Underground utilities must comply
with the requirements stipulated in utility regulations to ensure their
structural integrity and avoid interferences and disruptions of utility
services. Noncompliance with the regulations could cause disastrous consequences
such as pipeline explosion and pipeline contamination that can lead to hundreds
of deaths and huge financial loss. However, the current practice of utility compliance
checking relies on manual efforts to examine lengthy textual regulations,
interpret them subjectively, and check against massive and heterogeneous
utility data. It is time-consuming, costly, and error prone. There remains a
critical need for an effective mechanism to help identify the regulatory
non-compliances in new utility designs or existing pipelines to limit possible
negative impacts. Motivated by this critical need, this research aims to create
an intelligent, knowledge-based method to automate the compliance checking for
underground utilities.

The overarching goal is to build
semantic intelligence to enable knowledge-based, automated compliance checking
of underground utilities by integrating semantic web technologies, natural
language processing (NLP), and domain ontologies. Three specific objectives
are: (1) designing an ontology-based framework for integrating massive and heterogeneous
utility data for automated compliance checking, (2) creating a semi-automated
method for utility ontology development, and (3) devising a semantic NLP approach
for interpreting textual utility regulations. Objective 1 establishes the
knowledge-based skeleton for utility compliance checking. Objectives 2 and 3 build
semantic intelligence into the framework resulted from Objective 1 for improved
performance in utility compliance checking.

Utility compliance checking is
the action that examines geospatial data of utilities and their surroundings
against textual utility regulations. The integration of heterogeneous
geospatial data of utilities as well as textual data remains a big challenge. Objective
1 is dedicated to addressing this challenge. An ontology-based framework has
been designed to integrate heterogeneous data and automate compliance checking through
semantic, logic, and spatial reasoning. The framework consists of three key
components: (1) four interlinked ontologies that provide the semantic schema to
represent heterogeneous data, (2) two data convertors to transform data from
proprietary formats into a common and interoperable format, and (3) a reasoning
mechanism with spatial extensions for detecting non-compliances. The
ontology-based framework was tested on a sample utility database, and the
results proved its effectiveness.

Two supplementary methods were
devised to build the semantic intelligence in the ontology-based framework. The
first one is a novel method that integrates the top-down strategy and NLP to
address two semantic limitations in existing ontologies for utilities: lack of
compatibility with existing utility modeling initiatives and relatively small
vocabulary sizes. Specifically, a base ontology is first developed by
abstracting the modeling information in CityGML Utility Network ADE through a
series of semantic mappings. Then, a novel integrated NLP approach is devised
to automatically learn the semantics from domain glossaries. Finally, the
semantics learned from the glossaries are incorporated into the base ontology
to result in a domain ontology for utility infrastructure. For case
demonstration, a glossary of water terms was learned to enrich the base
ontology (formalized from the ADE) and the resulting ontology was evaluated to
be an accurate, sufficient, and shared conceptualization of the domain.

The second one is an ontology-
and rule-based NLP approach for automated interpretation of textual regulations
on utilities. The approach integrates ontologies to capture both domain and
spatial semantics from utility regulations that contain a variety of technical
jargons/terms and spatial constraints regarding the location and clearance of
utility infrastructure. The semantics are then encoded into pattern-matching
rules for extracting the requirements from the regulations. An ontology- and
deontic logic-based mechanism have also been integrated to facilitate the
semantic and logic-based formalization of utility-specific regulatory
knowledge. The proposed approach was tested in interpreting the spatial
configuration-related requirements in utility accommodation policies, and
results proved it to be an effective means for interpreting utility regulations
to ensure the compliance of underground utilities.

The main outcome of this research
is a novel knowledge-based computational platform with semantic intelligence
for regulatory compliance checking of underground utilities, which is also the
primary contribution of this research. The knowledge-based computational
platform provides a declarative way rather than the otherwise
procedural/hard-coding implementation approach to automate the overall process
of utility compliance checking, which is expected to replace the conventional
costly and time-consuming skill-based practice. Utilizing this computational
platform for utility compliance checking will help eliminate non-compliant
utility designs at the very early stage and identify non-compliances in
existing utility records for timely correction, thus leading to enhanced safety
and sustainability of the massive utility infrastructure in the U.S.


This thesis consists of three separate parts, each addressing a specific aspect of the surface morphology of Mars.

In Part 1, a comparison of large volcanic features is made using spacecraft imaging data. The Elysium volcanic province on Mars and the Tibesti volcanic province in Chad, Africa are studied using Mariner 9, Earth Resources Technology Satellite and Apollo photography. Elysium Mons on Mars and Emi Koussi on Earth show remarkable similarities in summit caldera and flank morphologies. Each has a large central caldera approximately 12 km in diameter and from 500 to 1000 m deep which contain numerous craters and large, irregular pits. Channel-like features which head at the calderas and taper downslope show evidence of collapse and possible lava erosion. Elysium Mons rises some 14 ? 1.5 km above its base and the summit is about 17 km above the 6.1 mbar mean martian pressure surface. Cratering data indicate most of the apparent cratering is endogenic in origin. The subdued, hummocky terrain on the flanks is distinctly different from the slopes of the younger Tharsis Ridge volcanoes, showing little if any sign of recent material flow.

The lack of aqueous erosional forms on Elysium Mons argues strongly against recent ([approx.]10[superscript 5] to 10[superscript 6] year) pluvial episodes. The forms and associations of features throughout the Elysium region suggest central volcanism started earlier in Elysium than in Tharsis, and that the source of the Elysium volcanics is chemically evolved, with evidence of silicic magma. Finally, the data are consistent with the view that the martian crust has been stable and essentially motionless for an extended period of martian geologic time.

Part 2 attempts to determine the age relationship between the large, sinuous channels on Mars and the terrains in which the channels are found. Crater counts, plain and mantle superposition, and geographic and geologic associations suggest that the channels are extremely old, are spatially and temporarily related to the ancient cratered terrain and are genetically related to the processes of fretting and chaos formation. There appears to be no evidence for recent channel activity.

Part 3 presents the results of an investigation of the morphologic characteristics of the plains which separate the craters in the heavily cratered regions of Mars. These intercrater plains appear to be composed of stratified consolidated and unconsolidated materials, probably loose debris blankets and volcanic flows. The topmost layer of the plains unit varies from location to location. An older, cratered surface may be partly exposed where the kilometers-thick plains unit is locally incised and eroded. The association of chaotic terrain, fretted terrain and major channels with the plains suggests that the volatile(s) presumed to be necessary to produce these erosional landforms may have been present among the plains materials. It is speculated that the unconsolidated material is impact-generated debris and eolian deposits, suggesting an early atmosphere conducive to material transport and possibly flowing liquids.


Fortifikationsverket which is the landlord for the Swedish national defence has a great problem in their forestry due to the relatively large amount of metal objects in their timber. These metal objects cause different types of economical losses in the timber refinement chain. To enable out sorting of logs containing metal objects already in the harvesting phase, Fortifikationsverket is interested of the possibility to utilize some type of metal detector in a harvesting head for that purpose.

The goal of this study was to, with help of a case study, enlighten the problem that metal objects in timber cause for Fortifikationsverket and their customers of timber and to investigate conditions of to mount and utilize some kind of metal detector in a harvesting head at present.

The saw timber deliveries by Fortifikationsverket during the time period 2003-2005 was used as a reference volume for calculations of economical losses. In this case study was included two sawmills where timber from Fortifikationsverket were delivered to for further refinement. Factors investigated were the type of damage metal objects caused in these two sawmills and the economical signification of these damages. Even the harvesting and managing of Fortifikationsverket´s timber in areas where trees contained relatively much metal objects and the harvesting procedure was investigated by interviewing entrepreneurs. Further, the possibilities to use some type of metal detector on a harvesting head for out sorting logs containing metal objects were investigated by interviewing scientists and specialists and by literature searches.

The interval of damage costs for the sawmills included in this case study was approximately 14 000 – 433 000 SEK. The economical scope for a metal detector amounted to approximately 130 000 SEK for the reference volume when only economical losses due to metal objects in connection with harvesting and transport where taken into consideration. Electromagnetics, X-rays, microwaves and ultrasound are methods which could be used to detect metal objects in timber. The tough environment provided by the harvesting head and the harvesting technique it self precludes a practical usage of these methods at present, but it could be theoretically possible with the aid of microwave technique.


