OBJECTIVE Although never assessed prospectively, diabetes mellitus (DM) is assumed to negatively affect the outcomes of critical limb ischemia (CLI). DM was highly prevalent in two recently conducted randomized controlled trials in CLI patients, the PADI (Percutaneous Transluminal Balloon Angioplasty [PTA] and Drug Eluting Stents for Infrapopliteal Lesions in Critical Limb Ischemia) and JUVENTAS (Rejuvenating Endothelial Progenitor Cells via Transcutaneous Intra-Arterial Supplementation) trials. To determine the implications of DM in a population of patients with infrapopliteal CLI, clinical outcomes were compared in patients with and without DM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Individual data from patients with CLI (Rutherford category ≥4) were pooled. Patients were considered to have DM when this diagnosis was reported in the hospital electronic medical records. Rates of major amputation (above ankle level) and major events (major amputation or death) were compared between CLI patients with and without DM. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated. RESULTS Of a total of 281 patients, DM was present in 49.1%. The major amputation rate at 5 years of follow-up was higher in patients with DM than in patients without DM (34.1% vs. 20.4%, P = 0.015). The major event and death rate did not differ. The unadjusted HR of DM for the major amputation risk was 1.87 (95% CI 1.12–3.12). Model factors with significant HRs in the multivariate analysis were baseline Rutherford category (HR 1.95; 95% CI 1.24–3.06) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) >1.4 (HR 2.78; 95% CI 1.37–5.64). CONCLUSIONS CLI patients with DM are at a significantly higher risk of major amputation than CLI patients without DM. This increased risk is associated with a higher prevalence of baseline ABI >1.4 and more severe ischemia at initial presentation in patients with DM.


Although I am a graduate of Northwestern Law School, this is my first Northwestern Law School commencement. The Class of 1947, of which I am a member, completed its six semesters of study in just two calendar years. We were mostly veterans of World War II anxious to begin earning an honest living as promptly as possible. Northwestern, like a number of other law schools, offered an expedited program that attracted students like us. In the summer of 1947-my last term-I only took one course: federal taxation. Because I was scheduled to start work in Washington soon as a law clerk, I was allowed to leave Chicago early, without taking my final tax exam or attending the graduation ceremony. I mention this history so that you will excuse any mistakes that you have found in my opinions in tax cases as well as deficiencies in this commencement address. I promise you, however, that my remarks will be brief. I first congratulate you on your successful completion of your studies and welcome you to the proud group of Northwestern alumni. I shall add a comment about our Constitution and conclude with the obligatory giving of advice-including, in this case, two bits that I received from members of the Northwestern faculty: Homer Carey and Willard Pedrick. During my freshman year in 1945, our principal study materials were casebooks that were arranged by the kinds of controversies that they presented, rather than by the rules that they illustrated. Thus, in Professor Havighurst's course on contracts, instead of studying rules about offer and acceptance, material breach, or the doctrine of consideration, we progressed from cases about personal service contracts to construction contracts, financing arrangements, and so on. In torts, instead of studying foreseeability or proximate cause, we began with personal injury cases, then turned to cases involving fire losses, cases involving injuries to reputation, and so on. The emphasis was on fact patterns and the relative roles of the judge and the jury in resolving particular issues. Leon Green, our dean and torts professor, who had written scholarly essays in a volume entitled "Judge and Jury," contrasted his approach to law teaching to the rule-oriented approach that the Michigan and Harvard law schools followed. I have often thought that I received a vertical legal education that emphasized the importance of procedures that identify the correct decisionmaker, rather than a horizontal education that emphasized the rules that govern the conduct of law-abiding citizens. While we cherish the principle that we live under a government of laws, not of men, we also must recognize that specific applications of the law are the product of decisions made by executive officers and by the men and women who serve as jurors and judges. Identifying the proper decisionmaker is central to the administration of our system of justice. When our Constitution was adopted, much lawmaking was intimately tied to specific disputes and the judges who adjudicated them. Judges routinely developed rules of law piecemeal as they explained their decisions in cases arising out of fact-intensive controversies. The Framers did not attempt to drafta Napoleonic Code or a set of substantive rules. Instead, their work product created three broad categories of decisionmakers and procedures defining how and by whom they should be chosen. The categories are not mutually exclusive, because the President's veto power gives him a voice in rulemaking1 and the Senate must confirm his judicial appointments.2 The guarantee of life tenure affects the quality of the judicial process without dictating any outcomes. In short, the common law lawyers who drafted the Constitution created a system of lawmaking in which they expected the members of all three branches to participate. Instead of trying to answer questions they could not anticipate, they forged a framework in which wise decisionmakers cooperated and clashed in a continuing effort to form a more perfect union. …


In 1965 Congress passed the Ocean Research Vessel Act (ORVA) with the purpose of encouraging the nation's efforts in oceanographic studies. Section 4 of the ORVA states that 11 scientific personnel on an oceanographic research vessel shall not be considered seamen under the provisions of title 53 of the Revised Statutes ... 11 • As a result of a literal interpretation of this wording, the Courts have ruled that scientific personnel are excluded from the beneficial remedies afforded all other seamen under the Jones Act. Some courts have also denied an injured scientist "seaman status" under the general maritime law. This paper argues that Congress never intended to exclude scientists from the statutory protection of the Jones Act, and that this inequitable circumstance has arisen due to faulty interpretation of the ORVA's legislative history. Scientists on research vessels work in a hazardous environment. They are exposed to the "perils of the sea" to the same degree as all other blue water seamen. The paper calls for Congressional re-evaluation of the ORVA, with the .purpose of amending Section 4, in order to clarify its original meaning and ensure an injured scientist the same remedies afforded all seamen.


"This paper starts by presenting, in short, the architecture developed within European Project ESPRIT III 6660 RoadRobot (Operator Assisted Mobile Road Robot For Heavy Duty Civil Engineering Applications), that aimed towards the full automation of road construction sites. The purpose of the architecture was to lay the basis for the development of a system capable of integrating a set of applications in a common architecture based on the use of a standard (ISO 10303-STEP).
 The presented architecture has demonstrated the full integration of information and control, starting by loading the information from the selected CAE system (InRoads from Intergraph), down, through the intermediate steps, to the automatic control of a Road Paver from German manufacturer VOGELE.
 The main focus of the paper is on the standard-based information models that have been developed to represent project information throughout the road construction cycle.
 The initial Road Model Kernel created by TNO has been extended to support road specifications that include an update on the specification of asphalt layers for road paving, but also the addition of geological information for the specification of excavation tasks.
 A set of models has been developed for the maintenance of information regarding planning and scheduling of tasks, which takes into account the project information.
 A model for resources is used form maintaining resource information for allocation during planning and scheduling.
 Finally a control model has been developed for control of execution of tasks.
 The RoadRobot has demonstrated the use of this architecture, and its underlying information models on a demonstration where information downloaded from the CAE system has made its way to a road paver who paved a road segment without on-site human intervention."


Little is known of how client fish minimise the costs of cleaning behaviour while maximising ectoparasite removal by cleaner fish. Previous studies have found that abundance on fish and infestation behaviour of gnathiid isopods, the main parasite eaten by cleaner fish, varies diurnally. We examined whether reduced foraging is a cost of cleaning behaviour in clients and whether the behaviour of the client fish, the thick-lipped wrasse Hemigymnus melapterus, towards the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus varied diurnally to maximise ectoparasite removal, possibly in response to the diurnal changes in the abundance and infestation patterns of gnathiids. We found that during the midday and afternoon, client foraging rates were negatively related to the duration and frequency of inspections, suggesting that cleaning may, at some times of the day, be energetically costly to the client in terms of reduced foraging opportunities. Surprisingly, we found that the duration and frequency of inspections of clients by cleaners did not vary among diel time periods. A model of gnathiid dynamics on individual fish is proposed. It shows that the observed diurnal pattern in gnathiid abundance on fish can be generated with the constant duration and frequency of inspections that was observed in this study. Thus clients would not have more gnathiids removed by modifying their cleaning behaviour.


In order to detect the gamma-ray emission from cosmic ray (CR) interactions with the intra-cluster medium, the ground-based imaging Cherenkov telescope MAGIC conducted the deepest-to-date observational campaign targeting a galaxy cluster at very high-energies (> 100 GeV) and observed the Perseus cluster for a total of 85 hr during 2009-2011. The observations constrain the average CR-to-thermal pressure ratio to be 1-2% and the maximum CR acceleration efficiency at structure formation shocks to be 4-9 muG. This range is well below the field strength inferred from Faraday rotation measurements and, therefore, the hadronic model remains a plausible explanation of the Perseus radio mini-halo. Following this successful campaign, MAGIC is continuing collecting data on Perseus.


As humans, our goals and our environment are persistently changing throughout our lifetime based on our experiences, actions, and internal and external drives. In contrast, typical reinforcement learning problem set-ups consider decision processes that are stationary across episodes. Can we develop reinforcement learning algorithms that can cope with the persistent change in the former, more realistic problem settings? While on-policy algorithms such as policy gradients in principle can be extended to non-stationary settings, the same cannot be said for more efficient off-policy algorithms that replay past experiences when learning. In this work, we formalize this problem setting, and draw upon ideas from the online learning and probabilistic inference literature to derive an off-policy RL algorithm that can reason about and tackle such lifelong non-stationarity. Our method leverages latent variable models to learn a representation of the environment from current and past experiences, and performs off-policy RL with this representation. We further introduce several simulation environments that exhibit lifelong non-stationarity, and empirically find that our approach substantially outperforms approaches that do not reason about environment shift.


