Field II is a program for simulating ultrasound transducer fields. It is capable of calculating the emitted and pulse-echoed fields for both pulsed and continuous wave transducers. To make it fully calibrated a model of the transducer's electro-mechanical impulse response must be included. We examine an adapted one dimensional transducer model originally proposed by Willatzen to calibrate Field II. This model is modified to calculate the required impulse responses needed by Field II for a calibrated field pressure and external circuit current calculation. The testing has been performed with Pz27 piezoceramic discs from Ferroperm Piezoceramics A/S, Kvistgaard, Denmark. The transmitted acoustic pressures from two sets of each five disc samples with 10.08 mm diameters were measured in an automatic water bath needle hydrophone setup together with the current flow through the driving circuit. Resonance frequencies at 2.1 MHz and 4 MHz were applied. Two types of circuits were considered, one circuit with a simple resistance load of 47.5 Omega and one with an example of a LR tuning circuit typically found in commercial transducers. The measurements were averaged 128 times and afterwards compared to the calibrated Field II program for 1, 4, and 10 cycle excitations. Two parameter sets were applied for modeling, one real valued Pz27 parameter set, manufacturer supplied, and one complex valued parameter set found in literature, Alguero et al.. The latter implicitly accounts for attenuation. Results show that the combination of the model and Field II can calculate the pressure within -15% to 5% RMS error for long excitation bursts and 7% to 23% for short excitation bursts. Furthermore it is shown that current simulations can be done within 1% to maximum 33% RMS error, where best current simulations are found for 4 MHz long burst simulations and worst case is found for 2.1 MHz short bursts. Finally it is shown that maximum pressure deviation for the real parameter set and the complex parameter simulation is 3% for pressure and 5.3% for current.


Radiology reports are an essential component of the patient's permanent chiropractic health record. The available literature contains very few full-length articles addressing this important topic. A discussion of the purpose, structure, and composition of a radiology report is provided. A systematic approach to the evaluation of radiographic studies is also discussed.


The paper examines three benchmark earnings concepts: (i) permanent earnings with the cost-of-equity determining the capitalization, (ii) permanent earnings with the risk-free rate determining the capitalization, and (iii) economic earnings (Hicks's concept). The concepts can be measured empirically using stock prices. The study explains how the three concepts differ in terms of reflecting risk and growth. Critically, (i) and (ii) highlight two cases along a continuum. Case (i) renders growth irrelevant so that risk alone, as reflected by the cost-of-equity, determines the E/P yield ratio. By contrast, for (ii) the risk-free rate determines the E/P ratio because growth cancels out risk. The case is referred to as full cancelling out, FCO for short. The empirical part of the paper compares the earnings concepts to reported earnings using US data, for the period 1976 to 2015. These evaluations split firms into two categories, industrial and financial. Main findings show that for industrial firms, as an overall average, reported earnings relate closer to (ii) - that is, FCO - than to (i). Though the result is robust across methods, for distinct sub-periods (i) provides the better benchmark. As to reported earnings of financial firms, we hypothesize and find that reported earnings relate closer to (i) than (ii). This conclusion should be expected insofar financial firms rely on approximate fair value accounting, in which case earnings come close to economic earnings, (iii), and such earnings imply an average of (ii).


Online networks of individuals have been used to solve a number of problems on a scale that would not be possible if not within a connected, virtual and social environment such as the Internet. In this paper, we show that when solving tasks with small duration (under five minutes), also known as microtasks, individuals decision making will be strongly biased by costs of searching (and evaluating) options rather than financial or non-financial incentives. Indeed, we are able to show that we can influence individuals decisions, when solving problems, by rearranging elements visually to modify an individual search sequence, be it by designing the virtual work environment or manipulating which options are first shown in non-controlled environments, such as the Amazon Mechanical Turk labor market. We performed almost 50 experiments in online networks where individuals were invited to work on tasks with varying degrees of difficulty within three settings: mathematical games with objective truth (Sudoku and SAT instances); surveys with subjective evaluation (public policy polling); and labor markets (Amazon Mechanical Turk).


Author(s): Weiss, Lauren Michelle | Advisor(s): Marcy, Geoffrey W | Abstract: We live in a golden era of exoplanet discovery and characterization. Since its launch in 2009, the Kepler Mission has discovered over 4000 exoplanets, enabling detailed studies of their physical and orbital properties. These include empirical studies of the prevalence of planets of various sizes and orbital distances. In some of the Kepler systems, the compositions of the planets have been determined. Other studies include empirical, analytical, and numerical constraints on the formation and evolution of planetary systems.This thesis focuses on two aspects of the Kepler revolution. The first focus is on the masses and densities of small planets. Planets smaller than Neptune span a variety of compositions. Some of them are rocky and potentially habitable. The diversity of compositions among sub-Neptunes offers clues to planet formation and evolution. To determine the compositions of small planets, it is necessary to compute bulk densities from measurements of the planet radii and masses. While Kepler has determined the radii of thousands of planets, only a handful of the small planets are amenable to mass measurement techniques. Using the results from two mass measurement techniques, called the radial velocity (or Doppler) method and the transit timing variation method, a detailed study of the masses and compositions of more than 65 small planets was conducted. This study determined empirical relationships that describe the average masses and densities of exoplanets smaller than Neptune as a function of planet radius. Such exoplanets achieve a peak bulk density of 7.6 grams per cubic centimeter at a physical size of 1.5 times the radius of Earth. This peak density corresponds to a rocky composition; rocky planets smaller than 1.5 Earth radii are less compressed and less dense, whereas planets larger than 1.5 Earth radii have thick envelopes composed of volatile gases that lower their bulk densities.The second focus of this thesis is on the masses and orbital dynamics of planets in multi- planet systems. Multi-planet systems represent the end-states of planet formation. Their orbital dynamics and planet compositions are a fossil record of how they arrived at their present configurations. The systems studied herein include 3 multi-planet systems: KOI- 94, Kepler-10, and Kepler-11. KOI-94 is a system of 4 planets including a warm Jovian world. Kepler-10 contains a scorched rocky planet, a cooler gas-enveloped world, and a likely third planet. Kepler-11 has six small planets with fluffy hydrogen-rich envelopes, all contained within the equivalent orbital distance of Venus. Measurements of the compositions and orbital dynamics of these planets offer valuable steps toward characterizing the possible formation and evolutionary histories of these planetary systems.


The Acushnet River estuary in upper New Bedford Harbor is highly contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals. Portions of the industrialized estuary are bordered by wetlands, including one large fringing salt marsh covering more than 45 acres. Sediments containing PCB concentrations in excess of 500 parts per million (ppm) are found in localized areas of the wetland. Although application of the Wetland Evaluation Technique (WET) suggests that the wetland affords a number of functions with high values, the WET method does not specifically assess effects of contamination on wetland function. Areas of the wetland with highest concentrations of PCBs are on the fringe adjacent to the estuary and could be removed and restored without significant further degradation of the function of the wetland as a whole. Three target cleanup levels were evaluated to compare potential benefits of remediation with potential harm caused by the cleanup action.


Abstract Background: Early detection of bacteria and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns are critical to guide therapeutic decision-making for optimal care of septic patients. The current gold standard, blood culturing followed by subculture on agar plates for subsequent identification, is too slow leading to excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotic with harmful consequences for the patient and, in the long run, the public health. The aim of the present study was to assess the performance of two commercial assays, QuickFISH® (OpGen) and Maldi Sepsityper™ (Bruker Daltonics) for early and accurate identification of microorganisms directly from positive blood cultures. Materials and methods: During two substudies of positive blood cultures, the two commercial assays were assessed against the routine method used at the clinical microbiology laboratory, Unilabs AB, at Skaraborg Hospital, Sweden. Results: The Maldi Sepsityper™ assay enabled earlier microorganism identification. Using the cut-off for definite species identification according to the reference method (>2.0), sufficiently accurate species identification was achieved, but only among Gram-negative bacteria. The QuickFISH® assay was time-saving and showed high concordance with the reference method, 94.8% (95% CI 88.4–98.3), when the causative agent was covered by the QuickFISH® assay. Conclusions: The use of the commercial assays may shorten the time to identification of causative agents in bloodstream infections and can be a good complement to the current clinical routine diagnostics. Nevertheless, the performance of the commercial assays is considerably affected by the characteristics of the causative agents.


Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are being tested extensively for their role in the treatment and prevention of several cancers. Typically NSAIDs exhibit anti-tumor activities via modulation of cyclooxygenase (COX)-dependent mechanisms, however, an anti-cancer NSAID tolfenamic acid (TA) is believed to work through COX-independent pathways. Results from our laboratory and others have demonstrated the anti-cancer activity of TA in various cancer models including pancreatic cancer. TA has been shown to modulate certain cellular processes including, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species and signaling. In this study, molecular profiling was performed to precisely understand the mode of action of TA. Three pancreatic cancer cell lines, L3.6pl, MIA PaCa-2, and Panc1 were treated with TA (50 μM for 48 h) and the changes in gene expression was evaluated using the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Gene ST Array platform. Microarray results were further validated using quantitative PCR for seven genes altered by TA treatment in all three cell lines. Functional analysis of differentially expressed genes (2 fold increase or decrease, p < 0.05) using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software, revealed that TA treatment predominantly affected the genes involved in cell cycle, cell growth and proliferation, and cell death and survival. Promoter analysis of the differentially expressed genes revealed that they are enriched for Sp1 binding sites, suggesting that Sp1 could be a major contributor in mediating the effect of TA. The gene expression studies identified new targets involved in TA's mode of action, while supporting the hypothesis about the association of Sp1 in TA mediated effects in pancreatic cancer.


