The increasing convergence between postal products and telecom applications is a new phenomenon in the communications environment: postal operators provide new services on telecom infrastructures, telecom infrastructures are likely to substitute last mile mail delivery and consumers are likely to demand a secure combination of electronic and physical mail. In the course of the increased substitutability of physical mail by electronic communications and continually decreasing physical mail volumes, it becomes obvious that regulatory regimes in general and regulatory institutions in particular should co-evolve in the future. But, there is hardly any discussion in academia or in practice about the consequences for regulation. Relevant questions are: which parts of current regulation will become redundant? Is there additional regulation needed due to new bottlenecks or changes in consumer behaviour? In our qualitative analysis, we investigate the implications of intermodal competition and growing convergence between postal and telecommunications services on regulatory institutions and regimes. We provide a comparison between the networks and compare the scope of universal services and issues concerning market power regulation in the two different industries. Furthermore, we develop the idea of a unified universal definition with a holistic understanding of the topic before concluding that there is need for a unified regulatory approach in the future. Such an approach will likely consist of a jointly-defined communications universal service and consequently of corresponding regulatory strategies for policy makers.


The HITCHHIKER project was started in 2009 with the goal to develop a passive high resolution receiver system to perform a series of bistatic experiments using the German TerraSAR-X system as illuminator and demonstrating the feasibility of high resolution bistatic imaging with a stationary receiver. This paper describes valuable extensions augmenting the system to a fully functional bistatic one pass interferometer to acquire high resolution DEMs on the one hand and further integrating a modular and flexible high bandwidth transmitter component with a thermal noise based signal source for waveform generation to upgrade the system to a fully operational active bi- or monostatic (standalone) SAR sensor. A first experimental result with a noise based transmitter and the HITCHHIKER receiver and an outlook on upcoming experiments with this new system in 2012 completes the work.


This paper analyzes the effect of a woman's electoral victory on women's subsequent political participation. Using the regression discontinuity afforded by close elections between women and men in India's state elections, we find that a woman winning office leads to a large and significant increase in the share of female candidates from major political parties in the subsequent election. This stems mainly from an increased probability that previous women candidates contest again, an important margin in India where a substantial number of incumbents do not contest re-election. There is no significant entry of new female candidates, no change in female or male voter turnout and no spillover effects to neighboring areas. Further analysis points to a reduction in party bias against women candidates as the main mechanism driving the observed increase in women's candidacy.


The morphology of today's cities is the result of historic urban developments and on-going urban transformation resulting in complex urban spatial structures. While functionally as well as spatially, cities are structured into sub-units such as the city center, business districts, residential areas, or industrial and commercial zones, their precise localization in the geographic space is sometimes difficult. City centers in particular are difficult to grasp because they stand for many different urban functions. Generally, they are characterized as areas of high densities, such as employment, population, or commerce, but also as areas of high structural densities. In past studies, various approaches, data, and cut-off values have been presented to separate city centers from the surrounding transition zones in geographical information systems based on density values. To overcome the difficulty in defining the right density threshold, the current study presents an approach which integrates the subjective perception of citizens on the urban spatial structure and relates it to the floor area ratio to delineate city centers to infer a characteristic density threshold. In a large empirical study of 67 monocentric cities in Germany, we observe a decreasing floor area ratio gradient toward the urban fringes. The result of the study reveals a relative threshold for city centers at around 30% of the density of the "central place."


Aims: To determine if very low birth weight (VLBW; birth weight <1500 g) is associated with reduced lung function and respiratory health in adolescence and, if it is, whether this impairment is associated with prematurity or intrauterine growth restriction. Methods: A geographically defined cohort of 128 VLBW infants and an age, sex, and school matched comparison group born in 1980/81 were studied. The cohort and comparison group were assessed at 15 years of age. The birth weight ratio of the index cases (observed birth weight/expected birth weight for the gestation) was determined to assess the degree of growth restriction. Respiratory support received during the neonatal period was obtained from hospital records. Smoking habits and respiratory morbidity were obtained through questionnaires. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and forced expiratory flow when 25–75% of FVC is expired (FEF25–75%) were measured using a portable spirometer. The values are expressed as percentage predicted for height, age, and gender using standard reference values. Adjustments were made for smoking habits of mother and children. Results: The differences in means between index and comparison groups for FEF25–75% (−12.42%; p < 0.001) and FEV1/FVC (−3.53%; p < 0.001) ratio were statistically significant. The differences in FVC and FEV1 were not significant. No correlation was found between the birth weight ratio and lung function among the index cohort. Chronic cough, wheezing, and asthma were more common among the index cohort than in the comparison group. Within the index group, there was no difference in lung function between those who received and those who did not receive respiratory support. Conclusion: Adolescents who were VLBW compared with matched controls showed medium and small airways obstruction. This was associated with prematurity rather than intrauterine growth restriction or having received respiratory support during the neonatal period. The index VLBW cohort compared with their controls were also more prone to chronic cough, wheezing, and asthma.


Groundwater resources from alluvial and bedrock aquifers of the Denver Basin are critical for municipal, domestic, and agricultural uses in Colorado along the eastern front of the Rocky Mountains. Rapid and widespread urban development, primarily along the western boundary of the Denver Basin, has approximately doubled the population since about 1970, and much of the population depends on groundwater for water supply. As part of the National WaterQuality Assessment Program, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted groundwater-quality studies during 2003–5 in the Denver Basin aquifer system to characterize water quality of shallow groundwater at the water table and of the bedrock aquifers, which are important drinking-water resources. For the Denver Basin, water-quality constituents of concern for human health or because they might otherwise limit use of water include total dissolved solids, fluoride, sulfate, nitrate, iron, manganese, selenium, radon, uranium, arsenic, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds. For the water-table studies, two monitoring-well networks were installed and sampled beneath agricultural (31 wells) and urban (29 wells) land uses at or just below the water table in either alluvial material or near-surface bedrock. For the bedrock-aquifer studies, domesticand municipal-supply wells completed in the bedrock aquifers were sampled. The bedrock aquifers, stratigraphically from youngest (shallowest) to oldest (deepest), are the Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe, and Laramie-Fox Hills aquifers. The extensive dataset collected from wells completed in the bedrock aquifers (79 samples) provides the opportunity to evaluate factors and processes affecting water quality and to establish a baseline that can be used to characterize future changes in groundwater quality. Groundwater samples were analyzed for inorganic, organic, isotopic, and age-dating constituents and tracers. This report discusses spatial and statistical distributions of chemical constituents and evaluates natural and human-related processes that affect water quality. Findings are synthesized to assess the vulnerability of the Denver Basin aquifer system to groundwater contamination. The chemistry of groundwater samples collected from the water-table wells was generally different from that of samples collected from the bedrock-aquifer wells. Samples from the water-table wells tended to have higher concentrations of total dissolved solids and most major ions. Concentrations of several constituents with potential human-health concerns, including nitrate, selenium, uranium, and arsenic, decreased with depth and were highest in samples from the water-table wells. Exceedances of drinking-water standards and waterquality benchmarks were more frequently associated with shallow groundwater samples; concentrations of total dissolved solids and sulfate exceeded water-quality benchmarks for about half or more of samples from the water-table wells. The sediments and rocks of the Denver Basin are natural sources of the trace elements selenium, uranium, and arsenic, which affect their concentrations in groundwater. Detections of organic contaminants, which are typically indicative of human sources of contamination to groundwater, were more frequent in samples from the water-table wells. Pesticide compounds and volatile organic compounds were detected in 33 and 62 percent, respectively, of water-table well samples. Detected organic contaminant concentrations were much less than the associated drinking-water standards. Samples collected from the bedrock aquifers had lower concentrations of total dissolved solids than did samples collected from the water-table wells, although within the bedrock-aquifer samples, concentrations increased from the Dawson to Denver to Arapahoe to Laramie-Fox Hills aquifers. Concentrations of total dissolved solids and many constituents varied spatially and with depth in the bedrock aquifers, likely as a result of ion-exchange and oxidationreduction reactions, which are important processes affecting water quality. Major-ion chemistry generally evolved from a calcium-bicarbonate to calcium-sulfate composition, with some sodium-bicarbonate and sodium-sulfate facies in the deeper bedrock aquifers, likely resulting from longer residence times and more extensive water-rock interaction. Oxidation-reduction conditions generally evolved from oxic at the water table to anoxic with increasing depth in the bedrock aquifers. Most samples from the bedrock aquifers were anoxic. Exceedances of drinking-water standards and water-quality benchmarks for the bedrock aquifers occurred in 1 percent or less of samples for nitrate, selenium, or arsenic; there were no exceedances for uranium. Exceedances for total dissolved solids, sulfate, manganese, and iron were generally between about 10 and 20 percent for the bedrock-aquifer samples. Radon concentrations, which were only measured in samples collected 2 Quality of Groundwater in the Denver Basin Aquifer System, Colorado, 2003–5 from two of the bedrock aquifers, exceeded the lower proposed drinking-water standard for more than 90 percent of samples but exceeded the higher alternative standard for less than 5 percent of samples. Pesticide compounds and volatile organic compounds were detected in 3 and 22 percent, respectively, of bedrock-aquifer samples, all at concentrations that were that were much less than drinking-water standards. Water-quality data were synthesized to evaluate factors that affect spatial and depth variability in water quality and to assess aquifer vulnerability to contaminants from geologic materials and those of human origin. The quality of shallow groundwater in the alluvial aquifer and shallow bedrock aquifer system has been adversely affected by development of agricultural and urban areas. Land use has altered the pattern and composition of recharge. Increased recharge from irrigation water has mobilized dissolved constituents and increased concentrations in the shallow groundwater. Concentrations of most constituents associated with poor or degraded water quality in shallow groundwater decreased with depth; many of these constituents are not geochemically conservative and are affected by geochemical reactions such as oxidation-reduction reactions. Groundwater age tracers provide additional insight into aquifer vulnerability and help determine if young groundwater of potentially poor quality has migrated to deeper parts of the bedrock aquifers used for drinking-water supply. Age-tracer results were used to group samples into categories of young, mixed, and old groundwater. Groundwater ages transitioned from mostly young in the water-table wells to mostly mixed in the shallowest bedrock aquifer, the Dawson aquifer, to mostly old in the deeper bedrock aquifers. Although the bedrock aquifers are mostly old groundwater of good water quality, several lines of evidence indicate that young, contaminant-bearing recharge has reached shallow to moderate depths in some areas of the bedrock aquifers. The Dawson aquifer is the most vulnerable of the bedrock aquifers to contamination, but results indicate that the older (deeper) bedrock aquifers are also vulnerable to groundwater contamination and that mixing with young recharge has occurred in some areas. Heavy pumping has caused water-level declines in the bedrock aquifers in some parts of the Denver Basin, which has the potential to enhance the transport of contaminants from overlying units. Results of this study are consistent with the existing conceptual understanding of aquifer processes and groundwater issues in the Denver Basin and add new insight into the vulnerability of the bedrock aquifers to groundwater contamination.


