The disadvantages of air-conditioner's triple valve in HPb59-1 alloy processed by traditional solid state hot forging, such as larger forming loads, lower material utilization, larger subsequent machining allowance, nonuniform microstructure, are put forward. However, semisolid diecasting forming which can overcome the above shortcomings is a fascinating technology. The process paremeters which had a larger influence on filling ability of semisolid slurry and casting quality, such as pouring temperature, shot velocity and preheated temperature of the die, were chosen. Furthermore, based on orthogonal test, the semisolid diecasting process of a certain type triple valve was simulated with FLOW-3D. According to the analysis of temperature field, pressure field and surface defect concentration, the optimal process parameters such as pouring temperature 897.25 °C, shot velocity 1.5 m/s and preheated temperature of the die 260 °C, were obtained, and the effectiveness of the technology was well demonstrated by numerical simulation.


Analytical modeling for heat transfer behavior of micro-nano fiber-reinforced composites to determine the dimensionless effective thermal conductivity in the transverse direction has been performed. A hexagonal unit cell was developed that contained matrix, filler and interface (barrier) as the components. Thermal-electrical analogy method was used in the model. Models were developed with and without barrier effect. Filler ratios were taken to be between 10 and 30 %. Effects of barrier thickness and filler volume fraction on the dimensionless effective transverse thermal conductivity have been analyzed. The Rule of Mixtures and analytical modeling results have been compared. The model showed that increasing the volume fraction of the filler inside the matrix increased the total effective thermal conductivity values. When the barrier thickness increased, the dimensionless effective thermal conductivity value increased.


On May 13, 1999, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) on Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO). The purpose of the NOPR is to solicit comments on proposed FERC regulatory rules that would encourage transmission system owners to participate in regional transmission organizations. Such organizations would manage various aspects of the operation and expansion of the nation's high-voltage electricity transmission system to support developing competitive wholesale and retail electric generation service markets that rely on these transmission networks. Regional integration of transmission systems is thought to be required in order to manage more effectively transmission network operations, to internalize various network externalities, and to facilitate the development of competitive electricity markets. The FERC initiative aims to speed the development of such regional organizations. I prepared the attached comments in response to FERC's RTO NOPR. My comments focus primarily on the future structure of the regulatory framework that governs how transmission system owners and operators will be compensated for providing transmission service. I also present a framework for evaluating the benefits and costs of not-for-profit ISOs that operate transmission facilities owned and maintained by others vs. for-profit Independent Transmission Companies (Transcos) that own, maintain, and operate their own transmission facilities.


Since the advent of High Level Programming languages (HLPLs) in the early 1950s researchers have sought ways to automate the construction of HLPL compilers. To this end a variety of Translator Writing Tools (TWTs) have been developed in the last three decades. However, only a very few of these tools have gained significant commercial acceptance. This thesis re-examines traditional compiler construction techniques, along with a number of previous TWTs, and proposes a new improved tool for automated compiler construction called the Aston Compiler Constructor (ACC). This new tool allows the specification of complete compilation systems using a high level compiler oriented specification notation called the Compiler Construction Language (CCL). This specification notation is based on a modern variant of Backus Naur Form (BNF) and an extended variant of Attribute Grammars (AGs). The implementation and processing of the CCL is discussed along with an extensive CCL example. The CCL is shown to have an extensive expressive power, to be convenient in use, and highly readable, and thus a superior alternative to earlier TWTs, and to traditional compiler construction techniques. The execution performance of CCL specifications is evaluated and shown to be acceptable. A number of related areas are also addressed, including tools for the rapid construction of individual compiler components, and tools for the construction of compilation systems for multiprocessor operating systems and hardware. This latter area is expected to become of particular interest in future years due to the anticipated increased use of multiprocessor architectures.


The impacts of climate change on people's livelihoods have been widely documented. It is expected that climate and environmental change will hamper poverty reduction, or even exacerbate poverty in some or all of its dimensions. Changes in the biophysical environment, such as droughts, flooding, water quantity and quality, and degrading ecosystems, are expected to affect opportunities for people to generate income. These changes, combined with a deficiency in coping strategies and innovation to adapt to particular climate change threats, are in turn likely to lead to increased economic and social vulnerability of households and communities, especially amongst the poorest.


An in-vitro evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of pomegranate peel extract from Palestine
were investigated. In parallel, the total phenolic content (TPC) and the total flavonoids content (TFC) were measured.
The antioxidant activities were determined spectrophotometrically by DPPH, FRAP, CUPRAC and the ABTS methods.
The phenolic and flavonoid contents were separated and partially identified using HPLC and LC-MS. In-vitro inhibitory
effect of the extract on production of Interlukin-6 (Il-6) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) by Lipopolysacaride
(LPS)-induced polymorphonuclear Cells (PMNCs) was evaluated. Pomegranate peel extract was found to have strong
antiinflamatory activity as revealed by the reduction in the levels of IL-6 and TNF-alfa. It was also found that it is rich in
phenoloic and flavonoids that enhanced its reducing activity and free radical scavenging ability.


A generalized concept is presented for all of the commonly used methods of forest sampling. The concept views the forest as a two-dimensional picture which is cut up into pieces like a jigsaw puzzle, with the pieces defined by the individual selection probabilities of the trees in the forest. This concept results in a finite number of independently selected sample units, in contrast to every other generalized conceptualization of forest sampling presented to date.


We investigate the (unintended) effects of bank executive compensation regulation. Capping the share of variable compensation spurred average turnover rates driven by CEOs at poorly performing banks. Other than that, banks' responses to raise fixed compensation sufficed to retain the vast majority of non-CEO executives and those at well performing banks. We fail to find evidence that banks with executives that are more affected by the bonus cap became less risky. In fact, numerous results indicate an increase of risk, even in its systemic dimension according to selected measures. The return component of bank performance appears to be unaffected by the bonus cap. Risk hikes are consistent with an insurance effect associated with raised the increase in fixed compensation of executives. The ability of the policy to enhance financial stability is therefore doubtful.


While innovative technology supply has been the focus of much neo-Schumpeterian modelling, few have addressed the critical and more resource-demanding commercializing of the same technologies. The result may have been a growth policy focused on the wrong problem. Using Competence Bloc Theory and a firm-based macro to macro approach we abandon the assumed linear relation between technology change and economic growth of such models, and demonstrate that lack of local commercialization competences is likely to block growth even though innovative technology supplies are abundant. The break up, reorganization and part withdrawal of Pharmacia from the local Uppsala (in Sweden) economy after a series of international mergers illustrate this. Pharmacia has 'released' a wealth of technologies in local markets. Local commercialization competence, notably industrially competent financing has, however, not been sufficient to fill in through indigenous entrepreneurship the vacuum left by Pharmacia. Only thanks to foreign investors, attracted by Pharmacia technologies that have opted to stay for the long term, the local Uppsala economy seems to be heading for a successful future. The Pharmacia case also demonstrates the role of advanced firms as 'technical universities' and the nature of an experimentally organized economy (EOE) in which business mistakes are a natural learning cost for economic development.


Forest management practices may alter soil properties, but experimental evaluation of treatment effects is often difficult because large soil variability yields poor statistical sensitivity. This study was conducted to determine if pretreatment soil sampling enhances our ability to detect treatment differences in Pacific Northwest forests. We used statistical simulation and data from 271 pretreatment 30-cm-deep soil cores taken from 70- to 100-yr-old post-fire Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] stands at the Siskiyou National Forest in southwestern Oregon. At this site, an unmanipulated control and six treatments of overstory species and woody debris are being established on 6-ha plots and replicated in three blocks. If only post-treatment measurements were made, the minimum detectable difference (MDD) between extreme treatments would be 26 to 57% of current soil C and N concentrations (g kg -1 ) and masses (kg m -2 ), with C generally having smaller relative MDDs than N. In contrast, if the differences between post- and pretreatment were evaluated, relative MDDs for C properties would remain the same, but those for N would decrease by as much as one-half because N has greater pretreatment variability among plots than C. Masses of C and N, which incorporate information about rock volume and either soil mass or bulk density, have relative MDDs as small as one-half of those associated with concentrations. Evaluation of other sites is required to determine if these observations are consistent for forests in general and, thus, applicable to the design of sampling strategies in large-scale experiments.


General practitioners (GPs) and their teams in the United Kingdom (UK) are encouraged to identify and analyse significant health care events. Additionally, there is an expectation that specific significant events should be notified to reporting and learning systems where these exist. Policy initiatives – such as clinical governance, GP appraisal and the new General Medical Services (nGMS) contract - attempt to ensure that significant event analysis (SEA) is a frequent educational activity for GP teams. The presumption from policymakers and healthcare authorities is that GP teams are demonstrating a commitment to reflect on, learn from and resolve issues which impact on the quality and safety of patient care. However, there is minimal evidence to support these assumptions while there is no uniform mechanism to ensure consistency in the quality assurance of SEA reports.

One potential method of enhancing both the learning from and the quality of SEA is through peer review. In the west of Scotland an educational model to facilitate the peer review of SEA reports has existed since 1998. However, knowledge and understanding of the role and impact of this process are limited. With the potential of peer review of SEA to contribute to GP appraisal and the nGMS contract, there was a need to develop a more evidence-based approach to the peer review of SEA.