The 2 D:4D digit ratio, the ratio of the length of the 2nd digit to the length of the 4th digit, is often considered a proxy for testosterone exposure in utero. A recent study by Nicolaou et al. (2018) reported an association between the lefthand 2D:4D and self-employment (in a sample of about 1,000 adults). In this preregistered study we replicate these results on a new and larger sample of about 2,600 adults from the German Socioeconomic Panel-Innovation Sample (SOEP-IS). We find no statistically significant associations between 2D:4D and self-employment and thus cannot confirm the findings of Nicolaou et al. (2018) for left-hand 2D:4D. Our estimated 99.5% confidence intervals are within an about 2 percentage points change in self-employment for a one standard deviation change in the 2D:4D when we pool results for men and women (the association does not differ significantly between men and women). Even larger studies are needed to rule out smaller effect sizes.


The strengthening and enhancing the structures represents an important aspect in the construction industry due to the growing need to increase the tolerability of origin to a specific level and within the required rehabilitation and maintenance work. This paper assessed the performance and effectiveness of the Near Surface Mounted (NSM) strengthening technique for the reinforced concrete beams. Three (140x260x2700 mm) reinforced concrete beams were strengthened in flexure with NSM strengthening systems using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strips, bars, and cement-based adhesive as a binding materials. The flexural behaviour of the beams was evaluated by testing the specimens under three-point loading to failure. The structural performance, deflection, ductility, stiffness, and modes of failure of the tested beams are presented and discussed in this paper. The test results indicate that using NSM-CFRP strips and bars is practical and significantly improves the stiffness and increases the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete beams. The strength increments were 48, 42, and 15 percent recorded with CFRP bars, rough strips, and smooth strips respectively. The deflection of the strengthened beams was reduced by about 66, 48, and 58 percent for CFRP smooth strips, rough strips, and CFRP bars respectively, compared with the control beam due to the increased stiffness of the strengthened beams. KeywordsCFRP; NSM; NSM CFRP flexural strengthening; reinforced concrete beams; How to cite this article: I.A. Saeed, R. Al-Mahaidi, T.S. Al-Attar and B.S. Al-Shathr, "Flexural Behavior of RC Beams Strengthened by NSM-CFRP Laminates or Bars", Engineering and Technology Journal, Vol. 36, Part A, No. 4, pp. 358-367, 2018.


Autonomous critical systems, such as satellites and space rovers, must be
able to detect the occurrence of faults in order to ensure correct operation.
This task is carried out by Fault Detection and Identification (FDI)
components, that are embedded in those systems and are in charge of detecting
faults in an automated and timely manner by reading data from sensors and
triggering predefined alarms. The design of effective FDI components is an
extremely hard problem, also due to the lack of a complete theoretical
foundation, and of precise specification and validation techniques. In this
paper, we present the first formal approach to the design of FDI components for
discrete event systems, both in a synchronous and asynchronous setting. We
propose a logical language for the specification of FDI requirements that
accounts for a wide class of practical cases, and includes novel aspects such
as maximality and trace-diagnosability. The language is equipped with a clear
semantics based on temporal epistemic logic, and is proved to enjoy suitable
properties. We discuss how to validate the requirements and how to verify that
a given FDI component satisfies them. We propose an algorithm for the synthesis
of correct-by-construction FDI components, and report on the applicability of
the design approach on an industrial case-study coming from aerospace.


Q
 methodology's role and status is appraised I light of the 12
intervening years since the keynote speech carrying the same title was
read at the first (1985) Q conference. The pervasiveness of subjectivity
 is stressed, as is Q's role in measuring and conceptualizing it.
Evidence is provided that Q methodology has achieved certain
characteristics of a normal science (as defined by Kuhn), and an
inventory is made of conceptual errors and of the kings of resistances
to Q's implications Summaries are also provided of the variety of
projects in which Q methodology has a central role. The conclusion is
reached that Q remains outside the mainstream, but that there have been
marked improvements in its status within the past decade. These comments
 constituted an address to the Thirteenth Annual Conference of the
International Society for the Scientific Study of Subjectivity, Syracuse
 University, October 23-35, 1997.


The availability of smart sensors equipped CMOS cameras made it possible to capture and transmit multimedia data ubiquitously. The real-time performance is essential in many applications including surveillance and healthcare monitoring in multimedia sensor networks (MSNs). One of the real-time performance indicators is to transmit the packets within their deadline. Furthermore, in information-rich, battery-powered, and resource-constrained MSNs, it is a challenging problem to extend network lifetime decreasing communication cost. In previous researches, periodic message exchange for neighbor information maintenance leads to reducing network lifetime. This paper presents a power-aware data transmission for real-time communication in MSNs. The proposed scheme not only provides real-time performance, but also conserves energy consumption through efficient transmission and without periodic message exchange. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in achieving the desired deadline success ratio and prolonging the network lifetime.


"The history of African American women has become an important topic in the intellectual life of this country in the last fifteen years; and Darlene Clark Hine has been one of those most responsible for bringing the subject to its current level of importance." -from the Foreword by John Hope Franklin "In this absolutely needed collection of essays by one of the leading American historians of our generation, the richly intertwined community-making and self-making that shaped the historical experience of African American women shines out like a beacon." -Susan M. Reverby, Luella LaMer Associate Professor for Women's Studies, Wellesley College


This paper reviews the nature of applicant reactions to recruitment and selection methods from the standpoint of perceived procedural fairness of the selection methods used. Following the research of Steiner and Gilliland (1996), selection methods are analyzed for applicant perceptions of fairness using samples from the United States, Morocco, and Ireland. Specific results indicate that country differences exist in the perceived fairness of selection methods. Results also indicate a country by gender interaction. Discussion focuses on the nature of fairness perceptions in cross-cultural contexts. In recent decades, scholarship in both human resource management (HRM) and organizational behavior (OB) has increasingly considered the issues of fairness of organizational policies and practices (see Folger & Greenberg, 1985, or Lind & Tyler, 1988, for early reviews). Most typically, the term procedural justice or procedural fairness has been used to describe the literature that has emerged surrounding these issues. While these issues have broad implications for managerial and organizational practices, we focus here on a specific line of questioning: to what extent do people from differing cultural and national backgrounds hold differential views on the nature of fair and just selection systems in organizations? This question is not merely academic, as such practices have the potential to impact job candidates' perceptions of potential employers, and these perceptions can in turn impact the likelihood that candidates will accept positions in those organizations if they are offered. In developing the literature relevant to the present study, we will outline two distinct lines of prior work. First, we will review those studies that provide a direct line of prior work on this question, and the studies we emphasize are those which build the methods and questionnaires we utilize here. Second, we will discuss the role of culture in organizations, and will use this theoretical material to develop the specific hypotheses we test in the present study. Prior Research on Selection Fairness Prior research on justice perceptions has focused on a variety of issues, such as the reactions to pay increase decisions (Folger & Konovsky, 1989), or the issues surrounding organizational citizenship behaviors (Niehoff & Moorman, 1993). In the context of the present paper, the focus will be the perceptions of the inherent fairness of selection methods used by HR managers in various organizations, and the paper will consider in part the role played by one's cultural or national background. Concern over the perceived fairness of selection methods is of more than purely academic interest. In many cases an applicant for a position may know very little about the hiring organization, and in this case the impression made during the recruitment process is most of the information the potential recruit has. Rynes, Bretz, and Gerhart (1991) have shown that the perceptions of applicants can be critical, and can impact the likelihood that a job offer will in fact be accepted. While various issues affect this decision, including the characteristics of the job and organization or the salary offered, it is still the case that psycho-social issues have potential impacts on the ability of a firm to hire applicants (Fisher, Ilgen, & Hoyer, 1979; Maurer, Howe, & Lee, 1992; Rynes et al., 1991). Our purpose in this paper is to investigate a specific source of potential impact in the employment process. In particular, we address the role of perceived fairness of selection methods, an area of investigation that has seen recent discussion in the literature on employee recruiting and staffing. Organizations using selection methods seen as fair and reasonable should be better able to gain acceptance of offers once those offers are made. In addition to such practical issues, these findings also potentially add to our understanding of the fairness of HR practices in organizations, and can shed some light on the theoretical nature of fairness perceptions. …


PURPOSE
Recent literature reports a potential association between high vitamin D and improved lymphoma prognosis. We evaluated the impact of pretreatment vitamin D on follicular lymphoma (FL) outcome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
SWOG participants were previously untreated patients with FL enrolled onto SWOG clinical trials (S9800, S9911, or S0016) involving CHOP chemotherapy plus an anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab or iodine-131 tositumomab) between 1998 and 2008. Participants included in our second independent cohort were also previously untreated patients with FL enrolled onto the Lymphoma Study Association (LYSA) PRIMA trial of rituximab plus chemotherapy (randomly assigned to rituximab maintenance v observation) between 2004 and 2007. Using the gold-standard liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method, 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured in stored baseline serum samples. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS
After a median follow-up of 5.4 years, the adjusted PFS and overall survival hazard ratios for the SWOG cohort were 1.97 (95% CI, 1.10 to 3.53) and 4.16 (95% CI, 1.66 to 10.44), respectively, for those who were vitamin D deficient (< 20 ng/mL; 15% of cohort). After a median follow-up of 6.6 years, the adjusted PFS and overall survival hazard ratios for the LYSA cohort were 1.50 (95% CI, 0.93 to 2.42) and 1.92 (95% CI, 0.72 to 5.13), respectively, for those who were vitamin D deficient (< 10 ng/mL; 25% of cohort).