In this work, the feasibility of using wool fibre as a carbon fibre precursor was explored as well as whether chemical treatments to wool fibre can increase the carbon fibre yield and properties of the produced carbon fibres. Wool fibres were treated with a range of chemicals including lignin, tannic acid, polystyrene sulphonate, and chlorine in conjunction with a polyamide resin. The treated fibres were stabilised in air at 160 C followed by pyrolysis at 800 C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The resulting carbon fibres were characterised in terms of carbon yield, tensile strength, surface roughness, porosity, crystal structure and surface hydrophobicity. The carbon fibre yield was 16.7% for the untreated while the lignin pre-treatment increased the carbon yield up to 25.8%. Generally the surface of the carbon fibre made from both untreated and treated fibre exhibited high hydrophilicity except the lignin and chlorine/polyamide resintreated fibre which showed hydrophobicity. Although the tensile strength achieved for the various produced carbon fibre was poor compared to a commercially available pitch-based carbon fibre, the developed carbon fibre still can be utilised in thermoplastic composite manufacturing.


The final two volumes, numbers IV and V, of the Oxford University Press edition of the Collected Works of Kurt Gödel [3]–[7] appeared in 2003, thus completing a project that started over twenty years earlier. What I mainly want to do here is trace, from the vantage point of my personal involvement, the at some times halting and at other times intense development of the Gödel editorial project from the first initiatives following Gödel's death in 1978 to its completion last year. It may be useful to scholars mounting similar editorial projects for other significant figures in our field to learn how and why various decisions were made and how the work was carried out, though of course much is particular to who and what we were dealing with. My hope here is also to give the reader who is not already familiar with the Gödel Works a sense of what has been gained in the process, and to encourage dipping in according to interest. Given the absolute importance of Gödel for mathematical logic, students should also be pointed to these important source materials to experience first hand the exercise of his genius and the varied ways of his thought and to see how scholarly and critical studies help to expand their significance. Though indeed much has been gained in our work there is still much that can and should be done; besides some indications below, for that the reader is referred to [2].


The constitutional reform on criminal justice and public security enacted on June 18, 2008 represents the most significant change to the Mexican criminal justice system in over 100 years. By laying the groundwork to replace the current "mixed" procedural code with a more adversarial model, the reform completely alters not only the institutional framework of the Mexican criminal justice system but also its modus operandi. A reform of this magnitude can only be explained by the enormous difficulties currently faced by Mexico's justice system. In order to better understand the nature of this reform, we shall first consider the problems it intends to address. After defining these in detail, we shall explore how these legislative changes may eventually affect the normal criminal process.


The riparian tall herb fringe communities of the order Convolvuletalia sepium represent an integral part of the natural vegetation in river valleys. The major objective of this study was to assess the relationships between the diversity and variability of these communities and various environmental factors. The survey was conducted in northwestern Poland, along 101 randomly selected 1–2-km long sections of 24 rivers and the Szczecin Lagoon. Samples were collected in 2008–2013 in all types of tall herb fringe vegetation found in the surveyed river sections. Data collected included hydrogeomorphic variables, soil parameters, potential and actual vegetation, and dominant land use form. A total of 24 vegetation units were documented, based on 300 sample plots (releves). Tall herb fringe communities occurring in valleys of large rivers ( Senecionetum fluviatilis , Fallopio-Cucubaletum bacciferi , Achilleo salicifoliae-Cuscutetum lupuliformis , Convolvulo sepium-Cuscutetum europaeae typicum and chaerophylletosum bulbosi subass. nov., Rubus caesius community, Solidago gigantea community) exhibited floristic and ecological differences in comparison with plant communities from small rivers ( Eupatorietum cannabini typicum , aegopodietosum and cardaminetosum amarae subass. nov., Epilobio hirsuti-Convolvuletum sepium , Soncho palustris-Archangelicetum litoralis , Convolvulo sepium-Cuscutetum europaeae aegopodietosum , Urtico-Convolvuletum sepium typicum and aegopodietosum , Urtica dioica community, Galeopsis speciosa community, Rubus idaeus community). This finding fully justified their division into two alliances: the Senecionion fluviatilis and the Archangelicion litoralis , respectively. Significant differences between the tall herb fringe communities associated with large rivers and the plant communities occurring along small rivers included plant species richness, moss layer cover, contribution of river corridor plants, level of invasion, influence of adjacent plant communities on the floristic composition, relative elevation and distance away from the riverbed, degree of shading, proportions of all grain size fractions, soil pH, contents of organic matter, humus, organic carbon, total nitrogen, bioavailable phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in the soil. The differences in environmental characteristics of individual plant communities were significant as well; they showed that most vegetation units were well defined. The variables that best discriminated between riparian tall herb fringe communities included the natural potential vegetation unit Salici-Populetum , headwater seeps, soil pH, sample elevation above the river water level, river size, flooding, degree of shading, soil moisture, K 2 O and CaO contents, and C/N ratio. The integration of the main riparian gradients (longitudinal, lateral, vertical) and patch perspective (e.g., natural potential vegetation units, and land use forms) significantly improved the comprehensive riparian vegetation patterns, because these two perspectives underpin different processes shaping the vegetation. This study contributed significantly to the knowledge of riparian tall herb fringe communities. Two subassociations are described here for the first time, whereas six others have not been previously reported from Poland. The data summarized in the synoptic table indicated that the species diagnostic for individual plant communities should be revised at the supra-regional scale. Some syntaxonomic issues were also determined. The inclusion of the order Convolvuletalia sepium to the class Epilobietea angustifolii resolved the problem of classifying the community dominated by Eupatorium cannabinum , a species showing two ecological optima: one in riparian tall herb communities and the other in natural gaps of the tree stands and clearings of fertile alder carrs and riparian woodlands. This also resolved the problem of classifying the communities dominated by Galeopsis speciosa and Rubus idaeus , intermediate between riparian tall herb and clearing communities. The results of this study may serve as a reference for management of the vegetation in river valleys and promote their conservation. They may also be essential for any future syntaxonomic revision of riparian tall herb fringe communities at a larger geographical extent.


Results are discussed of experimental studies extending previously published work on electrode gap breakdown in MHD channels in the U-02 power generator. The technique previously developed is extended further and amplified to permit determination of the parameters of fully developed breakdown. The experiments were carried out using different types of electrodes with widely varying surface temperatures and electrode gaps of varying widths. Conditions are determined for onset of two types of breakdown: plasma breakdown (or ''fast'' breakdown). A mechanism for development of ''slow'' breakdown is studied. The role of ''binding'' of current on the electrodes in the onset of both types of breakdown is established, and differences in the development of processes occurring on the anode and cathode walls are ascertained. Data are obtained over a rather wide range of gap widths on the effects of gap width on the onset and characteristics of breakdown. Data are also obtained on the current and power values for an interelectrode discharge after breakdown.


Abstract Mentally ill prisoners have consistently been highlighted as a group with complex needs. However, it is not clear what these needs are, how effective prison health services are in meeting the needs of this vulnerable group, and whether there would be any benefit to transferring them to psychiatric facilities. This study compared the characteristics and needs of mentally ill patients in prison healthcare centres (HCC prisoners) with patients in forensic medium secure psychiatric units (MSU inpatients) in the UK. HCC prisoners and MSU inpatients were in fact very similar. Where they did differ, though, was that MSU inpatients were significantly more likely to be of non-white ethnicity, diagnosed with psychotic or substance use disorders, and have recorded histories of drug misuse. HCC prisoners and MSU inpatients reported the same number of needs overall, according to the CANFOR-S (Camberwell Assessment of Need Forensic Short Version), but HCC prisoners reported significantly higher levels of unmet need. The need for transfer to alternative services was common in both groups, with bottlenecks evident at all levels. The high level of unmet need reported in the HCC prison sample is of particular clinical concern and highlights the need for improved assessment and treatment services in this setting.


