Scandinavian Design became a world-famous concept and brand in the 1950s. In numerous exhibitions, publications and commercial ventures, Scandinavia was portrayed as a regional and cultural entity comprising democratic and socially responsible model states with a common aesthetic: an elegant, low-key and restrained design without decorative excesses often realized in natural materials. This purported homogeneity has been greatly exaggerated in the literature on Swedish and Scandinavian design. It was certainly a commercially successful image, but not particularly true to life.This is observed by Lasse Brunnstrom in his Swedish Design History, in which he attempts to demonstrate that the history of Swedish design is far more variegated than is usually portrayed.


International market movements have been stimulating the recent process of industrialization in Brazil, with an increasing growth in the offer and demand of higher added value products in various sectors and segments. Metallic zinc plays a significant role in the Brazilian exports and in the automotive and building industries as well. Further to the availability of new technologies, the zinc industry in Brazil has been commercializing zinc alloys, perceived as higher added value products, for several applications. This study aims at analyzing how innovation and the zinc alloys may influence the metallic commodities market development in Brazil. It was carried a nationwide survey with a non-probabilistic sample of either employees or owners of companies that use zinc and its alloys. For the answers analysis it was used the Discourse of the Collective Subject, a qualitative and quantitative methodology. Zinc alloys influence positively the metallic zinc market growth, though their high prices were considered as a restriction factor for their use.


Recent step changes in seismic processing and imaging technology have delivered dramatic improvements in resolution, velocity model building and multiple attenuation. This article will explore improvements in resolution that have been demonstrated on two multi-client surveys in the North Sea: Cornerstone and Northern Viking Graben (NVG). Extending full-waveform inversion (FWI) to include absorption effects as well as velocity has delivered improved imaging, higher resolution and more reliable AVO products for the NVG survey, and this will now be applied to the reprocessed Cornerstone data.
Both surveys cover more than 35,000 km2 each, so application of high-resolution processing sequences to these two data sets will deliver advanced high-resolution data over two large areas of the North Sea.
The NVG survey was acquired using BroadSeis variable-depth streamers in conjunction with a broadband source to maximize the bandwidth. However, new developments in broadband processing, including ghost wavefield elimination (GWE) and bandwidth extension, can be extended to the reprocessing of conventionally-acquired data sets, which can now be uplifted to
deliver data of almost similar quality to modern broadband data by mitigating many of the limitations of traditional acquisition.
This is demonstrated by the reprocessing of the Cornerstone project in the Central North Sea. Although this survey was recently reprocessed in depth using multi-layer tomography, the rapid improvements in GWE, multiple and noise attenuation, velocity modelling and imaging in the last few years mean that it can still benefit from being reprocessed again.
Modern processing techniques ensure compliance with amplitude versus offset (AVO) analysis, and AVO attributes are used for QC purposes during the processing flow to ensure that the final data sets can be used directly for reservoir characterization.
The AVO attribute maps for Cornerstone shown later in this article have already delivered impressive high-resolution images
of the Forties field


The European Union has maintained that the obligations incumbent upon it in the area of human rights stem from its own internal legal order. Under this limited approach, the EU is merely under an obligation not to violate human rights when it acts (i.e. a negative obligation to respect human rights) and effectively only to respect those rights enumerated in the European Convention on Human Rights. This article explores how the EU may be subject to more extensive human rights obligations, incumbent on it by virtue of international law. As an intergovernmental organization and subject to international law, the EU can be said to be bound by customary international law, treaties to which it is a party, and human rights treaties entered into individually by Member States through the principle of succession or substitution. This would extend the range of applicable rights far beyond those in the ECHR to other obligations in, for instance, UN human rights treaties. It also implies that the EU must not merely refrain from violating human rights, but also that, within its spheres of competence, it should take positive measures to protect and fulfill human rights.


Paper 1: "Can the Internet Promote Political Accountability? Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment"
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Abstract. We ask whether technical progress in information communication technology (ICT) can increase political accountability via a 'Fire-Alarm Mechanism': Despite ordinary citizens' cognitive and motivational limitations to inform themselves about politics, ICT substantially increase the monitoring capability of those who act as watchdogs. Because of the resulting higher transparency, politicians anticipate that citizens at large might get more informed about their wrongdoings. To avoid electoral sanctions, they will act more representatively ex ante. Therefore, citizens do not need to be well-informed in actuality, it suffices that there is the potential to become well-informed through the watchdogs. We test this mechanism in a laboratory experiment that reflects the accountability relationship between a voter and a politician in information environments with increasing progress in ICT. In line with the predictions, subjects anticipate higher monitoring and justify their decision with the fear of being sanctioned more often. However, as an unexpected second effect, we find that they also justify their decision less frequently with fairness considerations. Overall, the two opposing effects do not lead to an increase in accountability. Our results imply that progress in ICT has the potential to increase accountability, but policy designers have to take negative side effects of higher control into consideration.

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Paper 2: "Why German Political Elites Support Governmental Transparency – Self-Interest, Anticipation of Voters' Preferences or Socialization?"
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Abstract. We compare three analytically distinctive motivations that could explain transparency support among German political elites: (1) Principal-agent theory suggests that elites have no incentive to reduce their informational advantage over voters. (2) From an office-seeking perspective, it is beneficial to support popular issues such as transparency. (3) Democratic-elitism suggests a specific elite-socialisation leads to high support of civil liberties like transparency. Analysing survey data of candidates for the German Bundestag 2009, we find high variance among elites and complementary influence of the motivations. Membership in left-leaning parties has the strongest positive effect. We find anticipation effects among candidates that are highly dependent on voters' support and whose voters are in favour of transparency at the same time. Further, transparency support is higher among young candidates. The findings imply that more transparency policies might be implemented in the future if public support for transparency increases and older candidate cohorts are replaced.

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Paper 3: "Online and Open-Minded. Cross-Country and Panel Analyses of the Impact of Internet Usage on Liberal Attitudes"
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Abstract. Does internet usage promote liberal attitudes? From our theoretical perspective, internet effects differ from those of traditional media: Via different technical mechanisms the internet changes who can broadcast and control information and it connects people with very different backgrounds. This leads to a more liberal agenda and an atmosphere of higher openness and tolerance. Our claim is tested with data from 57 countries of the World Values Survey. Multi-level analyses reveal that internet usage has a significant positive effect on liberal attitudes in many countries. The more liberal a country is, the stronger is the effect. In contrast, television viewing tends to have no effect in liberal countries and is even related with more conservative attitudes in conservative countries. Similar effects can be reproduced with fixed effects models and panel data from the Dutch LISS panel. Therefore, the effects are not caused by unobserved heterogeneity that would explain both internet usage and liberal attitudes. In conclusion, internet effects clearly differ from traditional media effects and the further diffusion of internet technology has the potential to increase open-mindedness.


This paper summarizes the main results developed in the author's PhD Thesis. The main goal of the Thesis is to provide a formalization of defeasible argumentation oriented towards its computational treatment. In order to do this, an LDS-based logical framework for defeasible argumentation called LDSar has been developed. The object language is that of logic programming, complemented with labels that identify distinguished elements for representing knowledge and performing inference.


The enhancement of second-harmonic generation (SHG) across a 2D photonic crystal (PC) slab consisting of GaP is investigated in this study with the three-dimensional spectral element method (SEM). The in-plane band structure is calculated, and it is compared with the peaks of the SHG to reveal the mechanisms behind the enhancement. The numerical result from the SEM shows that, under normal incidence, the scattered power of the SHG is enhanced for the eigenstates with large decay rates, while the stored energy of the SHG is enhanced for the eigenstates with a zero decay rate. The SHG is enhanced under two conditions: (i) phase matching between the fundamental and second-harmonic (SH) fields and (ii) symmetry matching between the field pattern of the resonant eigenstate and the generated SH polarization field. Compared with a homogeneous dielectric slab, the air-bridge PC slab can enhance the SHG by 4 orders of magnitude.


Feed conversion efficiency (FCE) is a composite measure that combines feed intake with growth rate to estimate the effectiveness by which feed is converted to saleable meat product, and is a major determinant of production system efficiency. We measured the relationships between feed intake to apparent satiety and weight gain in replicate half-sib families of black bream at four times over a 56-day test period. After 42 days, we found significant additive genetic variance in both weight gain and feed intake, and a stabilization in family group variation in both traits. This indicates that 42 days is the minimum test period over which to measure genetic variation for FCE in black bream. There were high, positive phenotypic (and probably genetic) correlations between weight gain and feed intake after 42 days. We found no detectable genetic variation for either feed efficiency (weight gain/feed intake), or residual feed intake, which is a linear function that distinguishes between the amount of feed intake that is used for body maintenance and that used for growth. We argue that selection for improved FCE might be better achieved not by using a composite measure, but by using a weighted selection index that accounts for the genetic covariance among weight gain, feed intake and other key production traits.


