Background/Aims Whether high-resolution anorectal pressure topography (HRPT), having better fidelity and spatio-temporal resolution is comparable to waveform manometry (WM) in the diagnosis and characterization of defecatory disorders (DD) is not known. Methods Patients with chronic constipation (Rome III) were evaluated for DD with HRPT and WM during bearing-down "on-bed" without inflated rectal balloon and "on-commode (toilet)" with 60-mL inflated rectal balloon. Eleven healthy volunteers were also evaluated. Results Ninety-three of 117 screened participants (F/M = 77/16) were included. Balloon expulsion time was abnormal (> 60 seconds) in 56% (mean 214.4 seconds). A modest correlation between HRPT and WM was observed for sphincter length (R = 0.4) and likewise agreement between dyssynergic subtypes (κ = 0.4). During bearing down, 2 or more anal pressure-segments (distal and proximal) could be appreciated and their expansion measured with HRPT but not WM. In constipated vs healthy participants, the proximal segment was more expanded (2.0 cm vs 1.0 cm, P = 0.003) and of greater pressure (94.8 mmHg vs 54.0 mmHg, P = 0.010) during bearing down on-commode but not on-bed. Conclusions Because of its better resolution, HRPT may identify more structural and functional abnormalities including puborectal dysfunction (proximal expansion) than WM. Bearing down on-commode with an inflated rectal balloon may provide additional dimension in characterizing DD.


OBJECTIVES
In patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), computer tomography (CT) scanning and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MR) are usually applied to visualise trophic changes of the brain, resulting from considerable malnutrition or general cachexia of the organism. The goal of the study was an evaluation attempt of the degree of trophic changes in the central nervous system (CNS) of girls with AN, following CT scanning of the brain, together with an analysis of selected clinical and diagnostic parameters, related to the trophic changes in question.

PATIENTS & METHODS
The study involved fifty-five (55) female patients with AN. Following CT of the brain - scanning of the cortical sulci - four (4) groups of the patients were identified. The following classification of lesions was applied: Group I - width of cortical sulci < 1.5 mm - standard; Group II - the presence of cortical sulci of width < 1.5 mm and 1.5-3 mm; Group III - width of cortical sulci 1.5-3 mm; Group IV - the presence of cortical sulci of width at 1.5-3 mm and > 3 mm. We did not observe any patient with AN in whom the width of all the cortical sulci was bigger than 3 mm (Group V). In all the groups, clinical parameters, as well as routine laboratory tests and selected hormonal tests, were analysed.

RESULTS
In the performed CT scanning of the head in patients with AN, trophic changes in the CNS (as evaluated by the width of cortical sulci) were revealed in 67.3% of the patients. Among the studied groups, statistically significant differences were found for: body weight loss (BWL), the percent of BWL (BWL%), the BWL to disease duration ratio (BWL/time) and BWL%/time, serum concentrations of potassium, calcium, glucose, total protein and urea, as well as serum concentrations of LH, E2, cortisol, FT3 and FT4. The most pronounced disturbances were observed in Group IV, while the least ones - in Group I.

CONCLUSIONS
In CT scanning of the head, trophic changes in the CNS were observed in girls with AN, measured by the width of cortical sulci. The higher severity of trophic changes in the CNS was associated with higher BWL/time ratio, higher hypercortisolemia, more enhanced hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, disorders in the peripheral metabolism of the thyroid hormones and with the obtained values of routine laboratory tests, indicating some tendency towards hypovolemia.


River water is used for various purposes like as drinking water, in agriculture etc. The impact of river water pollution on human health depends mainly on the water uses, as well as the concentration of pathogen in water. Riverbank filtration (RBF) is an efficient and low-cost natural alternative filtration technology for water supply application. This technology was greatly removing many contaminants including pathogenic bacteria and viruses. However, this technology is new and not well explored in Malaysia. During the study, USM research team has embarked on the study of RBF at Lubuk Buntar, Kedah Malaysia. In order to understand the transportation of pathogenic bacteria during the filtration process, it is necessary to identify residence pathogenic bacteria in the river. Hence, this study was aimed to isolate and identify the pathogenic bacteria at the RBF study area located in Lubuk Buntar, Kedah, Malaysia. This study also conducted physicochemical test to monitor the river water quality. Analysis of 16S rDNA sequence revealed that Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, Pseudomonas aeruginosa DSM 50071, Enterobacter ludwigii EN-149 were the origin pathogenic bacteria in the river at the RBF study site. pH for the river water was found in range 5.24-6.89 while temperature was recorded in range 30-25.31°C. BOD and COD were in range 6.8-2.0 mg/l and 31.0-8.0 mg/l respectively. The results show high value of turbidity, TSS and color which in range 179-64 mg/l, 177-68 and 74-20 PtCo respectively.


Motivated by the celebrated discrete-time model of nervous activity outlined by McCulloch and Pitts in 1943, we propose a novel continuous-time model, the McCulloch-Pitts network (MPN), for sequence learning in spiking neural networks. Our model has a local learning rule, such that the synaptic weight updates depend only on the information directly accessible by the synapse. By exploiting asymmetry in the connections between binary neurons, we show that MPN can be trained to robustly memorize multiple spatiotemporal patterns of binary vectors, generalizing the ability of the symmetric Hopfield network to memorize static spatial patterns. In addition, we demonstrate that the model can efficiently learn sequences of binary pictures as well as generative models for experimental neural spike-train data. Our learning rule is consistent with spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), thus providing a theoretical ground for the systematic design of biologically inspired networks with large and robust long-range sequence storage capacity.


The Federal Reserve's January 25, 2012 announcement that the next federal funds rate hike is anticipated for the end of 2014 is consistent with historical funds rate policy responses to FOMC members' forecasts as documented in a simple, estimated rule-of-thumb. In principle, such consistency is a virtue in policy making, but there is a danger of repeating earlier mistakes. In particular, the FOMC risks giving too much weight to forecasts that proved unreliable in the past and underestimating the potential for sustained shifts in the natural employment rate.


One of the main Common Core Requirements focuses on student use of authentic subject area skills. These skills are those used by professionals in the academic field of study. It is important that students develop and use appropriate historical thinking skills in the classroom. Historical skills include ability to read, write, speak, listen, and complete research based projects, and to appropriately analyze primary and secondary documents to make conclusions about what has occurred during a historical event. The implementation of instructional techniques requiring students to think like a historian are widely supported in the literature and are largely focused on the development of student historical literacy. This article examines how combining the use of children's literature and primary sources can be used to construct a lesson promoting historical inquiry in the secondary classroom.


Acoustic emission based damage detection in composite structures is based on detection of ultra high frequency packets of acoustic waves emitted from damage sources (such as fibre breakage, fatigue fracture, amongst others) with a network of distributed sensors. This non-destructive monitoring scheme requires solving an inverse problem where the measured signals are linked back to the location of the source. This in turn enables rapid deployment of mitigative measures. The presence of significant amount of uncertainty associated with the operating conditions and measurements makes the problem of damage identification quite challenging. The uncertainties stem from the fact that the measured signals are affected by the irregular geometries, manufacturing imprecision, imperfect boundary conditions, existing damages/structural degradation, amongst others. This work aims to tackle these uncertainties within a framework of automated probabilistic damage detection. The method trains a probabilistic model of the parametrized input and output model of the acoustic emission system with experimental data to give probabilistic descriptors of damage locations. A response surface modelling the acoustic emission as a function of parametrized damage signals collected from sensors would be calibrated with a training dataset using Bayesian inference. This is used to deduce damage locations in the online monitoring phase. During online monitoring, the spatially correlated time data is utilized in conjunction with the calibrated acoustic emissions model to infer the probabilistic description of the acoustic emission source within a hierarchical Bayesian inference framework. The methodology is tested on a composite structure consisting of carbon fibre panel with stiffeners and damage source behaviour has been experimentally simulated using standard H-N sources. The methodology presented in this study would be applicable in the current form to structural damage detection under varying operational loads and would be investigated in future studies.


The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) is one of the largest tourist areas in India attracting both the international and domestic tourists each year. The Island Administration has a vision to develop the islands as an upmarket island destination for ecotourism. Among the island group, the South Andaman region is the most visited tourist destination and beaches of these islands have great potential for tourism attractions. The present work is an attempt to understand the potential of these beaches by assessing the carrying capacity in terms of number of visitors that can be allowed over a period of time, which will further help with better tourism management. The methodology used to estimate the tourism carrying capacity (TCC) is based on the physical and ecological conditions of each site and the existing infrastructure. The total effective carrying capacity (ECC) estimated for the beaches of Port Blair area (126,301 visitors/day) reveals that the current tourism activity is in lower level compared to its carrying capacity. Such carrying capacity assessments can be used as an input into the regular planning process. Preliminary estimates suggest that A&N Islands can be promoted for high value-low volume, eco-friendly, and environmentally sustainable tourism.


