced tobacco-related healthcare cost savings, ranging from $4.6 to $6.9 billion per year.


Provides a thorough introduction to programming Microsoft Access 2003 using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Take advantage of VBA's capabilities with this book's instruction for customizing Access database applications to meet business needs. Developers save money by using VBA instead of building custom database applications from the ground up. Written by an Access MVP, this book teaches readers to use VBA with Microsoft Access to modify the data object model.


We present a detailed spectral analysis of the data obtained from NGC 3783 during the period 2000-2001 using Chandra. The data were split in various ways to look for time- and luminosity-dependent spectral variations. This analysis, along with the measured equivalent widths of a large number of X-ray lines and photoionization calculations, lead us to the following results and conclusions. (1) NGC 3783 fluctuated in luminosity by a factor of ~1.5 during individual observations (most of which were of 170 ks duration). These fluctuations were not associated with significant spectral variations. (2) On a longer timescale (20-120 days), we found the source to exhibit two very different spectral shapes. The main difference between these can be well-described by the appearance (in the "high state") and disappearance (in the "low state") of a spectral component that dominates the underlying continuum at the longest wavelengths. Contrary to the case in other objects, the spectral variations are not related to the brightening or the fading of the continuum at short wavelengths in any simple way. NGC 3783 seems to be the first active galactic nucleus (AGN) to show this unusual behavior. (3) The appearance of the soft continuum component is consistent with being the only spectral variation, and there is no need to invoke changes in the opacity of the absorbers lying along the line of sight. Indeed, we find that all the absorption lines that can be reliably measured have the same equivalent widths (within the observational uncertainties) during high and low states. (4) Photoionization modeling indicates that a combination of three ionized absorbers, each split into two kinematic components, can explain the strengths of almost all the absorption lines and bound-free edges. These three components span a large range of ionization and have total column of about 4 × 1022 cm-2. Moreover, all three components are thermally stable and seem to have the same gas pressure. Thus, all three may coexist in the same volume of space. This is the first detection of such a multicomponent, equilibrium gas in an AGN. (5) The only real discrepancy between our model and the observations concerns the range of wavelengths absorbed by the iron M-shell UTA feature. This most likely arises as the result of our underestimation of the poorly known dielectronic recombination rates appropriate for these ions. We also note a small discrepancy in the calculated column density of O VI and discuss its possible origin. (6) The lower limit on the distance of the absorbing gas in NGC 3783 is between 0.2 and 3.2 pc, depending on the component of ionized gas considered. The assumption of pressure equilibrium imposes an upper limit of about 25 pc on the distance of the least-ionized component from the central source.


The process of globalization and increasing competitiveness in domestic and international markets has put pressure, and continues to do it, on tourist destinations, leading them to adopt territorial marketing practices. From the point of view of strategic management, the establishment of place brands emerges as a powerful tool, since it gives the destination an identity and, especially, an image, differentiating it from its competitors and making it appealing, which will attract visitors. Place branding precisely seeks to develop strategies involving the diffusion and consequent perception of a strong and positive image of the destination. Arouca is a rural region that still possesses many areas in depression, but has grown considerably in the tourism sector. In the last years the county was able to revive the economy by increasing the number of tourists, a result of its natural resources and efforts on the part of public authorities, which allowed the development of Nature Tourism in the region. Through the selected methodology, we will examine Arouca's image as perceived by the tourists, and by trying to study the focus of the investigation, it can be created a guide for practical applications in the strategic management of the municipality. The primary objective of this study is to understand the influence that the image exert in each of the phases of the tourist buying behavior. Hence, we studied the relationship between the image and purchase intentions in both the destination of choice phase and the post-purchase behavior, and between image and evaluative perceptions, the result of the experience in the destination. The results of the empirical analysis show that a place's image is an antecedent of purchase, perceived quality, satisfaction and intent to return and recommend, demonstrating that this is a crucial factor in the management of place marketing.


This perspective piece examines the history and geography of the Columbia River and some current ecosystem management issues related to hydroelectric development on the river. Once the greatest salmon producer in the word, the Columbia has, according to the author, become a "Ghost River," with its salmon runs reduced to remnants, and its ecological integrity hanging in the balance. The author suggests that British Columbians have much to lose, both biologically and culturally should this river ecosystem collapse. While the river will probably never flow freely again, the author maintains that it will be a test of our commitment to energy conservation and of our biological ingenuity, to bring the Columbia back from its current "ghost" status.