This chapter attempts to define a particular strand within contemporary artists' filmmaking practice concerned both with formal experimentation and the critical documentation and examination of the conditions of the 'real'. It briefly introduces a tension that can arise between these two aims: excessive formalism (perhaps based on a slavish adherence to earlier experimental film work or screen theory) sometimes goes hand in hand with a naively nihilistic refusal of 'the real' as an objective material category; to many documentarists, meanwhile, the work can appear self-indulgent or over-aestheticised. The paper presents certain works, including Duncan Campbell's film Bernadette (2008) and the author's own Gilligan (2009) and NLR (2010) as workings-out, or dramatisations, of these tensions; rather than attempts at 'resolution', they are explorations of the elusive character of the real, and of the inherently contested nature of documentary media. Crucially, however, they are attempts to find ways of politicising representation, rather than indefinite deferrals of commitment, or mere 'representations of the political' (as a self-contained, prior category, based on clearly definable 'events' or easily-representable confrontations). The paper interrogates how an audio-visual medium is able to approach the deep structure of the 'real', and to make perceptible networks of relations and power that lie beneath the superficially visible. It explores how the traditions of documentary have been extended and augmented, whilst also being critiqued, by visual artists, and it attempts to make a case for viewing the histories and concerns of the traditions in parallel. It also touches briefly on the problems of making 'political film' in contexts (such as Northern Ireland) that are already so excessively over-inscribed, politically.


Vitamin D is a prohormone that requires sequential enzymatic modification of 25 and 1a-hydroxylation in the liver and kidney respectively, leading to production of calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D3), the active form of vitamin D.1 Several studies have supported the notion that vitamin D, in addition to its classical action of maintaining systemic calcium homoeostasis and bone mineralisation, has non-classical extraskeletal actions including a potential capacity to inhibit fibrosis in various tissues. Murine lung fibroblasts treated with 1,25(OH)2D3, inhibited transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-induced fibroblast proliferation, α-smooth-muscle actin expression, and diminished the upregulation of fibronectin and collagen expression. Furthermore, 1,25(OH)2D3 is able to inhibit the TGF-β1-dependent transdifferentiation of lung epithelial cells into myofibroblasts.2 Recent studies in mesenchymal multipotent cells showed that treatment with vitamin D led to an antiproliferative effect by inducing cell cycle arrest.3 Moreover, vitamin D reduced the collagen expression and other key profibrotic factors and increased the expression of antifibrotic factors, such as BMP7 and matrix metalloproteinase 8, in those cells.4 A mouse obstructed kidney model treated with paricalcitol (19-nor-1,25 hydroxyvitamin D2), a synthetic analogue of vitamin D, significantly …


This paper analyzes the determinants of alternative automobile fuel regulation and development support with a particular focus on methanol fuel. We find that embedded interests, bureaucratic reforms, and political circumstances in the Chinese national, provincial, and municipal governments have all shaped policy outcomes in this area. The paper seeks to explain why at, the national level, support for alternative fuels has waned and finds that the concerns of state oil majors and disorganization during the process of national bureaucratic restructuring have been the deciding factors. Interestingly, at the sub-national level promotion of methanol continues unabated in some places. At the local level, business relationships as well as the embedded economic and personal interests of local leaders help to explain managerial local government behavior and sheds light on why government officials actively create and manage methanol fuel business opportunities through local standardization, subsidies, and hands-on management of SOE opposition. The switch towards methanol fuel was more successful in localities where individuals, either government officials or enterprise managers, formed an alliance and made this their 'pet projects'. The analysis draws on 55 interviews conducted between June and October 2010 in Shanxi, a major coal-producing province which has supported methanol fuel-switching programs for over ten years. The findings contribute to debates about the condition of the local state in China. The argument put forward in this paper is that because of limited state capacity at the central level and insufficient concerns for the development of alternative fuels in the short-term, some sub-national governments with strong embedded interests promote certain alternative fuels by taking on active managerial roles, adopting creative and ad-hoc strategies to fill in the national level policy gap at the local level.


Estonia has been amongst the most successful countries in the transition from Communism and planned economy to Western style democracy, market ecomomy, and rule of law. The reasons for Estonia's success in the past have been analyzed by various authors and institutions before, including the present authors. This new paper aims in a different direction. The analysis here presented looks at the sustainability of Estonian competitiveness, i.e., the prospects of this small Northeast European country for future economic success. After a brief introduction to Estonia's economic background, the authors discuss available physical capital, human capital, and social capital, and their respective strengths and weaknesses. Particular emphasis is placed on the potential of social capital as the driving factor for sustainable growth in Estonia. In their conclusions, the authors identify a number of challenges to be overcome, and make proposals for the difficult choices faced by the Estonian government and private sector.


This article presents findings from interviews with 16 middle school students and their parents in Guangzhou, China, about parent-adolescent relationships. Themes revealed from the conversations suggested that adolescents were generally pleased with the good relationships with their parents, that they enjoyed the respect their parents had for them as their parents tended to use peaceful reasoning to communicate parental expectations, and that they themselves cared a lot about academic attainment because it would lead to good jobs in the future. In addition, working-class parents expressed a sense of inadequacy while holding on to the high hopes and expectations for their children, whereas middle-class parents and parents who had middle-class experiences either in their occupation or in their education tried to raise well-rounded children apart from emphasis on academic achievement. In sum, these parents and adolescents represented a generation that was influenced by a myriad of social forces in modern China, including Confucianism, Socialism, and Capitalism, instead of simply and solely by classical Confucianism. In other words, Confucianism, along with the lifestyle that supported it, was far less salient than assumed in a lot of research on Chinese families and parent-child relationships.


In this paper, modified X-braced EBF steel frame is designed using pushover analysis. This study discussed five models of a steel building with 10 floors. The dimension of each model is 18 m width, 18 m length, and 4 m height. The building has a function as an office in Palembang. The building uses two types of EBF bracing, that is X with a vertical link and horizontal link. The result of the study shows that X bracing, with horizontal link model, has the best effectiveness to increase building stiffness and strength. Model 5 with X Bracing and horizontal link can reduce storey drift to 57.71 %, and drift ratio is 72.38%. By pushover analysis, this model gained the most effective performance point with base shear of 441.67 ton. The performance of the five building models is immediate occupancy (IO).


An increasing number of companies are introducing artificial agents as self-service tools on their websites, often motivated by the need to provide cost-efficient interaction solutions. These agents are designed to help customers and clients to conduct their business on the website. Their role on commercial websites is often to act as online sales/shopping assistants with the hope of replacing some of the interactions between customers and sales staff, thus supplementing or replacing human-to-human communication. However, research on artificial agents and comparisons with human-to-human communication, in particular, is still scarce. The purpose of this article is to explore the similarities and differences in communication between an artificial agent and customers compared with face-to-face communication between human service providers and customers. The method employed is a qualitative comparison of face-to-face human service provision in a travel agency setting and logs of interactions between customers and an artificial agent on an airline company website. The analysis is based on the theory of "activity-based communication analysis" and makes use of a framework of specific communication features provided by this theory. The article demonstrates a number of deficiencies in communication between artificial embodied agents and humans, suggesting that artificial embodied agents still lack many of the desirable communicative aspects of human-to-human service encounters.


Abstract The comics artist and illustrator Michael DeForge published his first graphic novel, Ant Colony, in 2014. The sophisticated combination of verbal and visual storytelling in his work has earned him the admiration of readers and critics alike, and makes him one of the most compelling practitioners of the "literary comic." This article applies surface reading theory to reading contemporary comics, also referred to as graphic narratives or novels, taking the work of DeForge as its case study. It analyzes Ant Colony as a work of narrative art, and also as a theory of narrative art that draws our attention to the process of surface reading: whether to the surfaces of bodies, the surfaces of language, or the surface of the comic book page. Running counter to a close reading practice that assumes that a deeper meaning is hidden in the text, DeForge's work redirects the reader's eye to the form of the text itself. This redirection posits an open acceptance, and scrutiny, of the surface: close reading through attention to form.


Background Due to sometimes difficult pharmacological management of the disease and comorbidities, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are often subjected to multi-drug treatment. Electronic databases with drug interaction checker functions can be a useful tool to predict potential drug-drug interactions; however the descriptions may not always be supported by adequate data. Purpose To evaluate the validity and appropriateness of drug-drug interaction descriptions of a commercial and an open-access database. Material and methods The medical records of 25 patients receiving 5 or more medicines (N = 8,64 ± 1,95) were analysed. The majority (84%) were receiving methotrexate and 16% were on additional biological treatment (adalimumab, etanercept or tocilizumab). Lexi-comp and Drugs.com databases were used to identify potential interactions. The descriptions rated D (N = 26) or X (N = 1) (Lexi-comp) or Major (N = 21) (Drugs.com) were reviewed. The interaction descriptions were classified as either (1) appropriate (data based on primary sources and/or medicinal products' SmPCs), (2) undefined (general descriptions including multiple drugs or inconclusive data) or (3) inappropriate (data not corroborated by primary sources or misinterpreted). Results The Lexi-comp and Drugs.com descriptions of interaction were deemed "appropriate" (63 vs. 48%), "undefined" (26 vs. 33%) and "inappropriate" (11 vs. 19%) respectively. The majority of "undefined" classifications were describing class effects. The overestimation of biologicals and methotrexate interactions (even though concomitant use is recommended by current guidelines) was the main cause for "inappropriate" classifications. Conclusion The databases with interaction checker functions provide a powerful tool for a pharmacist when reviewing the patient's treatment. Nevertheless, in patients with RA, due to simultaneous use of a variety of immunomodulatory drugs, the databases tend to overestimate the class effect of those medicines. Our data shows that only about one half (56% overall) of potential interactions described in them can be classified as "appropriate". It is therefore crucial that the pharmacist's final decision is based on clinical data. References and/or Acknowledgements Professional advice of R. Antolic, MSc is highly appreciated No conflict of interest.