ABSTRACT One of the most outstanding apparent examples in N America of a forcibly emplaced pluton is the Papoose Flat Pluton of eastern California. Sideways expansion of this granitic pluton, during emplacement into a series of Cambrian shelf strata, has been regarded by early workers as resulting in the observed intense crystal plastic deformation of the pluton's mylonitic border facies and surrounding country rocks. This deformation is evidenced by up to 90% thinning of individual stratigraphic layers within the pluton's metamorphic aureole, although such intense penetrative deformation of the country rocks is not observed outside the aureole. Previously published quartz c-axis fabrics associated with this deformation (and presented on projection planes oriented perpendicular to lineation) were interpreted as being symmetrical with respect to foliation and lineation, implying almost coaxial deformation histories. Such fabrics could be interpreted as indicating that the pluton evolved by "ballooning" as a result of new magma being intruded into its core during emplacement. However, a major problem with applying the strict ballooning model to the Papoose Flat Pluton is that while oblate strains would be expected to develop in association with a ballooning mechanism, the mylonitic rocks of this elongate WNW-ESE-trending pluton and its aureole are characterised by both a strongly developed foliation, which is concordant with the pluton's margin, and an intense, NW-SE trending, shallow plunging stretching lineation. Previously published fabrics from the Papoose Flat Pluton and its metamorphic aureole have been rotated on to a projection plane oriented parallel to lineation and perpendicular to foliation. Examination of the fabrics in this projection plane has revealed that they are in fact dominantly asymmetric, and that a constant sense of asymmetry is detected across the pluton, suggesting a consistent (top-to-the-SE) shear-sense. This new interpretation is strongly supported by microstructural and petrofabric analysis of additional L-S tectonites collected, during recent fieldwork, from both the aureole and quartz veins within the pluton's gneissic border facies. Thus mylonite formation around the Papoose Flat Pluton could have involved large-scale consistently oriented translation and associated shearing, rather than passive "blister-like" coaxial deformation associated with pluton ballooning. It should be noted that mylonitic deformation is restricted to the western half of the pluton, features indicative of a more "permitted" emplacement mechanism being found in the eastern portion of the pluton. The detected top-to-the-SE shear-sense could be interpreted as indicating that the granitic material forming the western part of the pluton was forcibly intruded in a northwestward direction from the pluton source as a nearly solidified wedge beneath a static cover of sedimentary rocks. Alternatively, the detected shear sense could also be interpreted as indicating SE-directed thrusting of the cover rocks over the underlying pluton, the western margin of the pluton suffering intense mylonitic deformation, while the eastern margin was located in a "stress-shadow" region. If this alternative interpretation is correct, then the deformation temperatures indicated by the pattern of quartz c-axis fabrics dictate that thrusting must either be synchronous with pluton emplacement, or at least have commenced during the early stages of pluton cooling.


The hydrography, nutrient levels and plankton abundance were investigated monthly for a complete annual cycle in the southwestern part of Abu Qir Bay, the most polluted and biologically productive area on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast. Intense temporal and spatial variability was observed in all measured parameters characteristic of the effects of several effluents discharged into the bay. Based on the present investigation, the southwestern Bay can be divided ecologically and biologically into two parts: one including the near shore strip, which is directly affected by the waste waters, and a second comprising the southwestern part of the coastal strip and the offshore stations, both of which are relatively far away from the land-based effluents.The Bay water was characterized by low transparency (monthly average: 64-280 cm), dissolved oxygen (monthly average 2.0-6.8 mg/l) and surface salinity (monthly average: 24.8-37.9 ppt), the highest limits usually being in the offshore section. Water fertility and plankton production were high in the Bay indicating an occasionally acute degree of eutrophication, particularly nearshore. Great variations occurred in the concentrations of nutrients throughout the year, with monthly averages of 0.8-50.88 µ M for ammonia, 0.42-3.28 µ M for nitrite, 1.29-17.36 µ M for nitrate, 0.32-3.61 µ M for reactive phosphate and 1.09-33.34 µ M for reactive silicate. Similarly, the abundance of both phytoplankton and zooplankton showed pronounced temporal and spatial variability, whereas the monthly average chlorophyll-a fluctuated between 2.06 and 52.64 µ g/l and zooplankton between 31x10 3 and 248.6x10 3 ind./m 3 . However, the absolute values of all parameters indicated remarkably wider ranges of variations. Significant correlation was found between chlorophyll-a and some ecological parameters like temperature, salinity, transparency, dissolved oxygen, nitrite and between zooplankton and temperature, while there was a significant correlation between nutrient concentrations and salinity changes.


In this paper, the preconditions and effects of introducing flexible production technologies in LDCs are taken into consideration. The problems of Industrial development in LDCs, especially in NICs, is approached by studying the results from previous research work and by evaluating competing theories of technological development in LDCs.

Two contradicting hypotheses are presented. but neither of them is accepted as such. Both of them are criticized for being too simplifying and too general. The most common theoretical explanation for international industrial development, the theory of comparative advantages, is also taken under critical inspection in Chapter 3. As an overall explanation for LDC development or policy guideline it is rejected, and rather accepted as a normative tool for planning sequential development paths for industries in LDCs.

In chapter 2, a brief historical survey on the development of some industrial branches in various LDCs is presented. The effects of multinational corporations, the development of R&D activities and supply of skilled manpower are taken up as special themes. The features of LDCs are compared to each other and occasionally to some older industrial countries as well.

The picture is enriched with an excursion to recent developments in manufacturing technologies in Chapter 4. The problems of producing and applying flexible automation technologies in LDCs are summarized and formulated into a research approach in Chapter 5. The adopted approach is of a more concrete, more historically and institutionally oriented nature than the most commonly used research methods.

In Chapter 6, some countries are considered as possible targets for a more concrete study on flexible automation and LDCs. In the final chapter, the research approach is developed further and summarized into a sketch for an empiric study starting as a comparative survey between three pairs of countries.


Since the publication of the Bruntland report in 1987, IUCN, WWF and various UN agencies have developed sustainable use policies to enhance man's stewardship of the resources that the world's environment provides. These policies are, implicitly or explicitly, based on paradigms of environmental management. We have watched a transition from preservationism (where the emphasis is on exclusion or segregation of wild resources from humans) to sustainable use (where utilitarian values are placed on wild resources and the emphasis is on managing their use sustainably). There is increasing awareness that sustainable use of individual species is inseparable from the larger issue of sustainable development and that, ultimately, it is the resilience of both people and ecosystems that is essential for the long-term survival of both.Typologies and their resultant policies and programmes are not of course the sole determinants of environmental outcomes. The quality of macro-governance and demographic pressures are, for instance, two variables of high salience in southern Africa, the arena best known to the authors. These factors are mentioned in this paper but its focus is on the paradigm, policy and implementation process. This is the realm of environmental scholarship that the paper emphasises. The paper begins with a sequential paradigm review covering the past three decades. It then goes on to examine why these paradigm shifts have not had a more positive environmental impact. We look at natural resource policy from three perspectives: firstly, a 'Worm's-Eye' view where, if local communities were writing policy, what they might include as essential components; secondly, a 'Bird's-Eye' view where if governments are sensitive to local communities' aspirations, what should be incorporated in national policy to facilitate the development of local institutions and provide the incentives for sustainable management; and, thirdly, an 'Eagle's-Eye' view where global institutions (United Nations, CITES, CBD and international donors) adopt policies congruent with national and grass-roots level objectives. Throughout the discourse we emphasise the importance of trust and cooperation amongst stakeholders at all levels (Beinhocker 2006) and link our prescriptions to Ostrom's (1990) well-known principles of successful common property regimes. The paper concludes with the observation that paradigm shifts, to be effective, must be accompanied by changes in process. The currently emerging resilience paradigm in complex adaptive systems affects conservation scholarship, particularly at communal levels. Its emphasis on adaptive capacity and self-organisation has profound implications for the way we conduct our professional scholarship and conceptualise the process of knowledge generation. What is required is an epistemological mind-shift which expands the scope and quality of the data analysed.


The development of accurate urinary biomarkers for the non-invasive detection of urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) could transform patient pathways by reducing reliance on cystoscopy, and the identification of highly prognostic (or even predictive) biomarkers could better guide patient management. A number of approaches are being utilised to address these challenges in both urinary- and plasma-borne tumour DNA (tDNA), so-called "liquid biopsies". Next generation sequencing (NGS) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) allow detection of very low levels of such tDNA amongst a large excess of non-tumour DNA, the former permitting large mutation panels to be assessed and the latter potentially identifying ultrarare mutant alleles yet restricted for multiplexing. Christensen et al. recently published their data regarding a ddPCR approach for the detection of common FGFR3 and PIK3CA mutations in urinary cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). In this proof-of-principle study, levels of mutant cfDNA in the urine of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients were shown to be positively correlated with tumour stage, grade and size, and a high initial level of mutant urinary cfDNA indicated future disease progression. In a cystectomy patient group, high mutant urinary cfDNA predicted future disease recurrence, the association being more pronounced with ctDNA. In this Perspective, we discuss these data in more detail and in parallel with the study's limitations. We set these findings within the context of the field as a whole, highlighting important data from other groups, the strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches, and the exciting and potentially significant future utilities of these techniques.