The past decade has seen intense curriculum reform in vocational education in Europe. Learning outcomes now provide the foundation for curriculum design in all European countries seeking to make vocational training more attractive and responsive to leaners' and labour market needs.

This Cedefop research paper, addressing 32 countries participating in Education and Training 2020, discusses different curriculum policies focusing on learning outcomes and examines the implications these have on teaching and learners' assessment in initial VET. Conclusions propose key policy messages for effective curriculum design processes and curriculum delivery that may benefit learners.


It is a reality that educational technology plays a remarkable role in strengthening and facilitating instructional process. Educational technologies are useful and effective in maximizing educational attainment at each level. The purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of educational technology in strengthening students' achievement in English at secondary school level. All the students at secondary school level in Kohat Division constituted the population of the study. The study was delimited to the students of Govt. High School Khurram (Karak). The study was further delimited to the students of 9 th class. Forty students of 9 th class were selected as sample. Sample students were divided into two groups i.e. control group and experimental group on the basis of pre-test. Each group was comprised of 20 students. The study was experimental in nature therefore pre-test and post-test research design was used as research instrument. Statistical tools i.e. the mean, standard deviation and differences of means were computed for each group. Significance of difference between the mean scores of both the experimental and control groups on the variable of pre-test and post test scores was tested at 0.05 levels by applying t-test. After statistical analysis of the data, the researchers arrived at the conclusions that educational technology plays a vital role in teaching of English at secondary level. Educational technologies were found to be more effective and successful in teaching of English. The students of experimental group showed unexpected and astonishing performance as compared to the students of control group. On the basis of the findings, it is strongly recommended that availability of educational technologies should be ensured and utilized at secondary school level. KEYWORDS: Effectiveness; Educational Technology; Students' Achievement; English; Secondary Level


Automated neural architecture search (NAS) methods have been demonstrated as a powerful tool to facilitate neural architecture design. However, the broad applicability of NAS has been restrained due to the difficulty of designing task-specific search spaces and the necessity and verbosity to implement every NAS component from scratch when switching to another search space. In this work, we propose ModularNAS, a framework that implements essential components of NAS in a modularized and unified manner. It enables automatic search space generation for customized use cases while reusing predefined search strategies, with little extra work needed for each case. We conduct extensive experiments to verify the improved model performance on various tasks by reusing supported NAS components over customized search spaces. We have also shown that targeting existing architectures, ModularNAS can find superior ones concerning accuracy and deployment efficiency, such as latency and FLOPS. The source code of our framework can be found at https://github.com/huawei-noah/ vega/tree/master/vega/algorithms/nas/modnas.


Using three major U.K. pension reforms as natural experiments we investigate the relationship between pension saving and discretionary private savings. Unlike most differences-in-differences approaches which rely on average differences between control and treatment group, we use economic theory to model the response of each individual household. The empirical analysis, based on the Family Expenditure Survey, uses both time-series and cross-sectional variation to identify the behavioral response. The earnings-related tier of the pension scheme is found to have a negative impact on private savings with relatively high substitution elasticities; the impact of the flat-rate tier is not significantly different from zero.


Cooperative Extension personnel are responsible for disseminating information of university-based research to the people of their state. At Utah State University, there were no library services in place to assist this population in meeting the demands for information. Extension personnel were surveyed to identify useful library services, and the results were used to develop and market library services. The land-grant university system was initiated by the Morrill Acts of 1862/1890 and expanded by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. As a result of these acts of Congress, land-grant universities and colleges, including Utah State University (USU), have as their mission three goals: research, education, and service. The Smith-Lever Act also established the Cooperative Extension System to exist in conjunction with land-grant universities. The purpose of this national system, which consists of three partners--the United States Department of Agriculture, state land-grant institutions, and local agencies at the city and county levels--is to bring practical and useful applications of university research to the people throughout each state.[1] This is accomplished at the local level through the work of Cooperative Extension agents stationed in nearly every county within the state. Utah State University is somewhat unique among land-grant universities in its organization of Utah's Cooperative Extension Service. In 1970, the university combined its traditional Cooperative Extension program with the academic programs and services of its eight colleges and departments, preparing university extension to provide a broader range of informational services beyond those in agriculture, natural resources, and family life. A 1995 survey of 1,678 Utah residents and 70 Utah legislators conducted by Extension Services indicated the need for extension's primary responsibility to shift. Traditionally, extension's role was the dissemination of information in areas such as agriculture and family life but should now include the dissemination of information in new areas such as urban growth and development, education, taxes, gangs, and crime as well. As communities experience changing needs for information, extension agents are required to serve different audiences and provide services in new ways. Providing the public with access to information is a function shared by both Cooperative Extension Service and the land-grant-based academic library. The library's role, despite the changing nature of information storage, retrieval, and delivery, remains to collect, preserve, and provide access to information on a wide range of subjects. Similarly, the role of Extension Service, which has been experiencing changes comparable to libraries, calls for it to provide access to information through making the practical application of university-based research and knowledge accessible to the citizens of every state. Extension is exploring new channels of delivery as Rasmussen discusses in Taking the University to the People: Seventy-five Years of Cooperative Extension: Extension should adopt program delivery systems that will enable it to act as the resource base for disseminating applied research, reaching a wide range of new and present audiences, and extending its educational programs beyond traditional spheres. Extension must act decisively to maintain its role as the arm of the land-grant university providing research-based knowledge and educational programs having a positive impact on issues affecting agriculture, communities, families, and youth. It must move beyond service to the traditional agricultural producers, homemakers clubs, and 4-H clubs to become a recognized program developer and valued educational resource for organizations, agencies, and localities as well as for its traditional clientele.[2] Meeting these demands for new types of information and new systems of delivery is a challenge currently facing extension personnel and is an opportunity for the university land-grant library to identify and develop types of services and programs that would benefit extension personnel in meeting their challenges. …


The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the world to stop It has halted societal modes of being and operating, and collective responsibility is now premised on a discourse of prevention or fear These tensions are also relevant to higher education In this situation report we aim to elucidate such tensions through Pacific Indigenous philosophy that affirms collective and relational ontologies by way of transnational Pasifika engagement in the university This report is produced by two Pasifika researchers who have never physically met However, through the digital va, their voices are connected to tell this story © 2020, Nga Pae o te Maramatanga All rights reserved


Today, medicinal herbs have been widely used due to antimicrobial, antioxidant properties and less
harmful than of chemical compounds. Since ancient times, the medical system in different countries
such as Africa, China, India and the Middle East countries, frankincense has been used as antiinflammatory,
anti-arthritic, analgesic and anti-proliferation in the treatment of related diseases,
chronic diseases of the bowel, asthma, brain edema and other diseases. Several clinical studies that
have shown their biological activity the mechanism of action of this plant, have confirmed their
anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. Boswellic acids, are the main active component of
frankincense and responsible for its therapeutic effects. This review was studied the therapeutic
effects of frankincense using the keywords frankincense, boswellic acid, anti-inflammation,
intestinal diseases, cancer, diabetes, asthma, brain tumor, fertility and memory. Frankincense with
anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritis, anti-proliferative, antimicrobial and analgesic effects at the least
side effects and recommended dose could reduce the symptoms of many diseases in traditional and
modern medicine.


Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 interacts with the TIRAP-MyD88 pair of adaptor proteins to stimulate the production of inflammatory cytokines and with the TRAM-TRIF pair to stimulate the production of type I interferons (see Watts). Curious about how TLR4 coordinates activation of these two signaling pathways, Kagan et al. used tagged constructs to analyze TLR4 location in macrophages and found that it was present both at the plasma membrane and in early endosomes. Inhibition of dynamin-dependent endocytosis prevented lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced internalization of endogenous TLR4 and blocked TRAM-TRIF-dependent phosphorylation of the transcription factor IRF3 (and the expression of target genes), whereas TIRAP-MyD88-dependent phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and IκBα degradation were unaffected. Whereas fluorescently labeled TIRAP localized to the plasma membrane, fluorescently labeled TRAM was present at both the plasma membrane and in early endosomes. Overall TRAM localization depended on the first 20 residues, a bipartite motif consisting of a previously characterized myristoylation motif (the first 7 residues) followed by a region enriched in basic and aromatic residues, with the myristoylation motif alone sufficient for localization to endosomes. Analyses of LPS-induced cytokine production by TRAM localization mutants indicated that TLR4 signaling through TRAM-TRIF took place in endosomes. Noting that no known TLRs stimulate type I interferon production from the plasma membrane (TLR4 had been thought to be the lone exception), the authors determined that localization of TRAF3 (an adaptor critical for type I interferon production) was solely cytosolic. Moreover, targeting of TRAF3 to the plasma membrane enabled interferon-β induction by TLR2, which isn't usually involved in this pathway. The authors thus propose that TLR4 stimulates TIRAP-MyD88 signaling from the cell surface and initiates TRAM-TRIF signaling only after internalization. J. C. Kagan, T. Su, T. Horng, A. Chow, S. Akira, R. Medzhitov, TRAM couples endocytosis of Toll-like receptor 4 to the induction of interferon-β. Nat Immunol. 9, 361-368 (2008). [PubMed] C. Watts, Location, location, location: Identifying the neighborhoods of LPS signaling. Nat Immunol. 9, 343-345 (2008). [PubMed]