Rock magnetic studies of complex systems that contain mixtures of magnetic minerals or mixed grain size distributions have demonstrated the need for a better method of distinguishing between different magnetic components in geological materials. Hysteresis loops that are constricted in the middle section, but are wider above and below the middle section, are commonly observed in mixed magnetic assemblages. Such "wasp-waisted" hysteresis loops have been widely documented, particularly with respect to rare earth permanent magnets, basaltic lava flows, remagnetized Paleozoic carbonate rocks, and an increasingly wide range of other rocks. Our modelling, combined with a review of previous work, indicates that there are several conditions that give rise to, as well as magnetic properties that are characteristic of, wasp-waisted hysteresis loops. First, at least two magnetic components with strongly contrasting coercivities must coexist. This condition can arise from either mixtures of grain sizes of a single magnetic mineral, or a combination of magnetic minerals with contrasting cocrcivities, or a combination of these two situations. Second, materials that give rise to wasp-waisted hysteresis loops will have relatively high ratios of the coercivity of remanence to coercive force (B cr /B c ) because B0 is controlled by the soft (low coercivity) component, whereas Bcris controlled by the hard (high coercivity) component. Third, values of B cr /B c ? 10 usually only occur for strongly wasp-waisted loops when the low coercivity component comprises an overwhelmingly large fraction of the total volume of magnetic grains. Fourth, a given mixture of superparamagnetic and single-domain (SD) grains is more likely to give rise to wasp-waisted hysteresis loops than an equivalent mixture of SD and multidomain grains. Fifth, our results provide empirical confirmation that the total magnetization of a material is the sum of the weighted contributions of each component, in the absence of significant magnetic interaction between particles. Thus to contribute significantly to wasp-waisted behavior, a mineral magnetic component must give rise to a significant portion of the total magnetization of the rock. As a result, minerals with weak magnetic moments such as hematite need to occur in large concentrations to cause wasp-waistedness in materials that also contain ferrimagnetic minerals. We outline a method for determining the magnetic components that can give rise to wasp-waisted hysteresis loops. This method is based on high- and low-temperature magnetic measurements that are used to identify the dominant remanence-bearing mineral/s and on mineral magnetic techniques that are used to discriminate between different magnetic domain states. The method is illustrated with several examples from archaeological, geological, and synthetic materials.


The study focuses on learners' satisfaction towards IT usage in DE programmes.
The first objective is to determine the satisfaction level of learners towards Internet and
WWW Usage in terms of facilities, presentation mode and support services provided.
Secondly, it determines the difference in learners' satisfaction level towards Internet
and WWW usage with learner background in the various aspects of ethnic group,
gender, organisation, professions, computer experience, educational achievement and
computer background.
The size of sample was 74 respondents from the population of 140 learners of
IDEAL. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires were given to respondents in one of their face-to-face meetings with their lecturers in Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Results showed that respondents' satisfaction level on the overall usage of IT in
their learning was said to be of moderate satisfaction. Specifically, however, in relation
to facilities provided in the program, it was rated as moderate satisfaction. There were
some aspects of the facilities such as the availability of registration and scheduling
facilities of on-line tutorial and modules for learners and the need of back-up servers as
these aspects are very important in the running of their program. The second component
which is presentation mode showed that respondents were also moderately satisfied
with the way materials were presented. It was found that several improvements could be
made in terms of having up-dated on-line help tools, attachments of study references
and having more colourful presentation of materials which could attract learners. As for
support services, it was quite difficult to see learners' perception on this, but it could be
concluded that as overall, respondents were also moderately satisfied with the current
system. Nevertheless, with quicker response time and availability of back-up sites
would improve the current situation of the program. For the second objective, the study
showed that there was no difference in learners' satisfaction level of IT usage towards
the aspects of facilities, presentation mode and support services provided from the
various characteristics of learners.


The effects of fish kairomones, crowding chemicals, and day length on the life–history traits of a set of 16 Daphnia magna clones, derived from four populations that differ in fish‐predation pressure, were studied. Significant among‐population differences were observed, the differences being in concordance with the hypothesis of local adaptation. The among‐population genetic differences were not mediated through a change in response to fish kairomones, but through an overall smaller body size, smaller eggs, and a higher number of eggs in clones derived from habitats in which fish are present. Using a model, we show that the observed changes in life‐history characteristics may lead to differences in fitness under different predation regimes, such that populations from habitats with fish have highest fitness under fish‐predation regimes and populations without a fish background have higher fitness values under invertebrate predation regimes.


Silent Music: Medieval Song and the Construction of History in EighteenthCentury Spain. By Susan Boynton. [Currents in Latin American and Iberian Music] (New York: Oxford University Press. 2011. Pp. xxvi, 208. $3995. ISBN 978-0-19-975459-5.)In 1749 the ministers of the Spanish king, Ferdinand VI, set up the Royal Commission on Archives. This was one of many such bodies established directly by the Crown or at its instigation beginning during the final years of the murderous Spanish civil War of the Succession. They were commissions, committees, societies, and academies that brought together scholars, scientists, artists, engineers, amateur enthusiasts, and government officials. Whatever their particular tasks, their members engaged in research, observation, and analysis of the world around them; they explored nature, geographical space, culture, and the past; they produced studies, reports, works of art, and sometimes lasting and influential institutions; they helped enlarge the intellectual world of Spaniards of the mid- and late-eighteenth century. It is this slowly expanding cultural world that Susan Boynton explores in her new book.Of course, the kings' ministers and ordinary members of these bodies had complex and occasionally incompatible aims. Ferdinand VFs ministers wanted the Archives Commission to uncover documents that would help strengthen their hand in diplomatic dealings with the Roman Curia. This was at a time when Ferdinand's government and the ministers of Pope Benedict XTV were negotiating what turned out to be the transfer, defined in the Concordat of 1753, of vast Spanish ecclesiastical patronage from the Quirinale to Madrid.Wisely keeping the diplomatic negotiations in the background, Boynton focuses on a few of the Commission's scholars. Her chief protagonists are the Jesuit scholar and educational reformer Andres Marcos Burriel and his colleague, the highly skilled calligrapher and paleographer Francisco Xavier de Santiago y Palomares. Beginning in 1750, this pair, immersing themselves in the archives of Toledo cathedral, made major discoveries and provided important reinterpretations of Spain's Visigothic liturgical and more broadly cultural legacy.Boynton is an award-winning historical musicologist who specializes in medieval Roman Catholic liturgy. Her study of the scholarship of Burriel and Palomares, however, takes its greatest value from the cultural and political context into which she plants it. …


Decades of research have failed to establish whether or not mass media advertising can reduce road crashes. The probable reason is that the random variability in crash numbers is too great (and, campaigns being very cheap per person reached, even low effectiveness may be enough to be worthwhile). Three alternatives to before-after comparison of crashes as the method of determining effectiveness of an intervention are discussed. These are real-world experiments of high methodological quality, laboratory experiments of the social psychological type, and the measurement of safety-related behaviors. The third of these, before-after comparison of behaviors or variables that can be objectively observed and are closely linked to safety, is suggested as the most promising. However, the behaviors that might plausibly be used as proxies for crashes are quite few in number, and there is an urgent research need to find more of them, together with theory implying that a change in the behavior does indeed mean a change in safety.


We introduce Crocoddyl (Contact RObot COntrol by Differential DYnamic Library), an open-source framework tailored for efficient multi-contact optimal control. Crocoddyl efficiently computes the state trajectory and the control policy for a given predefined sequence of contacts. Its efficiency is due to the use of sparse analytical derivatives, exploitation of the problem structure, and data sharing. It employs differential geometry to properly describe the state of any geometrical system, e.g. floating-base systems. Additionally, we propose a novel optimal control algorithm called Feasibility-driven Differential Dynamic Programming (FDDP). Our method does not add extra decision variables which often increases the computation time per iteration due to factorization. FDDP shows a greater globalization strategy compared to classical Differential Dynamic Programming (DDP) algorithms. Concretely, we propose two modifications to the classical DDP algorithm. First, the backward pass accepts infeasible state-control trajectories. Second, the rollout keeps the gaps open during the early "exploratory" iterations (as expected in multipleshooting methods with only equality constraints). We showcase the performance of our framework using different tasks. With our method, we can compute highly-dynamic maneuvers (e.g. jumping, front-flip) within few milliseconds.


A cubic spline curve fit to histograms of grain-size data from pyroclastic deposits affords a rapid means to distinguish subpopulations in complex size distributions. Using interactive microcomputer graphics, the operator can isolate and quantitatively characterize subpopulations by a method of successive Gaussian subtractions. Percentile measures of the entire size range are not needed, and segments of the whole size distribution can be analyzed independently. Recurrent subpopulations with similar means and standard deviations are consistent among the more than 140 samples of pyroclastic-surge deposits from Sugarloaf in Arizona and Vulcano in Italy. The entire data set can be replicated by synthetic curves consisting of various proportions of five identified Gaussian components, each of which the authors attribute to a specific mechanism of transport and deposition.


Purpose
The development of sustainable facilities management (FM) practices requires active and integrated engagement of the FM organization. Building on a three-year research project (2015-2018) within Nordic Built that aims to strengthen FM competencies in the Scandinavian countries, this paper aims to list and document the challenges and barriers of implementing sustainability as identified by the Scandinavian FM practitioners who took part in this research.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper builds on the understanding gained from using an interpretive sociological approach and uses qualitative mixed methods to collect data from four workshops, group sessions and expert group discussions with a mix of representatives including owners, property managers, facilities managers, consultants, teachers and academics. Four case studies were completed of refurbishment projects implementing sustainable solutions; these encompassed in-depth interviews with the stakeholders, site visits, observations of meetings and gathering project documentation. The data were complemented by a systematic literature review on a selection of topics focusing on articles referring directly to FM, the sustainability of FM, ends-user and stakeholder involvement, energy performance and sustainability. The challenges and barriers identified in practice were compared to those found in the literature.

Findings
The concept of sustainability, and its different dimensions and implications, seems to be well understood now by the practitioners who participated in this study, who claimed they were able to provide the required solutions. What seems to be lacking, though, is the possibility of convincing the end-users, who are expected to operate and maintain the facilities, to act according to the standards that these solutions require. It appears to be easier to focus on the technical aspects than on the end-users' behaviors. The practitioners reported a shortage of social competencies and tools to deal with the situation, and despite an increasing awareness of smart technology, they lacked solutions to engage the end-users in optimizing the facilities. Besides, not all FM companies were well equipped to face the challenges imposed by the sustainable agenda; the small and medium enterprises in particular seemed to be struggling to implement the different dimensions of sustainability.