Abstract Aim: The study investigated the attitudes of intravenous drug users (IDUs) towards the provision of drug consumption rooms (DCRs) in the UK and their willingness to use DCRs. Methods: Participants were 90 methadone-maintained outpatients recruited from a London clinic. A questionnaire asked about their willingness to use a DCR, their views on various rules commonly-implemented by DCRs, and how they believed DCRs might impact on the drug-taking behaviours of drug users and their peers. Findings: A large majority (89%) expressed willingness to use a DCR and accepted the need for rules such as no drug sharing (84.3%), no assistance with injecting (81.8%), compulsory supervision (76.7%) and compulsory hand washing (92.1%). However, the IDUs were split over whether injection in the neck or groin should be disallowed and whether certain categories of IDUs (e.g. juveniles, pregnant women) should be excluded from DCRs. Majorities thought it unlikely that DCRs would encourage users to try risker drug preparations (76.6%), or encourage non-injectors to inject for the first time (74.5%). Conclusions: In a country where DCRs are not available, the study highlights the willingness of IDUs to use a DCR and accept its rules, even for a sample most of whom were not homeless.


PICTURE YOURSELF LEARNING MICROSOFT WORD 2010 is a guide to the features available to Microsoft Word, one of the major products included with Microsoft Office. Step-by-step instructions as well as lots of visual guides help the easily reader learn the software. Readers of PICTURE YOURSELF LEARNING MICROSOFT WORD 2010 will learn the latest version of Microsoft Word by following along with a four-color, visual format, developing the skills needed to complete a multitude of tasks, such as formatting a document, using mail merge, working with tables, and much more.


"The arbitral award issued in application of the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris may not be invalidated on the grounds of not being issued by H.H. the Prince of the State of Qatar, because such award is not subject to provisions of the Qatari Code of Procedure, except with regard to its execution in the State of Qatar."


This article explores the proposition that the Australian federal Press Gallery operates as a pack and, as such, engages in feeding frenzies when presented with a major story. It uses framing analysis to argue that while the gallery can act as a Pack, even when the journalists have to work independently to obtain the background needed for a story, this does not mean that a feeding frenzy takes place. In fact it argues that Gallery journalists can act as 'wise heads' and potentially calm an issue down, rather than beat it up for their own purposes.


As Rural Development assumes a greater importance in European policy, one strategy to stimulate economic activity across a broad range of sectors is to use small towns as a focal point for economic development. This may be particularly relevant in the UK where there is increasing concern over the future vitality and viability of these towns. However, such a strategy rests on the assumption that there is a strong level of interdependence between small towns and their surrounding areas. While their historical legacy suggests close integration, developments in the wider economy and resultant socio-economic restructuring have undermined the traditional functions of small towns and may have severed many of these local linkages. Methodologies are developed to measure the size and spatial distribution of economic linkages in and around two small towns in rural England; one located in the 'remote' area of South Devon, and one in more 'accessible' Buckinghamshire. Results from two validation exercises indicate that self-completion methods are a useful means of obtaining spatial economic data from producers and consumers. Analysis compares the degree of economic integration of the towns into their respective local economies, and identifies key characteristics of firms and households that are good predictors of strong local integration. Results show that the strength of local economic integration is a function of economic and demographic structure as well as proximity to urban centres. This illustrates that the functional role of small towns in the economy is a more useful criterion on which to base policy recommendations than is demographic size. The town in the 'remote' rural area is found to be more strongly integrated into its locality than the town in the 'accessible' area; indicating that benefits of intervention are more likely to 'trickle out' into the surrounding area in the former case. Further, the minimal role of agriculture in the local economy implies that traditional measures of farm support are no longer likely to provide a valuable method of supporting rural communities. A useful area for subsequent enquiry would be to employ an 'integration index' to develop settlement typologies so that more generalisations can be made to aid the process of policy formulation.


Research on the Balkan languages has concentrated mainly on phonological, morphosyntactic and lexical similarities on the one hand (for an overview, cf., e.g., Asenova 2002, Friedman 2006) and on the common tradition of folk songs on the other (e.g., Georges 1972, Friedman 2012). More recently, the discourse basis of certain Balkan features has been pointed out (e.g., Friedman 1994). Furthermore, structural analogies on the text level have become the focus of attention in, for example, Fielder's (1999) analysis of Turkish-Bulgarian convergences in the usage of verbal categories for the structuring of narratives. Embedding morphosyntax in a textual perspective, Asenova (2002:296-97) assumes the similarity in the syntactic systems of the Balkan languages to be indicative of a similarity in the structure of their different "variants of the Balkan text." D'omina (1970:418) notices a "Bulgarian manner of narration" for damaskini dating to the 17th and 18th century, which is visible in the usage patterns of renarrative and nonrenarrative forms. Focusing on the l-periphrasis in pre-standardized Balkan Slavic written documents, this article intends to arrive at a clearer picture of the "Balkan text" and the Balkan manner of narration. The data basis is provided by texts dating from the mid-17th to the early 19th century. This temporal delimitation is crucial for two reasons: On the one hand, later language planning may have excluded Balkan features from the standard languages and hence may have expelled them from the majority of written documents. On the other hand, the respective features are not displayed beyond random occurrences in older, predominantly Church Slavonic documents. Texts dating to the 17th-19th century can thus be assumed to reflect possible Balkan structures and usage patterns, which may have been lost in the course of standardizing linguistic structures and literary conventions.


This paper presents the design and implementation of 802.11n+, a fully distributed random access protocol for MIMO networks. 802.11n+ allows nodes that differ in the number of antennas to contend not just for time, but also for the degrees of freedom provided by multiple antennas. We show that even when the medium is already occupied by some nodes, nodes with more antennas can transmit concurrently without harming the ongoing transmissions. Furthermore, such nodes can contend for the medium in a fully distributed way. Our testbed evaluation shows that even for a small network with three competing node pairs, the resulting system about doubles the average network throughput. It also maintains the random access nature of today's 802.11n networks.


This paper first reviews the theoretical basis or rationale underlying the environmental management of businesses in response to pressure from stakeholders, and more specifically the actions undertaken by government in environmental matters. It thereafter takes a quantitative look at the packaging sector with the aim of giving an idea of its size and the consequences that can arise from the use, recovery and treatment of the waste it generates. Once the regulatory framework introduced for packaging and packaging waste by new legislation has been analysed, consideration is given to the range of actions that the various agents involved have put in train with a view to adjusting their behaviour to the legal requirements. The paper ends with an overview of the economic and organisational logic ensuing, in the shape of forms of contract able to bring about an adequate level of collaboration, and by an analysis of various indicators of the quantitative efficiency of the systems set up to comply with the objectives laid down by the law.


Find information on schools, amenities, healthcare, transport, parks, leisure centres, recycling, faith centres in Northampton - linked to Your Home Northampton


Microfinance opportunities have been successfully expanding in Ethiopia during the past fifteen
years, including in remote villages, where the majority of people are engaged in smallscale
agriculture, which is little supported by modern technology. Some of the key strategies
for the success include: innovative adaptation of the group guarantee lending model, successfully
customized to local Ethiopian realities; decentralization of operation, including a focus
on using indigenous knowledge and resources in client screening and follow-up; appropriate
strategies to deal with financing small scale (rain-fed) agriculture, often subject to season
changes. However, much remains to be done. The outreach in micro-credit is estimated to have
satisfied only a small proportion of the potential demand, while the growth of individual enterprises
and the impact on clients' income remain low. It is becoming more and more challenging
to further expand the micro-credit outreach, introduce inclusive finance to reach remote
villages and very poor people, as well as ensure an impact on the lifestyle of clients. This
is due, among other things, to poor infrastructure, particularly the road network and other
communication channels, low level business support, as well as the 'entrepreneurship challenge'.
This calls for a collaborative effort of all stakeholders in rural development. The present
paper examines the opportunities and challenges faced while expanding access to microfinance
to poor people in remote areas.


Recent innovations in the field of technology led to the use of wireless sensor networks in various applications, which consists of a number of small, very tiny, low-cost, non-tamper proof and resource constrained sensor nodes. These nodes are often distributed and deployed in an unattended environment, so as to collaborate with each other to share data or information. Amidst various applications, wireless sensor network finds a major role in monitoring battle field in military applications. As these nontamperproof nodes are deployed in an unattended location, they are vulnerable to many security attacks. Amongst many security attacks, the node replication attack seems to be more threatening to the network users. Node Replication attack is caused by an attacker, who catches one true node, duplicates the first certification and cryptographic materials, makes at least one or more copies of the caught node and spots them at certain key positions in the system to screen or disturb the network operations. Preventing the occurrence of such node replication attacks in network is a challenging task. In this survey article, we provide the classification of detection schemes and also explore the various schemes proposed in each category. Also, we compare the various detection schemes against certain evaluation parameters and also its limitations. Finally, we provide some suggestions for carrying out future research work against such attacks. Keywords—Clone node, data security, detection schemes, node replication attack, wireless sensor networks.


