Cicero's Caesarian speeches were delivered in 46-45 B.C. to Caesar after his victories in the Civil War. Caesar faced a number of critical issues as he dealt with the political and social aftermath of the years after 49 B.C., including what to do with the supporters of his enemies. Cicero, preeminent orator and a key political, was well-placed to speak on behalf of these individuals. Clementia, as an intrinsic theme, impinges upon social, political, and linguistic spheres and became a nexus for anxieties and manipulation between the senatorial and plebian orders. This research compares and contrasts the understanding, presentation, and use of clementia in these speeches, in a discussion set within the social, political, and linguistic contexts that lend this word its powerful significance. It is clear that clementia becomes a point of negotiation of power for Caesar and Cicero alike, the one asserting his political dominance, the other speaking as the social conscience of Rome. Aaron Rozeboom


: Immigrant integration has become a primary political concern for leaders in Germany and the United States. The information systems (IS) community has begun to research how information and communications technologies can assist immigrants and refugees, such as by examining how countries can facilitate social-inclusion processes. Migrants face the challenge of joining closed communities that cannot integrate or fear doing so. We conducted a panel discussion at the 2019 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) in Cancun, Mexico, to introduce multiple viewpoints on immigration. In particular, the panel discussed how technology can both support and prevent immigrants from succeeding in their quest. We conducted the panel to stimulate a thoughtful and dynamic discussion on best practices and recommendations to enhance the discipline's impact on alleviating the challenges that occur for immigrants in their host countries. In this panel report, we introduce the topic of using ICT to help immigrants integrate and identify differences between North/Central America and Europe. We also discuss how immigrants (particularly refugees) use ICT to connect with others, feel that they belong, and maintain their identity. We also uncover the dark and bright sides of how governments use ICT to deter illegal immigration. Finally, we present recommendations for researchers and practitioners on how to best use ICT to assist with immigration.


The relationship between religion and politics in Muslim contexts has been discussed from many different perspectives. One of these proceeds from the theory of religious politics, according to which political thoughts and decisions are justified and legitimated with the support of theological explanations. A central premise is that religion is able to provide a moral sanction for political actions and decisions. This article discusses the relationship between religion and politics in a Shiite context in pre-modern and early modern times, based on the theory of religious politics. The central point is that the Shiite scholars, during the Safavid era (1501–1736), based their secular viewpoints on interpretations of the Quran, the hadiths, and the 12 Imamite Shiite sources, especially the specific ideas about the hidden imam, to legitimate their own collaboration with the Safavid kings. According to this theory, the religious politics occur within an ideological context such as a nation-state and specific historical circumstances. The religious legitimizations of political actions are usually intertwined with local and historical identities. As such the religious ideologies reflect not a return to tradition per se, but rather an ideological reconstruction of tradition for a new context. The ultimate question is which came first? Did the theological interpretations precede secular and political decisions, or was it the other way around? The theory of religious politics arrives at the conclusion that the theological explanations are employed to legitimate traditions of political thought and secular decisions and not the reverse.


We employ a natural field experiment to study the extent and nature of racial discrimination in Queensland, Australia. Mimicking the historical case of Rosa Parks who was denied seating in a bus because she was black, an important moment for the U.S. civil rights movement, we sent trained testers who differed in ethnic appearance to bus stops asking the driver for a free ride on the basis that their bus pass was faulty (which it was). In total, we obtained 1,552 observations of testers either allowed a free ride or not, in each case recording the characteristics of the bus driver, the tester, and the circumstances. We find strong evidence of discrimination against black-skinned individuals. In the baseline scenario, white testers were accepted during 72% of the interactions versus only 36% for black testers. Indian testers were let on 51% of the time and Asian testers (mainly Chinese) were let on 73% of the time. Favors were more likely to be granted when the bus driver and tester were of the same ethnicity, and when there were fewer people in the bus. Patriotic appearance matters in that testers wearing army uniforms were accepted at a rate of 97% if they were white and 77% if they were black. Status appearance also mattered in that black testers dressed in business attire were just as likely to be favored as casually dressed white testers. When bus drivers were confronted with hypothetical baseline scenarios using photos taken of the real testers, 86% responded they would let on the black individual, more than double the actual number accepted, indicating dishonest self-reporting on this topic.


A distinction is introduced between itemized and non-itemized plural predication. It is argued that a full-fledged system of plural logic is not necessary in order to account for the validity of inferences concerning itemized collective predication. Instead, it is shown how this type of inferences can be adequately dealt with in a first-order logic system, after small modifications on the standard treatment. The proposed system, unlike plural logic, has the advantage of preserving completeness. And as a result, inferences such as 'Dick and Tony emptied the bottle, hence Tony and Dick emptied the bottle' are shown to be first-order.


We propose a method for combining two sources of astronomical data, spectroscopy and photometry, that carry information about sources of light (e.g., stars, galaxies, and quasars) at extremely different spectral resolutions. Our model treats the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the radiation from a source as a latent variable that jointly explains both photometric and spectroscopic observations. We place a flexible, nonparametric prior over the SED of a light source that admits a physically interpretable decomposition, and allows us to tractably perform inference. We use our model to predict the distribution of the redshift of a quasar from five-band (low spectral resolution) photometric data, the so called "photoz" problem. Our method shows that tools from machine learning and Bayesian statistics allow us to leverage multiple resolutions of information to make accurate predictions with well-characterized uncertainties.


In the US, state laws governing family relations can differ dramatically, even between geographic neighbors. Thus, states can have deep rifts and differences over some very fundamental questions: Who is a parent? Should individuals be able to walk away from the promises made at marriage, and if so under what circumstances? Who should be able to marry at all? During our 200 years of experience with a federalist system, a number of mechanisms have evolved to bring some measure of harmony, although not uniformity, to the treatment of family law by the various states. These include top-down approaches, in which the U.S. Supreme Court resolves differences when constitutional principles are implicated - as well as bottom-up approaches, in which state law reform commissions and national law reform bodies attempt to close gaps between the laws of the states. This Chapter reviews methods in the US for harmonizing state law as one source of guidance for how such differences may be navigated in the European Union.


Creative placemaking emerges as an evolving field of practice that leverages the power of arts, culture, and creativity to serve the community's interests. Scholars have conveyed the values and benefits of creative placemaking in dealing with social issues and formulating agenda for urban transformation. An extensive review of the literature was conducted to understand the significance of social attributes of place in supporting creative placemaking strategies. A systematic search process yielded 14 articles from 121 documents that have been analyzed systematically. The review found that the social attributes of place generate social opportunities and community-led creative placemaking as catalysts for sustainable urban regeneration.Keywords:Creative placemaking; Social attributes; Social sustainability; Urban regenerationeISSN 2398-4279 ©2020 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v5i18.202


This article contains research on significance and demand for tools used in intra-organizational marketing and recruitment marketing, as well as HR-branding development. It reveals the relevance of positioning employment and favorable working atmosphere advantages in the course of working mission fulfilment and company's HR-brand strengthening. The increased role of HR-branding impact on the company's strategic growth is demonstrated and HR-branding development in the framework of recruitment marketing, intra-organizational marketing and general marketing management evolution is shown in this paper.


This book is based on common questions that parents have about their children and their relationships with the world at large. Drawing from his extensive experience as a child psychoanalyst (and as a father), Dr Brafman offers his thoughts on widespread problems faced by parents in an innovative way: he focuses on how the child perceives the situation and not on their resultant behaviour. He also steers away from providing clear-cut answers; there are no set rules for raising children. Instead Dr Brafman discusses each question, using real-life examples and providing insights that will help the parent decide what is best for their individual child.


Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Clinical presentation in humans varies from asymptomatic to flu-like illness and severe sequelae may be seen. Ruminants are often sub-clinically infected or show reproductive disorders such as abortions. In Egypt, only limited data on the epidemiology of Q fever in animals are available. Using a stratified two stage random sampling approach, we evaluated the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii specific antibodies among ruminants and camels in 299 herds. A total of 2,699 blood samples was investigated using enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Coxiella burnetii specific antibodies were detected in 40.7% of camels (215/528), 19.3% of cattle (162/840), 11.2% of buffaloes (34/304), 8.9% of sheep (64/716) and 6.8% of goats (21/311), respectively. Odds of seropositivity were significantly higher for cattle (aOR: 3.17; 95% CI: 1.96–5.13) and camels (aOR: 9.75; 95% CI: 6.02–15.78). Significant differences in seropositivity were also found between domains (Western Desert, Eastern Desert and Nile Valley and Delta) and 25 governorates (p < 0.001), respectively. Animal rearing in the Eastern Desert domain was found to be a significant risk factor (aOR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.62-2.88). Most seropositive animals were older than four years. No correlation between positive titers and husbandry practices or animal origin were found (p > 0.05). Only 8.7% of the interviewed people living on the farms consumed raw camel milk and none reported prior knowledge on Q fever. Findings from this nationwide study show that exposure to Coxiella burnetii is common in ruminants and camels. Disease awareness among physicians, veterinarians and animal owners has to be raised. Future epidemiological investigations have to elucidate the impact of Q fever on human health and on the economy of Egypt.