CONCLUSION
Although statistical significance was not reached in the LYSA cohort, the consistent estimates of association between low vitamin D levels and FL outcomes in two independent cohorts suggests that serum vitamin D might be the first potentially modifiable factor to be associated with FL survival. Further investigation is needed to determine the effects of vitamin D supplementation in this clinical setting.


Chapels were among the important types of buildings that evolved during the first four centuries of organised Christianity in the West. They were originally developed in connection with the cult of the saints, commemorating both their gravesites and their places of martyrdom. But the chapels rapidly found other uses among the ever-expanding Christian population as places of prayer and pilgrimage, and were chosen by the faithful for their own burial beside the saints. With little in the way of contemporary written records, the decorative programme of each chapel is now often the only way to determine the function, patronage, and meaning of the building. Gillian Mackie examines the decorative schemes of the surviving chapels built in Italy and Istria from AD312-740 in the context of numerous chapels known from archaeological sites or from later medieval texts. Using the decoration as the primary source of evidence on the buildings' use and meaning, this survey includes chapels, imperial mausolea, and the oratories of the popes and bishops, from Rome, Milan, Ravenna, and the smaller centres of the upper Adriatic. The author begins with an overview of the various types, and then discusses several of the most complete monuments in considerable detail. Unique in its scope and approach, Mackie's survey of the functional context of early medieval chapels is the most complete work ever published in its field and will be an important reference work for anyone interested in medieval art and architecture.


The ubiquitous drive towards a more sustainable future has resulted in major changes in the planning and design of urban environments. Government strategies on sustainable development, published in 1999 and 2005, are thought to be driving the development of new legislations that are aimed at delivering a sustainable future for the UK. As a result, conventional stand-alone approaches to decision making in
strategic planning are being replaced by more participatory and evidence-based approaches. These focus on achieving sustainability by taking into account the dynamic interactions between social, economic and environmental aspects of urban environments. The sheer volume of complex urban issues, the multiplicity of stakeholders and their varying values and diversity of viewpoints - all contribute towards making urban sustainability and its assessment an intellectually challenging task. Many tools have been developed to aid the decision making process by assessing the impacts of urban projects throughout their lifecycle. Sustainability assessment (SA) tools range from the assessment of a single indicator within a given context to the integrated assessment of a wide range of indicators covering many facets of sustainable development. However, the adoption of SA tools in decision making for strategic planning remains low. is paper reports on the findings of the research aimed at the identification and classification of the factors that had the potential to hinder or encourage the adoption of SA tools during the preparation of a local strategic plan. Based on the findings of a review of relevant literature, questionnaire survey, follow up interviews and a case study, the application context of SA tools was identified. To better understand the barriers to the adoption of SA tools, concepts from information sciences were taken into account. The findings reveal that in the complex platform of decision making, the adoption of tools is often constrained by the chain effects of interconnected barriers relating to technology, people and resources. The lack of appropriate tools to serve the demands of the sustainability assessment process and the lack of relevant expertise are the major barriers to the adoption of SA tools. Emerging policy context calls for robust and integrated tools that will perform efficiently to guide the decision making process. Joined-up efforts are required from academia and industry to develop the SA tools and to enhance professionals' skills in the application of SA tools to meet the challenges of sustainability decision making in an emerging policy context.


The present paper refers to the formation and development of forestry education and science in the Russian Empire during the mid-18th – mid-19th centuries. Given the progressive interest in environmental protection, forest resources and the historical study of this problem, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of analyzing the whole range of issues related to the problem. The relevance of the topic is not only connected with its topicality, but also with its scarce study and the fact that it has an educational character. The article renders the influence of Western European countries on this process and a characteristic of forestry education in some Western European countries. The author analyzed various sources and literature on the topic of research and attempted to restore the stages of origin, formation and development of forestry education and science in the Russian Empire in the mid-18th – mid-19th centuries, as well as the changes in introducing and applying the Western European patterns into practice.


Mobile adhoc network (MANET) is a type of wireless network. It is a open network environment, in other words it is a infrastructreless network. So any node can join and leave in the network freely. Security is the primary concern in the wireless medium. Major functionality of MANET is protecting the data bits which transfer from one node to another node. Because of its dynamic nature MANET is not much secure than wired network. To overcome this problem, cluster based certificate revocation with vindication capability is proposed. In this paper we present the cluster based architecture is used to construct the topology and provide better security for data transfer in MANET.


Economically minded legal scholars have devoted much attention to the comparative costs of property rules and liability rules, but little attention to the legal rule that most squarely addresses that choice — the defense of undue hardship. In general, a court will refuse an injunction, and leave plaintiff to his damage remedy, if defendant's cost of complying with the injunction would be greatly disproportionate to the benefits to plaintiff.This defense may have been rendered obscure to law-and-economics scholars by the highly visible opinion of the New York Court of Appeals in Boomer v. Atlantic Cement, which seemed to say that the cost of compliance had been irrelevant in New York prior to the court's decision in Boomer itself. Boomer was in fact no innovation, and the defense of undue hardship had long been established in New York as elsewhere.The undue-hardship defense implements the core economic concern with cost, but it differs from traditional economic analysis in important ways, and those differences are analyzed here. The defense could have provided a ready-made solution to the problem of "patent trolls," had the Supreme Court attended to it in eBay v. MercExchange. And subsequent developments in Boomer, on remand from the Court of Appeals, illustrate that supracompensatory remedies, such as disgorgement of unjust enrichment and even punitive damages, can function as liability rules rather than property rules.


When Joel Knox's mother dies, he is sent into the exotic unknown of the Deep South to live with a father he has never seen. But once he gets there, everyone is curiously evasive when Joel asks to see his father. Truman Capote's first novel, "Other Voices, Other Rooms" is a brilliant, searching study of homosexuality set in a shimmering landscape of heat, mystery and decadence.


The seasonal variability of cloud optical depth over northwestern China derived from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Single Scanner Footprint (SSF) Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Edition 1B data from July 2002 to June 2004 is presented. The regions of interest are those with Asia monsoon influence, the Tianshan and Qilian Mountains, and the Taklimakan Desert. The results show that the instantaneous measurements presented here are much higher than the previous results derived from International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) D2 monthly mean data. Generally the measurements of cloud optical depth are the highest in summer and the lowest in winter, however, Taklimakan Desert has the lowest measurements in autumn. The regional variation is quite significant over northwestern China.


A growing body of literature has demonstrated that motivation influences cognitive processing. The breadth of these effects is extensive and span influences of reward, emotion, and other motivational processes across all cognitive domains. As examples, this scope includes studies of emotional memory, value-based attentional capture, emotion effects on semantic processing, reward-related biases in decision making, and the role of approach/avoidance motivation on cognitive scope. Additionally, other less common forms of motivation–cognition interactions, such as self-referential and motoric processing can also be considered instances of motivated cognition. Here I outline some of the evidence indicating the generality and pervasiveness of these motivation influences on cognition, and introduce the associated 'research nexus' at Collabra: Psychology.


Letter from Hong Kong by John Reading SC (Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Commercial Crime Unit, Department of Justice, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) describing how Hong Kong's legislature enacted a statutory offence of fraud by inserting a new section (16A) in the Theft Ordinance. Jean reading prosecutes fraud and corruption cases and is a Senior Counsel. Published in the Letter from … section of Amicus Curiae - Journal of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and its Society for Advanced Legal Studies. The Journal is produced by the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London.


Alcohol Use and Misuse among American Indians: Applying a Modified Historical Trauma Model Ashley McClure Loving Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Jerald Herting Department of Sociology Although Native Americans are commonly associated with alcohol misuse, little is known about stressors or coping mechanisms that may influence alcohol use patterns. Using Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative data set, I examine patterns of drinking status, frequency and actual consumption of specific alcoholic beverage preference, and binge drinking. To better explain these relationships, I will investigate the influence of stressors and coping mechanisms in the context of a modified historical trauma model. Stressors include adverse childhood experiences, family dysfunction during childhood, receiving welfare as a child, having an alcoholic biological parent, and perceived racial discrimination. Coping mechanisms such as high ethnic identification, preference for other Native American peers, preference for using a native language, level of social support, and social network size are also examined. While there is some evidence certain stressors increase the risk of being a current drinker relative to lifetime abstainers, the modified trauma model is limited in its ability to explain American Indian drinking behavior.


