BACKGROUND: The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act requires Part D plans to establish programs to provide medication therapy management (MTM) services starting from 2006. MTM services have been found to improve patient outcomes from pharmacotherapy, reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and reduce health care costs in a cost-effective fashion. However, previous research found that non-Hispanic blacks (blacks) and Hispanics may be less likely to be eligible for MTM services than non-Hispanic whites (whites) among the Medicare population, according to current Medicare MTM eligibility criteria. This finding is because Medicare MTM eligibility criteria are predominantly based on medication use and costs, and blacks and Hispanics tend to use fewer prescription medications and incur lower prescription medication costs. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) laid out a set of MTM eligibility criteria for eligible entities to target patients for MTM services: "(1) take 4 or more prescribed medications …; (2) take any 'high risk' medications; (3) have 2 or more chronic diseases … or (4) have undergone a transition of care, or other factors … that are likely to create a high risk of medication-related problems." OBJECTIVES: To (a) examine racial/ethnic disparities in meeting the eligibility criteria for MTM services in PPACA among the Medicare population and (b) determine whether there would be greater disparities in health and economic outcomes among MTM-ineligible than MTM-eligible groups. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey (2007-2008). To determine medication characteristics, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Electronic Orange Book was also used. Proportions of the population eligible for MTM services based on PPACA MTM eligibility criteria were compared across racial and ethnic groups using a chi-square test; a logistic regression model was used to adjust for population sociodemographic and health characteristics. Health and economic outcomes examined included health status (self-perceived good health status, number of chronic diseases, activities of daily living [ADLs], and instrumental activities of daily living [IADLs]), health services utilization and costs (physician visits, emergency room visits, and total health care costs), and medication use patterns (generic dispensing ratio). To determine difference in disparities across MTM eligibility categories, difference-in-differences regressions of various functional forms were employed, depending on the nature of the dependent variables. Interaction terms between the dummy variables for minority groups (e.g., blacks or Hispanics) and MTM eligibility were included to test whether disparity patterns varied between MTM-ineligible and MTM-eligible individuals. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 12,966 Medicare beneficiaries, of which 11,161 were white, 930 were black, and 875 were Hispanic. Of the study sample, 9,992 whites (86.4%), 825 blacks (86.3%), and 733 Hispanics (80.6%) were eligible for MTM. The difference between whites and Hispanics was significant (P < 0.050), and the difference between whites and blacks was not significant (P > 0.050). In multivariate analyses, significant disparity in eligibility for MTM services was found only between Hispanics and whites (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.43-0.82) but not between blacks and whites (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.55-1.09). Disparities were greater among the MTM-ineligible than the MTM-eligible populations in self-perceived health status, ADLs, and IADLs for both blacks and Hispanics compared with whites. When analyzing the number of chronic conditions, the number and costs of physician visits, and total health care costs, the authors of this study found lower racial and ethnic disparities among the ineligible population than the eligible population. CONCLUSIONS: Hispanics are significantly less likely than whites to qualify for MTM among the Medicare population, according to MTM eligibility criteria stipulated in the PPACA. PPACA MTM eligibility criteria may aggravate existing racial and ethnic disparities in health status but may remediate racial and ethnic disparities in health services utilization. Alternative MTM eligibility criteria other than PPACA MTM eligibility criteria may be needed to improve the efficiency and equity of access to Medicare Part D MTM programs.


This paper investigates if it is possible to increase the accuracy of Convolutional Neural Networks trained on Adjective Noun Concepts with the help of saliency models. Although image classification reaches high accuracy rates, the same level of accuracy is not reached for Adjective Noun Pairs, due to multiple problems. Several benefits can be gained through understanding Adjective Noun Pairs, like automatically tagging large image databases and understanding the sentiment of these images. This knowledge can be used for e.g. a better advertisement system. In order to improve such a sentiment classification system a previous work focused on searching saliency methods that can reproduce the human gaze on Adjective Noun Pairs and found out that "Graph-Based Visual Saliency" belonged to the best for this problem. Utilizing these results we used the "Graph-Based Visual Saliency" method on a big dataset of Adjective Noun Pairs and incorporated these saliency data in the training phase of the Convolutional Neural Network. We tried out three different approaches to incorporate this information in three different cases of Adjective Noun Pair combinations. These cases either share a common adjective or a common noun or are completely different. Our results showed only slight improvements which were not significantly better besides for one technique in one case.


