We investigate the spin relaxation and decoherence in a single-electron graphene quantum dot with Rashba and intrinsic spin-orbit interactions. We derive an effective spin-phonon Hamiltonian via the Schrieffer-Wolff transformation in order to calculate the spin relaxation time T_1 and decoherence time T_2 within the framework of the Bloch-Redfield theory. In this model, the emergence of a non-monotonic dependence of T_1 on the external magnetic field is attributed to the Rashba spin-orbit coupling-induced anticrossing of opposite spin states. A rapid decrease of T_1 occurs when the spin and orbital relaxation rates become comparable in the vicinity of the spin-mixing energy-level anticrossing. By contrast, the intrinsic spin-orbit interaction leads to a monotonic magnetic field dependence of the spin relaxation rate which is caused solely by the direct spin-phonon coupling mechanism. Within our model, we demonstrate that the decoherence time T_2 ~ 2 T_1 is dominated by relaxation processes for the electron-phonon coupling mechanisms in graphene up to leading order in the spin-orbit interaction. Moreover, we show that the energy anticrossing also leads to a vanishing pure spin dephasing rate for these states for a super-Ohmic bath.


Attitude affects every facet of our lives--from the way we handle stress to how we communicate at work. The way we view difficulties and setbacks can make the difference between success and failure. Roger Fritz has devoted his career to helping people overcome obstacles and achieve their goals by changing their outlook on life. In The Power of a Positive Attitude, he shows readers how to develop a deeper understanding of the effects of their attitude and how it influences not only their performance but the results others achieve. Now, readers can learn to succeed in business by: assessing their attitude toward themselves and their co-workers * overcoming negai¾ tive attitudes * learning the dos and don'ts in dealing with their bosses * becomi¾ ing better listeners * overcoming resistance to change in the workplace * rejecting suggestions without causing resentment * giving and responding to criticism from team members * disagreeing with employees and colleagues without being disagreeable * conquering burnout and stress Life-affirming and authoritative, this is an invaluable book that will empower anyone to face life and work with joy and confidence.


Spiders, objects of eternal human fascination, are found in many places: on the ground, in the air, and even under water. Leslie Brunetta and Catherine Craig have teamed up to produce a substantive yet entertaining book for anyone who has ever wondered, as a spider rappelled out of reach on a line of silk, 'How do they do that?' The orb web, that iconic wheel-shaped web most of us associate with spiders, contains at least four different silk proteins, each performing a different function and all meshing together to create a fly-catching machine that has amazed and inspired humans through the ages. Brunetta and Craig tell the intriguing story of how spiders evolved over 400 million years to add new silks and new uses for silk to their survival 'toolkit' and, in the telling, take readers far beyond the orb. The authors describe the trials and triumphs of spiders as they use silk to negotiate an ever-changing environment, and they show how natural selection acts at the genetic level and as individuals struggle for survival.


We pursued our ground-based seasonal monitoring of hydrogen peroxide on Mars using thermal imaging spectroscopy, with two observations of the planet near opposition, in May 2016 (solar longitude Ls = 148.5°, diameter = 17 arcsec) and July 2018 (Ls = 209°, diameter = 23 arcsec). Data were recorded in the 1232–1242 cm−1 range (8.1 μm) with the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES) mounted at the 3 m Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) at the Mauna Kea Observatories. As in the case of our previous analyses, maps of H2O2 were obtained using line depth ratios of weak transitions of H2O2 divided by a weak CO2 line. The H2O2 map of April 2016 shows a strong dichotomy between the northern and southern hemispheres, with a mean volume mixing ratio of 45 ppbv on the north side and less than 10 ppbv on the south side; this dichotomy was expected by the photochemical models developed in the LMD Mars Global Climate Model (LMD-MGCM) and with the recently developed Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model. The second measurement (July 2018) was taken in the middle of the MY 34 global dust storm. H2O2 was not detected with a disk-integrated 2σ upper limit of 10 ppbv, while both the LMD-MGCM and the LEM models predicted a value above 20 ppbv (also observed by TEXES in 2003) in the absence of dust storm. This depletion is probably the result of the high dust content in the atmosphere at the time of our observations, which led to a decrease in the water vapor column density, as observed by the PFS during the global dust storm. GCM simulations using the GEM model show that the H2O depletion leads to a drop in H2O2, due to the lack of HO2 radicals. Our result brings a new constraint on the photochemistry of H2O2 in the presence of a high dust content. In parallel, we reprocessed the whole TEXES dataset of H2O2 measurements using the latest version of the GEISA database (GEISA 2015). We recently found that there is a significant difference in the H2O2 line strengths between the 2003 and 2015 versions of GEISA. Therefore, all H2O2 volume mixing ratios up to 2014 from TEXES measurements must be reduced by a factor of 1.75. As a consequence, in four cases (Ls around 80°, 100°, 150°, and 209°) the H2O2 abundances show contradictory values between different Martian years. At Ls = 209° the cause seems to be the increased dust content associated with the global dust storm. The inter-annual variability in the three other cases remains unexplained at this time.


Classes of linear-phase finite-impulse response (FIR) filters with a piecewise-polynomial impulse response are proposed for the four types of linear-phase FIR filters. In addition, very efficient recursive structures to implement these filters in a straightforward and consistent manner are proposed. The desired impulse response is created by using a parallel connection of several filter branches. Only one branch has an impulse response of the full filter length, whereas the impulse responses are shorter for the remaining branches but the center is at the same location. The arithmetic complexity of these filters is proportional to the number of branches and the common polynomial order for each branch, rather than the actual filter order. In order to generate the overall piecewise-polynomial impulse response the polynomial coefficients are found, with the aid of linear programming, by optimizing the responses in the minimax sense, for both narrowband conventional filters and narrowband differentiators. The generation of these structures is based on the use of accumulators so that after using an accumulator, the resulting impulse response is divided into two parts. The first part follows the desired polynomial form, and the second part is what is left after the division, i.e., the nonpolynomial part. This same procedure can be used for all the following accumulators. Several examples are included, illustrating the benefits of the proposed filters, in terms of a reduced number of unknowns used in the optimization and the reduced number of multipliers required in the actual implementation.


In Tunisia, Morocco and other North African countries, en¬vironmental problems increasingly lead to political protest. Industrial pollution and a lack of clean drinking water adversely impact the living conditions and income op¬portunities of already marginalised groups and trigger unrest. Environmental governance in the region is often highly centralised, and takes no consideration of the needs of the citizens in the use of natural resources. In a political context that remains unstable following the 2011 uprisings, the double challenge of mounting environmental problems and related social unrest calls for new approaches. Reinforcing accountable environmental governance could help, not only by addressing environmental problems and needs, but by contributing to the overall transformation of societal relationships towards more democratic (i.e. transparent, accountable and participative) governance in the longer term. Access to environmental information plays a crucial role in this regard: only if citizens know about availability, quality and use of natural resources, can they make informed choices and claim their rights. When public institutions address these rights, they can increase sustainable wealth for present and future generations. Institutions charged with strengthening accountability can also include citizens in their monitoring exercises, and help to hold public and private actors legally responsible for their decisions and behaviour. Related international standards can inform such reforms: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Rio Declaration and the Aarhus Convention confirm the importance of access to environmental information. At national levels, environmental charters and Morocco's and Tunisia's new constitutions stress the need for participatory and accountable governance. As recent assessments in Morocco and Tunisia reveal, governments and development partners can support access to environmental information and thereby accountable governance. First, they can do this by strengthening accountable environmental governance and access to environmental information across sectors. This includes engaging democratic institutions in environmental issues and building up related capacities and know-how, supporting accountability organisations and rules, and improving citizens' and the administrations' understanding of new rights. It also entails empowering communities and forging new cross-sectoral coalitions, besides integrating the countries into international initiatives for accountable governance. Second, governments and development cooperation can support accountability in the environmental sector, including by taking advantage of international initiatives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Climate mitigation and adaptation policies also provide opportunities for strengthening accountable environmental governance. Moreover, policy-makers need to be more aware of the links between environmental governance and its potential impact on human rights and political stability. Access to environmental information, related legal frameworks and institutional capacities also need further backing, including support to articulate related claims. Finally, comprehensive and transparent environmental and social impact assessments of public and private projects, and engaging protest movements in constructive dialogues with the administration and the private sector can help in preventing and addressing related social unrest.


Martensitic transformation can be induced by plastic deformation in metastable iron-based alloys, such as stainless steels containing limited amounts of C, Ni and Cr. This transformation takes place at the temperature range from Ms and Md, usually at relatively lower temperature values. The transformed martensite has been associated with maximum ultimate strength and relatively high ductility. In the present work, the tensile fracture characteristics of a metastable AISI type 302 stainless steel was investigated in the range of temperatures from -196°C to 25°C. Mechanical properties were compared to those of a stable AISI type 310 austenitic stainless steel. It was found that in 302 steel, its high degree of metastability and dilute dispersion of inclusions result in higher strength and complex modes of fracture, one of which consisting of martensite surrounding globular inclusions.


