Abstract Despite a considerable amount of ethnographic research into the phenomena of blood revenge and blood feud, little is known about the role of blood revenge in political violence, armed conflict, and irregular war. Yet blood revenge—widespread among many conflict-affected societies of the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond—is not confined to the realm of communal infighting, as previous research has presumed. An empirical analysis of Russia's two counterinsurgency campaigns in Chechnya suggests that the practice of blood revenge has functioned as an important mechanism in encouraging violent mobilization in the local population against the Russian troops and their Chechen proxies. The need to exact blood revenge has taken precedence over an individual's political views, or lack thereof. Triggered by the loss of a relative or humiliation, many apolitical Chechens who initially sought to avoid involvement in the hostilities or who had been skeptical of the insurgency mobilized to exact blood revenge to restore their individual and clan honor. Blood revenge functions as an effective, yet heavily underexplored, grievance-based mechanism encouraging violent mobilization in irregular wars.


At the Philadelphia convention assembled to draft a new Constitution, Alexander Hamilton argued "[e]stablish a weak government and you must at times overleap the bounds. Rome was obliged to create dictators." Publius then expands upon this argument in several ways in the Federalist. I suggest that Publius identifies a dynamic or mechanism, the "Publius Paradox," that warrants great attention: Under particular conditions, excessive weakness of government may become excessive strength. If the bonds of constitutionalism are drawn too tightly, they will be thrown off altogether when circumstances warrant. After illustrating and then analysing this "Publius Paradox," I will turn briefly to its implications, the main one being that constitutional law should be cast as a loosely-fitting garment — particularly the executive component of the constitution and the scope of executive powers.


This article is an empirical engagement of Giorgio Agamben's "spatial theory of power." It explores, through the case-study of civil death in New York, the continuum of exclusion that is capped on one end by homo sacer and the sovereign on the other. I argue that civil death has had a long-running history in America, intimately connected to the expression of sovereign power and its deployment in the penal sphere. I show that despite the longue durée of this disability, and its efficacy as a tool of political and social marginalization, this practice has proved highly unstable for sovereignty and has generated significant resistance in the courts, civil society and prisons themselves. The contested status of civil death, I contend, underscores the dynamic character of resistance to sovereign power and its role in framing the conditions under which state authority can be articulated and maintained.


The physical characterization of potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) is important for impact hazard assessment and evaluating mitigation options. Close flybys of PHAs provide an opportunity to study their surface photometric and spectral properties that enable the identification of their source regions in the main asteroid belt. We observed PHA (357439) 2004 BL86 during a close flyby of the Earth at a distance of 1.2 million km (0.0080 AU) on 2015 January 26, with an array of ground-based telescopes to constrain its photometric and spectral properties. Lightcurve observations showed that the asteroid was a binary and subsequent radar observations confirmed the binary nature and gave a primary diameter of 300 m and a secondary diameter of 50–100 m. Our photometric observations were used to derive the phase curve of 2004 BL86 in the V-band. Two different photometric functions were fitted to this phase curve, the IAU H–G model and the Shevchenko model. From the fit of the H–G function we obtained an absolute magnitude of H = 19.51 ± 0.02 and a slope parameter of G = 0.34 ± 0.02. The Shevchenko function yielded an absolute magnitude of H = 19.03 ± 0.07 and a phase coefficient b = 0.0225 ± 0.0006. The phase coefficient was used to calculate the geometric albedo (Ag) using the relationship found by Belskaya & Schevchenko, obtaining a value of Ag = 40% ± 8% in the V-band. With the geometric albedo and the absolute magnitudes derived from the H–G and the Shevchenko functions we calculated the diameter (D) of 2004 BL86, obtaining D = 263 ± 26 and D = 328 ± 35 m, respectively. 2004 BL86 spectral band parameters and pyroxene chemistry are consistent with non-cumulate eucrite meteorites. A majority of these meteorites are derived from Vesta and are analogous with surface lava flows on a differentiated parent body. A non-diagnostic spectral curve match using the Modeling for Asteroids tool yielded a best-match with non-cumulate eucrite Bereba. Three other near-Earth asteroids (1993 VW, 1998 KK17, and 2000 XH44) that were observed by Burbine et al. also have spectral properties similar to 2004 BL86. The presence of eucrites with anomalous oxygen isotope ratios compared to the howardites, eucrites, and diogenites meteorites from Vesta suggests the possible presence of multiple differentiated bodies in the inner main belt or the contamination of Vesta's surface with exogenic material. The spectral properties of both anomalous and Vestan eucrites are degenerate, making it difficult to identify the parent bodies of anomalous eucrites in the main belt and the NEO population using remote sensing. This makes it difficult to link 2004 BL86 directly to Vesta, although the Vesta family is the largest contributor of V-types to near-Earth space.


Fossils from the Hell Creek and Tullock Formations in northeastern Montana provide detailed documentation of terrestrial faunal and floral evolution during latest Cretaceous (Lancian) and early Paleocene (Puercan) time. Here the replacement of Lancian faunas by those of Puercan age, most obviously signaled by the extinction of dinosaurs, and the changes in pollen floras sometimes used to mark the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary occurred during a period of reversed magnetic polarity. Paleontological correlations suggest that dinosaur extinction and the change in pollen floras took place in the Red Deer Valley area, Alberta, during the same period of reversed polarity. Furthermore, also on the basis of paleontological correlations, the extinction of dinosaurs in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, appears to have occurred either during the same period of reversed polarity or, possibly, during the preceding period of normal polarity.


A novel bankruptcy approach is proposed for resolving transboundary river conflicts in which the total water demand or claim of the riparian parties is more than the available water. Bankruptcy solution methods can allocate the available water to the conflicting parties with respect to their claims. Four commonly used bankruptcy methods in the economic literature are used here to develop new river bankruptcy solution methods for allocating water to the riparian parties of river systems. Given the non-uniform spatial and temporal distribution of water across river basins, the proposed solution methods are formulated as non-linear network flow optimization models to allocate water with respect to time sensitivity of water deliveries at different locations in a river network during the planning horizon. Once allocation optimization solutions are developed, their acceptability and stability must be evaluated. Thus, a new bankruptcy allocation stability index (BASI) is developed for evaluating the acceptability of river bankruptcy solutions. To show how the proposed river bankruptcy framework can be helpful in practice, the suggested methods are applied to a real-world transboundary river system with eight riparians under various hydrologic regimes. Stability analysis based on the proposed stability evaluation method suggests that the acceptability of allocation rules is sensitive to hydrologic conditions and demand values. This finding has an important policy implication suggesting that fixed allocation rules and treaties may not be reliable for securing cooperation over transboundary water resources as they are vulnerable to changing socioeconomic and climatic conditions as well as hydrologic non-stationarity.


Large porous protection canopy construction has evolved in Australia over the past 30 years from modest small orchard canopies to large canopies over essential water storages to reduce evaporation and pollution, canopies over large numbers of vehicles for car importers and exporters, and horticultural canopies of over 40 hectares in area. The canopies have proved to be an effective economical method to protect increasing numbers and types of assets from exposure to sun, hail, wind, birds and insects.

Canopy design and construction has evolved from the grass roots with initially no structural engineering design input. As the value of assets protected has increased, the request for structural engineering certification of the canopies has become common. To be able to certify the canopy's structure, the certifying engineer needs to confidently be able to predict the wind actions that may occur. In the past there has been limited structural engineering research undertaken into wind loads on porous structures. The aim of this study is to research the characteristic wind actions normal to large flat roof porous canopies and derive design pressure coefficients. Surface friction actions from wind drag across the surfaces are not researched in this thesis and remain a subject for future research.

Four scale models of a typical porous protection canopy were constructed for testing in the wind tunnel at the Cyclone Testing Station (CTS), James Cook University, Townsville. The models are of identical geometry, but each of different porosity, 0%, 19%, 38% and 58%. The Models were placed in the CTS boundary layer wind tunnel and rotated through 360° at increments of 15°. At each 15° increment, three sets of pressure readings, each for 30 seconds, were taken at a series of pressure taps located on the Model externally and internally. The pressure readings were processed by the wind tunnel transducer into non dimensional pressure coefficients and then adjusted for the boundary layer speed at the height of the Model.

The pressure coefficient results were imported into the analysis software Matlab and Excel and then plotted against the geometry of the canopy. This thesis presents these results graphically with pressure coefficients being plotted against distance. The distance is shown non dimensional as ratios of model width and length to model height.

It is evident from the external pressure results, that the introduction of porosity into the canopy's roof surface causes significant reduction in the magnitude of the wind actions acting on the roof when compared to the non-porous canopy. In contrast, the introduced porosity does not modify the magnitude of the wind actions on the walls greatly, but does alter the coefficient distribution. Internal pressure coefficients were found to decrease in magnitude across the model away from the windward edge.

To predict the resultant wind actions on the canopy surfaces, the simultaneous external and internal pressure coefficients were summed and adjusted using a gust factor in accordance with the Standard AS/NZS 1170.2. The net surface pressure coefficient was then plotted for four wind directions in increments of 15° from 0° to 45°. The results were then combined to find the peak maximum and minimum pressure coefficients for a ±45° wind direction sector orthogonal to the structure as required in AS/NZS1170.2.

It was found that the introduction of porosity to the models caused significant reduction in the magnitude of normal roof wind actions. Increasing the magnitude of the porosity caused only minor further reduction. The wind actions on the porous walls do not decrease significantly from the magnitudes of the coefficients on the equivalent non-porous walls, but are distributed differently due to the flow of the wind in and out of the canopy interior through the porous wall and roof surfaces. The derived net pressure coefficient results are summarised in tabular form and provide values for the design of large porous flat roofed canopies under wind load.