The Geological Society of America has sponsored versions of the geologic time scale since 1983. Over the past 30 years, the Geological Society of America Geologic Time Scale has undergone substantial modifications, commensurate with major advances in our understanding of chronostratigraphy, geochronology, astrochronology, chemostratigraphy, and the geomagnetic polarity time scale. Today, many parts of the time scale can be calibrated with precisions approaching less than 0.05%. Some notable time intervals for which collaborative, multifaceted efforts have led to dramatic improvements in our understanding of the character and temporal resolution of key evolutionary events include the Triassic-Jurassic, Permian-Triassic, and Neoproterozoic-Phanerozoic boundaries (or transitions). In developing the current Geological Society of America Time Scale, we have strived to maintain a consistency with efforts by the International Commission on Stratigraphy to develop an international geologic time scale. Although current geologic time scales are vastly improved over the first geologic time scale, published by Arthur Holmes in 1913, we note that Holmes, using eight numerical ages to calibrate the Phanerozoic time scale, estimated the beginning of the Cambrian Period to within a few percent of the currently accepted value. Over the past 100 years, the confluence of process-based geological thought with observed and approximated geologic rates has led to coherent and quantitatively robust estimates of geologic time scales, reducing many uncertainties to the 0.1% level. (Less)


The aim of this article is to demonstrate the dynamic nature of the Christian Arabic Book of Daniel. I will present extant versions, discuss their variegated canonical constellations, show the fluidity of text units in the various versions and describe how they have even come to absorb liturgical practice. Special attention will be paid to the deuterocanonical narratives related to the Book of Daniel that have almost completely escaped scholarly scrutiny. The fluctuating and vivid character of Arabic Bible translations is particularly evident in the rendition of Daniel, yet in many aspects these findings are characteristic of the Arabic Bible enterprise at large. Arabic translations appear to have functioned alongside texts in the established liturgical languages which continued to serve as the measuring standard of the biblical narrative. Thus, the value of the Arabic Bible renditions lies foremost in their ability to capture a less formalized, spontaneous, and uninhibited practice and understanding of the religious heritage.


: Everything is in motion. "Inertness" arises from (approximative) repetition, that is, through rotation or an alternation that delineates a focus of consciousness. This focus of consciousness, in turn, must also move/alternate (the two differ only in continuity). If its alternation seems to go too far - physically, psychically or intellectually - it reaches into the subconscious. In this way, interconnection is established by the alternation of the focus of consciousness. Therefore, in a world in which everything is interconnected, all focuses must reciprocally transition into each other. "Reality" is a common "goal", a focus which all participants can switch into and which is conscious to them as such, as a potential one. Its "degree of reality" is the probability of its fully becoming conscious (or more simply: its current degree of consciousness). Thus, a reality is created when all participants increase its probability or, respectively, their consciousness of it.


This study was conducted to improve the ability of indigenous New Zealand white-rot fungi to remove pentachlorophenol (PCP) from contaminated field soil. The effects of different bioaugmentation conditions on PCP removal and extracellular enzyme expression were measured in the laboratory. The conditions were fungal growth substrate and co-substrate composition, culture age, and Tween 80 addition to the contaminated soil. The fungi used were Trametes versicolor isolate HR131 and Trametes sp. isolate HR577. Maximum PCP removal was 70% after 7 wk from a 1043 mg kg(-1) PCP-contaminated soil inoculated with an 11-d-old fungal culture of T. versicolor isolate HR131. There was minimal production of undesirable pentachloroanisole by the fungi. Tween 80 addition had no affect on PCP removal. Poplar sawdust was more suitable as a fungal growth substrate and a co-substrate amendment for PCP removal and extracellular enzyme expression than the locally available pine and fir sawdust. Pentachlorophenol removal was not necessarily correlated with extracellular enzyme expression. The research results demonstrate that PCP biodegradation was affected by inoculum culture age, by the presence of a co-substrate amendment, and by growth substrate composition after white-rot fungal bioaugmentation into PCP-contaminated field soils.


Options trading on organized exchanges began in the U.S. in the 1970s when the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) futures exchange founded the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and options trading was introduced at the American Stock Exchange (Amex). The CBOE used an open-outcry approach, like the CBOT, while Amex options trading adopted a specialist system, like that used for stocks. Both exchanges grew very large, and several smaller ones also were started, with the Philadelphia Stock Exchange choosing a specialist system and the Pacific Coast Exchange using open-outcry. In 2000, the International Securities Exchange (ISE) was launched, with an entirely different all-electronic trading arrangement. The ISE model has proven highly successful, making the exchange the most active market for individual stock options within only a few years. This article describes the ISE's electronic trading technology and presents a comparison of the different exchanges' market-making systems along several dimensions, including the size of the typical bid-ask spread, how much a trade in each market contributes to a general updating of prices across the whole market, and how frequently trades are executed inside the quoted bid-ask spread (meaning that the quoted spread did not fully reflect the best prices available at that exchange). The results indicate that the electronic marketplace performs very well relative to the more traditional trading floors on all of these dimensions.


Low nitrogen (N) availability is a major limiting factor for tree growth and development. N uptake, assimilation, storage and remobilization are key processes in the economy of this essential nutrient, and its efficient metabolic use largely determines vascular development, tree productivity and biomass production. Recently, advances have been made that improve our knowledge about the molecular regulation of acquisition, assimilation and internal recycling of N in forest trees. In poplar, a model tree widely used for molecular and functional studies, the biosynthesis of glutamine plays a central role in N metabolism, influencing multiple pathways both in primary and secondary metabolism. Moreover, the molecular regulation of glutamine biosynthesis is particularly relevant for accumulation of N reserves during dormancy and in N remobilization that takes place at the onset of the next growing season. The characterization of transgenic poplars overexpressing structural and regulatory genes involved in glutamine biosynthesis has provided insights into how glutamine metabolism may influence the N economy and biomass production in forest trees. Here, a general overview of this research topic is outlined, recent progress are analyzed and challenges for future research are discussed.


The study of fossil decapods have shown the need for reliable statistics to document the value of the characters considered. Morphometric data, however, are usually absent in scientific papers on living decapod crustaceans since neontological systematists normally analyze internal organs and tissues not available in fossils. A series of morphometric data for two extant species have been processed statistically in order to obtain numerical models that could be applied to fossil species showing morphological affinities.


The use of sustainable sanitization technique such as those of the ionization represent a good opportunity to the management of the post harvest of fresh and perishable fruits of short shelf life such as strawberry and more so if the application of these technologies does not influence significantly the evolution of the qualitative and nutraceutical aspects of the fruits. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of a ionizing treatment (T1) (Fruit Control Equipments, Italy) used for the environmental sanitization of the rooms storage (1±1°C) on fresh strawberries. Two everberaing cultivars of strawberry (cv. Portola and Murano) were considered about the evolution of the most rapresentative physical –chemical traits of fruits (weight losses (%), the skin colour, the total soluble solids content (SSC), the pulp firmness, the titratable acidity) and nutraceutical compounds (the total anthocyanin and phenolic contents and the antioxidant activity).  The fruits were  compared with untreated strawberries (control) stored in normal atmosphere (A.N.) and they were monitored  after  3, 6, 9, 13 and 15 days (1±1°C and 95% RH). Both cultivars show their limit of marketability due the weight losses at 9 days. Fruits of cv. Murano show an high quality profile and  the consumer acceptance seems to be related to treated samples with ions.


Charles Darwin is often credited with discovering evolution through natural selection, but the idea was not his alone. The naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, working independently, saw the same process at work in the natural world and elaborated much the same theory. Their important scientific contributions made both men famous in their lifetimes, but Wallace slipped into obscurity after his death, while Darwin's renown grew. Dispelling the misperceptions that continue to paint Wallace as a secondary figure, James Costa reveals the two naturalists as true equals in advancing one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time.Analyzing Wallace's "Species Notebook," Costa shows how Wallace's methods and thought processes paralleled Darwin's, yet inspired insights uniquely his own. Kept during his Southeast Asian expeditions of the 1850s, the notebook is a window into Wallace's early evolutionary ideas. It records his evidence-gathering, critiques of anti-evolutionary arguments, and plans for a book on "transmutation." Most important, it demonstrates conclusively that natural selection was not some idea Wallace stumbled upon, as is sometimes assumed, but was the culmination of a decade-long quest to solve the mystery of the origin of species.Wallace, Darwin, and the Origin of Species" also reexamines the pivotal episode in 1858 when Wallace sent Darwin a manuscript announcing his discovery of natural selection, prompting a joint public reading of the two men's papers on the subject. Costa's analysis of the "Species Notebook" shines a new light on these readings, further illuminating the independent nature of Wallace's discoveries.


The implementation of the solid phase antibody assays has allowed for the detection and characterization of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) specific antibodies with greater sensitivity and specificity. This information can then be used along with the donor's HLA typing to predict crossmatch results (a virtual crossmatch). Using these data and the level of immunological risk assessed to the antibodies detected, the determination of unacceptable antigens can be made. The calculated panel reactive antibody (CPRA) provides for a means to determine the frequency of these unacceptable antigens in the donor population and thereby predict the probability of a positive crossmatch. In 2009, the Organ Procurement Transplant Network administered by the United Network for Organ Sharing adopted the CPRA as the means to define sensitization and to assign allocation points. Follow-up studies have shown that the number of organ offers refused due to a positive crossmatch has decreased significantly and has saved money through the elimination of unnecessary testing. An additional benefit has been the increased number of sensitized patients being transplanted successfully. Through technical improvements and the refined interpretation of the solid phase antibody assays, continual progress is being made in the definition of the unacceptable antigens and the ability to transplant sensitized patients.


