Investigation of last stage bleaching with peracetic acid is the main subject of this paper. Proper conditions were established to apply peracetic acid as the last bleaching stage of the D(Ep)D/Paa, DHT(Ep)D/Paa, A/D(Ep)D/Paa, DHT/Q(PO)Paa and Z/ED/Paa sequences. In addition, the impact of last stage bleaching with Paa on pulp refinability and strength properties was determined. Peracetic acid was consumed relatively fast when applied as the last stage of ECF bleaching sequences. A reaction time of 120 min at 75 oC and pH 5.0 is seemingly adequate regardless of the Paa dose, in the range of 1-5 kg/odt pulp and bleaching sequence. The optimum dose of Paa depends upon the sequence under investigation. In general the Paa application as last bleaching stage caused slight decrease in pulp viscosity, kappa number and HexA content but had no significant effect on pulp reversion and L*a*b* coordinates. The refinability and bonding strength properties of the pulps bleached with the sequences DHT(Ep)DD and DHT(Ep)D/Paa were quite similar when the pH of the last bleaching stage of both sequences were near 5. These properties improved slightly when Paa bleaching pH was raised to 8.5.


It is widely documented that the left hemisphere is dominant in all complex linguistic tasks, including the processing of inflectional morphology. Both in Italian and in other languages, patients with brain damage with a selective deficit in derivational morphology have never been reported. Here we present the unusual case of two patients with very similar right-hemisphere lesions, who in the absence of aphasic disorders showed a selective inability in producing derivational morphology. Although both patients were unimpaired in producing verb infinitives, they both showed a selective deficit in producing nouns derived from verbs. This difficulty was not present in deriving nouns from other grammatical categories, such as adjectives. Interestingly, both patients mostly substituted the derived noun with the past participle of the verb. This pattern of results documents for the first time a right-hemisphere contribution in the domain of derivational morphology.


Ultra wideband technology turns the radio spectrum available to wireless applications from a country road into a high-speed ten lane super freeway, and the destination is the future of wireless technology. UWB is a huge leap forward because it offers wide bandwidth with little interference, allowing multiple UWB signals to share a single channel. This multi-author volume, compiled under the guidance of Dr. Roberto Aiello, introduces the theory and concepts behind ultra wideband (UWB) systems as well as their applications. Authors include those involved in creating the UWB standards, researchers, and applications specialists. This book has been broken down into three parts: introduction to UWB, different techniques available, and applications. Within these sections topics covered are UWB spectrum and regulations, UWB channels, modulation techniques, antennas, signal propagation, and UWB transceiver architectures. This book has all the information RF/wireless engineers will need to understand this burgeoning technology. *An all-star list of contributors covers the subject more authoritatively than any single author could*Discusses U.S. and international ultra wideband regulations*Includes material on antenna systems and signal propagation at ultra wideband frequencies


This study discusses the application of frequency band design for monopole antenna to 3.5GHz WiMAX and 2.425GHz WLAN and Bluetooth communication. The foremost function of antennas is to convert the radiated electromagnetic wave energy in the transmission medium (generally air medium) and the energy sent from or received by the transceiver. The Bluetooth is a low cost, low power and short distance wireless communication technology, it can be extensively used in mobile communication equipments. This study uses Ansoft HFSS electromagnetic simulation software to simulate the 3D radiation field pattern, current distribution, gain value and Return Loss pattern of antenna, to design Bluetooth and WiMAX antennas with center frequency of 2.425G Hz and 3.5G Hz and reflection loss smaller than -10dB, which are fabricated on FR4 substrate successfully. As there are errors between the simulation and measured values, the required effect of antenna can be implemented by continuous simulation.


A method has been developed for the determination of trace selenium by generation of its gaseous hydride using either metallic zinc or sodium borohydride as a reductant and followed by the introduction of the hydride into a premixed argon (entrained air)-hydrogen flame where all atomic fluorescence lines of selenium are simultaneously detected by use of a nondispersive system. The comparison of the zinc and the sodium borohydride reduction methods is discussed in terms of detection limit, precision, and interference. The best attainable detection limits for selenium are 0.3 ng (15 pg/ml) and 0.4 ng (20 pg/ml) with the zinc and sodium borohydride methods, respectively. Analytical calibration curves obtained by measuring peak heights and integrated peak areas of the fluorescence signals are linear over the range of approximately 4 orders of magnitude from the detection limits. Most mineral acids examined in the range up to 2.0 M do not interfere; however, the nitric acid is an exception which gives a depressing interference. The interference was found to be much more severe in the zinc method than in the sodium borohydride technique. The presence of several elements including other hydride-forming elements in 1000-fold ratio to selenium causes a depressing interference, whereas an enhancing interference from tellurium is observed only in the zinc reduction method. The present method has been successfully applied to the determination of selenium in wastewaters and foods.


Dr. Eric Gall from the University of Arizona Arthritis Center moderated the topic "Osteoarthritis: Coping Guidelines for the Elderly" with Drs. Joel Block from Rush University Medical Center, and Roland Moskowitz from University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH. The discussion focused primarily on: The current woking definition of osteoarthritis (OA); the burden of the disease in the United States and worldwide; OA and the presence of pain; radiographic evidence; the pathophysiology, onset, and progression; the manifestations of OA in different areas of the body; clinical and radiographic diagnosis; the differentiation of OA from rheumatoid arthritis; prevention and disease management; the role of weight loss and exercise; alternative forms of treatment; pain management and disease management strategies; the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk management; the use of intra-articular steroids; considerations for surgical intervention; and the use of disease-modifying drugs and cartilage regeneration. Med Roundtable Gen Med Ed. 2014;1(4):270–279.


This book is about the quiet exercise of power through indicators. With the turn to evidence-based governance, reliance on statistical data along with its synthesis into the kinds of scales, ranks, and composite indexes we refer to as indicators has become essential for policy formation and political decision making. The use of indicators in governance has expanded from economic and sector-specific quantitative data to measurement of almost every phenomenon. This book focuses on indicators of governance itself, specifically governance through law: indicators purporting to measure practices or perceptions of good governance, rule of law, corruption, regulatory quality, and related matters. This volume presents nine original case studies that investigate how leading indicators of legal governance produced with global or transnational scope or aims are created, disseminated, and used, and with what effects. The indicators studied include Freedom House's Freedom in the World indicator, the Global Reporting Initiative's structure for measuring and reporting on corporate social responsibility, the World Justice Project's measurement of the rule of law, the Doing Business index of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, the World Bank–supported Worldwide Governance Indicators, the World Bank's Country Performance Institutional Assessment (CPIA), the Transparency International Corruption (Perceptions) index, and several indicators (including some of these) used by the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation in determining which countries are eligible to receive certain US aid funds. The underlying theoretical framework of this volume is the linkage between knowledge and power. Indicators are both a form of knowledge and a technology for governance. Like other forms of knowledge, indicators influence governance when they form the basis for political decision making, public awareness, and the terms in which problems are conceptualized and solutions imagined. Conversely, the kinds of information embodied in indicators, the forms in which they are produced and disseminated, and how they function as knowledge are all influenced by governance practices.


Abstract During the past two years a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has used Raytheon's TopAct code to convert a variety of CAD models into TART and MCNP Monte Carlo input files. TopAct offers the possibility of enormous savings by largely eliminating the need for manual generation of models via combinatorial geometry. Also, TopAct is expected to deliver improvements in quality assurance and configuration management. We detail our experiences with various test problems. The reader will see the steady improvements that have been made in the conversion process and understand our expectations for further progress. Finally, we explain how TopAct will become a cornerstone of our future neutronics efforts.


Conventional database selection algorithms are very helpful in improving search results and reducing network overhead and computation time by cutting off databases that are irrelevant to the queries. However, they have not been designed to adapt to the changing interest and intentions of users in the document retrieval process. In this paper, we propose an adaptive search system using heterogeneous document vector spaces. Our system provides a dynamic construction function of search engine components based on a vector space model. In order to reflect the user's current working contexts in the components of the search engine, our system selects adaptively pre-defined sets of feature terms with different search domains depending on the user's currently-viewed documents. By exploiting such adaptive and heterogeneous document vector spaces with specific domains, our system allows users to retrieve proper documents that match their current working contexts. Also, our system implements a conventional database selection method to reduce the computation time of the similarity calculations in each document vector space. In this study, we confirm that our adaptive search system can improve the precision rates of search results as well as the scalability of computation times, by several experiments using the experimental retrieval system implemented in the desktop environment.


Application of an iodophor teat dip before and after milking is a common practice in the dairy industry as an effective method of preventing mastitis by reducing microbial populations at the teat end. Overall effectiveness of a teat dip is a function of its ability to reduce the microbial population and maintain a pliable teat skin condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate a new conditioning component in iodophor teat dips containing either 0.5% or 1.0% iodine. Two experiments were conducted during late winter (133 cows) and during summer (104 cows) to evaluate two new iodophor teat dips developed by KO Manufacturing, Inc., Springfield, Mo. The two teat dips contain a nontraditional conditioning agent designed to sustain the lipid bilayer of the teat skin and improve skin condition. Dinerin (0.5% iodine) was equally effective as Westfalia-Surge Derma-Kote during the winter study in preventing new mammary infections based on the number of new clinical cases of mastitis and somatic cell counts. Teat and teat end condition were similarly maintained by both teat dips during the winter study. Two Dinerin teat dips, 0.5% and 1.0% iodine, were compared to Westfalia-Surge Teat-Kote 10-3 (0.5% iodine) during the summer. The Dinerin 0.5% iodine dip was most effective in preventing new cases of clinical mastitis. Teat and teat end conditions were maintained similarly by all three dips. Somatic cell counts were similar among treatments when cows that developed clinical mastitis were deleted from the analysis. The numbers of clinical mastitis cases were 5, 0, and 6 for cows dipped with Westfalia-Surge Teat-Kote 10-3, Dinerin 0.5% iodine, and Dinerin 1.0% iodine, respectively.