The main aims of this thesis therefore are:
• To identify and explore the issues involved if the identification, analysis and reporting of significant events are to be associated with quality improvement in general practice.

• To investigate whether a peer feedback model can enhance the value of SEA so that its potential as a reflective learning technique can be maximised within the current educational and contractual requirements for GPs.

To achieve these aims a series of mixed-methods research studies was undertaken:

To examine attitudes to the identification and reporting of significant events a postal questionnaire survey of 617 GP principals in NHS Greater Glasgow was undertaken. Of the 466 (76%) individuals who responded, 81 (18%) agreed that the reporting of such events should be mandatory while 317 (73%) indicated that they would be selective in what they notified to a potential reporting system. Any system was likely to be limited by a difficulty for many GPs (41%) in determining when an event was 'significant.'

To examine levels of agreement on the grading, analysis and reporting of standardised significant events scenarios between different west of Scotland GP groups (e.g. GP appraisers, GP registrar trainers, SEA peer reviewers) a further postal questionnaire survey was conducted. 122 GPs (77%) responded. No difference was found between the groups in the grading severity of significant events scenarios (range of p values = 0.30-0.79). Increased grading severity was linked to the willingness of each group to analyse and report that event (p<0.05). The strong levels of agreement suggest that GPs can prioritise relevant significant events for formal analysis and reporting.

To identify the range of patient safety issues addressed, learning needs raised and actions taken by GP teams, a sample of 191 SEA reports submitted to the west of Scotland peer review model were subjected to content analysis. 48 (25%) described incidents in which patients were harmed. A further 109 reports (57%) outlined circumstances which had the potential to cause patient harm. Learning opportunities were identified in 182 reports (95%) but were often non-specific professional issues such as general diagnosis and management of patients or communication issues within the practice team. 154 (80%) described actions taken to improve practice systems or professional behaviour. Overall, the study provided some proxy evidence of the potential of SEA to improve healthcare quality and safety.

To improve the quality of SEA peer review a more detailed instrument was developed and tested for aspects of its validity and reliability. Content validity was quantified by application of a content validity index and was demonstrated, with at least 8 out of 10 experts endorsing all 10 items of the proposed instrument. Reliability testing involved numerical marking exercises of 20 SEA reports by 20 trained SEA peer reviewers. Generalisability (G) theory was used to investigate the ability of the instrument to discriminate among SEA reports. The overall instrument G co-efficient was moderate to good (G=0.73), indicating that it can provide consistent information on the standard achieved by individual reports. There was moderate inter-rater reliability (G=0.64) when four raters were used to judge SEA quality. After further training of reviewers, inter-rater reliability improved to G>0.8, with a decision study indicating that two reviewers analysing the same report would give the model sufficient reliability for the purposes of formative assessment.

In a pilot study to examine the potential of NHS clinical audit specialists to give feedback on SEA reports using the updated review instrument, a comparison of the numerical grading given to reports by this group and established peer reviewers was undertaken. Both groups gave similar feedback scores when judging the reports (p=0.14), implying that audit specialists could potentially support this system.
To investigate the acceptability and educational impact associated with a peer reviewed SEA report, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with nine GPs who had participated in the model. The findings suggested that external peer feedback is acceptable to participants and enhanced the appraisal process. This feedback resulted in the imparting of technical knowledge on how to analyse significant events. Suggestions to enhance the educational gain from the process were given, such as prompting reviewers to offer advice on how they would address the specific significant event described. There was disagreement over whether this type of feedback could or should be used as supporting evidence of the quality of doctors' work to educational and regulatory authorities.

In a focus group study to explore the experiences of GP peer reviewers it was found that acting as a reviewer was perceived to be an important professional duty. Consensus on the value of feedback in improving SEA attempts by colleagues was apparent but there was disagreement and discomfort about making a "satisfactory" or an "unsatisfactory" judgement. Some concern was expressed about professional and legal obligations to colleagues and to patients seriously harmed as a result of significant events. Regular training of peer reviewers was thought to be integral to maintaining their skills.

The findings presented contribute to the limited evidence on the analysis and reporting of significant events in UK general practice. Additionally, aspects of the utility of the peer review model outlined were investigated and support its potential to enhance the application of SEA. The issues identified and the interpretation of findings could inform GPs, professional bodies and healthcare organisations of some of the strengths and limitations of SEA and the aligned educational peer review model.


The present availability of 18+ years of GNSS data belonging to the EUREF
Permanent Network (EPN, http://www.epncb.oma.be/) is a valuable
database for the development of a climate data record of GNSS tropospheric
products over Europe. This data record can be used as a reference for a
variety of scientific applications (e.g. validation of regional numerical
weather prediction reanalyses and climate model simulations) and has a high
potential for monitoring trends and the variability in atmospheric water
vapour. In the framework of the EPN-Repro2, the second reprocessing campaign
of the EPN, five Analysis Centres homogenously reprocessed the EPN network
for the period 1996–2014. A huge effort has been made to provide
solutions that are the basis for
deriving new coordinates, velocities and tropospheric parameters for the
entire EPN. The individual contributions are then combined to provide the
official EPN reprocessed products. This paper is focused on the EPN-Repro2
tropospheric product. The combined product is described along with its
evaluation against radiosonde data and European Centre for Medium-Range
Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis (ERA-Interim) data.


This study will aim to demonstrate how methods of pest control developed for conventional vegetable production can be adapted for use by organic growers. The study will concentrate on pests of umbelliferous and cruciferous crops and will be composed of 11 specific objectives outlined as follows, together with ways in which they might be achieved: 1. Adaptation of the existing carrot fly forecast to quantify how the date of crop drilling influences subsequent fly pressure. The carrot fly forecast produced at HRI Wellesbourne will be used to predict the proportion of the first generation of flies that will lay eggs on carrot crops drilled on different dates. The model will also be used to predict the timing of emergence of the subsequent fly generation within the crop. It will then be verified using data from experimental carrot plots located close to the source of the main carrot fly population at HRI; these data will be incorporated into the existing carrot fly forecast model; 2. Production of a model to quantify how crop damage can be reduced by altering the harvest date. A sub-model based on published and field data will be incorporated into the carrot fly forecast model, together with meteorological data; this model will be calibrated with experimental data collected from carrot plots at Wellesbourne; 3. Identification of times at which crops should be covered to reduce carrot fly damage. Output from the carrot fly model will be modified to identify the times at which crops should be covered and the dates after which it is safe to uncover crops for operations such as weeding; 4. Quantification of the contribution possible from host plants with various levels of resistance. Data collected at HRI Wellesbourne will be used in simple mathematical models to quantify how partial plant resistance can contribute to the reduction of carrot fly damage alone or in combination with other damage reduction techniques; 5. Verification of carrot fly control strategies. Information collected in objectives 1-4 will be used to produce a strategy for reducing carrot fly damage in organically grown umbelliferous crops; this will be evaluated by HDRA in commercial carrot and parsnip crops where there are high and low levels of infestation. Objectives 6-11 will focus on pests of cruciferous crops; 6. Adaptation of the existing pest forecasts to quantify how the judicious choice of planting and harvesting dates can be used to reduce crop damage. Existing forecasting systems for pollen beetle, cabbage root fly, cabbage aphid, diamond-back moth, small white butterfly, cabbage moth and garden pebble moth will be used to identify the periods when cruciferous crops are at risk from each of these pest species. Forecasts will be verified by experimental data obtained from cabbage plots; 7. Identification of crop/pest situations where application of crop covers would be advantageous. A literature review will be conducted to identify crop/pest combinations where it would be advantageous to apply covers to exclude insect pests; results from relevant field experiments will also be included; 8. Evaluation of simple methods for inspecting crops to determine the presence or absence of any given pest species. A literature review will be conducted, including results from studies involving sampling aphid and caterpillar pests within cruciferous crops; 9. Identification of critical periods during which control measures should be applied. The literature will be reviewed to indicate the best time to apply the various control measures available to organic growers. Output from models of pest activity will be modified to indicate the most appropriate timings for application of each control measure; 10. Verification of the pest control strategy arising from work conducted in objectives 7-10. This strategy will be underpinned by the pest forecast models and will be presented as a MORPH decision support system. The strategy will be evaluated in an organic cropping system by growing crops of cauliflower and cabbage in locations with different levels of pest infestation; and 11. Production of a user-friendly format for disseminating the information produced in the study to organic growers. Information will be provided in the form of a decision support system in MORPH, articles in grower publications, through the advisory network and at annual meetings for organic growers.


This paper introduces a procedure based on genetic programming to evolve XSLT programs (usually called stylesheets or logicsheets). XSLT is a general purpose, document-oriented functional language, generally used to transform XML documents (or, in general, solve any problem that can be coded as an XML document). The proposed solution uses a tree representation for the stylesheets as well as diverse specific operators in order to obtain, in the studied cases and a reasonable time, a XSLT stylesheet that performs the transformation. Several types of representation have been compared, resulting in different performance and degree of success.