Shedding of nano-sized bilayered extracellular vesicles and extracellular vesicle-mediated intercellular communication are evolutionarily conserved biological processes. Communication between cells and the environment is an essential process in living organisms and dysregulation of intercellular communication leads to various diseases. Thus, systematic studies on extracellular vesicles, also known as exosomes, microvesicles, and outer membrane vesicles, are critical for a deeper understanding of intercellular communication networks that are crucial for decoding the exact causes of various difficult-to-cure diseases. Recent progress in this emerging field reveals that extracellular vesicles are endogenous carriers of specific subsets of proteins, mRNAs, miRNAs, and other bioactive materials, as well as play diverse pathophysiological roles. However, certain issues regarding diverse subtypes and the complex pathophysiological roles of extracellular vesicles are not yet clearly elucidated. In this review, we first briefly introduce the complexity of extracellular vesicles in terms of their vesicular cargos and protein-protein interaction networks, their diverse subtypes, and multifaceted pathophysiological functions. Then, we introduce the limitation of reductionist approaches in understanding the complexity of extracellular vesicles. We finally suggest that molecular systems biology approaches based on the concept of emergent properties are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the complex pathophysiological functions of heterogeneous extracellular vesicles, either at the single vesicle level or at a systems level as a whole.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Advancements in acute CVD treatments have resulted in high prevalence of patients living with CVD who are at high risk of recurrence and mortality. This burden of CVD has been great in high-income countries for decades, and is now reaching epidemic proportions in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an outpatient model of chronic disease management for secondary CVD prevention. Robust evidence demonstrates that CR participation reduces mortality by 25%, morbidity and CVD risk factors and improves quality of life, all in a cost-effective manner.1 Hence, CR serves as a key tool in addressing the global burden of CVD.

Despite clinical practice guideline recommendations for CR, it is underused globally. The reasons for CR underuse are well known, and include factors from the patient-level through to the healthcare system writ large. Arguably, the most important factors explaining CR underutilisation are geographic access, cost, patient time conflicts during work hours due to role obligations, and lack of awareness regarding the nature of CR and the associated benefits. To overcome these barriers, alternative models of CR delivery have been developed—most notably home-based CR. Home-based CR involves delivery of all the core components of traditional CR; however, patients are supported in their education and are provided counselling over the phone, and they engage in their prescribed exercise in an unsupervised setting. Participation in home-based CR is associated with equivalent benefits to supervised programmes in a cost-effective manner. With advances in technology, hybrid home-based programmes have been developed, incorporating email communication between patients and CR providers, telehealth videoconferencing with remote patients, and logging of physical activity on secure CR websites, for example.

Most recently, CR has been delivered via mobile phones. Indeed, the article by Varnfield et al 2 describes …


One of the hidden pockets of animal cruelty in Western culture is in the scientific laboratories that use animals in experiments. Currently there are about 6 million animals used in experiments each year in Australia (Singer 2009). The vision of the Replace Animals in Australian Testing (RAAT) project is to reduce the number of animals used in scientific experiments and medical research in Australia. We are developing a network of researchers and other individuals or groups interested in advocating non-animal based research and in strengthening the Australian Government/NHMRC guidelines for animal testing. In 2008 we launched the RAAT website http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/research/raat, which is an information resource on replacement technologies for animal testing. Achieving advances in alternatives to animal testing requires a change in both scientific and social attitudes as well as promoting new and innovative research approaches and technologies. We are exploring ways forward in communicating and developing RAAT.


Historically, software development projects are challenged with problems concerning budgets, deadlines and the quality of the produced software. Such problems have various causes like the high number of unplanned activities and the operational dynamics present in this domain. Most activities are knowledge-intensive and require collaboration of various actors. Additionally, the produced software is intangible and therefore difficult to measure. Thus, software producers are often insufficiently aware of the state of their source code, while suitable software quality measures are often applied too late in the project lifecycle, if at all.
Software development processes are used by the majority of software companies to ensure the quality and reproducibility of their development endeavors. Typically, these processes are abstractly defined utilizing process models. However, they still need to be interpreted by individuals and be manually executed, resulting in governance and compliance issues. The environment is sufficiently dynamic that unforeseen situations can occur due to various events, leading to potential aberrations and process governance issues. Furthermore, as process models are implemented manually without automation support, they impose additional work for the executing humans. Their advantages often remain hidden as aligning the planned process with reality is cumbersome.
In response to these problems, this thesis contributes the Context-aware Process Management (CPM) framework. The latter enables holistic and automated support for software engineering projects and their processes. In particular, it provides concepts for extending process management technology to support software engineering process models in their entirety. Furthermore, CPM contributes an approach to integrate the enactment of the process models better with the real-world process by introducing a set of contextual extensions. Various events occurring in the course of the projects can be utilized to improve process support and activities outside the realm of the process models can be covered. That way, the continuously growing divide between the plan and reality that often occurs in software engineering projects can be avoided. Finally, the CPM framework comprises facilities to better connect the software engineering process with other important aspects and areas of software engineering projects. This includes automated process-oriented support for software quality management or software engineering knowledge management. The CPM framework has been validated by a prototypical implementation, various sophisticated scenarios, and its practical application at two software companies.


Relay transmission is promising for future wireless systems due to its significant cooperative diversity gain. The performance of dual-hop semi-blind amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying systems was extensively investigated, for transmissions over Rayleigh fading channels or Nakagami-m fading channels with integer fading parameter. For the general Nakagami-m fading with arbitrary m values, the exact closed-form system performance analysis is more challenging. In this paper, we explicitly derive the moment generation function (MGF), probability density function (PDF) and moments of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over arbitrary Nakagami-m fading channels with semi-blind AF relay. With these results, the system performance evaluation in terms of outage probability, average symbol error probability, ergodic capacity and diversity order, is conducted. The analysis developed in this paper applies to any semi-blind AF relaying systems with fixed relay gain, and two major strategies for computing the relay gain are compared in terms of system performance. All analytical results are corroborated by simulation results and they are shown to be efficient tools to evaluate system performance.


The residential environment plays a significant role in a city's sustainable development. It should also contribute to inclusion and equality in the socio-cultural dimension. Each year in Riga, capital city of Latvia, new residential developments appear. Little is known about how these developments contribute to the overall goal of sustainability, especially in terms of inclusion and equality. This research focuses on several issues related to inclusion and equality in Riga's 21st century residential developments, with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of current trends as well as possible evolution. Theoretical methods include analysis of urban and architectural plans, legislation, strategies, development programmes and other documented sources. Empirical methods include field studies and the analysis of statistical and sociological data. The major findings indicate that the first steps towards sustainable urbanism have been taken. However, isolation, creation of gated communities, urban fragmentation and segregation have led to a mediocre situation in terms of inclusion and equality. The current situation should be improved in order to increase the quality of life of all citizens and to contribute to the goal of sustainable development.
Keywords: residential environment; inclusion and equality; sustainable urbanism; housing developments


Background: Chylous mesenteric cyst is a rare entity with variable clinical presentations and possible surgical implications in pediatric age group. Constipation and thick fibrous wall with thin endothelial lining are rarely reported as first clinical presentation and commonest histologic appearance in pediatric patients, respectively. Case presentation: We herein report the case of a 9-year-old male patient presented with an abdominal mass and constipation. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a well-defined large cystic mass extending to the right abdominal cavity. Laparotomy and histopathology of the excised mass confirmed the diagnosis of chylous mesenteric cyst. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first reported case worldwide as well as in Lebanon with such unusual presentation in pediatric patient. Ultrasonography and CT scan suggest the diagnosis; however, histopathology is often required for confirmation. Complete excision of the cyst yields excellent results.


This volume contains the proceedings of the seventh annual Event of the International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics (ICMCC), which will be held in London, UK, from 8-11 June 2010. ICMCC is an international foundation which acts as the knowledge centre for medical and care compunetics, i.e. for the field of social, societal and ethical implications of computing and networking in health. Contrary to conferences addressing technology, dedicated scientific domains or specialized professionals, ICMCC follows a multidisciplinary approach by nature. Therefore, it is addressing all entities involved in health issues such as health professionals, politicians, supporting specialist, administrators, researchers and developers, but first of all the subject of care – the patient or the citizens before becoming a patient. In this bridging and embracing functionality, ICMCC is unique in the global scene.
The theme of the 2010 annual event is "Personal Health – Intelligent solutions to serve empowered patients". The seventh ICMCC annual event addresses the active participation of the citizen in his or her health and care pathway with the interactive use of Information and Communication Technologies, or in other words Patient 2.0 Empowerment as defined by ICMCC in 2008. The 2010 Event intents to combine ontology-driven health information system design for advanced interoperability with the paradigm change towards pervasive person-centric care including prevention, home care and wellness, together forming adaptive distributed health information systems solutions. Important issues to be considered are virtual Electronic Health Records and Personal Health Records acting as semantically interoperable communication and cooperation platform for personalized ubiquitous health services in a trustworthy environment.
The scientific topics presented in the proceedings comprise System Design and Evaluation, Computer-Assisted Learning, Knowledge Representation and Ontologies, Electronic Health Records and Patient Empowerment. 81 researchers, residing in 17 different countries from Europe, North and South America, and Asia, have reported their results in this volume (double author entries have not been eliminated). A comprehensive overview and in-depth, first hand information on new developments, advanced systems, technologies and applications will be introduced to an international audience.
The ICMCC has been supported by the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI), notably by the EFMI Working Groups "Electronic Health Records", "Security, Safety and Ethics" and "Personal Portable Devices".
The editors would like to thank the scientific board for their assistance, all the authors for their excellent work as well as the reviewers for lending their expertise to the conference, and last but not least the local organizers, thereby contributing to the final achievements.