A linear stability analysis is performed for the homogeneous state of a monodisperse gas-fluidized bed of spherical particles undergoing hydrodynamic interactions and solid-body collisions at small particle Reynolds number and finite Stokes number. A prerequisite for the stability analysis is the determination of the particle velocity variance which controls the particle-phase pressure. In the absence of an imposed shear, this velocity variance arises solely due to the hydrodynamic interactions among the particles. Since the uniform state of these suspensions is unstable over a wide range of values of particle volume fraction φ and Stokes number St, full dynamic simulations cannot be used in general to characterize the properties of the homogeneous state. Instead, we use an asymptotic analysis for large Stokes numbers together with numerical simulations of the hydrodynamic interactions among particles with specified velocities to determine the hydrodynamic sources and sinks of particle-phase energy. In this limit, the velocity distribution to leading order is Maxwellian and therefore standard kinetic theories for granular/hard-sphere molecular systems can be used to predict the particle-phase pressure and rheology of the bed once the velocity variance of the particles is determined. The analysis is then extended to moderately large Stokes numbers for which the anisotropy of the velocity distribution is considerable by using a kinetic theory which combines the theoretical analysis of Koch (1990) for dilute suspensions (φ [Lt ] 1) with numerical simulation results for non-dilute suspensions at large Stokes numbers. A linear stability analysis of the resulting equations of motion provides the first a priori predictions of the marginal stability limits for the homogeneous state of a gas-fluidized bed. Dynamical simulations following the detailed motions of the particles in small periodic unit cells confirm the theoretical predictions for the particle velocity variance. Simulations using larger unit cells exhibit an inhomogeneous structure consistent with the predicted instability of the homogeneous gas–solid suspension.


The numbers of elderly in the population nowadays have grown tremendously and
benefited from the modern development of better community services especially in
countries where there are great advancement and progression in health technology.
This emphasis on improvement of community facilities has undoubtedly provided a
better quality of life to many of the older generation and undeniably help in increasing
their life span, hence the increase in population. Contrary to this, many from the older
generations are still faced with difficulties in getting access to the provided services
because of problems in efficiency of facilities provision. In conjunction to this, many
initiatives have been taken by the associated government agencies dedicated to meet
the needs of the elderly. The dedications are in terms of easier access to the available
facilities and without having to pay an astronomical fee. But the planning for the
elderly is a complex issue because their needs are as varied as the population
composition itself. On the other hand, conventional method of data collection
(hardcopy based) has been found to be inefficient and ineffective in terms of producing
qualitative results within a short time span. The two primary objectives guide this research whlch is analysis of the coverage, adequacy and the accessibility of selected
community fachties for the elderly through the GIs technology, and second is to
create an automated data collection technique by using the PDA. Methods in use
involve PDA program customization, selection and surveymg of targeted sites in terms
of accessibility to the selected community facilities. All collected PDA data are pooled
and incorporated into the GIs database. This is followed by creation of elderly
database for spatial analysis and accessibhty analysis. From the experimental results,
the used of automated data collection PDA system is much more cost-effective and
time saving. Besides, with the aid of GIs technology, the distributions of demographic
of elderly in different characteristic are clearly determined based on several definitions.
The study successfully demonstrated the application of GIs with the several methods
in the facilities accessibility assessment of the targeted group, and it has been found
that the community fachties are barely adequate in study area. As an addition, an
automated data collection technique and complimentary spatial analysis procedures can
help to encourage better decision modeling in the development of a better health care
for the elderly. With this automated GIs system, it is hope that better planning and
decision modeling can be done. Thus is to ensure that problems of specific needs of the
target group, in relation of accessibility to social and health facilities, wil be reduced
and finally overcome albeit slowly.


Video restoration aims at restoring multiple high-quality frames from multiple low-quality frames. Existing video restoration methods generally fall into two extreme cases, i.e., they either restore all frames in parallel or restore the video frame by frame in a recurrent way, which would result in different merits and drawbacks. Typically, the former has the advantage of temporal information fusion. However, it suffers from large model size and intensive memory consumption; the latter has a relatively small model size as it shares parameters across frames; however, it lacks long-range dependency modeling ability and parallelizability. In this paper, we attempt to integrate the advantages of the two cases by proposing a recurrent video restoration transformer, namely RVRT. RVRT processes local neighboring frames in parallel within a globally recurrent framework which can achieve a good trade-off between model size, effectiveness, and efficiency. Specifically, RVRT divides the video into multiple clips and uses the previously inferred clip feature to estimate the subsequent clip feature. Within each clip, different frame features are jointly updated with implicit feature aggregation. Across different clips, the guided deformable attention is designed for clip-to-clip alignment, which predicts multiple relevant locations from the whole inferred clip and aggregates their features by the attention mechanism. Extensive experiments on video super-resolution, deblurring, and denoising show that the proposed RVRT achieves state-of-the-art performance on benchmark datasets with balanced model size, testing memory and runtime.


ABSTRACT The article focuses on both economics and spatial issues related to Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) of defence platforms in Europe. Using facts and figures related to costs, trends and fleet sizes evolution, the authors discuss the interest of a spatial reorganisation of MRO production. Given the fiscal situation of the main European countries with a modern army, the relevant scale to consider the reorganisation is certainly Europe. Through the example of defence helicopters fleets of a selection of European countries, the authors address the question of cooperation of the MRO. A greater cooperation in the support of fleets would lead to a spatial reorganisation of MRO. On one side economies can be expected from this reorganisation, but, on the other hand, new problems arise. Specifically, a number of costs associated with different forms of "distances" – geographical, operational and political distances – limit the potential savings that could be expected. This work provides insights on these important issues for the construction of a European defence, both in its political, military and industrial dimensions.