This article considers how the essayistic style of William Hazlitt's printed texts produces, in its form, a critique of what it considers conservatism in speech and its uncritical reception. Situating Hazlitt in a longer history of thought that considers language a form of practical activity, I argue that the conversational character of Hazlitt's writing is calculated not to resemble speech, but rather to take aim at speech's false spontaneity.


With "minor crimes" making up more than 75% of state criminal caseloads, the United States faces a misdemeanor crisis. Although mass incarceration continues to plague the nation, the current criminal justice system is faltering under the weight of misdemeanor processing. Operating under the "broken windows theory," which claims that public order law enforcement prevents more serious crime, the police send many petty offenses to criminal court. This is so even though the original authors of the theory noted that "[o]rdinarily, no judge or jury ever sees the persons caught up in a dispute over the appropriate level of neighborhood order" and that "a judge may not be any wiser or more effective than a police officer." Prosecutors have largely failed to exercise discretion in misdemeanor cases, instead churning them through the already overburdened courts. Judges too have been complicit, failing to dismiss weak cases and to intervene when defenders represent their clients ineffectively. As a result, many cases end in a quick guilty plea with little or no jail time. The "broken windows theory" suggests that everyone benefits from such efficiency.Yet the effect of misdemeanor convictions is anything but minor. A quick guilty plea appears advantageous for a disorderly conduct misdemeanor in exchange for the night already served in jail. But this conviction can, and does, lead to eviction from public housing. It can, and does, pose a bar to showing "good moral conduct" for citizenship. And it can, and does, make it difficult to find work in an era when employers routinely run criminal background checks. The many harsh collateral consequences of even a "minor" misdemeanor conviction create serious barriers to the most basic aspects of life. Mass misdemeanor processing thus harms the individual, his family, his community, and society. Refusing to process individuals quickly would impose some of the real costs of mass misdemeanor processing on the justice system itself. Such a "crash" of the criminal justice system would not be dramatic. Instead, if defense counsel litigated some of the many factual and legal issues that misdemeanors present, the system would grind to a halt under its own weight. The representation would be nothing more than Gideon and its progeny require, but would shift the burden for mass misdemeanor processing to the prosecution and the courts from misdemeanor defendants. Under this weight, legislators might reduce the short- and long-term costs of mass misdemeanor policing. Prosecutors might exercise greater discretion, and police officers might maintain order without needless arrests. Part I explores the idea of crashing the system as a potential response to the misdemeanor crisis. Part II describes the potential role for defense counsel in such an institutional response. Part III outlines specific strategies that specialized defender practice groups might pursue to crash the system. Part IV explores arguments for and against efforts to crash the existing misdemeanor system.


A compiler-assisted approach to implementing multiple instruction retry has recently been developed by C.-C. J Li et al. (1991). They extend compiler-assisted multiple instruction retry to include a broad class of code execution failures. Five benchmarks were used to measure the performance penalty of hazard resolution. Results indicate that the enhanced pure software approach can produce performance penalties consistent with existing hardware techniques. A combined compiler/hardware resolution strategy is also described and was evaluated. Experimental results indicate a lower performance penalty than with either a totally hardware or totally software approach.<<ETX>>


A gene identified in the mouse may show the way to improved treatments for amblyopia, a condition of indistinct vision. Early in development, correct visual experiences during the so-called "critical period" build the foundations for visual function in adulthood. Hence, when one eye is not working together with the other, an adult may be left with imperfect vision. The plasticity characteristic of the critical period does not persist into adulthood, and later readjustments to visual function may not be fully successful. Morishita et al. (see the Perspective by Higley and Strittmatter) have identified a gene in mice called Lynx1, which shows increased expression after the critical period. The Lynx1 protein binds to and reduces the sensitivity of acetylcholine receptors, but if mice were treated to enhance cholinergic signaling, their adult visual plasticity was improved, and if mice lacked the Lynx1 gene altogether, they were able to recover visual function even in adulthood. H. Morishita, J. M. Miwa, N. Heintz, T. K. Hensch, Lynx1, a cholinergic brake, limits plasticity in adult visual cortex. Science 330, 1238–1240 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text] M. J. Higley, S. M. Strittmatter, Lynx for braking plasticity. Science 330, 1189–1190 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The paper presents a new approach that uses neural networks to predict the performance of a number of dynamic decentralized load-balancing strategies. A distributed multicomputer system using distributed load-balancing strategies is represented by a unified analytical queuing model. A large simulation data set is used to train a neural network using the back-propagation learning algorithm based on gradient descent The performance model using the predicted data from the neural network produces the average response time of various load balancing algorithms under various system parameters. The validation and comparison with simulation data show that the neural network is very effective in predicting the performance of dynamic load-balancing algorithms. Our work leads to interesting techniques for designing load balancing schemes (for large distributed systems) that are computationally very expensive to simulate. One of the important findings is that performance is affected least by the number of nodes, and most by the number of links at each node in a large distributed system.

http://ranger.uta.edu/~iahmad/journal-papers/[J4]Performance Modeling of Load Balancing Algorithms Using Neural Networks.pdf


The complete set of 7 fun-filled activity books for children, each covering one group of letter sounds. Jolly Phonics teaches children to read and write using synthetic phonics in a fun and engaging way. Each of these 36 page activity books for children aged 3+, including 2 pages of stickers provide a range of fun activities for children to complete, including colouring, handwriting practice, puzzles, mazes, games, craft activities, word & picture matching and flash cards. There is a story for each of the letter sounds as well as the letter sound action, introducing synthetic phonics in a fun and multi-sensory way, giving children solid support at home.


Communities across the country are encouraging walking and biking to meet safety, health, livability, equity, and mobility goals. This primer is intended for highway safety professionals, including State Highway Safety Officials, as well as their partners and grantees, as a reference for an integrated and comprehensive effort to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and support broader transportation-related goals. The primer summarizes the most promising infrastructure treatments and behavioral programs available for addressing specific safety problems and highlights how these approaches can be combined and implemented. It identifies opportunities for various agencies to collaborate and combine their respective approaches and funding for a more comprehensive program. It also offers real-world examples of what States and local jurisdictions are doing to address pedestrian and bicycle issues in a comprehensive manner. Finally, the primer includes descriptions of key concepts and definitions of common terms and acronyms to help readers understand the essentials of pedestrian and bicycle safety issues when discussing and collaborating with diverse partners to develop comprehensive programs.


A human body can carry out many physiological complex processes which can be mechanical, electrical or bio-chemical. Each mechanical activity generates a signal that describes the characteristics of the particular action in the form of pressure or temperature. Any irregularity in the process changes the usual functioning thus affecting the performance of the system. Several techniques were introduced to evaluate these muscular signals in order to get a deeper understanding of the medical abnormalities. Displacement sensors, laser optics, electrodes, accelerometers and microphones are some of the widely used devices in measuring the electrical and mechanical activities produced in the muscles.The aim of this thesis project was to find and implement a simple non-contact optical method to measure and monitor the displacements caused on the surface of the skin due to muscular movements. In this study, a device was developed using photo electric sensors that can record surface changes caused on the skin due to the movements forearm muscles.


Previous studies with plant sterols (PS) and cocoa flavanols (CF) provide support for their dietary use in maintaining cardiovascular health. This double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study evaluated the efficacy of daily consumption of a cocoa flavanol-containing dark chocolate bar with added PS on serum lipids, blood pressure, and other circulating cardiovascular health markers in a population with elevated serum cholesterol. We recruited 49 adults (32 women, 17 men) with serum total cholesterol concentrations of 5.20-7.28 mmol/L and blood pressure of < or = 159/99 mm Hg. Following a 2-wk lead-in utilizing the AHA style diet, participants were randomized into 2 groups and instructed to consume 2 cocoa flavanol-containing dark chocolate bars per day with (1.1 g sterol esters per bar) or without PS. Each 419-kJ bar was nutrient-matched and contained approximately 180 mg CF. Participants consumed 1 bar 2 times per day for 4 wk then switched to the other bar for an additional 4 wk. Serum lipids and other cardiovascular markers were measured at baseline and after 4 and 8 wk. Blood pressure was measured every 2 wk. Regular consumption of the PS-containing chocolate bar resulted in reductions of 2.0 and 5.3% in serum total and LDL cholesterol (P < 0.05), respectively. Consumption of CF also reduced systolic blood pressure at 8 wk (-5.8 mm Hg; P < 0.05). Results indicate that regular consumption of chocolate bars containing PS and CF as part of a low-fat diet may support cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol and improving blood pressure.


Today's robots are still lacking comprehensive knowledge bases about objects and their properties. Yet, a lot of knowledge is required when performing manipulation tasks to identify abstract concepts like a "handle" or the "blade of a spatula" and to ground them into concrete coordinate frames that can be used to parametrize the robot's actions. In this paper, we present a system that enables robots to use CAD models of objects as a knowledge source and to perform logical inference about object components that have automatically been identified in these models. The system includes several algorithms for mesh segmentation and geometric primitive fitting which are integrated into the robot's knowledge base as procedural attachments to the semantic representation. Bottom-up segmentation methods are complemented by top-down, knowledge-based analysis of the identified components. The evaluation on a diverse set of object models, downloaded from the Internet, shows that the algorithms are able to reliably detect several kinds of object parts.