Fans of Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus books will devour this book - a cracking adventure brimming with magic, intrigue and a treasure trove of characters that the reader can't help but fall for. We find everyone's favourite irascibly insolent djinni serving at the court of King Solomon in 950 BC Jerusalem, where he is causing his customary chaos and must help a girl assassin sent by the Queen of Sheba steal the all-powerful ring of Solomon. The comic relief is perfectly timed, the dialogue sharp and snappy and the fiendishly clever plot perfectly handled with Jonathan's trademark flair and command of language. Thrills, chills and a danger-spiked finale - this is one of the publishing events of the year.


Objective: It is known that suicide probability is more than the normal population in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). It has been reported that childhood trauma increases suicide probability in many psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between childhood traumas and the probability of suicide in patients with MS..Method: The study included 61 patients with MS. The functional status of the patients with MS was evaluated with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HAD), Childhood Trauma Inventory (CTQ-28) and Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) were applied to all patients. Results: The patients were divided into two groups as 26 patients with childhood trauma (CTQ≥35) and 35 patients without childhood trauma (CTQ<35). The most common childhood trauma was emotional neglect (n=28; 45,90%) and the patients' mean EDSS score was 2.43±1.68. The mean of HAD anxiety subscale (HAD-A) scores (p=0,005), HAD depression subscale (HAD-D) scores (p=0,034), SPS despair subscale scores (p=0,031) and SPS total scores (p=0,020) were higher in patients with childhood trauma. All CTQ subscales, except physical neglect, were found positively correlated with the SPS total score. Discussion: Suicide probability was significantly higher in patients with MS with childhood trauma. Patients should be evaluated in terms of childhood traumas in order to take necessary measures for suicide probability and to perform correct interventions in patients with MS.


In this paper, the techniques to solve time dependent electromagnetic wave propagation equations based on the Finite Difference Method (FDM) are proposed by comparing the results with Finite Element Method (FEM) in 2D while discussing some special simulation examples. Here, 2D dynamical wave equations for lossy media, even with a constant source, are discussed for establishing symbolic manipulation of wave propagation problems. The main objective of this contribution is to introduce a comparative study of two suitable numerical methods and to show that both methods can be applied effectively and efficiently to all types of wave propagation problems, both linear and nonlinear cases, by using symbolic computation. However, the results show that the FDM is more appropriate for solving the nonlinear cases in the symbolic solution. Furthermore, some specific complex domain examples of the comparison of electromagnetic waves equations are considered. Calculations are performed through Mathematica software by making some useful contribution to the programme and leveraging symbolic evaluations of FEM and FDM.


A broadband analysis methodology is described for the design of a power distribution system (PDS) for high-speed IO, including chip, package and board. Rather than a traditional time-domain simulation, the IO PDS is characterized through frequency domain impedances, accounting for the PDS coupling that drives simultaneous switching effects for adjacent IO cells. Chip-package-board co-simulation, what-if analysis and decap optimization are implemented to produce a low PDS impedance response throughout the system. This methodology has the advantages of greater insight for the system-level influence of each domain as well as enabling resonance effects to be avoided at critical system frequencies.


This thesis is concerned with the problem of minimizing a quadratic function defined on an ellipsoid, and subject to the set of linear inequality constraints. An original method is proposed, a method which generates the descent flow on the spiral, the curve on the surface of the constraining ellipsoid, characterized locally by the steepest descent of the objective function. The spiral is constructed discretely in a number of points which are the solutions of the sequence of certain artificially constrained subproblems. The properties of the spiral are studied extensively to show that the associated descent flow can be divided into three categories of the regular, separated and multiple descent flow. Particular attention is devoted to the case of the separated descent flow, which involves the discontinuity of the spiral and may pose certain difficulties in the search for the solution. The important and the original part of the thesis is also the issue of all local minima of the equality constrained version of the problem. The identification of all such minima is vital to the main problem and the corresponding method. The method which may find many practical applications, has been inspired by the opportunities given by a massively parallel computer, namely the Distributed Array Processor, although the method can find the applications in other parallel environments. The algorithm has been implemented in DAP Fortran-Plus, and a series of numerical examples is presented, some of them of practical importance in structural engineering.


Midwestern streams and rivers of the United States are known for high suspended sediment concentrations (SSC), which is also one of the leading sources of water impairment. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding pertaining to land-use and suspended sediment loading relationships. A study was conducted during the spring of 2010 in Hinkson Creek Watershed (HCW) in the City of Columbia, MO, using laser diffraction (LD) technology to estimate SSC and mean particle size. Three hydroclimate/water-quality stations were installed in a nested-scale watershed study design to capture differing land-use type influences on SSC. Mean SSCs were estimated to be 66.0, 70.0, and 86.0 μl/l for the headwater (agricultural), suburban (mixed land-use), and urban sub-basins (respectively). Mean sediment size was estimated to be 151.0, 111.0, and 79.0 μm for the headwater, suburban, and urban sub-basins respectively. Total sediment loads measured at the headwater, suburban, and urban monitoring sites were 13,183, 27,369, and 42,854 tonnes (respectively). Sediment yield was approximately 170.0, 153.0, and 208.0 tonnes/km 2 for the headwater, suburban and urban sub-basins respectively. Results indicated that SSC, sediment load, and sediment yield were all highest in the urban sub-basin. This study is the first of its kind in Mid-Missouri to provide quantitative science-based information for improved land-use and water quality in the Midwest.


For a long time the Dutch took pride in the fact that many people came to their country because of its relative tolerance towards other cultures and religions. Immigrants who came after the Second World War, as guest workers or from former colonies, were initially encouraged to maintain their own cultures, even after it became clear they would stay in the Netherlands permanently. Since 1998, however, several new immigration and integration laws have been introduced. Most of these laws have made Dutch immigration and integration policies stricter. Whereas early integration policies aimed at maintaining cultural diversity, this diversity is increasingly seen as something that obstructs integration into Dutch society. Even after the implementation of more restrictive legislation, policies in the Netherlands are still comparatively open. In recent years, the government has started to develop programmes to attract highly skilled workers as part of a move towards a 'modern migration policy'.


Genetic variability among pepper genotypes is essential in obtaining hybrid combinations with greater heterotic effect and in obtaining superior strains. This work's goal was to evaluate the genetic diversity between accessions of Capsicum annuum L., indicating the selection of promising individuals for ornamental purposes. The experiment was carried out in at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory of the Center of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 16 treatments and eight replications. The plants were evaluated for 28 morphoagronomic traits. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and grouped according to Scott and Knott's test at 1% probability. The Tocher grouping was performed based on Mahalanobis distance and analysis of canonical variables were performed with graphical dispersion of the accessions. All variables were significant by the F test (p = 0.01) and presented high heritability and a CVg/CVe ratio higher than 1.0 for most traits, indicating genetic divergence between accessions. In keeping with the Scott-Knott's test (p = 0.01), the accessions were grouped into two to eight classes, varying according to the character. The of Tocher optimization method separated the accessions into five distinct groups. There is phenotypic divergence between the accessions of Capsicum annuum L. which can be used in ornamental peppers' breeding programs. Only the number of stamens trait presented a heritability value (65.81%) lower than 70%. The characters that most contributed to divergence among the accessions were fresh fruit mass, stem diameter, widest fruit diameter and fruit weight. The accessions UFPB001, UFPB004, UFPB45, UFPB77.3, UFPB099, UFPB134, UFPB390 and Calypso are designated as potential accessions for ideal ornamental pepper plant with vigorous seedling, small port, large flowers and small fruits. Ornamental pepper accessions with larger anthers are indicated for selection, for facilitating the breeder's work during flower emasculations for crossings.


Background The administration of intravenous cytotoxic drugs plays a key role in cancer treatment and due to the overall increase in intravenous chemotherapy there has been an increasing incidence of chemotherapy extravasation. Therefore, it is advisable to have updated guidelines that direct the treatment of intravenous cytotoxics extravasation. Purpose To develop guidelines for the treatment of cytotoxic extravasation, which contained the management algorithms, antidotes and treatments that should be performed, as well as risk factors and strategies to prevent extravasation. Materials and Methods A literature review was performed, through research and analysis of guidelines and articles obtained from PubMed since January/2000 to September/2012, intersecting the terms 'cytotoxic extravasation', 'chemotherapy extravasation' and 'extravasation treatment'. The summary of product characteristics of all of intravenous cytotoxics available in Portugal was also reviewed. Some holders of market authorization were also contacted whenever we considered additional information was required. Results A total of 42 intravenous antineoplastics available in Portugal were analysed, distributed as follows based on tissue injury after extravasation: 16 vesicant products, 16 irritants and 10 neutral products. A summary table was created with the risk factors (e.g., vesicant drugs, higher drug concentrations, previous vinca alkaloids, elderly, impaired sensory perception, generalised vascular disease) and measures that prevent extravasation (e.g. ensure that the IV site can be clearly visualised, do not use a butterfly needle with a vesicant drug). Nine individual algorithms were developed, according to the latest guidelines, which guide the work of healthcare professionals in case of extravasation (e.g., measures for immediate treatment, applying heat/cold, recommended antidote and instructions for its use). A list was drawn up with all cytotoxics, each being identified with a colour, which corresponded to the colour of the separator with the algorithm to treat its extravasation. An extravasation kit was also designed and a model for document the appropriate recording of extravasation and clinical monitoring of the patient. Conclusions The guidelines developed are a valuable tool for all hospital services that prepare and administer injectable chemotherapy, contributing to responding quickly and effectively to episodes of extravasation. No conflict of interest.