Research limitations/implications
The limitation of this research rests in the chosen research approach as it focuses on the FM practitioners. The contribution of the end-users' perspective is not strongly represented or systematically explored, but is identified as a new topic that needs to be investigated further to provide further insight. This study focuses on refurbishment and/or retrofit of existing buildings and the operation of facilities. The authors do not embrace the design phase or the construction phase of new buildings.

Practical implications
The paper underlines the need for frameworks and concrete tools to help FM practitioners to integrate the social and cultural aspects of sustainability. It identifies end-users, both in housing and in offices, as creating a bottleneck to the implementation of sustainable FM. To gain insight into this bottleneck, the authors suggest implementing a sociologically inspired method using an integrative approach. Highlighting such issues will mean that future research will be able to define further solutions for managing and maintaining existing and future built assets and fulfilling sustainability requirements by engaging end-users. This study also emphasizes the need to introduce these topics as part of the curriculum for FM education.

Originality/value
This paper provides an update on the level of the development of sustainable FM in the three Scandinavian countries. This is highly relevant for Scandinavian practitioners, but the authors consider this relevant for international practitioners, researchers, academics and teachers and developers as well. Practitioners and researchers are invited to join in these efforts to explore how to find practical frameworks, tools, policies and instruments and new services that will improve sustainable FM practices.


Two src family kinases, lck and fyn, participate in the activation of T lymphocytes. Both of these protein tyrosine kinases are thought to function via their interaction with cell surface receptors. Thus, lck is associated with CD4, CD8, and Thy-1, whereas fyn is associated with the T cell antigen receptor and Thy-1. In this study, the intracellular localization of these two protein tyrosine kinases in T cells was analyzed by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Lck was present at the plasma membrane, consistent with its proposed role in transmembrane signalling, and was also associated with pericentrosomal vesicles which co-localized with the cation-independent mannose 6- phosphate receptor. Surprisingly, fyn was not detected at the plasma membrane in either Jurkat T cells or T lymphoblasts but was closely associated with the centrosome and to microtubule bundles radiating from the centrosome. In mitotic cells, fyn co-localized with the mitotic spindle and poles. The essentially non-overlapping intracellular distributions of lck and fyn suggest that these kinases may be accessible to distinct regulatory proteins and substrates and, therefore, may regulate different aspects of T cell activation. Anti- phosphotyrosine antibody staining at the plasma membrane increases dramatically after CD3 cross-linking of Jurkat T cells. The localization of lck to the plasma membrane suggests that it may participate in mediating this increase in tyrosine phosphorylation, rather than fyn. Furthermore, the distribution of fyn in mitotic cells raises the possibility that it functions at the M phase of the cell cycle.


This paper asks whether external shocks (U.S. inter est rates, U.S. industrial production, U.S. stocks prices and world industrial material price) have asymmetri c effects on European relative prices (real exchang e rates). On 1979-1993 period, the paper finds that t wo groups of countries may be distinguished; on one side Germany, France, Belgium and Netherlands; on a n ther side, United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. The results imply misalignments in European real exchan ge rates when external shocks arise. Also, Europe i s not an optimum currency area.


It is critical to scientific progress to share clinical research data stored in outsourced generally available cloud computing services. Researchers are able to obtain valuable information that they would not otherwise be able to access; however, privacy concerns arise when sharing clinical data in these outsourced publicly available data storage services. HIPAA requires researchers to deidentify private information when disclosing clinical data for research purposes and describes two available methods for doing so. Unfortunately, both techniques degrade statistical accuracy. Therefore, the need to protect privacy presents a significant problem for data sharing between hospitals and researchers. In this paper, we propose a controlled secure aggregation protocol to secure both privacy and accuracy when researchers outsource their clinical research data for sharing. Since clinical data must remain private beyond a patient's lifetime, we take advantage of lattice-based homomorphic encryption to guarantee long-term security against quantum computing attacks. Using lattice-based homomorphic encryption, we design an aggregation protocol that aggregates outsourced ciphertexts under distinct public keys. It enables researchers to get aggregated results from outsourced ciphertexts of distinct researchers. To the best of our knowledge, our protocol is the first aggregation protocol which can aggregate ciphertexts which are encrypted with distinct public keys.


Sustainable use of forest resources is needed to establish a forestry management plan. Forest management plans exist at the provincial level according to the conditions and problems. Forestry planning at Provincial level depicts current forest conditions, institutional conditions, the contribution of economy, social and ecology associated with the provincial level strategic issues. This paper tries to elaborate the local development planning of forestry from good governance perspective, and role of stakeholders of local development forest planning. The research was based on qualitative descriptive approach to the study site in the province of Yogyakarta and West Papua. The result shows that forest planning in the region is top-down with respect to existing regional characteristics. To realize the principles of good governance, a gap for each stakeholder role in the arrangement, implementation, monitoring and evaluation to reporting should be made. The role of government in the area of forestry development planning in terms of good governance, the rule of law for the regulation in the forestry sector has been completed. Partnership is the key word synergy in the implementation of good governance in forestry development in the area will attention to the aspects of partnership and equity between all stakeholders in the arrangement, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting of forest development. Keyword: Planning, Forestry, Good Governance, patnership


The notion of Rees product of posets was introduced by Bjorner and Welker in [8], where they study connections between poset topology and commutative algebra. Bjorner and Welker conjectured and Jonsson [25] proved that the dimension of the top homology of the Rees product of the truncated Boolean algebra $B_n \setminus \{0\}$ and the $n$-chain $C_n$ is equal to the number of derangements in the symmetric group $\mathfrak{ S}$$_n$. Here we prove a refinement of this result, which involves the Eulerian numbers, and a $q$-analog of both the refinement and the original conjecture, which comes from replacing the Boolean algebra by the lattice of subspaces of the $n$-dimensional vector space over the $q$ element field, and involves the (maj,exc)-$q$-Eulerian polynomials studied in previous papers of the authors [32,33]. Equivariant versions of the refinement and the original conjecture are also proved, as are type BC versions (in the sense of Coxeter groups) of the original conjecture and its $q$-analog.


Papers published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions are under open-access review for the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Abstract Monitoring of surface waters is primarily done to detect the status and trends in water quality and to identify whether observed trends arise form natural or anthropogenic causes. Empirical quality of surface water quality data is rarely certain and knowledge of their uncertainties is essential to assess the reliability of water quality models and 5 their predictions. The objective of this paper is to assess the uncertainties in selected surface water quality data, i.e. suspended sediment, nitrogen fraction, phosphorus fraction , heavy metals and biological compounds. The methodology used to structure the uncertainty is based on the empirical quality of data and the sources of uncertainty in data (van Loon et al., 2006 1). A literature review was carried out including additional 10 experimental data of the Elbe river. All data of compounds associated with suspended particulate matter have considerable higher sampling uncertainties than soluble concentrations. This is due to high variability's within the cross section of a given river. This variability is positively correlated with total suspended particulate matter concentrations. Sampling location has also considerable effect on the representativeness of 15 a water sample. These sampling uncertainties are highly site specific. The estimation of uncertainty in sampling can only be achieved by taking at least a proportion of samples in duplicates. Compared to sampling uncertainties measurement and analytical uncertainties are much lower. Instrument quality can be stated well suited for field and laboratory situations for all considered constituents. Analytical errors can contribute 20 considerable to the overall uncertainty of surface water quality data. Temporal autocor-relation of surface water quality data is present but literature on general behaviour of water quality compounds is rare. For meso scale river catchments reasonable yearly dissolved load calculations can be achieved using biweekly sample frequencies. For suspended sediments none of the methods investigated produced very reliable load 25 2992 estimates when weekly concentrations data were used. Uncertainties associated with loads estimates based on infrequent samples will decrease with increasing size of rivers.


Introduction Modern amateur sportsmen often spend several hours daily on exercise. Especially those doing cycling, longdistance running or triathlon. Sports drinks are widely used by them on every training routine. Some studies have reported a close relationship between sports drinks and dental erosion. Are there any brands or formulations which can be advantageous and recommended by dental professionals? Methods 5 "isotonic" sports drinks, an energy drink, orange juice, vitamin water and 2 extempore drinks were chosen for the study. Their pH and osmolality were analyzed. Results The osmolality of the evaluated drinks varied over a relatively broad range (60-648 mmol/kg). In general, it was increasing with total carbohydrate content. The pH value was in the range of 2.76 to 3.90; what may have an impact on dental erosion. Conclusions It is always advisable for a sport person to choose a drink with a desired osmolality. This is not an easy issue, because the "isotonic" sports drinks and one of the ex tempore (home-made) drink did not have the optimal osmolality in our opinion. The value of big concern for every dental professional is however and undoubtedly the acidity of all the evaluated beverages. Taking into consideration both parameters, there was no drink in the tested group to be recommended by a sports-oriented dentist. Dent Res Oral Health 2021; 4(2): 034-038 DOI: 10.26502/droh.0039 Dental Research and Oral Health Vol. 4 No. 2 June 2021 35


To a backdrop of dizzying urbanization, French utopian thinkers of the nineteenth century set out to explore the transformative possibilities of the modern metropolis. Linking literary analyses with diverse strands of cultural and intellectual history, this study considers how the utopian vision of the city in turn came to impinge on prose writing by poets: in Saint-Simonian literature, and in texts by Theophile Gautier, Charles Baudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud. At points steeped in the hyperbolic rhetoric of utopian projects, these texts nonetheless wear away at the internal coherence of that rhetoric and the idealizing meanings it supports. What emerges from Greg Kerr's analysis is a hitherto unfamiliar dimension of these writings, revealing the alertness of some of the greatest exponents of nineteenth-century poetry to the dynamic possibilities of utopian writing, and suggesting new ways to understand the evolution of poetic discourse across the century.