Sibling relations are typically close but ambivalent, including both altruism and competition. Full siblings are often assumed to exhibit more altruism and less competition than half-siblings. However, previous empirical findings indicate that this assumption may not hold for sibling conflicts in contemporary humans. We study self-reported occurrence of sibling conflicts among adults in two generations with nationally representative data from the Generational Transmissions in Finland surveys in 2012. Respondents represent an older generation (born between 1945 and 1950, n = 2,015) and their adult children (born between 1962 and 1993, n = 1,565). Based on kin selection and parent-offspring conflict theory we expect reports of any conflict to be more likely between full siblings than half siblings, between maternal half siblings than paternal half-siblings, and among the younger generation compared to the older generation. Results mostly support our hypotheses. Full siblings were more likely to report conflicts than were maternal and paternal half siblings in the younger generation. In the older generation, full siblings were more likely to report conflicts with paternal but not maternal half siblings. The younger generation was also more conflict-prone than the older. Results held when controlling for contact frequency, emotional closeness, unequal parental treatment, and several socioeconomic variables, as well as for within-family effects. Thus, although full siblings are typically closer and have more contact in adulthood than half siblings do, they also appear to have more conflicts. We suggest that this can be explained by diluted resource competition over parental investment between half siblings in societies with serial monogamy.


G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) phosphorylates and desensitises activated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). In this thesis, I identify ezrin, a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family of actin/plasma membrane cross- linkers, as a novel non-GPCR substrate of GRK2. GRK2 phosphorylates ezrin within a 53 amino acid region that encompasses the phosphorylation site required for ezrin activation, threonine-567. Two lines of evidence indicate that GRK2 acts as an effector of activated GPCRs through phosphorylation of ERM proteins. Firstly, in Hep2 cells muscarinic Ml receptor (MlMR) activation promotes cytoskeletal reorganisation and membrane ruffling. This ruffling response is ERM-dependent and is accompanied by ERM protein phosphorylation. Inhibition of GRK2, but not Rho kinase, protein kinase C or cAMP-dependent protein kinase, prevents ERM protein phosphorylation and membrane ruffling. Secondly, agonist-induced internalisation of the (-adrenergic receptor (P2AR) and Ml MR is accompanied by ERM protein phosphorylation and localisation of phosphorylated ERM proteins to receptor-containing endosomal vesicles. The Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor, however, is not required for co-localisation of phosphorylated ERM proteins to the p2AR. Inhibition of ezrin function impedes P2AR internalisation, further linking GPCR activation, GRK activity and ezrin function. However, ERM protein phosphorylation does not occur following M2 muscarinic receptor (M2MR) activation and ERM proteins do not colocalise with internalised M2MR, suggesting that ERM proteins may be required for the internalisation of a subset of GPCRs. Overall, my results indicate that GRK2 serves not only to attenuate but also to transduce some GPCR-mediated signals.


Ventilation and air distribution methods are important for indoor thermal environments and air quality. Effective distribution of airflow for indoor built environments with the aim of simultaneously offsetting thermal and ventilation loads in an energy efficient manner has been the research focus in the past several decades. Based on airflow characteristics, ventilation methods can be categorized as fully mixed or non-uniform. Non-uniform methods can be further divided into piston, stratified and task zone ventilation. In this paper, the theory, performance, practical applications, limitations and solutions pertaining to ventilation and air distribution methods are critically reviewed. Since many ventilation methods are buoyancy driving that confines their use for heating mode, some methods suitable for heating are discussed. Furthermore, measuring and evaluating methods for ventilation and air distribution are also discussed to give a comprehensive framework of the review.


Background: Exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) can adversely impact health but epidemiologic studies are limited in their abilities to assess long-term exposures and incorporate variability in indoor pollutant infiltration. Methods: In order to examine settled house dust levels of hopanes, engine lubricating oil byproducts found in vehicle exhaust, as a novel TRAP exposure measure, dust samples were collected from 171 homes in five Canadian cities and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. To evaluate source contributions, the relative abundance of the highest concentration hopane monomer in house dust was compared to that in outdoor air. Geographic variables related to TRAP emissions and outdoor NO 2 concentrations from city-specific TRAP land use regression (LUR) models were calculated at each georeferenced residence location and assessed as predictors of variability in dust hopanes. Results: Hopanes relative abundance in house dust and ambient air were significantly correlated (Pearson's r=0.48, p<0.05), suggesting that dust hopanes likely result from traffic emissions. The proportion of variance in dust hopanes concentrations explained by LUR NO2 was less than 10% in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto while the correlations in Edmonton and Windsor explained 20 to 40% of the variance. Modeling with household factors such as air conditioning and shoe removal along with geographic predictors related to TRAP generally increased the proportion of explained variability (10-80%) in measured indoor hopanes dust levels. Conclusions: Hopanes can consistently be detected in house dust and may be a useful tracer of TRAP exposure if determinants of their spatiotemporal variability are well-characterized, and when home-specific factors are considered.


Abstract. Atmospheric particles can serve as cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. The presence of surface active compounds in the particle may affect the critical supersaturation that is required to activate a particle. Modelling surfactants in the context of Kohler theory, however, is difficult because surfactant enrichment at the surface implies that a stable radial concentration gradient must exist in the droplet. In this study, we introduce a hybrid model that accounts for partitioning between the bulk and surface phases in the context of single parameter representations of cloud condensation nucleus activity. The presented formulation incorporates analytical approximations of surfactant partitioning to yield a set of equations that maintain the conceptual and mathematical simplicity of the single parameter framework. The resulting set of equations allows users of the single parameter model to account for surfactant partitioning by applying minor modifications to already existing code.


The stratigraphic distribution of the Late Callovian to Early Oxfordian dinoflagellate cyst Stephanelytron Sarjeant 1961 emend provides new evidence pertaining to its evolution. Middle and Upper Callovian times favoured the development of speciations to a short-ranging Stephanelytron community with corona(s) in ventral–posterior position (Stephanelytron brontes, S. callovianum, S. ceto and S. tabulophorum) from eurytopic species with antapical coronas (S. caytonense, S. membranoidium, S. redcliffense and S. scarburghense). The former group of species (except S. tabulophorum) may represent an example of peripatric speciation from an unfavourable mutation. The reduced stratigraphic range gives the appearance of an endemic population. The genus Lagenadinium Piel, 1985 is a junior synonym of Stephanelytron Sarjeant, 1961. A new emendation of Stephanelytron, two new combinations (S. callovianum and S. membranoidium) and two new species (?S. brontes and S. ceto) are proposed.


Heterogeneous sequences of exhumed fault rocks preserve a record of the long-term evolution of fault strength and deformation behaviour during prolonged tectonic activity. Along the Outer Hebrides Fault Zone (OHFZ) in NW Scotland, numerous pseudotachylytes record palaeoseismic slip events within sequences of mylonites, cataclasites and phyllonites. To date, the kinematics and controls on seismicity within the long active history of the OHFZ have been poorly constrained. Additional uncertainties over the relative location of a meteorite impact and possible pre-OHFZ brittle faulting also complicate interpretation of the diffuse seismic record. We present kinematic analyses of seismicity in the OHFZ, combining observations of offset markers, en echelon injection veins and injection vein geometry to reconstruct slip directions and stress fields. This new dataset indicates that a range of fault orientations, slip directions and slip senses hosted seismicity in the OHFZ. Such complexity requires several stress field orientations, in contrast with the NW–SE Caledonian compression traditionally attributed to frictional melting along the OHFZ, indicating that seismicity had a long-term presence across the fault zone. Persistence of strong frictional failure alongside the simultaneous development of weak fault rocks and phyllonitic shear zones in parts of the OHFZ has significant implications for understanding seismic hazard along mature continental faults. Supplementary material: Tables listing analysed orientation measurements plus further information and sensitivity testing of palaeostress analysis parameters are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5134797


We report a case of a 59-year-old man with a severe generalized form of Hailey-Hailey disease that was complicated by fatal liver injury. Erosive lesions were first noted in the axillary and perianal regions at 15 year of age, and Hailey-Hailey disease was diagnosed based on the clinical features and histologic findings in skin biopsy specimens. The patient was treated with at first topical steroids and later a low dose of a corticosteroid, but the skin lesions gradually became generalized. At 45 years of age liver dysfunction was detected after azathioprine and vinblastine treatment for the generalized skin lesions. The liver injury gradually progressed and finally the patient died. The gene responsible for Hailey-Hailey disease was recently identified as ATP2C1, and it encodes a Ca(2+)-transport ATPase with broad expression, including in skin and liver. This finding suggests that mutation of the ATP2C1 gene may give rise to an extracutaneous phenotype, such as the liver dysfunction observed in severe cases, including our own. Further accumulation of cases is necessary to determine whether this is true.


Studies of the spin, parity and tensor couplings of the Higgs boson in the H → Z Z∗ → 4 , H → WW ∗ → eνμν and H → γ γ decay processes at the LHC are presented. The investigations are based on 25 fb−1 of pp collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at √ s = 7 TeV and √s = 8 TeV. The Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson hypothesis, corresponding to the quantum numbers J P = 0+, is tested against several alternative spin scenarios, including non-SM spin-0 and spin-2 models with universal and non-universal couplings to fermions and vector bosons. All tested alternative models are excluded in favour of the SM Higgs boson hypothesis at more than 99.9 % confidence level. Using the H → Z Z∗ → 4 and H → WW ∗ → eνμν decays, the tensor structure of the interaction between the spin-0 boson and the SM vector bosons is also investigated. The observed distributions of variables sensitive to the non-SM tensor couplings are compatible with the SM predictions and constraints on the nonSM couplings are derived.