Idiopathic giant cell myocarditis (IGCM) is a rare cause of arrhythmia, heart failure and death in children. The etiology of IGCM is unknown. Endomyocardial biopsy and histological examination are essential for diagnosis. In our case, a one-month-old baby boy with no prior medical history died during breast-feeding. The gross autopsy and drug screen failed to disclose a cause of death. Hemotoxylen Eosin (H&E) stained cardiac tissue slides showed widespread and multifocal necrosis accompanied by mixed inflammatory infiltrate. Admixed with the infiltrate were fibroblastic proliferation and multinucleated giant cells in the absence of sarcoid like granuloma. Although myocarditis is usually thought to be a disease of older children, infants can also be affected. This entity can be the cause of some cases of sudden unexpected death in infancy.


A methodology has been developed to apply the materials budget concept, used in sediment and nutrient studies, to construct a pathogen budget for drinking water catchments, taking into consideration pathogen origin, deposition, inactivation and movement within a catchment. These processes can be described in terms of stocks (pathogens) and flows (movement of stocks). In south-eastern Australia, the majority of pathogen loading to major tributaries was predicted to occur during and after high intensity rainfall events where in-stream resuspension was not of great relative importance. In contrast, during dry weather the transit time within the studied catchment was sufficiently long that in-stream processes became relatively important. Total pathogen unit (TPU) budgets were constructed for the parasitic protozoa Cryptosporidium and Giardia. This approach enables water utility managers to identify those catchment segments and processes that are contributing or removing the greatest load of pathogens, and thus where management options will be most effective. With improved knowledge of pathogen ecology this approach can be further refined to provide budgets of infectious pathogen units (IPU), more directed to public health risk endpoints.


Multidimensional coherent optical spectroscopy (MDCS) is an elegant and versatile tool to measure the ultrafast nonlinear optical response of materials. Of particular interest for semiconductor nanostructures, MDCS enables the separation of homogeneous and inhomogeneous linewidths, reveals the nature of coupling between resonances, and is able to identify the signatures of many-body interactions. As an extension of transient four-wave mixing (FWM) experiments, MDCS can be implemented in various geometries, in which different strategies can be used to isolate the FWM signal and measure its phase. I review and compare different practical implementations of MDCS experiments adapted to the study of semiconductor materials. The power of MDCS is illustrated by discussing experimental results obtained on semiconductor nanostructures such as quantum dots, quantum wells, microcavities, and layered semiconductors.


Symbolic execution is a well-known program analysis technique for testing software, which makes intensive use of constraint solvers. Recent support for floating-point constraint solving has made it feasible to support floating-point reasoning in symbolic execution tools. In this paper, we present the experience of two research teams that independently added floating-point support to KLEE, a popular symbolic execution engine. Since the two teams independently developed their extensions, this created the rare opportunity to conduct a rigorous comparison between the two implementations, essentially a modern case study on N-version programming. As part of our comparison, we report on the different design and implementation decisions taken by each team, and show their impact on a rigorously assembled and tested set of benchmarks, itself a contribution of the paper.


Achieving the decoupling of electric CO 2 emissions from total electricity generation is important in ensuring the sustainable socioeconomic development of China. To realize this, China implemented market-oriented reforms to its electric power industry at the beginning of 2003. This study used the Tapio decoupling index, the Laspeyres decomposition algorithm, and decoupling-related data from 1993 to 2012 to evaluate the effect of these reforms. Several conclusions can be drawn based on the empirical analysis. (1) The reforms changed the developmental trend of the decoupling index and facilitated its progress towards strong decoupling. (2) The results forecasted through fitting the curve to the decoupling index indicate that strong decoupling would be realized by 2030. (3) Limiting the manufacturing development and upgrading the generation equipment of the thermal power plants are essential for China to achieve strong decoupling at an early date. (4) China should enhance regulatory pressures and guidance for appropriate investment in thermal power plants to ensure the stable development of the decoupling index. (5) Transactions between multiple participants and electricity price bidding play active roles in the stable development of the decoupling index.


Picking the right journal has always been difficult, but the plethora of new open access journals—and the increasing pressure from funders to publish in them—has made the choice even more daunting. At a meeting last month, representatives from science funding agencies, publishers, librarians, and journal editors discussed two proposed yardsticks for quality. But the meeting, organized by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and SURF, a partnership that provides information and communication technology to Dutch universities, failed to come up with clear answers.


The present study characterizes key proposed intermediates and reaction pathway steps in the enzymatic cycle of cytochrome P450nor, a nitric oxide reductase. This unusual P450, with reductase rather than monoxygenase function, catalyzes the conversion of •NO to N2O, an important detoxification step in the global nitrogen cycle. Density functional theoretical (DFT) and semiempirical INDO/ROHF/CI quantum chemical characterization of the putative species in the enzymatic cycle have been made and direct comparisons made with published experimental spectral and structural data. The computed INDO/ROHF-CIS spectra of the NO bound heme species indicate a previously reported experimental transient electronic spectrum to be due the NO bound reduced ferrous heme species. The identity of the active heme species in the P450nor mechanism is unknown and may be either a nitrogen (FeN) N-ferryl analogue of the oxyferryl/compound I P450 species or the NO bound reduced ferrous heme species. Formation of products from either requires the addition of two protons and a second •NO to the NO bound reduced ferrous heme form to form N2O, water, and resting state heme products. The mechanism of proton transfer to the NO bound reduced ferrous NO species is assessed and contrasted with that discovered for the reduced oxyferrous heme species of cytochrome P450 monoxygenases. DFT reaction pathways studies are reported for the addition of •NO to the N-ferryl species and indicate it to be a competent active species forming N2O via an exothermic, barrierless process. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002


In this paper, we abandon the stylized median voter and study (i) how distributional tensions can act in many different ways depending on social affinity and on the prospect of upward or downward mobility of the different income classes, (ii) income distribution dynamics, intergenerational community formation and growth. In a world in which redistributive policies, whether fiscal or educational, affect how the entire economy breaks up into different communities, we find multiple politico-economic regimes that are supported by new international empirical evidence. In particular, we highlight a political economy decision mechanism through which the pressure for redistribution can be highly non linear therefore providing an explanation as to why more inequality can be associated with less, rather than more, redistributive taxation. Our framework displays multiple steady states which depend on historical economic discrimination. We also provide sufficient conditions on the initial pattern of income distribution and local versus social spillovers ratio under which inequality and segregation persist in the long run.


Chronic Constipation is a debilitating condition that is often associated with different abdominal problem. It can cause distress for the child and family and can result in emotional disturbance and family problem. Based on the current algorhytm, the treatment of chronic constipation consists of 4 important phases, 1: education, 2: disimpaction, 3: prevention of re-accumulation of feces and 4: follow up. Challenges in treatment are related to many issues: a)    Discussing the importance of problem for parents, b)    Family concern about safety and side effects of drugs, c)    Adherence to long term treatment, which is often crucial but unacceptable by family, d)    Amelioration of withdrawal behavior in toddlers group which don't understand the facts, e)    Planning a appropriate diet for constipation which is again unacceptable by children, f)     Cost of treatment g)    Anismus Besides of known treatment consist of various drugs: Biofeedback is one of the approaches that have proven benefits but with less emphasis and introduction, so application of this obsolete method needs further works. Tegaserod, a selective agonist that acts at 5-HT4 receptors and increases small bowel transit, stimulates intestinal secretion and inhibits visceral afferent responses has proven effective in the treatment of chronic constipation in adults.  In children with hard stools, 5-HT4 agonist might benefit children with constipation and tendency to form hard stools, and large rectal masses. The role of this promising new agent in pediatric constipation has to be established in future studies. Pre and Probiotics:  Non-digestible oligosaccharides consist mainly of fructooligosaccharides (FOS). FOS reduces fecal pH, increases the water, holding capacity of stool and fecal weight and decreases intestinal transit time. Furthermore, it has prebiotic effects by selectively stimulating the growth of probiotics bacteria, such as bifidobacteria. Surgery: If conventional therapy (dietary advice, toilet training, Oral and rectal laxatives in combination with behavioral therapy) fails, surgery may then be considered. However it is well known that current surgical approach have significant associated morbidity. An alternative surgical approach to constipation might be sacral nerve stimulation.


We investigated how parameters describing the heart and the arterial system contribute to the systolic and diastolic pressures (Ps and Pd, respectively) and stroke volume (SV). We have described the heart by the varying-elastance model with six parameters and the systemic arterial tree by the three-element windkessel model, leading to a total of nine parameters. Application of dimensional analysis led to a total of six dimensionless parameters describing dimensionless Ps and Pd, i.e., pressures with respect to venous pressure (Ps/Pv and Pd/Pv). SV was normalized with respect to unloaded ventricular volume (Vd). Sensitivity analysis showed that Ps/Pv, Pd/Pv, and SV/Vd could be accurately described by four, three, and three dimensionless parameters, respectively. With this limited number of parameters, it was then possible to obtain empirical analytical expressions for Ps/Pv, Pd/Pv, and SV/Vd. The analytic predictions were tested against the model values and found to be as follows: Ps predicted = (1.0007 +/- 0.0062) Ps, r = 0.987; Pd predicted = (1.016 +/- 0.0085) Pd, r = 0.992; and SV predicted = (0.9987 +/- 0.0028) SV, r = 0.996. We conclude that aortic Ps, Pd, and SV can be accurately described by a limited number of parameters and that, for any condition of the heart and the arterial system, Ps, Pd, and SV can be presented in analytical form.