The authors examine the dynamics of urban life and street children's health in the era of globalization and structural adjustments in Tanzania. They discuss the factors that push children out of their homes, how the children survive in streets, the hardships and violence they endure and how this affects their health. They argue that the impact of the legacy of colonial policies and some post-colonial development policies, the negative consequences of uncontrolled process of globalization, the impact of structural adjustments and the HIV/AIDS epidemic are simultaneously intensifying the situation of poverty in Tanzania. These processes are not only destroying families and communities that have for many years acted as safety nets for children in need, but are also manufacturing poor, helpless and powerless children most of whom resort to street life.


Abstract. The 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami damaged severely most of the Gulf of Bengal's coastal areas, but the coast of Bangladesh which stands at the edge of an extraordinarily extended continental shelf. This latter feature has been built through huge discharges of river sediments along the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers. As a result of this enormous discharge, another interesting feature of the area is the deep underwater Canyon, connected with the estuaries, running NE-SW from 25 km off the coast towards the continental slope. We investigate here how these two geological features may have modified/perturbed the Indian ocean tsunami propagation and impact on the Coast of Bangladesh. For that purpose we have realized an ensemble of numerical simulations based on Funwave Boussinesq numerical model and a validated coseismic source. It is found, at first order, that the extended shallow bathymetric profile of the continental shelf plays a key role in flattening the waveform through a defocussing process while the Canyon delays the process. The wave evolution seems to be related at first order to the bathymetric profile rather than to dynamical processes like nonlinearity, dispersion or bottom friction.


Abstract This paper presents a dynamic principal-agent analysis of an incentive system for Salmonella control in the pork supply chain. The incentive system determines quality premiums to the producer, testing frequencies for hogs delivered, as well as charges to the producer for testing and penalties. Using cost estimates and technical parameters, we evaluate the cost effectiveness of plant and farm control measures and trade-offs between prevalence reduction and related costs and gains. We also assess the impact of ownership structure on incentive system parameters and performance for a wide range of prevalence threshold levels. Differences in control actions, bacteriological prevalence and the overall welfare gain for the chain are very small across ownership structures. Changes in the prevalence threshold level lead to substantial changes in the use of farm and plant control packages and performance measures. Keywords: dynamic programming, food quality, principal-agent 1. Introduction


We present FingOrbits, a wearable interaction technique using synchronized thumb movements. A thumb-mounted ring with an inertial measurement unit and a contact microphone are used to capture thumb movements when rubbing against the other fingers. Spectral information of the movements are extracted and fed into a classification backend that facilitates gesture discrimination. FingOrbits enables up to 12 different gestures through detecting three rates of movement against each of the four fingers. Through a user study with 10 participants (7 novices, 3 experts), we demonstrate that FingOrbits can distinguish up to 12 thumb gestures with an accuracy of 89% to 99% rendering the approach applicable for practical applications.


The book Strategic Approaches to Human Resources Management Practice is focused on the issue of diversity management. This concept fits well with the concept of HR strategy due to its ability to create longterm value for the organization. Nowadays, the diversity management is increasingly recognized by larger organizations, especially multinational corporations, however, most of the managers are of an opinion that diversity management is beneficial only as an element of strategic human resources management. Diversity management can be viewed as a strategy for using best practices with proven results to find and create diverse and inclusive workplace. Successful strategies link diversity progress directly to the business results. Best practices may include the use of employee teams, diversity councils, mentoring and sponsorship, and supplier diversity. The hereby monograph has been inspired as a response to the looming changes and the thirst for discussion on the challenges of the contemporary HR. The authors of the monograph are of different nationalities and have different research and practical experience in the field of HR, which allowed for commencing the discussion from multifarious prisms and perspectives.


Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) recently emerged as a promising cancer immunotherapy target. We set to investigate the functional role of PTPN2 in the pathogenesis of human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) as its role in immune-silent solid tumors is poorly understood. We demonstrate that in human CRC, increased PTPN2 expression and activity correlated with disease progression and decreased immune responses in tumor tissues. Particularly, stage II and III tumors displayed enhanced PTPN2 protein expression in tumor-infiltrating T-cells and increased PTPN2 levels negatively correlated with PD1, CTLA4, STAT1 and granzyme A. In vivo, T-cell and dendritic cell-specific PTPN2 deletion reduced tumor burden in several CRC models by promoting CD44+ effector/memory T-cells, as well as CD8+ T-cell infiltration and cytotoxicity into the tumor. In direct relevance to CRC treatment, T-cell-specific PTPN2 deletion potentiated anti-PD-1 efficacy and induced anti-tumor memory formation upon tumor re-challenge in vivo. Our data suggest a role for PTPN2 in suppressing anti-tumor immunity and promoting tumor development in CRC patients. Our in vivo results uncover PTPN2 as a key player in controlling immunogenicity of CRC, with the strong potential to be exploited to promote cancer immunotherapy.


Development of "smart" noninvasive bioimaging probes for trapping specific enzyme activities is highly desirable for cancer therapy in vivo. Given that β-galactosidase (β-gal) is an important biomarker for cell senescence and primary ovarian cancers, we design an enzyme-activatable ratiometric near-infrared (NIR) probe (DCM-βgal) for the real-time fluorescent quantification and trapping of β-gal activity in vivo and in situ. DCM-βgal manifests significantly ratiometric and turn-on NIR fluorescent signals simultaneously in response to β-gal concentration, which makes it favorable for monitoring dynamic β-gal activity in vivo with self-calibration in fluorescent mode. We exemplify DCM-βgal for the ratiometric tracking of endogenously overexpressed β-gal distribution in living 293T cells via the lacZ gene transfection method and OVCAR-3 cells, and further realize real-time in vivo bioimaging of β-gal activity in colorectal tumor-bearing nude mice. Advantages of our system include light-up ratiometric NIR fluorescence with large Stokes shift, high photostability, and pH independency under the physiological range, allowing for the in vivo real-time evaluation of β-gal activity at the tumor site with high-resolution three-dimensional bioimaging for the first time. Our work provides a potential tool for in vivo real-time tracking enzyme activity in preclinical applications.


In October 1991 a high magnitude rainstorm flood, estimated return period 40 years, occurred in Nahal Zin, a 1400 km2 catchment in the hyperarid Negev Desert. The meso-scale structure of the storm was a curved squall line that developed from a thunderstorm in accordance with the topography of the catchment divide, by which it was strongly affected. Tropical moisture reached the area via the subtropical jet stream, in conjunction with a lower level northward intrusion of the Red Sea trough (RST-N) into the Mediterranean Sea. Rainfall, as measured at the few and sparse gauging stations, was much too small to account for the resulting large flood. Peak flow and other hydraulic characteristics of the flood were indirectly reconstructed. The techniques of palaeoflood hydrology used were based on sedimentological evidence of fine-grained flood sediments deposited in back-flooded tributaries, as well as on other stage indicators. The HEC-2 procedure was employed to determine water surface profiles.

The spatial and temporal characteristics of the event were studied through a combination of rainstorm analysis, remote sensing, hydrological and sedimentological data; they jointly explain the magnitude and timing of tributary contributions producing the integrated flood in the main channel. The flood as reconstructed reveals a three-peak hydrograph: two peaks were generated by the same storm but had different floodwave arrival times in the main channel; the third resulted from a local rainstorm which occurred on the following day and covered only one tributary.

The curved structure of the storm and its dynamics in relation to catchment orientation resulted in storm move- ment in tandem with the floodwave. The synchronous contribution from all main tributaries preserved evidence of the floodwave both in stage and volume by replacing the transmission losses in the sections with thick alluvium.

Other high magnitude floods on record for the large Negev Desert catchments are caused by a cold upper air incursion associated with the RST-N. Most of them occur in the autumn and are caused by storms with high-intensity rainfall. This is in stark contrast with the flooding behaviour of the semi-arid zone further north, which is linked primarily to the core of the Mediterranean winter. The complexities involved in the generation of a large desert flood, as revealed by this study, illustrate the fallacy of applying routine hydrological modelling to such events, and underline the need to study the processes involved in adequate detail. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Formation of the giant Chicxulub crater off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula coincided with deposition of the global Ir-rich Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) stratigraphic boundary layer at ca. 65 Ma. The boundary is marked most sharply by abundant spherules containing unaltered grains of magnesioferrite spinel. Here we predict for the first time the sequential condensation of solids and liquids from the plume of vaporized rock expected from oblique K-T impacts. We predict highly oxidizing plumes that condense silicate liquid droplets bearing spinel grains whose compositions closely match those marking the actual boundary. Systematic global variations in spinel composition are consistent with higher condensation temperatures for spinels found at Atlantic and European sites than for those in the Pacific.