Abstract This study predicts self-initiated bullying from three variables: shaming, forgiveness and shame. Data were collected from 1875 Bangladeshi school children (60% girls; mean grade = 8.28) using the Bengali version of the Life at School Survey. Results demonstrated that reintegrative shaming and forgiveness were related to less bullying. High shame acknowledgment (accepting responsibility, making amends) and low shame displacement into anger or blaming others were also associated with less bullying. Liking school protected children who experienced (a) less reintegrative shaming, and (b) more stigmatising shaming at home. Equally, more reintegrative shaming and less stigmatising shaming protected children against bullying when liking for school was absent. The forgiveness main effect on bullying (22.4% reduction) was much bigger than the main effect of reintegrative shaming (11.3% reduction). These results are consistent with the view that forgiveness is a more powerful restorative practice than reintegrative shaming.


HYPOTHESIS
Positron emission tomography (PET) influences clinical management in the preoperative evaluation of patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer.

DESIGN
Prospective cohort study.

SETTING
Academic tertiary care center.

PATIENTS
From January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2002, 71 consecutive patients referred with potentially resectable hepatic metastases based on conventional imaging findings underwent PET or PET with computed tomography in the subsequent preoperative evaluation.

INTERVENTION
Performance of hepatic resection was based on the results of the overall preoperative evaluation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Concordance with conventional imaging findings, identification of additional findings, and change in clinical management were analyzed.

RESULTS
The PET findings confirmed the lesions identified by conventional imaging techniques in 64 (90%) of the patients. Additional lesions were identified on PET in 23 patients (32%). The information obtained by PET resulted in a change in clinical management in 17 cases (24%). False-positive PET findings occurred in 6 patients (8%), whereas false understaging occurred in 11 (15%). In no cases did PET findings have an adverse impact on patient outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
Positron emission tomography provides useful information in the selection of patients with hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer being considered for surgical therapy. Such improved selection may serve to reduce the number of unnecessary surgical explorations and result in improved long-term survival in patients undergoing resection. Positron emission tomography should be integrated into the routine preoperative evaluation of patients being considered for hepatic resection of colorectal metastases.


Abstract: In normal life circumstances, due to a harmful event which results in a death of a person, it is an undisputed fact that the closest relatives of a deceised person experience mental distress.The closest relatives are indirectly damaged, and the right for compensation for mental distress that they have suffered from due to the death of a close person is the right on behalf of the indirect loss they have experienced.

As the mental distress belongs to the scope of an immaterial damage, an intangible loss and there is no possibility to go back to the previous state of things, the only way to compensate for this type of loss is monetary compensation. The amount of money that is adjudicated in these cases represent satisfaction for the loss that has been experienced and are a mean which serves the purpose of relieving the pain for the loss of a close person.

It is widely known that the pain a parent experiences, especially the one a mother experiences when she loses a child, and the trauma children experence when they lose a parent are of high intensity.

Children will suffer form the experience longer than older persons due to their youth. The pain parents experience is more permanent than the pain a spouse experiences, especially if it is a young spouse from a short marriage since there is a possibility to establish a new marriage or cohabitation. All these circumstances are of the vital importance when determining the amount of money


Endometrial tissue from the gravid uterine horn of pregnant mares was examined by northern analysis and in situ hybridization for mRNA that hybridized to cDNA and RNA probes generated from a mouse TGF-beta 2 1.2 kb cDNA clone. The mouse cDNA probe hybridized to characteristic TGF-beta 2 mRNA transcripts on a northern blot of total RNA isolated from horse endometrium collected at day 45 of gestation. Two major 4.0 and 3.5 kb transcripts and possibly a minor 1.6 kb transcript were observed, consistent with specific hybridization to equine TGF-beta 2 mRNA. By in situ hybridization, riboprobes transcribed from the same fragment used in northern analysis hybridized to clusters of cells scattered between endometrial glands at days 38, 40, 42, 43, 78 and 81 of gestation. Positive cells were absent before day 38. From day 38 to day 43 there was marked hybridization over maternal leucocytes in the region of the developing endometrial cups, and at later stages (day 78 and day 81) clusters of cells positive for mRNA encoding TGF-beta 2 were localized within the dense band of leucocytes at the periphery of the degenerating endometrial cups. There was no hybridization to invasive or non-invasive trophoblast or to fully differentiated endometrial cup cells. Approximately 90% of the TGF-beta 2 positive cells detected in the sections taken at day 78 also stained with chromotrope 2R used to detect eosinophils and the morphology of approximately 50% of these cells was characteristic of eosinophils.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Since the status of endogenous retrovirus elements in Chinese chickens is currently unknown, the embryonated eggs were analyzed from 10 different chicken breeds throughout China. In this study, endogenous retrovirus elements were analyzed including: EAV, ev, ev/J, and ART-CH in the embryos of economically important chicken flocks in China. These results indicated that compared with the E51 and EAV-0, the EAV genomic sequence in the tested chicken breeds was more closely related to EAV-0. The ART-CH elements in Chinese chickens were not significantly different from the prototype ART-CH clones, 5 and 14. Although the nucleotide acid sequences of ev and ev/J in the tested chicken breeds was similar to other known ev and ev/J sequences, they belonged to different branches in the phylogenetic tree (except for Lohmann Brown layers and White Leghorns). In addition, the intact ev/J sequences indicated that these chickens were somewhat different from each other. The results reported here demonstrate that endogenous ALVs are widely distributed throughout a number of Chinese chicken breeds. The endogenous viral genomes present in the Chinese chicken breeds are genetically distinct from other endogenous viruses circulating within chicken populations.


Effective management of student affairs in public universities continue to pose a major challenge to university administrators and student leaders in many parts of the world including Kenya. Public universities are perpetually ravaged by rampant incidences of student unrests and strikes yet innovative approaches meant to curb such incidences have been adopted that involved student leaders in governance of institutions of higher learning. The effectiveness of these innovative approaches in university governance is not clearly documented. The rationale of the study was to analyse the challenges faced by student leaders in managing student affairs in public universities in Kenya. The study employed descriptive survey research design. Stratified random sampling was used to select student leaders from public universities in Kenya. The sample size comprised of 19 members of student governing councils, 50 class representatives and 73 clubs and society leaders, making a total of 142 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires. Analysed data revealed that 50.4% of the student leaders experienced challenges while executing their functions. The major challenges included conflict between academic pursuits and leadership roles, lack of teamwork among student leaders and students' ignorance of university policies and statutes. The study further established a strong and statistically significant relationship between the challenges faced by student leaders and effective student affairs services in public universities at 0.05 levels of significant with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.789. The study concluded that challenges experienced by student leaders may impede effective discharge of their duties and may result in poor service delivery leading to incidences of riots. The study recommends that student leaders should be assisted to solve internal problems that may affect the effective discharge of their duties as a way of addressing unrests in public universities.


This study used the alkaline Comet assay to evaluate whether basal or H2O2-induced DNA damage is associated with prostate cancer (CaP) risk. Using lymphocyte samples from 158 CaP cases and 128 controls, collected in an ongoing case-control study, our results showed that basal DNA damage did not differ between cases and controls. However, the H2O2-induced DNA damage level was significantly higher in incident cases (mean +/- SD; 6.61 +/- 4.43, n = 102) than controls (5.30 +/- 3.60, n = 128) or prevalent cases (4.47 +/- 3.19; n = 56). Incident cases with a positive smoking history had significantly higher H2O2-induced DNA damage than never-smokers (7.57 +/- 4.82 versus 4.52 +/- 2.40; P < 0.001). Above-median H2O2-induced DNA damage was associated with a 1.61-fold increase in CaP risk [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.92-2.81], after adjustment for age, race, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), smoking history and family history (FH). Using the lowest quartile of H2O2-induced DNA damage as the referent group, the adjusted ORs for the 25th, 50th and 75th quartiles were 0.90 (95% CI = 0.39-2.05), 1.06 (95% CI = 0.48-2.35) and 2.05 (95% CI = 0.96-4.37), respectively (P = 0.046, test for linear trend). The association between CaP and DNA damage was modified by age, smoking history, family history and body mass index. Our results suggest that DNA damage may be associated with CaP risk. However, larger case-control and follow-up studies are warranted to further evaluate the potential application of the alkaline Comet assay in CaP risk assessment and prevention.


Standard practice of wave-height hazard analysis often pays little attention to the uncertainty of assessed return periods and occurrence probabilities. This fact favors the opinion that, when large events happen, the hazard assessment should change accordingly. However, uncertainty of the hazard estimates is normally able to hide the effect of those large events. This is illustrated using data from the Mediterranean coast of Spain, where the last years have been extremely disastrous. Thus, it is possible to compare the hazard assessment based on data previous to those years with the analysis including them. With our approach, no significant change is detected when the statistical uncertainty is taken into account. The hazard analysis is carried out with a standard model. Time-occurrence of events is assumed Poisson distributed. The wave-height of each event is modelled as a random variable which upper tail follows a Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD). Moreover, wave-heights are assumed independent from event to event and also independent of their occurrence in time. A threshold for excesses is assessed empirically. The other three parameters (Poisson rate, shape and scale parameters of GPD) are jointly estimated using Bayes' theorem. Prior distribution accounts for physical features of ocean waves in the Mediterranean sea and experience with these phenomena. Posterior distribution of the parameters allows to obtain posterior distributions of other derived parameters like occurrence probabilities and return periods. Predictives are also available. Computations are carried out using the program BGPE v2.0.