This book surveys how economists engage with knowledge and beliefs in various fields of economic analysis, such as general equilibrium theory, decision theory, game theory, experimental economics, evolutionary theory of the firm, financial markets and the history of economic thought.


Hemophagocytic syndromes represent extreme cases of uncontrolled immune activation resulting in severe disease. Dysregulated CD8+ T cell responses are implicated in the pathogenesis of hemophagocytic syndromes, although the mechanisms responsible for their hyperactivation are incompletely understood. Identification of the signals promoting CD8+ T cell-mediated inflammation are therefore crucial to inform the development of targeted immunotherapies for these diseases. Using murine models of hemophagocytic syndrome, we investigated the interaction of activated CD8+ T cells arising in the context of systemic inflammation with their surrounding environment, both in their response to antigen-independent cues and their contribution to the cytokine storm. We found that the interleukin-33/ST2 pathway plays a key role in amplifying inflammation above the threshold for fatal disease in a murine model of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL), generated by infection of perforin-deficient mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). ST2 intrinsically promotes LCMV-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cell proliferation and potentiates interferon-g (IFNg) production, thereby raising systemic quantities of IFNg to lethal levels. Blockade of ST2 signaling protects FHL mice from mortality by acutely dampening the antiviral T cell response and eventually leading to CD8+ T cell exhaustion, which further protects against chronic wasting. In a different murine model of hemophagocytic syndrome, Toll-like receptor 9-induced macrophage activation syndrome, we investigated liver-infiltrating lymphocyte populations induced by systemic inflammation. We identified a unique population of effector-like interleukin-10-producing CD8+ T cells that arises independently of antigen stimulation and accumulates within damaged liver. This work demonstrates that the contribution of antigen-independent signals to CD8+ T cell activation is essential to the pathophysiology of hemophagocytic syndromes and suggests that specific blockade of these signals may provide therapeutic benefit. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Immunology First Advisor Edward M. Behrens


This paper presents a remarkable analogy between the human society and Astronomy. Please keep an open mind as the resemblance is not only qualitative but also quantitative. We point out many similarities between stars and people, such as properties of grouping - single stars vs. singles, binary stars vs. couples, cities vs. clusters, countries vs. galaxies, etc. Men and women are linked with cool and hot stars. We match planets with children and attribute the two genders to gas and solid planets. Moons are related with pets or grandchildren, asteroids with germs / viruses, accretion disks with bellies and jets with pukes. Suicide attempts in people are associated with supernovae in stars. Inflation is connected with the rapid growth of the embryo, and the time the universe became transparent to light is linked with the human birth. A simple analogue to the cosmic background radiation is the bellybutton, and the universe acceleration is coupled with the pace increase in modern life. The mean values of the distributions of star multiples and the number of US households are almost identical (2.04 and 2.03). Moreover, an amazing resemblance between the two curves is evident (Fig. 1). The distribution of gas (or solid) planets is similar to that of boys (or girls) as well, and the fit could improve once selection effects are considered. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that our results are significant at a confidence level higher of ~99.9%! The surprising linkage between humanity and stars can lead to many predictions. It is proposed that about a third of stars harbor planets. We predict that stars are equally divided between hot and cool stars and planets between gas and solid planets. The presence of four gas and four solid planets in the solar system supports our prediction. We also forecast that the mean number of planets around host stars should be near two, larger around binaries than in single stars and higher in hot stars than in cool stars. We vision the presence of twin planets that share the same orbit. The wealth of known extra-solar planets should already contain a few such systems. We forecast the presence of a new astronomical phenomenon, which we alias 'planova' - an eruption in a planet that may destroy it, and speculate about the presence of planet jets. The ideas and results of this paper are clearly unusual and unbelievable. A brief explanation to our findings is presented in the discussion and further developed in forthcoming papers.


We present a method for analytical performance evaluation of synchronous optical packet-switched backbone networks. The proposed method is applicable to networks of any topology built of nodes of any degree with any number of wavelengths, and capable of allowing for deflections. The method provides not only general results such as fiber utilization, but also detailed results on where and at what mean rates packets travel. We analyze the steady-state performance of a network loaded with independent flows. The admission control admits in a fair way at most as many packets as there are output slots available, while the routing algorithm uses classes, distances, deflections, and wavelength conversion. We compare the results of our method with simulation results for a large set of randomly generated test cases, and conclude that the proposed method yields reasonably accurate results.


Data journalism is an evolving form of investigative journalism. In previous research and handbooks published on this topic, this form of journalism has been called computer-assisted reporting and data-driven journalism, as well as precision, computational or database journalism. In Sweden, data journalism is still fairly uncommon. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of data journalism at seven Swedish traditional media companies, using action research methods. The content of this paper is based on an online survey of journalists and in-depth interviews with editors at these participating companies. The results indicate that, based on how this field is currently perceived by journalists in the interviews, there is a common definition of data journalism. Furthermore, the survey shows that the attitudes towards data journalism during the process of introducing new methods and genres of journalism into "old" organizations are correlated with the level of perceived experience in data journalism working methods. The main challenges facing the working methods of data journalism today are a shortage of time and the need for training and developing data journalism skills.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the appropriateness of the internal target volume (ITV) and planning target volume (PTV) generated based on 4DCT simulation using real-time kV fluoroscopic imaging.

METHODS
4DCT scans of a moving (3D) phantom with implanted fiducials were acquired using three-dimensional lung tumor locations derived from Cyberknife Synchrony system log files. Data from 5 patients consisting of tumor trajectories derived from the Synchrony model and from three different treatment fractions were used in this analysis. All patients in this study had a peak-to-peak respiratory amplitude between 7-15mm. The fiducials were contoured on ten phases of the 4DCT scans, and ITVs and PTVs (ITV+5mm) were created for each marker. Fluoroscopic images were acquired for all trajectories at a rate of 15Hz for 20-30 seconds in two imaging planes: anterior-posterior and lateral. The markers were tracked using the Varian Intra-fraction Motion Review (IMR) software, using a reference movie frame in which marker locations were matched against their corresponding positions on the DRR. The tracked marker positions were classified as within the ITV, between the ITV and the PTV, and outside the PTV in each frame.

RESULTS
The fiducial was detected inside of the ITV in 82.4% (71.7%) of frames in the lateral plane (AP plane), between the ITV and PTV in 17.4% (28.0%) of lateral (AP) frames, and detected outside the PTV in 0.2% (0.3%) of lateral (AP) frames. When the marker was between the ITV and the PTV, the distance from marker to ITV was >3mm in 21% (27%) in lateral (AP) plane images.

CONCLUSION
We have developed a method to quantify the degree to which the planned ITV and PTV encompass the extent of tumor motion. The tumor was detected outside of the ITV more often in the AP-plane of imaging, and detected within the PTV in nearly all cases. Varian Medical Systems.


Aqueous ethanolic extract of four medicinal plants were subjected to in vitro antibacterial assay against human pathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa employing cup diffusion method. Among four plants tested Eugenia caryophyllata (Clove) was found to be the most effective against S. typhi. All the plants were ineffective against E. coli and K. pneumonia. Achyranthes bidentata was found to be ineffective against all the tested organisms. The largest zone of inhibition (22 mm) was obtained with E. caryophyllata against S. typhi and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) value of 5 mg/l was obtained with Azadirachta indica against S. typhi. K. pneumoniae and E. coli were found to be resistant with all the plant extracts. A qualitative phytochemical analysis was performed for the detection of alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, steroids, flavonoids, tannins and reducing sugars. Thin layer chromatography was also performed using solvent system chloroform, methanol and water (10:10:3) for the analysis of lipid present in plant extract. The present study will be successful in identifying candidate plant with different antimicrobial activity which could be further exploited for isolation and characterization of the novel phytochemicals in the treatment of infectious disease especially in light of the emergence of drug-resistant microorganisms and the need to produce more effective antimicrobial agents.

 Key words: Antibacterial property, drug resistance, medicinal plant, zone of inhibition.


This book introduces readers to the socio-economic and political aspects of Hong Kong society through a comprehensive examination of existing research and writing. It serves not only as a textbook for courses related to Hong Kong society, but is also of interest to any reader who wishes to gain a critical understanding of the community as a whole. It covers topics such as government and politics, social class, the Hong Kong ethos, popular culture, the family, social and economic development, crime and deviance, and social conflict.


Distillation-free separations of haloalkane isomers represents a persistent challenge for the chemical industry. Several classic molecular sorbents show high selectivity in the context of such separations; however, most suffer from limited tunability or poor stability. Herein, we report the results of a comparative study involving three trianglamine and trianglimine macrocycles as supramolecular adsorbents for the selective separation of halobutane isomers. Methylene-bridged trianglamine, TA, was found to capture preferentially 1-chlorobutane (1-CBU) from a mixture of 1-CBU and 2-chlorobutane (2-CBU) with a purity of 98.1%. It also separates 1-bromobutane (1-BBU) from a mixture of 1-BBU and 2-bromobutane (2-BBU) with a purity of 96.4%. The observed selectivity is ascribed to the thermodynamic stability of the TA-based host–guest complexes. Based on single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, a [3]pseudorotaxane structure (2TA⊃1-CBU) is formed between TA and 1-CBU that is characterized by an increased level of noncovalent interactions compared to the corresponding [2]pseudorotaxane structure seen for TA⊃2-CBU. We believe that molecular sorbents that rely on specific molecular recognition events, such as the triangular pores detailed here, will prove useful as next generation sorbents in energy-efficient separations.