There is growing evidence that personality traits are spatially clustered across geographic regions and that regionally aggregated personality scores are related to political, economic, social, and health outcomes. However, much of the evidence comes from research that has relied on methods that are ill-suited for working with spatial data. Consequently, the validity and generalizability of that work is unclear. The present work addresses two main challenges of working with spatial data (i.e., Modifiable Aerial Unit Problem and spatial dependencies) and evaluates data-analytic techniques designed to tackle those challenges. Using analytic techniques designed for spatial data, we offer a practical guideline for working with spatial data in psychological research. Specifically, we investigate the robustness of regional personality differences and their correlates within the U.S. (Study 1: N = 3,387,303) and Germany (Study 2: N = 110,029). To account for the Modifiable Aerial Unit Problem, we apply a mapping approach that visualizes distributional patterns without aggregating to a higher level and examine the correlates of regional personality scores across multiple levels of spatial aggregation. To account for spatial dependencies, we examine the correlates of regional personality scores using spatial econometric models. Overall, our results suggest that regional personality differences are robust and can be reliably studied across countries and spatial levels. At the same time, the results also show that ignoring the methodological challenges of spatial data can have serious consequences for research concerned with regional personality differences.


This dissertation addresses multiple topics of current population processes, including an impact evaluation of malaria control on child mortality in Tanzania, a study of living arrangements among the foreign-born in the United States, and an investigation of selectivity and the choice of migration destination among African emigrants. The dissertation follows a three-chapter format. The chapters are related to one another by their common focus on policy relevant topics for the health and wellbeing of populations. The first chapter investigates the specific contribution of malaria control to improvements in the health of children under five in mainland Tanzania by exploiting the timing of scale-up malaria interventions along with the variation in malaria endemicity across the country due to ecology. The analyses are based on birth history and socioeconomic information from the 2004-2005 and 2009-2010 waves of the Tanzanian Demographic and Health Survey and epidemiological information on malaria prevalence from the National Malaria Control Program. The results suggest that, on average, malaria control interventions have helped avert approximately 17.9 deaths for every 1,000 live births between 2004 and 2010. They also point to significant improvements in children's nutritional health attributable to malaria control. The second chapter examines living arrangements among the foreign-born in the United States by including all major sending regions of immigrants; by distinguishing between horizontal and vertical extension (coresidence within and across generations); and by accounting for the uneven geographic distribution of immigrants across the country. Drawing on data from the five percent sample of the 2001-2013 waves of the American Community Survey, the chapter shows not only large differentials in the prevalence of extension across immigrant groups, but also substantial variation in the type and predictors of extension, and the extent to which these differences with native whites are explained by socio-demographic composition and housing conditions. Overall, traditional theories of extension do a better job of explaining horizontal than vertical extension, and among relatively disadvantaged immigrant groups (i.e., Mexicans, Latin Americans (excluding Mexicans) and West Indians) than more positively selected groups (i.e., South East Asians, Canadians/ Europeans, and Oceanians). African immigrants often fall in between these two extremes. The chapter also shows that accounting for immigrant concentration in more expensive housing markets explains an important share of the immigrant-native gap in extension, suggesting that previous analyses exaggerated the role of culture in explaining variation in living arrangements. The third chapter is concerned with emigrant selectivity and the factors that shape the choice of migration destinations. Using data from the 2009 Ghana survey of the Migration from Africa to Europe (MAFE) project and data from nationally representative surveys in the United Kingdom and the United States, this chapter investigates these issues among emigrants from Ghana. The results point to positive selection among current emigrants compared to both non-migrants and return migrants. They further show that return migrants tend to have more favorable socioeconomic characteristics than non-migrants. The results also indicate selectivity among emigrants by destination such that those who migrate to a destination further away are more positively selected. However, these results fail to show any effect of wage differentials at destination in explaining the choice of migration destination among emigrants to the United Kingdom and the United States. This chapter offers three contributions to the literature on migrant selectivity. First, it focuses on selectivity among return migrants versus current emigrants and compares emigrants across destinations. Second, it assesses whether socioeconomic characteristics used at either the individual or household level influence migrant selectivity. Finally, it tests empirically two theoretical pathways (neoclassical and network theories) relating migrant characteristics to the choice of migration destinations. This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2295 Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Demography First Advisor Irma T. Elo


In the past few years, the term "quasi-class action" has been appearing with increasing, uncritical frequency in a spate of federal court decisions. While it may be premature to characterize these sporadic references as a trend, it is perhaps soon enough to call attention to the misuse of loose labels that carry with them significant consequences. Before the quasi-class action gains any further traction, there are several valid reasons for definitively quashing this quasi. Three simple points about the quasi-class action. First, there is no such thing as a quasi-class action. A quasi-class action brings to mind the old joke about being slightly pregnant. Hence, either you are a class action, or not. There is no constitutional, statutory, doctrinal, or other basis for the quasi-class action. The label "quasi-class action" is a convenient, lazy fabrication to justify the lawless administration of aggregate claims. Second, whatever historical antecedents or analogues may exist for the concept of a quasi-class action, the 1966 amendments to Rule 23 the Supreme Court's decisions in Amchem and Ortiz, and multiple class actions decisions lay to rest any notions of a quasi-class action. The entire point of the class action rule is not only to supply an aggregate mechanism for efficiently resolving multiple claims, but to balance efficiency values with the due process protection of absent class members in representative litigation. The so-called quasi-class action is the antithesis of due process. The quasi-class action is a jurisprudential oxymoron that its proponents deploy to justify the expeditious resolution of aggregate claims, while failing to adequately protect the interests of claimants. Third, the quasi-class action ought to be repudiated as an unfortunate drift into further lawlessness in administering aggregate claims. Over the past thirty years actors involved in resolving aggregate claims ― especially aggregate tort claims ― have embraced claims-resolution models that allow malefactors to control, manage, and settle their liabilities on highly preferential terms, permit plaintiffs' attorneys to reap bountiful and often excessive fees, and enable heroic judges (and their heroic surrogates) to clear their dockets of large numbers of cases. The primary staging ground for deployment of the quasi class action has been in multi-district proceedings. Modern MDL proceedings that consolidate thousands of claims are unlike other private settlement auspices. Detached from class action status, claimants who are the subject of an MDL proceeding are largely unmoored from representation. While class certification at a minimum ensures adequate representation at the outset of proceedings ― both by adequate representatives and class counsel ― individuals involved in an MDL proceeding have no assurance that anyone is protecting their interests. Furthermore, there are few mechanisms that provide claimants with meaningful opportunities to consent to ongoing negotiations, or the results of negotiations. Thus, MDL settlement negotiations that are conducted outside the auspices of the class action mechanism encourage precisely the type of self-dealing and collusion among the attorneys which became the object of criticism in Amchem. With judicial embrace of the notion of a quasi-class action, we have returned to a pre-Amchem era of lawless aggregate claims resolution. Worse still, under the rubric of the quasi-class action, the federal judiciary now provides an equally "quasi judicial" imprimatur to such dealings.


The potential petrogenetic link between a crystal-poor rhyolite (the Rhyolite Canyon Tuff) and its associated subvolcanic intrusion and crystal-rich post-caldera lavas from Turkey Creek, Arizona (USA), is examined using zircon chemical abrasion–thermal ionization mass spectrometry U-Pb geochronology and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry trace element analyses. U-Pb ages indicate that zircon growth within the rhyolite and the dacite-monzonite porphyry magmas was coeval over ∼300 k.y. prior to the large eruptive event. Trends in zircon trace elements (Hf, Y/Dy, Sm/Yb, Eu/Eu*) through time in the dacitic-monzonitic units and rhyolite reflect melt evolution dominated by crystal fractionation. Importantly, the Y/Dy ratio in zircons in both units remains mostly similar for the first ∼150 k.y. of the system's evolution, but the dominant population in the rhyolitic unit diverges from that of the dacite-monzonite porphyry ∼150 k.y. before eruption. We interpret this divergence in trace element composition to record the assembly time of the melt-rich cap within its intermediate mush zone in the upper crustal reservoir. These results are consistent with (1) a connection between plutonic and volcanic realms in the upper crust, (2) a protracted time scale for constructing an intermediate mush large enough to hold 500 km 3 of rhyolite, and (3) the prolonged extraction of that melt prior to eruption.


Scouring is the process of soil or sediment erosion due to flowing water, which can lead to bed degradation and compromised transportation infrastructure. In the decade before 2000, over half of the 500 bridge failures in the United States were caused by flooding or scouring. To gain a better grasp of the effects of extreme weather events, such as Tropical Storm Irene, on the scouring process, this work is focused on a first principle understanding of the mechanism(s) of scour. The field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is particularly well suited to this task. Utilizing a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) code, the repeated impacts of a vortex dipole on a particle bed are simulated. The resulting scour characteristics and flow dynamics are investigated as a function of the Shields number. The vortex dipole propagates perpendicularly to the particle bed, resulting in the scouring of the bed and dissipation of the dipole. After completion of the scour event, the simulation is repeated four more times, where subsequent simulations use the scoured bed from the previous simulation as the initial bed form. This simulation series is conducted over a Shields number parameter space. The fluid phase is treated as a continuum and the discretized Navier-Stokes equations are solved down to the smallest scales of the flow on an Eulerian grid. The particles comprising the bed are represented by the Discrete Particle Model (DPM), whereby each individual particle is tracked in a Lagrangian framework. Particle-particle and particle-wall collisions are calculated using a soft-sphere model. The fluid phase and the solid phase are coupled through a forcing term in the fluid conservation of momentum equation, and a drag force in the particle equation of motion, governed by Newton's Second Law. Above the critical Shields number, the scour hole topography is not fundamentally altered with subsequent impacts until the scale of the scour hole reaches a critical value. At which point, the shape and scale of the scour hole significantly alters the behavior of the vortex dipole and results in strongly asymmetric scour topographies. This two-way coupling between the bed scour and the vortex dipole dynamics is the focus of this work.