We show that exchange rate pass-through to consumer prices varies not only across countries, but also over time. Previous literature has highlighted the role of an economy's 'structure' — such as its inflation volatility, inflation rate, use of foreign currency invoicing, and openness — in explaining these variations in pass-through. We use a sample of 26 advanced and emerging economies to show which of these structural variables are significant in explaining not only differences in pass-through across countries, but also over time. The 'shocks' leading to exchange rate movements can also explain variations in pass‑through over time. For example, exchange rate movements caused by monetary policy shocks consistently correspond to significantly higher estimates of pass-through than those caused by demand shocks. The role of 'shocks' in driving pass-through over time can be as large as that of structural variables, and even larger for some countries. As a result, forecasts predicting how a given exchange rate movement will impact inflation at a specific point in time should take into account not just an economy's 'structure', but also the 'shocks'.


Occupant behaviour simulation frameworks can employ synthetic populations to characterize occupancy and behavioural patterns in buildings based on observed demographic data at a certain geographical location. For buildings, very few synthetic occupant populations have been generated. This paper uses a Bayesian Networks (BN) structural learning approach to synthesize populations of occupants in a multi-family housing case study. Two additional cases of office occupants and senior housing residents are considered as a cross-case comparison. We draw upon the extended version of drivers-needs-actions-systems (DNAS) framework to guide the selection of variables and data imputation. Our results show that the BN approach is powerful in learning the structure of data sets. The synthetic data sets successfully match the joint distributions of the underlying combined data sets. Experiments on the multi-family housing particularly show better performance than the office and senior housing cases.


Context. In most current debris disc models, the dynamical and the collisional evolutions are studied separately with N-body and statistical codes, respectively, because of stringent computational constraints. In particular, incorporating collisional effects (especially destructive collisions) into an N-body scheme has proven a very arduous task because of the exponential increase of particles it would imply. Aims. We present here LIDT-DD, the first code able to mix both approaches in a fully self-consistent way. Our aim is for it to be generic enough to be applied to any astrophysical case where we expect dynamics and collisions to be deeply interlocked with one another: planets in discs, violent massive breakups, destabilized planetesimal belts, bright exozodiacal discs, etc.Methods. The code takes its basic architecture from the LIDT3D algorithm for protoplanetary discs, but has been strongly modified and updated to handle the very constraining specificities of debris disc physics: high-velocity fragmenting collisions, radiation-pressure affected orbits, absence of gas that never relaxes initial conditions, etc. It has a 3D Lagrangian-Eulerian structure, where grains of a given size at a given location in a disc are grouped into super-particles or tracers whose orbits are evolved with an N-body code and whose mutual collisions are individually tracked and treated using a particle-in-a-box prescription designed to handle fragmenting impacts. To cope with the wide range of possible dynamics for same-sized particles at any given location in the disc, and in order not to lose important dynamical information, tracers are sorted and regrouped into dynamical families depending on their orbits. A complex reassignment routine that searches for redundant tracers in each family and reassignes them where they are needed, prevents the number of tracers from diverging.Results. The LIDT-DD code has been successfully tested on simplified cases for which robust results have been obtained in past studies: we retrieve the classical features of particle size distributions in unperturbed discs and the outer radial density profiles in ~r-1.5 outside narrow collisionally active rings as well as the depletion of small grains in dynamically cold discs. The potential of the new code is illustrated with the test case of the violent breakup of a massive planetesimal within a debris disc. Preliminary results show that we are able for the first time to quantify the timescale over which the signature of such massive break-ups can be detected. In addition to studying such violent transient events, the main potential future applications of the code are planet and disc interactions, and more generally, any configurations where dynamics and collisions are expected to be intricately connected.


Introduction Causal methods have been adopted and adapted across health disciplines, particularly for the analysis of single studies. However, the sample sizes necessary to best inform decision-making are often not attainable with single studies, making pooled individual-level data analysis invaluable for public health efforts. Researchers commonly implement causal methods prevailing in their home disciplines, and how these are selected, evaluated, implemented and reported may vary widely. To our knowledge, no article has yet evaluated trends in the implementation and reporting of causal methods in studies leveraging individual-level data pooled from several studies. We undertake this review to uncover patterns in the implementation and reporting of causal methods used across disciplines in research focused on health outcomes. We will investigate variations in methods to infer causality used across disciplines, time and geography and identify gaps in reporting of methods to inform the development of reporting standards and the conversation required to effect change. Methods and analysis We will search four databases (EBSCO, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science) using a search strategy developed with librarians from three universities (Heidelberg University, Harvard University, and University of California, San Francisco). The search strategy includes terms such as 'pool*', 'harmoniz*', 'cohort*', 'observational', variations on 'individual-level data'. Four reviewers will independently screen articles using Covidence and extract data from included articles. The extracted data will be analysed descriptively in tables and graphically to reveal the pattern in methods implementation and reporting. This protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020143148). Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval was required as only publicly available data were used. The results will be submitted as a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal, disseminated in conferences if relevant, and published as part of doctoral dissertations in Global Health at the Heidelberg University Hospital.


This thesis reports on the integration of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and gamma ray detectors to improve the non-intrusive localisation of radioactive wastes buried in porous materials such as soil and concrete. The research was undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, a new non-intrusive technique for retrieving the depth of a buried radioactive source from two-dimensional raster radiation images was developed. The images were obtained by moving a gamma-ray detector in discrete steps on the surface of the material volume in which the source is buried and measuring the gamma spectrum at each step. The depth of the source was then estimated by fitting the intensity values from the measured spectra to an approximate three-dimensional gamma-ray attenuation model. This procedure was first optimised using Monte Carlo simulations and then validated using experiments. The results showed that this method is able to estimate the depth of a 658 kBq caesium-137 point source buried up to 18 cm in each of sand, soil and gravel. However, the use of only gamma-ray data to estimate the depth of the sources requires foreknowledge of the density of the embedding material. This is usually III IV difficult without having recourse to intrusive density estimation methods or historical density values. Therefore, the second phase of the research employed integrated GPR and gamma ray detection to solve this density requirement problem. Firstly, four density models were investigated using a suite of materials and the best model was then used to develop the integration method. Results from numerical simulations showed that the developed integration method can simultaneously retrieve the soil density and the depth and radius of disk-shaped radioactive objects buried up to 20 cm in soil of varying conditions with a elative error of less than 10%. Therefore, the integration method eliminates the need for prior knowledge of the density of the embedding material. This work represents the first time data from these two systems i.e., GPR and gamma-ray detector, will be integrated for the detection and localisation of radioactive sources. Furthermore, the results from the developed methods confirm that an integrated GPR and gamma-ray detector system is a viable tool for non-intrusive localisation of buried radioactive sources. This will enable improved characterisation of buried radioactive wastes encountered during the decommissioning of nuclear sites and facilities.


Objective Previous studies have shown that the application of the Ottawa knee rule (OKR) reduces the need for radiographs in adults with acute knee injuries. Our objectives were to describe the epidemiology and incidence of knee injuries in children with acute knee trauma and to validate the OKR in a pediatric population. Design A prospective, consecutive study. Settings Two urban pediatric emergency departments. Methods All children 18 years of age and under who presented with acute traumatic knee injury of less than 1 week's duration, excluding patients with a normal knee examination, superficial skin injuries, prior history of knee injury, underlying bone disease, serious injuries involving two or more organ systems, or altered mental status were enrolled. Physicians assessed each patient for 22 standardized clinical findings prior to radiography. The OKR was applied to each patient by the investigating physician. Results All 234 patients eligible for the study had radiographs of the affected knee. The median age was 13 years with a range of 2 to 18 years. Using the OKR criteria for obtaining knee radiographs, 12 of 13 patients with fractures were identified (sensitivity 92%; 95% CI= 64–99). The missed case was an 8-year-old male who had sustained a nondisplaced fracture of the proximal tibia after a fall. If the OKR were applied to the pediatric population, it would have reduced the need for radiography in 46% of children. Conclusions In the pediatric population studied, the OKR did not identify all patients with knee fractures. Future studies may consider modifying the OKR to accommodate the differences between pediatric and adult patients to improve the sensitivity of the rule while maintaining its specificity, before it can be applied routinely in clinical practice.


Anthocyanins are distributed ubiquitously to terrestrial plants and chalcone isomerase (CHI) catalyzes the stereospecific isomerization of chalcones – a committed step in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway. In this study, one gene encoding CHI was isolated from Ophiorrhiza japonica and designated as OjCHI. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis revealed that OjCHI had the conserved CHI active site residues and was classified into type I CHI group. In order to better understand the mechanisms of anthocyanin synthesis in O. japonica, integrative analysis between metabolites and OjCHI expression was conducted. The results showed OjCHI expression matched the accumulation patterns of anthocyanins not only in different tissues but also during the flower developmental stages, suggesting the potential roles of OjCHI in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin. Then biochemical analysis indicated that recombinant OjCHI protein exhibited a typical type I CHI activity which catalyzed the production of naringenin from naringenin chalcone. Moreover, expressing OjCHI in Arabidopsis tt5 mutant restored the anthocyanins and flavonols phenotype of hypocotyl, cotyledon and seed coat, indicating its function as a chalcone isomerase in vivo. In summary, our findings reveal the in vitro as well as in vivo functions of OjCHI and provide a resource to understand the mechanism of anthocyanin biosynthesis in O. japonica.