We present a new, to our knowledge, analysis of the performances of common encoding schemes that are used to design computer-generated diffractive optical elements. A statistical analysis of the fringe width and the positional errors, which are introduced by the encoding process, is used to calculate their effects on the diffraction efficiency and the noise. The analysis is applied to interferogram-type encoding methods that are most suited to analytically designed elements, in particular, the polygon-fringe-tracing and the bitmap, or mosaic, methods. Predictions are verified by use of both numerical simulation and existing empirical results. The analysis is used to compare the relative merits of the different encoding schemes quantitatively in terms of optical performance and computational efficiency criteria.


This paper investigates the acquisition of the sociolinguistic constraints of two variables, (ing) and (t), by non-native teenagers of Polish origin in both London and Edinburgh. First, the native sociolinguistic constraints on variation of (ing) and (t) are identified. These are then compared with the sociolinguistic constraints of two groups of non-native teenagers living in London and Edinburgh. Results of a multivariate analysis indicate that Polish adolescent immigrants do not acquire the exact same constraints on variation as their local peer group, and that the acquisition of variation varies from variable to variable, which may be due to the character of the variable and its constraint complexity. Learners seem to be using various strategies when acquiring variation in the realisation of these variables in the English of the speech community into which they have moved. While some variable constraints are replicated, there is also evidence of reallocation of the relative importance of variable input constraints in the output variation. Some constraints are altered, rejected and newly constructed, which seems more likely with some kinds of structured variation than others.


The tassel seed mutations of maize cause sex reversal of the florets of the tassel, such that the normally staminate florets develop pistils. Although these mutations have been recognized for many years, little is known about how they act. We have tested the hypothesis that the tassel seed genes interact directly with each other and with other genes controlling sex determination in a single genetic pathway by the construction and analysis of double mutants. On the basis of the phenotypes of the double mutants, the tassel seed mutations were placed into two groups: ts1, ts2, Ts5 and ts4, Ts6. Both groups of tassel seed mutations were additive with the masculinizing mutation dwarf, indicating independent modes of action. Interactions of tassel seed mutations with silkless varied, allowing the ordering of the action of the various tassel seed mutations relative to silkless. Both groups of tassel seed mutations were epistatic with regard to sex expression to mutations that alter both architecture of the plant and distribution of male and female florets, Teopod 1, terminal ear, and teosinte branched. Thus, there are at least two separate genetic pathways that control the sex of florets in maize tassels. In addition, analysis of double mutants revealec that all tassel seed genes tested play a role in the regulation of flower morphogenesis as well as pistil suppression. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a type of endogenous noncoding RNA generated by back-splicing events. Unlike the majority of RNAs, circRNAs are covalently closed, without a 5′ end or a 3′ poly(A) tail. A few circRNAs can be associated with polysomes, suggesting a protein-coding potential. CircRNAs are not degraded by RNA exonucleases or ribonuclease R and are enriched in exosomes. Recent developments in experimental methods coupled with evolving bioinformatic approaches have accelerated functional investigation of circRNAs, which exhibit a stable structure, a long half-life, and tumor specificity and can be extracted from body fluids and used as potential biological markers for tumors. Moreover, circRNAs may regulate the occurrence and development of cancers and contribute to drug resistance through a variety of molecular mechanisms. Despite the identification of a growing number of circRNAs, their effects in hematological cancers remain largely unknown. Recent studies indicate that circRNAs could also originate from fusion genes (fusion circRNAs, f-circRNAs) next to chromosomal translocations, which are considered the primary cause of various cancers, notably hematological malignancies. This Review will focus on circRNAs and f-circRNAs in hematological cancers.


Today, emission legislations for engine exhaust particles are mass based. The engines of today are low-emitting with respect to particle mass, with the emissions approaching the detection limit of the current measurement method. This calls for new and improved measurement methods. Both from the point of view of the engine developers and regarding human health effects, particle number seem to be the particle property of greatest interest to legislate upon. Recently, a proposal for a new particle number based measurement methodology has been put forward by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE). The gas and particle mixture (the aerosol) of engine exhaust is not a stable system. The size and the number of the particles change over time as the temperature and pressure change. Particle number measurements call for dilution which changes the gas-phase concentrations of the condensing gases. The dilution process alters the conditions in the aerosol and thereby influences the measurements. Within the current project it was desired to better understand the outcome of particle number measurements and the complexities of particle sampling, dilution and conditioning prior to measurements. Two experimental set-ups have been developed within the project. The first system includes a rotating disc diluter followed by a volatility Tandem Differential Mobility Analyser (v-TDMA). The second set-up, called the EMIR-system, includes ejector diluters in series followed by a stand-alone Condensation Particle Counter (CPC). After the development of these experimental set-ups, the v-TDMA has been used to study the volatility and the size distributed number concentration of exhaust particles. The EMIR-system was used for total number concentration measurements including only the solid fraction of the aerosol. The experimental work has given practical experience that can be used to estimate the benefits and disadvantages of upcoming measuring methodology. For the engine developers, in order to produce engines that meet future legislation limits, it is essential to know how the measurement procedure influences the aerosol. In summary, the experimental studies have shown that the number of nucleation mode particles is strongly affected by varied dilution. No upper threshold value of the dilution has been found where the dilution effect diminishes. The volatility studies have shown that it is mainly the nucleation mode particles that are affected by heat. The v-TDMA instrument have shown to be a sensitive analytical tool which, if desired to use for further engine exhaust particle characterization, needs some development work. Experimental work with the EMIR-system, which in principle is similar to the instruments proposed for a future standard, shows that these types of measurement systems are sensitive to small changes in the detector cut-off. The major outcome of the project lies in the new detailed knowledge about particle number measurements from engines.


Good Style explains the tactics that can be used to write technical material in a coherent, readable style. It discusses in detail the choices of vocabulary, phrasing and sentence structure andnbsp;each piece of advice isnbsp;based on evidence of the styles prefered by technical readers andnbsp;supported by many examples of writing from a variety of technical contexts. John Kirkman draws from his many years of experience lecturing on communication studies in Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Hong Kong, both in academic programmes and in courses for large companies, research centres and government departments.

Good Style has become a standard reference book on the shelf of students of science, technology and computing and is an essential aid to all professionals whose work involves writing of reports, papers, guides, manuals or on-screen texts. This new edition also includes information on writing for the web and additional examples of how to express medical and life-science information.


This book is a re-examination of the fertile years of early modernism immediately preceding the First World War. During this period, how, where, and under whose terms the avant-garde in Britain would be constructed and consumed were very much to play for. It is the first study to look in detail at two little magazines marginalised from many accounts of this competitive process: Rhythm and the Blue Review. By thoroughly examining not only the content but the interrelated networks that defined and surrounded these publications, Faith Binckes aims to provide a fresh and challenging perspective to the on-going reappraisal of modernism. Founded in 1911, and edited by John Middleton Murry with assistance from Michael Sadleir and subsequently from Katherine Mansfield, Rhythm and The Blue Review featured a series of pivotal moments. Rhythm was the arena for a challenge to Roger Fry's vision of Post-Impressionism, for the introduction of Picasso to a British audience, for early short stories and reviews by Lawrence, and for Mansfield's discovery of a voice in which to frame her breakthrough writing on New Zealand. A further context for many of these experiments was the extended and acrimonious debate Rhythm conducted with A.R. Orage's New Age, in which issues of the proper gender, generation, and formulation of modernity were debated month by month. However, reading magazines as vehicles for avant-garde development can only provide half the story. The book also pays close attention to their dialogic, reproductive, and periodical nature, and explores the strategies at work within the terminology of the new. Crucially, it argues that they offer compelling material evidence for the consistently mobile and multiple boundaries of the modern, and puts forward a compelling case for focusing upon the specificity of magazines as a medium for literary and artistic innovation.


Various substituted poly(phenylthiophene)s have been studied by X-ray diffraction. They are semicrystalline, with very different degrees of crystallinity. Those with para-substituted phenyl groups have a low degree of crystallinity, whereas those with ortho-substituted phenyl groups are more crystalline. The most crystalline materials in this study have two equally long substituents on the phenyl ring, one at the ortho position and the other at the ortho or meta position on the opposite side of the phenyl ring. Poly(3-(2,5-dioctylphenyl)thiophene) (PDOPT) was most thoroughly studied, and a structural model is proposed. The structure of PDOPT is quite different from previously studied substituted polythiophenes in that the octyl side chains are directed normal to the thiophene planes. In this way, the conjugated polymer chains are kept separated from each other. Solution-cast and spin-cast PDOPT films are anisotropic, with the octyl side chains oriented normal to the film surface in both cases. This is con...


The Special Interest Group on Hypertext and the Web, SIGWEB was created in 1989 to support the community participating in the annual ACM Hypertext Conference. Now in its third decade, SIGWEB has grown considerably and now sponsors seven annual conferences of different sizes and covering a wide range of topics. SIGWEB supports several specialized conferences, short courses, and workshops, as well as the Annual Hypertext Conference. SIGWEB sponsored conferences focus on timely topics in applied and computational hypertext and Web disciplines and provide a place for members and the entire applied Hypermedia and Web community to exchange ideas and to meet with and expand their network of colleagues. In this article, we provide a brief overview of SIGWEB sponsored conferences, in addition to events that are in cooperation with SIGWEB.