The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a next generation ground-based very-high-energy gamma-ray observatory that will allow for observations in the>10 GeV range with unprecedented photon statistics and sensitivity. This will enable the investigation of the yet-marginally explored physics of short-time-scale transient events. CTA will thus become an invaluable instrument for the study of the physics of the most extreme and violent objects and their interactions with the surrounding environment. The CTA Transient program includes follow-up observations of a wide range of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger alerts, ranging from compact galactic binary systems to extragalactic events such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), core-collapse supernovae and bright AGN flares. In recent years, the first firm detection of GRBs by current Cherenkov telescope collaborations, the proven connection between gravitational waves and short GRBs, as well as the possible neutrino-blazar association with TXS~0506+056 have shown the importance of coordinated follow-up observations triggered by these different cosmic signals in the framework of the birth of multi-messenger astrophysics. In the next years, CTA will play a major role in these types of observations by taking advantage of its fast slewing (especially for the CTA Large Size Telescopes), large effective area and good sensitivity, opening new opportunities for time-domain astrophysics in an energy range not affected by selective absorption processes typical of other wavelengths. In this contribution we highlight the common approach adopted by the CTA Transients physics working group to perform the study of transient sources in the very-high-energy regime.


Abstract. In order to exploit the full-earth viewing potential of satellite instruments to globally characterise aerosols, new algorithms are required to deduce key microphysical parameters like the particle size distribution and optical parameters associated with scattering and absorption from space remote sensing data. Here, a methodology based on neural networks is developed to retrieve such parameters from satellite inputs and to validate them with ground-based remote sensing data. For key combinations of input variables available from the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) and the Ozone Measuring Instrument (OMI) Level 3 data sets, a grid of 100 feed-forward neural network architectures is produced, each having a different number of neurons and training proportion. The networks are trained with principal components accounting for 98% of the variance of the inputs together with principal components formed from 38 AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) Level 2.0 (Version 2) retrieved parameters as outputs. Daily averaged, co-located and synchronous data drawn from a cluster of AERONET sites centred on the peak of dust extinction in Northern Africa is used for network training and validation, and the optimal network architecture for each input parameter combination is identified with reference to the lowest mean squared error. The trained networks are then fed with unseen data at the coastal dust site Dakar to test their simulation performance. A neural network (NN), trained with co-located and synchronous satellite inputs comprising three aerosol optical depth measurements at 470, 550 and 660 nm, plus the columnar water vapour (from MODIS) and the modelled absorption aerosol optical depth at 500 nm (from OMI), was able to simultaneously retrieve the daily averaged size distribution, the coarse mode volume, the imaginary part of the complex refractive index, and the spectral single scattering albedo – with moderate precision: correlation coefficients in the range 0.368 ≤ R ≤ 0.514. The network failed to recover the spectral behaviour of the real part of the complex refractive index. This new methodological approach appears to offer some potential for moderately accurate daily retrieval of the total volume concentration of the coarse mode of aerosol at the Saharan dust peak in the area of Northern Africa.


Knowledge transmission and knowledge construction are two common approaches adopted for teaching and learning in higher education. Applying the two different approaches, this paper developed an evaluation model of teaching and learning, which comprises three main conceptual blocks: teaching, learning and learning assistance. A quantitative survey was utilised, collecting data from the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) along with the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) from 108 randomly selected courses at a university in Taiwan. The results demonstrated an R² value of 0.794. The route between teaching and learning was not statistically significant (t=0.0359), indicating that knowledge is constructed in the mind of the student with learning assistance as the mediator.


This study aimed to describe the kind of deixis on 'Ayat-Ayat Cinta' Novel. Theoretically, this study is expected to be useful for researchers of language and literature because the novel has its own peculiarities. For teacher, this study can be used as a reference material to conduct a study of literary texts. Practically, this research can contribute the importance of understanding and preserving literature through language, especially for the next generation so that the value of emotions which contained in the language will be resolved. This study used a qualitative descriptive method in the form of content analisys. The data used in this study were deixis be sourced from 'Ayat-Ayat Cinta' novel. Furthermore, the data that have been collected are transcribe and grouped according to characteristic, form, and function that are related to the formulation of the problem in research. Based on the data analysis, it was found that the most dominant deixis is spell deixis. Then, there was also time deixis, place deixis, discourse deixis and social deixis in the novel.


Small satellites are often subjected to severe vibrational load and acoustic impulse by launchers. However, large structural modifications or equipment of control system are not usually used because of sizes of structures, constraints of weight and costs. As simple and effective ways, adding stiffeners and damping materials are sometime used. Alternative way is to isolate small satellite directly from vibrational loads transmitted from the main rocket body. In other words, such launch vehicle adapters (LVA) should be so desired that may transmit the vibrational load little to the satellites. The number of launches of small satellites will be expected to increase lately where some kinds of small satellites may be installed at a time by using one platform. Therefore, LVAs are desired to design optimally that have less sensitivity of the response to the vibration input, the number and the specifications of different small satellites. So in this study before considering topology and shape optimization design of LVAs, attention is paid to the position of small satellite on the LVA tables, layout of small satellites which can be used robustly for a variety of small satellites.


Psychiatric disorders are caused not only by genetic factors but also by complicated factors such as environmental ones. Moreover, environmental factors are rarely quantitated as biological and biochemical indicators, making it extremely difficult to understand the pathological conditions of psychiatric disorders as well as their underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Additionally, we have actually no other option but to perform biological studies on postmortem human brains that display features of psychiatric disorders, thereby resulting in a lack of experimental materials to characterize the basic biology of these disorders. From these backgrounds, animal, tissue, or cell models that can be used in basic research are indispensable to understand biologically the pathogenic mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. In this review, we discuss the importance of microendophenotypes of psychiatric disorders, i.e., phenotypes at the level of molecular dynamics, neurons, synapses, and neural circuits, as targets of basic research on these disorders.


The intensity distribution of the beam from a laser operated in the TEM(00) mode is Gaussian. In some applications it is desirable to have a uniform intensity over a certain region in space. For example, when a Gaussian beam is incident on a smooth surface containing small isolated defects the amount of light scattered by a defect will depend on the position of the defect relative to the center of the beam. In the past, several techniques have been devised to convert a Gaussian intensity profile into a uniform intensity over a specified region in space. In the present work a method of normalization is described that makes direct use of the Gaussian intensity distribution of the TEM(00) mode. By this method, the amount of light scattered by a defect can be normalized to the value that would be observed if the defect were located at the center of the beam for a defect small in size compared with the 1/e(2) diameter of the Gaussian profile. Experimental data were obtained that verify the theory.


This paper reviews the two decades of economic development in Vietnam since Doi Moi, with the recurrent theme that integration with the world economy brings substantial benefits when accompanied by domestic reforms-when transition catches up with integration. In the 1990s, liberalisation of the agricultural sector-and of trade generally-led to rapid economic growth and reductions in poverty. Since 2001, addressing the extreme bias against the private sector has resulted in growth via development of labour-intensive industries as well as enabling Vietnam to climb onto the first rung of the ladder in the global supply chains of electronics and related manufacturing. However, deeper international integration has made the economy more vulnerable to external shocks. Although Vietnam achieved two decades of rapid growth as well as survived the global financial crisis in better shape than most other economies of similar size in the region, prospects of sustaining another decade of rapid growth are far from assured. Vietnam still has very large state-owned enterprises in capital-intensive industries. The recent extension of these large enterprises into real estate and finance contributed to de-stabilise the macro-economy, and administrative measures were adopted to pare back some of these 'non-core' activities. However, administrative measures are hard to sustain once a crisis is over. The Vietnamese government has the goal of transforming Vietnam into an industrialised society over the coming decade. The recent macroeconomic turbulence has demonstrated that the country needs strong macroeconomic institutions capable of stabilising the economy and setting the parameters for resumption of rapid growth. Thus there is a strong case for the development of modern public institutions as the focus of the third phase of reforms. Copyright © 2010 The Author. Journal compilation © 2010 Crawford School of Economics and Government, The Australian National University and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd..


Abstract. A metamaterial-based energy harvesting structure has been designed and experimentally tested in this study. The proposed structure has square and split ring resonators placed in different angles on the back and front sides for compatible multiband operation in energy harvesting. Resonance points have been defined at 900 MHz, 1.37 GHz, 1.61 GHz, 1.80 GHz, and 2.55 GHz, by simulation and experimental methods. These points correspond to Global System for Communication (GSM) 900, GSM 1800, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), satellite navigation, and Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band frequencies. Supporting multiband application in a single structure without changing dimensions or design is one of the properties of this study. To harvest captived electromagnetic energy, an HSMS 2860 Schottky diode has been used. For wireless power transmission efficiency, voltage across the Schottky diode has been measured by a spectrum analyzer in different points experimentally. The maximum obtained voltage across the Schottky diode is 90 mV at 1800 MHz when a 500 mV signal is applied from a 5 cm distance. Simulated and experimental results prove that the proposed structure can effectively be used in GSM, satellite communication, and UMTS electromagnetic bands for energy harvesting and filtering applications.