Lodewijk Bos (Event Chair)
Bernd Blobel (Scientific Chair)


Purpose Bariatric surgery is relatively new in Korea, and studies comparing different bariatric procedures in Koreans are lacking. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) for treating morbidly obese Korean adults. Materials and Methods In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the medical records of 261 obese patients who underwent different bariatric procedures. Clinical outcomes were measured in terms of weight loss and resolution of comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Safety profiles for the procedures were also evaluated. Results In terms of weight loss, the three procedures showed similar results at 18 months (weight loss in 52.1% for SG, 61.0% for LAGB, and 69.2% for RYGB). Remission of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was more frequent in patients who underwent RYGB (65.9%, 63.6%, and 100% of patients, respectively). Safety profiles were similar among groups. Early complications occurred in 26 patients (9.9%) and late complications in 32 (12.3%). In the LAGB group, five bands (6.9%) were removed. Among all patients, one death (1/261=0.38%) occurred in the RYGB group due to aspiration pneumonia. Conclusion The three bariatric procedures were comparable in regards to weight-loss outcomes; nevertheless, RYGB showed a higher rate of comorbidity resolution. Bariatric surgery is effective and relatively safe; however, due to complications, some bands had to be removed in the LAGB group and a relatively high rate of reoperations was observed in the RYGB group.


Nucleoside monophosphate kinases (NMPKs) are essential catalysts for bacterial growth and multiplication. These enzymes display high primary sequence identities among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, belongs to this family. However, it was previously shown that its thymidylate kinase (TMPKyp) exhibits biochemical properties significantly different from those of its Escherichia coli counterpart [Chenal-Francisque, Tourneux, Carniel, Christova, Li de la Sierra, Barzu and Gilles (1999) Eur. J. Biochem. 265, 112-119]. In this work, the adenylate kinase (AK) of Y. pestis (AKyp) was characterized. As with TMPKyp, AKyp displayed a lower thermodynamic stability than other studied AKs. Two mutations in AK (Ser129Phe and Pro87Ser), previously shown to induce a thermosensitive growth defect in E. coli, were introduced into AKyp. The recombinant variants had a lower stability than wild-type AKyp and a higher susceptibility to proteolytic digestion. When the Pro87Ser substitution was introduced into the chromosomal adk gene of Y. pestis, growth of the mutant strain was altered at the non-permissive temperature of 37 degree C. In virulence testings, less than 50 colony forming units (CFU) of wild-type Y. pestis killed 100% of the mice upon subcutaneous infection, whereas bacterial loads as high as 1.5 x 10(4) CFU of the adk mutant were unable to kill any animals.


In TAV4, the rst author presented a paper describing an algorithm to perform run-time consistency checking of abstract data types speci ed using algebraic speci cations. This algorithm has subsequently been incorporated into a run-time consistency checking tool for the Anna speci cation language for Ada, and works on a subset of all possible algebraic speci cations. The algorithm implementation can be considered a test oracle for algebraic speci cations that performs its activities while the formally speci ed program is running. This paper presents empirical results on the use of this test oracle on a real-life symbol table implementation. Various issues that arise due to the use of algebraic speci cations and the test oracle are discussed. 50 di erent errors were introduced into the symbol table implementation. On testing using the oracle, 60% of the errors were detected by the oracle, 35% of the errors caused Ada exceptions to be raised, and the remaining 5% went undetected. These results are remarkable, especially since the test input was simply one sequence of symbol table operations performed by a typical client. The cases that went undetected contained errors that required very speci c boundary conditions to be met | an indication that white box test-data generation techniques may be required to detect them. Hence, a combination of white-box test-data generation along with a speci cation based test oracle may be an extremely versatile combination in detecting errors. This paper does not address test-data generation, rather it illustrates the usefulness of algebraic speci cation based test oracles during run-time consistency checking. Run-time consistency checking should be considered a complementary approach to unit testing using generated test-data.


sympatholytic action might explain, at least in part, the neuro- protective effects of MK-801 in neurotoxic disorders. Therefore, we would like to know the magnitude of the changes in the content or release of catecholamines in the perihematomal brain after intracerebral hemorrhage in the present study of Ardizzone et al. Further studies are necessary to assess more thoroughly the relationships between glucose metabolism and neuroprotective effect of MK-801 in the intracerebral hemorrhage.


Many factors can influence journalists and the news. This study focuses on the influence of a journalist's gender in the White House press corps by examining presidential news conferences and comparing what issues male and female journalists cover in their questions across eight administrations, from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama. This content analysis revealed three notable trends. First, women did not get called upon more often for questions over the course of the eight administrations. Second, in the aggregate, men and women were similar in their issue emphases. Third, when an additional influence was taken into account—the administration's party affiliation—men and women journalists shifted their issue emphases.


Everything about Sarah Bernhardt is fascinating, from her obscure birth to her glorious career-redefining the very nature of her art-to her amazing (and highly public) romantic life to her indomitable spirit. Well into her seventies, after the amputation of her leg, she was performing under bombardment for soldiers during World War I, as well as crisscrossing America on her ninth American tour. Her family was also a source of curiosity: the mother she adored and who scorned her; her two half-sisters, who died young after lives of dissipation; and most of all, her son, Maurice, whom she worshiped and raised as an aristocrat, in the style appropriate to his presumed father, the Belgian Prince de Ligne. Only once did they quarrel-over the Dreyfus Affair. Maurice was a right-wing snob; Sarah, always proud of her Jewish heritage, was a passionate Dreyfusard and Zolaist. Though the Bernhardt literature is vast, Gottlieb's Sarah is the first English-language biography to appear in decades. Brilliantly, it tracks the trajectory through which an illegitimate-and scandalous-daughter of a courtesan transformed herself into the most famous actress who ever lived, and into a national icon, a symbol of France.


The English auxiliaries have been a matter of dispute for decades with two opposing views: one analysis treats them as main verbs that take a VP complement; the other considers them as feature carriers. Proponents of both approaches have convincingly pointed out each other's weaknesses without however settling the debate and without accounting for the fact that the English VP is still evolving today. The goal of this paper is to show that Construction Grammar offers a way out of the current status quo. This claim is substantiated by a computational formalization of the English verb phrase in Fluid Construction Grammar that includes a bi-directional processing model for formulation and comprehension available for online testing.


Objectives. To specify symptoms and measure prevalence of psychological distress among incarcerated people in long-term solitary confinement.Methods. We gathered data via semistructured, in-depth interviews; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) assessments; and systematic reviews of medical and disciplinary files for 106 randomly selected people in solitary confinement in the Washington State Department of Corrections in 2017. We performed 1-year follow-up interviews and BPRS assessments with 80 of these incarcerated people, and we present the results of our qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics.Results. BPRS results showed clinically significant symptoms of depression, anxiety, or guilt among half of our research sample. Administrative data showed disproportionately high rates of serious mental illness and self-harming behavior compared with general prison populations. Interview content analysis revealed additional symptoms, including social isolation, loss of identity, and sensory hypersensitivity.Conclusions. Our coordinated study of rating scale, interview, and administrative data illustrates the public health crisis of solitary confinement. Because 95% or more of all incarcerated people, including those who experienced solitary confinement, are eventually released, understanding disproportionate psychopathology matters for developing prevention policies and addressing the unique needs of people who have experienced solitary confinement, an extreme element of mass incarceration.


To describe physics properly, we need to take into account quantum effects. Thus, for every nonquantum physical theory, we must come up with an appropriate quantum theory. A traditional approach is to replace all the scalars in the classical description of this theory by the corresponding operators. The problem with the above approach is that due to non-commutativity of the quantum operators, two mathematically equivalent formulations of the classical theory can lead to different (non-equivalent) quantum theories. An alternative quantization approach that directly transforms the non-quantum action functional into the appropriate quantum theory, was indeed proposed by the Nobelist Richard Feynman, under the name of path integration. Feynman path integration is not just a foundational idea, it is actually an efficient computing tool (Feynman diagrams). From the pragmatic viewpoint, Feynman path integral is a great success. However, from the foundational viewpoint, we still face an important question: why the Feynman's path integration formula? In this paper, we provide a natural explanation for Feynman's path integration formula. c ©2011 World Academic Press, UK. All rights reserved.


Point-to-MultiPoint (P2MP) Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and
Generalized MPLS (GMPLS) Traffic Engineering Label Switched Paths (TE
LSPs) are established using signaling procedures defined in [RFC4875].
However, [RFC4875] does not address several issues that arise when a
P2MP-TE LSP is signaled in inter-domain networks. One such issue is
the computation of a loosely routed inter-domain P2MP- TE LSP paths
that are re-merge free. Another issue is the reoptimization of the
inter-domain P2MP-TE LSP tree vs. an individual destination(s), since
the loosely routing domain ingress border node is not aware of the
reoptimization scope. This document defines the required protocol
extensions needed for establishing and reoptimizing P2MP MPLS and
GMPLS TE LSPs in inter-domain networks.