The EGF-like domain of smallpox growth factor (SPGF) targets human ErbB-1, inducing tyrosine phosphorylation of certain host cellular substrates via activation of the receptor's kinase domain and thereby facilitating viral replication. Given these findings, low molecular weight organic inhibitors of ErbB-1 kinases might function as antiviral agents against smallpox. Here we show that CI-1033 and related 4-anilinoquinazolines inhibit SPGF-induced human cellular DNA synthesis, protein tyrosine kinase activation, and c-Cbl association with ErbB-1 and resultant internalization. Infection of monkey kidney BSC-40 and VERO-E6 cells in vitro by variola strain Solaimen is blocked by CI-1033, primarily at the level of secondary viral spreading. In an in vivo lethal vaccinia virus pneumonia model, CI-1033 alone promotes survival of animals, augments systemic T cell immunity and, in conjunction with a single dose of anti-L1R intracellular mature virus particle-specific mAb, fosters virtually complete viral clearance of the lungs of infected mice by the eighth day after infection. Collectively, these findings show that chemical inhibitors of host-signaling pathways exploited by viral pathogens may represent potent antiviral therapies.


Many studies have found a gap between willingness-to-pay and willingness-to-accept that is inconsistent with standard theory. There is also evidence that the gap is eroded by experience gained in the laboratory and naturally occurring markets. This paper argues that the gap and the effects of experience are explained by a caution heuristic. This conjecture is tested in a repeated market experiment with symmetric and asymmetric information. The results support the conjecture: people do seem to use heuristics rather than reacting optimally and their behavior adjusts slowly when the environment changes.


Carpet is one of the Iranian arts that is shaped in direct interaction with designers and weavers and therefore is a visual expression of their beliefs and ideas. This statement of beliefs originates from the artist's mentality influenced by culture, customs and religious teachings of society which is then traced on the vertexes of the carpet in different arrays and in the form of various designs. For this reason, various issues have been incorporated in carpet with a symbolic expression and each imply a cultural and religious concept. In the mist of this, numbers have a deep root in the culture of this country and are divided into two types: quantitative and qualitative. Qualitative aspect, or in other words, the symbolic and meaningful dimension of numbers has long been in consideration and the application of numbers in the arts of this country can be considered as a sign of the grand position of the symbolic aspect of numbers in different eras. This article reviews the place and symbolic usage of numbers in carpet with analytical method and library data collection. The results show that the numbers one, three, four, five, six, seven and eight have been symbolically used in different carpet designs. This application implies that the organization of images and designs has been based on the symbolic meanings of these numbers. Furthermore, it can be observed that some carpet patterns and designs have been named based on their numerical format. As a result, they strengthen the role of numbers in carpet and convey the symbolic meaning they possess. These patterns, which are influenced by the cultural and religious teachings of the society, have been employed by designers and weavers and have been the source of inspiration for their designs. .


Understanding the role of genes in directing behavior is one of the primary goals of neuroscience. Mating behavior in Drosophila is controlled by male-specific splicing of the master regulatory gene fruitless (fru), and the male-specific splice form, fruM, is both necessary and sufficient for all aspects of the courtship ritual. We have previously described the role of Trapped in endoderm 1 (Tre1) in courtship behavior. Tre1 encodes an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor that is essential for normal courtship behavior in male flies. We previously found that feminizing Tre1-expressing cells in males via expression of the female-specific splicing factor Transformer (TraF) resulted in rapid courtship initiation. Here we confirm that Tre1 is required in neurons for normal courtship behavior, and present genetic evidence that Tre1 acts through the downregulation of the E-cadherin Shotgun, and that the neurotransmitter histamine is the likely Tre1 ligand. Our findings are the first evidence for metabotropic histamine receptors in Drosophila, and the first to demonstrate a role for histamine in courtship.


Twelve years after the first formal demonstration that it is possible to vaccinate a cancer patient against an antigen derived from his/her own tumor, idiotype vaccines are now well into Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of follicular lymphoma. Meanwhile, their potential has also begun to be explored in other non-Hodgkin's lymphoma settings, such as that of mantle cell lymphoma. Another well known field of potential application for idiotype vaccines is that of multiple myeloma. However, the currently available results, even with the advent of dendritic cells, seem to be less promising than those obtained in lymphoma, to such an extent that idiotype vaccines are currently tested in multiple myeloma patients in the context of more aggressive therapeutic strategies.


This article will examine the opportunities and limitations of using social media in the execution of legal duties relating to the monitoring and enforcement of IHL. The article will first provide an overview of social media. Next, it will briefly summarise the normative framework of IHL as well as the legal duties of the primary actors and promoters of IHL (for example, states, the UN, NGOs, the International Committee of the Red Cross and courts) to monitor and enforce these rules. The article will then address specific legal obligations relating to IHL monitoring and enforcement and the impact of social media on meeting these requirements. Throughout, the article will use case studies from several conflict zones, including Sudan, Uganda, Mexico, Somalia, Gaza and Libya. The article will conclude that social media can play a critical role in promoting IHL education, and monitoring for potential violations. The benefits of this technology, however, are less clear for carrying out legal obligations related to the enforcement of IHL, such as fact-finding, arrest and prosecution. It is essential, therefore, that clear guidelines for utilising this quickly evolving technology, particularly in official fact-finding and judicial frameworks, be established.


The article explores the effect of primary school access, type (public vs. private), and quality on parents' decision to enroll their children in rural Pakistan using a 1997 survey. The authors find that, for girls, living in a village with an all‐girls' public school makes a significant difference in the likelihood of enrollment. The quality of the girls' school is also a significant factor influencing parents' decision to enroll their girls. Boys' overall levels of enrollment are unaffected by access and quality; parents, however, are more likely to select private schooling for their boys and girls when a private school is locally available. In contrast to earlier findings for urban Pakistan, we do not find that a greater availability of private school alternatives would significantly increase overall primary school enrollment; instead, it would primarily affect the distribution of enrollment between the private and public sector.


COBRA II: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF IRAQ, Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor, Pantheon Books, New York, 2006, 603 pages. Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor have delivered the second of their histories of U.S. wars in the Persian Gulf, and it might not be their last since there is grist for still another book. In the title, Cobra II, Gordon and Trainor promise to deliver on the invasion and the occupation of Iraq. Frankly, the title tantalizes, but the book really does not address the occupation of Iraq; rather, it looks only at the beginning of that effort. Gordon and Trainor set their thesis quite clearly in the first sentence of the foreword when they assert that Cobra II "will provide an inside look at how a military campaign that was so successful in toppling Saddam Hussein's regime set the conditions for the insurgency that followed." They effectively follow through on that promise. The result, despite the small criticism of not meeting the full promise of the title, is a book that is quite good and useful to those who serve and those who send others in harm's way. Several of the topics that emerged in Gordon and Trainer's first book, The General's War, remain relevant more than a decade after the first Persian Gulf War. Chief among these are that planning, personalities, and perception mattered in Operation Iraqi Freedom, much as they did in Desert Storm. Thucydides was the first historian to consider these themes, and they are still critical to the tale of war. As in the classical era, making war remains a political act of which military operations are but a part Gordon and Trainer lucidly lay out the story of how perception and personality played decisive roles in planning for the war and the subsequent occupation from the moment the administration cast a baleful eye on Iraq. The authors develop their narrative in two parts. First they show how the planners failed to account for the requirements of occupation because they used much of their time planning and debating the size of the force and the basic concept for the campaign to topple Saddam Hussein. Second, neither the administration nor its military minions had much interest in planning for a long occupation or for the possibility of insurgency. Gordon and Trainor argue that the administration believed little needed to be done and that Central Command, led by General Tommy Franks, underestimated the difficulty. At times, Cobra II is surreal. There emerges from the book a sense of implacable destiny at work in Tampa, Camp Doha, Washington, and everywhere someone developed PowerPoint® charts, conducted a briefing, or considered the coming war. Reading Cobra II is like reading about the Titanic. We find ourselves hoping the Captain will reduce the Titanic's speed or that the officer of the deck will order all engines astern rather than a course change, or that the lookout will see the iceberg looming ahead in time to avert the crash. But of course the Titanic does hit the iceberg and in the end it sinks. All that remains is to deconstruct the event, hoping to understand why the tragedy happened and how we might avoid similar mistakes in the future. Cobra II is a first cut at analyzing the process of planning the war in Iraq; it provides some preliminary analysis that will enable future understanding of what happened and why. For the most part Gordon and Trainor make their points by letting the actors speak for themselves. Among the planners, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld stands out. He looms above the process and all of those around him, driving the decisions that not only led to the war, but to those that determined how the war would be fought and how the occupation would be undertaken. But Rumsfeld was not alone in planning the war effort, and Gordon and Trainor devote their first eight chapters to the other players and the almost Byzantine machinations that characterized the planning effort. …


SummaryUse of voriconazole, a triazole antifungal drug, has often been associated with photosensitivity, and this adverse reaction has been linked to a risk of tumours in light-exposed areas, especially squamous cell carcinomas, but also melanomas. The mechanisms by which voriconazole causes these effects are not clear, but susceptibility factors for a predisposition to skin cancers include duration of use, immunosuppression, ultraviolet (UV) exposure, advanced age, and skin type. Voriconazole should be used carefully, particularly in patients with susceptibility factors for skin cancer. If prolonged voriconazole therapy is required, it is advisable to have frequent diligent skin examinations, to avoid excess sunlight, and to use UV protectants liberally.