Abstract The majority of contemporary research on terrorism and extremism has focused on jihadi extremism, while other ideologies have received far less attention. In response to this gap, the current study aims to compare the similarities and differences between jihadi, right-wing and left-wing extremists at the individual level. Using the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) dataset, a multinomial logistic regression model was used to compare individual-level characteristics across ideologies. Additionally, a two-step cluster analysis was conducted to determine whether these similarities and differences can provide additional insights into differentiating types of extremists generally based on their personal characteristics, regardless of their ideological adherence. The results of the multinomial logistic regression illustrate that there are notable differences across extremist ideologies, but also many similarities. Further exploring ways to better highlight individual-level differences, a cluster analysis revealed five distinct groups of extremists based on their personal characteristics, and demonstrate the utility of a typology of individual characteristics that is empirically derived and validated, and is not dependent on the a priori identification or specification of ideological motivation.


Showcasing the first Ferris wheel, dazzling and unprecedented electrification, and exhibits from around the world, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was Chicago's chance to demonstrate that it had risen from the ashes of the Great Fire and was about to take its place as one of the world's great cities. Millions would flock to the fair, and many of them were looking for a good time before and after their visits to the Midway and the White City. But what was the bedazzled visitor to do in Chicago? Chicago by Day and Night: The Pleasure Seeker's Guide to the Paris of America, a very unofficial guide to the world beyond the fair, slaked the thirst of such curious folk. The pleasures it details range from the respectable (theater, architecture, parks, churches and synagogues) to the illicit—drink, gambling, and sex. With a wink and a nod, the book decries vice while offering precise directions for the indulgence of any desire. In this newly annotated edition, Chicagoans Paul Durica and Bill Savage—who, if born earlier, might have written chapters in the original—provide colorful context and an informative introduction to a wildly entertaining journey through the Chicago of 120 years ago.


More than one out of every eight students in America is classified as having a disability under the provisions of IDEA (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010). Yet nearly every metric used to measure post-high school success (employment, independent living, post-high school education/training) shows the majority of students with disabilities do not succeed (NCES, 2010). The chief safeguard for special education students are their parents, who are explicitly written into nearly every aspect of the special education process. Research shows as parents become more involved and empowered in the special education process outcomes for students improve (Stoner et al., 2005), which underscores the importance of collaboration between parents and educators (Fish, 2006). Goodall and Bruder (1986) emphasized that educators seek and use parental knowledge because no one knows a child better than his or her parent. Unfortunately, parents in many cases do not possess the confidence with legal and procedural knowledge they need to assert their role in the special education process. The result of this creative project was the creation and evaluation of a smartphonefriendly, special education law and procedure website for the parents of special education students. The text of the website outlines the broad aspects of Utah special education law and procedure (i.e. child find, referral for evaluation, testing and eligibility process, the 13 disability classes, the IEP process, and manifestation determination) and has an 8.2 readability level as measured by the Flesch-Kincaid readability measure. First round feedback was provided by three special education evaluators on the text's clarity, accuracy, and completeness. Revisions were made and a second round of three special education evaluators reviewed the text and found it to be clear, accurate, and complete. Six parent evaluators found the website easy to use and the text


Background Household air pollution adversely affects human health and the environment, yet more than 40% of the world still depends on solid cooking fuels. The House Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) randomized controlled trial is assessing the health effects of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove and 18-month supply of free fuel in 3,200 households in rural Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda. Aims We conducted formative research in Guatemala to create visual messages that support the sustained, exclusive use of LPG in HAPIN intervention households. Method We conducted ethnographic research, including direct observation (n = 36), in-depth (n = 18), and semistructured (n = 6) interviews, and 24 focus group discussions (n = 96) to understand participants' experience with LPG. Sixty participants were selected from a pilot study of LPG stove and 2-months of free fuel to assess the acceptability and use of LPG. Emergent themes were used to create visual messages based on observations and interviews in 40 households; messages were tested and revised in focus group discussions with 20 households. Results We identified 50 codes related to household air pollution and stoves; these were reduced into 24 themes relevant to LPG stoves, prioritizing 12 for calendars. Messages addressed fear and reluctance to use LPG; preference of wood stoves for cooking traditional foods; sustainability and accessibility of fuel; association between health outcomes and household air pollution; and the need for inspirational and aspirational messages. Discussion We created a flip chart and calendar illustrating themes to promote exclusive LPG use in HAPIN intervention households.


The way in which computers are used is important in the theory, philosophy and practice of architecture. Architects are already using computers to construct complex three dimensional geometric models of their buildings and are beginning to analyse these models using environmental and structural software, a development which raises new questions about the role of architects and engineers. This dissertation puts forward the hypothesis that architects will at times need to be actively involved in computer programming by writing or modifying software. The hypothesis is based on the assumption that the form of a building and its spatial configuration are influenced by the nature of the design process itself. If architects are to have a complete and subtle control over design and to identify their own personal aesthetic language, they must also have control over the design process including the way computer software tools are developed and used. The hypothesis is tested using the example of a ferry terminal, a building type whose function is largely dominated by passenger circulation. Even thought passengers have a very straightforward aim to reach their final destination, the rules governing the way passengers move around the building are complex and a single computer program will not be able to cover all possible aspects of such behaviour. Thus, architects must have the freedom to formulate different rules and study the effects they have on their design. This particularly applies in non-emergency situations when each individual moves inside the building according to different needs and desires. A program was written which runs in real time so that the architect can see the effect of changing the parameters that control the process. The program can be used as evaluation mechanism to study the performance of postulated design or it can be use as creative mechanism where the design may emerge out of the process in the same way that animals create paths in the woods. Either way, the general aim is to optimize the design according to criteria over which the architect, again, must have complete control.


We tested the hypothesis that the work of the heart was not a limiting factor in the attainment of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max). We measured cardiac output (Q) and blood pressures (BP) during exercise at two different rates of maximal work to estimate the work of the heart through calculation of the rate-pressure product, as a part of the ongoing discussion regarding factors limiting VO2 max. Eight well-trained men (age 24.4 +/- 2.8 yr, weight 81.3 +/- 7.8 kg, and VO2 max 59.1 +/- 2.0 ml x min(-1) x kg(-1)) performed two maximal combined arm and leg exercises, differing 10% in watts, with average duration of time to exhaustion of 4 min 50 s and 3 min 40 s, respectively. There were no differences between work rates in measured VO2 max, maximal Q, and peak heart rate between work rates (0.02 l/min, 0.3 l/min, and 0.8 beats/min, respectively), but the systolic, diastolic, and calculated mean BP were significantly higher (19, 5, and 10 mmHg, respectively) in the higher than in the lower maximal work rate. The products of heart rate times systolic or mean BP and Q times systolic or mean BP were significantly higher (3,715, 1,780, 569, and 1,780, respectively) during the higher than the lower work rate. Differences in these four products indicate a higher mechanical work of the heart on higher than lower maximal work rate. Therefore, this study does not support the theory, which states that the work of the heart, and consequently VO2 max, during maximal exercise is hindered by a command from the central nervous system aiming at protecting the heart from being ischemic.


Strong gravitational lensing (SL) is a powerful means of mapping the distribution of dark matter. In this work, we perform an SL analysis of the prominent X-ray cluster RXJ0152.7-1357 (z = 0.83, also known as CL0152.7-1357) in Hubble Space Telescope images, taken in the framework of the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS). On top of a previously known z = 3.93 galaxy multiply imaged by RXJ0152.7-1357, for which we identify an additional multiple image, guided by a light-traces-mass approach, we identify seven new sets of multiply imaged background sources lensed by this cluster, spanning the redshift range [1.79–3.93]. A total of 25 multiple images are seen over a small area of ∼0.4 arcmin2, allowing us to put relatively high-resolution constraints on the inner matter distribution. Although modestly massive, the high degree of substructure, together with its very elongated shape, makes RXJ0152.7-1357 a very efficient lens for its size. This cluster also comprises the third-largest sample of z ∼ 6–7 candidates in the RELICS survey. Finally, we present a comparison of our resulting mass distribution and magnification estimates with those from a Lenstool model. These models are made publicly available through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.


In this paper we study nonnegative, measure valued solutions of the initial value problem for one-dimensional drift-diffusion equations when the nonlinear diffusion is governed by an increasing $C^1$ function $\beta$ with $\lim_{r\to +\infty} \beta(r)<+\infty$. By using tools of optimal transport, we will show that this kind of problems is well posed in the class of nonnegative Borel measures with finite mass $m$ and finite quadratic momentum and it is the gradient flow of a suitable entropy functional with respect to the so called $L^2$-Wasserstein distance. Due to the degeneracy of diffusion for large densities, concentration of masses can occur, whose support is transported by the drift. We shall show that the large-time behavior of solutions depends on a critical mass ${m}_{\rm c}$, which can be explicitely characterized in terms of $\beta$ and of the drift term. If the initial mass is less then ${m}_{\rm c}$, the entropy has a unique minimizer which is absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure. Conversely, when the total mass $m$ of the solutions is greater than the critical one, the steady state has a singular part in which the exceeding mass ${m} - {m}_{\rm c}$ is accumulated.