The Police Act 1997 widens police powers by introducing measures to place the National Criminal Intelligence Service on a statutory footing with responsibility no longer restricted to serious crime; establish a National Crime Squad to prevent and detect serious crime relevant to more than one police area in England and Wales; increase police powers of electronic surveillance of premises where it is believed that such action is likely to be of substantial value in the prevention or detection of serious crime; allow the disclosure of criminal record certificates to potential employers detailing cautions and convictions. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in criminal law, constitutional law and civil liberties, including criminal law practitioners, the police, advisers on ex-offenders' rights and legal advice centres.


Abstract: A significant rise in student activism on US college campuses against university retailers affiliated with sweatshops has threatened the US$2.5 billion university-apparel industry. Over 1000 students from 100 universities have joined United Students Against Sweatshops to insist that apparel manufacturers disclose the location of factories producing goods bearing the schools' insignia, including everything from hats and sweatshirts to lingerie and dog collars. Text: Sweat and Tears Student Activism and Sweatshops A significant rise in student activism on US college campuses against university retailers affiliated with sweatshops has threatened the US$2.S billion university-apparel industry. Over 1000 students from 100 universities have joined United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) to insist that apparel manufacturers disclose the locations of factories producing goods bearing the schools' insignias, including everything from hats and sweatshirts to lingerie and dog collars. These demands coincide with those of a number of government and business associations seeking to eliminate the use of sweatshops in developing nations such as Indonesia and El Salvador. These factories play a major role in the production of the US$70 billion apparel industry. While students at Harvard University marched through Harvard Yard requesting a "living wage" for laborers producing university goods, their peers at Duke and Georgetown Universities and the University of Wisconsin at Madison occupied administrative offices until university officials agreed to comply with their demands. Corporate representatives, such as those from Nike and Reebok, argue that wages are rising and conditions improving for sweatshop workers. However, these improvements are insufficient by the standards of the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP). The CEP's numerical values for a living wage vary between nations and regions. The calculation considers the local costs of basic foods needed for adequate nutrition as well as the typical number of household members and wage earners; it then determines the minimum salary necessary for a worker to live without outside subsistence. A private US firm, in an international inspection of sweatshops in 30 countries, found that 80 percent of the facilities observed did not meet these standards. In Indonesia, for example, where Nike and Reebok laud their recent wage increases in response to the economic downturn, sweatshop laborers now make US$0.20 an hour, while the CEPs calculated national living wage is seven cents higher, Many apparel manufacturers insist on keeping factory locations concealed; they claim that if they were to identify their sources, competitors could move into the region and offer more competitive wages, thus undermining business. This concealment perpetuates mistreatment within the plants. The abuses that protesters focus on include compulsory unpaid overtime, lock-ins,and physical abuse. A recent lawsuit that highlights the scope of these abuses took place in August 1999. Representatives of 50,000 sweatshop laborers from the Marianas Islands demanded US$1 billion from a number of corporations for, among other activities, creating a program of indentured servitude in which 10,000 Chinese were coaxed into moving to Saipan and other islands and then forced to work off their debts for the trip. The defendants-including Nordstrom, Gymboree, Cutter & Buck, and J. Crew-settled the case, paying US$1.25 million to monitor the factories and agreeing to allow Verite, a respected nonprofit organization, to regularly inspect their facilities. The settlement seemed to catalyze an initial movement toward improvement within the sweatshops: recently, Polo Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan International, and Chadwick's of Boston all pledged to begin independent monitoring of their factories. …


Without doubt, the greatest achievement in biology over the past millennium has been the elucidation of the mechanism of heredity. Heredity is surely the strangest of physiological processes: Organisms encapsulate instructions for creating a member of their species in their gametes, these instructions are passed on to a fertilized egg, and then they unfold spontaneously to give rise to offspring. The ancient Greeks puzzled over these remarkable phenomena. Hippocrates imagined that instructional particles were gathered together from throughout the adult body, having been shaped by experience, while Aristotle believed that the instructions were constant and inherent in the gametes. But philosophers could do no more than speculate for the ensuing 2000 years, because there was no way to probe the physical nature of these instructions.


Background Radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome (RIGS) results from a combination of direct cytocidal effects on intestinal crypt and endothelial cells and subsequent loss of the mucosal barrier, resulting in electrolyte imbalance, diarrhea, weight loss, infection and mortality. Because R-spondin1 (Rspo1) acts as a mitogenic factor for intestinal stem cells, we hypothesized that systemic administration of Rspo1 would amplify the intestinal crypt cells and accelerate the regeneration of the irradiated intestine, thereby, ameliorating RIGS. Methods and Findings Male C57Bl/6 mice received recombinant adenovirus expressing human R-spondin1 (AdRspo1) or E.coli Lacz (AdLacz), 1–3 days before whole body irradiation (WBI) or abdominal irradiation (AIR). Post-irradiation survival was assessed by Kaplan Meier analysis. RIGS was assessed by histological examination of intestine after hematoxilin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining of BrdU incorporation, Lgr5 and β-catenin expression and TUNEL staining. The xylose absorption test (XAT) was performed to evaluate the functional integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier. In order to examine the effect of R-spondin1 on tumor growth, AdRspo1 and AdLacZ was administered in the animals having palpable tumor and then exposed to AIR. There was a significant increase in survival in AdRspo1 cohorts compared to AdLacZ (p<0.003) controls, following WBI (10.4 Gy). Significant delay in tumor growth was observed after AIR in both cohorts AdRspo1 and AdLacZ but AdRspo1 treated animals showed improved survival compared to AdLacZ. Histological analysis and XAT demonstrated significant structural and functional regeneration of the intestine in irradiated animals following AdRspo1 treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated an increase in Lgr5+ve crypt cells and the translocation of β-catenin from the cytosol to nucleus and upregulation of β-catenin target genes in AdRspo1-treated mice, as compared to AdLacz-treated mice. Conclusion Rspo1 promoted radioprotection against RIGS and improved survival of mice exposed to WBI. The mechanism was likely related to induction of the Wnt-β-catenin pathway and promotion of intestinal stem cell regeneration. Rspo1 has protective effect only on normal intestinal tissue but not in tumors after AIR and thereby may increase the therapeutic ratio of chemoradiation therapy in patients undergoing abdominal irradiation for GI malignancies.


OBJECTIVES
The spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) represents one of the most worrisome problems for clinical medicine worldwide. In Italy, the Antibiotic-Resistance-Istituto Superiore di Sanità surveillance network, in collaboration with the Committee for Antimicrobial Agents of the Italian Society of Clinical Microbiologists, promoted a study to investigate the carbapenem-resistance mechanisms, clonal relatedness and capsular typing of a recent collection of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-KP).

METHODS
A total of 17 laboratories distributed across Italy collected all consecutive non-replicate CR-KP isolated from invasive infections during two different study periods (2011-12 and 2013). Carbapenemase genes were searched for by filter hybridization and confirmed by PCR and sequencing. KPC-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-KP) were typed by PFGE and MLST. Capsular types were identified by wzi gene typing.

RESULTS
Of the collected K. pneumoniae isolates (n = 461), the overall proportion of CR-KP was 36.2% (n = 167). The majority (97%) of the CR-KP were positive for the blaKPC gene. Among the KPC-KP population, nine different STs were detected with the majority of isolates (94%) belonging to the clonal group (CG) 258. A subpopulation that belonged to ST512 and showed an identical PFGE profile represented the majority (57%) of KPC-KP strains, with a countrywide distribution. Capsular characterization showed the predominance of the wzi154, cps-2 capsular type (88.8% of all CG258 strains). ST258 strains were associated with both cps-1 and cps-2 capsular types, while ST512 was associated with cps-2 only.

CONCLUSIONS
Although a trend to a polyclonal evolution of the Italian KPC-KP was noted, this study showed that the KPC-KP population remained largely oligoclonal with the wide diffusion of an ST512 lineage carrying cps-2 capsular type and producing the KPC-3 enzyme.


BACKGROUND
Fluoridated (F) milk schemes are employed in six countries to reduce dental caries in children. To maximise their benefits considerable uptake is required. Measuring compliance and understanding contributing factors is important in evaluating the effectiveness of schemes since it can be unclear whether reported sub-optimal fluoride (F) intakes, measured through urinary F excretion, are due to sub-optimal F contents of milks or lack of compliance with consumption.

OBJECTIVES
To determine compliance with milk consumption for children receiving non-F or F milk (containing 0.5 or 0.9 mgF per 189 ml carton) and rationalise the use of compliance data for clinical observational or intervention studies involving F milk schemes.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Partially randomised, partial cross-over study.

PARTICIPANTS
50 children aged 3-4 and 6-7y consuming non-F (n=50) and F milk (0.5 mgF; n=15 children; 0.9mg F; n=16 children) at school.

RESULTS
Mean compliance for both non-F and F milk was > or =90% in each of the groups studied and showed no statistically significant difference for children using both milks. The 95% central range of proportions of milk consumed for groups of individuals was wider for 0.9mgF milk (25% to 100%) than for 0.5 mgF milk (81% to 100%) although the greatest range of variation in compliance for within individual observations was seen for non-F milk consumption and in older children.

CONCLUSION
Assessment of compliance with consumption should be included when dental efficacy of F milk consumption is being investigated or evaluated to quantify F exposure from milk. This is important, particularly if a change in the F dose of F milk might be under consideration.