We study fair classification in the presence of an omniscient adversary that, given an η, is allowed to choose an arbitrary η-fraction of the training samples and arbitrarily perturb their protected attributes. The motivation comes from settings in which protected attributes can be incorrect due to strategic misreporting, malicious actors, or errors in imputation; and prior approaches that make stochastic or independence assumptions on errors may not satisfy their guarantees in this adversarial setting. Our main contribution is an optimization framework to learn fair classifiers in this adversarial setting that comes with provable guarantees on accuracy and fairness. Our framework works with multiple and non-binary protected attributes, is designed for the large class of linear-fractional fairness metrics, and can also handle perturbations besides protected attributes. We prove near-tightness of our framework's guarantees for natural hypothesis classes: no algorithm can have significantly better accuracy and any algorithm with better fairness must have lower accuracy. Empirically, we evaluate the classifiers produced by our framework for statistical rate on real-world and synthetic datasets for a family of adversaries.


Flexibility – reversible phenotypic changes in physiology, morphology, and / or behaviour – has been extensively studied in the framework of alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). A reproductive tactic is a phenotype that results from a strategy – a decision rule based on genetic program. The relative plasticity hypothesis states that environmentally-induced hormonal changes cause the development of one out several possible ARTs. However, causality between hormones and ARTs has been poorly studied. Further, it is important to determine which environmental factors influence hormonal changes in males of different ARTs to determine in how far these hormonal changes are flexible.
In this thesis, I experimentally studied the role of testosterone in causing physiological, morphological, and behavioural differences between two alternative reproductive tactics in male African striped mice, Rhabdomys pumilio: 1) group-living helpers showing alloparental care, low testosterone levels, and high corticosterone levels. 2) solitary-living roamers showing no parental care, high testosterone levels, and low corticosterone levels. Finally, I tested the flexibility of prolactin secretion as prolactin may play a role in the regulation of ARTs. For this, I studied the role of photoperiod and food availability in regulating prolactin levels of paternal dominant breeding males.
In chapter 1 I studied which factors correlate with alloparental care. For the first time I demonstrated that both male and female, juvenile and adult philopatrics show extensive helping behaviour (14.7 % of their time). Corticosterone levels correlated with alloparental care in an age- and sex-dependent manner. Natural variation of testosterone levels between helpers did not correlate with alloparental care, suggesting that changes in alloparental care after the tactic switch are not caused by testosterone.
In chapter 2, I tested whether an experimental increase of testosterone in male group living helpers influenced alloparental care and dispersal-like behaviours. An experimental increase of testosterone in male group-living helpers did not reduce alloparental care nor aggressive behaviour, but increased boldness, decreased anxiety, and lowered basal corticosterone levels. In the field, exogenous testosterone did not cause dispersal, but it caused male group-living helpers to expand their home ranges (chapter 3). I suggested that an increase of testosterone facilitate dispersal by reducing stress reactivity (low corticosterone levels and low anxiety). Exogenous testosterone also induced sexual maturation and spermatogenesis – testosterone-treated male group-living helpers became scrotal and showed larger testes and epididymis (chapter 3). Thus, I suggested that a quick increase of testosterone levels is an important event during the tactic switch to cause necessary physiological, morphological, and behavioural changes in group-living helpers to disperse and become solitary-living roamers.
In chapter 4 I showed that free-ranging paternal dominant breeding males showed higher prolactin levels when they were breeding compared to the non-breeding season, independently whether this was during spring (increase of photoperiod) or during summer, i.e. normal non-breeding season (decrease of photoperiod). Food availability correlated with prolactin levels, suggesting that cues related to food availability may regulate prolactin levels. As paternal dominant breeding males have higher reproductive success than males following an alternative reproductive tactic (i.e. group-living helpers and solitary-living roamers), flexibility in prolactin secretion seems adaptive.
My thesis demonstrated that testosterone plays an important role in physiological, morphological and behavioural differences between males of different ARTs in African striped mice. I also showed that the role of environmental factors (e.g. food availability) is crucial in hormonal flexibility (prolactin levels). Thus, studies from the African striped mouse suggest a complex relationship between hormonal and environmental factors in the regulation of ARTs. For future studies, I discussed how to integrate environmental factors in the behavioural endocrinology approach to study proximate mechanisms of ARTs.