Aim: This article documents the development and initial use case of the GRID (Ground Reporting through Imagery Delivery) methodology by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI). GRID was created to support corroboration of witness testimony of mass atrocity related-events using satellite imagery analysis. A repeating analytic limitation of employing imagery for this purpose is that differences in the geographic knowledge of a witness and an imagery analyst can limit or impede corroboration. Methods: The primary method used in this article is a case study of HHI's development and use of GRID. The GRID methodology was designed during HHI's work with the Satellite Sentinel Project. It was deployed to corroborate reports that mass graves were being created in Sudan in the summer of 2011. Results: The results of this specific case study are examined, step-by-step guidelines for using GRID are provided, and possible areas for further research are discussed. This case demonstrates that the GRID methodology facilitates corroboration when differences exist between the local geographic knowledge of a witness and the more cursory geographic knowledge of an analyst. Conclusions: The initial use of GRID warrants further research into potential applications in other regional and operational contexts. Future use cases will help advance GRID as a standardized methodology for use by different types of groups that utilize satellite imagery. Distinct research should also focus on operational, cultural, psychological, and ethical impacts of this methodology due to its involvement of the witness in the imagery analysis process.


A computer system often has to handle computational jobs with highly varying CPU service time requirements. In principle, unrestricted processor sharing can be useful in handling such demands. In practice, it must be implemented by round-robin, and there is an overhead cost (e.g., cache thrashing and operating system management of job switching) to implementing this scheme. Furthermore, significant main-memory thrashing (i.e., increased paging activities) may occur with many jobs inside the system. To bound the cache thrashing overhead, the number of jobs actively sharing the processors has to be restricted. This is essentially restricted processor sharing. Similarly, to bound the main-memory thrashing overhead, the total number of jobs granted access to the system at any time has to be restricted as well. Because of these population size constraints, the existing analytical results for Jackson networks do not apply here. The goal of this research, therefore, is to develop analytical models for systems under the above mentioned constraints and the impact of memory thrashing overhead.
First, by ignoring peripherals and paging activities, we present an analytical model for CPU subsystems with arbitrary service time distributions. In the model, the cache thrashing overhead is considered by assuming a certain portion of CPU power being wasted. Using this model, we demonstrate that restricted processor sharing, which avoids significant cache thrashing, is effective in handling highly varying jobs demands (i.e., C2vG 1). Based on this baseline model, we then develop models for systems with a data disk and/or paging activities. By applying the models, we study the interplay among the parameters such as the CPU service time distribution, the number of processors, and the degree of processor sharing to analyze the performance of different computer system configurations in terms of mean system time (or response time) and maximum throughput. We show that different configurations can have quite different maximum throughput values. Furthermore, we find that, given highly varying job demands, the system performance may get improved with some amount of paging activities. While we assume open systems (with dynamic arrivals) in this work, the models can also be applied to study time-sharing systems and draining systems (with static arrivals).


Porcelain laminate veneers are most conservative and esthetic treatment option for enhancing anterior esthetics. The success of veneers is mainly based on careful and controlled tooth reduction within the biological and mechanical principles of natural dentition. Laminate is viable conservative technique when compared with full crowns. Tooth colored thin layer material is placed on the prepared surface of the tooth for esthetically restoring small or large defects or intrinsic discoloration. Laminates are indicated in cases of fracture, discoloration, spacing, chipped enamel surfaces, etc. This article presents a series of three cases (1) spacing between teeth, (2) fracture of teeth, and (3) discoloration of teeth. Porcelain laminates were planned for these cases. A stepby-step protocol was followed for fabrication of laminate veneers.


Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists' discovery of a cancer-causing gene - the first in its family to be linked to cancer - demonstrates how the panoramic view of genomics and the close-up perspective of molecular biology are needed to determine which genes are involved in cancer and which are mere bystanders. The findings are reported in the June 25, 2009 issue of the journal Nature. "In the coming years, we can expect genomic studies [which chart the activity of thousands of cell genes] to generate hundreds or thousands of genetic elements of interest in cancer research," says the study's senior author, Lynda Chin, MD, of Dana-Farber. "To narrow that group to the genes that actually drive cancer growth and metastasis, it's necessary to do functional studies, which focus on what individual genes do to turn a cell cancerous, and mechanistic studies, which examine how they turn cells cancerous and in what setting. It is a long and intensive effort that will leverage knowledge from different fields and different model systems." In the study, Chin, lead author Kenneth Scott, PhD, of Dana-Farber, and their colleagues worked their way through a series of experiments - in yeast cells, multiple types of human cancer cells, laboratory cell cultures, and mouse models - to demonstrate that a surplus of a gene known as GOLPH3 can spur cancer cell growth in a variety of tissues. It is the first gene associated with the Golgi complex, a tiny packaging plant that prepares proteins for their journey within and outside the cell, which has been found to play a role in cancer. Chin's team also found that the protein made from GOLPH3 may serve as a biomarker for tumors that can be effectively treated with the chemotherapy drug rapamycin: tumors with a high level of the protein are more apt to shrink in response to the drug than those with low levels. The study began with an observation made years ago that a section of chromosome 5p13 is often duplicated, or amplified, in cancers of the lung, ovary, breast, and prostate gland, as well as melanoma. The presence of this abnormality in so many different types of cancer led Chin and her associates to take a closer look at that stretch of chromosome to see what genes reside there. Using a method called genomic qPCR that can pick out specific sequences of DNA, they found four genes in the amplified region, two of which, GOLPH3 and SUB1, were expressed at high levels, due to the increase in gene copy. To determine whether both, or either, of these genes are involved in cancer, they conducted "loss of function" tests, in which they lowered each gene's activity in a set of lab-grown tumor cells. "When we 'knocked down' GOLPH3 expression [or activity] by 95 percent, it significantly inhibited the ability of these cell lines to grow in a semi-solid condition, a cancerous quality that normal cells do not typically share," Chin says. "Knocking down SUB1 to a comparable level had only a minimal effect." Intriguing as this finding was, it was hardly enough to prove that GOLPH3 is an oncogene - a contributor to cancer when overexpressed within a cell. Demonstrating that would require several experiments to ensure that GOLPH3 itself, and not a nearby "shadow" gene, is responsible for the effects. Next came gain-of-function studies to see whether revving up GOLPH3 activity can turn a non-cancerous cell cancerous. It did in both mouse and human cells. "All these results enabled us to build a case that GOLPH3 is an oncogene," Chin states. But there was a problem. "This information wasn't very helpful for achieving our ultimate goal, which is the translation of our findings into a form that is clinically useful for patients." Despite their discovery that GOLPH3 can promote cancer, researchers didn't know what the gene's role is in normal cells. "There was literally no information on what it does," Chin remarks. The only hint was that the protein it encodes - designated GOLPH3 - is found in the Golgi network. The team's first attempt to uncover GOLPH3's role - using gene expression profiling to see how protein levels track with various cell functions - was fruitless. So the researchers ran experiments with yeast cells to see which proteins share GOLPH3's cell neighborhood and which proteins it interacts with. One such partner was found to be VPS35, a component of a structure called the retromer complex. The complex's job is to recycle the antenna-like receptors that dot the cell surface. From the many genetic screening tests that have been done in yeast, researchers knew that flaws in the retromer complex can cause cells to be vulnerable to rapamycin, just as excess GOLPH3 can. Rapamycin is known to interfere with a protein called TOR, whose job is to control yeast cell size. This suggested that the retromer complex in yeast is important for chemical signals sent to and from TOR. Chin's team theorized that mammalian GOLPH3 also works with the retromer complex to control the activity of TOR in mammal cells (where it's known at mTOR). To test this idea, the investigators found that knocking down GOLPH3 reduced cell size just as rapamycin did. They followed those experiments with biochemical studies to explore how GOLPH3 affects cell size. The team next sought to answer whether high GOLPH3 levels cause tumor cells to be more susceptible to rapamycin in animal studies. They took two sets of human melanoma skin cancer cells - one of which had excess GOLPH3 and the other had normal levels - implanted them in animals, allowed them to grow into tumors, then treated them with rapamycin. "In the animals where GOLPH3 was overexpressed, the cancer cells grew much faster, but the tumors were much more responsive to rapamycin," Chin notes, "suggesting the tumor-promoting effect of GOLPH3 is dependent on mTOR signaling." Lastly, the team considered whether the same mechanism might be at work in human cancer cells. An experiment analyzing human tumor tissue for specific proteins suggested yes. The researchers found that non-small cell lung cancer cells with too many copies of the GOLPH3 gene also had abnormally high levels of mTOR activity. "The mechanistic relationship we'd identified in the mouse system is also at work in human tumors," says Chin, who is also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. In addition to identifying GOLPH3 as a bona fide oncogene and an indicator of whether rapamycin is likely to be effective against specific tumors, the study points to the need to follow genomic studies with a rigorous examination of the biological purpose and operation of potential cancer genes, Chin concludes. "Only then can we turn our intriguing discoveries in the cancer genome into something that is useful to cancer patients." The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Co-authors include Omar Kabbarah, Mei-Chih Liang, PhD, Joyce Wu, Sabin Dhakal, Min Wu, PhD, Shujuan Chen, Tamar Feinberg, Joseph Huang, Hans Widlund, PhD, and Kwok-Kin Wong, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber; Elena Ivanova, PhD, Yonghong Xiao, PhD, and Alexei Protopopov, PhD, Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute of Advanced Cancer Science; David E. Fisher, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital; Valsamo Anagnostou, and David Rimm, MD, PhD,Yale University School of Medicine; Abdel Saci, PhD, Harvard Medical School. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.