Abstract. Wave-induced boundary layer (BL) flows over sandy rippled bottoms are studied using a numerical model that applies a one-way coupling of a "far-field" inviscid flow model to a "near-field" large eddy simulation (LES) Navier–Stokes (NS) model. The incident inviscid velocity and pressure fields force the LES, in which near-field, wave-induced, turbulent bottom BL flows are simulated. A sediment suspension and transport model is embedded within the coupled flow model. The numerical implementation of the various models has been reported elsewhere, where we showed that the LES was able to accurately simulate both mean flow and turbulent statistics for oscillatory BL flows over a flat, rough bed. Here we show that the model accurately predicts the mean velocity fields and suspended sediment concentration for oscillatory flows over full-scale vortex ripples. Tests show that surface roughness has a significant effect on the results. Beyond increasing our insight into wave-induced oscillatory bottom BL physics, sophisticated coupled models of sediment transport such as that presented have the potential to make quantitative predictions of sediment transport and erosion/accretion around partly buried objects in the bottom, which is important for a vast array of bottom deployed instrumentation and other practical ocean engineering problems.


A golden Cadillac big enough to cross the ocean has been seen sailing along the streets of Harlem. A hit-and-run victim's been hit so hard she got embedded in the wall of a convent. A shootout with three heistmen dressed as cops has left an important politician in a coma - and a lot of money missing. And Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are the ones who have to piece it all together. "All Shot Up" is chaotic, bloody - and completely unforgettable. Chester Himes wrote detective fiction darker, dirtier and more extreme than anyone else dared.


'All decent people live beyond their incomes nowadays, and those who aren't respectable live beyond other people's'. Saki (H.H. Munro) stands alongside Anton Chekhov and O Henry as a master of the short story. His extraordinary stories are a mixture of humorous satire, irony and the macabre, in which the stupidities and hypocrisy of conventional society are viciously pilloried. This collection includes Sredni Vastor and The Unrest Cure. 'We all know that Prime Ministers are wedded to the truth, but like other married couples they sometimes live apart'


Background: Despite increasing popularity of Social capital, the relationship between social capital and ICT often appears to be an ambivalent one. Existing information systems (IS) literature presented various frameworks and theoretical foundations to facilitate the study of this concept, yet several contradictory findings have been reported indicating a significant knowledge gap in this domain. Current research adopts a holistic approach to address this knowledge gap by answering "How does social capital generate value or benefits in an ICT intervention?" Method: C urrent research employs a systematic literature review coupled with a grounded theory method to investigate proposed research questions. Results: Primary contributions of the current research include (1) the identification of contextual relationship between contextual factors and social capital dimensions, and (2) development of a holistic model of social capital driven benefits during ICT intervention where the 'enablers' and the 'drivers' of benefit have been identified. Conclusions: Identification of distinct roles and value-drivers related to social capital will help IS researchers in explaining "how and why" benefits are achieved while employing a social capital lens.


Background:Systematic elective paratracheal dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma is controversial. Objective:This study aims to analyze the pattern of locoregional recurrence (LRR) to determine the potential benefit of elective paratracheal dissection and to identify prognostic factors influencing locoregional control and disease specific survival. Methods:A cohort of 342 patients who underwent a total thyroidectomy with or without neck dissection for a papillary thyroid carcinoma was retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathological variables predicting for survival and control were examined. Results:All patients underwent total thyroidectomy and 84 underwent neck dissection as primary treatment. Sixty-six patients underwent a central compartment neck dissection. Twenty-eight (8.2%) patients developed LRR, of which 12 did not undergo neck dissection at initial surgery. The majority of neck recurrences were found in the lateral neck. Two patients (0.7%) without a paratracheal dissection done initially recurred only in the central compartment. On univariable analysis significant pathological predictors of locoregional control included tumor size, extrathyroidal extension (ETE), lymphovascular invasion and pathological lymph node status. Only ETE was a significant adverse prognostic variable for disease specific survival. On regression analysis, ETE and lymphovascular invasion were the only significant independent predictors of LRR. Paratracheal dissection did neither influence LRR nor central compartment control when adjusted for the effect of other variables. Conclusions:Strong conclusions are difficult to draw without a comparable group, but these results suggest that the absolute benefit of elective paratracheal dissection is small.


Why do intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) that espouse democratic commitments suspend the membership of some states that backslide on those commitments, while leaving that of others intact? We argue that a combination of geopolitical factors and institutional rules help explain this inconsistent pattern. Remaining member states insulate geopolitically important states—particularly those with large endowments of oil resources—from suspension. Institutional factors, such as voting rules and the size of the IGO, create veto points that reduce suspensions. Using an original global data set of IGO suspensions and charter commitments from 1980 to 2010, we find strong support for our argument. We test a key assumption of existing scholarship that claims IGOs serve as credible-commitment devices for political reform and democratization. We show that once a state becomes an IGO member, it can often remain in the IGO even after violating its democratic commitments.


Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) chemistry has been extended to include acid-catalysed reactions of different aliphatic alcohols and phenols. For the first time, p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA), H2SO4, AlCl3 and FeCl3 have been shown to aid carboxymethylation for primary aliphatic alcohols at catalytic loadings with quantitative conversion and selectivity. For carboxymethylation of secondary alcohols, stoichiometric PTSA and catalytic AlCl3 both gave quantitative conversion and selectivity. Stoichiometric FeCl3 and H2SO4 promoted dehydration of linear aliphatic alcohols. Additionally FeCl3 catalysed methylation of cyclohexanol, whilst AlCl3 resulted in methylation of phenolic compounds. This research expands the range of potential application for DMC in green chemistry.


Leaf decay, leaf l~ t ter export, burial in belowground sinks, and resp~ratory consumption of detritus were exam~ned at 2 different depths in a Posidonia oceanica (L ) Delile meadow off the Medes Islands, NW Mediterranean. At 5 m , the amount of exported leaf litter represented carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus losses of 7 . 9 and 6%) of the plant primary productlon, respectively. About 26% of the carbon produced by the plant in 1 yr was immobilized by burial in the belowground compartment, i.e. as roots and rhizomes. Annual nitrogen and phosphorus burial in the sediment was 8 and 5",, of total N and P needs, respectively. Respiratory consumption (aerobic) of carbon leaf detritus represented 17"" of the annual production. An additional, but very substantial, loss of carbon as very fine particulate organic matter has been estimated at ca 48%. At 13 m the pattern of carbon losses was similar, but the lesser effect of wave action (reldtive to that a t 5 m) reduced exportation, hence increasing the role of respiratory consumption. Data on carbon losses indicated that only a small part of the plant productlon was actually available to fuel the food web of this ecosystem. Total nutrient losses were in the range of 21 to 47 " , I of annual needs. From differences found in N and P concentrations between l iv~ng and dead tissues, it is suggested that important nutrient recycling (50 to 70%)) may be due either to reclamation or to leaching immediately after plant death.


The blessings and curses of Leviticus 26 have eschatological significance because they relate to the Abrahamic and M osaic covenants. Verses 33-45 speak of retributive dispersion/exile, the Sabbath rest, the stricken remnant, and the contingency of repentance. Repentance includes Israel's acceptance of retribution, Yahweh's acceptance of repentance, and a summary of the retribution. Chapter 26 touches upon various eschatological themes, one of which is its attention to the Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Deuteronomic covenants. It also speaks of the land promised to Israel under the Abrahamic Covenant, of Israel's exile and eventual salvation, of preservation of the covenant by Yahweh though breached by Israel, of the prohibition of idolatry, of Sabbath observance, of the Lord's presence with Israel, of His promises to bless obedient Israel, of Israel's obedience and disobedience, of retribution and chastisement, and of future exile and repentance. Though the NT has only one direct reference to Leviticus 26, application of the chapter to believers o f every era is obvious: faith is the binding requirement for anyone to have a relationship to the God of Abraham.


This review tells the story of the arginine repressor of Escherichia coli from the time of its discovery in the 1950s until the present. It describes how the research progressed through physiological, genetic, and biochemical phases and how the nature of the repressor and its interaction with its target sites were unraveled. The studies of the repression of arginine biosynthesis revealed unique features at every level of the investigations. In the early phase of the work they showed that the genes controlled by the arginine repressor were scattered over the linkage map and were not united, as in other cases, in a single operon. This led to the concept of the regulon as a physiological unit of regulation. It was also shown that different alleles of the arginine repressor could result in either inhibition of enzyme formation, as in E. coli K-12, or in stimulation of enzyme formation, as in E. coli B. Later it was shown that the arginine repressor is a hexamer, whereas other repressors of biosynthetic pathways are dimers. As a consequence the arginine repressor binds to two palindromic sites rather than to one. It was found that the arginine repressor not only acts in the repression of enzyme synthesis but also is required for the resolution of plasmid multimers to monomers, a completely unrelated function. Finally, the arginine repressor does not possess characteristic structural features seen in other prokaryotic repressors, such as a helix-turn-helix motif or an antiparallel beta-sheet motif. The unique features have sustained continuous interest in the arginine repressor and have made it a challenging subject of investigation.


Abstract:  Melatonin is a highly evolutionary conserved endogenous molecule that is mainly produced by the pineal gland, but also by other nonendocrine organs, of most mammals including man. In the recent years, a variety of anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects have been observed when melatonin is applied exogenously under both in vivo and in vitro conditions. A number of studies suggest that this indole may exert its anti‐inflammatory effects through the regulation of different molecular pathways. It has been documented that melatonin inhibits the expression of the isoforms of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase and limits the production of excessive amounts of nitric oxide, prostanoids, and leukotrienes, as well as other mediators of the inflammatory process such as cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules. Melatonin's anti‐inflammatory effects are related to the modulation of a number of transcription factors such as nuclear factor kappa B, hypoxia‐inducible factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2, and others. Melatonin's effects on the DNA‐binding capacity of transcription factors may be regulated through the inhibition of protein kinases involved in signal transduction, such as mitogen‐activated protein kinases. This review summarizes recent research data focusing on the modulation of the expression of different inflammatory mediators by melatonin and the effects on cell signaling pathways responsible for the indole's anti‐inflammatory activity. Although there are a numerous published reports that have analyzed melatonin's anti‐inflammatory properties, further studies are necessary to elucidate its complex regulatory mechanisms in different cellular types and tissues.