During the course of a civil proceeding, the court often makes findings of misconduct on the part of counsel. The court may find that a lawsuit is frivolous, that a conflict of interest existed, or that there was a breach of good faith or fiduciary duty (1) while representing the client. (2) At this point, attorneys may be sanctioned or even removed from the case (3) and the client often retains new counsel. In this situation, there is typically no means to challenge or appeal the finding of misconduct until the trial ends (4) and there is a final judgment. (5) In this scenario, the client has no financial or strategic interest to appeal the finding of misconduct because new counsel has been retained or an appeal may disadvantage the client. (6) Out of loyalty to the client, (7) counsel often elects not to exercise his or her right to appeal the finding of misconduct, essentially creating a final judgment on the issue. Yet by declining to take the appeal, counsel may lose its opportunity to litigate the adverse misconduct finding in the first place. This decision may create a binding collateral estoppel effect, which would preclude counsel from relitigating the issue. (8) Such a result would deny counsel a true full and fair opportunity to be heard regarding the finding, even though all of the requirements of collateral estoppel have not been met. (9) In this kind of situation, courts addressing this issue have not considered otherwise valid reasons or considerations for the attorney's decision not to exercise his right to appeal when applying collateral estoppel. Courts have generally found that the existence of a full and fair opportunity for the attorney to appeal satisfies the requirements for collateral estoppel to apply. (10) In instances where counsel did not have an opportunity to fully litigate the finding of misconduct before the court, collateral estoppel should not be applied. (11) Because counsel did not have a full and fair opportunity, it is questionable whether the issue of misconduct was fully before the court; these two requirements of collateral estoppel are closely related. Identity of issue and a full and fair opportunity to be heard on that issue are two closely related requirements of collateral estoppel. (12) In the middle of a sanctions case, counsel may not be prepared to explain to the court why the attorney acted in a particular manner that resulted in a finding of sanctions. (13) Or, concerns of harming the client may have led counsel to not fully litigate the issue, despite the harm to himself. (14) In this situation, counsel is faced with a Hobson's choice: (15) owing professional duties to his or her client, counsel had no free choice to appeal the finding of sanctions. The attorney must accept the sanctions imposed upon him. This article argues that courts should develop an exception to the doctrine of collateral estoppel in attorney disciplinary proceedings to allow the attorney to have a full and fair opportunity to be heard. The limited number of published decisions in the current case law illustrates the problem that attorneys face in the application of collateral estoppel to findings of misconduct. (16) Although most attorney disciplinary proceedings are private (17) and little has been written on the subject, practitioners face this issue on a regular basis. (18) This article begins by providing background on the doctrine of collateral estoppel, the requirement of a full and fair opportunity to challenge the judgment of the civil action, and the procedural aspects of attorney disciplinary proceedings relating to the application of collateral estoppel, including reciprocal disciplinary proceedings. This article then analyzes the problems faced by counsel in attorney disciplinary proceedings with consideration of disciplinary proceedings of other licensed professionals, illustrating that the unfettered use of collateral estoppel in attorney disciplinary proceedings contains too great a risk of "unfairly imposed discipline" in contrast to the small amount of economy gained. …


In Polish history, Prince Adam Czartoryski is almost universally regarded as one of the most important Polish statesmen and patriots of the first half of the nineteenth century. In Russian history, on the other hand, he is remembered chiefly as the Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire, and a close personal friend of Tsar Alexander I. How did Czartoryski reconcile his commitment to the Polish nation with his service to the Russian Empire (a state which occupied most of Poland)? This paper will attempt to place Prince Adam's friendship with Alexander, and his service to Imperial Russia, in the broader context of national identity formation in early nineteenth-century eastern Europe. It will be argued that the idea of finding a workable relationship between Poland and Russia, even within the framework of a single state for a "Slavic nation," was an important and forgotten feature of Polish political thought at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. By answering the question of precisely how Czartoryski was able to negotiate between the identities of a "Polish patriot" and "Russian statesman," the paper will shed light on the broader development of national identity in early nineteenth-century Poland and Russia.


We measure the "new" gains from trade reaped by Canada as a result of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA). We think of the "new" gains from trade of a country as all welfare effects pertaining to changes in the set of firms serving that country as emphasized in the so-called "new" trade literature. To this end, we first develop an exact decomposition of the gains from trade which separates "traditional" and "new" gains. We then apply this decomposition using Canadian and US micro data and and that the "new" welfare effects of CUSFTA on Canada were negative.


We present Daysmoke, an empirical-statistical plume rise and dispersion model for simulating smoke from prescribed burns. Prescribed fires are characterized by complex plume structure including multiple-core updrafts which makes modeling with simple plume models difficult. Daysmoke accounts for plume structure in a three-dimensional veering/sheering atmospheric environment, multiple-core updrafts, and detrainment of particulate matter. The number of empirical coefficients appearing in the model theory is reduced through a sensitivity analysis with the Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (FAST). Daysmoke simulations for "bent-over" plumes compare closely with Briggs theory although the two-thirds law is not explicit in Daysmoke. However, the solutions for the "highly-tilted" plume characterized by weak buoyancy, low initial vertical velocity, and large initial plume diameter depart considerably from Briggs theory. Results from a study of weak plumes from prescribed burns at Fort Benning GA showed simulated ground-level PM2.5 comparing favorably with observations taken within the first eight kilometers of eleven prescribed burns. Daysmoke placed plume tops near the lower end of the range of observed plume tops for six prescribed burns. Daysmoke provides the levels and amounts of smoke injected into regional scale air quality models. Results from CMAQ with and without an adaptive grid are presented.


The purpose of this research is to contribute to the understanding of product development processes within dispersed business-to-business networks that involve business actors in China. This research investigates how these processes initiate and evolve in a dynamic environment. More specifically, it examines the impact of culture in terms of interpersonal interactive relationships on the formation and development of product development processes. It investigates what is in the shadow of direct resource interface development and explains that an analysis of relationship processes in China can be inspirational for theoretical developments.

The Actors-Resources-Activities (ARA) model of interaction (Hakansson & Snehota 1995) of the business network paradigm is employed to analyse relationship patterns in low, medium and high-tech product development networks, in terms of actor bonds, resource ties and activity links. Although analyses of the case studies show that there seem to be difficulties for the ARA model to capture and interpret what is in the 'shadow' of direct business interaction processes in China, the main solution is drawn from acknowledging the significance of both the business network and the guanxi network approaches as parallel mechanisms or cross-cutting patterns of explaining evolution of business relationships.

This research highlights how an Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) approach can be useful to interpret interaction processes in China and argues that the business network approach and IMP thinking, in general, can be enriched by accounting for the empirical phenomenon of guanxi, which manifests in both business and non-business interactive processes. Guanxi networks take on a new perspective as they are viewed and analysed from a dynamic lens under product development contexts. In particular, the emergence and refinement of the concept of guanxi as 'process of interaction' or 'process of organization' has been a crucial element in the development of IMP thinking.

Managerial lessons are drawn by analysing how actors' interactions influence product and technology co-creation, and how business actors nurture, develop and maintain relationships in China. Findings show that non-business interactive processes at the interpersonal network level influence significantly the formation of activity links, resource interfaces and actor bonds at the inter-organisational level. Hence, accounting for non-business interaction and the socio-cultural features in nurturing, developing and maintaining relationships offers a complimentary approach to contemporary business network research practice.


Appearance reproduction is an important aspect of 3D printing. Current color reproduction systems use halftoning methods that create colors through a spatial combination of different inks at the object's surface. This introduces a variety of artifacts to the object, especially when viewed from a closer distance. In this work, we propose an alternative color reproduction method for 3D printing. Inspired by the inherent ability of 3D printers to layer different materials on top of each other, 3D color contoning creates colors by combining inks with various thicknesses inside the object's volume. Since inks are inside the volume, our technique results in a uniform color surface with virtually invisible spatial patterns on the surface. For color prediction, we introduce a simple and highly accurate spectral model that relies on a weighted regression of spectral absorptions. We fully characterize the proposed framework by addressing a number of problems, such as material arrangement, calculation of ink concentration, and 3D dot gain. We use a custom 3D printer to fabricate and validate our results.


Bitcoin has become the de facto 'gold' standard among cryptocurrencies as it is the most widely accepted in commerce, has the largest mining network, and greatest volume of transactions. Because of this, miners of other SHA-256 cryptocurrencies will tend to convert those altcoins into bitcoin in order to transact in a meaningful way with the real economy. The result is that bitcoin mining regulates that of all other SHA-256 blockchains. Specifically, what matters is the expected number of bitcoins produced per day given a unit of hashing (mining) power, whatever the equivalence in the coin being mined. If mining for a different coin would yield a greater return in bitcoins at the margin (per day) for a miner, an apparent arbitrage opportunity will exist to direct mining effort at that cryptocurrency and subsequently exchange those for bitcoin. These opportunities, once taken, quickly eliminate the profitable arbitrage and appear to operate in a fairly efficient and predictable manner. A model is developed in this paper to formalize this process where cryptocurrency miners seeking to maximize production in terms of bitcoins earned in a day will exploit any such opportunities. If no such opportunities exist, they will simply revert to mining bitcoins directly. There are some important implications to this process, such as a tendency for cryptocurrencies to fall in price relative to bitcoin over time, and for changes in bitcoin mining difficulty to indirectly influence the market prices of altcoins. Finally, it seems that those undertaking this process of miners' arbitrage do so at the expense of speculators and noise traders who make decisions regarding buy and sell trades without the use of fundamental data. These participants generally have poor timing, follow trends, and over-react to good and bad news. Altcoins are produced by miners and subsequently offered for sale in the market in order to obtain bitcoins; meanwhile noise traders serve as the only bid-side to the market, on average.