Abstract: Since 2015, Tanzania has taken a severe authoritarian turn, accompanied by rising civil disobedience. In the process, it has become a focal point in debates about development and dictatorship. This article contends that Tanzania is undergoing a struggle over its democratic institutions, which is rooted in rising competition within the party system. However, the experience gained through local political contests in Zanzibar have also influenced how government and opposition interact on the national stage. The lessons of Zanzibari politics have helped to produce a nationwide political struggle that, rather than centering exclusively on questions of election process and management, is also focused on the laws that govern freedom of expression.


While advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) throughout the last decades have enabled the detailed anatomical and functional inspection of the human brain non-invasively, to date there is no consensus regarding the precise subdivision and topography of the areas forming the human auditory cortex. Here, we propose a topography of the human auditory areas based on insights on the anatomical and functional properties of human auditory areas as revealed by studies of cyto- and myelo-architecture and fMRI investigations at ultra-high magnetic field (7 Tesla). Importantly, we illustrate that—whereas a group-based approach to analyze functional (tonotopic) maps is appropriate to highlight the main tonotopic axis—the examination of tonotopic maps at single subject level is required to detail the topography of primary and non-primary areas that may be more variable across subjects. Furthermore, we show that considering multiple maps indicative of anatomical (i.e., myelination) as well as of functional properties (e.g., broadness of frequency tuning) is helpful in identifying auditory cortical areas in individual human brains. We propose and discuss a topography of areas that is consistent with old and recent anatomical post-mortem characterizations of the human auditory cortex and that may serve as a working model for neuroscience studies of auditory functions.


Idiopathic lymphedema is a condition where lymph accumulates in subcutaneous tissue without a clear cause. Likewise, idiopathic portal hypertension is a syndrome where intrahepatic peripheral portal branch obstruction causes portal hypertension without a clear cause. We encountered a 37-year-old man with both idiopathic lymphedema and idiopathic portal hypertension. He had a history of right lower limb edema and epigastric varices since childhood with repeated cellulitis in the affected limb. Lymph accumulation and dilation of collateral lymph pathways in the right lower limb were observed by indocyanine green and lymphoscintigraphy, and a serpentine thoracic duct was observed using MRI. Idiopathic portal hypertension and idiopathic lymphedema were diagnosed, and peripheral lymphaticovenous anastomosis was performed for treatment of lymphedema. The limb circumference improved, and the frequency of cellulitis decreased. It is postulated that an abnormality in the embryonic cardinal vein before lymph vessel differentiation could be a possible mechanism of the dual pathologic conditions.


This paper develops a unified theory of bank operations that integrates theories of financial intermediation, asset pricing, and production. In a simple dynamic model, banks maximize the present value of future profits generated through three categories of qualitatively distinct functions: (1) resolving information asymmetry in order to make loans, (2) providing transaction services, and (3) financing loans with borrowed funds. Risk determines the rate of return on the funds and in turn the discount rate for future profits. But risk affects the quantity of bank services generated in the first two functions only to the extent that assets of different risk require different amounts of information processing. The model thus coherently accounts for portfolio risk in measuring bank service output. It then recognizes that only functions (1) and (2) create bank value added, whereas the borrowed funds are merely an intermediate input in the provision of bank services. Furthermore, the funds and the production function for value added are separable in a bank's optimization solution. This model can resolve some long-standing debates in the literature on bank production, such as distinguishing between the input and output roles of deposits. It also provides a theoretical basis for measuring banking output in the National Income Accounts. This banking model implies a new measure of bank output that imputes the implicitly priced services as the part of net interest income that is free of risk-related returns on loanable funds. The new measure differs significantly from the ones commonly used, suggesting a need to reexamine the conclusions of a large body of empirical literature.


The sexual differences can be determined through morphological characteristics found in the ramus and body of mandible. The accuracy in determining sex is variable and the degree of sexual dimorphism in mandibles is different for each population. The aim of this study was to analyse nonmetric morphological characteristics of mandibles in adult Brazilian individuals, determining the anatomical variations found. In this study, 128 macerated mandibles of black and white Brazilian adults of both sexes were used. Of the 7 indicators analysed, the morphological characteristic that best distinguished the sexes was the shape of the chin, with an accuracy of 82.7% in black males, 61.9% in white males, 73.0% in black females and 75.0% in white females. The divergence of the gonial angle presented statistically significant differences between black males and black females, with an accuracy of 93.1% in black males and 34.3% in black females. An analysis of the shape of the chin is recommended as a reliable morphological indicator for the mandible in the diagnosis of sex from the skeletal remains of unknown individuals.


Bertram L. Baker, the United Action Democratic Association, and the First Black Democratic Succession in Brooklyn, 1933-1954It has been asserted in the recent literature on the urban political machine and ethnic succession that the conditions for succession in American cities were different for white ethnics than for nonwhite minority groups, such at blacks and Latinos.(2) The Brooklyn illustration defies the prevailing view.To understand why the process of racial succession in the political party system of Brooklyn unfolded in a relatively unruffled manner, we must take into account the conditions that make succession likely: a steady and swift rate of demographic change, extensive interparty and intraparty competition, a highly capable ethnic group leadership and a decentralized political party structure. These elements were present during the 1930s, 40s and 50s in Brooklyn's largest black community, Bedford Stuyvesant. Black political participation in the Democratic party during those years was fundamental to the party's vigor and dominance.There is a strain in the literature on the urban political machine and ethnic succession that concludes the machine used every means available to block the political aspirations of the black community to gain a share of party and community power.(3) Again, this perspective receives little or no support from the Brooklyn experience. Middle twentieth century Brooklyn political history challenges this notion, particularly in the case of the first attempt by blacks to elect one of their own in the Democratic party.MethodologyMartin Lomasney, Boston's political leader during the early decades of the century is reported to have advised the party faithful: "Never write down anything when you can say it; never say anything when you can nod your head.(4)Given the machine politicians' penchant to leave their history behind through verbal tales, oral history is ideally suited to bring a fresh perspective to the literature on machine politics. This article therefore relies on in-depth interviews with key individuals. Approximately two dozen activists that witnessed the transition from Irish and Jewish rule to black control in Bedford Stuyvesant were interviewed. The interviewees were mostly club members, more often than not the district leaders and the election district captains. Politicians outside and inside the Democratic machine were interviewed. These people were selected on a "one contact leads to another contact" basis, that is, the snowball method. In the main I was fortunate: most individuals were willing to articulate their experience in Brooklyn politics. I found oral history most useful with retired political leaders. Contemporary politicians, for instance, judges still sitting on the bench, were reluctant to speak freely, fearing possible damage to their still active careers.Where personal documents such as photographs, memoirs, letters, newsletters, and diaries existed, a close examination was undertaken. However, the sheer volume of these materials calls for a Brooklyn Politics Archive and Oral History Collection to be founded.Brooklyn DemographyBefore World War I, Brooklyn's black population was minuscule and residents were concentrated in four small pockets: in the downtown or Bridge Street area, in Weeksville, (located within Bedford Stuyvesant), in Fort Greene and in Bedford Stuyvesant (primarily along lower Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street).Although the black population in Brooklyn surged forward during "The Great Migration" after the War, the black community did not advance significantly as a percentage of the borough's population between 1880 and 1920. By the 1920s, blacks had already begun to expand their core along the Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue axis leading from downtown and Fort Greene to Bedford Stuyvesant. As late as 1940 the black population had risen to a mere four per cent of the borough's population. …


Quantum zero-knowledge proofs and quantum proofs of knowledge are inherently difficult to analyze because their security analysis uses rewinding. Certain cases of quantum rewinding are handled by the results by Watrous (SIAM J Comput, 2009) and Unruh (Eurocrypt 2012), yet in general the problem remains elusive. We show that this is not only due to a lack of proof techniques: relative to an oracle, we show that classically secure proofs and proofs of knowledge are insecure in the quantum setting. More specifically, sigma-protocols, the Fiat-Shamir construction, and Fischlin's proof system are quantum insecure under assumptions that are sufficient for classical security. Additionally, we show that for similar reasons, computationally binding commitments provide almost no security guarantees in a quantum setting. To show these results, we develop the "pick-one trick", a general technique that allows an adversary to find one value satisfying a given predicate, but not two.


DNA-based methods of determining parentage in birds have revealed that apparent reproductive success can be very different from true reproductive success. Our main goal in this study was to provide estimates of true annual and lifetime reproductive success of male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to determine the importance of extra-pair mating to reproductive success. Males that were more successful at extra-pair mating, both annually and over their lifetimes, were also more successful on their own territories, so extra-pair success was not achieved at the expense of within-pair success. Relative to within-pair success, extra-pair success accounted for only one-fifth as much variance in total success (annual and lifetime). For some individuals, however, extra-pair success was a substantial part of their total success. Standardized variance in true annual success was 16% higher overall than the variance in apparent success, although the effect was inconsistent from year to year. Standardized variance in lifetime success increased 39% due to extra-pair paternity. Thus, extra-pair mating modestly increased the opportunity for sexual selection. Males with the highest annual success on their own territories mated with more females on their territories, had fewer of those females mating with other males, and lost fewer nests to predation. Annual extra-pair success was highly correlated with the number of extra-pair mates. The number of years a male bred and the number of females with which he mated contributed significantly to the variance in lifetime success, both within pairs and extra-pair. Reproductive success in the first breeding season was significantly positively correlated with lifetime success. Positive correlations between true and apparent reproductive success and between true mating success and harem size suggest that conventional (i.e., nongenetic) estimates of success provide reasonable estimates of population patterns, despite being unreliable for estimating individual success. Many of the ecological factors that affected lifetime success (e.g., territory acquisition, longevity) of males and females appeared similar between our Canadian population and a population in Washington state, USA. However, variance in male success appears to be much higher in Washington, suggesting that exploiting this geographical variation might be a productive way to study sexual selection in this species.