Many techniques, algorithms, protocols and tools have been developed in the different aspects of cyber-security, namely, authentication, access control, availability, integrity, privacy, confidentiality and non-repudiation as they apply to both networks and systems. "Web Services Security and E-Business" focuses on architectures and protocols, while bringing together the understanding of security problems related to the protocols and applications of the Internet, and the contemporary solutions to these problems. "Web Services Security and E-Business" provides insight into uncovering the security risks of dynamically-created content, and how proper content management can greatly improve the overall security. It also studies the security lifecycle and how to respond to an attack, as well as the problems of site hijacking and phishing.


Abstract:This Comment focuses on the debate surrounding the definition of an "instrumentality" within the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act's (FCPA) "foreign official" provision. The FCPA prohibits bribery of "foreign officials" but provides little guidance as to the types of entities included within the meaning of an "instrumentality." The Department of Justice construes this term broadly and therefore can aggressively prosecute alleged corruption. This Comment argues that courts should provide guidance on the definition of a "foreign official" within the meaning of the FCPA by applying principles of control drawn from corporate law. Such guidance would accomplish three important tasks. First, it would help corporations comply with the FCPA. Second, it would align with the approach used by foreign jurisdictions designated in treaty obligations. Finally, it could help achieve Congress's original objectives in enacting the legislation: namely, to prevent corruption of foreign public officials as well as the negative consequences for foreign policy.INTRODUCTIONIn the wake of the Watergate scandal, federal investigations uncovered illicit practices in both government and private business, including unreported campaign contributions and "questionable" and "illegal"1 payments to domestic and foreign political officials.2 The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) began investigating these payments and discovered that approximately 400 U.S. corporations had made over $300 million in bribes to foreign public officials in order to secure business.3 In 1977, Congress responded by enacting the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)4 to criminalize bribery and improve the U.S. corporate image abroad.5 Congress noted the "severe foreign policy problems" these bribes created for the U.S., and intended for the FCPA to prevent U.S. businesses from engaging in bribery, as this would have negative implications for the image of the United States abroad.6 Congress sought to restore public confidence in American corporate practice.7 The primary evil that Congress sought to address with the FCPA was improper payments to foreign government officials, which "invariably tend[] to embarrass friendly governments, lower the esteem for the United States among citizens of foreign nations, and lend credence to the suspicions sown by foreign opponents of the United States that American enterprises exert a corrupting influence on the political processes of their nations."8The FCPA had a slow start.9 During the first quarter century of the FCPA's existence, the SEC and Department of Justice (DOT), jointly responsible for enforcing the FCPA,10 initiated only two or three cases per year." Fines tended to remain below $1, 000,000. 12 However, after an initial twenty years of relative dormancy, enforcement surged.13 Over the past ten years, the DOJ and SEC have greatly increased the number of enforcement actions and the severity of fines assessed.14 In 2010, for example, the DOJ and the SEC initiated a record of forty-eight and twenty-six cases respectively.15 This trend shows no sign of abating, and the DOJ recently confirmed its intent to "vigorously enforce" the FCPA.16 In November 2009, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer remarked that the "past year was probably the most dynamic single year in the more than 30 years since the FCPA was enacted" and promised to continue "the upward trend in FCPA enforcement."17While DOJ officials commend the surge in investigations and prosecutions, the reaction in the corporate world has been less enthusiastic. Of particular concern to directors and officers of corporations doing business abroad is the rise of prosecution of individuals.18 According to Mark Mendelsohn, Deputy Chief of the Fraud Division at the DOJ, the rise in individual prosecutions is "not an accident."19 Rather, the trend reflects the Department's policy of deterring bribery by holding individuals personally accountable.20 The sanctions resulting from these enforcement actions have also risen dramatically. …


— Human emotions reveal mental health. Understanding people's emotions help make vital decisions. With recent improvements in AI and machine learning, affective computing has become an interesting topic of research that adapts human emotional behavior and increases learning outcomes connected to behavioral psychiatry. Machine learning algorithm evaluation improves prediction quality, yet problems arise with connected decisions. The suggested research predicts true emotion using neurophysiological data. Emotional changes trigger physiological responses. The suggested system uses Gaussian mixture models to develop a novel prediction algorithm utilizing the AMIGOS dataset. The dataset included ECG, EEG, and GSR (GSR). The findings affect the statistical response following data processing, measurable emotion labelling, and training samples. The provided system is compared to state-of-the-art statistical measures like standard deviation, population mean, etc. The system can compare an interpreter to validate emotion labelling parameters. A unique Emotional detecting artificial Neural Network (EMONN) system is improved by using deep learning models to find covariate values that help identify participant personality traits. Novel Emotional detecting artificial Neural Network (EMONN) achieves 93% accuracy with reduced computing time. A new Emotional detecting artificial Neural Network (EMONN) system is researched and developed by analyzing deep learning models to detect covariate values in the data set.


The aim of this study was to compare the potential of a pure bacterial culture of Pseudomonas with the potential of an indigenous microorganism for malathion degradation by continuous cultivation using two different sets of conditions (with-culture: Pseudomonas, and without-culture: indigenous microorganisms) at varied dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (4.0 and 8.0 mg/L) in a biosimulator. The samples were analysed for pH, DO and COD (unfiltered). Gas chromatography (GC) revealed that almost 90% of malathion removal was achieved within ten hours of treatment in both studies of with-culture using 4.0 and 8.0 mg/L DO, whereas COD was considerably reduced during the treatment process and the removal efficiency was found to be above 90% in both conditions. The removal of COD was found to be in direct relation to retention time. However, the unfiltered COD and malathion removal efficiency was significantly influenced by DO. The percentage degradation of malathion using 4.0 mg/L DO, with-culture after 10 hours was 90.01%, whereas after 51 hours it was 99.03%. The without-culture studies showed percentage values which were 38.29% after 10 hours, whereas the corresponding value after 51 hours was 96.84%. Similarly, the percentage degradation of malathion using 8.0 mg/L DO, with-culture studies revealed that almost 89.40% malathion degradation was achieved after 10 hours, whereas it was 96.91% after 51 hours after inoculation of the culture. However, for the without-culture studies the value after 10 hours was 52.34%, whereas 96.86% malathion degradation was achieved after 51 hours without added culture. Although no significant variation in the pH was observed during the study the pH values increased gradually during the treatment process in all of the conditions. A critical evaluation of data presented revealed that the degradation potential of Pseudomonas was better when compared to the degradation potential of indigenous microorganisms.


Historically, black women have always played key roles in the struggle for liberation. A critical determinant of black women's activism was the influence of both race and gender, as these factors were immutably married to their subjectivities. African American women faced the socio-cultural and structural challenge of sexism prevalent in the United States and also in the black community. My study examines the life of Fulani Sunni Ali, her role in black liberation, her role as the Minister of Information for the Provisional Government for the Republic of New Africa, and her communication strategies. In doing so, I evaluate a black female revolutionary nationalist's discursive negotiation of her identity during the Black Power and Black Nationalist Movement. I also use womanist criticism to analyze interviews with Sunni Ali and archival data in her possession to reveal the complexity and diversity of black women's roles and activities in a history of black resistance struggle and to locate black female presence and agency in Black Power. The following study more generally analyzes black female revolutionary nationalists' roles, activities, and discursive identity negotiation during the Black Power Movement. By examining Sunni Ali's life and the way she struggled against racism and patriarchy to advocate for Black Power and Black Nationalism, I demonstrate how her activism was a continuation of a tradition of black women's resistance, and I extrapolate her forms of black women's activism extant in the movement.


As today's teachers prepare to instruct a new generation of students, the question is no longer whether technology should be integrated into the classroom, but only "how?" Forced to combat shorter attention spans and an excess of stimuli, teachers sometimes see technology as a threat rather than a potential enhancement to traditional teaching methods. The Handbook of Research on Educational Technology Integration and Active Learning explores the need for new professional development opportunities for teachers and educators as they utilize emerging technologies to enhance the learning experience. Highlighting the advancements of ubiquitous computing, authentic learning, and student-centered instruction, this book is an essential reference source for educators, academics, students, researchers, and librarians.