This thesis deals with liquid crystalline phases and in particular liquid crystal drops in suspensions of colloidal gibbsite platelets. In Part I we deal with some general aspects of liquid crystalline phases in suspensions of gibbsite platelets, to provide a basic framework for the research described in this thesis. First of all, we report on the birefringence of liquid crystalline phases in suspensions of gibbsite platelets and show that for solvents with a refractive index close to that of gibbsite intrinsic birefringence dominates, whereas for solvents with a considerably different refractive index the form birefringence due to the anisometric particle shape prevails over the intrinsic birefringence. Secondly, we show that a bimodal distribution of the platelet aspect ratio leads to remarkable phase behaviour, including an isotropic-nematic density inversion and a three phase coexistence. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that both phenomena can be attributed to fractionation with respect to the platelet aspect ratio. Part II deals with static properties of nematic droplets, tactoids. We study the shape and director field of tactoids as a function of size and solvent and show that small tactoids have an oblate shape and a uniform director field, whereas larger tactoids are spherical with a radial director field. We also study the deformation of tactoids in an external magnetic field. A detailed analysis of the tactoid shapes and director fields as a function of size and magnetic field strength provides us with values for the splay elastic constant, the interfacial tension and the anchoring strength, the relevant material parameters in this field. In Part III we study coalescence and breakup of tactoids and nematic threads. We show that coalescence of small tactoids (with a uniform director field) with the isotropic-nematic interface proceeds along similar lines as the coalescence of isotropic droplets with the interface in isotropic fluids. Coalescence of large tactoids (with a radial director field) with the isotropic-nematic interface is remarkably similar to the transport of an immiscible drop through a liquid-liquid interface. The buoyancy driven coalescence of two tactoids with an asymmetric radial director field appears to proceed as in the case of isotropic fluids. We show that droplet snap-off and breakup of a nematic thread are strongly influenced by the liquid crystalline order present in the thread. In the case of weak anchoring the thinning neck has a uniform director field and the snap-off is determined by the viscous properties of the nematic phase and by thermal fluctuations. On the other hand, in the case of strong anchoring the thinning neck has an escaped radial director field and the snap-off is hampered for topological reasons. To conclude, in part IV we study the role of columnar droplets, both in the formation of the columnar phase and the devitrification of the glassy state. In both cases a key-role is played by stacks of platelets.


Worldwide, there has been a recent increase in expressions of cynicism. We are reminded that all power is hard power, and that being loved or respected is no substitute for being feared. The great power game of nations always continues, we are forewarned, even when a higher goal or rhetoric is evoked. Superpowers are selfish, arbitrary, and dangerous nations, and they should not be embarrassed to be so and not feel constrained by international legitimacy and laws. We are cautioned against assuming that the rise of the world's emerging powers is doing anything to the status of United States as the sole superpower. Naturally, it would be a folly to think that global public opinion is in effect a "second superpower," or even a crucial factor. Such concerns are the Lilliputians binding an unsuspecting Gulliver. Anyone harboring naive views needs to be told that good intentions are at best a distraction and a nuisance, and at worst a recipe for disaster, given their imprudence. Cynics prefer to be unconcerned about the achievements of transnational normative action, such as abolishing the slave trade or establishing the International Criminal Court.The advocates of these views would readily conclude that fairness does not matter – only power does. And these cynical views are not advanced only in the hard center of the international system. In a fascinating twist, many on the various peripheries of the international system also agree with this depiction. They argue that might makes right, and this absolves those without formidable power of any responsibility for solving global problems or even articulating their potential contributions if something other than the law of the jungle were to prevail. Thus the hubris of the powerful triggers irresponsibility among the not so powerful, which in turn is used by the cynics to argue the need for unadulterated power, given the rampant irresponsibility in the world at large.This working paper, however, is based on a hypothesis that the cynics may be wrong. Its central conjecture is that fairness does matter today, and will matter more in the future. Long-term projections are notoriously and predictably difficult. The forecast that the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and the Next 11 group of emerging nations will overtake the Group of 7 may not materialize for a very long time. Yet it is evident that power disparities are less severe today, and are likely to be even less so in the near future. At the same time, the current level of global interdependence and the very nature of the imminent global problems we face have clear repercussions for the constellation of minimum alliances that are necessary to overcome these problems. Climate change is the most obvious case in point; unless all the major players and their citizens willingly and proactively cooperate, it is unlikely that human civilization as we know it will survive. It is clear that Commodore Matthew Perry's body language will not secure the proactive and willing cooperation of citizens around the world. Hubris and cynicism will also not embolden those who witness emerging threats and plots, as diverse as those by Osama bin Laden or Abdul Qadeer Khan, to speak out. And thus both notions and perceptions of fairness will be central to developing the master narrative about our epic interdependence and our responsibilities toward each other. Without a sense of fairness that appeals to many and a corresponding framework of global civics, we cannot navigate the treacherous waters of global interdependence.


This study is based on investors' viewpoint and adopts the accruals quality model [1] as proxy variable of earning quality. By applying the process capability concept in engineering application, we establish capability index of basis accrual quality and transform it into the investment risk assessment. It provides investors an effective way to control investment risk and to improve the investment decision-making process.


Building on Fossungu?s earlier works, and essentially providing Africa with original, critical, and multi-level analyses of the trio of globalization, democracy, and national determination, this book theorizes that African states have to unite in order to have any impact in the global economy. Using the failure of the Cameroon Goodwill Association of Montreal (CGAM) as a case study, the book urges Africans to make hard choices and avoid politickerization and midnight politics in favour of fossungupalogy (that is, the science of straightforwardness, necessitating the fearless looking at truth straight in the eye). The questions of the book are many but do all boil down to whether or not Africans fear the truth and do not therefore do politics. It is amazing that Africans in the West live in societies where fierce political competitors do embrace each other after one has defeated the other; but they are incapable of looking their so-called frieBuilding on Fossungu?s earlier works, and essentially providing Africa with original, critical, and multi-level analyses of the trio of globalization, democracy, and national determination, this book theorizes that African states have to unite in order to have any impact in the global economy. Using the failure of the Cameroon Goodwill Association of Montreal (CGAM) as a case study, the book urges Africans to make hard choices and avoid politickerization and midnight politics in favour of fossungupalogy (that is, the science of straightforwardness, necessitating the fearless looking at truth straight in the eye). The questions of the book are many but do all boil down to whether or not Africans fear the truth and do not therefore do politics. It is amazing that Africans in the West live in societies where fierce political competitors do embrace each other after one has defeated the other; but they are incapable of looking their so-called friends in the eye and saying, for example: ?Man, I think you?ve totally gotten it wrong this time.? Such comportment defines politickerization or negative competition. While attempting some possible responses to the numerous queries it raises, this book basically proffers the science of Four-Eyesism as a discipline that all African schools need to institute and make a compulsory subject: if the vandalized continent would have to be awakened to its realities. This book is rich in Fossungu?s dazzling capacity to invent, define and use a multitude of new terminological constructs informed by African experiences.nds in the eye and saying, for example: ?Man, I think you?ve totally gotten it wrong this time.? Such comportment defines politickerization or negative competition. While attempting some possible responses to the numerous queries it raises, this book basically proffers the science of Four-Eyesism as a discipline that all African schools need to institute and make a compulsory subject: if the vandalized continent would have to be awakened to its realities. This book is rich in Fossungu?s dazzling capacity to invent, define and use a multitude of new terminological constructs informed by African experiences.


Eye movements during monocular fixation were photographically recorded using the contact lens mirror technique. Records were taken during normal viewing and during viewing with a stabilized retinal image. Flicker was used to produce various durations of disappearance of the fixated figure under both conditions. Characteristics of the drifts and saccadic components of the eye movements were compared under these conditions. It was found that, (1) the rate of drift is the same for all conditions, (2) there are many fewer saccades during stabilized than during normal viewing, and (3) the frequency of saccades is independent of the duration of disappearance for stabilized viewing. An analysis of the characteristics of saccadic movements showed that their probability of occurrence, direction, and magnitude are dependent upon the position of the retinal image on the retina. No comparable relationship was evident for the drifts of the eye. Eye movement records taken in the dark indicate that, in the absence of visual control, the eyes are incapable of maintaining their fixation. Proprioceptive feedback, therefore, does not appear to play an important part in the fine corrective movements that serve to maintain ordinary fixation. It is concluded that the primary stimulus condition for involuntary saccadic eye movements is displacement of the retinal image on the retina, and that drift is the result of an instability of the oculomotor system.


In this paper, a novel compressed-sensing-based channel-estimation (CE) method is proposed to estimate the sparse and doubly selective air-to-ground wireless channel for drones. These drones are supposed to be utilized for data transmission in cellular networks as well as traffic monitoring. The proposed method utilizes time domain training sequence for CE. The Monte Carlo simulation results indicate that the proposed CE method performs better in high Doppler shift conditions compared with other recently proposed methods. We also present a modification of the proposed method for sparse channels where the location of multipath receptions does not change as fast as their amplitude and phase over time. Exploiting this fact, we separate estimation of the sparse channel's nonzero elements locations from estimating their amplitudes and phases and therefore improve bandwidth efficiency and performance. The proposed methods are used in simulation of a traffic surveillance scenario where frames of a real video which were taken by a drone from a highway are used as the input to the communication system and the received and demodulated signal is analyzed for car detection using a faster region-based-convolutional-network algorithm. The computational-complexity and the bandwidth-efficiency of the CE methods are compared within this scenario. Simulation results by using normalized-mean-square-error and bit-error-rate calculations show that using the proposed CE methods increases the CE and data demodulation accuracy whilst compared with the least-square method, increases the bandwidth-efficiency up to 5% and reduces the computational-complexity by a factor of two or more.