Zones of Consumption takes an important next step for television studies: it acknowledges the growing diversity of the international experience of television today in order to address the question of 'what is television now?' The book addresses this question in two interrelated ways: • by situating the consumption of television within the full range of structures, patterns and practices of everyday life; • and by retrieving the importance of location as fundamental to these structures, patterns and practices - and, consequently, to the experience of television. This approach, involving collaboration between authors from cultural studies and cultural anthropology, offers new ways of studying the consumption of television - in particular, the use of the notion of 'zones of consumption' as a new means of locating television within the full range of its spatial, temporal, cultural, political and industrial contexts. Although the study draws its examples from a wide range of locations (the US, the UK, Australia, Malaysia, Cuba, and the Chinese language markets in Asia Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Taiwan), its argument is strongly informed by the evidence and the insights which emerged from ethnographic research in Mexico. This research site serves a strategic purpose: by working on a location with a highly developed and commercially successful transnational television industry, but which is not among the locations usually considered by television studies written in English, the limitations to some of the assumptions underlying the orthodoxies in Anglo-American television studies are highlighted. Suitable for both upper level students and researchers, this book is a valuable and original contribution to television, media and cultural studies, and anthropology, presenting approaches and evidence that are new to the field.


Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR was applied with ten random 10-mer primers to examine the molecular diversity among methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains in the hospitals and to investigate the epidemiological spread of these strains between different hospitals. The main objective of the study was to identify appropriate primers, which successfully established the clonality of MRSA. Three of the primers yielded particularly discriminatory patterns and they were used to perform the RAPD analysis which revealed different bands ranging from 200 to 1500 bp. Dendogram was created by the un-weighted pair group method using arithmetic (UPGMA) average clustering and it was constructed based on the combination results of the new primers (S224, S232 and S395) which represented a novel approach for rapid screening of the strains and also provided the opportunity for monitoring the emergence and determining clonal dissemination of MRSA strains between the hospitals. Dendogram generated two main groups (Group I and II) with three clusters (A, B and C) and indicated that the strains isolated from the same hospital were closely related and they placed together in the same group. This technique could be of attractive use in controlling the sources and routes of transmission, tracking the spread of strains within hospital and between the hospitals, and especially preventing the nosocomial infections caused by the MRSA.


In order to investigate the mechanisms of final maturation and capacitation of spermatozoa in Pecten maximus, we used a 2D proteomic approach coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry (MS) and bioinformatics search against the Pecten database, to set up a reference map of the proteome of spawned spermatozoa, and identified 133 proteins on the basis of the EST database. These proteins are mainly involved in energy production, ion and electron transport (44%), cell movement (22%) and developmental processes (10%). Comparison between proteomes of spermatozoa collected before and after transit through the genital ducts of P. maximus led to the identification of differentially expressed proteins. Most of them are associated with energy metabolism (aconitate hydratase, malate dehydrogenase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), indicating important modifications of energy production during transit in gonoducts, potentially linked with acquisition of sperm motility. Three proteins involved in cell movement (Tektin-2, tubulin and microtubule-associated protein RP/EB family member 3) were down-regulated in spermatozoa stripped from the gonad. 40S ribosomal protein SA, involved in maturation of 40S ribosomal subunits, was also found to be down-regulated in spermatozoa obtained by induced spawning, suggesting reduction of the efficiency of RNA translation, a characteristic of late spermatozoon differentiation. These results confirm that maturation processes of P. maximus spermatozoa during transit through the gonoduct involve RNA translation, energy metabolism and structural proteins implicated in cell movement. Spermatozoa maturation processes clearly differ between P. maximus and gonochoric or alternately hermaphroditic bivalves, potentially in relation to reproductive strategies: the final maturation of the spermatozoon along the genital tract probably contributes to reduction of autofertilization in this simultaneously hermaphroditic species.


Article history: Received 1 August 2011 Available online 10 August 2011 Small organizations that maintain their own fleet and make their own deliveries are responsible for ensuring their drivers are utilizing the most efficient routes while delivering products to their customers. Furthermore, efficient delivery requires that drivers spend as little time as possible dropping off and picking up products, since these activities are referred to as "non-value added activities," although they are necessary tasks in the order cycle process. To aid in reducing order cycle times, large organizations that can afford it have employed transportation management systems. Unfortunately, small organizations with limited resources are less likely to adopt transportation management systems, despite the need for such automation. One solution is to use available productivity software to track and manage driver route activity in an effort to improve and maintain driver productivity by reducing nonvalue time and identifying optimal routes. This paper will outline how office productivity software such as Microsoft® Access can meet the needs of small organizations with limited resources by describing the development and use of a route activity database that employs an easy-to-use multi-user interface. This paper also includes the details of the underlying infrastructure and the user interface.


Two ideas are almost universally accepted as reality in political sociology. One is that numbers are declining in nearly all membership associations. The usual interpretation of this phenomenon is that it occurs because of individualization. The other is that the character of collective action has changed. This idea, which stems from Touraine, Melucci and Castells, states that a new historical category of social action has emerged, one that resembles action in primary groups rather than in organizations and in some way is a victory over the iron law of oligarchy. This article questions both ideas. The author intends to show that another historical process is in play here, namely, a process of 'inert rationalization' in social movements, political parties and associations, which is taking place in Europe with different starting points and at different tempos. The result of this process can be summed up as 'more organization with fewer people'. Domination, inherent in oligarchic organizations, is being transformed by the creation of a new organizational boundary between elite (or profession) and members. The point is that it is membership itself as a form for affiliation that is disappearing, not just members. The article argues that this is mainly because resource mobilization patterns have historically changed from the mobilization of resources drawn from members to the mobilization of resources drawn from other organizations. Finally, the article analyses the importance of the unstructured power fields (or open spaces) created by rationalization processes for social innovation and new social movements.


Abstract. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability, in addition to other macro- and micronutrients, determine the strength of the ocean's carbon (C) uptake, and variation in the N : P ratio of inorganic nutrient pools is key to phytoplankton growth. A similarity between C : N : P ratios in the plankton biomass and deep-water nutrients was observed by Alfred C. Redfield around 80 years ago and suggested that biological processes in the surface ocean controlled deep-ocean chemistry. Recent studies have emphasized the role of inorganic N : P ratios in governing biogeochemical processes, particularly the C : N : P ratio in suspended particulate organic matter (POM), with somewhat less attention given to exported POM and dissolved organic matter (DOM). Herein, we extend the discussion on ecosystem C : N : P stoichiometry but also examine temporal variation in stoichiometric relationships. We have analyzed elemental stoichiometry in the suspended POM and total (POM + DOM) organic-matter (TOM) pools in the upper 100 m and in the exported POM and subeuphotic zone (100–500 m) inorganic nutrient pools from the monthly data collected at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site located in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. C : N and N : P ratios in TOM were at least twice those in the POM, while C : P ratios were up to 5 times higher in TOM compared to those in the POM. Observed C : N ratios in suspended POM were approximately equal to the canonical Redfield ratio (C : N : P = 106 : 16 : 1), while N : P and C : P ratios in the same pool were more than twice the Redfield ratio. Average N : P ratios in the subsurface inorganic nutrient pool were ~ 26 : 1, squarely between the suspended POM ratio and the Redfield ratio. We have further linked variation in elemental stoichiometry to that of phytoplankton cell abundance observed at the BATS site. Findings from this study suggest that elemental ratios vary with depth in the euphotic zone, mainly due to different growth rates of cyanobacterial cells. We have also examined the role of the Arctic Oscillation on temporal patterns in C : N : P stoichiometry. This study strengthens our understanding of the variability in elemental stoichiometry in different organic-matter pools and should improve biogeochemical models by constraining the range of non-Redfield stoichiometry and the net relative flow of elements between pools.


The objectives of this study are to understand effects of ferry terminals and ferry operations on eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) meadows in Puget Sound and to design appropriate measures to avoid, minimize, and compensate for associated impacts. Dramatic increases in population and ferry traffic in western Washington have resulted in the need to expand existing terminals. Our studies have shown that eelgrass meadows near ferry terminals are affected by light reduction and other initial and long-term disturbances associated with terminal construction and maintenance, propeller wash, and bioturbation by macroinvertebrates (i.e., sea stars and Dungeness crab). Experimental work on light showed that below about 3M m to the -2 power d to the -1 power photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for one to two weeks resulted in death of the plants. Long-term growth and PAR monitoring, as well as short-term measurements in eelgrass meadows, corroborated this value. Technological measures to mitigate impacts showed that concrete blocks with clear plastic centers, reflective material placed under terminals, and artificial lighting could all enhance light under the terminals. Restoration of damaged meadows adjacent to the terminals is proposed as a viable alternative for mitigating impacts from terminal expansion.


This essay is a memorial tribute from one member of the Common Knowledge editorial board to another. Adam Michnik, a cofounder of the first dissident organization in East-Central Europe, writes about the details and the symbolic importance of his first meeting, in 1978 on Mt. Snĕžka, with Václav Havel, coorganizer of Charter 77. From his insider's perspective, the author retells the history of dissent in communist Europe from that time until the Velvet Revolution and Havel's election as president of Czechoslovakia in 1989. He also assesses the impact of Havel's work as a playwright and antipolitical essayist, but the emphasis of the essay falls on how Havel the man dealt with the disappointments he endured in political office, including the passage of "lustration" laws and the election of Václav Klaus as prime minister. The organizing principle of this essay is the distinction made by the Czech philosopher Jan Patočka between "great history" and "small history." In periods of greatness, the Czechs led European civilization toward the path it would subsequently take; at other times, they withdrew into the "banality of provincialism." This tribute to Havel ultimately argues that, after many decades of provincial Stalinism, Havel brought Czech history back to the path of greatness on which T. G. Masaryk had set it in the first part of the twentieth century.