This study examined the impact of basic skills curricular learning communities on academically underprepared community college students to determine if participation in such programs significantly contributed to student persistence from year one to year two. The conceptual framework that informed this study was Tinto's (1993) longitudinal model of student departure. In addition, the research on student engagement (Kuh, 2003b) served as a backdrop for considering how the basic skills curricular learning community programs may have influenced students' perceptions of their institution (support and encouragement) and their experiences (preparation, engagement with instructors, engagement with classmates, and feedback) and, in turn, contributed to student persistence. Sponsored by the Lumina Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, this study served as the quantitative analysis for the Pathways to Student Success initiative (Engstrom & Tinto, 2007), a multi-institution sample that included both self-reported data, collected by the survey instrument, and enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). The study included data from 13 community colleges with basic skills curricular learning community programs. All 13 colleges a) had a learning community program which linked a non-credit bearing basic skills course to at least one other course; b) had a learning community program for some duration and had institutional data to demonstrate its effectiveness in increasing student engagement and persistence; c) represented various types of structures and organization of programs to meet the needs of academically underprepared students; and d) served student populations considered at risk for not completing a degree/certificate. Each participating institution identified a learning community group and comparison (non-learning community) group to be surveyed in Fall 2003; in these comparison groups, the students' academic skills and individual characteristics were to resemble those of students in the learning community group. The use of a valid and reliable survey instrument allowed for analysis across institutions and group (learning community versus comparison groups). The survey instrument used in this study was a modified version of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) instrument (CCSSE, 2010) which helped to measure participation in a variety of educationally purposeful activities and the supportive nature of the institutional environment, commonly referred to as engagement. Finally, persistence data, collected from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), was used to track student enrollment from one academic year to the next. The NSC is a non-profit organization that provides student degree and enrollment verification services. The survey data and persistence data were used to determine the effectiveness of curricular learning communities for academically underprepared students in meeting two primary objectives: to increase student engagement and to increase student persistence. The results revealed no practical differences in levels of student engagement between basic skills curricular learning community and comparison group participants. One engagement variable—personal encouragement and support—significantly and positively contributed to student persistence from year one to year two. Being in a basic skills curricular learning community significantly and positively contributed to student persistence, with participants being 1.272 times more likely to persist than those students in the comparison group; however, the analysis did not allow for causal conclusions between curricular learning community participation, student engagement, and persistence. The inclusion of group (learning community or comparison group) and engagement variables in the logistic regression model did not substantially increase correctly predicting student persistence. The results and limitations of this study suggest the need for continued research on basic skills curricular learning communities as an intervention strategy designed to strengthen the academic skills of underprepared students, facilitate student engagement, and foster student persistence. THE IMPACT OF CURRICULAR LEARNING COMMUNITIES ON FURTHERING THE ENGAGEMENT AND PERSISTENCE OF ACADEMICALLY UNDERPREPARED STUDENTS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES By Joshua Grant McIntosh B.A, Elon University, 1997 M.A., Appalachian State University, 1999 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration in the School of Education at Syracuse University


It's come to my attention that the old girl's a little bit past her best. And I can hardly maintain my reputation as a terror of the high seas with bits falling off the boat all the time, can I? The Pirate Captain is in trouble. Eager to appease his crew with a boat that has a functioning mast, fewer holes and cannons that actually fire, he splashes out on the fancy new Lovely Emma, spending six thousand doubloons he doesn't have. Finding themselves in debt to the beautiful but deadly Cutlass Liz - or the Butcher of Barbados, as she's otherwise known - the pirates need to raise some money fast. In a desperate race against time, our heroes embark on an adventure that will take them from the shores of Nantucket to the bright lights of Las Vegas, to the ends of the earth in search of a mythical white whale, and even, perhaps, into the dark depths of madness. But hopefully they'll be home in time for tea.


Numerous studies have demonstrated that tardigrades in a resting state (tun state) are very resistant to exceptional stress levels in comparison with the resistance observed in multicellular organisms in general. The types of stress include desiccation and radiation, which are also relevant in astrobiological research, and therefore, tardigrades are used as multicellular model organisms. For example, tardigrades have been investigated in the TARSE, TARDIS, RoTaRad, and TARDIKISS projects; their survival has been evaluated according to stressful conditions that prevail in low earth orbit, including the effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity. Despite this interest, the study of tardigrade biology has been severely hampered by the sparsity of appropriate quantitative techniques that inform at the single-organism level. In this study, we present results on mass-specific respiration rates as a function of termination of anhydrobiosis and variations in temperature and salinity, including Mars-analog perchlorate solutions, by using microsensor technology to measure respiration. Based on our results for Richtersius cf coronifer, we estimated the activation energy (50.8 kJ/mole O2) for its metabolism as well as Q10 for selected temperature intervals. Q10 was constant-∼1.5-between 2°C and 33°C, except for the interval 11-16°C, where Q10 was 5.5. The steady-state mass-specific respiration rate of individuals of Richtersius cf coronifer increased with increasing salinity below the lethal limit, likely representing the energy requirements of its osmoregulatory response. We report the first quantitative data of a tardigrade's metabolic dynamics during the termination of anhydrobiosis, revealing significant variation between individuals. However, we observed a general trend, that is, a high initial metabolic rate after exposure to water. Our approach would allow us to carry out quantitative physiological studies of tardigrades on board of the International Space Station, and thus significantly extend the possibility of studying the response of multicellular organisms in space. Summary statement This article reports on first measurements of mass-specific respiration rates of individual tardigrades of the species Richtersius cf coronifer during termination of anhydrobiosis as well as measurements of the impact of temperature and salinity on oxygen uptake rates.


The objective of the present paper is an attempt to measure the public understanding of science in the area of health and hygiene and test the efficacy of "cultural distance model". A pre-tested open-ended questionnaire was used for administering cross-sectional surveys at a religio-cultural festival in India. 3484 individuals were interviewed and responses were coded and entered to construct computer database. The data was used for determining the cultural distance of five scientific concepts from the quotidian life of the target population. In developing countries, the formal system of modern education operates as a strong determinant in shaping cultural structures of thoughts prevalent among the citizens. There exists a cultural distance between the scientific structure of configuring natural occurrences and peoples' complexity of thoughts. The distance varies significantly across the concepts that were subjected to the inspection and is a function of the nature of scientific information.


The Snake River Basin is the largest sub-basin of the International (Canada and USA) Columbia River Basin in North America and covers 280,000 km2. Over 70% of the Snake River Basin is within Idaho. The Snake River is 1,674 km in length and the majority of the Basin is dry with annual precipitation averaging less than 300 mm. The snowpack in the mountains of the northern part of the Basin provide significant surface and groundwater resources for the Idaho portion of the Snake River Basin. Consequently, surface water and groundwater withdrawals exceed 64,000,000,000 l/day. Over 86% of the withdrawn water is currently used on 1,500,000 ha of irrigated agricultural land. The purpose of this paper is threefold: (1) to understand current and future pressure on the limited water resources of the Snake River Basin, (2) to gain an understanding of the value of the public places on the water resource and agriculture, and (3) to suggest sustainable practices that can be used in the future to support population growth, wise water resource use, and agriculture in the Snake River Basin. Currently, the basin does not have excess water, so water-use distribution must change as the population grows. Currently, the human population within the basin is increasing at the rate of 25,000 to 30,000 people per year. A significant portion of this growth has caused the conversion of irrigated farmland to cities. Thus, irrigated agriculture's share of water will decline from 86% today to less than 72% by 2040. Mailbased surveys were used to understand how the public view the Snake River Basin's water resource. The majority of Snake River Basin residents are supportive of agriculture's use of water (84%) and consider irrigated agriculture an important cultural aspect of Idaho (77%). The following four strategies should be the focus of a long-term sustainable plan: (1) use land-use planning to determine which agricultural land should be protected from urban development, (2) improve water use and irrigation efficiency in irrigated agriculture, (3) reduce the amount of irrigated land devoted to low value crops, and (4) provide consumer education about the agriculture – water resource – population nexus in the Snake River Basin of Idaho.


The original inhabitants of the Akuapern Hills were predominantly Guan. From the mid-eighteenth century, they experienced fundamental political changes which marked a transition from the rule of priest-chiefs to secular chiefs. This new political order introduced new art forms and regalia. The cultural contact which took place in Akuapem did not result in an even diffusion of elements of Akan art and culture, but has been one of uneven and unbalanced adoption, modification and even rejection of some new art and religious forms. This article discusses the process of introducing an Akan type political system and its accompanying art in a group of Guan communities on the Akuapem Hills. Art and regalia in Akuapem portray the acceptance of new art forms, yet preserving some Guan traditional art forms amidst major artistic adoptions from the Akan. it therefore analyses whether the Akanization process was partial or complete.