With the non-frustration rule ("NFR") and the mandatory bid rule, the Takeover Bid Directive contains two principles which have strongly influenced British takeover law for approximately 50 years. However, the changes of the economic and legal framework of the market for corporate control which have occurred since the adoption of the Directive call into question the legitimacy of both principles. Although the NFR is capable of disciplining board members, it generates misguided incentives and is, at the most, suitable as a disciplining tool of last resort. The idea that in the alternative we would rely on increasing shareholder activism and of trusting the shareholders to discipline the board (also in a company with dispersed ownership) is compelling in principle; however, as active shareholders often seek the short-term maximisation of returns, misguided incentives cannot be avoided in this context either. In view of these findings, the article explores the ways of structuring NFR optionality. It submits that only the shareholders should be given the option of opting out of the strict NFR – which would continue to serve as the default rule – and that such an opt out should only be possible for a limited period of time. With respect to the mandatory bid rule, its justification is becoming increasingly difficult since the exploitation of the offeree company by the controlling shareholder is more or less excluded by obligations to disclose information, by shareholder activism and by the reform of the Shareholder Rights Directive. In view of the foregoing, this paper argues for reform of the Directive's mandatory bid rule, making it a mere default rule.


The cyanobacterial protein cyanovirin-N (CV-N) potently inactivates diverse strains of HIV-1 and other lentiviruses due to irreversible binding of CV-N to the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120. In this study, we show that recombinant CV-N effectively blocks HIV-1(Ba-L) infection of human ectocervical explants. Furthermore, we demonstrate the in vivo efficacy of CV-N gel in a vaginal challenge model by exposing CV-N-treated female macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to a pathogenic chimeric SIV/HIV-1 virus, SHIV89.6P. All of the placebo-treated and untreated control macaques (8 of 8) became infected. In contrast, 15 of 18 CV-N-treated macaques showed no evidence of SHIV infection. Further, CV-N produced no cytotoxic or clinical adverse effects in either the in vitro or in vivo model systems. Together these studies suggest that CV-N is a good candidate for testing in humans as an anti-HIV topical microbicide.


Head off to explore the filming location of 12 Monkeys, Michael Jackson's hometown turned ghost town, Berlin's 1936 Olympic Village, deconsecrated churches, forgotten castles, deserted train stations, prisons and mental asylums, a cemetery of rusted locomotives, abandoned steel factories, phantom metro stations, and more.For 10 years, Sylvain Margaine has traveled the world in search of these forbidden and forgotten places. An exceptional photographic report.


Ectopic adrenal cortical neoplasms are extremely rare. Ectopic adrenocortical tissue can be found in locations such as the celiac axis, the broad ligament, the adnexa of the testes, and the spermatic cord; however, they rarely involve the stomach. We report an unusual case of a patient with an ectopic adrenal cortical adenoma in the gastric wall. The patient was a 72-year old female admitted to our hospital with upper abdominal discomfort. Physical examination revealed tenderness below the xiphoid process. Both computed tomography and fibergastroscopy revealed a mass on the lesser curvature side of the gastric antrum; it was initially diagnosed as a gastric stromal tumor. After adequate preparation, the patient underwent surgery. During the procedure, we found a 30 mm × 30 mm mass with medium density in the lesser curvature near the gastric antrum within the serosa. Following immunohistochemistry examination, we corrected the diagnosis to an ectopic adrenal cortical adenoma; the tumor was nonfunctional.


The azaborine motif provides a unique opportunity to develop core isosteres by inserting B-N units in place of C=C bonds within aromatic scaffolds. These boron/nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic systems provide molecular frameworks that have similar, but not identical, geometrical shapes and electronic distributions to the analogous all carbon systems. Synthetic routes to the 1,3,2-benzodiazaborole core have been developed utilizing entirely bench-stable starting materials, including organotrifluoroborates, enabling a wider array of substrate analogues under facile reaction conditions. The physical, structural, and electronic properties of these compounds were explored computationally to understand the influence of the B-N replacement on structure, aromaticity, and the isosteric viability of these analogues. The class of azaborininones could similarly be accessed from both organotrifluoroborates and boronic acids. An inexpensive, common reagent, SiO2, was found to serve as both a fluorophile and desiccant to facilitate the annulation process across three different azaborininone platforms. Computationally-derived pKa values, NICS aromaticity calculations, and electrostatic potential surfaces revealed a unique isoelectronic/isostructural relationship between these azaborines and their carbon isosteres that changed based on boron connectivity. The 2,1-borazaronaphthalene motif can be accessed through robust methods of synthesis and subsequent functionalization strategies, affording an ideal platform to use for a variety of applications. However, the initial scope of substructures for this archetype has been limited by the lack of nitrogen-containing heteroaryls that can be incorporated within them. Modified reaction conditions enabled greater tolerance to provide access to a wider range of substructures. Additionally, computational and experimental studies of solvent decomposition demonstrate that substitution off boron is important to stability. Post-annulation derivitization of the azaborine cores can allow access to higher order functionalized structures. A method for functionalizing the 2,1-borazaronaphthalene scaffold using ammonium alkylbis(catecholato)silicates via photoredox/nickel dual catalysis was found to be highly effective. By forging Csp3–Csp2 bonds via this approach, alkyl fragments with various functional groups can be introduced to the azaborine core, affording previously inaccessible heterocyclic isosteres in good to excellent yields. These conditions provide sensitive functional group tolerance, even permitting the cross-coupling of unprotected primary and secondary amines. Regioselective C-H borylation and subsequent cross-coupling of the 2,1-borazaronaphthalene core could also be achieved. Although 2,1-borazaronaphthalene is closely related to naphthalene in terms of structure, the argument is made that the former has electronic similarities to indole. Based on that premise, iridium-mediated C-H activation has enabled facile installation of a versatile, nucleophilic coupling handle at a previously inaccessible site of 2,1-borazaronaphthalenes. A variety of substituted 2,1-borazaronaphthalene cores can be successfully borylated and further cross-coupled in a facile manner to yield diverse C(8)-substituted 2,1-borazaronaphthalenes. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Chemistry This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2250 First Advisor Gary A. Molander


The conversion of biomass directly to electricity by the action of bacteria has been known for twenty years or so, but this benign, environmentally friendly electricity source is now being actively investigated with promising results.
The study presented here had the aim of investigating the possibility of setting up a bio-battery, using locally available bacteria and measuring the battery's properties including its power output.
Bacteria of unknown species were harvested together with an iron and nutrient rich sample of black sediment from a suburban fishpond. The electrodes were formed from strands of carbon fibre, consisting of many individual filaments, to provide a large area substrate for the bacteria to colonise. The anode was immersed in sediment, while the cathode was suspended in plain water above and parallel to the anode. The process of setting up the cells proved to be remarkably easy and a small voltage was developed immediately.
The battery of four cells in series has performed flawlessly now for 16 weeks and after an initial increase has maintained a high stable voltage over a period of time. The voltage output of individual cells has fluctuated, but has reached up to nearly 0.8 V per cell. The battery is currently capable of maintaining a constant current of over 4 μA at an output voltage of 1.6 V. The calculated energy generated by the battery during the second six weeks of operation is 28 joules. Biomass has an energy content of up to 20 MJ/kg, so even a few grammes of material used in each cell will give it a long lifetime.
The voltage output of 1.6 V is quite useable. However, it is the current that needs to be improved in order to increase the output power. Present investigations involve increasing the area of the electrodes to see if, by providing more space for the bacteria, a greater current will result.
To utilise the present battery would require a component such as a capacitor, or a rechargeable battery to continuously store energy at the low rate produced by the bio-battery until it has sufficient to provide a higher power for a short period of time in a suitable application. Thus, a LED could be used to provide periods of illumination or the power could be used for short periods of time to run an electric motor, a piezoelectric audio device, a radio receiver or a radio transmitter.


We study the role of intrinsic motivation as an exploration bias for reinforcement learning in sparse-reward synergistic tasks, which are tasks where multiple agents must work together to achieve a goal they could not individually. Our key idea is that a good guiding principle for intrinsic motivation in synergistic tasks is to take actions which affect the world in ways that would not be achieved if the agents were acting on their own. Thus, we propose to incentivize agents to take (joint) actions whose effects cannot be predicted via a composition of the predicted effect for each individual agent. We study two instantiations of this idea, one based on the true states encountered, and another based on a dynamics model trained concurrently with the policy. While the former is simpler, the latter has the benefit of being analytically differentiable with respect to the action taken. We validate our approach in robotic bimanual manipulation tasks with sparse rewards; we find that our approach yields more efficient learning than both 1) training with only the sparse reward and 2) using the typical surprise-based formulation of intrinsic motivation, which does not bias toward synergistic behavior. Videos are available on the project webpage: https://sites.google.com/view/iclr2020-synergistic.