Active tectonic and magmatic processes at ultraslow spreading ridges are still poorly known because the main representatives of this class of mid-ocean ridges, the Arctic mid-ocean ridge system and the Southwest Indian Ridge, are situated in areas where permanent ice cover and adverse weather conditions, respectively, have prevented routine exploration. The first geological exploration of Gakkel Ridge during the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Expedition in 2001 showed that predictions like decreasing magmatism with decreasing spreading rate are not valid at spreading rates below 20 mm/y full rate, challenging our models for crustal generation at mid-ocean ridges.In order to gain a first understanding of active spreading processes at ultraslow-spreading ridges we deployed seismic arrays on drifting ice floes to record the local seismicity in magmatic and amagmatic segments of Gakkel Ridge and Lena Trough. During four expeditions, we gathered a total of 63 days of seismicity data recorded by 3-12 stations clustered in up to three arrays. During all deployments we detected local and regional earthquakes with magnitudes well below magnitude 2 and event rates varying from three events/day in the amagmatic Lena Trough to one event/hour at the 85°E volcanic complex at eastern Gakkel ridge.At eastern Gakkel Ridge, the seismic arrays recorded 200 impulsive seismoacoustic signals and their multiple reflections in the water column. We analysed the character of these signals and located the sound source near major faults at the southern rift valley wall. Contemporaneous vigorous hydrothermal discharge, a preceding unusual teleseismic earthquake swarm and abundant pyroclastic deposits at the seafloor let us to interpret the seismoacoustic signals as deep submarine Strombolian eruption bursts. A dense network of recording stations, as a result of the ice drift, which recorded more than 400 local events will enable us to study the structure of the 85°E volcanic complex using seismic tomography.At Lena Trough, our arrays drifted across the area of a recent major seismic crisis in February and March 2009 which culminated in an mb 6.5 earthquake on March 6, 2009. We relocated the teleseismically recorded events in an outside corner setting at the junction of southern Lena Trough and the Spitzbergen Fracture Zone.


Context. The vast majority of the geophysical and geological constraints (e.g., internal structure, cratering history) for main-belt asteroids have so far been obtained via dedicated interplanetary missions (e.g., ESA Rosetta, NASA Dawn). The high angular resolution of SPHERE/ZIMPOL, the new-generation visible adaptive-optics camera at ESO VLT, implies that these science objectives can now be investigated from the ground for a large fraction of D ≥ 100 km main-belt asteroids. The sharp images acquired by this instrument can be used to accurately constrain the shape and thus volume of these bodies (hence density when combined with mass estimates) and to characterize the distribution and topography of D ≥ 30 km craters across their surfaces.
Aims. Here, via several complementary approaches, we evaluated the recently proposed hypothesis that the S-type asteroid (89) Julia is the parent body of a small compact asteroid family that formed via a cratering collisional event.
Methods. We observed (89) Julia with VLT/SPHERE/ZIMPOL throughout its rotation, derived its 3D shape, and performed a reconnaissance and characterization of the largest craters. We also performed numerical simulations to first confirm the existence of the Julia family and to determine its age and the size of the impact crater at its origin. Finally, we utilized the images/3D shape in an attempt to identify the origin location of the small collisional family.
Results. On the one hand, our VLT/SPHERE observations reveal the presence of a large crater (D ~ 75 km) in Julia's southern hemisphere. On the other hand, our numerical simulations suggest that (89) Julia was impacted 30–120 Myrs ago by a D ~ 8 km asteroid, thereby creating a D ≥ 60 km impact crater at the surface of Julia. Given the small size of the impactor, the obliquity of Julia and the particular orientation of the family in the (a,i) space, the imaged impact crater is likely to be the origin of the family.
Conclusions. New doors into ground-based asteroid exploration, namely, geophysics and geology, are being opened thanks to the unique capabilities of VLT/SPHERE. Also, the present work may represent the beginning of a new era of asteroid-family studies. In the fields of geophysics, geology, and asteroid family studies, the future will only get brighter with the forthcoming arrival of 30–40 m class telescopes like ELT, TMT, and GMT.


"The Pentateuch" (its Greek name, but also known as the Torah by the Hebrews) consists of the first five books of the Bible: "Genesis", "Exodus", "Leviticus", "Numbers", and "Deuteronomy". From Adam and Eve in the Garden, to Noah's Ark, to Moses' parting of the Red Sea, to its conclusion with the death of Moses, the "Pentateuch" contains some of the most important and memorable stories in Western civilization. In this richly detailed work, which has become a standard in the field, renowned biblical scholar Joseph Blenkinsopp unravels (as Harold Bloom did in "The Book of J") the radical scholarly opinions on just where these ancient and powerful stories come from, how they were formed, and what significance they have today. In the classroom, when professors cover these books of Moses, they turn to Dr. Blenkinsopp's classic for reliable, accessible discussions of all the important details.


SHPS-1 (SH2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase substrate 1) is a glycosylated transmembrane protein containing four potential SH2 domain binding sites, and SHPS-1 has been implicated in signal transduction. The phosphatases SHP-1 and SHP-2 bind to SHPS-1 and regulate signals from growth factor receptors. However, the exact role of SHPS-1 in the cell remains unknown. Inagaki et al. investigated the role of SHPS-1 by creating cell lines expressing a SHPS-1 cytoplasmic domain deletion mutant (SHPS-1Δcyto). Fibroblasts expressing SHPS-1Δcyto exhibited an epithelial-like morphology and had increased numbers of focal adhesions and stress fibers. Transfection of wild-type SHPS-1 into SHPS-1Δcyto mutant cells caused reversion to fibroblast morphology. Cells expressing SHPS-1Δcyto exhibited an increased capacity for spreading; however, cell migration was decreased, as measured by an in vitro wound healing assay. Tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK (focal adhesion kinase) and Cas and activation of the small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) Rac were unaffected in the mutant cells. However, activation of the GTPase Rhos was almost completely blocked in mutant cells treated with LPS (lipopolysaccharide), a known Rho activator. Because Rho can act downstream of SHP-2 in some model systems, the authors suggest that the decreased migration of SHPS-1Δcyto-expressing cells results from the inability of SHPS-1Δcyto to bind SHP-2 and, subsequently, the lack of Rho activation. Thus, one role for SHPS-1 may be to regulate the architecture of the cytoskeletal network. Inagaki, K., Yamao, T., Noguchi, T., Matozaki, T., Fukunaga, K., Takada, T., Hosooka, T., Akira, S., and Kasuga, M. (2000) SHPS-1 regulates integrin-mediated cytoskeletal reorganization and cell motility. EMBO J. 24: 6721-6731. [Abstract] [Full Text]


Although some people continue to perceive charter schools as a threat, Mr. Windler finds that their introduction into Colorado has benefited the state's entire public education system. More choices are available to parents, students, and teachers; levels of community and parent involvement have greatly increased; and districts have another means at their disposal for meeting state academic standards. The Colorado General Assembly in 1993 heard the testimony of many citizens, and from this testimony emerged the Colorado Charter Schools Act. Its purpose is to enable parents, teachers, and community members "to take responsible risks and create new, innovative, more flexible ways of educating all children within the public school system."(1) The act speaks of promoting innovation and providing for flexibility through waivers of local policies and state statutes and regulations. It aims to create semi-autonomous schools with separate governing boards, to expand public schools of choice, to create high and rigorous academic standards, and to encourage systemic reform in all schools. A charter school in Colorado is a public school that is operated by a group of parents, teachers, and/or community members as a semi-autonomous school of choice within a school district. A charter school operates under a contract or "charter" between the members of the charter school community and the local board of education. Enrollment is open, and tuition is free to any child who resides in the state. However, enrollment preference is given to children who reside within the school district that grants the charter. In a charter school, each student, parent, and teacher chooses to belong to the school community. Right after Colorado's Charter Schools Act was signed into law in 1993, the commissioner of education and the state board of education created the Charter Schools Project Team, which consisted of several individuals from various units in the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). The broad charge to the team was to assist with the implementation of the new law. CDE consultants were trained to provide information about the charter school legislation to all clients and to answer specific questions about the various CDE program areas, such as accountability, accreditation, food service, special education, and facilities. The team then made presentations statewide at conferences and seminars and responded to hundreds of requests for technical assistance from parent and community groups and potential charter applicants. Team members also brought together numerous representatives from community organizations and groups who could potentially provide assistance to people interested in applying for a charter. Emphasis was placed on working with community organizations that would assist "at-risk" communities in designing charter applications. CDE staff members also developed comprehensive charter school information packets and disseminated several thousand of them within six months of the enactment of the law. The state board of education determined that CDE could not provide school districts or applicant groups with legal assistance or advice regarding political strategies but must remain neutral in those areas. One major consideration was the fact that the state board serves in a semi-judicial role when it hears appeals from applicants who have been denied charters by their local boards. When heating an appeal of a denial, the state board must determine whether a local board's decision to deny an application was in the best interests of the students, the school district, or the community. If the state board finds that the denial was not in the best interests of students, the district, or the community, then it must remand the decision back to the local board for further consideration. If a charter application is denied a second time by a local board, and if the state board determines on a second appeal that the local denial is still contrary to the best interests of students, school district, or community, then the state board must order the local board of education to grant the charter. …


Current research programmes in computer music may draw from developments in agent technology; music may provide an excellent test case for agent research. This paper describes the challenge of building agents for concert performance which allow close and rewarding interaction with human musicians. This is easier said than done; the fantastic abilities of human musicians in fluidity of action and cultural reference makes for a difficult mandate. The problem can be cast as that of building an autonomous agent for the (unforgiving) realtime musical environment. Live music is a challenging domain to model, with high dimensionality of descriptions and fast learning, responses and effective anticipation required. A novel symbolic interactive music system called Improvagent is presented as a framework for the testing of reinforcement learning over dynamic state-action case libraries, in a context of MIDI piano improvisation. Reinforcement signals are investigated based on the quality of musical prediction, and on the degree of influence in interaction. The former is found to be less effective than baseline methods of assumed stationarity and of simple nearest neighbour case selection. The latter holds more promise; an agent may be able to assess the value of an action in response to an observed state with respect to the potential for stability, or the promotion of change in future states, enabling controlled musical interaction. 1.