Our study aimed at disassociating age-related from phonetic changes in broadcasts by British-American radio commentator Alistair Cooke, spanning 60 years. Both the first formant (F1) and fundamental frequency (f0) in non-low vowels showed a falling-rising pattern with increasing age. We argue that this covariation may have a perceptual origin because the distance between F1 and f0 is a perceptual cue to vowel height. A covariation of F1 and F2 in low back vowels is also consistent with a perceptual explanation. By contrast, F1 changes in low vowels may be associated with physiological changes to the jaw-opening mechanisms. Finally, we discuss phonetic changes, showing accent reversion from General American towards Cooke's former Received Pronunciation over a thirty-year period.


The concept of "sustainability" is, at root, about a commitment to considering the future of the planet in our everyday affairs. In the corporate law context, supporters of sustainability seek to integrate these long-term environmental and social concerns into the corporation's DNA. This article seeks to explore sustainability as a corporate law concept by looking at the sustainability efforts of NASCAR and its affiliated firms. NASCAR has undertaken a series of "green" initiatives, most notably in the promotion of alternative fuels. These sustainability efforts are facilitated, in part, by the unusual structure of NASCAR and the sport of stock-car racing. It is not NASCAR's own internal structure that facilitates sustainability, but rather NASCAR's interlocking relationships with corporate partners, who are driven (by ideology and/or consumer tastes) to pursue sustainability efforts. Sustainability advocates should consider not only the corporation itself, but also the relationships between corporations, when developing a corporate law sustainability program. In addition, this article advocates that sustainability efforts focus on environmental issues and, more specifically, the amelioration of climate change, rather than simply adopting the existing corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.This paper was presented as part of the Wake Forest Law Review Symposium, "The Sustainable Corporation."


Dulwich OnView (DOV) is a museum blog magazine run by the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery (DPG) for the surrounding community in south London. It includes articles concerning both the gallery and the local community, helping to promote DPG in the process, in a fast-moving informal way that complements the official DPG website. For example, a competition for online artworks has been undertaken using DOV in association with a temporary exhibition of works by the 20th century British artist Paul Nash. This paper provides an overview of the progress of the blog, since its launch in January 2008, including statistical information. A redesign of the DOV blog has been undertaken in 2010, aimed at a better structuring of the increasing number of articles into categories and the integration between the more formal and static DPG website and the more informal and dynamic DOV website, with suitable interconnecting links. As part of the redesign process for the DOV website a usability review was conducted. DOV has also been part of a wider study, investigating a number of varied museum-based virtual communities in an art education context using the social science Community of Practice (CoP) framework.


In this article we synthesize theory and research from several areas of psychology and political science to propose and test a causal model of the effects of threat on political attitudes. Based in part on prior research showing that fear, threat, and anxiety decrease cognitive capacity and motivation, we hypothesize that under high (vs. low) threat, people will seek to curtail open-ended information searches and exhibit motivated closed-mindedness (one aspect of the need for cognitive closure). The subjective desire for certainty, control, and closure, in turn, is expected to increase the individual's affinity for political conservatism, insofar as resistance to change and adherence to authority figures and conventional forms of morality are assumed to satisfy these epistemic motives more successfully than their ideological opposites. Consistent with this account, we find in Studies 1a and 1b that putting people into a highly threatened mindset leads them to exhibit an increase in motivated closed-mindedness and to perceive the world as more dangerous. Furthermore, in Study 2 we demonstrate that a subtle threat manipulation increases self-reported conservatism (or decreases self-reported liberalism), and this effect is mediated by closed-mindedness. In Study 3, we manipulated closed-mindedness directly and found that high (vs. low) cognitive load results in a greater affinity for the Republican (vs. Democratic) party. Finally, in Study 4 we conducted an experiment involving political elites in Iceland and found that three different types of threat (to the self, group, and system) all led center-right politicians to score higher on closed-mindedness and issue-based political conservatism. Implications for society and for the theory of ideology as motivated social cognition are discussed.


SUMMARY An in vitro study was conducted to investigate the effects of condensed tannin (CT) structural properties, i.e. average polymer size (or mean degree of polymerization), percentage of cis flavan-3-ols and percentage of prodelphinidins in CT extracts on methane (CH4) production and fermentation characteristics. Condensed tannins were extracted from eight plants in order to obtain different CT types: blackcurrant leaves, goat willow leaves, goat willow twigs, pine bark, redcurrant leaves, sainfoin plants, weeping willow catkins and white clover flowers. They were analysed for CT content and CT composition by thiolytic degradation, followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Grass silage was used as a control substrate. Condensed tannins were added to the substrate at a concentration of 40 g/kg, with or without polyethylene glycol (+ or −PEG 6000 treatment) to inactivate tannins, then incubated for 72 h in mixed buffered rumen fluid from three different lactating dairy cows per run. Total cumulative gas production (GP) was measured by an automated GP system. During the incubation, 12 gas samples (10 µl) were collected from each bottle headspace at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 30, 36, 48, 56 and 72 h of incubation and analysed for CH4. A modified Michaelis-Menten model was fitted to the CH4 concentration patterns and model estimates were used to calculate total cumulative CH4 production (GPCH4). Total cumulative GP and GPCH4 curves were fitted using biphasic and monophasic modified Michaelis-Menten models, respectively. Addition of PEG increased GP, GPCH4, and CH4 concentration compared with the −PEG treatment. All CT types reduced GPCH4 and CH4 concentration. All CT increased the half time of GP and GPCH4. Moreover, all CT decreased the maximum rate of fermentation for GPCH4 and rate of substrate degradation. The correlation between CT structure and GPCH4 and fermentation characteristics showed that the proportion of prodelphinidins within CT had the largest effect on fermentation characteristics, followed by average polymer size and percentage of cis flavan-3-ols.


In the last few years Morocco has faced a continuous series of dry seasons, which has put a great stress on its limited water resources. Hence, for some time now Morocco has been considering desalinating seawater to supply fresh water to some areas. In the early 1980's, due to limited energy resources, Morocco was obliged to consider other alternatives to meet its energy demands. A feasibility study for the introduction of a nuclear power plant into the national electrical grid was launched. Even though the study showed that the commercially proven, large size reactors could not be integrated into the grid due to their limited capacity, the national electrical utility continues to pursue its efforts to introduce nuclear energy into the country. Presently, the feasibility study is being updated and a bid invitation specification is being prepared with the help of the IAEA experts. In response to the increasing need for energy and water, Morocco and some North African countries participated in the IAEA regional project on the feasibility study on using nuclear energy for seawater desalination. Subsequently, Morocco carried out a feasibility study for the construction of a demonstration plant for seawater desalination using a 10 MW Nuclear Heating Reactor with China and IAEA. As part of its interest in nuclear energy, Morocco is setting up the nuclear infrastructure that could help in the implementation of the nuclear power programme. The construction of a nuclear research centre which is to be commissioned in a couple of years, and the establishment of the nuclear safety authority and the radiation protection authority are part of the programme.


In this contribution, we first argue that the ECtHR has come to develop a salient dualist reasoning under Articles 8-11. Although the ECtHR has held that all those articles serve the overarching ideal of 'democratic society', its right-based reasoning can be differentiated. On the one hand, the ECtHR has focused on the free circulation of ideas and opinions – in particular, those held on issues of public interest – in its treatment of the freedoms of expression (Article 10) and assembly and association (Article 11). The more those views are subject to prohibition, the more the margin of appreciation is reduced. On the other hand, the ECtHR has focused on the notion of 'personal autonomy' to adjust its margin of appreciation under Articles 8-9. The more personal autonomy is endangered, the more it reinforces the scrutiny in the assessment of reasons for an interference. Secondly, we argue that such dualist approach stands in need of clarification. Could individuals reasonably express and develop their views on issues of public interest without assuming their autonomy? Conversely, can the ECtHR assert that freedom of religion pertaining to the forum internum – typically, religious beliefs – has no relevance in the expression of personal views on issues of public interest? By contrast to most views in the literature, our argument does not rely on a prior normative theory of the virtues of a 'legal system' – such as legal certainty, coherence and harmony – that generally target the ambiguous use of the margin of appreciation doctrine, or on a prior normative theory of the values that ECtHR should protect. Rather, our argument relies on the conceptual vagueness that follows from the ECtHR's differential reasoning. The current application of the margin of appreciation implies that there are not only different 'localised system of values' among State Parties, but that there are different 'localised democratic societies'.


OBJECTIVE
It was aimed at determining which polyphenolic compound(s) in pomegranate mesocarp extract (PME) is liable for the antioxidant, anti-glycation and anti-CD36 activities.

METHODS
The PME was fractionated using liquid-liquid extraction method. The fractions were tested for their polyphenolic content, antioxidant potency, anti-glycation activity and anti-CD36 potential. The metabolite compositions of PME and derived fractions were investigated in an untargeted manner using metabolomics in relation to its antioxidant and anti-glycation activities.