Methods for analysis of principal components in discrete data have existed for some time under various names such as grade of membership modelling, probabilistic latent semantic analysis, and genotype inference with admixture. In this paper we explore a number of extensions to the common theory, and present some application of these methods to some common statistical tasks. We show that these methods can be interpreted as a discrete version of ICA. We develop a hierarchical version yielding components at different levels of detail, and additional techniques for Gibbs sampling. We compare the algorithms on a text prediction task using support vector machines, and to information retrieval.


This article explores the role of the citizen-consumer as an actor in public service industrial relations. Based on research into the New Types of Worker programme in social care, the article considers how new work roles engage end-users as citizen-consumers in work relations and their consequences for stakeholders. It highlights the forms assumed by these roles and the factors influencing their development and impact, concluding that if the citizen-consumer is to be treated as an actor in industrial relations, researchers must show greater sensitivity to the categories of end-users and to the service context.


This paper studies the comparative statics regarding changes in risk on Nash's solution to bargaining games with stochastic outcome and disagreement points. When absolute risk tolerance is linear with constant slope, the Nash's solution to bargaining with risky outcomes and risky disagreement points can be viewed as division of divisible certainty equivalent between two risk-averse agents. We show that whether a deterioration of a bargainer's risky prospect is advantageous to his opponent often depends on whether preference displays decreasing absolute risk aversion (DARA). Specically, for perfectly correlated risky prospects, DARA a la Arrow-Pratt works to the concavity of the joint certainty equivalent with respect to a bargainer's initial wealth or size of risky exposure; for independent risky prospects, DARA a la Ross vulnerates his risk bearing under Rothschild-Stiglitz increase in risk taking the form of adding an independent noise, both leading to the bargainer's increased propensity for risk aversion as well as the joint size of the pie. These results illuminate how individual risky prospect as well as risk preference influence the cooperating partners' income shares and thus the market equilibrum of marriage formation. We also show that this result is robust under Rubinstein's non-cooperative bargaining game.


Phosphorylated tyrosine residues have multiple roles in cell signaling, including mediating protein-protein interaction through specific domains that can recognize phosphotyrosines in specific contexts. Benes et al. added C2 (for conserved domain 2) to the two well-known phosphotyrosine binding domains SH2 and PTB. The authors found that PKCδ interacted directly with CDCP1 (CUB domain-containing protein 1, also known as SIMA135) in response to stimuli that activated the tyrosine kinase Src. The interaction between PKCδ and CDCP1 required only the C2 domain of the regulatory domain of PKCδ and correlated with phosphorylation of CDCP1. Screening of a degenerate phosphotyrosine peptide library identified a consensus sequence for the recognition of phosphorylated tyrosine by a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-PKCδ regulatory domain fusion protein. Competition experiments confirmed the specificity of the interaction, and isothermal calorimetry titration experiments demonstrated that the dissociation constant for the C2 domain with the phosphopeptide was 250 nM, with a stoichiometry of 1 phosphopeptide per C2 domain. CDCP1 contains a tyrosine (Tyr762) within a sequence that resembles the predicted consensus binding motif. Analysis of the crystal structure of the C2 domain complexed with an optimized phosphotyrosine peptide revealed a potential mechanism for regulation of PKCδ by tyrosine phosphorylation. The residue that is phosphorylated (Tyr64) on PKCδ lies just outside the binding pocket for the phosphorylated tyrosine of the bound peptide, and phosphorylation of Tyr64 may inhibit binding to phosphorylated peptides, thus blocking protein interactions through the C2 domain. Coexpression experiments in transfected cells revealed that both Src and PKCδ interacted with CDCP1, and the interaction of PKCδ with CDCP1 required the kinase activity of Src. CDCP1 appears to bind both PKCδ and Src simultaneously through phosphorylated tyrosine motifs (Tyr734 for Src and Tyr762 for PKCδ). Mutation of Tyr734 blocked both Src and PKCδ binding, whereas mutation of Tyr762 only blocked the association of PKCδ. This is consistent with Src binding first to CDCP1 and phosphorylating Tyr762, thereby creating the PKCδ binding site. C. H. Benes, N. Wu, A. E. H. Elia, T. Dharia, L. C. Cantely, S. P. Soltoff, The C2 domain of PKCδ is a phosphotyrosine binding domain. Cell 121, 271-280 (2005). [Online Journal]


Optical traps are an important tool for research in the field of single molecule biophysics. Recent advances in optical trapping have extended their functionality from simple linear manipulation and measurement of forces, to now the ability to rotate objects and measure torques. This mini review summarizes these recent developments of the optical trap as a tool to apply and measure torque in biophysical applications.


The problem with which this research is dealing is the lack of any explanatory model which explains both the perception and the adoption of new products. One objective of this study is to advance a new conceptual framework concerning both the perception and the adoption of new products. The second objective of this study is to evaluate this new framework theoretically and empirically. Bunge's evaluative criteria are used to evaluate the new model theoretically while Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson's meta-analysis technique is used to evaluate the model empirically. An extensive review of literature pertaining to the definition of innovation, the adoption process, and innovativeness is included in the second chapter. Chapter three covers research plan and methods. The new model and its assumptions are presented in chapter four. The results of both theoretical and empirical investigations of the new model are reported in chapter five. Finally, chapter six includes a discussion of the main findings and provides some suggestions for future research.
An interpretive and postulational model is introduced in this study. The model is built on three main assumptions and contains thirty-one different theoretical constructs. Those constructs are bounded together by forty-six theoretical propositions. Those propositions are the postulates or the axioms which state the nature of the interrelationships among all constructs included in the model.


OBJECTIVE
To compare intraocular pressures (IOPs) estimated by rebound and applanation tonometry for dogs with lens instability.

ANIMALS
66 dogs.

PROCEDURES
Medical records of dogs examined between September 2012 and July 2018 were reviewed for diagnoses of anterior (ALL) or posterior (PLL) lens luxation or lens subluxation.

RESULTS
Estimates of IOP obtained with rebound and applanation tonometry significantly differed from each other for all types of lens instability considered collectively (mean ± SE difference between tonometric readings, 8.1 ± 1.3 mm Hg) and specific types of lens instability considered individually (mean ± SE difference between tonometric readings: ALL, 12.8 ± 2.5 mm Hg; PLL, 5.9 ± 1.7 mm Hg; subluxation, 2.8 ± 0.8 mm Hg). Median (range) differences between rebound and applanation tonometer readings for dogs with ALL was 5 mm Hg (-9 to 76 mm Hg), with PLL was 3 mm Hg (-1 to 19 mm Hg), and with lens subluxation was 3 mm Hg (-9 to 18 mm Hg). In eyes with ALL, rebound tonometer readings exceeded applanation tonometer readings on 44 of 60 (73%) occasions.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Rebound tonometry yielded higher estimates of IOP than did applanation tonometry in eyes with ALL and with all types of lens luxation considered collectively. Estimates of IOP in eyes with lens instability should ideally be obtained with both rebound and applanation tonometers. Veterinarians with only one type of tonometer should interpret results for dogs with lens instability concurrent with physical examination findings.


Microscopic quasi-elastic laser scattering (muQELS) spectroscopy has been developed for analysis of interfacial phenomena at laminar multiphase microflow in a microchannel. Transport phenomena of a metal chelate through a water/toluene interface were measured, and transient adsorption of the chelate in the initial step of the transport was measured. A water/methanol miscible interface was also measured, and the interfacial free energy of a miscible interface was determined for the first time. The muQELS is expected to be very effective not only for physicochemical investigations of transport and mixing, but also for elemental process analysis of heterogeneous reactions.


Recent research has made considerable progress towards our understanding of the origins of agriculture and the domestication of animals in prehistoric Southeast Asia. This thesis will contribute to this knowledge by investigating the faunal assemblage from archaeological sites in the Upper Mun River Valley, northeast Thailand. The major goal of this research is to address the hypothesis:

Prehistoric communities in the Upper Mun River Valley became more reliant on domestic animals as part of their subsistence strategies over time, from the Neolithic to the Iron Age

To address this hypothesis 22283 vertebrate animal remains from the prehistoric sites of Ban Non Wat, Ban Salao, and Nong Hua Raet were identified and analysed into 57 taxonomic groups. From this analysis, the subsistence strategies in these early communities were determined. Whether these strategies changed throughout time, due to social changes, was investigated. The zooarchaeological records from the three sites were compared to modern comparative studies from the Hmong and Lao-Isan cultures of Southeast Asia.

The results show that the subsistence role of domestic animals in the Upper Mun River Valley changed from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. At Ban Non Wat, a site that encompasses a time span of 1650 BC to 500 AD, the volume (m3) of pig and bovid remains increased in the Bronze Age contexts, with bovid remains increasing again in Iron Age contexts. This illustrates the increasing importance of animal husbandry at this site. Wild resources such as deer, fish, and turtle/ tortoise remains were also identified in lower volumes in Iron Age contexts in comparison to Bronze Age and Neolithic at Ban Non Wat. At Ban Salao, an Iron Age site (500 BC to 500 AD), bovid remains made up the majority of the assemblage, with pig second highest. Only a small number of deer, fish, and turtle remains were identified. Likewise, at the Iron Age site of Nong Hua Raet (500 BC to 500 AD), bovid remains were found more often than pig remains and other animals, such as deer, fish, and turtle. The age at death estimates for pig, and the frequency of skeletal elements at Ban Salao and Nong Hua Raet, indicates that pigs may have been raised or butchered offsite. The lack of fish species related to rice agriculture, and low numbers of rats and mice, suggests that Ban Salao and Nong Hua Raet were not intensive rice farming sites. It is argued that these sites were seasonally occupied. If the Iron Age results are analysed as a community of sites, it demonstrates clustered groups specialising in one or two resources, with linear communities sharing resources.