Abstract. The results of a field campaign carried out from early spring through to the late summer of 2000, in Bristol, England, are presented. Continuous measurements of over 40 hydrocarbons have been made at an urban background site, located at Bristol University, for approximately nine months using a Gas Chromatography - Flame Ionisation Detection (GC-FID) system and for a selection of halocarbons for approximately one month using a Gas Chromatography - Electron Capture Detection (GC-ECD) system. In this paper we present the time-series of the nine halocarbons and selected hydrocarbons. Daytime and night-time hydroxyl radical concentrations have been estimated based on the diurnal variations of a selection of the measured hydrocarbons. The average summer daytime concentration of OH was found to be 2.5x10 6 molecules cm -3 and the night-time concentration to be in the range 10 4 to 10 5 molecules cm -3 . In addition, the role played by certain VOCs in the formation of ozone is assessed using the POCP (Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential) concept.


What makes political regimes rise, endure, and fall? The main question is whether the observed close relation between levels of economic development and the incidence of democratic regimes is due to democracies being more likely to emerge or only more likely to survive in the more developed countries. We answer this question using data concerning 135 countries that existed at any time between 1950 and 1990. We find that the level of economic development does not affect the probability of transitions to democracy but that affluence does make democratic regimes more stable. The relation between affluence and democratic stability is monotonic, and the breakdown of democracies at middle levels of development is a phenomenon peculiar to the Southern Cone of Latin America. These patterns also appear to have been true of the earlier period, but dictatorships are more likely to survive in wealthy countries that became independent only after 1950. We conclude that modernization need not generate democracy but democracies survive in countries that are modern.


The approach to analysing population ageing and its impacts on the economy has evolved in recent years. There is increasing interest in the development and use of products and services related to gerontechnology as well as other social innovations that may be considered as central parts of the ''silver economy.'' However, the concept of silver economy is still being formed and requires detailed research. This article proposes a typology of models of the silver economy in the European Union (EU) at the national and regional levels. This typology was created by comparing the Active Ageing Index to the typology of varieties and cultures of capitalism and typology of the welfare states. Practical recommendations for institutions of the EU and directions for further research are discussed.


The main object of this study was to assess the productive and physiological responses of broiler chickens to dietary Pigeon Pea ( Cajanus cajan ) Leaf Meal (PPLM) as an ingredient. 200 day-old, unsexed Ross (303) broiler chicks were used as experimental birds; they were distributed to (5x10x4) following the completely randomized design (CRD). Experimental diets were formulated to (0.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5% and 10.0% PPLM), at the expense of alfalfa meal which was included at 10.0% in the control diet. Feed and water were provided ad labium. Experimental period lasted for 7 weeks. Results revealed that there was a significant difference (P<0.05) in feed intake between level (2.5% - 5.0%), PPLM and control. There was no significant difference in total body weight gain. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) results showed that all birds fed PPLM were lagging after control, no significant difference detected between control and 5.0% PPLM. In conclusion the study showed that Pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan ) leaf meal could be included in broiler diets at level 2.5-5.0% without any adverse effects on broiler performance.


This paper is concerned with the study of a non-local Burgers equation for positive bounded periodic initial data. The equation reads $$ u_t - u |\nabla| u + |\nabla|(u^2) = 0. $$ We construct global classical solutions starting from smooth positive data, and global weak solutions starting from data in $L^\infty$. We show that any weak solution is instantaneously regularized into $C^\infty$. We also describe the long-time behavior of all solutions. Our methods follow several recent advances in the regularity theory of parabolic integro-differential equations.


Cognitive translation studies has made great strides in recent decades. Thediscipline has engaged more deeply with the cognitive sciences, integrating thestudy of mental processes into its understanding of the translation task. Theinformation processing paradigm has been a mainstay of the conceptual frameworkof the cognitive sciences and has also been wholeheartedly adopted bycognitive translation scholars. However, we have really only focused on investigatingtwo of the three "levels" of cognitive information processing identified byMarr (1982): the computational (task) level and the algorithmic/representational(mental processing) level. We are only now just beginning to study the implementationlevel where mental processing during the translation task engageswith neural structures and arrays – the domain of cognitive neuroscience. Thischapter investigates some important issues in cognitive translation studies fromthe perspective of the information processing paradigm and the "implementation"level where translation is enacted in neuronal arrays. It also emphasizesnew research directions and points out the potential problems and opportunitiesof collaboration between translation science and cognitive neuroscience.