We have discovered a facile amination reaction of NiII dimesitylnorcorrole, which is an antiaromatic porphyrinoid with a 16π-electron conjugation system. The amination reaction proceeded at the β-positions of the norcorrole with high regioselectivity upon treatment with various amines used as solvents. The reaction requires neither catalysts nor pre-functionalization of the norcorrole. The optical and electrochemical properties of the amino norcorroles were substantially modulated by electron-donating nitrogen atoms. According to theoretical studies, the regioselectivity of amination can be accounted for by molecular orbitals of the norcorrole.


Many social simulations can be represented using mobile-agent-based model in which agents moving around on a given space such as evacuations, traffic flow and epidemics. Whole planet simulation with billions of agents at microscopic level helps mitigate the global crisis. It introduces new technical challenges such as processing and migrating many agents and load balancing among hundreds of machines. To overcome these challenges, well-designed software architecture of a simulator is essential. In this research, we proposed agent-based complex cellular automata architecture (ABCCA) and studied the performance and scalability of two cell-based processing models, through simple traffic flow simulation on multi-core distributed system. The experiments show that the computation speedup can be achieved by reducing granularity of tasks and processing only active spaces. We achieved running the traffic flow simulation with one billion of agents in almost real time on 1,536 CPU cores of total 128 machines of TSUBAME supercomputer.


113Cd NMR of the 113Cd(II)-substituted zinc metalloenzymes, human and bovine erythrocyte carbonic anhydrases, is reported. The high activity isozymes, human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase, isozyme C (HCAC) and bovine erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase, isozyme B (BCAB), are characterized by relatively narrow 113Cd resonances around 220 ppm to lowfield of Cd(ClO4)2. These resonances are relatively invariant between pH 5.5 and 10. In contrast, the low activity isozyme, human carbonic anhydrase B (HCAB), shows no detectable or extremely broad 113Cd resonance at all pH values in the absence of anion inhibitors. Binding of halide anions, Cl- or I-, to the active site cadmium ion in HCAB results in the appearance of a 113Cd resonance at 230 to 240 ppm. The initial absence of resonance in 113Cd(II)HCAB appears to reflect an intermediate rate (10^3 to 10^4 s-1) of chemical exchange of ligands at the active site 113Cd ion. This exchange may modulate the chemical shift by ~100 ppm. The exchanging ligand is most likely coordinated solvent. Exchange is interrupted by substitution of the monodentate anions which form complexes of long lifetimes. In contrast, the narrow resonance observed for the high activity isozymes appears to reflect an initially rapid (>10^5 s-1) solvent ligand exchange rate, a conclusion supported by the temperature dependence of the linewidth of the 113Cd resonance in BCAB. The extreme sensitivity of the active site 113Cd ion's chemical shift to minor changes in the coordination sphere is shown by the isolation of the bovine isozyme A for which the resonance of the 113Cd derivative undergoes an 88-ppm shift on I- binding. These findings are discussed as they relate to the currently proposed mechanisms of action for carbonic anhydrases.


Background: Recently introduced robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) facilitates endoscopic surgical manipulation and thereby reduces the learning curve for (advanced) laparoscopic surgery. We present our learning curve with RALS for aortobifemoral bypass grafting as a treatment for aortoiliac occlusive disease. Methods: Between February 2002 and May 2005, 17 patients were treated in our institution with robot-assisted laparoscopic aorto-bifemoral bypasses. Dissection was performed laparoscopically and the robot was used to make the aortic anastomosis. Operative time, clamping time, and anastomosis time, as well as blood loss and hospital stay, were used as parameters to evaluate the results and to compare the first eight (group 1) and the last nine patients (group2). Results: Total median operative, clamping, and anastomosis times were 365 min (range: 225–589 min), 86 min (range: 25–205 min), and 41 min (range: 22–110 min), respectively. Total median blood loss was 1,000 ml (range: 100–5,800 ml). Median hospital stay was 4 days (range: 3–57 days). In this series 16/18 anastomoses were completed with the use of the robotic system. Three patients were converted (two in group 1, one in group 2), and one patient died postoperatively (group 1). Median clamping and anastomosis times were significantly different between groups 1 and 2 (111 min [range: 85–205 min] versus 57.5 min [range: 25–130 min], p < 0.01 and 74 min [range: 40–110 min] versus 36 min [range: 22–69 min], p < 0.01, respectively) Total operative time, blood loss, and hospital stay showed no significant difference between groups 1 and 2. Conclusions: Robot-assisted aortic anastomosis was shown to have a steep learning curve with considerable reduction of clamping and anastomosis times. However, due to a longer learning curve for laparoscopic dissection of the abdominal aorta, operation times were not significantly shortened. Even with robotic assistance, laparoscopic aortoiliac surgery remains a complex procedure.


We investigate several conceptions of linguistic structure to determine whether or not they can provide simple and "revealing" grammars that generate all of the sentences of English and only these. We find that no finite-state Markov process that produces symbols with transition from state to state can serve as an English grammar. Furthermore, the particular subclass of such processes that produce n -order statistical approximations to English do not come closer, with increasing n , to matching the output of an English grammar. We formalize-the notions of "phrase structure" and show that this gives us a method for describing language which is essentially more powerful, though still representable as a rather elementary type of finite-state process. Nevertheless, it is successful only when limited to a small subset of simple sentences. We study the formal properties of a set of grammatical transformations that carry sentences with phrase structure into new sentences with derived phrase structure, showing that transformational grammars are processes of the same elementary type as phrase-structure grammars; that the grammar of English is materially simplified if phrase structure description is limited to a kernel of simple sentences from which all other sentences are constructed by repeated transformations; and that this view of linguistic structure gives a certain insight into the use and understanding of language.


Data augmentation is a widely used trick when training deep neural networks: in addition to the original data, properly transformed data are also added to the training set. However, to the best of our knowledge, a clear mathematical framework to explain the performance benefits of data augmentation is not available.
In this paper, we develop such a theoretical framework. We show data augmentation is equivalent to an averaging operation over the orbits of a certain group that keeps the data distribution approximately invariant. We prove that it leads to variance reduction. We study empirical risk minimization, and the examples of exponential families, linear regression, and certain two-layer neural networks. We also discuss how data augmentation could be used in problems with symmetry where other approaches are prevalent, such as in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).


This thesis examined the relationship between children's visual art and hospital contexts. It specifically focused on children's art in the Tile Project within the Mater Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. This ethnographic study consisted of interviews with the creators of the Tile Project as well as interviews and a survey with parents, staff, and children within the Mater Children's Hospital. The interviews were informed by a review of literature in the areas of art in health settings. The study made observations of the community interacting with the tiles and collected images of the tiles used in the hospital and employed the framework of Bourdieu's (1993) fields of cultural production and Abbs's (1987) aesthetic field and dimensions, as well as the aesthetic dimensions of Beardsley (1982), Eisner (1985), and Csikszentmihalyi (1990). The study investigated the aesthetic characteristics of the tiles and their health outcomes in relation to the hospital community. This study is significant because the Mater Children's Hospital Tile Project was a project that reflected art in healthcare settings involving Community Arts, art in design, and art in public buildings. The research identified the unique nature of the Tile Project which saw the hospital as a children's space with artworks for children by children. The study reflected on the value of the tiles in having a healing and distracting quality for parents and children alike and that engagement with the tiles through touch, imagination, and playful games improved the atmosphere of the hospital.


Abstract Numerous techniques have been proposed to estimate or index cougar (Puma concolor) populations, but few have been applied simultaneously to populations with reliable estimates of population size. Between 1996 and 2003, we evaluated the relative efficacy and accuracy of multiple estimation and index techniques for populations at 2 locations in Utah, USA: Monroe Mountain and the Oquirrh Mountains. We used radiotagging followed by intensive monitoring and repeated capture efforts to approach a complete enumeration of the populations. We used these benchmarks to evaluate other population estimates (Lincoln–Petersen mark–recapture, helicopter-survey probability sampling, catch-per-unit-effort) and indices (scent-station visits, track counts, hunter harvest). Monitoring over 600 scent-station-nights using different attractants June–September in 1996 and 1997 yielded a single cougar visit. Summer track-based indices reflected a 54–69% reduction in population size on the Monroe site and a numerically stable population on the Oquirrhs, but relationships between indices and the benchmark population estimates varied among techniques. Aerial track surveys required sufficient fresh snowfall accumulations for adequate tracking coverage of a given unit, conditions that were met only once on one study site in each of 3 years. Population estimates derived from helicopter-survey probability sampling exceeded reference population estimates by 120–284%, and bootstrapped estimates of standard error encompassed 25–55% of the population estimates (e.g., 5.6 ± 1.4 cougars/100 km2). Despite poor performance in predicting cougar population sizes, track-based estimates may provide better indices for monitoring large changes in population trends (i.e., with low precision). However, we recommend using multiple indices after determination of a more rigorous initial population estimate for managing populations of conservation concern and when considering connectivity to determine potential refuge sites for regional management (e.g., management by zones).