A micropropagation protocol using shoot cultures is described for Lindera melissifolia, a federally listed endangered shrub endemic to the southeastern United States. Stock plants were harvested from nativeL.melissifolia populations growing in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. In vitro proliferation was on woody plant medium supplemented with 1 mM zeatin. After 6 weeks, zeatin level was increased to 5 mM. Treatment of micropropagated shoots with a liquid auxin (2 indole-3-butyric acid : 1 1- naphthalenacetic acid) resulted in a low mean rooting percentage (#44%) compared with rooting in the absence of auxins and on a pure peat medium ex vitro, which increased rooting to $80%. Time to rooting was 8 weeks. Plants were acclimatized for 2 weeks, then potted in a 2 peat : 1 perlite medium supplemented with superphosphate, 10N-10P-10K, and Milorganite. Micropropagated L. melissifolia stecklings have been successfully outplanted in both controlled and field studies at the Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research (Stoneville, Miss.).


The Cordaitales, an extinct order of plants closely related to the conifers, occupied a wide range of environments during Pennsylvanian times including wetlands, drylands, and uplands. However, claims that some species of cordaitalean grew on marine-influenced coastal margins, and therefore represented the earliest known mangrove communities, have been met with scepticism. Based on new data from the Joggins Formation of Nova Scotia, the 'cordaitalean mangrove hypothesis' is reassessed. Small fossil trees in growth position are described from micro-tidal deposits, a sedimentary association inferred to have formed on the margins of a brackish epicontinental sea. The autochthonous trees, which are morphologically different from lycopsid and calamitean trees commonly observed with the Joggins Formation, are probably cordaitalean. This affinity is indicated, in part, by facies-associated parautochthonous remains, which comprise Cordaites leaves, Cordaicladus branches, Cardiocarpus seeds, Cordaianthus reproductive organs, and Dadoxylon wood, a distinctively cordaitalean assemblage. Scour-and-mound structures in beds surrounding the upright trunks show that cordaitalean trees were, at times, submerged in shallow, flowing water. However, Limnopus tetrapod trackways at other horizons demonstrate periodic emergence, indicating that water depths fluctuated in these coastal forests. Analysis of rooting patterns shows that trees persisted through flooding events, despite partial burial by sheets of very fine sandstone and siltstone, survival being facilitated through the development of an adventitious rooting system. However, two key adaptations to growth in marine-influenced soils commonly seen in modern mangrove trees (low shoot:root ratios and small leaves) are not present in the cordaitalean trees. Furthermore, although the trees probably grew in close proximity to the brackish seacoast, direct evidence for marine influence in the fossil forest interval itself is lacking. Consequently, although the cordaitaleans were probably adapted to periodically submerged conditions, and additionally may have tolerated occasional brackish incursions, it is inappropriate to describe them as mangroves in the strict sense.


The fast technological progress and innovations of the past years have taken wireless communication from concept to reality. Indeed, wireless networks are now very well operating with tremendous advantages. There is no more need for expensive infrastructure to communicate efficiently. With ad hoc networks technology, mobile devices are free to move and communicate wirelessly with one another. Many important and sometimes vital applications are supported by this technology; disaster-and-relief operations, emergency rescue, law enforcement, and military battlefields are just few of them. However, one of the most challenging problems in ad hoc networks research is to ensure good quality voice and video multimedia services. These kinds of services need specific requirements to be satisfied in terms of bandwidth, end-to-end delay, jitter, etc., and this is very difficult to achieve in ad hoc networks, because of the topology dynamics and the scarcity of resources that characterize them.
The objective of this thesis is to investigate new approaches towards achieving good quality of service in wireless ad hoc networks. With the aim of obtaining more adaptive and flexible models, we propose a set of intelligent solutions based on neural networks and fuzzy logic techniques. These artificial intelligence tools have proved their benefits and efficiency in both academia and industry. The simulations we realized show that the proposed quality of service approaches promise to be efficient and reliable solutions for supporting both real-time services and non real-time applications. The obtained results illustrate that the intelligent-based techniques can raise successfully the challenge of quality of service satisfaction in wireless ad hoc networks.


Increasing salt concentration in tributaries from catchments and rising water tables are the prime
contributor to environmental degradation of rivers, creeks, streams or other water bodies. This is especially true during periods of mid- and low stream flows in arid and semi-arid regions around the globe. Catchment scale studies suggest that management of stream salinity requires greater land use change than is economically viable. Therefore, rather than focusing on the opportunity cost of catchment scale interventions, exploring interventions that are potentially viable at farm scale could be an appropriate strategy for stream salinity management. This paper presents an analysis of alternative on-farm strategies, such as evaporation ponds and serial biological concentration of salts, aimed at developing an economically self-sustainable stream salinity management system for the Box Creek stormwater escape channel located in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Australia. It is concluded that
irrigation areas, with careful management of flows in tributary streams, may be able to play a role in
safeguarding the Murray River against further salinisation from irrigation and dryland areas. The outcomes of this paper will be helpful, but not limited to, the MDB in addressing environmental, economic and social issues associated with management of salt concentration in tributaries.


Brain-computer interfaces, as any other interaction modality based on physiological signals and body channels (e.g., muscular activity, speech and gestures), are prone to errors in the recognition of subject's intent. In this paper we exploit a unique feature of the "brain channel", namely that it carries information about cognitive states that are crucial for a purposeful interaction. One of these states is the awareness of erroneous responses. Different physiological studies have shown the presence of error-related potentials (ErrP) in the EEG recorded right after people get aware they have made an error. However, for human-computer interaction, the central question is whether ErrP are also elicited when the error is made by the interface during the recognition of the subject's intent and no longer by errors of the subject himself. In this paper we report experimental results with three volunteer subjects during a simple human-robot interaction (i.e., bringing the robot to either the left or right side of a room) that seem to reveal a new kind of ErrP, which is satisfactorily recognized in single trials. These recognition rates significantly improve the performance of the brain interface.


Purpose: The lack of biomarkers that can distinguish aggressive from indolent prostate cancer has caused substantial overtreatment of clinically insignificant disease. Here, by genome-wide DNA methylome profiling, we sought to identify new biomarkers to improve the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Experimental design: Eight novel candidate markers, COL4A6, CYBA, TCAF1 (FAM115A), HLF, LINC01341 (LOC149134), LRRC4, PROM1, and RHCG, were selected from Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip analysis of 21 tumor (T) and 21 non-malignant (NM) prostate specimens. Diagnostic potential was further investigated by methylation-specific qPCR analysis of 80 NM vs. 228 T tissue samples. Prognostic potential was assessed by Kaplan-Meier, uniand multivariate Cox regression analysis in 203 Danish radical prostatectomy (RP) patients (cohort 1), and validated in an independent cohort of 286 RP patients from Switzerland and the U.S. (cohort 2). Results: Hypermethylation of the 8 candidates was highly cancer-specific (area under the curves: 0.79-1.00). Furthermore, high methylation of the 2-gene panel RHCG-TCAF1 was predictive of biochemical recurrence (BCR) in cohort 1, independent of the established clinicopathological parameters Gleason score, pathological tumor stage, and pre-operative PSA (HR (95% confidence interval (CI)): 2.09 (1.26 3.46); P = 0.004), and this was successfully validated in cohort 2 (HR (95% CI): 1.81 (1.05 3.12); P = 0.032). Conclusion: Methylation of the RHCG-TCAF1 panel adds significant independent prognostic value to established prognostic parameters for prostate cancer and thus may help to guide treatment decisions in the future. Further investigation in large independent cohorts is necessary before translation into clinical utility.


The ICT sector is crucial as a driver of economic and social growth. Not only is it an important industry in its own right, but it also provides the communication and infrastructure without which modern economies could not function. How does this sector work? Why is it stronger in some countries than in others? What should companies, governments and regulators be doing to enhance its contribution? In The New ICT Ecosystem, Martin Fransman answers these and other questions by developing the idea of the ICT sector as an evolving ecosystem. He shows that some components of the ICT ecosystem, particularly the innovation process, work better in some countries and regions than in others. For example, the Internet content and applications layer of the ecosystem tends to work better in the US than in Europe or Asia. The analysis in this book enables policy makers and regulators to understand why some parts of the ICT ecosystem are underperforming and what can be done to enhance their performance. The previous edition of The New ICT Ecosystem won the 2008–10 Joseph Schumpeter Prize.


Solid evidence of magnetic reconnection is rarely reported within sunspots, the darkest regions with the strongest magnetic fields and lowest temperatures in the solar atmosphere. Using the world's largest solar telescope, the 1.6 m Goode Solar Telescope, we detect prevalent reconnection through frequently occurring fine-scale jets in the Hα line wings at light bridges, the bright lanes that may divide the dark sunspot core into multiple parts. Many jets have an inverted Y-shape, shown by models to be typical of reconnection in a unipolar field environment. Simultaneous spectral imaging data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph show that the reconnection drives bidirectional flows up to 200 km s−1, and that the weakly ionized plasma is heated by at least an order of magnitude up to ∼80,000 K. Such highly dynamic reconnection jets and efficient heating should be properly accounted for in future modeling efforts of sunspots. Our observations also reveal that the surge-like activity previously reported above light bridges in some chromospheric passbands such as the Hα core has two components: the ever-present short surges likely to be related to the upward leakage of magnetoacoustic waves from the photosphere, and the occasionally occurring long and fast surges that are obviously caused by the intermittent reconnection jets.