Steroid signaling underlies developmental processes in animals. Mutations that impair steroidogenesis in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster provide tools to dissect steroid hormone action genetically. The widely used temperature-sensitive mutation ecdysoneless1 (ecd1) disrupts production of the steroid hormone ecdysone, and causes developmental and reproductive defects. These defects cannot be satisfactorily interpreted without analysis of the ecd gene. Here, we show that ecd encodes an as yet functionally undescribed protein that is conserved throughout eukaryotes. The ecd1 conditional allele contains an amino acid substitution, whereas three non-conditional larval lethal mutations result in truncated Ecd proteins. Consistent with its role in steroid synthesis, Ecd is expressed in the ecdysone-producing larval ring gland. However, development of ecd-null early larval lethal mutants cannot be advanced by Ecd expression targeted to the ring gland or by hormone feeding. Cell-autonomous ecd function, suggested by these experiments, is evidenced by the inability of ecd– clones to survive within developing imaginal discs. Ecd is also expressed in the ovary, and is required in both the follicle cells and the germline for oocyte development. These defects, induced by the loss of ecd, provide the first direct evidence for a cell-autonomous function of this evolutionarily conserved protein.


Purpose To highlight the potential benefits for long-term use of silicone hydrogels daily disposable (DD) contact lenses, particularly with patients who are noncompliant, sleeping or napping while wearing their lenses, or those who have higher oxygen demands and wear this modality for decades. Methods Published data for corneal swelling with lenses and no lens wear were used to develop a nonlinear least squares model. The edema load experienced with a range of oxygen transmissibilities (Dk/t) and wear compliance (sleep and napping) was determined. A mixed-effects linear regression model was used to compare the edema load for high and average corneal swellers. Results The edema load generated demonstrates that a high Dk/t silicone hydrogel lens results in edema levels close to that with no lens wear. In comparison, hydrogels with a Dk/t of 27 (× 10−9 [cm mL{O2}][s mL mm Hg]), worn on a daily wear schedule will result in 1.5 times more edema and up to two times more if the patient is noncompliant over each decade of wear. High swellers after four decades of wear will have an edema load 10 to 17 times greater than average swellers depending on Dk/t and their degree of noncompliance with the daily wear modality. Conclusions Prescribing silicone hydrogel DD lenses, particularly with higher DK/t, may help to maintain the long-term ocular health of patients, when they wear their lenses fulltime for many decades. Translational Relevance Illustrates the importance of Dk/t for any CL wear modality where patients nap or sleep in lenses or have high oxygen needs.


This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) performance assessment, reliability engineering, production management, availability. This article presents a model of performance analysis for a truck fleet system in an openpit mine, considering special characteristics of haul fleets. In these systems, the expected availability of each piece of equipment and its operating capacity are the fundamental variables to construct a global fleet performance function. Our analytical algorithm considers heterogeneous fleets with known individual characteristics of transport capacity and failure and repair behavior. The results converge to a new indicator denominated "Equivalent Availability" (EA), which arises from the need to evaluate the capacity of the truck fleet to operate at a lower payload than required using different combinations of equipment to achieve an availability goal. EA is a key indicator to determine the productive capacity of a process, and for selecting equipment and their combinations to achieve production objectives. To exemplify the potentialities of the EA, a case study is implemented in a Chilean copper truck fleet mining process. Highlights Abstract


This paper examines the spatial patterns and correlates of fertility among non-Hispanic white women in the United States. While the United States is often discussed as an exception to the below replacement fertility patterns of Europe our analysis documents that marriage and fertility postponement and premarital cohabitation in the US are following the same trends as in western Europe. In fact several Northeastern states in the US show age-specific fertility trends that are in line with the Netherlands which has the latest age schedule of fertility in Europe. The United States is well on its way to a second demographic transition (SDT) with rising ages at marriage growing rates of cohabitation increases in single person households declining remarriage rates a trend towards fertility postponement and higher rates of childlessness. However just as in Europe major regional leads and lags in patterns of reproduction and political values are present in the United States. The states in the Northeastern US as well as those on the west coast and along the Great Lakes exhibit family formation and fertility patterns that are very similar to those of Europe while much of the South the Great Plains and some Mountain states exhibit traditional patterns of fertility based on early marriage and childbearing and high teen and non-marital fertility. The same states that score high on the SDT factor are also the "blue" states of the last few political elections. The second demographic transition is clearly correlated with religious and political dimensions. After controlling for structural ethnic and religious factors we find that the SDT patterning is co-responsible for the political divide and election results in the US. (authors)


Because news websites' comments have become an important space of spreading hate speech, this article tries to contribute to uncovering the characteristics of Internet hate speech by combining discourse analyses of comments on Slovenian news websites with online in-depth interviews with producers of hate speech comments, researching their values, beliefs, and motives for production. Producers of hate speech use different strategies, mostly rearticulating the meaning of news items. The producers either are organized or act on their own initiative. The main motive of soldiers and believers is the mission; they share characteristics of an authoritarian personality. The key motives of the players are thrill and fun. The watchdogs are motivated by drawing attention to social injustice. The last two groups share the characteristics of a libertarian personality.