Epigenetic factors guide chromatin remodeling during cell state transitions and confer resistance to genotoxic stressors that could induce deleterious transformations. A particularly peculiar component of the epigenome with emerging roles in fine-tuning cell identity and upholding genomic stability is the structural histone variant macroH2A. Relatively little is currently known about macroH2A's influence on overall cell developmental potency and less still is known about macroH2A's contributions to adult stem cell identity and function in vivo. In this work, we use induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming and the murine intestinal stem cell (ISC) system to model macroH2A's overall impact on cell epigenetic identity from embryo to adult. We manipulated macroH2A content during iPSC reprogramming and concluded that macroH2A removal from somatic chromatin constitutes a mild, but present epigenetic bottleneck to pluripotency acquisition. Using epitope-tagged-macroH2A-expressing cells, we demonstrated that embryonic stem cells (ESCs) display significantly more dynamic macroH2A incorporation and turnover than fibroblasts, particularly proximal to the promoters of highly transcribed genes, concluding that macroH2A is less stably associated with ESC chromatin. In a separate study, we bred macroH2A double germline knockout (DKO) and strain-matched wildtype (WT) mice into reporter strains for ISC subpopulations, enabling us to functionally test active and reserve ISCs during homeostasis and following γ-irradiation injury. We showed that macroH2A DKO intestine is host to elevated numbers of putative reserve ISCs, suggesting that macroH2A may normally limit the size of the reserve ISC pool. We further determined that although macroH2A is unnecessary for intestinal homeostasis, macroH2A strongly bolsters the intestinal regeneration response following irradiative injury by promoting reserve ISC radioresistance. We thus conclude overall that macroH2A imposes a minor resistance to induced pluripotency, limits the size of the reserve ISC pool in adult mice and finally upholds genomic stability by providing resistance to genotoxic stress in vivo. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Cell & Molecular Biology First Advisor Christopher J. Lengner


Presented is an overview of the CO2QUEST project that addresses fundamentally important issues regarding the impact of typical impurities in the gas or dense phase CO stream captured from fossil fuel power plants on its safe and economic transportation and storage. Previous studies have mainly investigated the impact of CO stream impurities on each part of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) chain in isolation. This is a significant drawback given the different sensitivities of pipeline, wellbore materials and storage sites to the various impurities. The project brings together leading researchers and stakeholders, to address the impact of the typical impurities upon safe and economic CO transportation and storage. State-of-the-art mathematical models, backed by laboratory and industrial-scale experimentation, are implemented to perform a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of the impact of impurities upon the thermo-physical phenomena governing pipeline and storage-site integrities. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of GHGT.


We describe the point spread function (PSF) of an optical system with a galvanometer scanner mounted with a planar mirror. For each mirror rotation, minimal translation along the x and z axes were observed. Meanwhile, rapid increase in spread were also found along these axes. Using the Linfoot's criteria of merit, we characterize the aberration of each point spread function as the mirror is tilted. We find that from this characterization, the limits of the galvanometer swing can be determined. For example, given that the chosen tolerance for a photopolymerization is 25% similarity of the transverse profile, the swinging angle limit must be ±20°. With the same tolerance for the axial profile, the limit must be ±10°.


The core function of a search engine is to make content and sources of information easily accessible (although the search results themselves may actually include parts of the underlying information). In an environment with unlimited amounts of information available on open platforms such as the internet, the availability or accessibility of content is no longer a major issue. The real question is how to find the information. Search engines are becoming the most important gateway used to find content: research shows that the average user considers them to be the most important intermediary in their search for content. They also believe that search engines are reliable. The high social impact of search engines is now evident. This contribution discusses the functionality of search engines and their underlying business model – which is changing to include the aggregation of content as well as access to it, hence making search engines a new player on the content market. The biased structure of and manipulation by search engines is also explored. The regulatory environment is assessed – at present, search engines largely fall outside the scope of (tele)communications regulation – and possible remedies are proposed.


Cardiovascular disorders are currently the leading cause of death in the Western world. Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the main contributors to ischemic heart disease. After ischemia, cardiomyocytes die and are replaced by fibrous scar tissue while in the remaining cardiomyocytes hypertrophy is induced. This leads to a declined heart function and will result in death due to heart failure. Without taking heart transplantation into consideration, the current therapies to treat patients after MI are aimed at restoring blood flow to ischemic cardiac tissue. However, these therapies only delay remodeling of the heart and eventually heart failure will develop. Current treatments do not repair the damaged heart and therefore, stem cell-based therapy has emerged as a potential new therapy to repair the injured heart. The rationale of stem cell transplantation is that these cells can differentiate into cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells to form new contractile cardiac tissue to repair the injured heart locally. Previous studies have shown that transplantation of stem cells improved heart function and that this was accomplished by the secretion of paracrine factors by these stem cells. We have recently shown that transplanted cardiomyocyte progenitor cells (CMPCs) improved heart function post MI, partly via paracrine signaling (Smits AM et al. Cardiovasc Res 2009). When stem cells are injected into the ischemic heart they will enter an hypoxic environment therefore the effect of hypoxia on CMPC behavior was investigated. We observed that the effect of hypoxia was depended on the exposure time of the cells to hypoxia and showed that this induced the secretion of pro-angiogenic and pro-survival factors. The effect of hypoxia was further investigated by analyzing its effect on cell survival. Cell survival was mediated via the pro-survival protein Survivin, and when overexpressed, increased proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of CMPCs. Although improvement of cardiac function by transplantation of CMPCs was observed, the heart function was not restored to the same level as before the ischemic insult. To further improve cardiac function we co-transplantated two different populations of cardiac progenitor cells, CMPCs and epicardial-derived cells (EPDCs). Co-culture of CMPCs with EPDCs improved their growth and induced the secretion of pro-angiogenic factors. Transplantation of both progenitor cell populations showed larger improvement of the heart function than transplantation of either one of the populations alone. Although improving cardiac function after MI is important, we need to understand the mechanisms that are involved in the development of heart failure. One of these processes is the activation of the epicardium and the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), and we demonstrate that the human adult epicardial cells undergo EMT, induced by TGF? and regulated via ALK5, with a possible role for WT1 and PDGFRa. In conclusion, the results reported in this thesis give us more insights in the factors that are involved in the behavior of cardiac progenitor cells and we showed that CMPCs and EPDCs are good study models that can provide new insights in mechanisms important for the development of new treatments to prevent heart failure


Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that is typically found in the axons of neurons. The aggregation of the tau is a significant event in many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. In these disease tau dissociates from microtubules and begins to form toxic insoluble intracellular tau aggregates. The process of conversion of soluble monomeric tau to insoluble aggregates in not well understood. Differential conformational changes in pathological forms of the protein may affect its propensity for aggregation and function. Post translational modifications such as hyperphosphorylation or truncation may induce these conformational changes and alter aggregation and function. The studies described here used in vitro assays to determine how truncation affects tau conformation and how they can alter aggregation and function. This information helps to describe how intrinsic differences due to modifications of tau can manifest themselves in the varying pathologies of tauopathies. Tau aggregation in a common mode of pathogenesis in tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease. Tau aggregation correlates with dementia and neurodegeneration and is viewed as a potential therapeutic target for AD. Fungi have historically been a good source of medicinally important compounds. We identified secondary metabolites obtained from Aspergillus nidulans as tau aggregation inhibitors. We identified a novel class of tau aggregation inhibitors, azaphilones. Four of the azaphilones inhibited tau aggregation and disassembled pre-formed tau aggregates without inhibiting tau's ability to polymerize microtubules. Preliminary NMR studies showed that our most potent azaphilone, aza-9 interacts with specific residues of tau protein in a dose dependent fashion. Aza-9 also disassembled tau aggregates formed by aggregation enhancing truncation mutant 1-391 in a dose dependent fashion. Azaphilones are therefore very promising lead iv compounds for tau aggregation inhibitors, provide a novel scaffold for the same and represent a new class of compounds with tau aggregation inhibitor activity.


Historically, the scope of constitutional protections for fundamental rights has evolved to keep pace with new social norms and new technology. Internet speech is on the rise. The First Amendment protects an individual's right to speak anonymously, but to what extent does it protect a right to anonymous online speech? This question is difficult because the government must balance the fundamental nature of speech rights with the potential dangers associated with anonymous online speech, including defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. While lower courts have held that there is a right to anonymous online speech, they have not yet adopted a common standard. Meanwhile, to simplify the confusion and protect the rights of those who are injured by anonymous online speech, state legislatures are seeking to restrict some or all anonymous online-speech rights. This Note explores the history of speech regulation, with a special focus on the history of anonymous online speech, and the justifications for protecting speech rights. It then discusses the judicial standards under which courts require disclosure of anonymous speakers and the current legislative proposals to restrict speech rights. Next, this Note suggests that legislatures should not restrict speech rights, and should instead expand the remedies available to those injured by harmful speech. This Note also suggests that courts should adopt a summary judgment standard that requires plaintiffs to provide evidence demonstrating that the anonymous speaker has committed a tort before requiring the speaker to disclose his or her identity.


We estimate the spectral gap of the two-dimensional stochastic Ising model for four classes of mixed boundary conditions. On a finite square, in the absence of an external field, two-sided estimates on the spectral gap for the first class of (weak positive) boundary conditions are given. Further, at inverse temperatures , we will show lower bounds of the spectral gap of the Ising model for the other three classes mixed boundary conditions.