The article investigates the possibilities offered by network analysis applied to the field of cuneiform studies. Focusing on the archive of Ebla, dated to the middle of the third millennium BC, the author tries to examine the usability of this new technique in terms of establishing the relative chronology of the documents unearthed there, as well as finding joins via network connections of fragmentary texts. In doing so, the paper stresses the necessity of expanding current methodologies in Assyriological research, as to include scripting for processing large datasets – a technique rarely seen in Ancient Near Eastern studies, but with a great potential for the future of this field.


Weeber et al. investigated the biochemical mechanisms underlying deficits in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in a model of Angelman syndrome and discovered evidence linking this cognitive disorder to dysregulation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Angelman syndrome, which is characterized by mental retardation, decreased brain size, predisposition to seizures, and disturbed gait, is associated with a deletion on maternal chromosome 15 that leads to disruption of the Ube3a gene, which encodes E6-AP ubiquitin ligase. A mouse model null for maternal Ube3a recapitulates many features of this disorder and shows deficits in hippocampal LTP. Weeber et al. discovered that LTP in hippocampal slices from Ube3a mutant mice could be rescued by increasing temperature and additional stimulation, whereas calcium (Ca2+)-dependent, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-independent LTP could not. The authors used Western analysis to determine the concentrations and phosphorylation status of hippocampal Ca2+-regulated protein kinases. Protein kinase C (PKC), protein kinase A (PKA), p42 and p44 extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and CaMKII concentrations were unchanged from those of controls, as was PKC, PKA, and ERK phosphorylation status. However, phosphorylation of CaMKII was increased, which acted to inhibit its activity. There was reduced activation of CaMKII from Ube3a mice after in vitro stimulation with Ca2+ and calmodulin, and less CaMKII was associated with isolated postsynaptic densities. Decreased activity of the CaMKII phosphatases, PPI and PP2A, suggested that increased phosphorylation of CaMKII was secondary to a reduction in phosphatase activity. These data suggest that dysregulation of CaMKII phosphorylation (and thereby CaMKII activity) likely underlies the deficits in LTP in Ube3a mice and perhaps the cognitive deficits in Angelman syndrome. E. J. Weeber, Y.-H. Jiang, Y. Elgersma, A. W. Varga, Y. Carasquillo, S. E. Brown, J. M. Christian, B. Mirnikjoo, A. Silva, A. L. Beaudet, J. D. Sweatt, Derangement of hippocampal calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in a mouse model for Angelman mental retardation syndrome. J. Neurosci. 23, 2634-2644 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Populists claim to be the only legitimate representative of the people. Does it mean that there is no space for civil society? The issue is important because since Tocqueville (1835), associations and civil society have been recognized as a key factor in a healthy liberal democracy. We ask two questions: 1) do individuals who are members of civil associations vote less for populist parties? 2) does membership in associations decrease when populist parties are in power? We answer these questions looking at the experiences of Europe, which has a rich civil society tradition, as well as of Latin America, which already has a long history of populists in power. The main findings are that individuals belonging to associations are less likely by 2.4 to 4.2 percent to vote for populist parties, which is large considering that the average vote share for populist parties is from 10 to 15 percent. The effect is strong particularly after the global financial crisis, with the important caveat that membership in trade unions has unclear effects. JEL Classification Numbers: P16.


Open green spaces are considered as an integral part of university campuses worldwide and the related studies reveal the significant impact of the green spaces on the quality of life in the campuses. Thus, scholars have also stressed the need of revitalization of outdoor green spaces in the Qatar university campus. This research investigates whether students' perception has an impact on usability of green spaces, precisely, at the Women's Engineering Building of Qatar University. It also considers the extent to which regional factors, such as climate and privacy, as per Islamic value, impact the perception of usability of open green spaces. A review of the literature was conducted for exploring the regional influence on perception and usability of green spaces. Site visits and field observation were conducted to understand the spatial nature of the green spaces in terms of privacy and the types of green space usage in the surrounding areas of the Women's Engineering Building. User's perception of green spaces and their impact on usability were collected through survey questions and questionnaires. In contrast to the views of the scholars, significant difference between perception and usability of the green spaces along the year, the findings reveal that (1) a certain resistance to the usage of the green spaces occurs in summer; (2) there is no significant threat to the perception of privacy, which, in turn, has no impact on the usability of green spaces at Qatar University's Women's Engineering Building.


Mercury use in Ghana's Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) sector is a growing problem owing to the increasing numbers of people involved, locations of operation, extent of possible contamination of the natural environment and its impact on human health. For over two decades, many local and internationally-coordinated initiatives undertaken to mitigate its harmful effects in ASM communities have been mostly unsuccessful due to absence of alternative options acceptable for gold recovery and inadequate awareness of the short- and long-term health effects of mercury use. This paper examines major policy challenges in minimising mercury use in Ghana's ASM sector, arguing that a coordinated, integrated and sustained approach offers better promise in tackling the problem.


CACTI 5.0 is the latest major revision of the CACTI tool for modeling the dynamic power, access time, area, and leakage power of caches and other memories. CACTI 5.0 includes a number of major improvements over CACTI 4.0. First, as fabrication technologies enter the deep-submicron era, device and process parameter scaling has become non-linear. To better model this, the base technology modeling in CACTI 5.0 has been changed from simple linear scaling of the original CACTI 0.8 micron technology to models based on the ITRS roadmap. Second, embedded DRAM technology has become available from some vendors, and there is interest in 3D stacking of commodity DRAM with modern chip multiprocessors. As another major enhancement, CACTI 5.0 adds modeling support of DRAM memories. Third, to support the significant technology modeling changes above and to enable fair comparisons of SRAM and DRAM technology, the CACTI code base has been extensively rewritten to become more modular. At the same time, various circuit assumptions have been updated to be more relevant to modern design practice. Finally, numerous bug fixes and small feature additions have been made. For example, the cache organization assumed by CACTI is now output graphically to assist users in understanding the output generated by CACTI.


difficulty of "solving problems that require making four operations with natural numbers" of the sixth grade students. The study, adopting the scanning model, consisted of a total of 140 students, including 69 female and 71 male students at the sixth grade. Data was collected using an assessment tool consisting of 12 open-ended questions. The findings show that the learning group consisting of 140 students was behind the value that is closest to the full learning level by a score of 0.011. While the female students reached the lower limit of 0.989 specified for the full learning level in a period of 2.55 course hours, the male students reached this limit in 2.87 course hours. The learning amount of 0.999, which is the closest value to the full learning level, was reached by the learning group in a period of 6.1 course hours, the female students in 5.65 course hours, and the male students in 6.71 course hours. In addition to this, the data obtained showed that learning difficulties belonging to the learning groups decreased as the space below the curve of time and learning amount decreased. As a result of the study, it was recommended that it is possible to determine the closest course hours for the full learning level for each of the gains included in all levels of education and all teaching programs.


Author(s): Chan, Wanyu; Kumar, Sangeetha; Johnson, Alexandra; Singer, Brett | Abstract: The California building code requires all new or renovated residential dwelling units to have kitchen exhaust ventilation to manage air pollutants and moisture generated during cooking. Current performance requirements are specified as a minimum airflow and maximum sound level. This report presents an analysis to support consideration of adding a capture efficiency requirement to the code. The analysis uses a physics-based simulation model to calculate air pollutant concentrations in homes that result from cooking and the inflow of outdoor air, mediated by loss and removal process including deposition, dwelling unit ventilation, and the use of a range hood with varying levels of capture efficiency. Calculated pollutant concentrations are compared to relevant, health-based guidelines. The analysis considers the highest 1-hour concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is a product of natural gas combustion and the highest 24-hour concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) which is emitted in substantial quantities from frying, broiling and grilling among other cooking activities. For NO2, the analysis considers cooking of a dinner for 3-4 persons consisting of pasta, meat sauce, a par-boiled vegetable, and baked garlic bread. For PM2.5, the analysis considers a day in which breakfast emitted particles at the 80th percentile and lunch and dinner entailed particle emissions at the 50th percentile of cooking emission events reported in the literature. Model simulations were performed to determine the level of range hood capture efficiency that will allow these cooking scenarios to occur in the vast majority (g99%) of new homes being built in California while maintaining pollutant concentrations below the health-based guidelines, if the range hood is used throughout cooking. All homes were assumed to have dwelling unit ventilation at the rate required in the building code. Simulation model input parameters were specified using a Monte Carlo approach to represent a range of housing characteristics, outdoor conditions, and indoor pollutant dynamics. Simulation results suggest that requiring a minimum capture efficiency of at least 70% is needed to avoid unacceptably high NO2 (1-h average concentration of 100 ppb or higher) and at least 60% to avoid unacceptably high PM2.5 (24-h average of 25 ug/m3 or higher). These results were driven by multi-family homes, which have a smaller volume of air to dilute any pollutants not captured and removed at the cooking area, resulting in higher concentrations.