Europe's new central bank is developing its version of accountability and public debate over monetary policies. It is natural for CEPR, as a network of policy-oriented academic economists, to contribute to the establishment of this new institution. Monitoring the European Central Bank (MECB) brings together a group of economists internationally known for their work on macroeconomics and monetary policy. MECB monitors the European economy and the work of the ECB, and offers analyses to the public, including the European Parliament and the media. A full MECB report is published each year, complemented by an update that draws on recent publications of the ECB. This is the fifth MECB report.


Ancient Warriors or Murderers? Some have suggested that the human predilection for war is ancient, perhaps dating back to the emergence of our species, while others maintain that evidence for such early warring is scant. Past studies that looked at nomadic foraging bands as models of early humans and their potential for conflict concluded that war is in our blood. Fry and Söderberg (p. 270), however, reexamined the standard cross-cultural sample, the main repository for behavioral data on forage bands, and found little evidence for large-scale conflicts or wars. Instead, the majority of incidences of lethal aggression in these societies were homicides driven by a variety of factors relevant at the individual or family scale. Nomadic foragers are less warlike than assumed, suggesting that war may not have been an early component of human behavior. It has been argued that warfare evolved as a component of early human behavior within foraging band societies. We investigated lethal aggression in a sample of 21 mobile forager band societies (MFBS) derived systematically from the standard cross-cultural sample. We hypothesized, on the basis of mobile forager ethnography, that most lethal events would stem from personal disputes rather than coalitionary aggression against other groups (war). More than half of the lethal aggression events were perpetrated by lone individuals, and almost two-thirds resulted from accidents, interfamilial disputes, within-group executions, or interpersonal motives such as competition over a particular woman. Overall, the findings suggest that most incidents of lethal aggression among MFBS may be classified as homicides, a few others as feuds, and a minority as war.


This paper presents the computer simulation and comprehensive dynamic processes of the induction motor with three-phase power inverter for traction application analysis. The control with proportional variation of amplitude and frequency of the power inverter are realized. The computer simulation of the considered traction drive on the basis of CASPOC software is executed. Computer CASPOC models of the induction motor, three-phase power inverter, control circuits and equivalent circuit of mechanical load are presented. Different control laws during acceleration of the traction induction drive and their influence on dynamic behaviour are researched. Transients of the traction induction drive with impulse and harmonic input voltage of the induction motor are compared. The procedure to design of the traction drive control with improving dynamic and power characteristics is offered.


The distribution of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals over optical fiber, or UWB over fiber (UWBoF), is proposed to extend the area of coverage and to offer the availability of undisrupted service across different networks. Various techniques have been reported recently for optical UWB pulse generation, but the study on the implementation of different modulation schemes based on these UWB pulses has just started. In addition, the influence of fiber dispersion on the power spectral density (PSD) of an UWB signal, and the bit-error-rate performance of an UWBoF system with different modulation schemes have not been systematically investigated. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive investigation of techniques to implement on-off keying (OOK), bi-phase modulation (BPM), pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM), pulse shape modulation (PSM), and pulse-position modulation (PPM) based on a phase modulator and an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer (AMZI). The AMZI is electrically reconfigurable by employing a polarization modulator (PolM). UWB signals with OOK, BPM, PAM, PSM, and PPM are realized by adjusting the polarization controllers in the AMZI and the amplitude of the electrical drive signal to the PolM. The UWB signals with OOK, BPM, PAM, and PSM are transmitted over a wired (single-mode fiber) and wireless link. Error-free operation is obtained for all the modulation schemes. The power penalties of transmission are less than 1.8 dB. The fiber dispersion on the PSD of the UWB signals is also theoretically studied and experimentally evaluated. An excellent agreement between the theoretical and the experimental results is achieved. The system is potentially integratable, which may provide a simple and cost-effective solution for UWBoF applications.


This study focuses on understanding the economic well-being of a growing subgroup of elderly, noninstitutionalized elderly facing risks of health problems and financial dependency. The combination of predisposing characteristics and resources that best explain differences in economic well-being of elderly was examined using a sample from the 1984 National Long Term Care Survey of elderly with functional limitations living in the community (N=5500). There were significant differences in economic well-being by age, marital status, gender, race, types of income sources and education, although age, race and gender did not have significant effects when other variables were controlled. Resource variables added the most explanation for differences in economic well-being, especially sources of income beyond Social Security. The results show the importance of having retirement income sources beyond Social Security for preventing poverty in retirement.


An emerging intellectual and ideological critique of liberalism is coinciding with a significant transformation of the American law of church and state. Contemporary religious antiliberalism rejects principles of church-state separation that have long informed the meaning of the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. This attack on liberal principles is resurgent at a moment when legal doctrine is in flux, as judicial critics of church-state separation deploy new conceptions of neutrality, equality, and animus to require state funding of religious activities, exempt religious believers from generally applicable laws, and allow government entities to promote sectarian religious messages.