Background: Anaemia is common in patients who survive critical illness and is associated with high levels of fatigue and poor quality of life. In non-critically ill patients, treating anaemia with intravenous iron has resulted in meaningful improvements in quality of life, but uncertainties regarding the benefits, risks, timing and optimal route of iron therapy in survivors of critical illness remain. Methods / Design: INtravenous Iron to Treat Anaemia following CriTical care (INTACT) is an open-label, feasibility, parallel group, randomised controlled trial with 1:1 randomisation to either intravenous iron (1000 mg ferric carboxymaltose) or usual medical care. The primary objective is to assess the feasibility of a future, multicentre randomised controlled trial. Participants will be followed up for up to 90 days post-randomisation. The primary outcome measures, which will be used to determine feasibility, are recruitment and randomisation rates, protocol adherence and complete-ness of follow-up. Secondary outcome measures include collecting clinical, laboratory, health-related quality of life and safety data to inform the power calculations of a future definitive trial. Conclusion: Improving recovery from critical illness is a recognised research priority. Whether or not correcting anaemia, with intravenous iron, improves health-related quality of life and recovery requires further investigation. If so, it has the potential to become a rapidly translatable intervention. Prior to embarking on a phase III multicentre trial, a carefully designed and implemented feasibility trial is essential. (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire scores from baseline to 28 and 90 days post-randomisation


Measuring particle‐size distribution (psd) is so time‐consuming and expensive that it is rarely affordable for systematic survey. In young soil dominated by silicate minerals the size fractions have characteristic elemental compositions, and so they might be predicted from geochemical analysis. We tested the feasibility of predicting the psd from concentrations of elements in samples of topsoil taken in surveys of two large regions in eastern England and on which the psd had been determined. Of the 35 elements measured we chose eight (a) from our general knowledge of mineral composition, (b) after a principal component analysis to avoid redundancy and (c) experience elsewhere. Of the eight elements, five were used (Al, Fe, Ni, Ti and Zr) to build multiple linear regression models for the predictions. The equations were assessed by their coefficients of determination, R2, and the effectiveness of their predictions, expressed as root‐mean‐square errors (RMSEs) on validation sets of data of known psd. The models accounted on average for 89% of the variance in the clay size‐fraction and 82% for sand. The corresponding median RMSEs were 4.9% and 8.8% on medians of 17% and 58%, respectively. The silt size‐fraction was less well predicted; R2 was only 0.58, and the median RMSE was 10.6% on a median of 22%. We judge our approach, in which the regression models may be regarded as pedotransfer functions, to have been moderately successful and to merit attention in similar circumstances in other regions.


According to the WHO 50 million people suffer from epilepsy; 80% of them live in resource poor countries (WHO, 2001). In these settings, classification of seizures in view of adequate treatment has been difficult due to lack of diagnostic tools such as electroencephalograms (EEG) and imaging. Drawing from a vast working experience of many years in neurology in developing countries, the authors developed a classification system for seizures suitable for local circumstances. Considering clinical, diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic needs, we adjusted the International Classification of Epileptic Seizures (ICES) and opted for a simple-structured, easy-to-understand classification of epileptic seizures which is still in accordance with the ICES and in fact shares many similarities with the ILAE version of guidelines for epidemiologic studies on epilepsy (ILAE 1981, ILAE 1993). EEG and neuroimaging are normally not available in developing countries, thus the diagnosis is based on clinical symptomatology alone. We suggest the following classification:


The concept of a 'critical load' is coming to dominate
European legislation on air pollution. A critical load
can be defined as 'the maximum deposition of a
given compound which will not cause long-term
harmful effects on ecosystem structure and function,
according to present knowledge'. It is intended, in
other words, to be a threshold deposition which
ecosystems can tolerate without damage. One aim of
the pollution control policies of many countries is now
to reduce the deposition of acidifying pollutants
below their critical loads. To enable this to be
possible, the scientific community has to be able to
define well-supported critical loads for any European
ecosystem. As an attempt to codify a vast amount of
ecological knowledge and use it as a rational means
of pollution control, the critical loads approach is an
ambitious undertaking.
Maps of critical loads for various receptors have now
been published for the whole of Europe by several
bodies on a variety of scales. In the UK, the
Department of the Environment has published maps
of critical loads on scales down to 1 km. The concept
is being used by the UK government as a guide for its
policies on pollution control, and by European
governments under the auspices of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe as a basis for
negotiations for a new protocol on limiting long-range
trans-boundary sulphur pollution. The concept,
clearly, is of great political importance.
The development of the concept and production of
the maps have taken place with remarkable speed,
generally within working parties whose composition
has been determined by the governments of the
countries concerned. There has been little
opportunity for the ecological community as a whole
to participate in these discussions, or for those who
have been involved to present the results of their
deliberations to their scientific peers. To remedy this
situation somewhat, we organised a Conference open
to all interested parties, and invited contributions from
both scientists and those whose job it is to develop
and implement environmental policies. The
Conference was held at Grange-over-Sands on 12-14
February 1992, under the auspices of the British
Ecological Society Industrial Ecology Group and the
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The
National Power/PowerGen Joint Environmental
Programme provided some sponsorship.
The Conference generated some new ideas on
critical loads, showed that there was a variety of
views on the validity of the concept as it stood, and
sparked off some controversies. This volume
documents the proceedings of the Conference, both
written papers provided by the speakers and reports
of workshop discussions on specific questions. We
hope it will be of use in further development of the
critical load concept, and of interest to anyone who
wishes to understand the progress made so far.


Enacted on June 28, 2002, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which refers explicitly to Article 1 of the Convention against Torture, extends protection to a new category of persons, namely, "person in need of protection." This article discusses how the courts will interpret subparagraph 97(1)a) of the Act when determining whether a person is a "person in need of protection" as defined by the Act. The author suggests that the inclusion of the subparagraph in question constitutes a direct implementation of the principle precluding the return of a person who faces the risk of being tortured to his or her country of origin. Through a brief overview of the principles governing the integration of international law into Canadian domestic law, the author argues that the Courts have an obligation to interpret the word "torture" in accordance with the Convention and the international definition of the word. The author then proceeds to circumscribe the breadth of the international definition of torture by examining each of the constituent elements of the concept: the conduct, the intention of the offender and the purpose of the conduct, the identity of the offender and the exclusions. In doing so, she assesses the interpretation which different international instruments, jurisprudence and external documents have attributed to these components, including the work of the Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture, as well as the jurisprudence of both the European and Inter-American Courts of Human Rights.


Information-Gap Decision Theory (IGDT), an approach to robust decision making under severe uncertainty, is newly considered in the context of environmental performance affected by life cycle uncertainty. An IGDT decision strategy favours the design(s) that can endure the most estimation error while still guaranteeing no worse than some 'good enough' critical level of performance. In this paper, a simple automotive oil filter design selection example with severe uncertainty is formulated and solved using an IGDT approach. Implications of IGDT to life cycle engineering design problems are discussed, as are potential limitations that could be encountered when solving more complex problems.


The increasing availability of WiFi networks in conference venues is an opportunity to provide additional services for conference delegates and to enhance and enrich the learning experience. This paper reviews experiences of use of networked applications in a conference environment and outlines a number of potentially useful technologies. The paper addresses potential concerns over use of networked technologies including dangers of disruption and distraction, legal and copyright issues as well as the danger of being over-fixated on the technologies themselves, rather than the uses they can provide. The paper concludes by summarising the issues which need to be addressed when considering the provision of networked services in a conference setting.


Approximately 5 to 10 % of women in their reproductive years are affected by infertility. Infertility in women has been associated with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, disturbed eating behavior, autism, psychotic disorders and autism. Part of the association between depression, anxiety and infertility can be explained by the emotional stress resulting from infertility. As mental disorders like depressive disorder or eating disorders are also prospectively associated with infertility, a bidirectional relationship is assumed. The paper discusses the theories about the mechanistic link between mental disorders and infertility. A special relationship may between mental disorders and the main causes of ovulatory infertility, hypothalamic amenorrhea and polycystic ovary disease. Pilot studies support the assumption that psychotherapy may constitute an important component in the treatment of infertility.


This article describes a newly constructed data set of all U.S. state banks from 1782 to 1861. It contains the names and locations of all banks and branches that went into business and an estimate of when each operated. The compilation is based on reported balance sheets, listings in banknote reporters, and secondary sources. Based on these data, the article presents a count of the number of banks and branches in business by state. I argue that my series are superior to previously existing ones for reasons of consistency, accuracy, and timing. The article contains examples to support this argument.