This dictionary of bird artists contains biographical information with illustrations. Approximately 5000 artists, past and present, who have made two-dimensional portraits of birds as the main motif in their paintings are included in this dictionary, with their biographical details. Some artists painted large canvases filled with birds for an imaginary earthly paradise, while others made detailed studies of a single species. Many great masters painted a bird, and the specialist bird painters knew not only how to paint feathers, but also understood the birds' anatomical structure. These artists were given commissions to record newly-discovered species. The variety of their approach is illustrated in some 1000 colour and black and white plates. The introduction surveys varying aspects of bird portraiture by different cultures. The artists' biographies, arranged alphabetically, include comments on their individual style and achievements. A list of galleries where their work may be viewed is also included. An additional benefit of the Dictionary is that sales and auctions of bird paintings in both salerooms and galleries during the past ten years are listed, with the prices realized.


Excited states in the extremely neutron‐deficient isotope 172Hg have been established for the first time. The 96Ru(78Kr,2n) reaction was employed to populate excited states in 172Hg with a cross section σ ≈ 15 nb. The highly selective Recoil‐Decay Tagging (RDT) technique was used to obtain clean in‐beam γ‐ray spectra for 172Hg. The yrast ground‐state band has tentatively been established up to I = 6h. The data have been interpreted within the framework of total Routhian surface and quasiparticle random phase approximation calculations. In addition to the well‐known features of shape coexistence previously observed in light Hg isotopes, the systematic trends in the energy of the yrast 2+ and 4+ states in the chain of Hg isotopes indicate a pronounced vibrational collectivity which is reduced in strength, but at the same time shows a higher degree of harmonicity, as the neutron number decreases below the neutron midshell.


Each paper needs an abstract in English of not more than 150 words. It should be structured as follows: Background/Aims: What is the major problem that prompted the study? Methods: How was the study performed? Results: Most important findings? Conclusion: Most important conclusion? Abstract of In-Depth Reviews: Should be divided into the following subsections: Background, Summary and Key Messages. The Background should provide a brief clinical context for the review and is followed by the Summary, which should include a concise description of the main topics covered in the text. The Key Messages encapsulate the main conclusions of the review. Footnotes: Avoid footnotes.of In-Depth Reviews: Should be divided into the following subsections: Background, Summary and Key Messages. The Background should provide a brief clinical context for the review and is followed by the Summary, which should include a concise description of the main topics covered in the text. The Key Messages encapsulate the main conclusions of the review. Footnotes: Avoid footnotes. Tables and illustrations: Tables and illustrations (both numbered in Arabic numerals) should be prepared on separate pages. Tables require a heading and figures a legend, also prepared on a separate page. For the reproduction of illustrations, only good drawings and original photographs can be accepted; negatives or photocopies cannot be used. Due to technical reasons, figures with a screen background should not be submitted. When possible, group several illustrations in one block for reproduction (max. size 180  223 mm) or provide crop marks. Electronically submitted b/w half-tone and color illustrations must have a final resolution of 300 dpi after scaling, line drawings one of 800–1,200 dpi. Color illustrations Online edition: Color illustrations are reproduced free of charge. In the print version, the illustrations are reproduced in black and white. Please avoid referring to the colors in the text and figure legends. Print edition: Up to 6 color illustrations per page can be integrated within the text at CHF 960.00 per page. References: In the text identify references by Arabic numerals [in square brackets]. Material submitted for publication but not yet accepted should be noted as [unpublished data] and not be included in the reference list. The list of references should include only those publications which are cited in the text. Do not alphabetize; number references in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. The surnames of the authors followed by initials should be given. There should be no punctuation other than a comma to separate the authors. Preferably, please cite all authors. Abbreviate journal names according to the Index Medicus system. Also see International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to bio medical journals (www.icmje.org). Examples (a) Papers published in periodicals: Samouilidou E, Grapsa E: Effect of dialysis on plasma total antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation products in patients with end-stage renal failure. Blood Purif 2003;21:209–212. (b) Papers published only with DOI numbers: Theoharides TC, Boucher W, Spear K: Serum interleukin-6 reflects disease severity and osteoporosis in mastocytosis patients. Int Arch Allergy Immunol DOI: 10.1159/000063858. (c) Monographs: Tomino Y: IgA Nephropathy. From Molecules to Men, ed 1. Basel, Karger, 1999. (d) Edited books: Cochrane AL, Ricardo SD: Oxidant stress and regulation of chemokines in the development of renal interstitial fibrosis; in Razzaque MS, Taguchi T (eds): Renal Fibrosis. Contrib Nephrol. Basel, Karger, 2003, vol 139, pp 102–119. Reference Management Software: Use of EndNote is recommended for easy management and formatting of citations and reference lists. Digital Object Identifier (DOI) S. Karger Publishers supports DOIs as unique identifiers for articles. A DOI number will be printed on the title page of each article. DOIs can be useful in the future for identifying and citing articles published


Abstract. Satellite measurements during April to June in 2019 and direct observations from 28th to 30th May in 2019 about the Kuroshio Extension Front are conducted. The former shows the front experience a process of stable-unstable-stable state caused by the movement of the Kuroshio Extension's second meander and a pinched-off eddy. The latter indicates the steep upward slopes of the isopycnals tilt northward in the strong frontal zone as well as several over 100 m thick blobs of cold and fresh water in the salinity minimum zone of North Pacific Intermediate Water. Using isopycnal anomaly method and diapycnal spiciness curvature method, characteristic interleaving layers are shown primarily in σθ = 26.3–26.9 kg/m3, which corresponds to large variations of potential spiciness in intermediate layers. Further analysis indicates the development of thermohaline intrusions may be driven by the double diffusive instability and the velocity anomalies. Besides, we find the turbulence mixing attributed to symmetric instability and shear instability is very strong in intermediate layer.


Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a 'T'. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather-forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks - not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.'s small fox-terrier Montmorency. "Three Men in a Boat" was an instant success when it appeared in 1889, and proved so popular that Jerome reunited his now older - but not necessarily wiser - heroes in "Three Men on the Bummel", for a picaresque bicycle tour of Germany. With their benign escapism, authorial discursions and wonderful evocation of the late-Victorian 'clerking classes', both novels hilariously capture the spirit of their age.


Recently acquired 3-m-resolution 244 kHz multibeam seafloor bathymetry (0.5 m depth precision) reveals geomorphology at sufficient detail to interpret small-scale features and short-term processes in the upper 4 km of Monterey Canyon, California. The study area includes the continental shelf and canyon features from 10 m to 250 m depth. The canyon floor contains an axial channel laterally bounded by elevated complex terrace surfaces. Sand waves with 2 m height and 35 m average wavelength dominate the active part of the canyon floor. The sand waves are strongly asymmetrical, indicating net down-canyon sediment transport in this reach. Terraces, including a broad 25-m-tall terrace complex near the head of the canyon, bear evidence of recent degradation of the canyon floor. Slump scars and gullies having a variety of sizes and relative ages shape the canyon walls. Serial georeferenced digital elevation models were analyzed to detect net changes in bathymetry or morphology occurring during both a six month period (September 2002 to March 2003) and a 24-h period (24 March to 25 March). Significant changes over the six month period include: (1) complete reorganization of the sand waves on the channel floor, (2) local channel degradation creating new 2-m-tall erosional terraces on the channel margins, (3) local channel widening that laterally eroded older channel margin terraces, and (4) 60 m extension of one minor gully head on a steep canyon wall. There were no discernable changes in morphology during the 24-h study period. Raster subtraction of serial bathymetric grids provides estimates of sediment erosion and deposition that occurred between the canyon head and a point 2 km down canyon during the six month study. Erosion of 320,000 m 3 (±80,000 m 3 ) of sediment occurred mainly in the tributaries, along the margins of the axial channel, and in the lowest 700 m of the analyzed reach. This eroded volume was approximately balanced by 260,000 m 3 (±70,000 m 3 ) of sediment deposition that was concentrated in the nearshore region along the rim of the canyon head. There was no measurable sediment gain or loss during the 24-h study period.


OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to investigate effects of the triazine herbicide metribuzin on signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus Dana by determining oxidative stress (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and antioxidant indices (total superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase) in hepatopancreas, muscle, and gill as well as assessing their histopathology.

DESIGN
Crayfish were exposed to metribuzin concentrations of 0.52 μg x l(-1) (realistic environmental concentration) and 3.06 mg x l(-1) (10% 96hLC50) for 10 and 30 days followed by a 30-day depuration period without exposure to metribuzin.

RESULTS
In the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, superoxide dismutase, and catalase were observed differences in all examined tissues compared to the control group. Differences from control were observed in glutathione reductase activity in hepatopancreas after 10 days for both exposure concentrations and after 30 days at 3.06 mg x l(-1). Histological examination revealed extensive focal autolytic disintegration of tubular epithelium in hepatopancreas of crayfish exposed to metribuzin for 30 days.

CONCLUSIONS
Chronic exposure of metribuzin resulted in oxidative damage to cell lipids, in changes of antioxidant activity in crayfish tissue, and pathological changes in hepatopancreas. The results suggest that selected oxidative stress biomarkers, antioxidant enzymes, and pathologies of hepatopancreas may have potential as biomarkers for monitoring residual triazine herbicides in the aquatic environment.