ABSTRACT The interval between the Lower and Upper Block Coal Members of the Brazil Formation (Lower Pennsylvanian, Indiana) records a transgression of brackish water tidal deposits over a coastal domed(?)-peat field, followed by a regression, and then re-establishment of the peat-forming environment. Within the study area, the interval averages 8 m in thickness and consists of a basal sequence of laminated mudstone that coarsens upwards to thinly interlayered sandstone and mudstone (lenticular, wavy, and flaser bedding). This is capped by an upward-fining sequence into a rooted mudstone. Sedimentation rates can be estimated by derailed thickness measurements of vertically stacked mudstone laminae and sandstone layers that thicken and thin rhythmically. This rhythmic thickness variation can be elated to neap-spring tidal-current cyclicity and indicates that sedimentation varied from 1 cm/yr to 1 m/yr. Locally, as much as 8 m of accommodation space for the sediments appears to have been generated and mostly filled in a matter of decades to a few centuries. Such rapid rates of filling indicate the possibility that the accommodation space was generated by compaction of the transgressed peat and mud-rich sediments.


There is a wide variety of psychological wellness constructs and correlation studies may promote a clear and valid understanding of them. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between two wellness constructs, emotional intelligence and self-actualisation. The sample consisted of 71 employees from the South African mining industry. Participants were assessed using the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (BarOn EQ-i) to measure emotional intelligence and the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) to measure self-actualisation. Participants also completed a biographical questionnaire. Pearson's product moment correlation coefficients between the five composite scales on the BarOn EQ-i and the 12 POI scales led to rejection of the alternative hypothesis. The research hypothesis was partially substantiated by the results, which show a significant statistical relationship between some emotional intelligence factors and some self-actualisation factors. Predominantly positive correlations emerged between adaptability and intrapersonal behaviour, as an integral part of an individual's emotional intelligence with most areas of self-actualisation. Major limitations of the study relate to the construct validity of the POI and the fact that the small sample size negatively affects the generalisability of the results.


Enforcing access control in composite services is essential in distributed multidomain environment. Many advanced access control models have been developed to secure web services at execution time. However, they do not consider access control validation at composition time, resulting in high execution-time failure rate of composite services due to access control violations. Performing composition-time access control validation is not straightforward. First, many candidate compositions need to be considered and validating them can be costly. Second, some service composers may not be trusted to access protected policies and validation has to be done remotely. Another major issue with existing models is that they do not consider information flow control in composite services, which may result in undesirable information leakage. To resolve all these problems, we develop a novel three-phase composition protocol integrating information flow control. To reduce the policy evaluation cost, we use historical information to efficiently evaluate and prune candidate compositions and perform local/remote policy evaluation only on top candidates. To achieve effective and efficient information flow control, we introduce the novel concept of transformation factor to model the computation effect of intermediate services. Experimental studies show significant performance benefit of the proposed mechanism.


'Every Scot should read it. Scotland now has the lively, provocative and positive history it deserves.' Irvine Welsh, Guardian A dramatic and intriguing history of how Scotland produced the institutions, beliefs and human character that have made the West into the most powerful culture in the world. Arthur Herman argues that Scotland's turbulent history, from William Wallace to the Presbyterian Lords of the Covenant, laid the foundations for 'the Scottish miracle'. Within one hundred years, the nation that began the eighteenth century dominated by the harsh and repressive Scottish Kirk had evolved into Europe's most literate society, producing an idea of modernity that has shaped much of civilisation as we know it. He follows the lives and work of thinkers such as Adam Smith and David Hume, writers such as Burns and Boswell, as well as architects, technicians and inventors, and traces their legacy into the twentieth century. Written with wit, erudition and clarity, The Scottish Enlightenment claims the Scots' rightful place in the history of the western world.


This paper uses household, school, and test score data from Bangladesh to compare and contrast the effectiveness of NGO-run and state-run schools in the provision of primary education. I study how the entry of NGOs in primary education has affected educational outcomes of girls and examine the mechanisms which account for the relative performance of NGO versus state schools in improving female educational outcomes. The results show that the entry of NGO schools has significantly increased girls' enrollment as compared to boys. Constructing cohorts from cross-sectional data using year of birth and year of NGO school establishment, I show that cohorts which were exposed to NGO schools have higher probability of enrollment and the effect operates mainly through girls. The two most prominent characteristics of NGO schools that encourage girls' enrollment are the high percentage of female teachers and having Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). NGO schools show strong effects in improving children's test scores.


An aq. soln. of peroxynitrous acid has been studied using first-principles mol. dynamics simulations based on d. functional theory. The relative Helmholtz energies of different conformers have been detd. via thermodn. integration with constraints. At contrast to the gas phase, only two conformers, a cis and a trans isomer, are present in soln. and their relative Helmholtz energy is enhanced with respect to the gas phase. The av. structural properties of the two conformational forms on the other hand are very close to the resp. gas phase values. The interconversion pathway between the two conformers has been detd., and the Helmholtz energy profile for the isomerization reaction in soln. is presented. The rotational barrier is calcd. to be substantially higher than in gas phase due to a strong rearrangement of the solvent during the reaction. The structure of the transition state can only be described correctly when the solvent is taken explicitly into account. Our calcns. indicate that the cis form is the dominant species in aq. soln. at ambient temps. [on SciFinder (R)]


Child maltreatment is a complex life experience occurs when a parent or caregiver does an intentional or potential damage to a child, including acts of commission and omission. Child abuse is not an uncommon event, but it is not always recognized. Identifying the real number of maltreated children is a challenge because of the large variability in reported prevalence data across studies. Unfortunately, in the United States, it affects 1 in 8 children, by the age of 18 years, annually. Paediatricians may encounter a variety of forms of maltreatment such as neglect, emotional, physical and sexual abuse. These aspects should be recognised, examined and evaluated by employing a systematic approach and focusing on basic needs of children that may not be met. Child maltreatment is a global problem with serious life-long physical and psychological or psychiatric outcomes. It is associated with important economic and social costs (such as physical and mental health, productivity losses, child welfare, criminal justice and special education costs) due to its high prevalence and its long-term and short-term consequences. In the United States, the average cost of nonfatal maltreatment is $210,012 per children and the cost of fatal maltreatment is $1,272,900. General Practitioners are quite prepared to face the problem of child maltreatment: since they have the opportunity to meet several members of the same family, they can detect stressors that put children at risk of maltreatment. All health professionals have the responsibility to protect children from abuse and neglect.


Abstract Background &aims : Hypertension (HTN) is a common disease with various complications for health. A number of studies suggested that some organic solvents can affect blood pressure and usually workers in work environments expose to mixtures of solvents. We decided to survey the effects of a mixture of organic solvents on blood pressure in workers of a car manufacturing company. Methods : In a cross-sectional study, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP&DBP) of 179 workers of a car manufacturing plant was measured. Workers in the repair location as non-exposure group and workers in the paint location as exposure group were compared in terms of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP&DBP) and prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension. Results : There were no statistically significant differences between groups in the variables, age, employment duration, smoking and other confounding factors (p>0.05). The mean values of SBP and DBP was significantly higher in exposure group than non-exposure group (p<0.001). After logistic regression analysis with adjustment of confounding variables, prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension was significantly higher in exposure group than non-exposure group (p<0.05). Further , in this study there was a significant association between hypertension and variables such as age, smoking, body mass index, regular exercise and shift work (p<0.05). Conclusion : Our results suggested that, exposure to mixture of organic solvents can increase prevalence of hypertension in car manufacture workers. Therefore, more attention should be paid to such workers by prevention and periodic monitoring of blood pressure.


Organic electronics is a field covering all applications and devices where one or several of the active components are made of organic material, such as organic light emitting diodes, organic solar cells, organic thin film transistors, organic magnets for spintronics etc. In all of the applications mentioned above, transport of charges across both inorganic/organic and organic/organic interfaces play a key role for device performance. In order to achieve high efficiencies and longer life-times, proper matching of the electronic energy levels of the different materials is needed. The aim of the research presented in this thesis has been to explore different routes to optimize interface energetics and gain deeper knowledge of the mechanisms that govern charge transport over the interface. Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) is a method well suited to study both interactions between different materials taking place at surfaces as well as interface energetics. One way to achieve proper matching of interfaces energy levels is by adding a dipole layer. In the three first papers presented in the thesis, the method of adding a monolayer of small organic molecules to change the work function of the surface is investigated. We start with a model system consisting of a nickel surface and PPDA molecules where we have strong interaction and mixing of orbitals between the molecule and the metal surface. The second system consists of a gold surface and TDAE molecules with weaker interaction with integer electron transfer and finally in the third paper an organic surface VPP-PEDOT-Tos is modified, with TDAE, to create a transparent low work function organic electrode. In the fourth paper, we focus on gaining deeper understanding of the Integer Charge Transfer (ICT) model and the mechanisms governing the alignment of energy levels at organic/(in)organic interfaces and in the fifth paper we continue to challenge this model by using it to predict the behavior of a bilayer device, in terms of energy level alignment.