Fuzzy/similarity joins have been widely studied in the research community and extensively used in real-world applications. This paper proposes and evaluates several algorithms for finding all pairs of elements from an input set that meet a similarity threshold. The computation model is a single MapReduce job. Because we allow only one MapReduce round, the Reduce function must be designed so a given output pair is produced by only one task, for many algorithms, satisfying this condition is one of the biggest challenges. We break the cost of an algorithm into three components: the execution cost of the mappers, the execution cost of the reducers, and the communication cost from the mappers to reducers. The algorithms are presented first in terms of Hamming distance, but extensions to edit distance and Jaccard distance are shown as well. We find that there are many different approaches to the similarity-join problem using MapReduce, and none dominates the others when both communication and reducer costs are considered. Our cost analyses enable applications to pick the optimal algorithm based on their communication, memory, and cluster requirements.


Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins are instrumental in determining cell type during development. A bHLH protein, termed NeuroD, for neurogenic differentiation, has now been identified as a differentiation factor for neurogenesis because (i) it is expressed transiently in a subset of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems at the time of their terminal differentiation into mature neurons and (ii) ectopic expression of neuroD in Xenopus embryos causes premature differentiation of neuronal precursors. Furthermore, neuroD can convert presumptive epidermal cells into neurons and also act as a neuronal determination gene. However, unlike another previously identified proneural gene (XASH-3), neuroD seems competent to bypass the normal inhibitory influences that usually prevent neurogenesis in ventral and lateral ectoderm and is capable of converting most of the embryonic ectoderm into neurons. The data suggest that neuroD may participate in the terminal differentiation step during vertebrate neuronal development.


Current climate adaptation polices in Brazil are influencing not only the choice of crops but also many agricultural practices at the farm level including changes in planting and sowing periods, use of irrigation-saving technologies, and increased nitrogen fertilization, among others. The shape and content of these adaptation policies and measures for Brazil are not limited to production agriculture, but include also conservation reserve and risk-reducing farm programs. In addition, the decades-old adaptation and management strategies for agricultural production under tropical conditions carried out by EMBRAPA, Brazil's premier agricultural research agency, continue to play a prominent role. As Brazil is one the world's largest agricultural producers and exporters of agricultural commodities, impacts in Brazil that may occur under different climate scenarios could have broad implications for food supply and prices worldwide. We find that farmers' adoption of adaptation strategies could result in significant increases in agricultural productivity, changes in suitable crop growing areas, reduced vulnerability to temperature changes, and improved income generation for farmers.


An axis map (AM) represents the orientations of planar surfaces in an environment and is void of positional information. Three-dimensional axis mapping (3DAM) is a graph-based optimization algorithm that generates an AM, while carefully addressing the parameterization of axes (i.e., normal vectors). 3DAM exploits the lack of positional information to form a densely connected graph. This paper provides a detailed description of the parameterization of axes, an outline of the 3DAM algorithm, as well as outdoor experimental results showing the usefulness of AMs as a tool for mobile autonomous geotechnical mapping.


Experimental studies of social dilemmas have shown that while the existence of a sanctioning institution improves cooperation within groups, it also has a detrimental impact on group earnings in the short-run. Could the introduction of pre-play threats to punish have enough of a beneficial impact on cooperation, while not incurring the cost associated with actual punishment, so that they increase overall welfare ? We report an experiment in which players can issue non-binding threats to punish others based on their contribution levels to a public good. After observing others' actual contributions, they choose their actual punishment level. We find that threats increase the level of contributions significantly. Efficiency is improved, but only in the long run. However, the possibility of sanctioning differences between threatened and actual punishment leads to lower threats, cooperation and welfare, restoring them to levels equal to or below the levels attained in the absence of threats. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


In this study, I examined the correlation between having a tattoo and/or body piercing and the time at which sexual activity began. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 2,080 students, who were recruited by approaching them on the campuses of public universities in France. Tattooed and/or pierced students reported earlier experiences of sexual intercourse than did nonpierced and nontattooed students. This effect was found with both males and females, and was reinforced when respondents had both piercings and tattoos.


Researchers evaluating prevention and early intervention programs must often rely on diverse study designs that assign groups to various study conditions (e.g., intervention versus control). Although the strongest designs randomly assign these groups to conditions, researchers frequently must use nonrandomized research designs in which assignments are made based on the characteristics of the groups. With nonrandomized group designs, little guidance is available on how best to analyze the data. We provide guidance on which techniques work best under different data conditions and make recommendations to researchers about how to choose among the various techniques when analyzing data from a pre-test/post-test nonrandomized study. We use data from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's Workplace Managed Care initiative to compare the performance of the various methods commonly applied in quasi-experimental and group assignment designs.


Samples collected from an archaeological object and an outdoor bronze monument as well as a bronze coupon naturally aged in an outdoor marine environment have been analysed in order to determine the composition of the corrosion and deposition compounds and map their stratigraphic distribution. Cross-sectioned samples and the bronze coupon have been placed onto the x-y-z motorized stage under the objective of an FTIR microscope and both punctual analysis and mapping of small areas was performed in ATR mode. The combination of visible light microscopy, which allows the microphotograph documentation of chemically heterogeneous samples, with FTIR-ATR mapping, is of the outmost importance in the characterisation of the corrosion features and behaviour of a wide variety of corroded bronze samples streamlining the selection of the most appropriate conservation materials and cleaning procedures to be adopted by conservators. Limitations, such as the spatial resolution of about 20 μm and silicon crystal opacity, are compared with the great advantage of obtaining distribution false colour plots of the different compounds. As non-destructive of the sample analytical technique ATR mapping can further be combined with other analytical techniques such as metallography, X-ray EDS and Raman spectroscopy.

The limitation of the ATR technique in identifying important corrosion products, which do not absorb in the mid infrared, and the need to be combined with other type of analysis is also highlighted.


Long continued inter-row cultivation and passage of vehicles may adversely affect soil physical properties. The influence upon infiltration in peach orchards of the incorporation of vinyl acetate maleic anhydride (VAMA) with sandy loams which had been harmed by such treatments was studied during three irrigation seasons after a single addition of the VAMA polymer in 1953. Treatments were: rotary hoe cultivation to depths of 1, 6, and 16 inches, with and without polymer incorporation; soil then undisturbed and kept weed-free. Polymer influence persisted through three seasons. Average depths of infiltered water after 1.6 hours for all cultivation depths were: without polymer, 3.1 in.; with polymer, 6.2 in. Where polymer was incorporated, increased cultivation depth gave increased infiltration; without polymer, cultivation depth appeared to have no appreciable effect. Supplementary measurements following tractor passage in 1955 showed average decrease in infiltration at 1.6 hours from 7.0 in. (without tractor) to 2.4 in. (with tractor). Dispersing tendency, density, and moisture characteristics are presented for soil cores taken from one orchard at the end of the third season. The increased aggregate stability in water and lowered bulk density of cores taken from soils receiving polymer, persisted until the end of the experiment. Treatments considerably influenced moisture retention and hence pore volume at tensions less than 1/5 atm. but, with the exception of the tractor-compacted, deeply-tilled, with-polymer treatment, they had little effect upon these properties at higher tensions. The cumulative depths of infiltered water were clearly associated with changes in volume of coarser pores.


Abstract. This paper presents the first ensemble modelling experiment in relation to birch pollen in Europe. The seven-model European ensemble of MACC-ENS, tested in trial simulations over the flowering season of 2010, was run through the flowering season of 2013. The simulations have been compared with observations in 11 countries, all members of the European Aeroallergen Network, for both individual models and the ensemble mean and median. It is shown that the models successfully reproduced the timing of the very late season of 2013, generally within a couple of days from the observed start of the season. The end of the season was generally predicted later than observed, by 5 days or more, which is a known feature of the source term used in the study. Absolute pollen concentrations during the season were somewhat underestimated in the southern part of the birch habitat. In the northern part of Europe, a record-low pollen season was strongly overestimated by all models. The median of the multi-model ensemble demonstrated robust performance, successfully eliminating the impact of outliers, which was particularly useful since for most models this was the first experience of pollen forecasting.


Orthopaedic disease makes up a significant proportion of the caseload for the equine veterinary surgeon. Presentation of a patient with a septic synovial structure or osteomyelitis is one of the most serious disease processes in the spectrum of orthopaedic disease in the equine patient. The complexities of achieving effective and successful therapy and minimising the long term complications are not only challenging but stressful for the attending clinicians.

 Traditional therapy of such conditions has involved surgical debridement of devitalised and infected tissue along with systemic antibiotic therapy. More recently improved outcomes have been achieved with the addition of local antimicrobial therapy to treatment regimes. Newer modes of antimicrobial delivery are currently sought after; ideally implants which will sustain local antimicrobial at therapeutic concentrations; are biodegradable; do not incite host inflammation; and do not inactivate antimicrobials during assembly. This manuscript reviews orthopaedic infections in the horse, the modalities of therapy available the equine veterinarian, specifically newer modes of providing antimicrobial therapy, and efficacy of their use. Currently the ideal method of local antimicrobial delivery for orthopaedic infection in the horse has not been developed.