RESULTS
The ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of the pomegranate mesocarp demonstrated highest antioxidant and anti-glycation potencies. These fractions, represented by gallic and ellagic acids monomers, were enriched in tannins and phenolic acids. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA) modeling of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) metabolite profiles from the different pomegranate mesocarp fractions indicated that gallic and ellagic acids were potential contributors to the antioxidant and anti-glycation effects of the pomegranate mesocarp. At cellular level, the polyphenolic-rich crude extract as well as the ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous residual fractions suppressed the protein expression of CD36. The anti-CD36 activity of these extracts and fractions was attributed to the presence of punicalagin, the ellagitannins that occurred in equal amount in the different fractions.

CONCLUSION
This work demonstrated the protective effect of the non-edible part of the pomegranate fruit and showed that gallic and ellagic acids account for the antioxidant and anti-glycation activities while punicalagin is liable for the anti-CD36 activity of PME.


Successful collaborations require information and resource sharing and thus adequate access control policy management systems that control sharing among the collaborating entities. Such management systems need to be flexible in order to adapt to different environments and thus be able to support access control policy evolution. However, when dealing with large sets of evolving policies it is critical that policies meet certain "policy quality requirements". Specifically, policies of interest must be up-to-date, complete, free of inconsistencies, relevant. In this paper, we propose an approach to analyze policies in order to determine whether policies meet such requirements. Our approach is based on the use of provenance techniques that collect comprehensive data about actions executed by users in the context of workflows, that is, sets of tasks executed according to some ordering by users. Provenance data are used by services that support various types of analysis to determine whether the policies of interest verify the quality requirements.


On the basis of longitudinal data and observation of residential mobility among inhabitants of "sensitive" neighborhoods in France, it is shown that from 1990 to 1999 class segregation fell while ethnic segregation of North Africans and Black Africans rose. Not only are inhabitants of sensitive neighborhoods likely to move, but the majority of those who do, be they of French or African origin, are moving up socially. The number of Africans living in sensitive neighborhoods increased over the period due to the arrival of new immigrants; these neighborhoods represented a first stage in their residential itinerary in France. This is a matter not so much of self-segregation as of taking advantage of ethnic solidarity to "get started". With socio-demographic variables and degree of neighborhood "vulnerability" controlled for, Africans have more difficulty moving out of sensitive or difficult zones than people of French origin, and they are four times more likely to settle in highly vulnerable neighborhoods. This strongly suggests ethnic segregation. The segregation of Africans into sensitive neighborhoods thus proves ambivalent, but segregation levels for them did rise during the period studied. Using degree of neighborhood "vulnerability" – calculated in terms of neighborhood unemployment rate – provides an additional dimension for understanding segregation phenomena since segregation is highly likely to be observed in neighborhoods with strong concentration of disadvantaged people.


The 40 minute documentary features Peter Vogel in his Freiburg atelier talking about his artistic ideas and demonstrating circuitry and sound objects. It also includes interviews and discussions that explore Vogel's work in the context of contemporary sound art practices with the artist and writer David Toop; the Berlin based Professor Helga de la Motte who established sound art as an academic research field in Germany and Matthias Osterwold, curator of the Sonambiente Festival 1996 in Berlin, and who is now artistic director of the Maerz Music Festival in Berlin.


Aims: This thesis has three main aims: • To investigate the potential role of human bone marrow stromal cells (HBMSC) in Impaction Bone Grafting (IBG). • To investigate the potential role of a synthetic graft, Poly (DL-lactic acid), (PDLLA) as a tissue engineering scaffold and a graft extender in IBG. • To investigate methods to improve graft compaction and reduce fracture risk in IBG. Methods: Part I: The biocompatibility and mechanical properties of HBMSC seeded onto allograft or PDLLA were compared to allograft or PDLLA alone in vitro. Part II: Evidence of biocompatibility, neovascularisation and new bone formation in impacted allograft and PDLLA scaffolds seeded with HBMSC, in vivo was assessed and compared to allograft and PDLLA alone. Part III: The laboratory work was translated into the clinical setting with implantation of impacted allograft seeded with HBMSC for the treatment of bone defects in two case studies. Part IV: The role of vibration in IBG technique to reduce fracture risk and improve graft compaction and prosthetic stability was assessed in an in vitro femoral IBG model. Results: Part I: HBMSC seeded onto morsellised allograft or PDLLA, and cultured under osteogenic conditions in vitro were able to withstand the forces equivalent to a standard femoral impaction and were able to differentiate and proliferate along the osteogenic lineage. The living composite formed provided a biomechanical advantage, with increased interparticulate cohesion and shear strength when compared to allograft alone. Part II: HBMSC seeded onto morsellised allograft or PDLLA, impacted and implanted subcutaneously in nude mice demonstrated cell viability and histological evidence of new bone formation and neovascularisation after 28 days. Part III: In two case studies impacted allograft augmented with marrow-derived autogenous cells was used to treat bone voids in the proximal femur. Both patients made an uncomplicated clinical recovery. Imaging confirmed filling of the defects with very encouraging initial graft incorporation. Histochemical staining of graft samples demonstrated that a live composite graft with osteogenic activity had been introduced into the defects. Alkaline phosphatase and immunohistochemical staining techniques confirmed the bone phenotype of the autotransplanted cells. Part IV: Vibration assisted compaction of morsellised allograft reduced the peak loads and hoop strains transmitted to the femoral cortex during graft compaction, improved graft compaction in the proximal and middle femoral regions, which in turn conferred improved mechanical stability of the prosthesis under cyclical loading, demonstrated by a reduction in stem subsidence. Conclusions: • HBMSC when combined with either allograft or synthetic graft (PDLLA) can survive the forces of a standard IBG and under osteogenic conditions, differentiate and proliferate along the osteogenic lineage. HBMSC and allograft / PDLLA composites confer an additional biomechanical advantage over allograft / PDLLA alone. • Increased new bone formation and neovascularisation has been demonstrated in vivo in allograft and PDLLA / HBMSC composites compared to allograft or PDLLA alone. • Tissue engineering principles combining morsellised allograft and HBMSC composites have been utilised to fill bony voids in two clinical cases, with good clinical outcome. • By reducing peak loads, hoop strains and femoral fracture risk, and improving graft compaction and prosthetic stability the use of vibration and a perforated tamp is a potential new safer more flexible IBG technique. • Utilising tissue engineering techniques and improved graft impaction methods provides avenues to augment the biological and mechanical properties of morsellised allograft, and potentially increase the longevity of revision hip arthroplasty performed using the IBG technique.


The U.S. entered a recession in December 2007. Coming in train with a foreclosure crisis that began in late 2006 and its associated financial crisis that began in August 2007, there is a tendency for analysts to attribute the recession to the financial crisis. The worst aspects of the financial crisis that attract attention today did not begin until September 2008 well after the recession began. Other factors account for the recession and could portend the imminent end to the current recession. A leading candidate for the cause of the current recession is the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has caused every post-world war II recession, according to most experts, especially Milton Friedman. In late 2006 there already were signs of a sharp slowing in money growth in place portending recession; see Tatom (2006). This slowing lasted until September 2008. The recent recession has also been influenced by sharp increase in oil prices in 2007-08 that raised the relative price of energy. Subsequently, oil prices fell sharply. Thus, like the monetary policy influence, the energy price shock influence on the recession is in the process of rapidly disappearing and reversing. This is similar to the oil price shock related to the first Kuwait-Iraq war in 1990-91 when a larger and faster run-up in oil prices created a recession followed by a quick reversal of oil prices and economic recovery. Oil prices are falling faster in the current recession from their peak in July 2008. If the Fed caused the current recession and energy prices made it worse and longer, and if there were no other factors influencing it, then a quick end could be in sight, in the first or second quarter of 2009.


Limited bandwidth to off-chip main memory tends to be a performance bottleneck in chip multiprocessors, and this will become even more problematic with an increasing number of cores. Especially for streaming computations where the ratio between computational work and memory transfer is low, transforming the program into more memory-efficient code is an important program optimization. On-chip pipelining reorganizes the computation so that partial results of subtasks are forwarded immediately between the cores over the high-bandwidth internal network, in order to reduce the volume of main memory accesses, and thereby improves the throughput for memory-intensive computations. At the same time, throughput is also constrained by the limited amount of on-chip memory available for buffering forwarded data. By optimizing the mapping of tasks to cores, balancing a trade-off between load balancing, buffer memory consumption, and communication load on the on-chip network , a larger buffer size can be applied, resulting in less DMA communication and scheduling overhead. In this article, we consider parallel mergesort as a representative memory-intensive application in detail, and focus on the global merging phase, which is dominating the overall sorting time for larger data sets. We work out the technical issues of applying the on-chip pipelining technique, and present several algorithms for optimized mapping of merge trees to the multiprocessor cores. We also demonstrate how some of these algorithms can be used for mapping of other streaming task graphs. We describe an implementation of pipelined parallel mergesort for the Cell Broadband Engine, which serves as an exemplary target. We evaluate experimentally the influence of buffer sizes and mapping optimizations, and show that optimized on-chip pipelining indeed speeds up, for realistic problem sizes, merging times by up to 70% on QS20 and 143% on PS3 compared to the merge phase of CellSort, which was by now the fastest merge sort implementation on Cell.