The Influence of Social Net Working Sites (SNS) is being so widely discussed around the world and range of studies conducted with the usage of SNS among higher secondary students is negligible in India. The purpose of the study was to determine the Influence of Social Networking Sites on the study habit of higher secondary students. The researcher is followed descriptive research design for this study. A semi structured research questionnaire was designed to determine the factors of social networking sites that have influenced on higher secondary students. Objectives were to study about socio demographic profile of the children and understand the positive and negative influence of SNS with respect to study habits, identify the study habit among the respondents. The investigator used random sampling method and the total sample size was 40 students. The target population of this study was defined as the students belonging to the higher secondary students in Mammalashery govt. higher secondary school Piravom, Ernakulam. Findings of the study indicated that SNS had been greatly influenced among adolescents. The extend usage of media, usage pattern of SNS, the level of and study habit have been dealt scientifically in this paper. The study was also undertaken to determine how much time students actively use social media and if there has been an increase or decrease in usage over time and its impact on their study and academics. Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-2, issue-4: 339-342


Ground water is an abundant and little-used resource in the Tennessee Region, a 41,000 square mile area dominated by the Tennessee River system and including parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Onefifth to one-fourth of the precipitation that falls on the region enters the ground-water reservoirs. During the year approximately the same amount of water leaves the ground-water system, sustaining the dry-weather flow of streams. Recharge for the region is about 22,000 million gallons per day or 0.5 million gallons per day per square mile. The major types of aquifers in the region are unconsolidated material (including sand and regolith), carbonate rocks, and fractured noncarbonate rocks. One or more of these aquifer types occurs in each of the six physiographic subdivisions of the region. The productivity of these aquifers depends on their hydraulic properties and on the distribution of these properties. The unconsolidated sand aquifers are the most homogeneous in composition and most predictable in occurrence. These aquifers commonly yield 200 to 600 gallons per minute per well depending on the thickness of sand penetrated. The most difficult aquifers to predict in regard to depth and yield are the carbonate rocks. In these aquifers it is possible to drill dry holes within a few hundred feet of wells capable of producing several thousand gallons per minute. However, with an adequate reconnaissance study to determine the occurrence of ground water and a planned test drilling program, yields of up to 300 gallons per minute per well can be expected in the carbonate aquifers. Potential yields from the fractured noncarbonate aquifers are lower than in the carbonate rocks. The chemical and physical properties of ground water in the Tennessee Region are usually within the limits recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water, and the ground water in all but some very shallow aquifers tends to be free of pathogenic microorganisms. Saline water is not known to occur in significant quantities in the region. In 1970, 173 million gallons per day of ground water were used in the Tennessee Region. This was less than 8 percent ofthe total quantity ofwater used in the region and only 0.8 percent of the estimated ground-water recharge. Ground water is used chiefly as a source of water supply for rural areas and small towns. A lesser amount is used by industries and commercial establishments located beyond the limits of municipal water-supply systems. However, there is potential for significantly increased use in order to augment surfacewater supplies and to utilize the total water resource more efficiently. Hydrologic studies and adequate test drilling would greatly increase the chances of locating large amounts of ground water, especially in the nine-tenths of the Tennessee Region that is underlain by either carbonate rocks or fractured noncarbonate rocks which have highly variable water-bearing properties. Collectively, such studies are useful in developing a concept of the hydrologic system which would permit the development of criteria for selecting well sites in other areas with a similar geological and hydrological setting. Hydrologic studies that include test drilling have been conducted in all parts of the region except the Cumberland Plateau. Some of the basic data necessary for hydrologic studies, such as geologic maps, well records, and streamflow records are available throughout the region. However, detailed information on groundwater levels, ground-water quality, and aquifer characteristics are not equally available throughout the region. This type of information cannot be obtained quickly when it is needed; it must be the product of a continuing program of studies designed to evaluate the Tennessee Region's ground-water resource. Because of the interdependence of ground water and surface water, water management efforts can be fully effective only if they involve the whole water resource. In the Tennessee Region, surface water is highly controlled, but there is at present no regionwide waterresources management plan that includes ground water.


In the brain, the structure of a network of neurons defines how these neurons implement the computations that underlie the mind and the behavior of animals and humans. Provided that we can describe the network of neurons as a graph, we can employ methods from graph theory to investigate its structure or use cellular automata to mathematically assess its function. Although, software for the analysis of graphs and cellular automata are widely available. Graph extraction from the image of networks of brain cells remains difficult. Nervous tissue is heterogeneous, and differences in anatomy may reflect relevant differences in function. Here we introduce a deep learning based toolbox to extracts graphs from images of brain tissue. This toolbox provides an easy-to-use framework allowing system neuroscientists to generate graphs based on images of brain tissue by combining methods from image processing, deep learning, and graph theory. The goals are to simplify the training and usage of deep learning methods for computer vision and facilitate its integration into graph extraction pipelines. In this way, the toolbox provides an alternative to the required laborious manual process of tracing, sorting and classifying. We expect to democratize the machine learning methods to a wider community of users beyond the computer vision experts and improve the time-efficiency of graph extraction from large brain image datasets, which may lead to further understanding of the human mind.


Machine learning algorithms measure and target poverty Policy-makers in the world's poorest countries are often forced to make decisions based on limited data. Consider Angola, which recently conducted its first postcolonial census. In the 44 years that elapsed between the prior census and the recent one, the country's population grew from 5.6 million to 24.3 million, and the country experienced a protracted civil war that displaced millions of citizens. In situations where reliable survey data are missing or out of date, a novel line of research offers promising alternatives. On page 790 of this issue, Jean et al. (1) apply recent advances in machine learning to high-resolution satellite imagery to accurately measure regional poverty in Africa.


When welding fully austenitic materials it is well known that hot cracking can occur in the weld deposit to a varying extent. The cracks can be of both macroscopic and microscopic size. The influence of internal microfissures on the structural integrity of the joint and especially the fatigue strength has been discussed during the last decades. In a previous project at Swerea KIMAB this influence has been studied in submerged arc welds (SAW) in two highly alloyed stainless steels. In that study the fatigue specimens produced were fine milled i.e. the weld geometry was removed. This was done to isolate the influence of the microfissures. The testing comprised two series per material, one having a large amount of microfissures and one with a low amount. It was concluded that the microfissures have an impact on the fatigue resistance of the welds but that high fatigue strengths were recorded. In this continued study one of the previously tested materials is evaluated again but this time with as welded geometry. The fatigue cracks were all initiated at the weld toe and propagated through the base material. The parameters used to create the difference in occurrence of microfissures also results in a difference in weld cap geometry. The fatigue result still shows a difference between the welds with a high and low amount of microfissures. However, this time, it is not due to the amount or position of microfissures but caused by differences in the weld geometry. The weld toe angle for instance, differs by an average of 10 degrees between the two welds. Computer simulations of the specimens together with the fatigue test results were used to evaluate FAT-classes for the joints. The simulations aimed to assess the structural hot-spot stress at the weld toe. The fatigue resistance against structural hot-spot stress resulted in FAT118 — FAT119 which is better than that of the design criteria of FAT100.


Background: In the past decade, Tri-Service General Hospital has trained many actors-background standardized patients (SPs). However, we also have recruited some nonactor SPs since 2010. Reviewing the literature, the reliability of SPs with or without actor background would be the impact factor on high-stakes OSCE has not been well studied. Aim: The purpose of this retrospective observation is to clarify whether a SP with or without a professional actor background will affect the performances of the examination when participating in the Taiwan high-stakes objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The result will be the policy for selecting which kind of SPs to participate in the high-stack OSCE in our hospital. Methods: In this retrospective observation, we analyzed 74 actor background SPs (A-SPs), and 70 no actor background SPs (NA-SPs) who have participated in each spring test of 2015–2017 Taiwan high-stakes OSCE. The data of SPs performance have come from two parts: one is from the examinee with the global rating of the SPs performance and the other is from the examiner with eight-item checklist for the SPs performance. The scoring of both examinee and examiner is a five-point Likert scale. Results: The results show that there is no significant difference in SPs performance from the examinee scoring in the subsequent 3 years, stable and satisfactory, and let examinees feel like real patients. The scores from examiners also showed that two groups of SPs performed equally well without significant differences. Their performance is reliable and consistent, simulating to be a real patient in both groups. However, only one interest finding, when compared to the different age subdivision of SPs, showed the aged subgroup of A-SPs and NA-SPs with the significant difference in the item of reliability and consistent (4.67 ± 0.53 vs. 4.41 ± 0.50, P < 0.05), the possible reason is related to the less-experienced associate with mild memory decline in aged NA-SPs.Conclusions: Our observation gives the essential information, that the well-trained and experienced SP are necessary for participating in the high-stakes OSCE examination, even without the background of the actor. What we need is a professional SP who not only has excellent professionalism but also has a good personality literacy to engage in his/her work.


Human vulnerability to heat varies at a range of spatial scales, especially within cities where there can be noticeable intra-urban differences in heat risk factors. Mapping and visualizing intra-urban heat vulnerability offers opportunities for presenting information to support decision-making. For example the visualization of the spatial variation of heat vulnerability has the potential to enable local governments to identify hot spots of vulnerability and allocate resources and increase assistance to people in areas of greatest need. Recently there has been a proliferation of heat vulnerability mapping studies, all of which, to varying degrees, justify the process of vulnerability mapping in a policy context. However, to date, there has not been a systematic review of the extent to which the results of vulnerability mapping studies have been applied in decision-making. Accordingly we undertook a comprehensive review of 37 recently published papers that use geospatial techniques for assessing human vulnerability to heat. In addition, we conducted an anonymous survey of the lead authors of the 37 papers in order to establish the level of interaction between the researchers as science information producers and local authorities as information users. Both paper review and author survey results show that heat vulnerability mapping has been used in an attempt to communicate policy recommendations, raise awareness and induce institutional networking and learning, but has not as yet had a substantive influence on policymaking or preventive action.