ABSTRACT Over they ears, the literature has demonstrated that the earnings of many non-US companies have been sensitive to the US dollar. Since earnings are a prime determinant of stock prices, then stock prices are also currency sensitive. All firms are exposed to foreign currency risk in today's global economy. This study takes an opposite approach to the literature and investigates the association between eight non-US currencies and US stock prices as reflected by the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard and Poor's 500 Stock Index. The results show that even though various currencies exhibit significant relationships with stock prices at times, the impact is limited. These findings suggest that many firms take an active stance in managing their currency risks.. The results also demonstrate the changing relationships of paired currencies used in this study. Positive relationships were expected when paring currencies by region. For example, one would expect the European currencies (Euro, Pound, and SSFranc) or the Asia Pacific currencies (Yen, Sing$, and Rupee) would be positively related to each other in the same region over the time periods used and this was not the case during this investigation. INTRODUCTION The introduction of the euro in 1999 brought to the forefront the active research area of currency rate sensitivity. Early euro proponents foresaw the possibility of capital market integration that would bring a group of fragmented currencies together into a giant market of simple, less risky, cross-border transactions. The euro's initial fall and subsequent rise since its introduction along with fluctuating currencies of those countries that did not join the union has been the catalyst for the interest. There has clearly been a structural change in the financial markets as was expected. Some companies take an active stance in managing their currency risks by using some sort of financial hedge. On the other hand, many companies chose not to hedge or to hedge only some currencies. These companies are looking for diversification benefits of being exposed to foreign currencies. Intuitively, currency movements should even out over the long run. In today's global economy, all firms are exposed to foreign currency risk whether in an accounting or economic sense. Exchange rate changes are thought by many to be a major source of financial uncertainty since currencies influence a firm's asset and liability values, as well as profitability. In turn, profitability affects cash flows and stock prices for those firms that have not adopted or taken an active stance in managing currency risks. A particular exchange rate regime also affects the behavior of all economic variables which, in turn, leads to uncertainty across all stock markets. Investors seek the highest return with the lowest risk and when investing in foreign countries, they face currency risk. Recent literature has concentrated on how the euro or other non-US currencies affect respective foreign markets. Taking an opposite view, this study investigates the effect of eight foreign currencies, one of which is the euro, upon US stock prices. Results will provide insight towards possible higher returns for investors as well as international portfolio risk aversion. LITERATURE REVIEW A review of the literature indicates that there has been considerable research seeking significant relationships between currency rates and stock returns. These interactions cover domestic markets (Jorion, 1990), international (Friberg & Nydahl, 1999), and emerging markets (Vaziri, 2003; Beer & Vaziri, 2004). Early empirical currency research by (Adler & Dumas, 1984; Jorion, 1990) focused on the individual company's currency exposure by observing changes between a firm's price change and the US dollar. They found that the concept of exposure is arbitrary in the sense that stock prices and exchange rates are determined jointly. …


In 2015, South Africa has dropped out of the Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index for the first time since its inception in 1998. Although many resource companies have diverted their investments away from emerging markets in 2014, South Africa also had perception issues driven by lower growth and rating downgrades by the leading international rating agencies. The question arises whether political, economic and social conditions in South Africa are currently posing greater political risk for potential investment than during the 1990s to mid-2000s. This calls for a fresh assessment of relevant indicators or variables in the South African context. In other words, what is needed is an analysis of relevant political risk indicators that are based on a sound intellectual tradition and practical logic. Against this background, this study is an attempt to revisit and analyse current political risk in South Africa on the basis of a selected set of indicators or variables that are commonly and internationally used in risk analysis frameworks.


Purposes of Study: This study aims to (1) explore the types of resource loss commonly experienced by trauma patients as a result of their injuries, (2) examine the relationship between loss of resources and depressive symptoms after traumatic injury, (3) identify the types of coping behaviors used during trauma recovery, and (4) identify other factors influencing depression after injury.
Primary Practice Setting(s): Primary settings comprise the case managers working with trauma patients in hospital, rehabilitation, outpatient, and home environments.
Methodology and Sample: This study used a cross-sectional design. A sample of 50 trauma patients who had sustained an unintentional injury in the prior 1–4 months completed a single interview during which participants completed measures of general health, loss of resources, coping, and depressive symptoms. Types of resource losses were also explored through open-ended questions.
Results: Symptoms of depression were prevalent in the sample. Participants experienced multiple and varied loss of resources, especially in financial and personal realms. Loss of resources and depression scores were significantly related. Participants reported using a variety of coping strategies, most commonly accepting the reality of their circumstances and limitations.
Implications for Case Management Practice: The case manager can serve an important role in the recognition of depression in trauma patients and the implementation of appropriate interventions, including referral to mental health professional for further evaluation. Strategies to aid in the prevention of depression after injury include early identification of individuals who are more vulnerable to resource loss, assessment of current resource stores, and facilitating and coordinating access to essential resources to aid in trauma recovery.


The advent of high-speed computers and comparatively large memories, coupled with digital microscope cameras, has brought about a revolution in computer-assisted image analysis. New software can ease the pain of previously laborious methods of thin-section and cross-section analysis. Image analysis not only speeds traditional microscopical methods, such as point counting, but also improves accuracy. By using image analysis software, a job that would have taken hours by traditional methods now takes only seconds. This increase in speed allows more time for additional investigations, such as examination of textural relationships between particles. The great accuracy enabled by area analysis of thin sections also allows more detailed comparison between samples in technological studies, and facilitates new tests of sampling issues and statistical accuracy. Increased accuracy is now possible in examination of materials characteristics such as percentage of aggregates, pores, temper, or specific minerals; pore or grain size; grain shape; and other important features of petrographic thin sections. The increased accuracy and the ability to conduct more detailed and comprehensive studies can positively impact characterization, analysis, and interpretation of composition, technology, provenience, deterioration, and preservation. In this paper we explore new applications of image analysis technologies to the microscopical examination of a cross sections or by petrographic thin section analysis of lowand high-fired ceramics, unfired clay artifacts, stone objects, and historic mortars.


Oxide interference can be problematic for trace element and isotopic analyses using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Yet, the oxide production mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we determined the oxide production rates (MO+/M+ ratios) of 15 rare earth elements (REEs), Th, and U by LA-ICP-MS analyses of synthetic and natural phosphates as well as NIST SRM 610 glass and natural zircon. We found two contrasting oxide production behaviors against the Ar sample gas flow rate, depending on the MO+ dissociation energy (D0(MO+)): the MO+/M+ ratios of elements with D0(MO+) ≥7 eV increased with the gas flow rate from 0.85 to 1.00 L min−1, whereas those with D0(MO+) <7 eV were nearly constant. Moreover, while there is a generally positive relationship between log(MO+/M+) and D0(MO+) among all elements, only the former showed a linear correlation whose slope increased with the gas flow rate. These results indicate that oxide production is a combined result of the following two processes: (i) the equilibrium reaction of MO+ ↔ M+ + O within the plasma and (ii) the bonding of M+ and O through collisions followed by radiative transition in the interface region. Oxide production through the first process was significant relative to the second process only when the elements had D0(MO+) ≥7 eV and the gas flow rate was high enough to decrease the plasma temperature to ∼8000 K. We further demonstrate the significance of middle-REE oxide interference on heavy-REEs during LA-ICP-MS analyses of monazites from pegmatites and garnet-bearing metamorphic rocks.


A palynological study of the Ordovician–Silurian boundary (Katian–Rhuddanian) succession in the Röstånga-1 drillcore, southern Sweden, has been performed. The lithology is dominated by mudstone and graptolitic shale, with subordinate limestone, formed in the deeper marine halo of southern Baltica. The palynological assemblages are dominated by marine microfossils, mainly chitinozoans and acritarchs. Sparse but well-preserved cryptospores, including Tetrahedraletes medinensis, Tetrahedraletes grayii and Pseudodyadospora sp., were encountered in the Lindegård Formation (late Katian–early Hirnantian), with the oldest record just above the first appearance of the graptolite species Dicellograptus complanatus. This represents the earliest record of early land plant spores from Sweden and possibly also from Baltica and implies that land plants had migrated to the palaeocontinent Baltica by at least the Late Ordovician.


The aim of this project was to synthesize xanthoxal, a natural product which is a possible abscisic acid precursor. The xanthoxal will serve as a vital link: in a study on the biosynthesis of abscisic acid in plants. This study does not form part of this thesis. The synthetic pathway begins with mesityl oxide and ethyl acetoacetate as starting materials, and the target molecule was obtained via a I3-step route. The first step involved a Robinson annulation, which afforded the ketal of a ClO-ester ketone (ethyl2,6, 6-trimethyI4-oxo2-cyclohexene-I-carboxylate) which has a cyclohexene structure. The double bond in the 2,3 position of the ClO-ester ketone was isomerised to the 1,2 position followed by the simultaneous protection of the ketone, in the form of a ketal. The ester function of the ClO-ester acetal underwent reduction to afford an allylic alcohol
. on which an asymmetric Sharpless epoxidation was carried out using (-) diethyl tartrate affording (+)-(1R, 2R)-I,2-Epoxy-4, 4-ethylenedioxy-2,6, 6-trimethylcyclohexane-lmethanol. The alcohol was oxidised by a Swem oxidation to the aldehyde in order to carry out a chain elongation. The side chain was prepared from 3,3-dimethylacrylic acid, which was first esterified then brominated to 4-bromosenecioate. The bromine was then replaced with triethyl phosphite, producing the Cs-phosphonate. Chain elongation by
Homer-Emmons reaction was carried out on the aldehyde with the phosphonate, which resulted in a mixture ofE and Z CIs-esters. Since the yield of tht desired Z isomer, was very low, the E isomer was used to synthesize trans-xanthoxal, since this can be converted to the desired xanthoxal by uv radiation. The acetal was then removed followed by a simultaneous reduction of the ketone and ester groups to their
corresponding alcohols using DffiAH. This reaction was only partially successful because only the keto group was reduced. The ester was then reduced with LiAIHt to form the primary alcohol, which was then selectively oxidised to the target molecule, the aldehyde (trans-xanthoxal).
The synthesis of xanthoxal described here highlights the difficulties encountered when introducing the requisite functional groups on the cyclohexene ring skeleton to afford trans-xanthoxal. The pitfalls encountered during the reaction sequence are discussed and solutions are presented. Although the planned synthetic sequence did not produce the
correct stereoisomer, procedures are available to convert it to the desired isomer.


Abstract The classification of the speciose leafy liverwort genus Plagiochila into species and sections is still in a preliminary state. Based on phylogenetic analyses of a dataset comprising nuclear ITS and chloroplast rps4 and rbcL sequences, we reject an earlier proposed synonymy of the Asian-Australasian Plagiochila sect. Abietinae and the pantropical P. sect. Vagae. A monophyletic sect. Abietinae is recognised, containing a clade with five accessions of P. abietina sister to a single accession of P. hampeana. This Abietinae clade nests in a larger Plagiochila clade which also retrieves monophyletic sects. Fruticosae, Trabeculatae, Peculiares, Plagiochila and Poeltiae. Plagiochila sect. Vagae is placed sister to P. sect. Africanae. Two P. abietina accessions from Australia form a sister relationship with a clade comprising three P. abietina accessions from the Fiji Islands. Based on the example of P. patula, we discuss the benefits of including type or topotype specimens in revisionary studies considering molecular and morphological evidence.