Whether unintentional or by design, built, social, and perceived environments influence the human experience. Behavior is not solely the product of a rational motivated actor, operating independently from his or her environment; rather, it is also a function of edifices, neighborhoods, and public spaces, as well as the inhabitants, community norms, and the social capital they generate. Likewise, addictive behaviors have as much to do with the environmental contexts surrounding individuals as with their unique biological factors, specific brain mechanisms, and psychogenic causes. Any attempt to address addiction at either individual or population levels would benefit from careful consideration of the social and contextual influences on cognitions, opportunities, motivations, and behaviors. Interventions informed by this understanding are more likely to be efficacious than those solely targeted toward individual biology, motivations, or attitudes. In this chapter, we discuss the relationship between physical and social environments (PSE), health, and the behavior of humans. We then focus on the influential role of the PSE on the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances; food, eating behaviors, and addictions contributing to the current obesity epidemic; and a selection of other behavioral addictions. The chapter closes by discussing methodological considerations and implications for professional practice.


Maintaining availability in the face of failures is a critical requirement for Internet services. Existing approaches in cluster-based data storage rely on redundancy to survive a small number of failures, but the system becomes entirely unavailable if more failures occur. We describe an approach that allows a cluster file server to isolate failures so that the system can continue to serve most clients. Our approach is complementary to existing redundancy-based methods: redundancy can mask the first few failures, and failure isolation can take over and maintain availability for the majority of clients if more failures occur.

The building blocks of our design are self-contained and load-balanced file servers called islands. The main idea underlying island-based design is the one-island principle: as many operations as possible should involve exactly one island. The one-island principle provides failure isolation because each island can function independently of other islands' failures. It also helps the file system scale with the system and workload sizes because communication and synchronization across islands are reduced. We implemented a prototype island-based file system called Archipelago on a cluster of PCs running Windows NT 4.0 connected by Ethernet. The measurement of micro benchmark shows that Archipelago adds little overhead to NTFS and Win32 RPC performance; while the measurement of operation mixes based on NTFS traces shows a speedup of 15.7 on 16 islands


We examined the concentrations of vitamin E (vit E), sulphydryl groups (-SH), total protein and protein electrophoretic profiles in the hepatopancreas, the gills and muscle of three freshwater crayfish species: Noble crayfish ( Astacus astacus ), stone crayfish ( Austropotamobius torrentium ) and spiny cheek crayfish ( Orconectes limosus ). Vit E concentration in the hepatopancreas of O. limosus was lower compared to A. astacus , while in the gills of O. limosus it was lower compared to both A. astacus and A. torrentium . The concentration of -SH groups was lower in the hepatopancreas of A. astacus compared to A. torrentium and O. limosus . In the gills of A. astacus and A. torrentium the concentration of -SH groups was higher compared to O. limosus . Protein concentration was higher in the hepatopancreas of A. torrentium compared to A. astacus and O. limosus . A lower protein concentration in muscle of A. torrentium was found compared to O. limosus and A. astacus . Electrophoretic analysis of proteins indicated species and tissue specifities between investigated crayfish species. Our results represent the first study of its kind and provide the basis for future studies that will consider our reported parameters as potential biomarkers for biomonitoring of basic environmental conditions and some anthropogenic impacts.


The northern Sierra Nevada and adjacent Basin and Range, western United States, are marked by a widespread regional unconformity at the base of the Eocene-Miocene volcanic and sedimentary section that overlies the Mesozoic batholith and its wall rocks. To help address controversial questions about the origin, uplift, and erosion of the batholith, we compiled a subcrop geologic map of the unconformity prior to Tertiary extension. This simple but under-utilized technique reveals the distribution of rock units that could have contributed detritus to the Eocene-Miocene river channels crossing the Sierra Nevada and demonstrates that the Mesozoic Sierra Nevada batholith was continuous to the northeast across the northwestern Basin and Range. More speculatively, the subcrop map implies that Late Cretaceous–Eocene erosional stripping may have been greatest above the axis of the batholith and decreased to the east; thus, drainage in this area may have been eastward and then switched westward in Eocene-Miocene time.


The oxygen evolution reaction is of paramount importance in clean energy generation and storage. While the common approach in search of active, durable and cost-effective oxygen evolution catalysts involves the development of novel materials, it is equally important to tune the properties of existing materials so as to improve their catalytic performance. Here, we demonstrate the general efficacy of electrochemical lithium tuning in organic electrolyte on enhancing the oxygen evolution catalytic activity of olivine-type lithium transition metal phosphates, a widely-researched family of cathode materials in lithium ion batteries. By continuously extracting lithium ions out of lithium transition metal phosphates, the materials exhibited significantly enhanced water oxidation catalytic activity. Particularly, the electrochemically delithiated Li(Ni,Fe)PO4 nanoparticles anchored on reduced graphene oxide sheets afforded outstanding performance, generating a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of only 0.27 V for over 24 h without degradation in 0.1 M KOH, outperforming the commercial precious metal Ir catalysts.


Continuous agricultural production in the Amazon region requires correction of soil acidity and understanding of the long-term interactions of liming with chemical soil properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the immediate and residual effects of lime on annual crop production and soil properties of medium-textured Oxisols in the Brazilian Amazon. Field experiments were conducted at two locations in the Northeast of Para from 2003 to 2008, one in the county of Terra Alta and the other in Tracuateua. An unlimed control and limed treatments were distributed in a randomized complete block design for both experiments. Ten lime rates between 0.1 and 2 Mg ha-1 were assessed in Terra Alta and four lime rates between 1 and 4 Mg ha-1 in Tracuateua. Two varieties of each corn and cowpea in an annual rotation were evaluated in the subplots. Four corn crops (2003-2006) in rotation with three cowpea crops (2004-2006) were evaluated in Terra Alta. Maximum corn grain yields were achieved in Terra Alta with applications of 1 Mg ha-1of lime whereas maximum cowpea yields required lower lime rates. In Tracuateua, cowpea yield response to lime applied in 2003 was first observed in the 2005 harvest, with a maximum yield obtained with the residual lime rate of 1 Mg ha-1, with significant differences between varieties. Yield responses of both crops to lime were associated with increased soil Ca + Mg levels and reduced Al saturation. Trends in declining soil Ca + Mg and increasing Al saturation with time after liming were observed at both sites, but were more pronounced in Tracuateua. Corn planted in 2007 and 2008 in Tracuateua provided linear yield responses to rates of up to 4 Mg ha-1 of lime. Collective data from both sites indicated that the appropriate lime rate for corn in these soils should reduce Al saturation to less than 11 %. The importance of varietal selection with cowpea was illustrated by the difference in Al saturation tolerance, which ranged between 13 and 32 % among the varieties evaluated.


This thesis documents research conducted as part of an EPSRC (EP/C53 8277/01) project whose aim was to understand, capture and dene the service requirements of cluster-supported enterprise systems. This research includes developing techniques to verify that the infrastructure is delivering on its agreed service requirements and a means of dynamically adjusting the operating policies if the service requirements are not being met.
The research in this thesis falls into three broad categories: 1) the performance evaluation of data persistence in distributed enterprise applications; 2) Internet workload management and request scheduling; 3) dynamic resource allocation in server farms. Techniques for request scheduling and dynamic resource allocation are developed, with the aim of maximising the total revenue from dierent applications run in an Internet service hosting centre.
Given that data is one of the most important assets of a company, it is essential that enterprise systems should be able to create, retrieve, update and delete data eectively. Web-based applications require application data and session data, and the persistence of these data is critical to the success of the business. However, data persistence comes at a cost as it introduces a performance overhead to the system. This thesis reports on research using state-of-the-art enterprise computing architectures to study the performance overheads of data persistence.
Internet service providers (ISPs) are bound by quality of service (QoS) agreements with their clients. Since dierent applications serve various types of request, each with an associated value, some requests are more important than others in terms of revenue contribution. This thesis reports on the development of a priority, queue-based request scheduling scheme, which positions waiting requests in their relevant queues based on their priorities. In so doing, more important requests are processed sooner even though they may arrive in the system later than others. An experimental evaluation of this approach is conducted using an eventdriven simulator; the results demonstrate promising results over a number of existing methods in terms of revenue contribution.
Due to the bursty nature of web-based workload, it is very diffcult to manage server resources in an Internet hosting centre. Static approaches such as resource provisioning either result in wasted resource (i.e., underutilisation in light loaded situations) or oer no help if resources are overutilised. Therefore, dynamic approaches to resource management are needed. This thesis proposes a bottleneck-aware, dynamic server switching policy, which is used in combination with an admission control scheme. The objective this scheme is to optimise the total revenue in the system, while maintaining the QoS agreed across all server pools in the hosting centre. A performance evaluation is conducted via extensive simulation, and the results show a considerable improvement from the bottleneck-aware server switching policy over a proportional allocation policy and a system that implements no dynamic server switching.


This Essay explores the effects of stored-value cards on social welfare. We argue that stored-value cards, in general, are socially beneficial payment devices. Their burgeoning use benefits society in three main plains. First, by replacing paper-based instruments in market segments previously inaccessible to card-based payments, stored-value cards lower the private and public costs of payment transactions. Second, by extending the use of card-based payment systems towards lower- and middle-income households, stored-value cards foster inclusion of those households in the financial mainstream of our society. Third, by operating without an extension of credit, stored-value cards help to limit the uniquely American reutilization of credit transactions associated with the widespread use of credit-card borrowing.We further identify several risks associated with the use of stored-value cards. First, as in many cases their issuers are not federal banks, stored value cards expose consumers to the possibility of losing funds in the case of issuer's insolvency. Second, as their mechanism is vulnerable to data breaches, they expose consumers to unauthorized uses of their funds — as opposed to other payment cards where consumers enjoy regulatory protection on this matter. Third, they raise the issue of the unused funds remaining on the card after most of it has been depleted. We recommend policies that will foster the use of stored-value cards, while adopting several rules that will confine their associated risks. We therefore call for adequate supervision that will assure the availability of deposits insurance to most stored-value cards; an extension of the current unauthorized use rules to stored-value cards; and a mechanism that will allow cash out of small unused funds associated with those cards. We also emphasize the need to exempt from regulation small stored-value cards programs in order to foster their beneficial use in contexts where the risks of harm are slight.