We analyze the value of foresight in the drybulk freight market when repositioning a vessel through space and time. In order to do that, we apply an optimization model on a network with dynamic regional freight rate differences and stochastic travel times. We evaluate the value of the geographical switching option for three cases: the upper bound based on having perfect foresight, the lower bound based on a "coin flip", and the case of perfect foresight but only for a limited horizon. By combining a neural network with optimization, we can assess the impact of varying foresight horizon on economic performance. In a simple but realistic two-region case, we show empirically that the upper bound for large vessels can be as high as 25% cumulative outperformance, and that a significant portion of this theoretical value can be captured with limited foresight of several weeks. Our research sheds light on the important issue of spatial efficiency in global ocean freight markets and provides a benchmark for the value of investing in predictive analysis.


Subcellular proteomics, which includes isolation of subcellular components prior to a proteomic analysis, is advantageous not only in characterizing large macro-molecular complexes such as organelles but also in elucidating mechanisms of protein transport and organelle biosynthesis. Because of the high sensitivity achieved by the present proteomics technology, the purity of samples to be analyzed is important for the interpretation of the results obtained. In the present study, peroxisomes isolated from rat liver by usual cell fractionation were further purified by immunoisolation using a specific antibody raised against a peroxisomal membrane protein, PMP70. The isolated peroxisomes were analyzed by SDS-PAGE combined with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Altogether 34 known peroxisomal proteins were identified in addition to several mitochondrial and microsomal proteins. Some of the latter may reside in the peroxisomes as well. Analysis of membrane fractions identified all known peroxins except for Pex7. Two new peroxisomal proteins of unknown function were of high abundance. One is a bi-functional protein consisting of an aminoglycoside phosphotransferase-domain and an acyl-CoA dehydrogenase domain. The other is a newly identified peroxisome-specific isoform of Lon protease, an ATP-dependent protease with chaperone-like activity. The peroxisomal localization of the protein was confirmed by immunological techniques. The peroxisome-type Lon protease, which is distinct from the mitochondrial isoform, may play an important role in the peroxisomal biogenesis.


MASTERING AUTOCAD ? ARCHITECTURE 2010 explains the process of creating professional-quality building design projects using the newest release of AutoCAD ? Architecture (formally Autodesk ? Architectural Desktop). Using a project-based approach, this text goes beyond a simple rundown of tools and commands to focus on the rationale and practicality of the software through life-tested, practical lessons that emphasize the "why" as well as the "how" in order to help users complete projects successfully. Text and lessons combine to deliver a clear sense of the value of the tools introduced as well each tool's potential. The result is a fully up-to-date resource that shortens the learning curve and builds confidence and comfort in using the software as a tool to create architecture.


This paper describes a qualitative study which explored the views about challenging behaviour of staff in day centres for people with learning difficulties. Respondents' abstract definitions stressed the relativity of the concept. However, they readily cited concrete illustrate incidents of challenging behaviour which involved physical, sexual and verbal assault, noise, non-compliance, non-communication and exposure to danger. Staff explained specific incidents variously, but mono-causally, in terms of service users' dispositions, circumstances and interaction strategies. Respondents' own actions were included in explanatory schema only rarely. Despite its nebulous definition, challenging behaviour became organisationally fixed through staff allocation methods, and through a regulatory system designed to prevent abuse. Staff, caring for large numbers of service users en masse, faced a risk management dilemma. Labelling an individual as challenging could forewarn colleagues about possible dangers. However, such strategies could damage the quality of services which a labelled person received, exacerbating the initial problem.


In the 1990s, Nokia became a leader in the global cell phone market. The stellar growth of Nokia contributed significantly to the Finnish national economy, especially to GDP growth, exports and the R&D system. The first years of the 21st century have witnessed a massive relocation of electronics manufacturing from Europe and the U.S. to Asia and other low-cost regions via the emergence of global supply chains. The Finnish ICT cluster and the national economy as a whole have been influenced by this transformation in many ways. This book offers four complementary perspectives on the global ICT transformation and the role of Nokia in the Finnish economy: - What is Nokias contribution to the growth and restructuring of the Finnish economy? - How have the manufacturing supplier networks of Nokia changed during the 2000s? - Is the innovative dominance of Nokia in Finland a unique phenomenon in international comparison? - Where is the value added of high-tech products such as mobile phones created, and who captures the value?


The epidemiology of tuberculosis is changing in the United States as a result of immigration, yet the extent to which different classes of immigrants contribute to overall morbidity is unknown. Tuberculosis in nonimmigrant visitors is of particular interest as they are currently exempt from screening requirements. We conducted a prospective survey of all culture-positive tuberculosis patients in Tarrant County, Texas from 1/98 to 12/00. Immigration status of foreign-born patients was classified as permanent residents, undocumented, or nonimmigrant visitors. Of 274 eligible participants, 114 (42%) were foreign-born; of these, 67 (59%) were permanent residents, 28 (25%) were undocumented, and 19 (17%) were nonimmigrant visitors. Among the foreign-born, we observed significant differences by immigration status in multidrug resistance (p = 0.02), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (p = 0.0007), and hospitalization (p = 0.03 for ever/never, 0.01 for duration). Compared with other immigrants, more nonimmigrant visitors were multi-drug-resistant (16 % versus 11% of undocumented residents and 1% of permanent residents), were HIV-positive (32% versus 0% of undocumented and 5% of permanent residents), were hospitalized (47% versus 36% of undocumented and 19% of permanent residents), and had lengthy hospitalizations (median [midspread] days = 87 [25 to 153] versus 8.5 [4 to 28] for undocumented and 10 [7 to 24 d] for permanent residents). We found nonimmigrant visitors to be an important source of tuberculosis morbidity in Tarrant County. Further studies in other regions of the U.S. are needed to determine if screening and treatment recommendations of persons who spend extended periods in the U.S. should be raised to the standards set for permanent residents.


We investigate the problem of recognizing words from video, fingerspelled using the British Sign Language (BSL) fingerspelling alphabet. This is a challenging task since the BSL alphabet involves both hands occluding each other, and contains signs which are ambiguous from the observer's viewpoint. The main contributions of our work include: (i) recognition based on hand shape alone, not requiring motion cues; (ii) robust visual features for hand shape recognition; (iii) scalability to large lexicon recognition with no re-training. We report results on a dataset of 1,000 low quality webcam videos of 100 words. The proposed method achieves a word recognition accuracy of 98.9%.


Linear algebra permeates mathematics, perhaps more so than any other single subject. It plays an essential role in pure and applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, and many aspects of physics and engineering. This book conveys in a user-friendly way the basic and advanced techniques of linear algebra from the point of view of a working analyst. The techniques are illustrated by a wide sample of applications and examples that are chosen to highlight the tools of the trade. In short, this is material that many of us wish we had been taught as a graduate student. Roughly the first third of the book covers the basic material of a first course in linear algebra. The remaining chapters are devoted to applications drawn from vector calculus, numerical analysis, control theory, complex analysis, convexity and functional analysis. In particular, fixed point theorems, extremal problems, matrix equations, zero location and eigenvalue location problems, and matrices with nonnegative entries are discussed. Appendices on useful facts from analysis and supplementary information from complex function theory are also provided for the convenience of the reader. In this new edition, most of the chapters in the first edition have been revised, some extensively. The revisions include changes in a number of proofs, either to simplify the argument, to make the logic clearer or, on occasion, to sharpen the result. New introductory sections on linear programming, extreme points for polyhedra and a Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation problem have been added, as have some very short introductory sections on the mathematics behind Google, Drazin inverses, band inverses and applications of SVD together with a number of new exercises.


Part I of this Article explains the dual analysis of ethics (ethical base of markets as a process and an end result) as it relates to profits and market efficiency. In particular, the author questions whether individuals are able to judge their own welfare and, if so, do individuals accept that they are the best judge. Part II explains the ethics of profit and its relation to poverty. Specifically, the author describes the response to poverty in the context of health care by the consumer and producer. The author concludes by noting that the need for efficiency is in health care is unquestionable, but that markets are not always efficient in this area, especially for the poor. In order to resolve the tension between efficiency and providing health care for the poor, policy makers must articulate the trade-offs between these two social objectives. PROFITS, POVERTY, AND HEALTH CARE: AN EXAMINATION OF THE ETHICAL BASE OF ECONOMICS


Rendel Sebastian Pease, universally known to his friends and colleagues as Bas Pease, came from good political, scientific and Quaker stock. On his father's side he was descended from a long line of distinguished Quakers with an interest in social issues, including his grandfather Edward Pease, who was a co–founder and first secretary of the Fabian Society. On his mother's side his forebears included Josiah Wedgwood FRS, the founder of the Wedgwood pottery dynasty, whose descendents included no less than 10 Fellows of the Royal Society, including Charles Darwin and Francis Galton. The fourth generation of this remarkable family included Josiah Clement Wedgwood MP, First Lord Wedgwood of Barlaston, who became a Cabinet Minister under Ramsay McDonald in 1924. Bas's father, Michael Pease, a Cambridge geneticist, married Helen Wedgwood in 1920, and Bas was born on 2 November 1922.