Introduction: Health care organizations are embracing integrated primary care (IPC), in which mental health and behavioral health are addressed as part of routine care within primary care settings. Behavioral medicine concerns, which include health behavior change and coping with medical conditions, are common in primary care populations. Although there are evidence-based behavioral interventions that target a variety of behavioral medicine concerns, integrated behavioral health providers need interventions that are sufficiently brief (i.e., ⩽6 appointments) to be compatible with IPC. Method: We conducted a literature review of published studies examining behavioral interventions that target prevalent behavioral medicine concerns and can feasibly be employed by IPC providers in adult primary care settings. Results: A total of 67 published articles representing 63 original studies met eligibility criteria. We extracted data on the behavioral interventions employed, results comparing the active intervention to a comparison group, general fit with IPC, and methodological quality. The vast majority of studies examined brief interventions targeting sleep difficulties and physical activity. The most commonly employed interventions were derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing. Outcomes were generally statistically significantly in favor of the active intervention relative to comparison, with highly variable methodological quality ratings (range = 0–5; M = 2.0). Discussion: Results are discussed in relation to the need for further evidence for brief behavioral interventions targeting other behavioral medicine concerns beyond sleep and physical activity, as well as for more specificity regarding the compatibility of such interventions with IPC practice.


Do you expect to find articles about mathematics in your daily newspaper? If you are a reader of The Guardian you do, or at least you did during the second half of the 1980s. This volume collects many of the columns Keith Devlin wrote for The Guardian. Read them and assign them to your students to read. This is a book for delving in, and is accessible to anyone with an interest in things mathematical. Devlin takes mathematical discoveries and explains them to the interested lay reader. The topics range from computer discoveries dealing with large prime numbers to much deeper results, such as Fermat's Last Theorem. You will find articles on the traveling salesman problem, on cryptology, and on procedures for working out claims for traveling expenses. Although the individual pieces are short and easily read, many contain references to mathematical articles and can form the basis for student research papers.


Abstract The proteome of liver biopsies from human obese (O) subjects has been compared to those of nonobese (NO) subjects using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Differentially represented proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS)-based peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) and nanoflow-liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-ESI-MS/MS). Overall, 61 gene products common to all of the liver biopsies were identified within 65 spots, among which 25 ones were differently represented between O and NO subjects. In particular, over-representation of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, Δ(3,5)-Δ(2,4)dienoyl-CoA isomerase, acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase, glyoxylate reductase/hydroxypyruvate reductase, fructose-biphosphate aldolase B, peroxiredoxin I, protein DJ-1, catalase, α- and β-hemoglobin subunits, 3-mercaptopyruvate S-transferase, calreticulin, aminoacylase 1, phenazine biosynthesis-like domain-containing protein and a form of fatty acid-binding protein, together with downrepresentation of glutamate dehydrogenase, glutathione S-transferase A1, S-adenosylmethionine synthase 1A and a form of apolipoprotein A-I, was associated with the obesity condition. Some of these metabolic enzymes and antioxidant proteins have already been identified as putative diagnostic markers of liver dysfunction in animal models of steatosis or obesity, suggesting additional investigations on their role in these syndromes. Their differential representation in human liver was suggestive of their consideration as obesity human biomarkers and for the development of novel antiobesity drugs.


BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between intensity of physical activity (PA) and body composition in 343 young women.

METHODS
Physical activity was objectively measured using accelerometers worn for 7 days in women 17 to 25 years. Body composition was assessed using the BOD POD.

RESULTS
Young women who spent less than 30 minutes a week performing vigorous PA had significantly higher body fat percentages than women who performed more than 30 minutes of vigorous PA per week (F = 4.54, P = .0113). Young women who spent less than 30 minutes per day in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) had significantly higher body fat percentages than those who obtained more than 30 minutes per day of MVPA (F = 7.47, P = .0066). Accumulating more than 90 minutes of MVPA per day was associated with the lowest percent body fat. For every 10 minutes spent in MVPA per day, the odds of having a body fat percentage above 32% decreased by 29% (P = .0002).

CONCLUSION
Vigorous PA and MVPA are associated with lower adiposity. Young women should be encouraged to accumulate at least 30 minutes of MVPA per day, however getting more than 90 minutes a day is predictive of even lower levels of adiposity.


Abstract Smectites of sedimentary series from a playa lake system from Calatayud Basin have been studied by XRD and TEM chemical microanalyses. Clay particle microanalyses show complete continuity between dioctahedral aluminous and trioctahedral magnesian smectites. Aluminous smectites have been classified as montmorillonites and ferribeidellites, both with compositional variability. They represent detrital phases resulting from weathering in the source area. Compositionally-intermediate smectites (beidellite-saponite and montmorillonite-stevensite) seem to correspond to weighted mean compositions of di- and trioctahedral phases stacked together in the same particle. They represent intermediate transitional stages from detrital to authigenic smectites in more distal basin facies. Trioctahedral smectites, although called saponites and stevensites, are actually random mixed-layer kerolite-Mg-smectite with a high percentage of expandable layers. They represent authigenic clays formed from solutions with high pH and Mg content as a result of evaporative concentration. The variability in composition of smectites, both within the same sample and amongst different samples, is a possible consequence of the heterogeneity in the local chemical environment, and so, equilibrium may be only reached locally in a large variety of microsystems.


IMPORTANCE
Previous research has calculated normative data for the Dynavision D2 Visuomotor Training (D2) System among healthy athletes to understand concussion management, but to date no studies have identified the norms for healthy adults over a large age range (18-80 yr) for physical response speed.

OBJECTIVE
To provide normative data for the D2 for physical response speed in adults ages 18-80 yr.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional, descriptive study to obtain normative data on physical response speed using the D2 for adults in age categories 18-40, 41-60, and 61-80 yr.

SETTING
Genesis Physical Therapy and Wellness Center, a Midwestern outpatient hospital-based therapy center.

PARTICIPANTS
Three hundred adults, stratified into three different age categories. Normal standards with quartiles were identified for each age and sex category.

OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Multiple regression model of the inverse response times.

RESULTS
The results showed a significant difference in physical response speed between men and women and between the different age groups. Women in all age categories were slower than men. Physical response speed increased with age in both sexes, but each had significantly different age and sex main effects (p < .0005).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Occupational therapy practitioners can use the normative standards identified in this study in their assessment of clients with visual and cognitive deficits after a brain injury, stroke, or other neurologic pathology.

WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS
This study's results can be added to the battery of other common evaluation measures that occupational therapists use to evaluate visual and cognitive deficits after neurological impairments.


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The increased global connectivity urges us to look across borders, for previous boundaries may have been broken down or on the contrary have become more visible. In this thesis we explore what it means to cross borders with human resource management (HRM). Many believe in the virtues of the American way of doing business, but does this also mean that the American way of doing business is applicable in other countries? Human resource studies furthermore started in the manufacturing sector, while considerable differences can be expected for other sectors like the service sector. By moving research from Anglo-American countries and the manufacturing sector to a broader context, national and sector borders are crossed. On both the national and the sector level formal institutions have a crucial role in the adoption and effectiveness of HR practices. We have examined whether organizations across different institutional contexts embrace different ways of managing human resources and whether different results can be achieved. Even though our research provides support for the relevance of a fit of HRM with its context, the importance of best practices can not be discarded. Both aspects are important to consider in future research when studying HRM and performance in a globalizing world. By providing useful insights for practitioners this research can finally also crossover from academia back to practice.


End-user privacy in smart meter measurements is a well-known challenge in the smart grid. The solutions offered thus far have been tied to specific technologies such as batteries or assumptions on data usage. Existing solutions have also not quantified the loss of benefit (utility) that results from any such privacy-preserving approach. Using tools from information theory, a new framework is presented that abstracts both the privacy and the utility requirements of smart meter data. This leads to a novel privacy-utility tradeoff problem with minimal assumptions that is tractable. Specifically for a stationary Gaussian Markov model of the electricity load, it is shown that the optimal utility-and-privacy preserving solution requires filtering out frequency components that are low in power, and this approach appears to encompass most of the proposed privacy approaches.


This article examines development and revitalisation initiatives for the Bidayuh language, spoken in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Bidayuh has six main variants which are not mutually intelligible. In addition, it is mainly used in rural settings and is not the main language of choice in mixed marriages. Moreover, Bidayuh did not have a standardised orthography until 2003. These factors have affected the development of the language, which is to be contrasted with the Iban language, spoken by the main ethnic group in Sarawak, which is currently offered in primary schools as Pupil's Own Language (POL) and as an elective subject in the secondary school Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. The focus of this article is the language development and revitalization initiatives undertaken by various stakeholders between 1963 (the year of the formation of the Federation of Malaysia) and today. Special attention will be paid to the outcome of the Multilingual Education (MLE) project, which is an extension of the Bidayuh Language Development Project (BLDP) initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Asia, and undertaken by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA). Interviews with representatives of the community were conducted to discover their perceptions towards these initiatives, and to identify factors that might contribute to their success and/or failure. The article ends with some suggestions about how to improve the success of language revitalisation initiatives for Bidayuh.