This Article first describes various strands of religious antiliberalism, all of which share a deep distrust of the Supreme Court's twentieth century church-state settlement. Second, the Article argues that although the Court has not yet abandoned liberal principles central to church-state separation, its application of those principles is increasingly incoherent, leading to the collapse of existing doctrine. As new doctrine emerges, antiliberal theories provide normative justifications for pressing the law in radical directions. Third, the Article considers the future of church-state separation as a matter of political economy. Antiliberalism is gaining traction as liberal democratic regimes around the world are under threat from populist and reactionary forces, including in the United States. We argue that the fact of American religious pluralism, which has been commonly invoked as the guarantor of disestablishment, will not halt the political and doctrinal momentum toward religious preferentialism.


Multilateral negotiations to reach a universal, binding international agreement on measures that curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have repeatedly failed since a scientific consensus on global warming formed in the late 1970s. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol was famously never ratified by the United States, the biggest emitter, and the 2009 Copenhagen conference only produced a narrow deal between the USA, China, India, Brazil and South Africa. Numerous attempts to involve international financial institutions or the G7/G8 have also been unsuccessful. Given the present crisis of multilateralism it can be argued that the time is ripe to engage fully in minilateral climate diplomacy, conferring ownership of the process to the main stakeholders. An informally orchestrated, minilateral diplomacy based on rationalist insights from conventional game and negotiation theory would then sway polluters to press ahead with measures that mitigate and adapt to the anticipated repercussions of climate change. Only after a political deal has been struck between major stakeholders may opportunities arise for ex post authorization and agenda control mechanisms involving the wider international community.


Lebanon has witnessed in 2015 a severe trash crisis that had serious health and environmental impacts. Trash crisis has recently evolved, and is mostly related to inefficiency in networking, political leadership, and strategic management system and information flow. Trash crisis can be avoided with effective crisis management plan and waste management strategies. The latter is gaining broader attention, especially in the developing countries, with waste management being not well implemented. Until now, no studies have been conducted to measure and evaluate the impacts of the garbage crisis on the Lebanese tourism industry, which is a main income generator sector. Therefore, this research seeks to examine how tourism organizations, especially hotels as main producer of solid waste, are managing their waste to reduce the impacts of the crisis and to understand visitors' perceptions of solid waste management strategies adopted by hotels. 18 hotels' managers in Beirut were interviewed and 124 questionnaires were filled by hotels' guests, who were randomly selected in different areas of the capital. Results revealed that large hotels tend to effectively manage their solid waste which allowed them to overcome the crisis with minimal negative impacts. For the majority of respondents, selecting hotels is not primarily influenced by the implementation of solid waste management strategies. Moreover, results showed that 46% of respondents have hesitated to visit Lebanon during the crisis.


The role of hydrochemistry in geothermal exploration and development is described. During the surface exploration phase hydrochemistry is particularly useful in delineating regional ground-water movement, in estimating underground temperatures, and in mapping the areal extent of geothermal systems. From data obtained through exploratory and investigation, drilling hydrochemistry yields information on the direction of underground geothermal water flow, mixing processes, boiling in the aquifer, and distribution of underground temperatures. It also contributes significantly in defining and solving scaling and corrosion problems and is relevant for environmental aspects of fluid disposal and constructional design.


One factor that can interfere with the activity of human production is fatigue that is felt and realized by the worker or employee. Every job must be the cause of fatigue, but how to minimize fatigue in the work that must be solved. The interaction created by the working environment can make a person excited. Someone who experienced job burnout would require social support or support from the people around him to reduce or eliminate the feeling of fatigue. With the social support of the environment surrounding the possibility of working on employee burnout can be reduced. Therefore, based on exposure above, researchers interested in conducting research on the relationship of social support with job burnout. This study uses a quantitative approach using Variables in social support, as well as Bound Variables: Fatigue of work. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between social support with the fatigue of employees working on the rotary PT Indah Plywood Sumbermas. The subject used as samples in this study as many as 50 people. The research instrument used in the form of social support scale, and scale of work fatigue. Analysis of the data used is the product moment correlation analysis.
From the data analysis used in this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between social support with job burnout on employees (r = -0.575, sig. = 0.000). The effective contribution of social support on fatigue 33.1%.


The authors present the results of the analysis of the employment of graduates of agricultural specialties in the Siberian Federal District of the Russian Federation. In the Siberian Federal District, more than 20 universities are engaged in the training of specialists in agriculture. The universities pay special attention to the employment of their graduates and often have their own programs of graduates' employment. The article is devoted to discussing the reasons why the graduates consider the work in the rural area to be unattractive (low standards of living conditions compared with town, lack of quality education for children and possibilities for professional development, etc.) The necessity of realization of the state strategy intended to support graduates of agricultural specialties is grounded, including assigning the status of civil servants to social workers in rural areas and attracting successful entrepreneurs to the village and creating conditions for the development of the entrepreneurial environment. Corresponding author: Andrey Babenko, firstname.lastname@example.com