Can Chameleons Lead Change? The Effect of Resistance to Change on High Self-Monitoring Leaders' Strength of Purpose Robert B. Morris II The evidence linking self-monitoring (Snyder, 1974) and leadership suggests that it is better to be high than low in self-monitoring regarding leader effectiveness (Day et al., 2002); however, social responsiveness could be a double-edged sword when it comes to leading organization change. It was hypothesized that high self-monitoring (HSM) leaders would launch change in a participative manner and create positive conditions for change, but they would lack strength of purpose for leading the effort in the face of resistance. Grit (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews & Kelly, 2007), an individual characteristic introduced recently by positive psychologists, is potentially a positive characteristic of change leaders. It was also predicted that grit would be a positive predictor of leader strength of purpose for leading change. Drawing on these literatures, a theoretical model was developed and tested to examine the interaction effect of these two characteristics and a change leader's situation (resistance or support) on strength of purpose (commitment to change goals and intentions to stay with the organization). Two surveys, one scenario-based and one experience-based, were administered to senior leaders (mean age = 43) from across the globe representing a wide range of industries and job functions. The results provided some support that self-monitoring interacted with the leader situation to predict leader approach to change in the scenario survey group, but not in the experience survey group. The findings also demonstrated support for self-monitoring theory in that cultural context moderated the relationship between self-monitoring and leader approach to change, such that HSMs' approach varied significantly depending on whether they were leading change inside or outside their own country of origin (i.e., nationality) whereas LSMs did not vary their approach across these different contexts. The prediction that grit would predict leader strength of purpose was unsupported. It was also found that cultural context moderated the relationship between leader situation and intentions to stay with the organization such that, in conditions of less support (i.e., resistance) from one's established in-group (nationality or societal culture match between the leader and change recipients), leaders expressed higher intentions to leave than when unsupported in out-group conditions. These results and the implications for future research and practice are discussed.


Orientation: Work-based identity, used as a reference to the self, is the answer to the question 'Who am I at work?' Work-related identities, derived from different social foci through identity formation processes, have as behavioural guides a significant influence on employee behaviour, which, in turn has an impact on work outcomes. Engagement, presented in different conceptualisations, is viewed by practitioners and academic researchers as an important antecedent of employee behaviour. Research purpose: The main purpose of the study was to investigate whether work-based identity and work engagement differed (in combination with personal alienation, helping behaviour and burnout) as potential antecedents (amongst numerous others) of task performance and turnover intention. Research design: A census-based sampling approach amongst 23 134 employees in the employment of an ICT company yielded a sample of 2429 usable questionnaires. Scales used in the study were the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS-20), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Work-based Identity, Personal Alienation, Helping Behaviour, Turnover Intention and Task Performance Scales. Main findings: The findings indicate that work-based identity and work engagement give similar appearing results as potential predictors of turnover intention and task performance. Practical/managerial implications: Reducing withdrawal behaviours and enhancing work performance are everyday challenges for organisations. Interventions focused on enhancing work-based identity and work engagement in the work environment should have a meaningful impact when these behaviours need to be addressed. Contribution/value-add: Work-based identity as a multidimensional construct has the potential, with further refinement, to become a valuable construct that can play a leading role in future work engagement research.


The constitutional structure of a federal system of government can undermine effective natural capital management across scales, from local to global. Federal constitutions that grant subnational governments virtually exclusive regulatory authority over certain types of natural capital appropriation — such as resources appropriated by private forest management or other land-use-related economic development activities — entrench a legally defensible natural capital commons in those jurisdictions. For example, the same constitution that may legally facilitate poor forest-management practices by private landowners in the southeastern United States may complicate international negotiations related to forest management and climate change. Both the local and international issues may remain unaddressed because the national government is not constitutionally empowered to guide subnational policy formation and therefore may not bind subnational governments to certain types of international agreements related to private forests. Though there are around 160 unitary systems of government worldwide, compared to 25 federal systems, approximately 46 percent of the world's land base is contained within the boundaries of federal nations. For certain types of natural capital, like forests, the numbers are even starker. Though federal systems comprise approximately 13 percent of the world's governments, they maintain control over 70 to 80 percent of the world's forests—a resource crucial for combating climate change.Ultimately, national constitutional incapacity to participate in the direct regulation of subnational natural capital management in federal systems may legally entrench a series of natural capital commons, one nested within another: 1) private individuals may rationally appropriate natural capital within the state commons in the absence of state government rules guiding sustainable resource appropriation; 2) state governments may rationally appropriate natural capital within the national commons because the national government is not constitutionally empowered to guide resource appropriation within states; and 3) national governments may rationally appropriate resources within the global commons because subnational governments constrain federal system participation in legally binding global governance of resources. This Article introduces and describes, at the most basic level, the operation of nested natural capital commons created by certain federal structures. This description is necessarily preliminary, establishing a foundation for future detailed study of both the structure and operation of nested natural capital commons and how keystone constitutions in federal systems may be fortified to allow more effective natural capital management across local, national, and global scales.


This study seeks to analyze the form of law enforcement in Indonesia against environmental crimes committed by the parent company, and the criminal liability of the parent company in the event of an environmental crime within the parent company. This research uses library research method and post-positivism paradigm. by collecting data in the form of sources of legal material in the form of legislation, literature, and writings related to this research, processed and analyzed qualitatively. Empirical data was obtained to strengthen the findings. The results showed that there has not been a single law enforcement against holding companies in environmental crimes in Indonesia. The criminal responsibility of an environmental crime within the scope of the holding company is directed to the holding company as the leader and/or the giver of orders; subsidiary as actor; and/or both together.


Abstract : The benefits of programming in a functional style are well known. In particular, algorithms that are expressed as compositions of functions operating on series/vectors/streams of data elements are much easier to understand and modify than equivalent algorithms expressed as loops. Unfortunately, many programmers hesitate to use series expressions, because they are typically implemented very inefficiently. A Common Lisp macro package (OSS) has been implemented which supports a restricted class of series expressions, obviously sychronizable series expressions, which can be evaluated very efficiently by automatically converting them into loops. Using this macro package, programmers can obtain the advantages of expressing computations as series expressions without incurring any run-time overhead. Keywords: Compilation; Program optimization; Enumerators; Online transducers; Offline transducers; Series functions; Debugging.


Abstract This article presents a comparative analysis of two ethnographic case studies conducted in local theatres in the Slovak town of Komárno and the British city of Coventry. These two locations are very different – one is a small town on the Slovak-Hungarian border and the other an urban centre in the Midlands region of Britain – and yet they are both characterised by the multiethnic and culturally diverse composition of their populations. The two youth theatres in question are also distinct in their genres: one bases its performances on folklore traditions, whereas the other is an avant-garde physical theatre. At the same time, the productions of both groups manifest a deep involvement in the representation of cultural heritage and the current social issues in their respective locations. Drawing on anthropological conceptualisations of theatre as a form of ritualised performance (see Turner, 1969, 1982; Schechner, 1985, 1993), this paper explores the processes and contexts of the enactment of past conflict and/or violence presented by the two theatrical groups in order to engage with traumatic events in local (and national) history. These processes, which embrace the values of cultural diversity and inclusion, are important for the construction of community identities. The liminality of ritualised performance enables actors and audiences to cross social (including ethnicity and class) and temporal boundaries. They reproduce memories of past violence to make sense of present tensions, such as growing nationalism and xenophobia, and to project their vision of the communal future. This often results in the contestation of the very meaning of place, community and belonging. Furthermore, the article demonstrates that such artistic interpretations of the local past and heritage are instrumental in shaping the identities of the participating youth. The comparison of the two cases also reveals noticeable differences between cosmopolitan and ethno-cultural discourses, which are prevalent in imagining the place, history and heritage of Coventry and Komárno respectively.


Much has been written in the past few days about the legacy of the late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, including many mentions of her hair.

It is difficult to imagine similar attention being paid to the sartorial or grooming practices of a male politician. References to Thatcher's "bouffant" hairstyle are typically accompanied by observations that no other traditionally feminine elements were part of her famously tough, uncompromising political style and her relentless prosecution of her political agenda.

This is a familiar story. "Hair and costume commentary" routinely overlays analysis of the leadership style and policy positions of women in high office. Julia Gillard has received a steady stream of media coverage of every aspect of her appearance from her hair to her shoes, her earlobes to her buttocks. But she is not alone.

German chancellor Angela Merkel was pilloried for her allegedly dowdy appearance. An image makeover after becoming leader of the Christian Democratic Union brought no relief: she was ridiculed for an awkward fit between her new, feminine look and her direct and sometimes terse political persona.


This paper is an adaption of a longer investigation of the relationship between politics and poetry in the Palestinian context, focusing on the work of Mahmoud Darwish. For this selection, I have adapted the sections pertaining to the efficacy of poetry in the context of historical events–specifically the traumatic history of the Palestinians. It is my argument that artistic practices like poetry act primarily as a means of narrative creation that skillfully integrate the experiences of the poet and thus negotiate the experiences of the listeners in order to create new meaning. This dialogue between audience and poet creates a persuasive and novel movement within the conceptual field; thinking about something in terms of something else (metaphor). This has the effect of making the poet an intractable source of historical meaning. The questions of the past, a dizzying array of dissonant occurrences, fractured experiences, and selected memory, find cogency within the poetic form. This artistic formation only gains this cogency through a precise system of cognitive faculties, which are shared by both poet and audience. The poetry of Mahmoud Darwish acts as a means of understanding history in the context of the present; creating an integrated narrative-history, which has important implications on experience, implicating present action through a 'reading' of the past.