We propose a method for increasing incentives for sites to host arbitrary mobile agents in which mobile agents purchase their computing needs from host sites. We present a scalable market-based CPU allocation policy and an on-line algorithm that plans a mobile agent''s expenditure over a multihop ordered itinerary. The algorithm chooses a set of sites at which to execute and computational priorities at each site to minimize execution time while preserving a prespecified budget constraint. We present simulation results of our algorithm to show that our allocation policy and planning algorithm scale well as more agents are added to the system.


This paper addresses the relation between an agent and its environment, and more specifically, how subjects perceive object/artefacts/tools and their (possible) use. Four different conceptions of the relation between subject and object are compared here: functional tone (von Uexkull), equipment (Heidegger), affordance (Gibson), and entry point (Kirsh). even as these concepts have developed within different disciplines (theoretical biology, philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science) and in very different historical contexts, they are used more or less interchangeably in much of the literature, and typically conflated under the label of 'affordance'. However, at closer inspection, they turn out to have not only similarities, but also substantial differences, which are identified and discussed here. Given that the relation between subjects and their objects is crucial to understanding human cognition and interaction with tools and technology, as well as robots' interaction with their environment, we argue that these differences deserve some more attention than they have received so far.


BACKGROUND
Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread and compound the effects of HIV disease in children, especially in poor communities. Micronutrient supplements may be effective and safe in reducing the burden of HIV disease. This review is an update of an earlier Cochrane review of micronutrient supplementation in children and adults which found that vitamin A and zinc are beneficial and safe in children exposed to HIV and living with HIV infection (Irlam 2010).

OBJECTIVES
To assess whether micronutrient supplements are effective and safe in reducing mortality and morbidity in children with HIV infection.

SEARCH METHODS
The CENTRAL, EMBASE, and PubMed databases were searched for randomised controlled trials of micronutrient supplements (vitamins, trace elements, and combinations of these) using the search methods of the Cochrane HIV/AIDS Group.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials were selected that compared the effects of micronutrient supplements with other supplements, or placebo or no treatment on the primary outcomes of mortality, morbidity, and HIV-related hospitalisations. Indicators of HIV disease progession, anthropometric measures, and any adverse effects of supplementation were secondary outcomes.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two reviewers independently screened and selected trials for inclusion, assessed the risk of bias using standardised criteria, and extracted data. Review Manager 5.1 was used to calculate the risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous data and the weighted mean difference (WMD) for continuous data, and to perform random effects meta-analysis where appropriate.

MAIN RESULTS
We included three new studies in addition to the eight studies in the earlier version of the review (Irlam 2010). Eleven studies with a total of 2412 participants were therefore included: five trials of vitamin A, one trial of vitamin D, two trials of zinc, and three trials of multiple micronutrient supplements. All except one trial were conducted in African children.Vitamin A halved all-cause mortality in a meta-analysis of three trials in African children, had inconsistent impacts on diarrhoeal and respiratory morbidity, and improved short-term growth in a Tanzanian trial. No significant adverse effects were reported.A single small trial of vitamin D in North American adolescents and children demonstrated safety but no clinical benefits. Zinc supplements reduced diarrhoeal morbidity and had no adverse effects on disease progression in one small South African trial. Another trial in South African children with and without HIV infection did not show benefit from the the prophylactic use of zinc or multiple supplements versus vitamin A in the small subgroup of children with HIV infection.Multiple micronutrient supplements at twice the RDA did not alter mortality, growth, or CD4 counts at 12 months in Ugandan children aged one to five years. Short-term supplementation until hospital discharge significantly reduced the duration of all hospital admissions in poorly nourished South African children, and supplementation for six months after discharge improved appetite and nutritional indicators.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Vitamin A supplementation is beneficial and safe in children with HIV infection. Zinc is safe and appears to have similar benefits on diarrhoeal morbidity in children with HIV as in children without HIV infection. Multiple micronutrient supplements have some clinical benefit in poorly nourished children with HIV infection.Further trials of single supplements (vitamin D, zinc, and selenium) are required to build the evidence base. The long-term effects and optimal composition and dosing of multiple micronutrient supplements require further investigation in children with diverse HIV disease status.


Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of cancer death in Chile. Although recommended in international guidelines since 2006, perioperative chemotherapy was not available to patients in the public health system in Chile until 2016. We conducted an observational study to assess the feasibility of this strategy in public hospitals in Chile (Observational Study of Perioperative Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer – PRECISO). Patients with locally advanced, operable GC were offered to receive preoperative chemotherapy with Epirubicin + Cisplatin + Capecitabine (ECX) for three cycles followed by curative surgery. Staging included abdominal CT scan and laparoscopy if peritoneal carcinomatosis was suspected. Postoperative ECX for three cycles was recommended. Between August 2010 and March 2013, 110 patients were screened and 61 enrolled. Median age was 62 years (23–76 years) and most patients had good performance status at baseline (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score (ECOG) 0: 42, ECOG 1: 19). Tumour site was proximal in 32 (52%) and medial and distal in 29 (48%) patients. All but four patients (n = 57, 93%) completed three cycles of preoperative chemotherapy. Fifty-six patients were operated and 54 (89%) had a curative resection. Thirty-three patients (54%) had pT0-2, and 18 (30%) had pN0 tumours, with two patients achieving a complete response. As of 20 December 2020, 39 patients died, 32 due to GC, one within 30 days of surgery, two due to intestinal obstruction at 5 and 3 months after surgery and four due to other causes. Five-year survival rate was 38%. We conclude that perioperative chemotherapy is feasible in public hospitals in Chile and should be offered to patients with locally advanced GC.


Tempe extracts can inhibit the adhesion of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) to intestinal cells and thereby can play a role in controlling ETEC-induced diarrhea. The component responsible for this adhesion inhibition activity is still unknown. This research describes the purification and partial characterization of this bioactive component of tempe. After heating, defatting, and protease treatment, the extracts were found to remain active. However, after treatment with polysaccharide-degrading enzyme mixtures the bioactivity was lost. Ultrafiltration revealed the active component to be >30 kDa. Further purification of the bioactive tempe extracts yielded an active fraction with an increased carbohydrate content of higher arabinose content than the nonactive fractions. In conclusion, the bioactive component contains arabinose and originates from the arabinan or arabinogalactan side chain of the pectic cell wall polysaccharides of the soybeans, which is probably released or formed during fermentation by enzymatic modifications.


Our article investigates political engagement among youth with and without an immigration background. Tapping to current debates on intergenerational assimilation processes in Europe, we look at differences in levels of political interest between immigrants, children of immigrants and natives. In particular, we argue that such differences are a function of respondents' identification with the receiving society. We predict that among respondents with an immigrant background higher levels of national identification will be positively correlated with political interest. Among natives, political interest will not depend on levels of national identification. These expectations reflect the ideas of the social identity perspective according to which group identification increases adherence to group norms and adherence to norms is stronger among individuals who suffer from identity uncertainty. We test our model in four European countries: England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, using data from the CILS4EU project. Our findings indicate that interest in the politics of the survey country differs between respondents with and without an immigrant background. Respondents with an immigrant background who also have a strong national identification are more likely to report a political interest than natives. Respondents with an immigrant background who have a low national identification, are less likely to report a political interest than natives. The findings also reveal that political discussions at home and associationism positively predict political interest whereas girls show significantly lower odds to be politically interested.


Wheat streak mosaic (WSM) is a serious viral disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that is vectored by the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer). Deployment of wheat cultivars with vector resistance is a possible method for WSM control. This 3-yr (1996-1997/ 1998-1999) field study compared by means of a split-plot design the effect of different sources of mite-resistance backcrossed into a common winter wheat genetic background on both the spread of WSM and on the resulting yield losses. The various lines were first seeded early (in July) in blocks of spaced plots to provide different disease source or spreader treatments as main plots. The same winter wheat lines were then seeded in mid-September into the spaces between the spreaders as subplot treatments to mimic the crop. Main-plot (spreader) treatments included the mite-susceptible winter wheat cultivars CDC Kestrel or Norstar, two mite-resistant backcross lines of Norstar with resistance from Thinopyrum ponticum (Podpera) Liu & Wang (Nst*5/Cmc2) and Triticum tauschii (Coss.) Schmal. (Nst*5/ Cmcl) plus oat (Avena saliva L.) as a nonhost. The two mite-resistant winter wheat lines, plus another mite-resistant backcross line with resistance from rye (Secale cereale L.) (Nst*5/1R5-1BL) and Norstar were also used as subplot treatments. The presence of vector resistance in the spreader treatments reduced the intensity of disease symptoms in the spreader rows themselves and increased their grain yield. In 2 of 3 yr, these yield differences were dramatic. Resistance in the spreader also reduced the secondary spread of WSM into the adjacent winter wheat subplots with conventional planting dates. During severe outbreaks of WSM, (1996-1997 and 1997-1998), Nst*5/Cmc2 was more effective with a lower frequency of severely infected plants and smaller yield losses than Nst*5/Cmc1 or Nst*5/IRS-1BL. In conclusion, control of WSM through vector resistance requires an effective resistance gene in both the spreader and the crop.