This classified and annotated research bibliography is meant to serve as an introduction to the rich field of Japanese psycholinguistics, by providing an exhaustive inventory of what has been done in or about Japanese in a psycholinguistic sense. Thus, this volume captures the tradition of psycholinguistic research currently being pursued in Japan, its history and development over the past thirty years, and its current directions and research themes, as well as international research in modern psycholinguistics which targets the Japanese language as the focal point of empirical procedures or deductive analysis in psychology, linguistics, psycholinguistics, and cognitive science. The bibliography supports a broad view of psycholinguistics, acknowledging that psycholinguistic research in how natural language is learned, produced, comprehended, stored, and recalled now reaches beyond its traditional roots in the two disciplines of psychology and linguistics. The interested scholar will thus find entries from the traditional core of psycholinguistic research on natural language, as well as entries from related areas which have either influence or been influenced by psycholinguistic work on Japanese. Every article, text, and edited volume listed in the bibliography is available through normal library channels, and is thus accessible to the scholar interested in what psycholinguistic research has been done in or on the Japanese language, in Japan and internationally. The annotations for each entry have been especially written for this bibliographic inventory, and with the linguist, psychologist, and psycholinguist specifically in mind. The authors' intention is to maximize the usefulness of such an inventory by preparing annotations for the interested reader who wishes to know not only what the article contains but where it fits in the research tradition.


Where faulting takes place due to the absence of dowel bars and inadequate subbase support in jointed concrete pavement (JCP), dowel bar retrofit (DBR) is used to improve load transfer efficiency (LTE) and to prevent further faulting of slabs at transverse joints. Even though DBR generally improves LTEs and overall performance of JCPs, not all DBR projects have been successful. Faulting reoccurred within 2 years after DBR treatment on US59 in Texas. An investigation from the cores taken in the project revealed excessive voids under a dowel bar due to poor consolidation of the grouting material. A laboratory investigation was performed to determine the most critical factors for adequate consolidation of grouting materials in DBR. Typical rapid-setting grout materials widely used in DBR were selected and full-scale specimens were made for evaluations. Four testing variables for consolidation performance were investigated: time of placement after mixing, vibration time, slot width, and maximum aggregate size. Maximum aggregate size and slot width were not critical factors for consolidation performance of grout. The most significant factor was vibration time. Twenty s of vibration is recommended. Placement time was also an important factor, with grout materials placed after initial set performing poorly. Delayed placement of grout materials without vibration led to the most voids under the dowel bars.


For noncircular signals, optimal widely linear (WL) minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) beamformer has a powerful performance by exploiting the noncircularity of the received signals. Though, the noncircularity rate can be estimated by the steering vector (SV) of the signal of interest (SOI), the performance degrades as there exist errors in the SOI's SV. This paper introduces a new robust WL beamformer. In the proposed approach, the assumed extended steering vector (ESV) of the SOI is used to construct an interference-plus-noise subspace projection matrix, and the new ESV is estimated by maximizing the WL beamformer output power under a constraint that prevents the ESV from converging to the interference. The proposed algorithm only needs imprecise knowledge of the antenna array geometry and the SOI's angular sector. Simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


The London 2012 Games promised to inspire a new generation of more physically active people. Significant investment was made into sport and physical education in preparation for the Games. However the 2012 Health Survey England survey still found that 75% of 5-7 year olds failed to meet the UK Chief Medical Officers' recommendations for daily physical activity (Eastwood, 2014:36).

Current literature identifies a range of motivations associated with physical activity and adolescents. There is a gap in child-centred research which reports what motivates children aged 5-11 years to be physically active. The aims of this small-scale qualitative study are to help fill those gaps and increase understanding of how one group of 5-11 year olds experience physical activity in their free-choice time.

An ethnomethodology and child-centred methods of data collection and analysis are used in order to build understanding from what children themselves do and say. Research is carried out with children in their holiday Activity Camp which offers a choice of screen-based, arts and crafts and sport activities. The children are observed, video and audio recorded whilst active. Photographs and drawings that they prepare about their Activity Camp are analysed and unstructured photo-elicited interviews carried out. Findings are compared with two theoretical models for encouraging participation in physical activity underpinned by Self-Determination Theory. The Sport Education Model (SEM) focuses upon PE and school sport and the Development Model for Sport Participation (DMSP) upon sport and active recreation.

 It was found that this group of children experienced physical activity through socialising and exploiting their activity environment resulting in a high level of active creative play and some 'playing at' traditional sports. Many of the recommendations of the SEM and DMSP appear to be applicable to children's free-choice physical activity and worthy of further research in pursuit of a more active new generation.


Abstract Territorial gangs are among today's main perpetrators of urban violence, affecting the lives of millions of other people. They try to gain control of a territory in which they then oversee all criminal activities and/or 'protect' the people. Such gangs are found to differing degrees on every continent, although those given the most media attention operate in Central America. The violence that they cause has a major impact on the population in general and on their members' families, as well as on the members themselves. Humanitarian organizations may find themselves having to deal with territorial gangs in the course of their 'normal' activities in a gang's area, but also when the humanitarian needs per se of people controlled by a gang justify action. This article looks at some courses of action that may be taken by humanitarian agencies in an environment of this nature: dialogue with the gangs (including how to create a degree of trust), education, services, and dialogue on fundamental issues. Such action only makes sense over the medium to long term; it may have a very positive impact but only allows the symptoms of a deep-seated problem to be treated.


On the continuum of finiteness that can characterize clauses, Purepecha is one of the languages in which the predicates of both independent and dependent clauses are usually finite. Some non-finite dependent clauses have been observed. The predicate is converted to a non-finite form by means of the non-finite marker - ni , without independent specification of tense or aspect. The use of non-finite clauses in clause-chaining, especially chain-medial clauses in narratives, is a phenomenon that appears to be frequent. Its primary function is to maintain event coherence. Reference tracking is almost always possible, but in specific contexts a new reference may be introduced in non-finite chain-medial clauses (participant discontinuity). Temporal continuity is generally attested, although some exceptions have been found with utterance predicates. Non-finite chain-medial clauses seem to display more finiteness features than the other non-finite clauses. In this paper, I describe and discuss in detail the uses of non-finite chain-medial clauses and the position of these non-finite clauses on the continuum of finiteness in Purepecha.


The pain perception of 30 competitive swimmers was studied using experimentally induced ischaemic pain. The pain thresholds and tolerances of this group were compared with those of 30 club swimmers and 26 non-competitive athletes. While pain thresholds showed little difference between the groups, pain tolerances were considerably different. Pain tolerances of the competitive swimmers varied according to the stage of the training season. The relation between ischaemic pain and that experienced during swimming training was studied using a pain questionnaire composed of several systematically structured verbal categories. Both types of pain were classified along similar dimensions, and it was concluded that the experimentally demonstrated pain tolerances could be generalized to the normal pain perception of the subjects. The origins of the enhanced pain tolerances of the competitive swimmers would seem to lie in their systematic exposure to brief periods of intense pain. These data could have relevance for the treatment of chronic pain in certain diseases.


This research investigates the potential of service-learning to develop a situated, embodied and critically reflective human agency for sustainability. It employs document analysis to review the intended curriculum and the institutional contexts of national and international cases wherein service-learning is a component of pre-service teacher education. Exploration of intended learning outcomes and project and assessment experiences across three cases reveal the potential of service-learning to develop in pre-service teachers sustainability competencies involving participative action with community partners to achieve agreed-upon outcomes, as well as critically reflective capacities and understanding of how, in their future classrooms, schools and communities, they can serve as adaptive, lifelong learners and agents for social and environmental change. Findings also suggest that explicitly linking service-learning activities, guided by social justice and equity principles, with a (social) sustainability agenda may further validate the utilisation of and investment in service-learning and civic engagement in teacher and higher education settings.


This article identifies the main problems which have negative impact on efficiency of child protection. The article is based on case analysis of 203 families at social risk carried out in 2015–2016 and on qualitative interviews of 23 children growing in families at social risk which were conducted in 2016–2017. The content and context analysis are performed of the basis of this data. The protection procedures starting with reports to the Department of Child Rights' Protection, case investigations, application of relevant interventions and finally evaluation of help efficiency are reconstructed. The principles of effective child protection distinguished by Eileen Munro has been chosen as the basis of the evaluation and identification of the main barrier to the efficient child protection. It has been identified that the process of practical protection is not centred on the child's problems and needs, but it only focuses on the parents' problems. Children are not sufficiently enabled to participate in their own protection process. Majority of the neglected and abused children are not helped because they are not listened to and their experiences are ignored, although 5 institutional professionals are "working" with the family. The fragments of social work with child has been found only among the experiences of the children attending Children's Care Day Centres. It can be certainly stated that there is clear lack of services for children. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the Children's Day Care Centres, to find possibilities to finance social workers and psychologists to work with children, since only family (adults) centred protection is not effective. It is recommended to improve the training of child care specialists and raise the professional level of those in practice.