Rustum Roy, ed., The Interdisciplinary Imperative: Interactive Research and Education, Still an Elusive Goal in Academia. San Jose: Writers Club Press [imprint of iUniverse.com, Inc.], 2000, 259 pp. The Interdisciplinary Imperative is a collection of papers from a conference on "Interdisciplinarity Revisited: Materials Research as a Case Study," held August 30-31, 1999 at Pennsylvania State University. The contributions are grouped around the topics of theory and practice of interactive research; experience in materials research programs; and experience in the fields of science-technology society, social sciences, and medicine. The book ends with a compilation of comments from participants and contains three appendices with author affiliations, short case studies, and the conference program. The central premise of this book is that interdisciplinary interactions on single campuses are not enough. A more inclusive concept is needed. "Interactive research" ([I.sup.3]R) encompasses three types of interactions: (1) across disciplines in one institution or across institutions (university-industry, university-government laboratories, industry-government laboratories); (2) across research sectors from basic research through engineering to manufacturing within one or across institutions; (3) any combination of types 1 and 2. The history of [I.sup.3]R dates from the late 1950s, when industrial research leaders pushed for more interdisciplinary frameworks. Materials research played a prominent role in early funding programs. Over a forty-year period, many short-term projects emerged, though the discipline-based structure of universities remained intact. The book's greatest strength is the breadth of contributors' experience in the United States (U.S.), Canada, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Germany, Japan, and Russia. The opening section on Theory and Practice is particularly noteworthy. George Bugliarello, former President of the Polytechnic University of New York, defines the nature of disciplinarity and interdisciplinary, with added comments on criteria of evaluation. Richard Brook, of the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, describes how "generous generalist" panel members were used to balance discipline-based peer review and the iterative process of project selection. Rustum Roy, the Editor and member of Penn State's Materials Research Laboratory, extracts generic lessons from his career about terminology, institutional structures and interactions, and the role of journals, professional societies, and meetings. He also proposes a restructuring of the University to favor [I.sup.3]R Karim, Marre, and Jentoft join forces from the Universit ies of Tennessee-Knoxville, Dayton, and Case Western Reserve to examine changes in two areas -- electro-optics and computer engineering. In both fields, interdisciplinary work evolved into new disciplines and specialized options for students. The authors classify different types of programs and departments, while weighing impediments and enabling factors. The format of the remaining contributions varies. Some are full-scale papers, others brief descriptions, such as Robert Cahn's recollection of early materials science in Britain and notes by Patrick Nicholson on McMaster University and Manfred Ruhle on the Max-Planck Society in Germany. Outlined presentations leave readers wondering about the full story, though Lyle Schwartz's bullet points on the shift from multi- to interdisciplinarity in research labs are insightful. …


We propose a distributed and coordinated radio resource allocation algorithm for orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)-based cellular networks to self-organize efficient and stable frequency reuse patterns. In the proposed radio resource allocation algorithm, each cell independently and dynamically allocates modulation and coding scheme (MCS), resource block (RB), and transmit power to its users in a way that its total downlink (DL) transmit power is minimized, while users' throughput demands are satisfied. Moreover, each cell informs neighboring cells of the RBs that have been scheduled for its cell-edge users' DL transmissions through message passing. Accordingly, the neighboring cells abstain from assigning high transmit powers to the specified RBs. Extensive simulation results attempt to demonstrate that DL power control on a per-RB basis may play a key role in future networks, and show that the distributed minimization of DL transmit power at each cell, supported by intercell interference coordination, is able to provide a 20% improvement of network throughput, considerably reduce the number of user outages, and significantly enhance spatial reuse, as compared to cutting-edge resource allocation schemes.


Multi-Task Learning (MTL) has been an active research area in machine learning for two decades. By training multiple relevant tasks simultaneously with information shared across tasks, it is possible to improve the generalization performance of each task, compared to training each individual task independently. During the past decade, most MTL research has been based on the Regularization-Loss framework due to its flexibility in specifying various types of information sharing strategies, the opportunity it offers to yield a kernel-based methods and its capability in promoting sparse feature representations. However, certain limitations exist in both theoretical and practical aspects of Regularization-Lossbased MTL. Theoretically, previous research on generalization bounds in connection to MTL Hypothesis Space (HS)s, where data of all tasks are pre-processed by a (partially) common operator, has been limited in two aspects: First, all previous works assumed linearity of the operator, therefore completely excluding kernel-based MTL HSs, for which the operator is potentially nonlinear. Secondly, all previous works, rather unnecessarily, assumed that all the task weights to be constrained within norm-balls, whose radii are equal. The requirement of equal radii leads to significant inflexibility of the relevant HSs, which may cause the generalization performance of the corresponding MTL models to deteriorate. Practically, various algorithms have been developed for kernel-based MTL models, due to different characteristics of the formulations. Most of these algorithms are a burden to develop and end up being quite sophisticated, so that practitioners may face a hard task in interpreting and implementing them, especially when multiple models are involved. This is even more so, when Multi-Task Multiple Kernel Learning (MT-MKL) models are considered. This research largely resolves the above limitations. Theoretically, a pair of new kernel-based iii HSs are proposed: one for single-kernel MTL, and another one for MT-MKL. Unlike previous works, we allow each task weight to be constrained within a norm-ball, whose radius is learned during training. By deriving and analyzing the generalization bounds of these two HSs, we show that, indeed, such a flexibility leads to much tighter generalization bounds, which often results to significantly better generalization performance. Based on this observation, a pair of new models is developed, one for each case: single-kernel MTL, and another one for MT-MKL. From a practical perspective, we propose a general MT-MKL framework that covers most of the prominent MT-MKL approaches, including our new MT-MKL formulation. Then, a general purpose algorithm is developed to solve the framework, which can also be employed for training all other models subsumed by this framework. A series of experiments is conducted to assess the merits of the proposed mode when trained by the new algorithm. Certain properties of our HSs and formulations are demonstrated, and the advantage of our model in terms of classification accuracy is shown via these experiments.


Agent‐based models (ABMs) are widely used to predict how populations respond to changing environments. As the availability of food varies in space and time, individuals should have their own energy budgets, but there is no consensus as to how these should be modelled. Here, we use knowledge of physiological ecology to identify major issues confronting the modeller and to make recommendations about how energy budgets for use in ABMs should be constructed. Our proposal is that modelled animals forage as necessary to supply their energy needs for maintenance, growth and reproduction. If there is sufficient energy intake, an animal allocates the energy obtained in the order: maintenance, growth, reproduction, energy storage, until its energy stores reach an optimal level. If there is a shortfall, the priorities for maintenance and growth/reproduction remain the same until reserves fall to a critical threshold below which all are allocated to maintenance. Rates of ingestion and allocation depend on body mass and temperature. We make suggestions for how each of these processes should be modelled mathematically. Mortality rates vary with body mass and temperature according to known relationships, and these can be used to obtain estimates of background mortality rate. If parameter values cannot be obtained directly, then values may provisionally be obtained by parameter borrowing, pattern‐oriented modelling, artificial evolution or from allometric equations. The development of ABMs incorporating individual energy budgets is essential for realistic modelling of populations affected by food availability. Such ABMs are already being used to guide conservation planning of nature reserves and shell fisheries, to assess environmental impacts of building proposals including wind farms and highways and to assess the effects on nontarget organisms of chemicals for the control of agricultural pests.


Aflibercept targets vascular endothelial growth factor. The present study involved assessing the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of aflibercept plus 5‐fluorouracil/levofolinate/irinotecan (FOLFIRI) as a second‐line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in Japanese patients. Aflibercept (4 mg/kg) plus FOLFIRI was administered every 2 weeks in 62 patients with mCRC until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity or patient withdrawal. Tumors were imaged every 6 weeks. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR); secondary endpoints were progression‐free survival, overall survival, safety, and pharmacokinetics of aflibercept, irinotecan and 5‐fluorouracil. A total of 60 patients were evaluated for ORR; 50 had received prior bevacizumab. The ORR was 8.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3%‐15.3%), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 80.0% (69.9%‐90.1%). The median progression‐free survival was 5.42 months (4.14‐6.70 months) and the median overall survival was 15.59 months (11.20‐19.81 months). No treatment‐related deaths were observed, and no significant drug‐drug interactions were found. The most common treatment‐emergent adverse events were neutropenia and decreased appetite. Free aflibercept had a mean maximum concentration (coefficient of variation) of 73.2 μg/mL (15%), clearance of 0.805 L/d (22%) and volume of distribution of 6.2 L (18%); aflibercept bound with vascular endothelial growth factor had a clearance of 0.162 L/d (9%) (N = 62). Aflibercept did not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan or 5‐fluorouracil: The clearance was 11.1 L/h/m2 (28%) for irinotecan and, at steady state, 72.6 L/h/m2 (56%) for 5‐fluorouracil (N = 10). Adding aflibercept to FOLFIRI was shown to be beneficial and well‐tolerated in Japanese patients with mCRC. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01882868.


Aim of this thesis was the production of porosity-graded piezoelectric ceramics for ultrasonic applications by tape casting and screen printing. The study and optimization of each single step of the tape casting process allowed to produce flat and crack-free multilayers of Pb0.988(Zr0.52Ti0.48)0.976Nb0.024O3 (PZTN) of uniform and graded porosity. The multilayers of thickness ranging between 400 and 800 µm were produced stacking optimized green layers with different amount of pore former. The functionally graded materials showed porosity ranging between 10 and 30% with piezoelectric properties suitable for the specific ultrasonic applications.
Screen printing inks of PZTN for deposition onto four different substrates were studied and optimized. Thick films with thickness ranging between 4 and 20 µm were produced tailoring the screen printing parameters and number of depositions.