These findings demonstrate how the subsistence role of animals in early agricultural communities in the Upper Mun River Valley changed over time, with communities becoming more reliant on domestic animals from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. However, hunting and fishing remained an important part of subsistence strategies throughout all time periods at Ban Non Wat. The increased reliance on domestic animals confirms a socio-cultural change in subsistence towards the use of domestic animals as a food source, and provides evidence of an agricultural intensification of seasonal rice farming. The comparative studies from the Hmong and Lao-Isan cultures has led to the conclusion that the seasonal nature of intensive Iron Age agricultural may have had an influence on the season wild animals were hunted.

The results of this thesis are inconclusive as to which current model of social change in Southeast Asia the data supports. This may relate to the overlap within the structure of the models themselves, or suggest that no model entirely encompasses social change that occurred in the prehistoric communities of the Upper Mun River Valley. This research contributes significantly to our understanding of changes to subsistence resources in agricultural communities of Upper Mun River Valley and the wider Southeast Asian region.


This paper examines the science-of-science-communication measurement problem. In its simplest form, the problem reflects the use of externally invalid measures of the dynamics that generate cultural conflict over risk and other policy-relevant facts. But at a more fundamental level, the science-of-science-communication measurement problem inheres in the phenomena being measured themselves. The "beliefs" individuals form about a societal risk such as climate change are not of a piece; rather they reflect the distinct clusters of inferences that individuals draw as they engage information for two distinct ends: to gain access to the collective knowledge furnished by science, and to enjoy the sense of identity enabled by membership in a community defined by particular cultural commitments. The paper shows how appropriately designed "science comprehension" tests — one general, and one specific to climate change — can be used to measure individuals' reasoning proficiency as collective-knowledge acquirers independently of their reasoning proficiency as cultural-identity protectors. Doing so reveals that there is in fact little disagreement among culturally diverse citizens on what science knows about climate change. The source of the climate-change controversy and like disputes is the contamination of education and politics with forms of cultural status competition that make it impossible for diverse citizens to express their reason as both collective-knowledge acquirers and cultural-identity protectors at the same time.


The growth in popular use of the internet has led to a dramatic increase in both the amount of anonymous speech and the number of aggrieved plaintiffs claiming to be harmed by it. Lawsuits involving anonymous internet speech present thorny questions for courts because plaintiffs typically must obtain the identity of anonymous speakers during discovery before any adjudication of the underlying claim. Compelled disclosure of identifying information thus risks chilling speech by subjecting anonymous speakers who have done nothing illegal to unwarranted harassment and retaliation. In response to these concerns, courts have formulated "unmasking" standards for determining when to allow anonymous speakers to be identified. This Note examines trends within various unmasking standards and proposes a single standard for future courts that requires notice, an evaluation on the merits of the plaintiff's claim, and a balancing of the First Amendment rights of the anonymous speaker against the strength of the plaintiff's claim and the need for unmasking.


AIM To evaluate the measurement of zonulin level and antibodies of zonulin and other tight junction proteins in the blood of controls and celiac disease patients. METHODS This study was conducted to assess the variability or stability of zonulin levels vs IgA and IgG antibodies against zonulin in blood samples from 18 controls at 0, 6, 24 and 30 h after blood draw. We also measured zonulin level as well as zonulin, occludin, vinculin, aquaporin 4 and glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies in the sera of 30 patients with celiac disease and 30 controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methodology. RESULTS The serum zonulin level in 6 out of 18 subjects was low or < 2.8 ng/mL and was very close to the detection limit of the assay. The other 12 subjects had zonulin levels of > 2.8 ng/mL and showed significant fluctuation from sample to sample. Comparatively, zonulin antibody measured in all samples was highly stable and reproducible from sample to sample. Celiac disease patients showed zonulin levels with a mean of 8.5 ng/mL compared to 3.7 ng/mL in controls (P < 0.0001). Elevation of zonulin level at 2SD above the mean was demonstrated in 37% of celiac disease patients, while antibodies against zonulin, occludin and other tight junction proteins was detected in up to 86% of patients with celiac disease. CONCLUSION Due to its fluctuation, a single measurement of zonulin level is not recommended for assessment of intestinal barrier integrity. Measurement of IgG and IgA antibodies against zonulin, occludin, and other tight junction proteins is proposed for the evaluation of the loss of intestinal barrier integrity.


Seawater CO2 system dynamics were assessed from eastern Pacific reef sites in Panamá over 5 consecutive years (2003‐2008) and twice in the Galápagos Islands (2003 and 2009). The seawater CO2 system was highly variable in time and space, but was explained by physical forcing from meteorological (seasonal rainfall) and oceanographic (upwelling, tides) processes interacting with diurnal reef metabolism. Galápagos coral reef communities are naturally exposed to the highest ambient partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and lowest aragonite saturation (Ωarag) values documented for any coral reef environment to date. During upwelling in the Galápagos, mean pCO22 and mean Ωarag at five different sites ranged from 53.1 to 73.5 Pa and 2.27 to 2.86, respectively. Values of pCO2 and Ωarag ranged from 21.0 to 48.7 Pa and 2.47 to 4.18, respectively, on the Saboga Reef in the seasonally upwelling Gulf of Panamaá, with the highest pCO2 and lowest Ωarag values occurring during upwelling. The Uva Reef, in the nonupwelling Gulf of Chiriquí of Pacific Panamá, had mean Ωarag values that were always significantly greater than those at the Saboga Reef. Diurnal changes in the seawater CO2 system from reef metabolism on the Uva Reef were magnified at low tide and highly significant differences were measured over depths as shallow as 15 m because of the shallow thermocline that is pervasive throughout the eastern Pacific. These naturally high‐CO2 reefs persist near the Ωarag distributional threshold for coral reefs and are thus expected to be the first and most affected by ocean acidification.


There has been extensive research on social networks but little is known about why some communities survive and some disintegrate. This paper provides a framework to explain similarities in many types of communities. In particular, a comparison of transnational communities and virtual communities highlights the efficacy of the framework in explaining how strong relationships within communities are dependent on social formation factors such as a sense of identity, social structures and social capital.


Background: In the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, we examined whether fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), a bone-derived phosphaturic hormone involved in bone metabolism, is associated with incident frailty. Furthermore, we examined whether this association differs by HIV serostatus and race. Methods: Of 715 men assessed for frailty and selected for FGF-23 measurements using stored blood samples (2007–2011), 512 men were nonfrail at/before the baseline visit. Frailty was defined by the presence of ≥3 of the following on 2 consecutive 6-month visits within 1 year: unintentional weight loss ≥10 pounds, weakness, slowness, low energy, and low physical activity. We determined the association of FGF-23 levels with incident frailty using proportional hazards models adjusting for sociodemographics, comorbidities, and kidney function. Results: Sixty-five percent were HIV-infected; 29% were black. Median baseline FGF-23 levels were lower in HIV-infected vs. HIV-uninfected men (33.7 vs. 39.9 rU/mL, P = 0.006) but similar by race. During a median follow-up of 6.6 years, 32 men developed frailty; they had higher baseline FGF-23 levels vs. men who remained nonfrail (45 vs. 36 rU/mL, P = 0.02). FGF-23 (per doubling) was associated with a 1.63-fold risk of frailty [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19 to 2.23]; results did not differ by HIV serostatus. Conversely, FGF-23 was associated with a 2.72-fold risk of frailty among blacks (95% CI: 1.51 to 4.91) but had minimal association among nonblacks (hazard ratio = 1.26, 95% CI: 0.77 to 2.05; p-interaction = 0.024). Conclusions: Among men with or at-risk of HIV infection, higher FGF-23 was associated with greater risk of frailty, particularly in blacks. The mechanisms by which FGF-23 may contribute to frailty warrant further study.