In amphibians, as in other vertebrates, stress stimuli have been found to affect different functions, including development, growth, and reproduction. A wide range of responsiveness to stressors has been reported for amphibians; for instance, capture and/or captivity stress induced changes both in the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axes. However, few studies have examined the response to stress in terms of recovery and/or adaptation by applying stress paradigms for a short and long-term duration. In the present paper, the short-term captivity stress responses were evaluated in the anuran Rana esculenta by measuring peripheral corticosterone, androgens, prolactin (PRL), and growth hormone (GH) changes. Moreover, in long-term captivity and salinity stress, effects were evaluated by measuring peripheral PRL changes and those of PRL mRNA in the pituitary together with plasma corticosterone and androgens. Short-term (24 h) captivity stress induced an increase of peripheral corticosterone together with that of GH and PRL since these hormones are involved in the "alarm phase" and in energy demand of stressed animals. The opposite trend was found for peripheral androgens, in view of the negative effects exerted by stress in the reproductive axis. In long-term (1 month) captivity and salinity stress, responses were consistent with the increasing of PRL mRNA at pituitary level, through a long-loop feedback mechanism depending on the decreasing levels of peripheral PRL, whereas no changes were found in the levels of plasma corticosterone and androgens. Therefore, it seems that Rana esculenta activates different neuroendocrine mechanisms depending on the duration of stress and on the types of stressors.


Morinda elliptica (Rubiaceae) cell suspension cultures were established in
shake flask and bioreactor systems for the production of anthraquinones (AQ). To
improve AQ productivity at shake flask level, manipulations of media components
such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphate and myo-inositol; and cultural conditions such as
incubation temperature, light intensity, culture and inoculum age, were made. At
bioreactor level, the study was aimed at finding the best bioreactor operation with
minimmn foaming and wall-growth problem. Several strategies such as mode of
aeration, number of impellers, paddle orientation, antifoam addition and medium
fonnulations, were applied.
Murashige and Skoog's basal medium was found to be the best medium in
enhancing both cell growth and AQ production. By manipUlation of sucrose
concentration, hormone combination and concentration, culture age and inoculum age, the type of medium formulation used to grow inoculum, incubation temperature
and light intensity, three types of media were formulated - maintenance medium (M),
growth medium (G) and production medium (P). The toxic effects of nitrogen were
shown not a result of the individual effect of nitrogen toxicity per se but of both
individual and collective effects of NR₄⁺ and N0₃⁻ levels, in consonance with the
level of sucrose and the medium formulation used. Reduction in pH for cultures
grown in medium containing high concentration of NR₄⁺ was another contributing
factor for ammonium toxicity. Phosphate had little influence on cell growth and AQ
production though its absence could suppress growth completely. The phosphate
toxicity could also occur depending on sucrose level and medium formulation. Myoinositol
was not an absolute requirement in M elliptica cell suspension culture.
The growth of cell suspension cultures of M elliptica in G and P media were
sigmoidal. The AQ yields in P medium, of 2.9 and 4.5 gl⁻₁ with corresponding
overall productivity of 0.14 and 0.21 gl⁻₁ dl⁻₁ , under illumination and in the dark,
respectively, were among the highest amount of secondary metabolites and
productivities by plant cell suspension cultures. The formation of AQ displayed a
non-growth associated characteristic. High sucrose, glucose and fructose
concentration over the period of two weeks in P medium was suggested to cause
osmotic pressure on the cells which hindered rapid growth, leading to higher
accumulation of AQ. With increasing culture age to 36 month-old, the doubling time
was increased by 30% to 1.5 days; and 100% to l .6 days, in M and P medium,
respectively. The maximum cell concentration in LP(36) was however 35% lower
than LP(l8) while the AQ yield dropped sharply from 2.92 g l⁻₁ to a mere 0.55 g l⁻₁ .
The spent medium was observed more yellowish in LP(36) indicating that AQ was no
longer retained in the cell vacuole but released into the medium. The faster rate of
sucrose hydrolysis and uptake rate of glucose and fructose in LP(36) may have reduced the osmotic pressure in the medium which allows rapid cell growth and
diffusion of AQ.


This thesis presents a study that was conducted within a project, the purpose of which was development of a software application (ePeer) for students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). ePeer is a tool for gaining information about Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and will be used in a peer education project which is currently being set up in Mbarara. The study presented in this report aims at designing the interface of ePeer. Our intention was to develop a design that would suit the future users of ePeer. Achieving that involved learning about user expectations and bridging the cultural differences between us, the software developers, and the future users. In order to meet the user expectations we decided to get students at MUST involved in the design process of ePeer's interface. Two methods were used to accomplish that, namely mock-ups and evaluations. The mock-up sessions provided us with a number of prototypes of ePeer's interface, created by the students. The evaluation of three applications, with functionality similar to ePeer, resulted in a list of application features that were most appreciated by the students. By analyzing the outcome of the mock-up and evaluation sessions we managed to learn about the students' expectations concerning ePeer's content, functionality and layout. Basing on that analysis we suggested a design of ePeer's interface. The design was positively evaluated by representatives of the future users.


Although cisplatin and its analogues have been widely utilized as anticancer metallodrugs in clinics, their serious side effects and damage to normal tissues cannot be avoided because cisplatin kills cancer cells by attacking genomic DNA. Thus the design of metallodrugs possessing different actions of anti-cancer mechanism is promising. G-quadruplex nucleic acid, which is formed by self-assembly of guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences, has recently been considered as an attractive target for anticancer drug design. The basic unit of a G-quadruplex is a G-quartet, a planar motif generated from four guanine residues pairing together through Hoogsteen like hydrogen bonds. DNA G-quadruplex (G4) structures exist in the chromosomal telomeric sequences and the promoter regions of numerous genes, including oncogenetic promoters. Formation of G4 structures within the 3′-overhang of telomeric DNA can inhibit the telomerase activity, which is silent in normal cells but up-regulated in most cancer cells, thus significantly shortening telomeres and preventing cancer cell proliferation and immortalization. Intramolecular G4 structures formed within the oncogene promoter regions can effectively inhibit oncogenen transcription and expression. Thus rational design of small molecular ligands to selectively interact, stabilize or cleave G4 structures is a promising strategy for developing potent anti-cancer drugs with selective toxicity towards cancer cells over normal ones. This review will highlight the recent development of G4-interacting metal complexes, termed G4-ligands, discussing their binding modes with G-quadruplex DNA and their potential to serve as anticancer drugs in the medical field.
 Introduction to the international collaboration
 The collaboration between Prof. Zong-Wan Mao from Sun Yat-Sen University, P. R. China and Prof. Roland K. O. Sigel from the University of Zurich, Switzerland officially began in January, 2014. The international collaborative research project titled "Chemical Biology Research of New Metallodrugs for Cancer Therapy" is supported by the Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Provincial Government [20130501c]. With the rapid development of tumor molecular pharmacology, molecular targeted anti-tumor drugs have become a hot spot in the research of cancer therapy. This international collaborative research project combines the computer simulation and in vitro drug screening platform to design a series of metallodrugs that are systematic and have structural diversity, which can target specific nucleic acid structures (e.g. G-quadruplexes), key proteins (DNA topoisomerase, telomerase, CDK kinase) associated with the occurrence and development of tumor. With the advantages of both laboratories, the structural–functional relationship, interaction modes, co-crystallization, and mechanisms of action of these newly designed metallodrugs are intensively studied, and their in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activities are comprehensively evaluated.


Intelligent Building (IB) is the term used to describe new office buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While the government is introducing the Multimedia Super Corridor through the governments' 2020 Vision, the perceptions of IB are fully exploited to promote the ICT and technological development as well as the economic regeneration of the country. Eventually, without a comprehensive understanding on IB, various interpretations in technological idioms are generating throughout the progress of the development of the new office buildings in Kuala Lumpur as the majority of the people are overwhelmed with the high technological concept of IB and the popularity achievements of the government on technological uptakes at local and international level. This research analysed the perceptions of IB in Malaysia by investigating different interpretations on IB among the people in Kuala Lumpur in the attempt to explore how the various perceptions influenced the development of IB. In addition to that, a better understanding on IB is acquired from the experts' point of view and government document are critically analysed to investigate the local and federal government agenda on IB development. The existing model of IB is validated by exploring the perceptions of people working in the office buildings that have been referred as IB by the majority of the people in Kuala Lumpur. The research also analysed how do the perceptions regarding IB compared across the stakeholders before outlining recommendations to strengthen the definition of IB, the assessment criteria and practical practices to further assist on the development of IB in Kuala Lumpur. Questionnaire survey, content analysis and non structured interview are employed as the methodology of the research.