Early work in the 1970s documented a significant difference between the valuation of stock as taught by academics and as practiced by investment professionals. We revisit the issue of practitioner valuation of common stock using a survey-based investigation. We find that most practitioners use multiple techniques, that those techniques vary across the time horizon employed to estimate future variables and that the significant gap that existed between academics and practitioners continues to this day. We extend earlier work to examine differences between analysts working for different types of institutions and with different asset management styles.


Cooperative peer-to-peer applications are designed to share the resources of participating computers for the common good of ail users. However, users do not necessarily have an incentive to donate resources to the system if they can use the system's resources for free. As commonly observed in deployed applications, this situation adversely affects the applications' performance and sometimes even their availability and usability.
While traditional resource management is handled by a centralized enforcement entity, adopting similar solution raises new concerns for distributed peer-to-peer systems. This dissertation proposes to solve the incentive problem in peer-to-peer applications by designing fair sharing policies and enforcing these policies in a distributed manner. The feasibility and practicability of this approach is demonstrated through numerous applications, namely archival storage systems, streaming systems, content distribution systems, and anonymous communication systems.


Is human language unique in the animal world, or does it have meaningful precursors in animal communication? In The Origins of Language, ten primatologists and paleoanthropologists conduct a comprehensive examination of the nonhuman primate data, discussing different views of what language is and suggesting how the primatological perspective can be used to fashion more rigorous theories of language origins and evolution. Together, the essays make a powerful case against the position that language is an innate biological system unique to humans and demonstrate that many aspects of language likely have a long evolutionary history-one that extends back beyond hominids to encompass our closest living relatives in the animal world.


This paper examines the argument-marking system in the Polynesian language Vaeakau-Taumako, which has pragmatically related functions similar to those found e.g. in so-called Differential Object Marking systems, but which does not refer to syntactic relations or semantic roles, the functions normally attributed to case-marking systems. It asks exactly which functions should be taken to define a case-marking system as opposed to a system marking pragmatic functions such as topic-focus-structure, and suggests a distinction between two grammatically relevant types of pragmatic salience: referent-determined salience, which is often relevant to case marking, and speaker-determined salience, which is typically encoded in purely pragmatic marking systems. On this account, referent-determined salience emerges as the property that links case-marking and pragmatic marking systems.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the range and attribution of neuropsychiatric (NP) disease in an unselected cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to examine the association with cumulative organ damage, medication use, and quality of life.

METHODS
One hundred eleven patients with SLE in a single referral center were studied. NP syndromes were defined using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) nomenclature and case definitions. Overall disease activity was measured by the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI); cumulative organ damage was determined by the ACR/SLICC damage index; and quality of life by the SF-36.

RESULTS
Patients' mean age was 44.7 years, 87% were female, and 92% were Caucasian. The mean (+/- SE) disease duration was 10.1 +/- 0.7 years. A total of 74 NP events were identified in 41 of 111 (37%) patients. Thirteen of the 19 ACR NP syndromes were identified and 2 or more NP manifestations occurred in 56% of patients. Central nervous system manifestations accounted for 92% of the events compared to involvement of the peripheral nervous system in 8%. Thirty-five (47%) of these events were attributed entirely to SLE, 30 (41%) were attributed exclusively to non-SLE factors, and in the remaining 9 events (12%) both SLE and non-SLE factors were felt to be contributory. Cumulative organ damage was higher in patients with NP disease, although this was not statistically significant and they were more likely to have received prednisone or immunosuppressive drugs (p < 0.05). Patients with NP disease reported more fatigue (p < 0.05) and had significantly lower scores on 7 of 8 subscales of the SF-36 (p < 0.05). These associations were found regardless of the attribution of NP disease. In contrast, the occurrence of renal disease in the same cohort of patients was not associated with lower SF-36 scores or fatigue.

CONCLUSION
In patients with SLE, NP disease has diverse manifestations and can be attributed to lupus in roughly half of the cases. The occurrence of NP disease is associated with more frequent use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. In contrast to other serious manifestations of SLE, such as renal disease, NP disease is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life.


In this paper, a lightweight hybrid fault tolerant approach for AES, which is based on the integration of the algorithm based fault tolerant (ABFT) technique and the fault tolerant technique for s-box byte substitution operation is proposed. Two versions of scheme are presented to satisfy different application requirements. The first general version scheme can detect single error for the whole AES process with high efficiency. Another run-time version scheme is used to immediately terminate the error round with no time delay and no computation wasted on the rest rounds for propagating errors. Utilizing the ready-made arithmetic units in AES, single error can be detected by the sender and prevent the misdirected information from sending out. The results of the hardware FPGA implementation and simulation show that the proposed scheme can be integrated both on software and hardware without making many changes to the original AES implementation.


Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) integrates the label swapping forwarding paradigm with network layer routing. To deliver reliable service, MPLS requires a set of procedures to provide protection of the traffic carried on different paths. This requires that the label switching routers (LSRs) support fault detection, fault notification, and fault recovery mechanisms, and that MPLS signaling support the configuration of recovery. With these objectives in mind, this document specifies a framework for MPLS based recovery. Restart issues are not included in this framework.


The use of design variable constraints according to textbook and state design standards might cause potentially good designs to be missed and would not capture the fuzzy interaction of design conditions leading to bulking problems. A better approach might be to use a rule-based system. The rules used to model the judgement regarding bulking problems initially were obtained from the published research regarding the factors which various researchers had felt might be related to the development of bulking problems. Those rules were then arranged into a logic structure which simultaneously considers the truth of those rules and then determines the likelihood of such a design experiencing bulking problems. Once the model was calibrated, it was incorporated into the judgement model in a straight-forward manner; each rule became a constraint in the optimization model and the weighted sum of each rule's satisfaction determined the likelihood of that design experiencing bulking problems.


Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b (Ptp1b) is a negative regulator of leptin and insulin-signalling pathways. Its targeted deletion in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons protects mice from obesity and diabetes by increasing energy expenditure. Inflammation accompanies increased energy expenditure. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine whether POMC-Ptp1b deletion increases energy expenditure via an inflammatory process, which would impair endothelial function. We characterized the metabolic and cardiovascular phenotypes of Ptp1b+/+ and POMC-Ptp1b-/- mice. Clamp studies revealed that POMC-Ptp1b deletion reduced body fat and increased energy expenditure as evidenced by a decrease in feed efficiency and an increase in oxygen consumption and respiratory exchange ratio. POMC-Ptp1b deletion induced a 2.5-fold increase in plasma tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) levels and elevated body temperature. Vascular studies revealed an endothelial dysfunction in POMC-Ptp1b-/- mice. Nitric oxide synthase inhibition [N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)] reduced relaxation to a similar extent in Ptp1b+/+ and POMC-Ptp1b-/- mice. POMC-Ptp1b deletion decreased ROS-scavenging enzymes [superoxide dismutases (SODs)] whereas it increased ROS-generating enzymes [NADPH oxidases (NOXs)] and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-1) expression, in aorta. ROS scavenging or NADPH oxidase inhibition only partially improved relaxation whereas COX-2 inhibition and thromboxane-A2 (TXA2) antagonism fully restored relaxation in POMC-Ptp1b-/- mice Chronic treatment with the soluble TNF-α receptor etanercept decreased body temperature, restored endothelial function and reestablished aortic COX-2, NOXs and SOD expression to their baseline levels in POMC-Ptp1b-/- mice. However, etanercept promoted body weight gain and decreased energy expenditure in POMC-Ptp1b-/- mice. POMC-Ptp1b deletion increases plasma TNF-α levels, which contribute to body weight regulation via increased energy expenditure and impair endothelial function via COX-2 and ROS-dependent mechanisms.


Many of the traditional air pollutants and greenhouse gases have common sources, offering a cost-effective potential for simultaneous improvements of traditional air pollution problems and climate change. A methodology has been developed to extend the RAINS integrated assessment model to explore synergies and trade-offs between the control of greenhouse gases and air pollution. With this extension, the GAINS (GHG-Air pollution INteraction and Synergies) model will allow the assessment of emission control costs for the six greenhouse gases covered under the Kyoto Protocol (CO2, CH4, N2O and the three F-gases) together with the emissions of air pollutants SO2, NOx, VOC, NH3 and PM. This report describes the first implementation (Version 1.0) of the model extension model to incorporate N2O emissions.

GAINS Version 1.0 assesses the options for reducing N2O emissions emissions from the various source categories. It quantifies for 43 countries/regions in Europe country-specific application potentials of the various options in the different sectors of the economy, and estimates the societal resource costs of these measures. Mitigation potentials are estimated in relation to an exogenous baseline projection that is considered to reflect current planning.