Abstract. Glaciers are essential hydrological reservoirs, storing and releasing water at various timescales. Short-term variability in glacier melt is one of the causes of streamflow droughts, here defined as deficiencies from the flow regime. Streamflow droughts in glacierised catchments have a wide range of interlinked causing factors related to precipitation and temperature on short and long timescales. Climate change affects glacier storage capacity, with resulting consequences for discharge regimes and streamflow drought. Future projections of streamflow drought in glacierised basins can, however, strongly depend on the modelling strategies and analysis approaches applied. Here, we examine the effect of different approaches, concerning the glacier modelling and the drought threshold, on the characterisation of streamflow droughts in glacierised catchments. Streamflow is simulated with the Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV-light) model for two case study catchments, the Nigardsbreen catchment in Norway and the Wolverine catchment in Alaska, and two future climate change scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Two types of glacier modelling are applied, a constant and dynamic glacier area conceptualisation. Streamflow droughts are identified with the variable threshold level method and their characteristics are compared between two periods, a historical (1975–2004) and future (2071–2100) period. Two existing threshold approaches to define future droughts are employed: (1) the threshold from the historical period; (2) a transient threshold approach, whereby the threshold adapts every year in the future to the changing regimes. Results show that drought characteristics differ among the combinations of glacier area modelling and thresholds. The historical threshold combined with a dynamic glacier area projects extreme increases in drought severity in the future, caused by the regime shift due to a reduction in glacier area. The historical threshold combined with a constant glacier area results in a drastic decrease of the number of droughts. The drought characteristics between future and historical periods are more similar when the transient threshold is used, for both glacier area conceptualisations. With the transient threshold, factors causing future droughts can be analysed. This study revealed the different effects of methodological choices on future streamflow drought projections and it highlights how the options can be used to analyse different aspects of future droughts: the transient threshold for analysing future drought processes, the historical threshold to assess changes between periods, the constant glacier area to analyse the effect of short-term climate variability on droughts and the dynamic glacier area to model more realistic future discharges under climate change.


Most individuals form their opinions about the quality of products, social trends and political issues via their interactions in social and economic networks. While the role of social networks as a conduit for information is as old as humanity, recent social and technological developments, such as Facebook, Blogs and Tweeter, have added further to the complexity of network interactions. Despite the ubiquity of social networks and their importance in communication, we know relatively little about how opinions form and information is transmitted in such networks. For example, does a large social network of individuals holding disperse information aggregate it efficiently? Can falsehoods, misinformation and rumors spread over networks? Do social networks, empowered by our modern communication means, support the wisdom of crowds or their ignorance? Systematic analysis of these questions necessitates a combination of tools and insights from game theory, the study of multiagent systems, and control theory. Game theory is central for studying both the selfish decisions and actions of individuals and the information that they reveal or communicate. Control theory is essential for a holistic study of networks and developing the tools for optimization over networks.


Subject of the present work is to examine the decision structure of the United
Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change, discuss possible changes within that structure like a different decision rule, or the implementation of voting weights and the consequences of those changes related to the distribution of voting power amongst the member states of the UNFCCC with the possibility of a priori unions. Power is one of the most important concepts in the social sciences. By applying power measures, we estimate the impact of the various agents in instrumental arrangements like the UNFCCC.
We examine the climate institutions 'United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change' and the 'United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification'. We give a detailed description of the bodies of the conventions and the actors in the negotiation process. As 'climate' is a public good we therefore apply the PGI, the Coalitional Solidarity PGI and the Union PGI and thus estimate the impact of the various agents in these instrumental arrangements taking a priori unions into consideration. For the UNFCCC the decision rule is unanimity and for the UNCCD there is a two-third majority decision rule. There are equal voting weights. Voting power and responsibility are thus equally distributed amongst the parties to the conventions if we do not include a priori unions. We define ten a priori unions and apply the corresponding a priori power measures. Depending on the decision topics, developing countries can hold more power and responsibility than developed countries. Both conventions refer to responsibilities of the parties as common but differentiated responsibilities. The primary responsibilities and thus power should fall to the industrial countries which is not reflected in our calculations. The second part claims that the existing a priori unions within the UNFCCC get obsolete. Over the past few years new negotiating coalitions emerged due to new decision topics. It is important for small countries that do not hold much power in the political arena to cooperate allowing them to share information and coordinate their actions. This paper makes use of a hierarchical cluster analysis to identify the a priori unions/coalitions. We consider 194 member states of the UNFCCC (cases). To cluster these cases three decision-fixed variables (GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity, contributions to the core budget of the UNFCCC, Environmental Performance Index) and in each decision case one clusteridentifying variable (Forest area, CO2 Emissions, Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita) for the three different decision situation (decisions on 'reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation' (REDD), decisions on CO2 emission cuts and decisions on water shortage) are taken into account. We calculate three cluster cases (10, 15 and 20 clusters) for the decision topics. To estimate the impact of the resulting a priori unions and accordingly the member states of the UNFCCC within the decision making process we apply the Coalitional Solidarity PGI and the Union PGI. We suggest a two-third majority decision rule as within the UNCCD and there are no voting weights in this setup. The third part deals with the allocation of voting weights within the UNFCCC. The ability of the UNFCCC to function effectively is limited. The one-country/one-vote system of decision making within the UN is unrealistic, bearing no relationship to the actual distribution of power amongst the world's nations. Therefore, its decisions are mostly only recommendatory rather than binding. Weighted voting has been suggested as one possible solution to the problem of representation in the conference of parties. We calculate voting weights based on contributions to the UNFCCC regular budget, GDP, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), and a measure of the equality of sovereign states. These factors are assigned different weights in order to formulate three sets of weighted votes. After this, we calculate the a priori voting power based on theSolidarity PGI and the Union PGI for the three different decision topics we dealt with in the second paper (cuts in CO2 emissions, REDD, and water shortage).


Chabon, Michael. The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man . Illus. Jake Parker. New York: Balzer & Bray, 2011. Print. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon recounts an archetypal small boy's fantasy life as superhero Awesome Man. Equipped with all the requisite SuperPowers, including positronic-ray-blasting vision and a "thermovulcanized protein-delivery orb," young Awesome Man, accompanied by Moskowitz, the Awesome Dog, does battle against the forces of darkness, including talking mutant Jell-O from beyond the stars.  After vanquishing Professor Von Evil and his antimatter Slimebot, the young hero battles his arch-nemesis, the Flaming Eyeball, and henchmen Red Shark and Sister Sinister. Returning to his "Fortress of Awesome, deep at the bottom of the deepest, darkest trench under the Arctic Ocean," he finds his mother, the only one aware of his secret identity, awaits his return in the kitchen to offer him a restorative serving of cheese, crackers, and chocolate milk. Chabon's thoroughly derivative story line, familiar at least since Super Man's 1939 debut in Action Comics No. 1 , is only redeemed by Jake Parker's imaginative and charming illustrations. Adults reading this slight effort to children will at least be afforded a chuckle over Moskovitz, the Awesome Dog, named in honour of one of Sci-Fi's most prominent students and proponents. Recommended with reservations: 2 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Merrill Distad Merrill Distad is Associate University Librarian (Research and Special Collections Services) and University Archivist, University of Alberta, and is the co-editor of Peel's Bibliography of the Canadian Prairies to 1953 (Toronto, 2003).  He is the author, most recently, of The University of Alberta Library: The First Hundred Years, 1908–2008 (Edmonton, 2009).


(1) To estimate the efficiency of the foraging strategy described in Pellew (1984), the rates of food intake of adult giraffe in the Serengeti National Park are assessed. Daily energy intakes derived from the diet are compared with estimates of the energy requirements for year-round reproduction. The reproductive performance of giraffe in the Serengeti is discussed in the light of such energy budgets. (2) Giraffe are exerting a major impact upon the development of the Acacia regeneration, removing up to 85% of the new shoot production. The browsing impact varies throughout the year, being greatest in the dry-season when production rates decline. Such high offtake rates are the result of a disequilibrium in the browse production-consumption system caused by the double perturbations of elephant impact and the reduction of fire. There is no short-term evidence that the giraffe impact is curtailing plant productivity, and it is suggested that Acacia species have evolved a high resilience to browsing as a result of the positive selection for tolerant genotypes. (3) The daily rates of food consumption, 1 6% and 2.1% of the live-weights of adult male and female giraffe, are similar to other ruminants. However, the quality of the diet, assessed in terms of crude protein levels, is consistently higher than that of African grazing ungulates, particularly in the dry-season, when the protein levels of the browse diets show only a marginal decline. (4) The energy budgets suggest that giraffe can maintain a positive energy balance throughout the year and during most stages of the female reproductive cycle. Any possible energy deficit during the post-partum lactation phase is avoided by the selection for browse of high energy content, especially in the dry-season. The foraging strategy adopted by giraffe enables the animal to attain the metabolic threshold for year-round breeding.