Two-photon photopolymerization (TPP) with femtosecond laser is a promising method to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals (PCs). Based on the TPP principle, the micro-fabrication system has been built. The 3D woodpile PCs with rod space of 2000 nm are fabricated easily and different defects are introduced in order to form the cross-waveguide and the micro-laser structure PCs. Simulation results of the optical field intensity distributions using finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method are given, which support the designs and implementation of the PC of two types in theory.


An analytic extension of the Reissner–Nordström solution at and beyond the singularity is presented. The extension is obtained by using new coordinates in which the metric becomes degenerate at r = 0. The metric is still singular in the new coordinates, but its components become finite and smooth. Using this extension it is shown that the charged and non-rotating black hole singularities are compatible with the global hyperbolicity and with the conservation of the initial value data. Geometric models for electrically charged particles are obtained.


Abstract. The concept of Ozone Depletion Potentials (ODPs) is extensively used in policy considerations related to concerns about the effects of various halocarbons and other gases on stratospheric ozone. Many of the recent candidate replacement compounds have atmospheric lifetimes shorter than one year in order to limit their environmental effects, especially on stratospheric ozone. Using a three-dimensional global chemistry-transport model (CTM) of the troposphere and the stratosphere, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential effects of several very short-lived iodinated substances, namely iodotrifluoromethane (CF3I) and methyl iodide (CH3I), on atmospheric ozone. Like other chemicals with extremely short lifetimes, the stratospheric halogen loading and resulting ozone effects from these compounds are strongly dependent on the location of emissions. For CF3I, a possible replacement candidate for bromotrifluoromethane (CF3Br), ODPs derived by the three-dimensional model are 0.008 with chemical lifetime of 5.03 days and 0.016 with a lifetime of 1.13 days for emissions assumed to be evenly distributed over land surfaces at mid-latitudes and the tropics, respectively. While this is the first time the ODPs have been evaluated with a three-dimensional model, these values are in good agreement with those derived previously. The model calculations suggest that tropical convection could deliver a larger portion of the gas and their breakdown products to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere if emission source is located in the tropics. The resulting ODP for CH3I, emitted from mid-latitudes, is 0.017 with lifetime of 13.59 days. Valid simulations of convective transport, vertical mixing and degradation chemistry of CH3I are shown that have good qualitative agreement between the model derived distribution of background CH3I, based on global source emission fluxes from previous studies, and available observations especially in vertical profiles.


Various crop residues can be used in producing Oyster mushrooms either as main substrates or in combinations with supplements. Yield response is determined by the type of crop residue and production practice used. Two factorial experiments were performed to evaluate the mycelium vigor and biological efficiency (BE) of Oyster mushroom produced on composted cotton residues, maize stover and wheat straw substrates enriched with either sunflower seed cake or pigeon pea hulls. Yield improvement were observed in both pigeon pea and sunflower seed cake supplemented treatments with the highest mycelium vigor (91.65%) and biological efficiencies (106.65%) observed, whilst the control treatments had 71.1% mycelium vigor and 27.6% biological efficiency. Mycelium growth and biological efficiency were satisfactory with the use of either supplement. Contribution of flushes to total yield was improved with addition of either supplement with up to 70% contribution in pigeon pea supplemented cotton residues. Supplements were equally effective for improving the performance of Oyster mushroom in almost all the substrates used. Composting of the substrates was beneficial in cotton residues and wheat straw substrates with biological efficiency of 145.7 and 28.2% respectively compared to their controls (32.3 and 5.3 respectively). It was concluded that both supplement can be used to enhance production and composting was not beneficial with maize stover. Keywords : biological efficiency, compost, mycelium vigor, pigeon pea, sunflower seed cake International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 2 (1) 2008 pp. 72-80


Purpose The role of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in clinically node-positive, stage II-III breast cancer patients with pathological negative nodes (ypN0) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) remains controversial. Methods A total of 1560 clinically node-positive, stage II-III breast cancer patients treated with NAC and mastectomy who achieved ypN0 between 1998 and 2009 in the National Cancer Database were analyzed. The effects of PMRT on overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort and multiple subgroups were evaluated. Imputation and propensity score matching were used as sensitivity analyses to minimize biases. Results Of the entire 1560 eligible patients, 903 (57.9%) received PMRT and 657 (42.1%) didn't. At a median follow-up of 56.0 months, no statistical difference was observed for OS between two groups by univariate and multivariate analyses (P = 0.120; HR 1.571, 95% CI 0.839-2.943). On subgroup analyses, PMRT significantly improved OS in patients with clinical stage IIIB/IIIC disease, T3/T4 tumor, or residual invasive breast cancer after NAC (P < 0.05). This improvement in OS remained significant after sensitivity analyses for the propensity score-matched patients. Conclusions This study demonstrated that PMRT showed a heterogeneous effect in clinically node-positive, stage II-III breast cancer patients with ypN0 following NAC. PMRT improved OS for patients with clinical stage IIIB/IIIC disease, T3/T4 tumor, or residual invasive breast tumor after NAC. In the absence of definitive conclusions from prospective studies, including the ongoing NSABP B-51 trial, our findings may help identify specific groups of women with clinically node-positive, stage II-III breast cancers who could benefit from PMRT after NAC.


The aging of the population of the United States is occurring at a time of major economic and social changes. These economic changes include consideration of increases in the age of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare and possible changes in benefit levels. Furthermore, changes in the social context in which older individuals and families function may well affect the nature of key social relationships and institutions that define the environment for older persons. Sociology offers a knowledge base, a number of useful analytic approaches and tools, and unique theoretical perspectives that can facilitate understanding of these demographic, economic, and social changes and, to the extent possible, their causes, consequences and implications. New Directions in the Sociology of Aging evaluates the recent contributions of social demography, social epidemiology and sociology to the study of aging and identifies promising new research directions in these sub-fields. Included in this study are nine papers prepared by experts in sociology, demography, social genomics, public health, and other fields, that highlight the broad array of tools and perspectives that can provide the basis for further advancing the understanding of aging processes in ways that can inform policy. This report discusses the role of sociology in what is a wide-ranging and diverse field of study; a proposed three-dimensional conceptual model for studying social processes in aging over the life cycle; a review of existing databases, data needs and opportunities, primarily in the area of measurement of interhousehold and intergenerational transmission of resources, biomarkers and biosocial interactions; and a summary of roadblocks and bridges to transdisciplinary research that will affect the future directions of the field of sociology of aging.


Dr. David Aune's thoroughness in this definitive commentary on the first five chapters of the book of Revelation is nothing short of monumental. "More is known today about the textual tradition of Revelation than about any other book in the New Testament," he asserts. In an introductory section that could easily stand alone as a book, he presents a comprehensive inventory and evaluation of all categories of textual evidence, and an exhaustive assessment of peculiarities of the syntax in the Greek written by John of Patmos. Scholars and pastors will appreciate Aune's extensively annotated translation of the text, and his insights into the variant readings and nuances of every significant word. An advocate of source criticism, Dr. Aune examines the full range of secular and biblical literature in search of possible sources for the striking literary devices in Revelation. His mastery of an incredibly broad range of ancient writings enables him to compare every pericope of Revelation to the literary traditions of the ages that preceded its writing, and thus to evaluate the possible sources for the forms John employed to write his vision. Although this volume of the Word Biblical Commentary series deals only with the first five chapters of Revelation, Aune's detailed introductory comments scrutinize the entire expanse of this mysterious book. He provides an expanded outline of all twenty-two chapters and focuses on the implications for the book of Revelation of such matters as: * the use of chronological eschatological visions * the recurring sets of sevens * the paired angelic revelations beginning in 17:1 and 21:9 * the scenes in the heavenly throne room with their hymns * possible connections between the scrolls in chapters 5 and 10 All serious students of Revelation will value this latest effort to unravel its mysteries. As he familiarizes his readers with myriad possible ways to see every detail in the text, Dr. Aune stakes out his own ambitious but well-informed theories. He calls his readers to look afresh at a majestic book, a book at once profoundly Jewish and Christian, and to think with him about how this marriage of dissimilar apocalyptic traditions might have taken place.


This paper revisits the earlier assessments of the Palma Proposition and the 'Palma Ratio'. The former is a proposition that currently changes in income or consumption inequality are (almost) exclusively due to changes in the share of the richest 10 per cent and poorest 40 per cent because the 'middle' group between the richest and poorest always capture approximately 50 per cent of gross national income (GNI). The latter is a measure of income or consumption concentration based on the above-mentioned proposition and calculated as the GNI capture of the richest 10 per cent divided by that of the poorest 40 per cent. In this paper we do the following: note the use already being made of the Palma Ratio; consider the issue of hidden (or partially hidden) inequality and how the Palma may be useful in bringing this to light in the parts of the distribution that we are likely to be more interested in (the richest and the poorest); revisit the empirical basis of the Palma Proposition (the relative stability of the 'middle') with a new and expanded dataset across and within developing and developed countries. We find the data reaffirms the Palma Proposition and that the proposition is getting stronger over time. We also discuss the theoretical and empirical questions and implications arising from the Palma Proposition as areas for future exploration.