In Europe, emissions from soils are generally considered the most important source of N2O, followed by industrial process emissions. Formation of nitrous oxide in soil is triggered by the availability of nitrogen. A number of emission controls directed at other pollutants (e.g., NOx or CH4) have positive or negative impacts on N2O emissions. Some of the earlier projections of N2O emissions have not taken full account of these interactions. Recent information on technological changes (e.g., for some technological processes) indicates a significant decline in N2O emissions in the past years, especially from adipic and nitric acid production.

Catalytic reduction of N2O from industrial processes (adipic and nitric acid production), optimizing sewage treatment, modifications in fluidized bed combustion, and reduction of fertilizer application in agriculture can reduce N2O at moderate costs. Current legislation in EU countries addresses only some of these measures, which leaves an additional potential for further mitigation. However, the remaining mitigation potential is associated with high or even excessive costs. N2O emissions from non-agricultural soils induced from the atmospheric deposition of NOx and NH3, though of clearly anthropogenic origin, have not been counted as anthropogenic emissions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology. However, the inclusion of such emissions to obtain full coverage of man-made N2O flows would not strongly alter N2O emissions from European countries.


Various attempts have been made towards tracing the historical development of the discipline of Human Resource Management (HRM). However, these initiatives have largely been concentrated on certain specific periods of time and experiences of specific countries and regions such as Australia, the USA, the UK and Asia (Nankervis et.al, 2011; Kelly, 2003; Ogier, 2003). This paper attempts to document the entire history of the discipline of Human Resource Management from a holistic perspective. The evolution and development of HRM will be traced right from the pre-historic times through to the postmodern world. Major characteristics in the evolution and development of HRM will also be examined and documented. Key words : Human Resource Management (HRM), evolution, history


We establish estimates for the coalescence time of semi-infinite directed geodesics in the planar corner growth model with i.i.d. exponential weights. There are four estimates: upper and lower bounds on the probabilities of both fast and slow coalescence on the correct spatial scale with exponent $3/2$. Our proofs utilize a geodesic duality introduced by Pimentel and properties of the increment-stationary last-passage percolation process. For fast coalescence our bounds are new and they have matching optimal exponential order of magnitude. For slow coalescence we reproduce bounds proved earlier with integrable probability inputs, except that our upper bound misses the optimal order by a logarithmic factor.


Most optimization problems arising in imaging science involve high-dimensional linear operators and their adjoints. In the implementations of these operators, approximations may be introduced for various practical considerations (e.g., memory limitation, computational cost, convergence speed), leading to an adjoint mismatch . This occurs for the X-ray tomographic inverse problems found in Computed Tomography (CT), where the adjoint of the measurement operator (called projector) is often replaced by a surrogate operator. The resulting adjoint mismatch can jeopardize the convergence properties of iterative schemes used for image recovery. In this paper, we study the theoretical behavior of a panel of primal-dual proximal algorithms, which rely on forward-backward-(forward) splitting schemes, when an adjoint mismatch occurs. We analyze these algorithms by focusing on the resolution of possibly non-smooth convex penalized minimization problems in an infinite-dimensional setting. By using tools from fixed point theory, we show that they can solve monotone inclusions that go beyond minimization problems. Such findings indicate these algorithms can be seen as a generalization of classical primal-dual formulations. The applicability of our findings are also demonstrated through two numerical experiments in the context of CT image reconstruction.


ABSTRACT The Lower Triassic Red Peak Formation of the Chugwater Group has long been considered to have an extremely poor paleontological record, although the cause for the apparent dearth of fossils has yet to be been determined. During the course of fieldwork in central Wyoming numerous vertebrate and invertebrate ichnogenera (n ≥ 11) were observed. Vertebrate tracks and trackways representative of dinosauromorph, archosaur, lepidosaur, and testudinate trackmakers were found (cf. Rotodactylus, Chirotherium barthii, Rhynchosauroides, and cf. Chelonipus respectively). An invertebrate ichnoassemblage composed of at least 6 ichnogenera consistent with the Scoyenia ichnofacies were also found (e.g., Diplichnites, Lockeia, Fuersichnus communis, Palaeophycus striatus, cf. Scoyenia, and cf. Scolicia). The majority of these tracks and traces were found in the upper platy facies (upper 10–20 m of the of the Red Peak Formation), which is thought to be no younger than upper Spathian in age. Sedimentary structures, architectural elements, and lateral stratigraphic relationships support the interpretation of floodplain, fluvial, and lacustrine deposition for the upper platy facies in central Wyoming. The Red Peak Formation vertebrate and invertebrate ichnoassemblages, along with their associated depositional environments, are consistent with a fluviolacustrine (continental) setting comparable to those described from Lower to Middle Triassic strata with a Pangean distribution, including the Moenkopi Formation in the southwestern United States. This ichnoassemblage provides the first opportunity to observe paleoecological diversity and associated paleoenvironments within the Lower Triassic of the Chugwater Group.


Abstract The Wnt signalling cascade plays an important role during embryonic patterning and cell fate determination and is highly conserved throughout evolution. Factors of the TCF/LEF HMG domain family (Tcfs) are the downstream effectors of this signal transduction pathway. Upon Wnt signalling, a cascade is initiated that results in the translocation of βcatenin to the nucleus, where it interacts with Tcf to generate a transcriptionally active complex. This bipartite transcription factor is targeted to the upstream regulatory regions of Tcf target genes. In the absence of Wnt signals, βcatenin is degraded in the cytoplasm via the ubiquitinproteasome pathway. Several proteins are instrumental in achieving this tight regulation of βcatenin levels in the cell, including adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), GSK3 β, and Axin/Conductin. Deregulation of the Wnt signalling pathway is implicated in several forms of cancer, such as colon carcinoma and melanoma. This deregulation is achieved via mutation of APC, βcatenin or Axin, resulting in elevated βcatenin levels and the presence of constitutively active Tcfβcatenin complexes in the nucleus. The accompanying inappropriate activation of target genes is considered to be a critical, early event in this carcinogenesis. In addition to regulating βcatenin levels, normal healthy cells have evolved a second level of regulation, by manipulating the activity of the Tcf proteins themselves. In the absence of Wnt signalling, Tcf complexes with several transcriptional repressor proteins ensuring active repression of Tcf target genes. In this review the dual role of Tcf proteins in the Wnt signalling cascade will be discussed.


Transgenic mice expressing both human IL-2 and the L chain of IL-2-R constitutively had an unusual expansion of Thy-1+/CD3-4-8- large granular lymphocytes, which bore the elevated NK activity. Unexpectedly, the transgenic mice had neither T cell expansion nor autoreactive antibodies. The increase in number and activity of NK cells seems to be responsible for both the severe interstitial pneumonia and lymphocyte depletion in the spleen that we found in these transgenic mice. In addition, we found the selective loss of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of the mice, which gave rise to their disturbed gait. All the transgenic mice died by 4 wk of age.


We consider optimization problems involving convex risk functions. By employing techniques of convex analysis and optimization theory in vector spaces of measurable functions, we develop new representation theorems for risk models, and optimality and duality theory for problems with convex risk functions.


In the last50 years the world has been completely transformed through the use of IT. We have now reached a new inflection point. Here we present, for the first time, how in-memory computing is changing the way businesses are run. Today, enterprise data is split into separate databases for performance reasons. Analytical data resides in warehouses, synchronized periodically with transactional systems. This separation makes flexible, real-time reporting on current data impossible. Multi-core CPUs, large main memories, cloud computing and powerful mobile devices are serving as the foundation for the transition of enterprises away from this restrictive model. We describe techniques that allow analytical and transactional processing at the speed of thought and enable new ways of doing business. The book is intended for university students, IT-professionals and IT-managers, but also for senior management who wish to create new business processes by leveraging in-memory computing.


The main concern in education sector is how teaching methods affect students' performance. This study examined teaching methods on performance of students in public secondary schools (A-level) in Tanzania where Nyamagana District in Mwanza was used as a case of study. The study was guided by three specific objectives: To identifying teaching methods used in instruction of science subjects in public secondary school, to assess students' perception of the appropriateness of teaching methods used in teaching in public secondary school and to determine the level of relationship between teaching methods and students' performance in public secondary schools in Nyamagana District, Mwanza. The study applied descriptive research designed that incorporated qualitative and quantitative approach. The sample of teachers 78, students 129 and inspectors 9 was surveyed using in-depth interview and questionnaire. Qualitative data was analyzed descriptively using SPSS while thematic analysis was used to analyzed qualitative data. The study findings revealed that most effective teaching methods were demonstration followed by question and answers and then brainstorming, teachers should know the value and impact of different teaching methods and regular training/workshop should be conducted on teaching methods. The study recommended that traditional methods like lecture should not be used. The study also suggested other areas for further research as the same study should be carried in other district before generalization is done and similar research also should be conducted in private schools to know the teaching conditions.


This paper examines the production and use of the exclusion lists by the state, its private sector contractor, Database Technologies (DBT), and Florida's 67 counties between 1998 and the 2000 elections. It places the exclusion lists in the context of the social and political structure of the United States and the state of Florida, and interprets its significance within that context. I provide a detailed accounting of the contents of the lists, identify ways in which the lists reveal weaknesses in Florida's voter list maintenance procedures up to 2000, and identify the types of errors made and biases in the production and use of the lists. The three major findings of the analysis are: a) the 2000 felons' exclusion list had a considerable number of errors in it, probably more than 25% of the names on the list were on there in error; b) these errors were racially biased, such that more African-American registered voters were on the list in error than either Whites or Latinos; and c) that the decentralized process by which the felons' list was used to purge the voter rolls resulted in a sometimes judicious but sometimes partisan purging process – Democratic county supervisors were less likely to use the felons' list than Republican ones, but even the latter found considerable, biased errors in the list.