Authenticating spontaneous interactions between devices and users is challenging for several reasons: the wireless (and therefore invisible) nature of device communication, the heterogeneous nature of devices and lack of appropriate user interfaces in mobile devices, and the requirement for unobtrusive user interaction. The most promising approach that has been proposed in literature involves the exploitation of so-called auxiliary channels for authentication to bridge the gap between usability and security. This concept has spawned the independent development of various authentication methods and research prototypes, that, unfortunately, remain hard to compare and interchange and are rarely available to potential application developers. We built a system which implements and unifies these approaches. In this paper, we present OpenUAT, an open source toolkit that implements our novel, unified cryptographic authentication protocol (UACAP), and a comprehensive range of specific auxiliary channels. We evaluated OpenUAT based on a user study in which we compared four authentication methods implemented by the toolkit. The user study showed that users tend to prefer the visual channel in spite of its comparatively poor performance.


The spin state of the biradical obtained upon heating 1,6-diisopropyl-1,6-diazacyclodeca-3,8-diyne (I) was investigated. Compd. I was heated in Ph2, naphthalene, and PhBr at 150 Deg in the presence of a mixt. of [d4]- and [d0]-9,10-dihydroanthracene (DHA) as H source. The relative contributions of the cage (C) and cage-escape (E) reaction paths could be detd. by analyzing the products 2,6-diisopropyl-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-2,6-naphthyridine and 2,6-diisopropyl-4-(9,10-dihydroanthracenyl)-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-2,6-naphthyridine as well as their deuterated analogs. The C/E ratio was detd. by GC-MS anal. and was found to be 0.30 in Ph2, 0.40 in naphthalene, and 0.22 in PhBr, and to be more or less independent of the DHA concn. over a wide range. The energetics of the cyclization of 1,6-diazacyclodeca-3,8-diyne (II) to 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-2,6-naphthyridine-2,6-diyl (III) were investigated at several levels of theory. Calcns. of the various structures along the reaction coordinate at the CASPT2/6-31G* level yield an energy difference of 10.7 kcal/mol between II and III and of 17.8 kcal/mol between II and the transition state. The transition state shows only weak biradical character, indicating that the electronic structure of II is retained as long as possible. The energy difference between the 1Ag and 3Au states of III is predicted to be 13.0 kcal/mol.


Abstract SAE Recommended Practice J852 and ECE Regulations 119 and 48 for cornering lamps were compared. Photometric points described in each specification were then compared to naturalistic low-speed turn trajectories produced by 87 drivers. Future locations of a vehicle engaged in a turn were calculated based on the vehicle's momentary position and speed, and the calculated time required to bring a vehicle to a complete stop. The angular offset and distance separating current and future positions were compiled to produce a map of useful preview positions—that is, positions relative to the current position of the vehicle that are far enough away to allow a driver to successfully stop if an object is first seen there. The distribution of preview positions shows strong concentrations between 30 and 35 degrees to the right or left of the current direction of travel. Geometric characteristics of this distribution were then compared to the geometry implied by the photometric minimum points indicated in the two specifications. Implications for path illumination during turns were discussed.


Inter-Vehicular Communications (IVC) are a cornerstone of the future intelligent transportation systems. A crucial enabling component of IVC is its security and privacy. Indeed, as vehicular computing systems become interconnected, there will be new venues for attackers to exploit system vulnerabilities. In addition, proper security mechanisms can assist in law enforcement and automate payment operations, such as toll collection. Leveraging on experience gained from other networks like the Internet or wireless LANs, system security for vehicular networks has to be introduced in the design phase. In the following sections, we outline several security threats encountered in IVC, then we present the obstacles needed to overcome in order to cope with these threats. Finally, we describe several tools that will be helpful in building secure IVC networks.


While the rapid transport of nonadsorbed chemicals is relatively well understood, preferential transport of adsorbable chemicals including P requires further study. Our objective was to characterize subsurface P transport in glaciated soils of the northeastern USA. Large intact columns from five soils with differing structures were subjected in duplicate to both synthetic add rainfall at a low rate simulating natural rainfall, and ponded water for observing saturated flow. The rain was enriched with inorganic and organic P after baseline conditions were established. Drainage water P concentrations were measured and adsorption isotherms were determined. Type of flow was characterized using Cl breakthrough curves and visualizations of blue dye patterns. Baseline P concentrations in drainage water were 0.02 to 0.04 mg L -1 . At low flow rates, P appeared in the drainage water soon after application of either inorganic or organic P for the silt loam soil (firm, moderate coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure) in which preferential flow paths carried most of the water flow. In contrast, the soils in which matrix type flow dominated (weak fine granular or weak medium subangular blocky structures) had little or no increase in drainage water P. However, under ponded conditions all soils exhibited preferential flow and rapid P breakthrough. Elevated P concentration in the drainage water could not be explained by the P adsorption strength with the possible exception of the sandy loam soil, where the outflow P concentration was consistently low. Variation in flow rate in conjunction with soil structure satisfactorily explained elevated concentrations of dissolved inorganic and organic P in drainage water from surface applied P.