Wheelchair basketball players rely on upper body strength. It is well established
that strength training potentiates muscle hypertrophy and improves strength. But the anabolic and
catabolic effects of upper body strength training have not yet been studied in female wheelchair
basketball players. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a 8 week upper body
strength training on serum IGF-1 and cortisol, and performance in female wheelchair basketball players.
Materials & Methods: Materials and methods: 18 female wheelchair basketball players volunteered
(age=29.51±2.6 years, weight =66.35±14.59 kg) to participate in this study. They were randomly
assigned into either a control (regular wheelchair basketball training) or an experimental (regular
wheelchair basketball training+ upper body strength training) group. Either group participated in an
8week training program. Pre and post exercise serum IGF-1, cortisol and also performance tests results
were analyzed using independent t- test, dependent t- test and covariance.
Results: There were no significant differences between group in post-test IGF-1 , cortisol and
performance test( penalty shoot, left and right side shoot and three point shoot), except baseball style
throwing which was significantly better in the experimental group than the control(P<0.05).
Conclusion: Based on these results it can be said that upper body strength training can improve strength
dependent skills in wheelchair basketball players, but does not result any significant anabolic and
catabolic effects


To study quantum properties of the hadron wavefunction at small x, we derived the reduced density matrix for soft gluons in the CGC framework. We explicitly showed that the reduced density matrix is not diagonal in the particle number basis. The off-diagonal components are usually ignored in the conventional parton model. We thus defined the density matrix of ignorance
by keeping only the part of the reduced density matrix which can be probed in a limited set of experimental measurements. We calculated Von Neumann entropy for both the reduced and ignorance density matrices. The entropy of ignorance is always greater than the entanglement entropy (computed drom the reduced density matrix) of gluons. Finally, we showed that the CGC reduced density matrix for soft gluons can be diagonalized in a thermal basis with Boltzmann weights suggesting thermalization of new quasi-particle states which we dubbed entangolons.


Irradiation is known to lead to a degradation of the mechanical properties of materials. This is particularly crucial in the case of materials that will be used in the future thermonuclear fusion reactor, where extremely high irradiation doses are expected. In the quest of a better understanding between the irradiation induced defects and the mechanical properties Ni single crystal specimens have been irradiated with 590 MeV protons to doses ranging from 10-3 dpa to 0.3 dpa, at room temperature, 250°C and 350°C. The irradiation induced microstructure has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy, and the mechanical properties have been assessed by mechanical testing. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been conducted in Ni and Cu in order to understand the defect formation and accumulation following a displacement cascade. The following conclusions are established. Following irradiation at room temperature, 43% to 55% of the irradiation induced defects in Ni consist in stacking fault tetrahedra (SFTs), 31%∼41% in loops and about 10 % in unidentified black dots. In the case of Ni irradiated at 250 °C, 44%∼53% of the irradiation induced defects consists in SFTs, 35%∼51% in loops, and less than 5% in black dots. In the case of Ni irradiated at 350 °C, 50% of the irradiation induced defects consists in voids. The remaining 50% include ∼ 14% SFTs and 36% loops. Moreover, it appears that these ratios are independent from the irradiation dose, contrary to what was found in the literature. These results allow clarifying a long standing issue, namely that in fact in Ni there is no transition in the ratio between SFTs and loops with increasing dose. In addition, it appears that in fact the irradiation induced defect density is similar to the one found in other irradiated fcc metals for RT irradiation. The data of the irradiation at 250°C are in agreement with previous published results on a neutron irradiation at 230 °C. It appears that the size of SFTs is independent of the irradiation dose, similar to what is found in irradiated Cu. It depends, however, on the irradiation temperature. MD simulations have been performed in order to understand the influence of the interatomic potential's parameters on the formation of defects following displacement cascades. Starting with a known defect configuration, namely the SFT, 4 different potentials are tested. Results of the formation of an SFT from a triangular platelet of vacancies show that i) the platelet of 6 vacancies did not collapse to SFT regardless of the annealing conditions, but formed a void above 800K, for all selected potentials; ii) the platelet of 15 vacancies collapsed into an SFT when simulated with Farkas-I and Farkas-II potentials, which have low stacking fault energies; iii) the platelet of 66 vacancies easily collapsed to an SFT at 500K for all applied potentials, even with a high stacking fault energy (SFE) of 300 mJ·m-2. The common neighbor analysis and Wigner-Seitz defects analysis are used for studying the resulting structures after a displacement cascade, and results show that the largest number of stacking faults is surprisingly obtained with the potential giving the highest stacking fault energy (300 mJ·m-2). An SFT-like structure appears close to the core of cascades and also an isolated interstitial loop are found with Cleri-Rosato potential. It appears that the defects size, configuration and density relates more to the displacement threshold energy than to the stacking fault energy. It appears that a significant irradiation hardening occurs starting at the lowest dose of 10-3 dpa, at room temperature and 250°C. With increasing dose, the yield shear stress increases. The dose dependence of this increase varies from an irradiation temperature of room temperature to 250°C. In fact the irradiation hardening shows a significant temperature dependence. The thermal activation energy was calculated by measuring the activation volume, which is obtained from relaxation tests. In unirradiated Ni, an activation energy of about 0.3 eV can be extrapolated at RT. In case of irradiated Ni, the unsuccessful fitting with a linear relationship between the thermal energy and temperature suggests that multiple deformation mechanisms are operating simultaneously or in turn over the considered temperature range of –196 °C to 423 °C. The dispersion barrier hardening model is used to interpret the irradiation induced hardening in irradiated Ni. According to the equation, Δτ = αμb(Nd)1/2, with α, the obstacle strength. It appears that α is 0.12 for the room temperature irradiation induced hardening, similar to what was previously found for irradiated Cu, and is 0.22 for the hardening following irradiation at 250°C, which is much larger than previous values. This difference in α is suggested to be related to the presence of voids at high temperatures. It is suggested that voids are stronger obstacles than SFTs or dislocation loops. In situ TEM observations were made in irradiated Cu, in order to assess the strength of irradiation induced defects as obstacles to gliding dislocations. It appeared that the strength of obstacles is approximately 100 MPa. Considering that 90% of the damage consists in SFTs, it is suggested that the obstacles presenting a resistance of 100 MPa are SFTs. In particular, the pulling out of a string from the interaction between what was assumed to be an SFT and a moving dislocation could be recorded for the first time. This reaction implies that the gliding dislocation is strongly pinned by SFTs. TEM observation of the microstructure of the irradiated Ni following plastic deformation shows that defect-free channel formation is the deformation mechanism at the beginning of yielding. The channeling explains the observed softening. As deformation proceeds, a dislocation cell structure is initiated. It takes different forms depending on whether the sample is irradiated or not. In the irradiated case, cell formation initiates from mobile dislocation in the defect free channels. This implies that the eventual cell configuration will retain part of the dimensionality of the channels, for the least their width of 100 nm for the cell size, because of the geometrical constraint. In the unirradiated case the dislocation cell size is larger. The higher flow stress observed in the irradiated case is thus related to the dislocation cell size.


Cubosomes consist in submicron size particles of lipid bicontinuous cubic phases stabilized by surfactant polymers. They provide an appealing road towards the practical use of lipid cubic phases for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, and efforts are currently being made to control the encapsulation and release properties of these colloidal objects. We overcome in this work the lack of sensitivity of monoolein cubosomes to pH conditions by using a pH sensitive polymer designed to strongly interact with the lipid structure at low pH. Our cryo-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) results show that in the presence of the polymer the cubic phase structure is preserved at neutral pH, albeit with a larger cell size. At pH 5.5, in the presence of the polymer, the nanostructure of the cubosome particles is significantly altered, providing a pathway to design pH-responsive cubosomes for applications in drug delivery.


This paper analyzes the data now available in Australia's coordinated Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) gateway to show the impact of high-level institutional policy decisions on population of the individual repositories. The paper shows that just like research article repositories, voluntary ETD deposition results in repositories collecting less than 12% of the available theses, whereas mandatory policies are well accepted and cause deposit rates to rise towards 100%. Modeling of the PhD and Master process in Australia is also carried out to indicate the delays and liabilities to be expected if mandatory policies are applied only to newly enrolled candidates.


We report on the development of a stroboscopic excitation technique using a self-pulsing laser, and show that it is a feasible method for obtaining fluorescence lifetime information from a biochip format. The self-pulsing lasers described here are versatile devices which have been used for one photon excitation measurements to determine the lifetime of cyanine 5 in water and ethanol. The same devices have been used to develop a technique whereby the emphasis for time-resolution of a lifetime measurement can be transferred to the excitation source from the detector and processing electronics by virtue of the multiple-pulse, variable frequency nature of the laser output.