This summary contains formulas (***) which can not be displayed on the screenA general principle outlined by P. Curie (1894) regarding the influence of symmetry in physical phenomena states, in modern language, that the symmetry group of the causes is a sub-group of the symmetry group of the effects. For instance, regarding stress-induced seismic anisotropy, the most complex symmetry exhibited by an initially isotropic medium when tri-axially stressed is orthorhombic, or orthotropic, symmetry characterized by three symmetry planes mutually perpendicular (Nur, 1971). In other respects, Schwartz et al. (1994) demonstrated that two very different rock models, namely a cracked model and a weakly consolidated granular model, always lead to elliptical anisotropy when uniaxially stressed. The addressed questions are : Is this result true for any rock model? and more generally : Do initially isotropic rock form a well-defined sub-set of orthorhombic media when triaxially stressed?Under the hypothesis of 3rd order nonlinear isotropic hyperelasticity (i. e. , no hysteresis and existence of an elastic energy function developed to the 3rd order in the strain components) it is demonstrated that the qP-wave stress-induced anisotropy is always ellipsoidal, for any strength of anisotropy. For instance point sources generate ellipsoidal qP-wave fronts. This result is general and absolutely independent of the rock model, that is to say independent of the causes of nonlinearity, as far as the initial assumptions are verified. This constitutes the main result of this paper. Thurston (1965) pointed out that an initially isotropic elastic medium, when non-isotropically pre-stressed, is never strictly equivalent to an unstressed anisotropic crystal. For instance the components of the stressed elastic tensor lack the familiar symmetry with respect to indices permutation. This would prohibit Voigt's notation of contracted indices. However if the magnitude of the components of the stress deviator is small compared to the wave moduli, which is always verified in practical situations of seismic exploration, the perfect equivalence is re-established. Under this condition, the 9 elastic stiffnesses C'ij (in contracted notation) of an initially isotropic solid, when triaxially stressed, are always linked by 3 ellipticity conditions in the coordinate planes associated with the eigen directions of the static pre-stress, namely :(***)Thus only 6 of the 9 elastic stiffnesses of the orthorhombic stressed solid are independent (Nikitin and Chesnokov, 1981), and are simple functions of the eigen stresses, and of the 2 linear (2nd order) and the 3 nonlinear (3rd order) elastic constants of the unstressed isotropic solid. Furthermore, given the state of pre-stress, the strength of the stress-induced P- or S-wave anisotropy and S-wave birefringence (but not the magnitude of the wave moduli themselves) are determined by only 2 intrinsic parameters of the medium, one for the P-wave and one for the S-waves. Isotropic elastic media, when triaxially stressed, constitute a special sub-set of orthorhombic media, here called ellipsoidal media , verifying the above conditions. Ellipsoidal anisotropy is the natural generalization of elliptical anisotropy. Ellipsoidal anisotropy is to orthorhombic symmetry what elliptical anisotropy is to transversely isotropic (TI) symmetry. Elliptical anisotropy is a special case of ellipsoidal anisotropy restricted to TI media. In other words, ellipsoidal anisotropy degenerates in elliptical anisotropy in TI media. In ellipsoidal media the qP-wave slowness surface is always an ellipsoid. The S-wave slowness surfaces are not ellipsoidal, except in the degenerate elliptical case, and have to be considered as a single double-valued self-intersecting sheet (Helbig, 1994). The intersections of these latter surfaces with the coordinate planes are either ellipses, for the S-vave polarized out of the coordinate planes, or circles, for the qS-wave polarized in the coordinate planes. The nearly exhaustive collection of experimental data on seismic anisotropy in rocks (considered as transverse isotropic) by Thomsen (1986) show that elliptical anisotropy is more an exception than a rule. Since stress-induced anisotropy is essentially elliptical when restricted to transversely isotropic media, as a consequence this work clearly shows that stress can be practically excluded as a unique direct cause of elastic anisotropy in rocks.


We systematically study the non-Hermitian version of the one-dimensional anisotropic XY model, which in its original form, is a unique exactly solvable quantum spin model for understanding the quantum phase transition. The distinguishing features of this model are that it has full real spectrum if all the eigenvectors are intrinsic rotation-time reversal (RT) symmetric rather than parity-time reversal (PT) symmetric, and that its Hermitian counterpart is shown approximately to be an experimentally accessible system, an isotropic XY spin chain with nearest neighbor coupling. Based on the exact solution, exceptional points which separated the unbroken and broken symmetry regions are obtained and lie on a hyperbola in the thermodynamic limit. It provides a nice paradigm to elucidate the complex quantum mechanics theory for a quantum spin system.


AIMS
(i) To compare indirect estimation methods to obtain mean injecting drug use (IDU) prevalence for a confined geographic location; and (ii) to use these estimates to calculate IDU and injection coverage of a medically supervised injecting facility.

DESIGN
Multiple indirect prevalence estimation methods.

SETTING
Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS
IDUs residing in Kings Cross area postcodes recorded in surveillance data of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) between November 2001 and October 2002.

MEASUREMENTS
Two closed and one open capture-recapture (CRC) models (Poisson regression, truncated Poisson and Jolly-Seber, respectively) were fitted to the observed data. Multiplier estimates were derived from opioid overdose mortality data and a cross-sectional survey of needle and syringe programme attendees. MSIC client injection frequency and the number of needles and syringes distributed in the study area were used to estimate injection prevalence and injection coverage.

FINDINGS
From three convergent estimates, the mean estimated size of the IDU population aged 15-54 years was 1103 (range 877-1288), yielding a population prevalence of 3.6% (2.9-4.3%). Mean IDU coverage was 70.7% (range 59.1-86.7%) and the mean adjusted injection coverage was 8.8% (range 7.3-10.8%). Approximately 11.3% of the total IDU population were estimated to be new entrants to the population per month.

CONCLUSIONS
Credible local area IDU prevalence estimates using MSIC surveillance data were obtained. MSIC appears to achieve high coverage of the local IDU population, although only an estimated one in 10 injections occurs at MSIC. Future prevalence estimation efforts should incorporate open models to capture the dynamic nature of IDU populations.


The fastest growing of multimedia services over future wireless communication systems demands more network resources, efficient delivery of multimedia service with high user satisfaction, and power optimization of user equipments (UEs). The resources and power optimization are significant in future mobile computing systems because emerging multimedia services consume more resources and power. The 4G standard of Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) wireless system has adopted the discontinuous reception (DRX) method to extend and optimize the UE battery life, while there is no standard scheduling method to distribute the radio resources among the UE. This paper presents a downlink scheduler, i.e., Quality of Experience Power Efficient Method (QEPEM) for LTE-A, which efficiently allocates the radio resources and optimizes the use of UE power using the DRX mechanism. We investigate how the different duration of DRX Light and Deep Sleep cycle influences the Quality of Service (QoS) and QoE of end users, using voice over IP (VoIP) over the LTE-A. The QEPEM is evaluated with the traditional methods, in terms of system throughput, fairness index, packet loss rate, and packet delay. The QEPEM measures the user's QoE and feeds back to the eNodeB for scheduling decisions along with other important parameters. Our proposed method reduces the packet delay and packet loss and increases the fairness and UE power saving with high user satisfaction.


Broadband wireless access (BWA) networks, such as LTE and WiMAX, are inherently lossy due to wireless medium unreliability. Although the Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) error-control method recovers from packet loss, it has low transmission efficiency and is unsuitable for delay-sensitive applications. Alternatively, network coding techniques improve the throughput of wireless networks, but incur significant overhead and ignore network constraints such as Medium Access Control (MAC) layer transmission opportunities and physical (PHY) layer channel conditions. The present study provides analysis of Random Network Coding (RNC) and Systematic Network Coding (SNC) decoding probabilities. Based on the analytical results, SNC is selected for developing an adaptive network coding scheme designated as Frame-by-frame Adaptive Systematic Network Coding (FASNC). According to network constraints per frame, FASNC dynamically utilizes either Modified Systematic Network Coding (M-SNC) or Mixed Generation Coding (MGC). An analytical model is developed for evaluating the mean decoding delay and mean goodput of the proposed FASNC scheme. The results derived using this model agree with those obtained from computer simulations. Simulations show that FASNC results in both lower decoding delay and reduced buffer requirements compared to MRNC and N-in-1 ReTX, while also yielding higher goodput than HARQ, MRNC, and N-in-1 ReTX.


This paper introduces a simple method for estimating cultural orientation, the affiliations of hypertext documents in a polarized field of discourse. Using a probabilistic model based on cocitation information, two experiments are reported. The first experiment tests the modeli?½s ability to discriminate between left- and right-wing documents about politics. In this context the model is tested on two sets of data, 695 partisan web documents, and 162 political weblogs. Accuracy above 90% is obtained from the cocitation model, outperforming lexically based classifiers at statistically significant levels. In the second experiment, the proposed method is used to classify the home pages of musical artists with respect to their mainstream or "alternative" appeal. For musical artists the model is tested on a set of 515 artist home pages, achieving 88% accuracy.


The world currently faces a number of economic problems. These include the large global economic imbalances that may prove to be unsustainable; international poverty, where projections suggest that it is unlikely that the Millennium Development Goals will be achieved; and stalled multilateral trade talks that threaten a return to more aggressive protectionism. Although very unfashionable, a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights by the IMF could help to alleviate all of these problems. Clearly, it is most unlikely that one simple policy will resolve all the world's economic ills, but, at the same time, if the benefits from it could be substantial and the costs minimal, it is worthy of consideration.


Most Seventh-day Adventist thought leaders have never questioned a "young" age for the Earth's biosphere, i.e. from six thousand to tens of thousands of years. However, while pioneer Adventist Church leaders were also explicit in accepting these same ages for all inanimate matter on Earth and in space many prominent Adventist individuals and institutions now allow or accept a conventional "Big Bang" cosmology with its implications of 4.5 and 13.7 billion-year ages for the Earth and universe respectively. This view has been increasingly championed by a number of Adventist writers on science during the last five decades and in recent years there has been a renewed theological attempt to strengthen its exegetical foundation. This paper argues that the coherence of this "old universe but young life" model is compromised at two levels. The first involves the selective acceptance of scientific evidence and inconsistent use of scientific methodology. The second, more fully developed in this paper, relates to the implications of the tacit admission of ongoing "process" made by the "old universe but young life" model.