Grapes and wine production residuals, containing grape skins, seeds and stems, represent important sources of phenolic compounds. Red wines are rich in phenolic antioxidants while white wines generally show lower (poly)phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The main difference in the production of white and red wines is the fermentation step. The fermentation of red grapes includes maceration, i.e. it takes place in both liquid and solid parts of the grape. In the case of white wines, the must is clarified before the fermentation starts, cultured yeasts are added to convert the must to wine and antioxidant sulfur dioxide is inserted to protect the wine.
The objective of the PhD research was to study antioxidant potential of white grape phenolics both in raw material and fermentation products. First, the standards of phenolic compounds commonly found in white grapes and wines were tested for their antioxidant and antiradical activity. All tested compounds except apigenin showed strong antioxidant and antiradical properties. Afterwards, conventional solid-liquid extraction (CE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) of phenolic compounds from grape seeds were performed. The optimal extraction conditions were investigated and extracts were analyzed in order to determine their total phenolic content, individual phenolic compounds and antiradical potential. Two different drying methods (hot air and freeze drying) were applied to the seeds. Solvent efficiencies of water, ethanol and water-ethanol mixtures were compared at different temperatures. In addition, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with CO2 was investigated as the technique for the recovery of phenolic compounds and for the pretreatment of white grape seed samples. Both CE and PLE gave extracts rich in phenolic compounds with good antiradical properties and, generally, the best results were obtained with PLE at 130°C. At the end, the influence of maceration process on the content and the activity of grape phenolic antioxidants in white wines was studied. For such a purpose, six commercially available macerated white wines from Italy and Croatia were analyzed. In addition, eight non-macerated wines from the same region and variety were studied and compared to macerated wines. The experiments have shown that the maceration process increases the total phenolic content and antiradical activity of the wine. It enables the production of white wines rich in phenolic compounds and with strong antiradical properties in completely natural way using only the grapes and without addition of any chemical agents.


Modern buildings are increasingly equipped with actuators and sensors, communication, visualization and control systems. This textbook provides an overview of industrial communication systems and stimulates a basic understanding of network and bus systems for the automation of buildings. After an introduction to EIB/KNX, LON und BACnet technologies, the authors illustrate how these systems can be utilized for specific applications, like air conditioning or illumination. This book assumes only a basic knowledge of mathematics and thanks to its simple explanations and many examples is ideal for students and professional engineers who require practical solutions.


Abstract This paper presents a real case of digital forensic analysis in organizational fraud auditing process investigated using two different forensic tools, namely Tableau TD3 Touch Screen Forensic Imager and Access Data FTK Imager. Fraud auditing is more of a mindset than a methodology and has different approaches from financial auditing. Fraud auditors are mostly focused on exceptions, accounting irregularities, and patterns of their conduct. Financial auditors place special emphasis on the audit trail and material misstatements. A fraud case investigation of non-cash misappropriations committed by an employee, the warehouseman, will be presented herein in order to highlight the usefulness of fraud auditing, which can reveal many forms of financial crime and can be used in both private and public sector companies. Due to the computerized accounting environment, fraud investigation requires a combination of auditing, computer crime and digital forensic investigation skills, which can be achieved through joint efforts and cooperation of both digital investigator and fraud auditor as proposed herein.


Background: Epstein-Bar virus (EBV) is the main etiology of infectious mononucleosis (IM) syndrome that is characterized by fever, sore throat, and lymph adenopathy. Since, this virus could be associated with a number of malignancies, some hematologic disorders, and chronic fatigue syndrome, identification of IM is very important. The aim of study was to evaluate the specificity, as well as sensitivity of the two different methods that is, serology versus molecular diagnosis that are currently used for diagnosis of IM. Materials and Methods: In this study, during a period of 3.5 years, 100 suspected patients as case group and 100 healthy individuals as a control group were studied. Fifty samples in each group were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and all the samples including case group and control group were carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: In 76% of patients and in 20% of the healthy individuals, samples were detected EBV DNA by PCR. On the other hand, 68.5% of the samples belong to the case group and 46% in the control group showed positivity by ELISA. Conclusion: By comparing the two methods, since PCR is very expensive and time consuming, and the percentages of difference ranges are narrow, ELISA could be applied as a first, easiest, and preliminary diagnostic test for IM. In addition, this test could be applied in various phases of the disease with a higher sensitivity comparing to PCR. Although PCR is routinely used for diagnosis of various infectious agents, it is considered as an expensive test and merely could be used after 1-2 weeks from the onset of the illness.


Despite increasing financial pressures on higher education systems throughout the world, many governments remain resolutely opposed to the introduction of tuition fees, and some countries and states where tuition fees have been long established are now reconsidering free higher education. This paper examines the consequences of charging tuition fees on university quality, enrolments, and equity. To do so, we study the English higher education system which has, in just two decades, moved from a free college system to one in which tuition fees are among the highest in the world. Our findings suggest that England's shift has resulted in increased funding per head, rising enrolments, and a narrowing of the participation gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. In contrast to other systems with high tuition fees, the English system is distinct in that its income-contingent loan system keeps university free at the point of entry, and provides students with comparatively generous assistance for living expenses. We conclude that tuition fees, at least in the English case supported their goals of increasing quality, quantity, and equity in higher education


The paper investigates the reasons why person-to-person electronic funds transfers are still not very common in the United States compared with practices in many other countries. The paper also describes recent enhancements to online and mobile banking that provide account holders with low-cost interfaces to manage person-to-person electronic funds transfers via automated clearing house (ACH). On the theoretical side, the paper characterizes the critical mass levels needed for payment instruments to become widely adopted. Given the Fed's long-term heavy involvement in check clearing, the paper concludes with policy discussions of whether intervention is needed.


Preterm infants exhibit chronic deficits in white matter (WM) and cortical maturation. Although fetal infection/inflammation may contribute to WM pathology, the factors contributing to cortical changes are largely unknown. We examined the effect of fetal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure on WM and cortical development as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and histopathology in fetal sheep at preterm human equivalent age.


Book synopsis: Code-switching - the alternating use of two languages in the same stretch of discourse by a bilingual speaker - is a dominant topic in the study of bilingualism and a phenomenon that generates a great deal of pointed discussion in the public domain. This handbook provides the most comprehensive guide to this bilingual phenomenon to date. Drawing on empirical data from a wide-range of language pairings, the leading researchers in the study of bilingualism examine the linguistic, social and cognitive implications of code-switching in up-to-date and accessible survey chapters. The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Code-Switching will serve as a vital resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as a wide-ranging overview for linguists, psychologists and speech scientists, and as an informative guide for educators interested in bilingual speech practices.


The anteroposterior keratocyte density distribution in the rabbit cornea was measured. Unsectioned tissue blocks from the central cornea of five rabbits were stained with propidium iodide and imaged using a Leica laser scanning confocal microscope. A z-series of images was acquired in each sample, from anterior to posterior stroma in either 3− or 8-μm steps. Software was developed to allow interactive marking of the keratocyte nuclei within each section of the z-series and for calculating cell density. For convenience, cell density was expressed as the number of cells per corneal volume element (CVE), where CVE is a newly defined volume unit with x, y, and z dimensions of 250, 250, and 10 μm, respectively. The calculated keratocyte density was 20.2 ± 1.0 cells/CVE (n = 5), which is equivalent to 32,360 ± 1,660 cells/mm3. The greatest density was underneath the epithelium (26.3 ± 2.5 cells/CVE), the density then decreased linearly with depth to 15.2 ± 1.4 cells/CVE; there was a slight increase in density pre-Descemets membrane to 18.5 ± 3.5 cells/CVE. A 30% decrease in cell density over the entire anteroposterior stromal thickness was observed. To facilitate statistical analysis, the cell density was averaged over 5% thickness intervals from anterior to posterior cornea. A significant difference in mean cell density of these intervals was found (ANOVA, n = 20, p < 0.01). To further assess the density distribution, linear regression analysis was performed. A significant correlation was found between keratocyte density and stromal depth (R = −0.94, n = 20, p < 0.05). We conclude that in the rabbit, keratocyte cell density is maximal underlying the epithelium and progressively decreases from anterior to posterior cornea.


Abstract. Several methods have been developed to accommodate for the use of thick materials in origami models which preserve either the model's full range of motion or its kinematics. The offset panel technique (OPT) preserves both the range of motion and the kinematics while allowing for a great deal of flexibility in design. This work explores new possibilities for origami-based product applications presented by the OPT. Examples are included to illustrate fundamental capabilities that can be realized with thick materials such as accommodation of various materials in a design and manipulation of panel geometry resulting in an increased stiffness and strength. These capabilities demonstrate the potential of techniques such as the OPT to further inspire origami-based solutions to engineering problems.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was: 1. To asses, evaluate and compare the analgesic effect of intrathecal nalbuphine when added to hyperbaric intrathecal bupivacaine and bupivacaine alone. 2. To evaluate the onset, quality and duration of sensory and motor blockade achieved with hyperbaric bupivacaine and nalbuphine combination when administered intrathecally for spinal anesthesia in lower abdominal surgery. 3. To study the effect of intrathecal nalbuphine on vital parameters. 4. To study any side effects and complication. METHODOLOGY: 40 ASA I and II patients of age group 50-70 years, scheduled for below umbilicus surgeries were chosen for this study. Patients were randomized in two equal groups of 20 each by lottery method. Group I (Study Group) received 3 ml of hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5 % + 0.5 ml inj. nalbuphine (0.5 mg) intrathecally. Group II (Control Group) received 3 ml of hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5 % + 0.5 ml of inj. normal saline intrathecally. Assessment of motor and sensory blockade was done by Bromage scale and pin prick method. Pulse rate, BP, respiratory rate and SpO2 were monitored throughout intraoperative period and 24hrs postoperative period. RESULTS: There is no significant difference between 2 groups for onset of motor and sensory blockade but mean time of postoperative analgesia in Study Group was highly significant than Control Group. No patient in our study developed any side effects. CONCLUSION: Nalbuphine provides better quality of block as compared to bupivacaine alone. It also prolongs postoperative analgesia when used as adjuvant to spinal bupivacaine in elderly patients.