The paper is aimed at presenting the differential equations for the cardiovascular system with the help of continuity equation of fluid mechanics to reduce the abnormality of the rate of blood flow and variation of blood volume in different parts of the system. The equations are used to explain the Frank-Starling mechanism, which plays an important role in the maintenance of the stability of the distribution of blood in the system. This is a reasonable approach based on mathematical considerations as well as being further motivated by the observations that many physiologists cite optimization as a potential influence in the evolution of biological systems. We present a model as an application in the provision of a basis for developing information on steady state relations and also to study the nature of the controller and key controlling influences. The model further provides an approach for the study of complex physiological control mechanisms of the cardiovascular system and possible pathways of interaction between the cardiovascular and respiratory control systems. The study also provides an easy way for students of both physics and mathematical sciences, with no previous knowledge of human physiology, to understand the basic systems in cardiovascular concept.

 Key words: Continuity equations, fluid mechanics, cardio-vascular system.


You may think you already know this story about a beautiful servant girl, a cruel stepmother, a magnificent ball, and a lost slipper. But you've never heard it for true. Now you can hear the tale from someone who was there: a poor washerwoman from the island of Martinique. She has just one thing in the world to love, her goddaughter Cendrillon. When she finds Cendrillon heartsick over a rich man's son, at first she doesn't know what to do. But she has sharp wits, a strong will, and the magic wand her mother left her -- and soon she has a plan to give her dear Cendrillon the gift of a love that will change her life. A Caldecott Honor author/illustrator team brings us a unique Cinderalla story, with a remarkable fairy godmother to tell the tale. Adapted from a traditional Creole story, this fresh retelling captures all the age-old romance and magic of Cinderalla, melding it with the vivid beauty of the Caribbean and the musical language of the islands.


Formal analyses of incentives for compliance with network protocols often appeal to gametheoretic models and concepts. Applications of game-theoretic analysis to network security have generally been limited to highly stylized models, where simplified environments enable tractable study of key strategic variables. We propose a simulation-based approach to gametheoretic analysis of protocol compliance, for scenarios with large populations of agents and large policy spaces. We define a general procedure for systematically exploring a structured policy space, directed expressly to resolve the qualitative classification of equilibrium behavior as compliant or non-compliant. The techniques are illustrated and exercised through an extensive case study analyzing compliance incentives for introduction-based routing. We find that the benefits of complying with the protocol are particularly strong for nodes subject to attack, and the overall compliance level achieved in equilibrium, while not universal, is sufficient to support the desired security goals of the protocol.


The paper is about a new strategy suggested for spectrum decision in Cognitive Radio (CR) networks. By jointly considering sensing error, Secondary Users (SUs) competition and SUs transmission collision, a new parameter called Channel Usage State (CUS) is introduced. For a particular channel, we predict the respective probabilities of occurrence of CUS states by using the LeZi-update scheme. We also adopt a fuzzy comparison algorithm to combine the prediction results as a joint value. The largest joint value is associated with the most available channel for access by SUs in the near future. By comparing with random channel access, the suggested strategy can improve SUs transmission throughput. This is demonstrated by the simulation evaluations.


Angular-dependent emission spectra are investigated in a strongly coupled InGaAs-GaAs-AlAs-based semiconductor microcavity as a function of excitation intensity and of detuning between the uncoupled exciton and photon modes. Under conditions of nonresonant excitation, it is shown that the onset of stimulated emission always occurs in the weak coupling regime. Angular-dependent studies show that the transition to weak coupling occurs when the linewidth of high k excitons becomes of the order of the normal mode splitting of the exciton-polariton coupled modes. We conclude that, under nonresonant excitation, ''polariton lasing,'' where stimulated polariton scattering followed by photon emission occurs in the strong coupling regime, is only likely to be achieved in systems with larger exciton binding energy than in GaAs-based structures or possibly also in GaAs microcavities containing excess concentrations of free electrons. The experimental results below threshold are found to be in good agreement with numerical solution of Boltzmann kinetic equations for the photoexcited polariton distribution.