The feasibility of an oxygen sensor based on the quenching of fluorescence of ruthenium complexes in the presence of oxygen was investigated. Porous sol-gel derived silica thin films deposited on a glass substrate by a dip-coating technique were impregnated with the fluorescent complexes Ruthenium(2,2-bipyridene)3++ and Ruthenium (4,7diphenylphenanthroline) 3++. Sol-gel film thickness, chemical composition and concentration of the fluorescent species within the film were optimised. The samples were excited by a CW Argon ion laser (Aex = 488nm) for fluorescent intensity measurements, and by a pulsed NdYag laser (kex = 532nm) for lifetime measurements. For each complex, both the fluorescent intensity and lifetime were quenched by oxygen. The optical decay times were analysed using two methods: (a) Numerical Integration, and (b) Line stripping. Method (b) was favoured, and involved analysis in terms of one quenched and one unquenched fluorophore component, the latter arising from the fraction of ruthenium complex molecules which were inaccessible to oxygen. By taking intensity and lifetime measurements for known oxygen concentrations from 0 to 10 0 %, intensity and decay time Stem-Volmer plots were produced for both complexes. The performance of both ruthenium complexes was compared and contrasted, and their suitability for use in optical oxygen sensors based on sol-gel entrapped fluorescent molecules was discussed.


Abstract. Science is very much a logical progression through time. Progressing along a logical path of discovery is rather like following a path through the wilderness. Occasionally the path splits, presenting a choice; the correct logical interpretation leads to further progress, the wrong choice leads to confusion. By considering deeply the relevant science history, one might begin to recognize past faltering in the logical progression of observations and ideas and, perhaps then, to discover new, more precise understanding. The following specific examples of science faltering are described from a historical perspective: (1) Composition of the Earth's inner core; (2) Giant planet internal energy production; (3) Physical impossibility of Earth-core convection and Earth-mantle convection, and; (4) Thermonuclear ignition of stars. For each example, a revised logical progression is described, leading, respectively, to: (1) Understanding the endo-Earth's composition; (2) The concept of nuclear georeactor origin of geo- and planetary magnetic fields; (3) The invalidation and replacement of plate tectonics; and, (4) Understanding the basis for the observed distribution of luminous stars in galaxies. These revised logical progressions clearly show the inseparability of science history and discovery. A different and more fundamental approach to making scientific discoveries than the frequently discussed variants of the scientific method is this: An individual ponders and through tedious efforts arranges seemingly unrelated observations into a logical sequence in the mind so that causal relationships become evident and new understanding emerges, showing the path for new observations, for new experiments, for new theoretical considerations, and for new discoveries. Science history is rich in "seemingly unrelated observations" just waiting to be logically and causally related to reveal new discoveries.


Brisbane in the 1920s certainly had its tense moments, but what struck me most forcibly in browsing the local newspapers from the period was how successfully political and social conflicts were absorbed into the peaceful, civil and law-abiding fabric of Brisbane life. World-altering events like the Russian Revolution, the Armistice and the Treaty of Versailles, the Irish Troubles and the rise of Mussolini were reported and discussed in the press and elsewhere, but matters seldom went further than that despite the real potential — given the presence of significant Russian, German, Irish and Italian minorities in the city's population — for 'imported' tensions. Even the momentous political developments that occurred in Brisbane in the early 1920s, when the state government's efforts to secure foreign loans were sabotaged by an opposition-funded delegation to London, and the Premier, EG ('Red Ted') Theodore, forced the parliamentary upper house to terminate its own existence, failed to polarise or fracture the community to any significant degree.


Carbonatites are carbonate-rich magmatic rocks that are rare and of great relevance for our understanding of crustal and mantle processes. Although found on all continents and in settings ranging from Archaean to present-day, their deeper plumbing system is still poorly understood. Therefore, the main goal of this thesis is to broaden the existing knowledge of carbonatite systems, often limited to surface geological observations, by providing depth constraints using a number of geophysical methods and petrophysical measurements. The Alnö alkaline and carbonatite complex in central Sweden was chosen for this purpose. Data from three reflection seismic lines, ground gravity and magnetic measurements are presented. These data are complemented by a series of petrophysical measurements, including ultrasonic velocities, density, magnetic bulk susceptibility, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), and magnetic remanence, to aid in the interpretation of the geophysical data. The reflection seismic data indicate a solidified saucer-shaped fossil magma chamber at about 3 km depth. Caldera-style volcanism, constrained by surface geological observations, provides a plausible scenario to explain the emplacement of the complex, suggesting that carbonatite magmas have been stored, transported and erupted in a similar manner to known emplacement mechanisms for silicic calderas, although these are compositionally different. The AMS data from most of the carbonatite sheets in Alnö show a strong degree of anisotropy and oblate-shaped susceptibility ellipsoids. A set of syn-and post-emplacement processes that may control the AMS signature is evaluated based on the dataset. Overprinting of the primary flow patterns by processes related to sheet closure at the terminal stage of magma transport may explain the AMS observations. A complementary study using 3D inversion of ground gravity and aeromagnetic data was then carried out to better delineate the 3D internal architecture of the complex. Resulting models indicate a depth extent of the complex to about 3-4 km, consistent with the interpretation of the reflection seismic data. The modelling results of a ring-shaped magnetic anomaly observed in the Klingefjärden bay adjacent to Alnö Island further suggest that the complex may extend laterally about 3 km towards the north. This thesis is based on the following papers, which are referred to in the text by their Roman numerals. (2013) Carbonatite ring-complexes explained by caldera-style volcanism. Kübler. Magma transport in sheet intrusions (submitted) III Magnus Andersson and Alireza Malehmir, Unravelling the internal architecture of the Alnö alkaline and carbonatite complex (central Sweden) using 3D models of gravity and magnetic data (manuscript) …


A recently developed theory concerning the physical limits on optical hyperpolarizabilities is shown to be useful in the theoretical prediction of contributions of multiphoton fluorescence to experimentally determined hyperpolarizability values. Recent experimental results are compared with the theoretical limit. Without correction for the fluorescence contribution, results for the first hyperpolarizability in the forbidden region can be obtained. Proper correction of the systematic error shifts these values to the theoretical limit. Hence, experimental values above the theoretical upper limit should be suspect, but an appropriate fluorescence suppression technique is available. Reversing the argument, the observation that artificially overestimated values for the first hyperpolarizability are reduced from the forbidden region to exactly this upper limit is found to corroborate the limiting theory.


Despite prominent and compelling theoretical arguments linking manufacturing imports from the global South to rising income inequality in the global North, the literature has produced decidedly mixed support for such arguments. We explain this mixed support by introducing intervening processes at the global and national levels. At the global level, evolving characteristics of global production networks (GPNs) amplify the effect of Southern imports. At the national level, wage coordination and welfare state generosity counteract the mechanisms by which Southern imports increase inequality, and thereby mitigate their effects. We conduct a time-series cross-section regression analyses of income inequality among eighteen advanced capitalist countries to test these propositions. Our analysis addresses alternative explanations, as well as validity threats related to model specification, sample composition, and measurement. We find substantial variation in the effect of Southern imports across global and national contexts. Southern imports have no systematic effect on income inequality until the magnitude of GPN activity surpasses its world-historical average, or in states with above-average levels of wage coordination and welfare state generosity. With counterfactual analyses, we show that Southern imports would have led to much different inequality trajectories in the North if there were fewer GPNs, and if the prevailing degrees of wage coordination and welfare state generosity were higher. The countervailing effects of GPNs and institutional context call for theories of inequality at the intersection of the global and the national, and raise important questions about distributional politics in the years to come.


Abstract In 2002 I began a study of a charter school aimed at 'Push-Out Recovery' for high school students in Central Texas. The ethnographic study focused on an alterriative education setting, a Charter School, called Edge Works (pseudonym). The study was conducted over approximately 12–18 months at the Charter School. The Charter School provided educational services for young people 16–20 who wanted to get their GED and/or their high school certificate and there were 4 administrators, 16 teachers, and between 250–300 students. When I began this study I had hoped to hear the stories of the students regarding their experiences in the public school system. In short, I went looking for stories of exclusion. Instead, I found stories of success and redemption (Cary, 2001, Popkewitz, 1998).


ABSTRACT Homelessness is related to poorer mental health, yet, there is limited understanding of the predictors of mental health of men and women experiencing homelessness. To support service providers in identifying individuals who might be at particular risk of poor mental health, this study investigated the predictors of mental health in 501 single men and women experiencing homelessness in Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa, Canada. Data were obtained via in-person, structured interviews. In order to identify whether predictors differ by gender, multiple linear regressions were conducted separately for men and women. Mental health status was measured by the Mental Component Summary score of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. Better mental health for men and women was associated with the presence of fewer chronic health conditions and a higher level of social support. An older age, not having experienced a recent physical attack, and absence of a mental health diagnosis were related to better mental health for women. The absence of unmet mental health needs within the past 12 months was associated with better mental health for men. The study highlights differences in factors associated with mental health for men and women. Service providers should be aware of the association of these factors with mental health to guide assessment and service planning.