Aim: The modern trend in the management of fractures is fast changing in favor of rigid fixation and early mobilization with minimal period of plaster immobilization. We present a prospective cohort study of fixation of distal tibial fractures with distal tibial locking plate and its evaluation in terms of maintenance of accurate anatomical reduction, stable fixation, with early restoration of functions. Materials and methods: A total of 25 patients with median age 38.04 years, age range 19 to 70, with distal tibial fracture were treated by using distal tibial locking plate. The outcome was evaluated using American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score. Results: The majority of fractures in this study were extraarticular (64%), while 20% were partial articular fractures and 16% were complete articular fractures. Out of 25 patients, 6 patients had superficial infection and 1 patient had deep infection. Out of 25 cases, 5 cases had union by 16 weeks, 11 cases by 20 weeks, 7 cases had union by 30 weeks, and 2 cases had nonunion. According to AOFAS score at 6 months, 4 cases had score of 31 to 70 and 21 cases had score of 71 to 100. Conclusion: The results of our study corroborate with the contemporary literature relevant to distal tibial fracture fixation performed with various locking plates. Therefore, locking compression plate is a good device to stabilize the fracture of the distal tibial. Clinical significance: Locking plates are a good device to stabilize the fractures of the distal tibial, especially when used in conjunction with meticulous intraoperative handling of soft tissue and active participation of patients in rehabilitation program. Studying this alternative method expands the present knowledge for the management of distal tibial fractures.


Background: Lower proportions of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and total n-3 metabolites have been reported in breast milk of European, Australian and North American women compared with milk of mothers from non-Western countries. This difference is not always explained by intakes of marine products. Objective: We investigated the possibility that the relative composition of DHA and total n-3 metabolites in breast milk of non-Western mothers with low fat intakes is higher than the levels commonly reported in their Western counterparts. Subjects: Mature milk of refugee Karen women from two different camps in Thailand (n = 26 and n = 53), and transition milk from urban Korean mothers (n = 12) in Seoul was collected. In common with their respective community, the mothers have low fat intake, which is predominately of plant origin. Results: The percentage levels of DHA and n-3 metabolites in the milk of the Karen mothers were 0.52 ± 0.14 and 0.85 ± 0.24 (camp 1) and 0.54 ± 0.22 and 0.92 ± 0.42 (camp 2). In the Korean milk, DHA was 0.96 ± 0.21 and total n-3 metabolites 1.51 ± 0.3. Conclusion: We postulate that the levels of DHA and total n-3 metabolites may be compromised in breast milk of mothers on the Western high fat diet. This calls into question the use of DHA composition of such milk as a reference for the formulation of milk designed, for infant feed or, to test the function of DHA in neuro-visual development.


Well over 100000000 women have used the combined oral contraceptive (OC) pill. As a result of the population explosion in the 1970s and 1980s there will be almost one third more women in fertile age in the year 2000 than in 1991. In the developing world outside China the total number of contraceptive users could double in roughly 10 years. China the total number of contraceptive users could double in roughly 10 years. The pill has a low failure rate but one study in Egypt found that 90% of women made errors in moving from one packet to the next. Similarly a 60% error rate was found among users in Colombia. The vaginal ring delivers combined progestogen and estrogen through a silastic wall. The device can be left in place for 21 days out of 28 and such delivery would virtually eliminate the low risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among OC users. A vaginal progestogen ring is being tested. Over 700000 women have used Norplant the subdermal implant method with an effectiveness rate of 99%. Depo-provera and norethindrone enanthate injections last 2 to 3 months. The Progestasert IUD containing 38 mg progesterone released at a rate of 65 mcg per day is effective. Progesterone-releasing IUDs lasting from 3 to 5 years could complement subdermal implants. Ethinyl estradiol (205 mg) and diethylstilbestrol (25-50 mg) have both been used as postcoital agents taken within 36 hours for 5 consecutive days after unprotected intercourse. In more than 3000 cases there were 17 pregnancies (.05%). These regimens are replaced by giving combined oral contraceptive tables (e.g. .25 mg d-norgestrel and 50 mg ethinyl estradiol) taken 2 at a time and repeated 12 hours later within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse. Epidemiological studies have confirmed that the use of the combined oral contraceptive for 3 to 5 years halves a womans risk of ovarian or endometrial cancer and the protection persists for 10 to 18 years after cessation of use.


This event study investigates the Indonesian capital market reaction to the announcement of cabinet reshuffle as a major political event in Indonesia. We also detect the possibility of size effect anomaly related to this political event. Consequently, we not only study 43 large-capitalization firms that are classified into LQ 45 index but also 26 small-capitalization shares. Our findings show that there is no significant abnormal return surrounding the announcement date. We conclude that the announcement of cabinet reshuffle does not contain information value to the market and does not cause size effect.


In this study the effects of various types of rehabilitation programmes on labour market outcomes are estimated. A main feature of this study is that it jointly evaluates multiple treatments by nonparametric matching estimators. The study is based on a large sample of persons in western Sweden who are long-term sick and could participate in rehabilitation programmes. Our results suggest that workplace training is superior to the other rehabilitation programmes with respect to labour market outcomes, but compared to non-participation no positive effects are found. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The adult Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ) assumes that humor can be both adaptive ("self-enhancing" and "affiliative") and maladaptive ("aggressive" and "self-defeating"). The aim of the research was to develop a reliable and valid scale to assess adaptive and maladaptive humor in children – an adaptation of the adult HSQ. Over two studies, 1187 UK school children aged 9–15 years completed the 24-item adapted child HSQ. In the second study the children completed the questionnaire on two occasions, one week apart, and also measures of psychosocial adjustment. For children aged 11 years and upwards there was a clear four factor structure to the questionnaire with all sub-scales showing acceptable levels of internal and test re-test reliability. As predicted, affiliative humor and self-defeating humor were associated with all four measures of psychosocial adjustment. Aggressive humor was associated with lower anxiety and higher self-perceived social competence for boys, and with lower global self-worth and higher depression for girls. Longitudinal research is needed to disentangle the causal pathways and examine further the links between children's humor styles and their social competence.

Keywords: humor styles; child*; psychosocial adjustment; reliability; validity; questionnaire; affiliative; self-defeating; aggressive; self-enhancing


Background: Edible films and coatings have potential benefits for food packaging, particularly meat products. These coatings prevent weight loss and texture changes during shelf life by reducing moisture loss in fresh and frozen meat products. In this study, effect of calcium alginate edible coating on microbial and chemical properties of refrigerated lamb meat over a period of 5 days was investigated. Methods: The control and coated samples were analyzed for microbial properties including total microbial count, psychrophilic bacteria count and chemical characteristics such as total volatile nitrogen (TVN) and moisture content. The experiments were conducted in triplicates and data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16.0) by two-way ANOVA and general linear model with repeated-measurements. Results: There was a significant (p<0.05) difference between the samples coated with calcium alginate and control samples in total microbial count during 5 days; but, there was no significant difference in psychrophilic bacteria count and moisture content. Besides, a significant reduction (p<0.05) was observed for the coated and control samples in TVN content on day 3. After 5 days of storage at 4±1 °C, TVN levels did not exceed the maximum standard limit (16.5 mg/100 g) in all coated samples. Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed effectiveness of calcium alginate in improving the microbial and chemical properties and shelf life extension of lamb meat.


The importance of top predators in controlling ecological processes in large, intact ecosystems is unclear. In grasslands that support abundant ungulates, top–down control by predators may be particularly important, because of the tight biogeochemical linkages of ungulate prey with plants and soil microbes. Here, I examined the effects of the recent reintroduction of the gray wolf Canis lupus on ecosystem processes in Yellowstone National Park, where herds of grazing ungulates previously have been shown to stimulate several processes, including soil net nitrogen (N) mineralization. Rates of ungulate grazing intensity and soil net N mineralization were compared before and after wolf reintroduction in grasslands ranging five-fold in aboveground production. Grazing intensity and grassland net N mineralization declined after wolf reintroduction, a likely partial function of fewer ungulates; wolf predation has been one of several factors implicated in causing the decline in Yellowstone ungulates. In addition, the spatial pattern of grazing and net N mineralization changed after reintroduction. A shift in the spatial patterns of grazer-associated processes is consistent with a growing body of work indicating that wolves have changed habitat use patterns of ungulates in Yellowstone National Park. These findings suggest widespread wolf effects on ungulate prey, plants, and microbial activity that have spatially reorganized grassland energy and nutrient dynamics in Yellowstone Park.


In Pseudo-Contract and Shared Meaning Analysis, Professor Radin and I recently drew on contemporary insights into meaning, pioneered by Paul Grice, to develop a contemporary approach to contract interpretation — "shared meaning analysis" — which is adapted to modern circumstances. Part of our argument for using shared meaning analysis rested on the claim that when interpreting contracts, "the primary search is for a common meaning of the parties" — as the Restatement (Second) of Contracts puts the point. When identifying this common meaning, we argued that courts and parties implicitly rely on presuppositions of linguistic cooperation in ways that often go unrecognized. We suggested that the dependence of contract meaning on linguistic cooperation is pervasive and practically ineliminable. But some tests for contract interpretation, which are repeated more from habit than careful thought, have begun to delink contract meaning from the common meaning of the parties.
This brief essay separates out and develops a detailed formal argument for the proposition that contract meaning depends on linguistic cooperation. Following Grice, I define "sentence meaning" as the meaning that a competent speaker of a language would attribute to a sentence independent of any knowledge of its occasion of use. I define "speaker meaning" as the meaning that a speaker intends to convey to another person within an interpersonal conversation, which often depends upon both parties relying on implicit presuppositions of linguistic cooperation. Building on these distinctions (but also departing from both in some ways), Professor Radin and I have offered a contemporary definition of the "shared meaning" of a contract. It is the meaning that the parties produced and actually agreed to based on the presupposition that both were using language cooperatively to contract. The purpose of this essay is to establish just how pervasive and practically ineliminable the presupposition of linguistic cooperation is to derive pervasive and uncontroversial aspects of contract meaning. Neither contemporary "objective" nor long-rejected "subjective" approaches to interpretation are getting contract interpretation perfectly right in some contemporary settings.