Among the many advances that have occurred in the field of violence risk assessment over the past decade has been the realization that violence is multifaceted. Violence and the risk for violence include many facets including the severity, density, imminence, target and nature of violence. Despite advances in the understanding and conceptualization of violence and risk, very few empirical risk assessment studies have considered the multifaceted nature of violence. Using a structured professional judgment model of risk assessment, the present study evaluated whether more highly specific judgments of violence (i.e., low, moderate, or high risk for short-term violence, or serious violence, versus violence generally) could be made with reasonable reliability and incremental validity. The findings suggested that more specific judgments about particular facets of violence were not made with the same reliability and validity as either the numerical scores or the omnibus structured clinical risk ratings for general violence. The possible reasons for the findings are discussed with suggestions for future research to continue to study this important area.


In this paper, a new multi-layer level set method is proposed for multi-phase image segmentation. The proposed method is based on the conception of image layer and improved numerical solution of bimodal Chan-Vese model. One level set function is employed for curve evolution with a hierarchical form in sequential image layers. In addition, new initialization method and more efficient computational method for signed distance function are introduced. Moreover, the evolving curve can automatically stop on true boundaries in single image layer according to a termination criterion which is based on the length change of evolving curve. Specially, an adaptive improvement scheme is designed to speed up curve evolution process in a queue of sequential image layers, and the detection of background image layer is used to confirm the termination of the whole multi-layer level set evolution procedure. Finally, numerical experiments on some synthetic and real images have demonstrated the efficiency and robustness of our method. And the comparisons with multi-phase Chan-Vese method also show that our method has a less time-consuming computation and much faster convergence.


Abstract The BUCKY 1-D simulation code was used to simulate the hydrodynamic compression and thermonuclear ignition of a DT filled capsule that mimics the specifications set forth by the Fusion Test Facility (FTF) working group. This paper focuses on two key aspects of the ongoing hydrodynamics simulation work being performed at the University of Wisconsin. The first set of simulations was performed to obtain a baseline result for comparison. This baseline utilized the High Average Power Laser (HAPL) target ion and X-ray threat spectra scaled down from 365 MJ to 29.75 MJ. The second set of simulations was a target simulation initiated from conditions that were expected to be found at the point of ignition of the FTF DT target. The results of these simulations allowed for the creation of time-dependent X-ray and ion threat spectra, which will be used in future chamber simulations in support of the FTF design effort to assess the thermal response of test modules located within the facility.


The Body' was a trendy topic of consideration in sociology and related fields during the 1990s, tied up with modern preoccupations with gender, the individual, and agency. The papers in this volume attempt to engage the body as a topic of archaeological enquiry, and as a subject influenced by cultural categories of perception, experience and practice. The papers are divided into three sections which explore the relationship between the physical body and other cultural ideas such as the 'self' and 'individual', those that take issue with the interpretive limitations of traditional methods of data analysis, those that consider the ways in which archaeologists can integrate material culture with social and symbolic constructions of human bodies, especially in art and burial rituals. This book is based on a workshop held at the University of Wales, Lampeter, in 1998. Overall the mixture of papers is somewhat bewildering, looking at case studies from Oceania, Britain, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean, from prehistory, the medieval, and post-medieval periods. Contents: Archaeology's humanism and the materiality of the body / Julian Thomas -- Body parts : personhood and materiality in the earlier Manx neolithic / Chris Fowler -- Moralities of dress and the dress of the dead in early medieval Europe / Jos Bazelmans -- Aesthetic corpse in nineteenth-century Britain / Sarah Tarlow -- Feeling through the body : gesture in Cretan Bronze Age religion / Christine Morris and Alan Peatfield -- Past as oral history : towards an archaeology of the senses / Yannis Hamilakis -- Ways of eating/ways of being in the Later Epipalaeolithic (Natufian) Levant / Brian Boyd -- Time and biography : osteobiography of the Italian Neolithic lifespan / John Robb -- (Un)masking gender-- gold foil (dis)embodiments in Late Iron Age Scandinavia / Ing-Marie Back Danielsson -- Re-arranging history : the contested bones of the Oseberg grave / Elisabeth Arwill-Nordbladh -- Art, artefact, metaphor / Mark Pluciennik -- Marking the body, marking the land : body as history, land as history : tattooing and engraving in Oceania / Paul Rainbird.


One of the most talked-about and bestselling books of last year, this is the no-holds-barred autobiography of a sporting legend driven to the brink of self-destruction The bestseller that has everyone talking. In this, his first, autobiography, 'Iron' Mike Tyson pulls no punches and lays bare the story of his remarkable life and career. Co-written with Larry Sloman, author of Antony Keidis's best-selling memoir 'Scar Tissue', this is a visceral, and unputdown-able story of a man born and raised to brutality, who reached the heights of stardom before falling to crime, substance abuse and infamy. Full of all the controversy and complexity that you would expect from a man who delighted as much as he shocked, this is a book that will surprise and reveals a fascinating character beneath the exterior of violence. If you think you know all about Mike Tyson, read this book and think again.


A spoken language system combines speech recognition, natural language processing and human interface technology. It functions by recognizing the person's words, interpreting the sequence of words to obtain a meaning in terms of the application, and providing an appropriate response back to the user. Potential applications of spoken language systems range from simple tasks, such as retrieving information from an existing database (traffic reports, airline schedules), to interactive problem solving tasks involving complex planning and reasoning (travel planning, traffic routing), to support for multilingual interactions. We examine eight key areas in which basic research is needed to produce spoken language systems: (1) robust speech recognition; (2) automatic training and adaptation; (3) spontaneous speech; (4) dialogue models; (5) natural language response generation; (6) speech synthesis and speech generation; (7) multilingual systems; and (8) interactive multimodal systems. In each area, we identify key research challenges, the infrastructure needed to support research, and the expected benefits. We conclude by reviewing the need for multidisciplinary research, for development of shared corpora and related resources, for computational support and far rapid communication among researchers. The successful development of this technology will increase accessibility of computers to a wide range of users, will facilitate multinational communication and trade, and will create new research specialties and jobs in this rapidly expanding area. >


We address a metric version of Zariski's multiplicity conjecture at infinity that says that two complex algebraic affine sets which are bi-Lipschitz homeomorphic at infinity must have the same degree. More specifically, we prove that the degree is a bi-Lipschitz invariant at infinity when the bi-Lipschitz homeomorphism has Lipschitz constants close to 1. In particular, we have that a family of complex algebraic sets bi-Lipschitz equisingular at infinity has constant degree. Moreover, we prove that if two polynomials are weakly rugose equivalent at infinity, then they have the same degree. In particular, we obtain that if two polynomials are rugose equivalent at infinity or bi-Lipschitz contact equivalent at infinity or bi-Lipschitz right-left equivalent at infinity, then they have the same degree.


Lebanon has witnessed multiple waves of displaced peoples throughout its recent history, including the displacement of Palestinians to Lebanon after the occupation of Palestine in 1948, the internal displacement of families from occupied Southern Lebanon after the Israeli invasion of 1978, and the influx of Syrian refugees after the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011. Many Syrian families had to reconstitute their lives in Lebanon because of the crisis in their country, often in tented and informal settlements or in overpopulated or even abandoned buildings. This article focuses on the process of hosting Syrian refugees in Saida in Southern Lebanon after 2011. It explores service provisions and the two dominant types of housing for Syrian refugees: collective shelters and single apartments within local neighbourhoods. The article argues that mechanisms of exclusion emerge with intensity in cities like Saida that have received and accommodated multiple waves of displacement. Such mechanisms of exclusion in Saida are politically attuned to the historical depth of the hosting experience and emerge at multiple levels, both social and spatial. This is despite Saida's mobilization to provide aid, and its departure from housing refugees in camps, which is based on a model of containment, and its move toward housing refugees across the urban landscape, which is based on a model of disbursement.


This work presents the modeling and development of a methodology based on Model Predictive Control – MPC that uses a machine learning model, based on Reinforcement Learning, as the method for searching the optimal control policy, and a neural network as a proxy, for modeling the nonlinear plant. The neural network model was developed to predict the following variables: average pressure of the reservoir, the daily production of oil, gas, water and water cut in the production well, for three consecutive values, to perform the predictive control. This model is applied as a strategy to control the oil production in an oil reservoir with existing producer and injector wells. The experiments were carried out on a synthetic oil reservoir model that consists in a reservoir with three layers with different permeability and one producer well and one injector well, both completed in the three layers. There are three valves located into the injector well, one for each completion, which are the handling variables of the model. The oil production of the producer well is the controlled variable. The experiments performed have considered various set points and also the impact of disturbances on the production well. The obtained results indicate that the proposed model is capable of controlling oil production even with disturbances in the producing well, for different reference values for oil production and supporting some features of the petroleum reservoir systems such as: strong nonlinearity, long delay in the system response, and multivariate characteristic.