A recent conceptualization of the structure of attitudes proposes that people may hold associations that contribute to their personal attitudes about an object (personal associations) but also highly salient associations that do not contribute to their attitudes toward the object (extrapersonal associations; Olson and Fazio 2004). We conducted three studies with brands in the automobile industry to investigate the applicability of this new association typology to consumer attitude domains. Study 1 suggests the presence of extrapersonal associations for all brands investigated, by showing that some highly salient brand associations indeed contribute to brand attitudes but other similarly salient associations do not. Experimental data in Study 2 indicate that an individual difference, consumer expertise with the category, impacts the accessibility of personal associations in a brand evaluation context. Study 3 further strengthens the validity of the new typology by showing that it can meaningfully explain the different types of associations made accessible by persuasive messages. Taken together, our three studies provide strong support for Olson and Fazio's (2004) framework and highlight its value for a better understanding of the nature of the brand associations that shape consumer brand attitudes.


The ubiquitin-recognition protein Ufd1 facilitates clearance of misfolded proteins through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway. Here we report that prolonged ER stress represses Ufd1 expression to trigger cell cycle delay, which contributes to ERAD. Remarkably, down-regulation of Ufd1 enhances ubiquitination and destabilization of Skp2 mediated by the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome bound to Cdh1 (APC/CCdh1), resulting in accumulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 and a concomitant cell cycle delay during the G1 phase that enables more efficient clearance of misfolded proteins. Mechanistically, nuclear Ufd1 recruits the deubiquitinating enzyme USP13 to counteract APC/CCdh1-mediated ubiquitination of Skp2. Our data identify a coordinated cell cycle response to prolonged ER stress through regulation of the Cdh1-Skp2-p27 axis by Ufd1 and USP13.


During the past fifteen years, a unique wage structure emphasizing consistency and equity has developed in the USSR. "Soviet Wages" is the only detailed description and analysis of contemporary earnings determination for Soviet industrial workers. The study focuses on the period since 1956, during which the entire wage system has undergone a major restructuring.In contrast to "market forces," which are usually taken to be the main determinant of wage differentiation in Western economies, this book demonstrates how explicit quantifiable standards have been utilized for setting wages in the USSR. The resultant pattern of earnings has shown an increasing internal consistency during recent years. Skill differentials, differentials for working conditions, incentive payments, and the impact of recent reforms in economic administration receive especially detailed attention.From the innumerable scattered sources in this difficult area, Professor Kirsch has assembled a clear picture of the Soviet principles of wage administration and resulting wage differentials. He answers such central questions as: What principles of wage administration and job evaluation determine the indicated differentials? How have these changed with wage reform? What are the results in terms of the actual statistical differentials?A concluding chapter evaluates Soviet wage setting within the framework for western labor economics, while brief appendixes discuss measurement of inter-industry differentials and aggregate measures of earnings inequality.


There is growing appreciation of the role of culture in children's psychological development (also called human ontogenesis). However, there are several distinct approaches to research on this matter. Cross-cultural psychology explores the causal influence of culture on differences in children's development, treated as dependent variables. Researchers interested in the role of cultural learning in human evolution view culture as beliefs and values that are transferred from the mind of one individual to that of another.
 By contrast, "cultural psychology" views culture not as a cause, but a constituent of human psychological functioning. It invites us to pay attention to the fact that humans live in societies filled with material artifacts, tools, and signs that mediate human activity; that is to say, they provide the means with which people interact with the world around them and with one another. From this perspective, culture provides constituents that are essential to human development: it has a constitutive role in development.
 Although there continues to be much debate over how to define culture, it is generally agreed that different human social groups have distinct cultures, and it is common to assume that cultural differences lead to differences in the trajectories of children's development. This is true, but it is also the case that culture is a universal requirement for development. Every child is born into a family and community with a language, customs, and conventions, and in which people occupy institutional roles with rights and responsibilities. These facts define universal requisites of human psychological development and include the acquisition of language, the development of a social identity, the understanding of community obligations, and the ability to contribute to the reproduction of the community. The interdependence of human communities—which probably had its origins in collaborative foraging and cooperative childrearing—seems to have placed species-specific demands on children's development, selecting for the capacity to acquire a sensitivity not only to people's goals and intentions but also to rights and responsibilities.


Volatility smiles arise in currency option markets when empirical exchange rate returns distributions exhibit leptokurtosis. This feature of empirical distributions is symptomatic of turbulent periods when exchange rate movements are in excess of movements based on the assumption of normality. In contrast, during periods of tranquility, movements in exchange rates are relatively small, resulting in unconditional empirical returns distributions with thinner tails than the normal distribution. Pricing currency options during tranquil periods on the assumption of normal returns yields implied volatility frowns, with over-pricing at both deep-in and deep-out-of-the-money contracts and under-pricing for at-the-money contracts. This paper shows how a parametric class of thin-tailed distributions based on the generalized Student t family of distributions can price currency options during periods of tranquility.


The ferronickel production process closely resembles that of cement and steel. Published studies typically take the developments of the latter and adapt them to ferronickel. However, few open publications allow for a proper understanding of the calcination and reduction of lateritic nickel minerals. This research analyzes the operation of a rotary kiln calciner of 135 m length, a diameter of 6 m, and a mass flow rate between 170 and 180 t/h of partially dry mineral. The calciner uses coal as a reducing agent and natural gas as a thermal energy source. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used in a large industrial dataset to determine the variables with a greater influence on the process performance. Also, k-means clustering is used to locate operation points favorable to calcined mineral production. Results show that the most relevant variables are mineral and gas temperatures and the mass flow rates of air, mineral, natural gas, and coal.


A new approach for the interrogation of a large number of fiber-optic grating sensors is proposed and demonstrated for a small number of sensors in which signal recovery is achieved by matching a receiving grating to its corresponding sensor. This technique is demonstrated for both quasi-static and periodic measurands, and the resolution achieved for a single sensor–receiving grating pair for quasi-static strain is 4.12 μ∊.


This research addresses the question of the potential growth of electronic marketplaces as an eentrepreneurship model. We will examine how electronic marketplaces are different among industry sectors from two major perspectives: the level of electronic marketplace usage and the level of e-readiness. The results of an empirical study conducted in the United States show that a wide range of industry sectors are currently prepared to use electronic marketplaces, and will use them in the future. These findings indicate a better chance for the growth of e-entrepreneurship as a solution for entrepreneurs in our current troubled economy.


Las Vegas casinos exclusively hire women to serve cocktails on the casino floor, dressing them in tight-fitting, sexy, uncomfortable costumes and high heels. The exclusive hiring of women as cocktail servers violates Title VII's prohibition against sex discrimination unless the employer can demonstrate that being a woman is a bona fide occupational qualification ("BFOQ") for the job of cocktail server. Sitting en banc, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided Jespersen v. Harrah's Operating Co., which concluded that sex-differentiated appearance and grooming codes are legal in jobs held by both men and women unless they impose unequal burdens on men and women. The Ninth Circuit, however, also concluded that a plaintiff may attack a dress and grooming code under Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins if the code intentionally stereotypes women because of their sex and the stereotyping objectively interferes with the woman's ability to perform the job.Undoubtedly, the uniforms worn by women cocktail servers intentionally stereotype them because of their sex. After Jespersen, a casino would have to prove, in response to a lawsuit challenging its dress code, that it is a BFOQ for a woman cocktail server to dress in a sexy uniform. Assuming that the courts would conclude that being a woman who dresses in sexy garb is not a BFOQ for the position of cocktail server, Jespersen raises the question of whether the casinos may legally hire both men and women, and dress both in sexy costumes, which in essence, sexually stereotypes both men and women. This article concludes that Jespersen should permit casinos hiring cocktail servers and other similar employers whose jobs include an aspect of performance to require that both men and women wear sexually provocative uniforms to work.


We consider semidefinite programs (SDPs) of size n with equality constraints. In order to overcome scalability issues, Burer and Monteiro proposed a factorized approach based on optimizing over a matrix Y of size $n$ by $k$ such that $X = YY^*$ is the SDP variable. The advantages of such formulation are twofold: the dimension of the optimization variable is reduced and positive semidefiniteness is naturally enforced. However, the problem in Y is non-convex. In prior work, it has been shown that, when the constraints on the factorized variable regularly define a smooth manifold, provided k is large enough, for almost all cost matrices, all second-order stationary points (SOSPs) are optimal. Importantly, in practice, one can only compute points which approximately satisfy necessary optimality conditions, leading to the question: are such points also approximately optimal? To this end, and under similar assumptions, we use smoothed analysis to show that approximate SOSPs for a randomly perturbed objective function are approximate global optima, with k scaling like the square root of the number of constraints (up to log factors). Moreover, we bound the optimality gap at the approximate solution of the perturbed problem with respect to the original problem. We particularize our results to an SDP relaxation of phase retrieval.


e-Services are commercial services that can be ordered and provisioned via the Internet, satisfying a consumer need. Sometimes, such services are provisioned by a constellation of enterprises, and consist of multiple elementary services. A problem is then how to configure such a constellation, satisfying a complex consumer need. To this end, we extend the notion of consumer need in the e 3 value methodology, as originally intended for designing value constellations. We also show how needs can be (automatically) matched with services provisioned by suppliers. As such, our contribution can be seen as a first step towards on-demand dynamic value constellations, provisioning e-services.