The refractive indices of a class of Blue-Phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) and their temperature dependence have been measured and analyzed. In general, the thermal index gradients in blue phases, BPI and BPII, are both larger than in isotropic liquid state; the index gradient of BPII phase is steeper than that of BPI, and is attributed to the difference between the expansion coefficients of simple and body-centered cubic lattices. Besides their obvious importance in photonics and nonlinear optical processes and applications, the investigation of the phase dependence of the index gradient also provides a useful way for phase identification of BPLCs, namely the second-order and weakly first order phase transitions corresponding to the ISO/BPII transition and the BPII/BPI transition.


We derive a family of Monte Carlo estimators for gradients of expectations of univariate distributions, which is related to the log-derivative trick, but involves pairwise interactions between samples. The first of these comes from either a) introducing and approximating an integral representation based on the fundamental theorem of calculus, or b) applying the reparameterisation trick to an implicit parameterisation under infinitesimal perturbation of the parameters. From the former perspective we generalise to a reproducing kernel Hilbert space representation, giving rise to locality parameter in the pairwise interactions mentioned above. The resulting estimators are unbiased and shown to offer an independent component of useful information in comparison with the log-derivative estimator. Promising analytical and numerical examples confirm the intuitions behind the new estimators.


Minimum energy consumption and economic efficiency using local and recyclable materials is essential for achieving sustainability, considering the depletion of global energy sources. The Anatolian Peninsula presents a diverse range of local building construction techniques accumulated over centuries, which meet the criteria mentioned above. Due to richness of climatic variety and the influence of many civilisations throughout history, Anatolian regions reflect this richness in their respective solutions to building construction. Built mainly out of brick and stone, mortared and plastered by mud, the domed vernacular houses of Harran, a small town in the province of Urfa in the hot arid climate of southeastern Anatolia, are one of the best examples that deserve attention with respect to minimum energy consumption. In this study, the thermal performance of the "Harran house" as a vernacular type was analysed. For this purpose, temperatures inside and outside a Harran house complex with relative humidity variations were measured. In addition, for investigating the domed houses' thermal behaviour, temperature measurements at different surfaces and media were recorded. The solar chimney effect obtained from the dome and the importance of the thermal mass of the square base of the house were also evaluated. The study yielded results, which showed that the indoor conditions were within the limits for thermal comfort even under extreme summer conditions.


The calcein-AM (calcein-acetoxymethyl ester) method is a widely used technique that is supposed to assay the intracellular 'labile iron pool' (LIP). When cells in culture are exposed to this ester, it passes the plasma membrane and reacts with cytosolic unspecific esterases. One of the reaction products, calcein, is a fluorochrome and a hydrophilic alcohol to which membranes are non-permeable and which, consequently, is retained within the cytosol of cells. Calcein fluorescence is quenched following chelation of low-mass labile iron, and the degree of quenching gives an estimate of the amounts of chelatable iron. However, a requirement for the assay to be able to demonstrate cellular LIP in total is that such iron be localized in the cytosol and not in a membrane-limited compartment. For some time it has been known that a major part of cellular, redox-active, labile, low-mass iron is temporarily localized in the lysosomal compartment as a result of the autophagic degradation of ferruginous materials, such as mitochondrial complexes and ferritin. Even if some calcein-AM may escape cytosolic esterases and enter lysosomes to be cleaved by lysosomal acidic esterases, the resulting calcein does not significantly chelate iron at <pH 5. In the present study we show that the calcein-AM method does not capture lysosomal low-mass iron and, therefore, that the method seriously underestimates total cellular labile iron.


Purpose: Professional commitment is an individualized concept that combines commitment to a profession and the organization of employment. Currently there is no distinct definition of professional commitment within the context of athletic training. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the impact of collegiate divisional setting on the definition of professional commitment. Methods: Online asynchronous interviews. Inclusion criteria consisted of full-time employment in the collegiate setting with at least 1 year of experience beyond a graduate assistantship. Thirty-three BOC certified ATs employed in the collegiate setting (Division I =11, Division II = 9, Division III = 13) volunteered with an average of 10 ± 8 years of clinical experience. Data saturation guided the total number of participants. Participants journaled their thoughts and experiences via QuestionPro™. Multiple analyst triangulation and peer review were included and data was analyzed utilizing general inductive analysis. Results: The importance of current practices emerged across all three settings. ATs in the Division I setting viewed commitment as advocating for their student athletes, providing the best care possible, and mentoring them as young adults. In the Division II setting, ATs were focused on life-long learning as a reflection of commitment. This was often accomplished by attending seminars, completing CEUs, and continually adding to their skill set in order to provide the best care for their student athletes. Division III focused their definition on being a multifaceted health care provider. Exceeding expectations and being a dedicated professional was an aspect of professional commitment. Conclusions: It is important to understand what keeps ATs motivated in the profession in order to enhance retention strategies. Overall, ATs' professional commitment is derived from providing quality care to student-athletes, continuously advancing education within the profession, and being a multifaceted healthcare provider.


This study reviews the financial costs of abating greenhouse gas emissions through Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD). It is written from the perspective of an institutional investor seeking cost-effective climate mitigation options. A review of empirical data from Brazil and Indonesia suggests that REDD may, in many areas, provide a cost-effective climate mitigation option, with estimated costs lying in a range of US$ 2-10 per ton of CO2e.


By the absolute Good, I understand the Idea of the Good; by the human goods, I understand pleasure and reason, which have been disqualified in Plato's "Republic" as candidates for the absolute Good (cf.R.505b-d). Concerning the Idea of the Good, we can distinguish a maximal and a minimal interpretation. After the minimal interpretation, the Idea of the Good is the absolute Good because there is no final cause beyond the Idea of the Good. After the maximal interpretation, the Idea of the Good is the One. The maximal and the minimal interpretation go beyond the textual evidence. I will defend two theses: (1) Since the Platonic Socrates deliberately gives no more information, it seems wise to stop with Socrates and to give only a formal, not a substantive, interpretation: The absolute good is the third item between and above knowledge and the known. (2) To mediate between the absolute Good and the human goods, Plato's Eleatic Stranger introduced in the "Politicus" an intermediate principle.


In Certain German Interests in Polish Upper Silesia, the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) said: 'A treaty only creates law as between the States which are parties to it; in case of doubt, no rights can be deduced from it in favour of third States'. This is the classic statement of the privity, pacta tertiis or parties-only principle in international law. Accordingly, treaties create (enforceable) obligations and rights only for the States parties to them. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) codified the privity principle in its Articles 34, 35, 36 and 37.As this chapter shows, the PCIJ's axiomatic statement in Certain German Interests almost eighty years ago no longer fully reflects the effect of treaties on third parties in contemporary international law. Since then, the principle of privity of treaty has lost some its sharp edges. The rise of erga omnes obligations and objective, status-creating treaties, the conferral of rights on non-State actors and their ability to directly enforce such rights as well as the turn towards informal international law beyond the law of treaties have tempered the traditional privity rule. However, it would be premature to sound the death knell of privity of treaty. Privity remains an important structural characteristic on the inter-State plane.


Background: The microscope high-power field (HPF) is the cornerstone for histopathology diagnostic evaluation such as the quantification of mitotic figures, lymphocytes, and tumor grading. With traditional light microscopy, HPFs are typically evaluated by quantifying histologic events in 10 fields of view at × 400 magnification. In the era of digital pathology, new variables are introduced that may affect HPF evaluation. The aim of this study was to determine the parameters that influence HPF in whole slide images (WSIs). Materials and Methods: Glass slides scanned on various devices (Leica's Aperio GT450, AT2, and ScanScope XT; Philips UltraFast Scanner; Hamamatsu's Nanozoomer 2.0HT; and 3DHistech's P1000) were compared to acquired digital slides reviewed on each vendor's respective WSI viewer software (e.g., Aperio ImageScope, ImageScope DX, Philips IMS, 3DHistech CaseViewer, and Hamamatsu NDP.view) and an in-house developed vendor-agnostic viewer. WSIs were reviewed at "×40" equivalent HPF on different sized monitors with varying display resolutions (1900 × 1080–4500 × 3000) and aspect ratios (e.g., Food and Drug Administration [FDA]-cleared 27" Philips PS27QHDCR, FDA-cleared 24" Dell MR2416, 24" Hewlett Packard Z24n G2, and 28" Microsoft Surface Studio). Digital and microscopic HPF areas were calculated and compared. Results: A significant variation of HPF area occurred between differing monitor size and display resolutions with minor differences between WSI viewers. No differences were identified by scanner or WSIs scanned at different resolutions (e.g., 0.5, 0.25, 0.24, and 0.12 μm/pixel). Conclusion: Glass slide HPF at × 400 magnification with conventional light microscopy was not equivalent to "×40" digital HPF areas. Digital HPF quantification may vary due to differences in the tissue area displayed by monitor sizes, display resolutions, and WSI viewers but not by scanner or scanning resolution. These findings will need to be further clinically validated with potentially new digital metrics for evaluation.