Abstract A bibliography of 600 references on piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of materials and their applications published during the period 1988-1990 is given. It includes journal articles, published conference proceedings, books, chapters in books, patents, doctoral theses and reports. Complete bibliographic citations and keywords are presented in a Reference section. The papers are classified according to materials studied and research objectives in an Index section.


I explore the effects of education on nonmarket outcomes from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Examples of outcomes considered include general consumption patterns at a moment in time, savings and the rate of growth of consumption over time, own (adult) health and inputs into the production of own health, fertility, and child quality or well-being reflected by their health and cognitive development. I pay a good deal of attention to the effects of education on health because they are the two most important sources of human capital: knowledge capital and health capital. There is a large literature addressing the nature of their complementarities. In the conceptual foundation section, I consider models in which education has productive efficiency and allocative efficiency effects. I then modify these frameworks to allow for the endogenous nature of schooling decisions, so that observed schooling effects can be traced in part to omitted "third variables" such as an orientation towards the future. An additional complication is that schooling may contribute to a future orientation. The empirical review provides a good deal of evidence for the proposition that the education effects are causal but is less conclusive with regard to the identification of specific mechanisms. Michael Grossman PhD Program in Economics CUNY Graduate Center 365 Fifth Avenue, 5 Floor New York, NY 10016-4309 and NBER firstname.lastname@example.com


We present spectroscopic observations of the nucleus of the Seyfert/low-ionization nuclear emission-line region galaxy NGC 1097 spanning the period 1991-1994. The goal was to monitor anticipated variations of the broad, double-peaked Balmer lines which appeared abruptly in 1991. We find that the broad Balmer lines have varied significantly over the monitoring period, both in their integrated fluxes and in their profile shapes. The integrated H-alpha flux has decreased by a factor of 2, the (H-alpha)/(H-beta) ratio has increased, and the originally asymmetric H-alpha profile has become symmetric. The decline of the H-alpha flux and the change in the (H-alpha)/(H-beta) ratio can be interpreted as consequences of either increased obscuration along the line of sight, or a decline in the ionizing continuum, but neither of these scenarios can account for the change in profile shapes. A model attributing the line emission to a precessing elliptical ring around a 10(exp 6) solar mass nuclear black hole can reproduce the observed profile variations. In this scenario, the line-emitting ring is the result of the tidal disruption of a star by the black hole. Alternative scenarios associating the broad-line emission with a collimated bipolar outflow also remain viable, but binary black holes and inhomogeneous accretion disks are disfavored by the observed pattern of variability.


Title of dissertation: LEARNING BINARY CODE REPRESENTATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT IMAGE RETRIEVAL Bahadir Ozdemir, Doctor of Philosophy, 2016 Dissertation directed by: Professor Larry S. Davis Department of Computer Science The size of online image datasets is constantly increasing. Considering an image dataset with millions of images, image retrieval becomes a seemingly intractable problem for exhaustive similarity search algorithms. Hashing methods, which encodes high-dimensional descriptors into compact binary strings, have become very popular because of their high efficiency in search and storage capacity. In the first part, we propose a multimodal retrieval method based on latent feature models. The procedure consists of a nonparametric Bayesian framework for learning underlying semantically meaningful abstract features in a multimodal dataset, a probabilistic retrieval model that allows cross-modal queries and an extension model for relevance feedback. In the second part, we focus on supervised hashing with kernels. We describe a flexible hashing procedure that treats binary codes and pairwise semantic similarity as latent and observed variables, respectively, in a probabilistic model based on Gaussian processes for binary classification. We present a scalable inference algorithm with the sparse pseudo-input Gaussian process (SPGP) model and distributed computing. In the last part, we define an incremental hashing strategy for dynamic databases where new images are added to the databases frequently. The method is based on a two-stage classification framework using binary and multi-class SVMs. The proposed method also enforces balance in binary codes by an imbalance penalty to obtain higher quality binary codes. We learn hash functions by an efficient algorithm where the NP-hard problem of finding optimal binary codes is solved via cyclic coordinate descent and SVMs are trained in a parallelized incremental manner. For modifications like adding images from an unseen class, we propose an incremental procedure for effective and efficient updates to the previous hash functions. Experiments on three large-scale image datasets demonstrate that the incremental strategy is capable of efficiently updating hash functions to the same retrieval performance as hashing from scratch. LEARNING BINARY CODE REPRESENTATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT IMAGE RETRIEVAL


This volume examines intemational statebuilding in terms of language and
meanings, rather than focusing narrowly on current policy practices.
After two decades of evolution towards more 'integrated', 'multi-faceted' or,
simply stated, more intrusive statebuilding and peacebuilding operations, a crit-
literature has slowly emerged on the economic, social and political impacts
these interventions. Scholars have started to analyse the 'unintended con-
sequences' of peacebuilding missions, analysing all aspects of interventions.
Central to the book is the understanding that language is both the most
important tool for building anything of social significance, and the primary
repository of meanings in any social setting. Hence, this volume exemplifies
how the multiple realities of state, state nagility and statebuilding are being con-
tualised in mainstream literature, by highlighting the repercussions this con-
tualisation has on 'good practices' for statebuilding. Drawing together
leading scholars in the field, this project provides a meeting point between con-
structivism in intemational relations and the critical perspective on liberal peace-
building, shedding new light on the commonly accepted meanings and concepts
underlying the intemational (or world) order, as well as the semantics of con-
temporary itatebuilding practices.
This book will be of much interest to students of statebuilding and intenfen-
tion war and conflict studies, security studies and intemational relations.


Abstract. Primary production on the coast and in Greenland fjords sustains important
local and sustenance fisheries. However, unprecedented melting of the
Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is impacting the coastal ocean, and its effects
on fjord ecology remain understudied. It has been suggested that as glaciers
retreat, primary production regimes may be altered, rendering fjords less
productive. Here we investigate patterns of primary productivity in a
northeast Greenland fjord (Young Sound, 74∘ N), which receives run-off from
the GrIS via land-terminating glaciers. We measured size fractioned primary
production during the ice- free season along a spatial gradient of meltwater
influence. We found that, apart from a brief under-ice bloom during summer,
primary production remains low (between 50 and 200 mg C m−2 d−1) but steady throughout the ice-free season, even into the fall. Low
productivity is due to freshwater run-off from land-terminating glaciers
causing low light availability and strong vertical stratification limiting
nutrient availability. The former is caused by turbid river inputs in the
summer restricting phytoplankton biomass to the surface and away from the
nitracline. In the outer fjord where turbidity plays less of a role in light
limitation, phytoplankton biomass moves higher in the water column in the
fall due to the short day length as the sun angle decreases. Despite this,
plankton communities in this study were shown to be well adapted to low-light conditions, as evidenced by the low values of saturating irradiance
for primary production (5.8–67 µmol photons m−2 s−1).
With its low but consistent production across the growing season, Young
Sound offers an alternative picture to other more productive fjords which
have highly productive spring and late summer blooms and limited fall
production. However, patterns of primary productivity observed in Young
Sound are not only due to the influence from land-terminating glaciers but
are also consequences of the nutrient-depleted coastal boundary currents and
the shallow entrance sill, features which should also be considered when
generalizing about how primary production will be affected by glacier
retreat in the future.


This thesis investigates autism as it has been understood in the cognitive and social (neuro)sciences, within the United Kingdom, since 1985. Of specific interest is how these sciences discover, construct, and experiment upon individuals who are understood as socially abnormal. Theoretically, the thesis is positioned between Foucauldian History and Philosophy of Science, Medical Sociology, and Science and Technology Studies. Empirically, two key sources of information are relied upon. Firstly, there is an extensive critical reading of the published literature from 1985 to the present. Secondly, twenty qualitative research interviews were conducted with academic researchers, based within the UK, and with core interests in psychology in general and autism in particular. It is firstly argued that the cognitive sciences rely upon a particular, historically novel, construction of the social in order to articulate autism as social disorder. It is then argued that, although autism is frequently reported as heterogeneous and illusory within the laboratory, social disorder appears self-evident when the autistic individual is required to interact with both the researcher and broader society. Following these findings it is argued that the researcher does not observe autism but, rather, that they achieve it. Finally it is argued that the language of autism is itself capable of ushering in novel conceptualisations of social conduct that may apply to all individuals and not just those diagnosed with the condition. Following these empirical findings it is argued that autism is best understood as the consequence of particular socio-historical conditions. It is asked if these socio-historical conditions may include a novel knowledge-power nexus arising in the mid-twentieth century, named here a socio-emotive politics, of which autism is just one consequence.