Affordable sodium ion batteries hold great promise for revolutionizing stationary energy storage technologies. Sodium layered cathode materials are usually multicomponent transition metal (TM) oxides and each TM plays a unique role in the operating cathode chemistry, e.g., redox activity, structural stabilization. Engineering the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of TM cations in individual cathode particles can take advantage of a depth-dependent charging mechanism and enable a path towards tuning local TM–O chemical environments and building resilience against cathode–electrolyte interfacial reactions that are responsible for capacity fading, voltage decay and safety hazards. In this study, we create 3D compositional heterogeneity in a ternary and biphasic (O3–P3) sodium layered cathode material (Na0.9Cu0.2Fe0.28Mn0.52O2). The cells containing this material deliver stable voltage profiles, and discharge capacities of 125 mA h g−1 at C/10 with almost no capacity fading after 100 cycles and 75 mA h g−1 at 1C with negligible capacity fading after 200 cycles. The direct performance comparison shows that this material outperforms other materials with similar global compositions but different mesoscale chemical distributions. Synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy/imaging and density functional theory studies reveal depth-dependent chemical environments due to changes to factors such as charge compensation and strength of orbital hybridization. Finally, 3D spectroscopic tomography illuminates the path towards optimizing multicomponent sodium layered cathode materials, to prevent the migration of TMs upon prolonged cycling. The study reports an inaugural effort of multifaceted and counterintuitive investigation of sodium layered cathode materials and strongly implies that there is plenty of room at the bottom by tuning nano/meso scale chemical distributions for stable cathode chemistry.


Methanogenic archaea can be integrated into a sustainable, carbon-neutral cycle for producing organic chemicals from C1 compounds if the rate, yield, and titer of product synthesis can be improved using metabolic engineering. However, metabolic engineering techniques are limited in methanogens by insufficient methods for controlling cellular protein levels. We conducted a systematic approach to tune protein levels in Methanosarcina acetivorans C2A, a model methanogen, by regulating transcription and translation initiation. Rationally designed core promoter and ribosome binding site mutations in M. acetivorans C2A resulted in a predicable change in protein levels over a 60 fold range. The overall range of protein levels was increased an additional 3 fold by introducing the 5' untranslated region of the mcrB transcript. This work demonstrates a wide range of precisely controlled protein levels in M. acetivorans C2A, which will help facilitate systematic metabolic engineering efforts in methanogens.


School social work is a specialized area of practice within the broad field of the social work profession. School social workers bring unique knowledge and skills to the school system and the student services team. School social workers are instrumental in furthering the purpose of the schools: to provide a setting for teaching, learning, and for the attainment of competence and confidence. School social workers are hired by school districts to enhance the district's ability to meet its academic mission, especially where home, school and community collaboration is the key to achieving that mission. (School Social Work Association of America, 2005)


You who live safe In your warm houses You who find, returning in the evening, Hot food and friendly faces: Consider if this is a man Who works in the mud Who does not know peace Who fights for a scrap of bread Who dies because of a yes or no. Consider if this is a woman, Without hair and without name With no more strength to remember, Her eyes empty and her womb cold Like a frog in winter. Meditate that this came about: I commend these words to you Carve them in your hearts At home, in the street, Going to bed, rising: Repeat them to your children Or may your house fall apart, May illness impede you, May your children turn their faces from you.


Inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK5 reduces systemic inflammation in mice. Inflamed by ERK5 Because of their importance in stimulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines, some members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family have been targeted therapeutically to treat inflammatory diseases. However, clinical trials with such drugs have proved disappointing, spurring the search for other potential candidates. Wilhelmsen et al. found that another MAPK family member, extracellular signal–regulated kinase 5 (ERK5), promoted inflammatory responses to microbial stimuli in human endothelial and immune cells. Furthermore, inhibitors of ERK5 and its upstream activating kinase MEK5 reduced systemic inflammation in various mouse models of microbial infection and noninfectious tissue injury, raising the possibility that ERK5 might have therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Inflammatory critical illness is a syndrome that is characterized by acute inflammation and organ injury, and it is triggered by infections and noninfectious tissue injury, both of which activate innate immune receptors and pathways. Although reports suggest an anti-inflammatory role for the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) extracellular signal–regulated kinase 5 (ERK5), we previously found that ERK5 mediates proinflammatory responses in primary human cells in response to stimulation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). We inhibited the kinase activities and reduced the abundances of ERK5 and MEK5, a MAPK kinase directly upstream of ERK5, in primary human vascular endothelial cells and monocytes, and found that ERK5 promoted inflammation induced by a broad range of microbial TLR agonists and by the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α). Furthermore, we found that inhibitors of MEK5 or ERK5 reduced the plasma concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines in mice challenged with TLR ligands or heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus, as well as in mice that underwent sterile lung ischemia-reperfusion injury. Finally, we found that inhibition of ERK5 protected endotoxemic mice from death. Together, our studies support a proinflammatory role for ERK5 in primary human endothelial cells and monocytes, and suggest that ERK5 is a potential therapeutic target in diverse disorders that cause inflammatory critical illness.


By exploiting the powers of nanotechnology and taking advantage of non-toxic, Earth-abundant materials, Berkeley Lab's Cyrus Wadia has fabricated new solar cell devices that have the potential to be several orders of magnitude less expensive than conventional solar cells. And by mastering the chemistry of these materials-and the economics of solar energy-he envisions bringing electricity to the 1.2 billion people now living without it.


Magnesium to the Rescue Individuals with X-linked immunodeficiency with Mg2+ defect, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, and neoplasia (XMEN) disease are genetically deficient for expression of MAGT1, a magnesium transporter. Chaigne-Delalande et al. (p. 186) sought to better understand why these individuals are chronically infected with EBV at high viral loads and are susceptible to the development of lymphomas. CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells, which help to keep EBV infection in check, exhibited reduced cytotoxicity owing to their lower expression of the cell surface receptor NKG2D, which triggers cytolysis upon ligation. Magnesium supplementation in vitro and also in two XMEN patients restored levels of free Mg2+, increased NKG2D expression, and resulted in reduced amounts of EBV+ cells, suggesting that this may be an effective therapeutic approach for XMEN patients. Magnesium supplementation in patients with a primary immunodeficiency restores immune responses to Epstein-Barr virus. The magnesium transporter 1 (MAGT1) is a critical regulator of basal intracellular free magnesium (Mg2+) concentrations. Individuals with genetic deficiencies in MAGT1 have high levels of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and a predisposition to lymphoma. We show that decreased intracellular free Mg2+ causes defective expression of the natural killer activating receptor NKG2D in natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T cells and impairs cytolytic responses against EBV. Notably, magnesium supplementation in MAGT1-deficient patients restores intracellular free Mg2+ and NKG2D while concurrently reducing EBV-infected cells in vivo, demonstrating a link between NKG2D cytolytic activity and EBV antiviral immunity in humans. Moreover, these findings reveal a specific molecular function of free basal intracellular Mg2+ in eukaryotic cells.


The Maryport fault forms part of the faulted southern margin of the Northumberland-Solway Basin. Seismic reflection data reveal a complex history of repeated fault reactivation. Large oblique-normal displacements on the fault controlled early Carboniferous extensional basin development. Subsequently, Variscan basin inversion was accompanied by partial reversal of the fault. In Permian and Mesozoic times, renewed oblique-normal displacements strongly influenced basin subsidence. Further partial reverse displacement occurred as the Solway Basin was again inverted, probably in mid-Tertiary times in response to Alpine compression. The Maryport fault is most unusual, therefore, in providing direct evidence of the principal post-Caledonian tectonic events in southern Britain.


Background New health information technology (HIT) increasingly plays a role in health care as technology becomes cheaper and more widespread. However, there is a danger that those who do not use or have access to technology will not benefit from HIT innovations, thus creating a "digital divide". Aims To assess the extent to which mental health service users have access to, skills in using and appetite for various technologies. Methods A cross-sectional survey was used to assess technology use and access patterns of 121 people from community mental health services. Data were analysed using logistic regression. Results Technology use and access were very similar to that of the general population with older individuals reporting less familiarity, access and confidence across a range of technologies. Black, minority and ethnic (BME) groups were more likely to access computers outside of their own homes than white individuals. Older participants experiencing psychosis indicated a desire to increase their computer use. Conclusions The findings reported here contrast with recent evidence suggesting that those who do not engage with technology are "self-excluders". Furthermore, BME groups may need extra support regarding provision of technology in order to engage with HIT.


Generations of scholars have looked for evidence of 'paganism' in continental sources from the eighth and ninth centuries. This paper surveys some of the key problems in defining and conceptualizing the available literary evidence for such a project. Part one argues for a return to the sources to help escape the intellectual baggage created by discussions of 'pan‐Germanic paganism', interpretatio Romana and, more recently, folk practices. From the perspective of the sources' producers, paganism needs to be understood as a category of difference employed to provide a better definition of Christianity itself. In part two this line of thought is pursued through a brief study of the ways in which classical learning framed not only Carolingian attitudes to paganism, but also related strategies of moralizing.


High-throughput technologies have made it possible to perform genome-scale analyses to investigate a variety of research areas. From these analyses, vast amounts of data are generated. However, this data can be noisy, which could obscure the underlying signal. Here, a high-throughput regression analysis approach was developed, where a variety of linear and nonlinear parametric models were fitted to gene expression profiles from time course experiments. These models include the logistic, Gompertz, exponential, critical exponential, linear+exponential, Gaussian and linear functions. The fitted parameters from these models reflect aspects of the model shape, and thus allowed for the interpretation of gene expression profiles in terms of the underlying biology, such as the time of initial gene expression. This provides a potentially more mechanistic approach to studying the genetic responses to stimuli. Together with a cluster analysis, termed ShapeCluster, it was possible to group genes based on these aspects of the expression profiles. By investigating different combinations of parameters, this added flexibility to the analysis and allowed for the investigation of the data in multiple ways, including the identification of groups of genes that may be co-regulated, or participate in response to the biological stress in question. Clusters from these methods were assessed for significance through the use of over-represented annotation terms and motifs, and found to produce biologically relevant sets of genes. The ShapeCluster package is available from https://sourceforge.net/projects/shapecluster/.