The recent energy for reforming legal education focuses on curricular changes that expand students' understanding of what law is, move beyond adjudication and the courtroom, introduce broader forms of knowledge, and develop a wider range of skills. These well-intentioned and carefully analyzed programmatic initiatives may nevertheless founder because of the cultural mismatch between these proposals and the institutions they seek to change. In this essay we argue that successful reform requires taking account of the culture of competition and conformity that permeates law schools. By culture we mean the incentive structures and peer pressure, dominant rituals and unspoken habits of thought that map the physical and psychic terrain for a majority of both students and faculty. That cultural mix exerts a constant pressure to make comparisons along a uniform axis. As a result, the requirement to conform will often trump the invitation to explore. We identify the features of conflict, expertise, professional identities, and incentives that structure and reinforce this culture of competition and conformity within the classroom, the institution, and the larger environment of legal practice. Law school culture emerges from the adversarial idea of law that is inscribed in the dominant pedagogy. It is reinforced by the prevailing metrics of success, which rank order students through relentless public competitions (for grades, jobs, law journals, moot court, and clerkships) and provide very little opportunity for feedback that encourages students to develop more contextually defined or internally generated measures of accomplishment. It is locked in by its resonance with the currency of success in the private bar-money. It is preserved by the detachment of faculty from students' professional self-definition and reinforced by the primary way students learn - in class through questioning by professors in the presence of peers, when students perceive they have either won or lost the interaction. The culture of competition and conformity is an invisible but ubiquitous gravitational force that mediates the impact of curricular reforms on students' learning and decision-making. It discourages faculty from investing the time and intellectual resources necessary to make these reforms work. It saps the collective energy of sympathetic members of both student and faculty constituencies, each of whom has been habituated through their exposure to the culture of law schools into thinking of themselves as individual competitors. For these reasons, it is crucial to identify the aspects of the law school environment sustaining the culture of competition and conformity, so that its dynamics can be addressed as part of any successful reform initiative.


Previous studies on synesthesia have suggested non-random association between sounds of linguistic units and colors (Asano & Yokosawa, 2011; 2012; Shin & Kim, 2014). The cross-modal association between speech sound and color has also been generalized to non-synesthetes based on results from color matching to auditorily presented vowels (Kim et al., VSS 2015; Mok et al., 2015; Moos et al., 2014). In the current study, we extended our previous work by examining the relationship between consonant sounds and colors. We employed 25 synthetic consonant-vowel (CV) sounds as stimuli generated by using Haskins laboratories articulatory synthesizer. In the stimulus set, the organ of constriction (lips, tongue tip, tongue body), constriction degree, glottal gestures, and velum gestures were parametrically manipulated with the vowel gesture fixed at its rest position. A total of 46 participants were tested with a modified version of the standardized color-matching procedure (Eagleman et al., 2007), in which they chose colors 6 times matching each auditorily presented CV sounds. No instruction was provided regarding the nature of the stimuli. The matched RGB values were converted into CIE xyY and Lab color coordinates for analysis. Despite the lack of participants' awareness of the consonantal nature of the auditory stimuli, CV sounds with the same glottal (e.g., /peh/, /teh/, /keh/) or the same velum (e.g., /me/, /ne/, /nge/) gestures tended to be associated with more similar colors than others indicated by closer distance on the CIE xyY color space. Furthermore, CV sounds sharing the glottal gestures synchronous with oral gestures were associated with more bluish colors whereas CV sounds sharing the velum gestures were associated with more yellowish colors than others, evidenced by a blue-yellow color axis (b*) of CIE Lab color space. These results suggest an intrinsic association between acoustic features of


Tight junctions have recently emerged as essential signaling regulators of proliferation and differentiation in epithelial tissues. Here, we aimed to identify the factors regulating claudin-7 expression in the colon, and analyzed the consequences of claudin-7 overexpression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). In healthy human colonic crypts, claudin-7 expression was found to be low in the stem/progenitor cell compartment, where Tcf-4 activity is high, but strong in differentiated and postmitotic cells, where Tcf-4 is inactive. In contrast, claudin-7 was overexpressed in areas with high Tcf-4 target gene levels in CRC samples. In vitro , Tcf-4 was able to repress claudin-7 expression, and the high mobility group–box transcription factor Sox-9 was identified as an essential mediator of this effect. Claudin-7 was strongly expressed in the intestine of Sox-9–deficient mice and in CRC cells with low Sox transcriptional activity. Sox-9 overexpression in these cells reinstated claudin-7 repression, and residual claudin-7 was no longer localized along the basolateral membrane, but was instead restricted to tight junctions. Using HT-29Cl.16E CRC cell spheroids, we found that Sox-9–induced polarization was completely reversed after virus-mediated claudin-7 overexpression. Claudin-7 overexpression in this context increased Tcf-4 target gene expression, proliferation, and tumorigenicity after injection in nude mice. Our results indicate that Tcf-4 maintains low levels of claudin-7 at the bottom of colonic crypts, acting via Sox-9. This negative regulation seems to be defective in CRC, possibly due to decreased Sox-9 activity, and the resulting claudin-7 overexpression promotes a loss of tumor cell polarization and contributes to tumorigenesis. [Cancer Res 2008;68(11):4258–68]


Theoretical and experimental studies of the acoustically tuned optical filter show that suitable crystal orientations can be divided into two broad classes based on the acoustic properties of the propagation path used. In acoustically isotropic cases, the acoustic phase and group velocities are collinear. All 32 crystalline point groups are examined for acoustically isotropic orientations that may be useful in tunable optical filters. In acoustically anisotropic cases, the phase and group velocities are not collinear. Methods are presented with which the effects caused by acoustic divergence in these cases may be compensated by similar effects due to changes of birefringence. In particular, anisotropic propagation collinear with acoustic group velocity on a path 101.2° from the optic axis in the Y, Z plane of quartz allows operation at a lower acoustic frequency and power level than that required by isotropic orientations for equivalent performance.


(1) Three prominent quasi-global patterns of variability and change are observed using the Met Office's sea surface temperature (SST) analysis and almost independent night marine air temperature analysis. The first is a global warming signal that is very highly correlated with global mean SST. The second is a decadal to multidecadal fluctuation with some geographical similarity to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It is associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and its Pacific-wide manifestation has been termed the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). We present model investigations of the relationship between the IPO and ENSO. The third mode is an interhemispheric variation on multidecadal timescales which, in view of climate model experiments, is likely to be at least partly due to natural variations in the thermohaline circulation. Observed climatic impacts of this mode also appear in model simulations. Smaller-scale, regional atmospheric phenomena also affect climate on decadal to interdecadal timescales. We concentrate on one such mode, the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). This shows strong decadal to interdecadal variability and a correspondingly strong influence on surface climate variability which is largely additional to the effects of recent regional anthropogenic climate change. The winter NAO is likely influenced by both SST forcing and stratospheric variability. A full understanding of decadal changes in the NAO and European winter climate may require a detailed representation of the stratosphere that is hitherto missing in the major climate models used to study climate change.


• Cardiovascular and endocrine responses were evaluated in 12 adult patients over a 5-day period following 30% to 66% burn injury. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, and stroke volume were measured. Plasma concentrations of angiotensin II, atrial natriuretic peptide, vasopressin, neuropeptide Y, norepinephrine, and epinephrine were measured. On the day of burn injury, systemic vascular resistance was markedly elevated, and stroke volume and cardiac output were low, but all normalized by day 3, and cardiac output and stroke volume increased by day 5 without significant changes of central venous pressure or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate did not change significantly over the 5-day period. Vasopressin, angiotensin II, neuropeptide Y, norepinephrine, and epinephrine concentrations in plasma were elevated on admission. Vasopressin concentrations were elevated 50 times normal on admission and returned to normal levels by days 4 to 5. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations were normal on admission and increased significantly on days 3 to 5. The reciprocal relationship between systemic vascular resistance and cardiac output and between vasopressin and atrial natriuretic peptide correlate with each other and the observed physiologic events that occurred following burn injury and resuscitation. All of these changes in cardiac performance occurred without significant alterations in preload or afterload as measured by central venous pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and mean arterial pressure. Increases in plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide correlated with the increased stroke volume and cardiac output observed in these patients. The results of this study are consistent with the conclusion that the extreme elevations of plasma vasopressin levels contribute to the vascular complications of increased systemic vascular resistance and decreased cardiac output and contractility seen following burn injury. (Arch Surg. 1990;125:1065-1069)


Currently, full vehicle computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to predict rear fascia temperatures. As these simulations are expensive and time consuming, only what is intended to be a worst case scenario analysis is completed. Certain variables can be overlooked and the case selected may not be the worst case scenario. The objective of this thesis is to create a surrogate model that can rapidly predict maximum fascia temperature for a variety of vehicle operating conditions and exhaust positions, while exploring the physical mechanisms responsible for the heat transfer between the exhaust gas, exhaust components, and rear fascia. Using full vehicle CFD simulations, an investigation of the maximum fascia temperature as a function of vehicle operating conditions and exhaust positioning is completed by identifying non-dimensional parameters governing maximum fascia temperature, consisting of both geometric and non-geometric parameters based on vehicle speed and exhaust inlet velocity (Reynolds number), their ratio (velocity ratio), and exhaust temperature (exhaust temperature ratio). The exhaust positioning within the rear fascia is simplified into four non-dimensional parameters to explore the modifications in geometry. A design of experiments (DOE) was completed with full vehicle CFD simulations using optimal Latin hypercube sampling of the input variables. Using data from the DOE, a surrogate model is generated. The individual impact of each parameter on the maximum fascia temperature is identified and the surrogate model suggests a vehicle operating condition consisting of low vehicle speed and high load (high exhaust velocity and exhaust gas temperature) results in highest fascia temperatures. For this condition, at a baseline exhaust position, the maximum fascia temperature exceeds the maximum allowable value by 200 K. For the same operating condition, the exhaust positioning predicted by the surrogate model to result in lowest maximum fascia temperature exceeds the maximum allowable value by only 70 K.