This article addresses the constitutionality and the constitutional significance of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA), through which Congress, relying on Section 5 of the 14th Amendment, attempted to repudiate the Supreme Court's restrictive interpretation of the Free Exercise Clause, as announced in Employment Division v. Smith, and to adopt in its place a more generous regime of religious freedom. The article advances two major propositions. First, it contends that despite the Act's noble purpose, RFRA circumvents the process of constitutional amendment, frustrates the Supreme Court's role as the primary interpreter of the Constitution, and improperly intrudes on federalistic values. As a result, the Act exceeds the power of Congress under Section 5, at least insofar as the Act applies to state and local governmental action. Second, the article suggests that even though the Act is unconstitutional, it nonetheless is constitutionally significant in the sense that it should be relevant to the Supreme Court's own interpretation of the Free Exercise Clause. Elaborating a theory of constitutional evolution, the article claims that RFRA reflects contemporary societal values that should properly inform the meaning of the Free Exercise Clause. On this view, the Act - along with more traditional sources of constitutional meaning - could properly be used by the Supreme Court as support for the judicial adoption of a more generous interpretation of the Free Exercise Clause.


Due to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, various classical systems differing only on the scale smaller than Planck's cell correspond to the same quantum system. We use this fact to find a unique semiclassical representation without the Van Vleck determinant, applicable to a large class of correlation functions expressible as quantum fidelity. As in the Feynman path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, all contributing trajectories have the same amplitude: that is why we denote it the "dephasing representation." By relating our approach to the problem of existence of true trajectories near numerically-computed chaotic trajectories, we make the approximation rigorous for any system in which the shadowing theorem holds. Numerical implementation only requires computing actions along the unperturbed trajectories and not finding the shadowing trajectories. While semiclassical linear-response theory was used before in quasi-integrable and chaotic systems, here its validity is justified in the most generic, mixed systems. Dephasing representation appears to be a rare practical method to calculate quantum correlation functions in nonuniversal regimes in many-dimensional systems where exact quantum computations are impossible.


In contrast to traditional weight optimization in a continuous space, we demonstrate the existence of effective random networks whose weights are never updated. By selecting a weight among a fixed set of random values for each individual connection, our method uncovers combinations of random weights that match the performance of traditionally-trained networks of the same capacity. We refer to our networks as"slot machines"where each reel (connection) contains a fixed set of symbols (random values). Our backpropagation algorithm"spins"the reels to seek"winning"combinations, i.e., selections of random weight values that minimize the given loss. Quite surprisingly, we find that allocating just a few random values to each connection (e.g., 8 values per connection) yields highly competitive combinations despite being dramatically more constrained compared to traditionally learned weights. Moreover, finetuning these combinations often improves performance over the trained baselines. A randomly initialized VGG-19 with 8 values per connection contains a combination that achieves 91% test accuracy on CIFAR-10. Our method also achieves an impressive performance of 98.2% on MNIST for neural networks containing only random weights.


This Article draws upon the international relations theory of regimes to analyze the growing chorus of challenges to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), and to the expansion of intellectual property rights more generally. The few years since TRIPs entered into force have seen nothing less than an explosion of interest in intellectual property issues in international fora not previously concerned with the products of human creativity or innovation. Intellectual property is now at or near the top of the agenda in intergovernmental organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, in international negotiating fora such as the Convention on Biological Diversity's Conference of the Parties and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and in expert and political bodies such as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights. In some of these venues, intellectual property lawmaking has led to the negotiation of new treaties; in others, challenges to TRIPs are framed through reinterpretation of existing agreements and the creation of nonbinding declarations, recommendations, and other forms of soft law. The theoretical and practical consequences of these new developments have yet to be fully explored. I argue in this Article that the expansion of intellectual property lawmaking into these diverse international fora is the result of a strategy of "regime shifting" by developing countries and NGOs that are dissatisfied with many of the provisions in TRIPs and are actively seeking ways to recalibrate, revise, or supplement them. State and non-state actors shift lawmaking initiatives from one international regime to another for many reasons. In the case of intellectual property rights, developing countries and their allies have shifted negotiations and hard and soft lawmaking initiatives to four international regimes - those governing biodiversity, plant genetic resources, public health and human rights - whose institutions, actors, and subject matter mandates are more closely aligned with these countries' interests. Within these four regimes, developing countries are questioning established legal prescriptions and generating new principles, norms, and rules of intellectual property protection for states and private parties to follow. Intellectual property regime shifting thus heralds the rise of a more complex international environment in which seemingly settled treaty bargains are contested and new dynamics of lawmaking and dispute settlement must be considered.


The second in the series of papers on regional integration in Southern Africa deals with those states -which, along with South Africa, have reached a high level of integration and interdependence' in the region. These states, consisting of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) member states, are commonly referred to as the BLNS Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. This paper will examine their economies and highlight the importance of the establishment of a new regional trade regime for the achievement of natural developmental objectives. The BLNS countries realise that prosperity in the region can only be achieved by planning a common course for economic development. Specifically ,tjus paper will contrast their economic and developmental positions, showing how this affects"tfaeir regional demands and will conclude by assessing the prospects for success along the SACU-route.


We propose CIMD (Collaborative Intrusion and Malware Detection), a scheme for the realization of collaborative intrusion detection approaches. We argue that teams, respectively detection groups with a common purpose for intrusion detection and response, improve the measures against malware. CIMD provides a collaboration model, a decentralized group formation and an anonymous communication scheme. Participating agents can convey intrusion detection related objectives and associated interests for collaboration partners. These interests are based on intrusion objectives and associated interests for collaboration partners. These interests are based on intrusion detection related ontology, incorporating network and hardware configurations and detection capabilities. Anonymous Communication provided by CIMD allows communication beyond suspicion, i.e. the adversary can not perform better than guessing an IDS to be the source of a message at random. The evaluation takes place with the help of NeSSi² (www.nessi2.de), the Network Security Simulator, a dedicated environment for analysis of attacks and countermeasures in mid-scale and large-scale networks. A CIMD prototype is being built based on the JIAC agent framework(www.jiac.de).


Adult skeletal muscle possesses a remarkable regenerative ability, which largely depends on satellite cells; however, in severe muscular dystrophies, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), skeletal muscle integrity is compromised and the muscle is often replaced by a mixture of fibrous tissue and white adipocytes in a process termed fibro-adipogenic degeneration. The precise cellular origin and the environmental cues responsible for accumulation of fat/fibrotic tissues during the course of the disease remain unknown. Using a previously published preplate technique, two distinct populations of muscle derived cells from skeletal muscle were isolated: 1) a rapidly adhering cell population (RACs), which is non-myogenic, Pax7- and expresses the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) marker PDGFRα, hence termed non-myogenic MSCs (nmMSCs); and 2) a slowly adhering cell population (SACs) which is Pax7+ and highly myogenic, termed myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs). In this dissertation, the role of nmMSCs in the histopathogenesis of dystrophin/utrophin double knock out (dKO) mice, an animal model of DMD, was investigated. The nmMSCs become activated during the disease progression in dKO mice, displaying increased proliferation and adipogenic, osteogenic, and fibrogenic potentials compared to age-matched WT counterparts. The activated dKO-nmMSCs also significantly reduced the myogenic potential of the dKO-MPCs, an effect, at least partially, mediated by the secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1) released by the dKO-nmMSCs. These results suggest that nmMSCs are likely the cell source involved in the deposition of non-muscle tissues in dKO muscles and activation of nmMSCs likely exacerbates muscle wasting and degeneration during the disease progression by limiting the myogenic potential of MPCs. Interestingly, the nmMSCs also appear to play an important role in muscle regeneration after acute injury in normal WT muscle. The nmMSCs isolated from cardiotoxin injured WT muscle significantly enhanced the myogenic potential of MPCs after co-cultivation, suggesting that the nmMSCs may facilitate muscle repair in normal WT muscle. These results suggest that the muscle micro-environment plays a major role in the fate of nMMSCs. Overall, data from this dissertation proposes that a therapeutic strategy targeting nmMSCs could represent a novel treatment for DMD.


BACKGROUND In animals, the adipocyte-derived hormone leptin induces increased blood pressure centrally via the hypothalamus, and one study has reported that exercise training decreases hypothalamic leptin receptor expression. In humans, high circulating leptin concentrations are associated with high blood pressure, but the possible influence of physical activity or aerobic capacity on this association is unknown. METHODS Forty-two healthy women, 25-40 years of age, with diverse ranges of body fatness and aerobic capacities, were studied under basal resting conditions. Blood pressure (sphygmomanometry), arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity (PWV)), percent body fat (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), circulating concentrations of leptin, soluble leptin receptor (sLR) (enzyme-linked immunoassay), and nitric oxide (Griess reaction) were measured. RESULTS Serum leptin correlated with percent body fat (R 2 = 0.74, P < 0.0001) but was not significantly associated with aerobic capacity. Blood pressure correlated positively with serum leptin concentrations and had a negative interaction with aerobic capacity for both systolic (overall model: R 2 = 0.33, P= 0.002) and diastolic (R 2 = 0.48, P < 0.0001) pressure. The relation between leptin and blood pressure was attributable solely to women with below-median aerobic capacity even though their body fat percentages and leptin concentrations were similar to those of women above the median.The results could not be attributed to differences in peripheral factors such as sLR or nitric oxide concentrations or to differences in arterial stiffness determined by aortic PWV. CONCLUSIONS Circulating leptin concentrations are related to body fatness, but the hypertensive influence of leptin is modified by physical fitness.