Visual rhetoric is concerned with understanding how images communicate, how they function in a social and cultural environment, and how they embody meaning. In the press context, photographs might be seen primarily as conveyors of information about important events in the world, but the structure of the news media and the expectations of readers somewhat complicate the matter. We have to regard press photographs as part of a complex network of cultural phenomena. Rhetoric is normally considered to be a persuasive skill, classically to convince us of a point of view; in the modern age, to encourage us to purchase goods. However, we can also consider it has a role in the formation of community identity and reinforcing our beliefs. Readers also look to photographs to convey something of the emotion of the event, or they can seek visual information that will amuse or entertain—and the news media are only too happy to comply.


Most poverty and inequality analysis rely on household-based surveys, such as income and expenditure surveys. Since multistage stratified sampling is used for these surveys, and coverage errors and non-response are generally part of surveys, it is essential that the data be weighted in order to obtain improved accuracy of the estimates of the measures. The first part of this paper considers the use of weighting, especially calibration / integrated weighting, in order to improve the estimation of welfare measures such as the Headcount index, Gini coefficient and Theil's index in complex surveys. The second part considers whether the bootstrap resampling technique provides reliable estimation results for poverty and inequality measures, especially for the construction of confidence intervals. Application of the bootstrap in complex sampling designs is discussed and used to estimate the bias and MSE of estimators of the welfare indices under consideration, over the different weighting techniques. Four confidence intervals for the welfare indices that are discussed under complex sampling, are the standard (asymptotic) interval, percentile interval, bootstrap-t interval and BCa interval. The latter confidence interval has not been applied previously in complex sampling. Results are given that assess the different weighting techniques as well as the performance of the bootstrap under complex sampling. These results are all obtained from a simulation study carried out on the Income and Expenditure Survey (IES) 2005/2006 of South Africa, using income as study variable.


The cloud adoption can be regarded as a paragon shift of business transaction, which will accompany with business process reengineering. How do cloud systems be implemented to enhance the business processes across industries? By conducting a empirical survey, this study focuses on the comparison of the cloud adoption across industries in Taiwan. This research project was conducted by two research institutes (i.e. IDC and III). A cloud maturity matrix is composed of four dimensions (i.e., familiarity, process, change management, and performance). Through investigating the cloud maturity of seven industries, including finance, public/education, retail, manufacturing, ICT, healthcare, and transportation, the contributions of this work are: (1) to compare the status quo of cloud adoption across industries, (2) to understand the possible factors of difference toward industrial cloud adoption, and (3) to discuss the strategy foci for industries. A cluster-random sampling method was utilized to chosen 724 qualified firms from the IDC survey database. One hundred and seventy one valid response were received. The findings reveal that the significant different across industries in cloud maturity. Both public/education and healthcare reveal highest cloud maturity. The public/education industry is more mature in familiarity, process, and change management. The ICT industry performs better in change management, while the healthcare industry shows higher performance. The findings provide valuable insights for managers and policy makers to develop effective cloud development policies and procedures.


This thesis is a philosophical examination of the phenomenon
of drawing. Drawing is considered as the means whereby the draughtsman
makes actual, through making graphic, his perceptual interchange
with and implicit reflection of the world. The concern is set not
so much in what is affected, as what is being affected. Drawing is
viewed primarily as process, as the movement toward meaning. This
movement is evidence of the draughtsman's imaginative engagement and
brings space and time together. Through his drawing, caught within
all its material structuring, he temporalises space and spatialises
time. These together found and promote its image. The drawing, as
image in form, demonstrates the draughtsman's move from the 'lived'
of his experience to the 'thought about'. His transcription moreover
discloses an intrinsic subject/object dialectic and founds the whole
possibility of the drawing's 'world', ordered and sustained through
all its representative and expressive potential. In this context
the views of Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Dufrenne, Wollheim and Witkin
among others are examined.
In the light of these theoretical considerations and as visual support for the arg-wnents, the drawings of five draughtsmen are
discussed. These are further amplified €hrough transcripts of
conversations about their own drawing activity. The work of three
of these is presented through time-lapse sequence photographs, to
give opportunity to discuss in detail the process of the activity
itself.
The thesis maintains that the draughtsman is a phenomenologist.
Within the scope of all the ways he makes his marks, through all
their transmutations, he seeks routes for the interrogation of how
things are. Through his drawings he seeks to inscribe a fecund
spatiality that gives visibility back to vision. This is the ontological
status of drawing and this is the phenomenological concern.


Across a wide set of non-group insurance markets, applicants are rejected based on observable, often high-risk, characteristics. This paper explores private information as a potential cause. To do so, we develop and test a model in which agents have private information about their risk. We derive a new no-trade result that can theoretically explain how private information could cause rejections. We use the no-trade condition to generate measures of the barrier to trade private information imposes. We develop a new empirical methodology to estimate these measures that uses subjective probability elicitations as noisy measures of agents' beliefs. We apply our approach to three non-group markets: long-term care, disability, and life insurance. Consistent with the predictions of the theory, in all three settings we find larger barriers to trade imposed by private information for those who would be rejected relative to those who are served by the market. For those who would be rejected, private information imposes a barrier to trade equivalent to an implicit tax on insurance premiums of roughly 65-75% in long-term care, 90-130% in disability, and 65-130% in life insurance. JEL classification numbers: C51, D82


One of the important impacts of climate change is the sea level rise. Turkey is a peninsula, so the coastal areas of the country are threatened by the problem of sea level rise. Therefore, the urbanized coastal areas are highly vulnerable to climate change. At the aim of enhancing spatial resilience of urbanized areas, this question arises: What should be the priority intervention subject in the urban planning process for a given city. To answer this question, by focusing on the problem of sea level rise, this study aims to determine spatial vulnerability typologies and levels of Turkey coastal cities based on morphological, physical and social characteristics. As a method, spatial vulnerability of coastal cities is determined by two steps as level and type. Firstly, physical structure, morphological structure and social structure were examined in determining spatial vulnerability levels. By determining these levels, most vulnerable areas were revealed as a priority in adaptation studies. Secondly, all parameters are also used to determine spatial typologies. Typologies are determined for coastal cities in order to use as a base for urban planning studies. Adaptation to climate change is crucial for developing countries like Turkey so, this methodology and created typologies could be a guide for urban planners as spatial directors and an example for other developing countries in the context of adaptation to climate change. The results demonstrate that the urban settlements located on the coasts of the Marmara Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean respectively, are more vulnerable than the cities located on the Black Sea's coasts to sea level rise. Keywords—Climate change, coastal cities, sea level rise, urban land use planning, vulnerability.


Here, we report a flexible solid-state Zn–air battery (SZAB) that achieves a record round-trip efficiency of 75%. The major components of the SZAB are based on biomass derivatives. Glucose acts as the carbon source to construct the bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. Methylcellulose simultaneously enhances the ionic conductivity and water retention of the gel electrolyte, endowing the SZAB with enhanced flexibility and efficiency.


A case of long survival of brain tumor (well differentiated adenocarcinoma) was reported. A 55-year-old man was admitted in January, 1986, because of a one month history of progressive headache, dizziness and gait disturbance. CT scans revealed an enhancing tumor in contact with the falx in the right frontal lobe. The tumor was totally removed. The histopathological diagnosis was that of a well differentiated adenocarcinoma. The primary site of the adenocarcinoma was not detected. No chemotherapy or radiation therapy was given. Four years and 7 months after surgery CT scans demonstrated a recurrent tumor as a bilaterally expanding falx meningioma. Nearly total removal of the tumor was again performed and diagnosed as adenocarcinoma. Examinations to detect the primary site and other metastatic lesions were negative again. On May 1993, the patient died because of the intracranial dissemination of tumor without extracranial lesions. The period from the first operation to his death was 7 years and 5 months. This is a case of long survival of intracranial cancer, which was considered as a metastatic tumor, though the primary site and other metastatic lesions were not detected. The tumor in this case showed the atypical features of a metastatic adenocarcinoma. For example, the primary and recurrent tumors resembled a parasagital or falx meningioma in shape and they grew slowly. Therefore, there is a possibility that the tumor was actually a primary adenocarcinoma, which might have arisen from the embryologically migrated cells of the mucous membrane or from ectopic epithelial cells.


A novel text selection approach for training a language model (LM) with Web texts is proposed for automatic speech recognition (ASR) of spoken dialogue systems. Compared to the conventional approach based on perplexity criterion, the proposed approach introduces a semantic-level relevance measure with the back-end knowledge base used in the dialogue system. We focus on the predicate-argument (P-A) structure characteristic to the domain in order to filter semantically relevant sentences in the domain. Moreover, combination with the perplexity measure is investigated. Experimental evaluations in two different domains demonstrate the effectiveness and generality of the proposed approach. The combination method realizes significant improvement not only in ASR accuracy but also in semantic-level accuracy.


Trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC) refers to a planned attempt to deliver vaginally by a woman who has had a previous cesarean delivery, regardless of the outcome. This method provides women who desire a vaginal delivery the possibility of achieving that goal-a vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC). In addition to fulfilling a patient's preference for vaginal delivery, at an individual level, VBAC is associated with decreased maternal morbidity and a decreased risk of complications in future pregnancies as well as a decrease in the overall cesarean delivery rate at the population level (1-3). However, although TOLAC is appropriate for many women, several factors increase the likelihood of a failed trial of labor, which in turn is associated with increased maternal and perinatal morbidity when compared with a successful trial of labor (ie, VBAC) and elective repeat cesarean delivery (4-6). Therefore, assessing the likelihood of VBAC as well as the individual risks is important when determining who is an appropriate candidate for TOLAC. Thus, the purpose of this document is to review the risks and benefits of TOLAC in various clinical situations and to provide practical guidelines for counseling and management of patients who will attempt to give birth vaginally after a previous cesarean delivery.


This brief studies the complete stability of neural networks with nonmonotonic piecewise linear activation functions. By applying the fixed-point theorem and the eigenvalue properties of the strict diagonal dominance matrix, some conditions are derived, which guarantee that such n-neuron neural networks are completely stable. More precisely, the following two important results are obtained: 1) The corresponding neural networks have exactly 5n equilibrium points, among which 3n equilibrium points are locally exponentially stable and the others are unstable; 2) as long as the initial states are not equal to the equilibrium points of the neural networks, the corresponding solution trajectories will converge toward one of the 3n locally stable equilibrium points. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the theoretical findings via computer simulations.


Background Both pulmonary arterial stiffening and systemic arterial stiffening have been described in COPD. The aim of the current study was to assess pulse wave velocity (PWV) within these two arterial beds to determine whether they are separate or linked processes. Materials and methods In total, 58 participants with COPD and 21 healthy volunteers (HVs) underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were tested with a panel of relevant biomarkers. Cardiac MRI was used to quantify ventricular mass, volumes, and pulmonary (pulse wave velocity [pPWV] and systemic pulse wave velocity [sPWV]). Results Those with COPD had higher pPWV (COPD: 2.62 vs HV: 1.78 ms−1, p=0.006), higher right ventricular mass/volume ratio (RVMVR; COPD: 0.29 vs HV: 0.25 g/mL, p=0.012), higher left ventricular mass/volume ratio (LVMVR; COPD: 0.78 vs HV: 0.70 g/mL, p=0.009), and a trend toward a higher sPWV (COPD: 8.7 vs HV: 7.4 ms−1, p=0.06). Multiple biomarkers were elevated: interleukin-6 (COPD: 1.38 vs HV: 0.58 pg/mL, p=0.02), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (COPD: 6.42 vs HV: 2.49 mg/L, p=0.002), surfactant protein D (COPD: 16.9 vs HV: 9.13 ng/mL, p=0.001), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (COPD: 603 vs HV: 198 pg/mL, p=0.001), and high-sensitivity troponin I (COPD: 2.27 vs HV: 0.92 pg/mL, p<0.001). There was a significant relationship between sPWV and LVMVR (p=0.01) but not pPWV (p=0.97) nor between pPWV and RVMVR (p=0.27). Conclusion Pulmonary arterial stiffening and systemic arterial stiffening appear to be disconnected and should therefore be considered independent processes in COPD. Further work is warranted to determine whether both these cause an increased morbidity and mortality and whether both can be targeted by similar pharmacological therapy or whether different strategies are required for each.


We present a probabilistic generative model for timing deviations in expressive music performance. The structure of the proposed model is equivalent to a switching state space model. The switch variables correspond to discrete note locations as in a musical score. The continuous hidden variables denote the tempo. We formulate two well known music recognition problems, namely tempo tracking and automatic transcription (rhythm quantization) as filtering and maximum a posteriori (MAP) state estimation tasks. Exact computation of posterior features such as the MAP state is intractable in this model class, so we introduce Monte Carlo methods for integration and optimization. We compare Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods (such as Gibbs sampling, simulated annealing and iterative improvement) and sequential Monte Carlo methods (particle filters). Our simulation results suggest better results with sequential methods. The methods can be applied in both online and batch scenarios such as tempo tracking and transcription and are thus potentially useful in a number of music applications such as adaptive automatic accompaniment, score typesetting and music information retrieval.


Introduction Decision makers in care and support systems across Europe are increasingly facing up to new economic realities. Most obvious among the forces that are changing the economic context is the ageing of the population, and the associated realisation that today's arrangements for supporting older people with health and social care needs will probably not be seen as affordable in 20 or 30 years time. Another force for change is that many more people with major disabilities are surviving into old age. At the same time, and a further cause for celebration, older and disabled people today have different expectations, in particular demanding access to the same opportunities as those available to any other citizen. This manifests itself in, for example, higher aspirations for participation in further and higher education, for employment, for relationships and family roles, and for control over decisions that affect their daily lives. Description and discussion Set in this exciting new context, the aim of this presentation will be to identify the new economic challenges that pervade the fields of ageing and disability, and describe some possible responses, in particular looking to learn from across the broad spectrum of ageing and disability. Among the areas to be considered are: the funding of long-term care and support, and the need to consider radical new arrangements; the promotion of choice and control; the development of inclusive employment strategies; the conceptualisation and assessment of success ('outcome') in research; and the creation of an evidence base to support decision-making. In each case, the focus will be on the contributions made by economic insights and analysis.


Spatial compactification on $\mathbb R^{3} \times \mathbb S^1_L$ at small $\mathbb S^1$-size $L$ often leads to a calculable vacuum structure, where various "topological molecules" are responsible for confinement and the realization of the center and discrete chiral symmetries. Within this semiclassically calculable framework, we study how distinct theories with the same $SU(N_c)/\mathbb Z_k$ gauge group (labeled by "discrete $\theta$-angles") arise upon gauging of appropriate $\mathbb Z_k$ subgroups of the one-form global center symmetry of an $SU(N_c)$ gauge theory. We determine the possible $\mathbb Z_k$ actions on the local electric and magnetic effective degrees of freedom, find the ground states, and use domain walls and confining strings to give a physical picture of the vacuum structure of the different $SU(N_c)/\mathbb Z_k$ theories. Some of our results reproduce ones from earlier supersymmetric studies, but most are new and do not invoke supersymmetry. We also study a further finite-temperature compactification to $\mathbb R^{2}\times \mathbb S^1_\beta\times\mathbb S^1_L$. We argue that, in deformed Yang-Mills theory, the effective theory near the deconfinement temperature $\beta_c \gg L$ exhibits an emergent Kramers-Wannier duality and that it exchanges high- and low-temperature theories with different global structure, sharing features with both the Ising model and $S$-duality in ${\cal N}$$=$$4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory.


In A City of Marble, Kathleen Lamp argues that classical rhetorical theory shaped the Augustan cultural campaigns and that in turn the Augustan cultural campaigns functioned rhetorically to help Augustus gain and maintain power and to influence civic identity and participation in the Roman Principate (27 b. c. e.--14 c. e.). Lamp begins by studying rhetorical treatises, those texts most familiar to scholars of rhetoric, and moves on to those most obviously using rhetorical techniques in visual form. She then arrives at those objects least recognisable as rhetorical artefacts, but perhaps most significant to the daily lives of the Roman people--coins, altars, wall painting. This progression also captures the development of the Augustan political myth that Augustus was destined to rule and lead Rome to greatness as a descendant of the hero Aeneas. A City of Marble examines the establishment of this myth in state rhetoric, traces its circulation, and finally samples its popular receptions and adaptations. In doing so, Lamp inserts a long-excluded though significant audience--the common people of Rome--into contemporary understandings of rhetorical history and considers Augustan culture as significant in shaping civic identity, encouraging civic participation, and promoting social advancement. Lamp approaches the relationship between classical rhetoric and Augustan culture through a transdisciplinary methodology drawn from archaeology, art and architectural history, numismatics, classics, and rhetorical studies. By doing so, she grounds Dionysius of Halicarnassus's claims that the Principate represented a renaissance of rhetoric rooted in culture and a return to an Isocratean philosophical model of rhetoric, thus offering a counterstatement to the "decline narrative" that rhetorical practice withered in the early Roman Empire. Thus Lamp's work provides a step toward filling the disciplinary gap between Cicero and the Second Sophistic.


Abstract Existing literature has long recognized that a partnership has been forged between the PRC government and Hong Kong's capitalist class. However, the implications of such a partnership for HKSAR governance have yet to be thoroughly explored. By examining the formation of this partnership and its consolidation after 1997, this article argues that the business sector's direct access to the sovereign state has fundamentally changed the dynamics of state–business relations in the HKSAR. As a consequence of the partnership between Beijing and the business sector, business elites have taken their concerns straight to the mainland authorities whenever they see their interests affected by the post-colonial state. This kind of circumvention has become a part of post-1997 politics, undermining the relative autonomy of the post-colonial state and resulting in growing cleavages within the state–business alliance during the first 15 years of the HKSAR. Whether and how such a partnership will evolve in the aftermath of the 2012 chief executive election remains to be seen.