Abstract. This paper presents an analysis of the mineral dust aerosol modelled by five Earth system models (ESMs) within the project entitled Coordinated Research in Earth Systems and Climate: Experiments, kNowledge, Dissemination and Outreach (CRESCENDO). We quantify the global dust cycle described by each model in terms of global emissions, together with dry and wet deposition, reporting large differences in the ratio of dry over wet deposition across the models not directly correlated with the range of particle sizes emitted. The multi-model mean dust emissions with five ESMs is 2836 Tg yr−1 but with a large uncertainty due mainly to the difference in the maximum dust particle size emitted. The multi-model mean of the subset of four ESMs without particle diameters larger than 10 µ m is 1664 (σ=651) Tg yr−1. Total dust emissions in the simulations with identical nudged winds from reanalysis give us better consistency between models; i.e. the multi-model mean global emissions with three ESMs are 1613 (σ=278) Tg yr−1, but 1834 (σ=666) Tg yr−1 without nudged winds and the same models. Significant discrepancies in the globally averaged dust mass extinction efficiency explain why even models with relatively similar global dust load budgets can display strong differences in dust optical depth. The comparison against observations has been done in terms of dust optical depths based on MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite products, showing global consistency in terms of preferential dust sources and transport across the Atlantic. The global localisation of source regions is consistent with MODIS, but we found regional and seasonal differences between models and observations when we quantified the cross-correlation of time series over dust-emitting regions. To faithfully compare local emissions between models we introduce a re-gridded normalisation method that can also be compared with satellite products derived from dust event frequencies. Dust total deposition is compared with an instrumental network to assess global and regional differences. We find that models agree with observations within a factor of 10 for data stations distant from dust sources, but the approximations of dust particle size distribution at emission contributed to a misrepresentation of the actual range of deposition values when instruments are close to dust-emitting regions. The observed dust surface concentrations also are reproduced to within a factor of 10. The comparison of total aerosol optical depth with AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) stations where dust is dominant shows large differences between models, although with an increase in the inter-model consistency when the simulations are conducted with nudged winds. The increase in the model ensemble consistency also means better agreement with observations, which we have ascertained for dust total deposition, surface concentrations and optical depths (against both AERONET and MODIS retrievals). We introduce a method to ascertain the contributions per mode consistent with the multi-modal direct radiative effects, which we apply to study the direct radiative effects of a multi-modal representation of the dust particle size distribution that includes the largest particles.


Labour-Use Efficiency in the Tunisian's Manufacturing Industries: A Flexible Adjustment Model This paper investigates the process of adjustment in employment. A dynamic model is applied to a panel of six Tunisian manufacturing industries observed over the period 1971-1996. The adjustment process is industry and time specific. The adjustment parameter is specified in terms of factors affecting the speed of adjustment. Industries are assumed to adjust their labour inputs towards a desired level of labour-use. A translog labour requirement function is specified in terms of observable variables and is used to model the desired level of labour-use. The labour requirement is specified to be function of wages, output, quasi-fixed capital stock and technology. The empirical results show that in the long-run, employment demand responds greatest to value added, followed by capital stock changes, and least by wages. The speed of adjustment in employment and the degree of labour-use efficiency show large variations among the sectors and over time.


In the wake of the on-going digital revolution, we will see a dramatic transformation of our economy and most of our societal institutions. While the benefits of this transformation can be massive, there are also tremendous risks to our society. After the automation of many production processes and the creation of self-driving vehicles, the automation of society is next. This is moving us to a tipping point and to a crossroads: we must decide between a society in which the actions are determined in a top-down way and then implemented by coercion or manipulative technologies (such as personalized ads and nudging) or a society, in which decisions are taken in a free and participatory way and mutually coordinated. Modern information and communication systems (ICT) enable both, but the latter has economic and strategic benefits. The fundaments of human dignity, autonomous decision-making, and democracies are shaking, but I believe that they need to be vigorously defended, as they are not only core principles of livable societies, but also the basis of greater efficiency and success.


Since 2008, when Fixing Global Finance was first published, the collapse of the housing and credit bubbles of the 2000s has crippled the world's economy. In this updated edition, Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf explains how global imbalances helped cause the financial crises now ravaging the U.S. economy and outlines steps for ending this destructive cycle-of which this is the latest and biggest. An expanded conclusion recommends near- and long-term measures to stabilize and protect financial markets in the future. Reviewing global financial crises since 1980, Wolf lays bare the links between the microeconomics of finance and the macroeconomics of the balance of payments, demonstrating how the subprime lending crisis in the United States fits into a pattern that includes the economic shocks of 1997, 1998, and early 1999 in Latin America, Russia, and Asia. He explains why the United States became the "borrower and spender of last resort," makes the case that this was an untenable arrangement, and argues that global economic security depends on radical reforms in the international monetary system and the ability of emerging economies to borrow sustainably in domestic currencies. Sharply and clearly argued, Wolf's prescription for fixing global finance illustrates why he has been described as "the world's preeminent financial journalist."


Early in November of 2002, three poets, all members of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective, began a journey from our homes in Winston-Salem, Durham, and Raleigh, North Carolina. We had been invited to give a poetry reading in Bertie County, in the northeastern part of the state, an almost wholly rural area with a predominantly African American population. A member of the county's arts community had seen the need to target some programming toward this potential African American audience, and we were very happy to support her efforts. To save us from having to make both the eastbound and westbound trips in a single day, she had thoughtfully suggested that we come in and spend the night before our reading at her home. So on the appointed afternoon, we gathered in Raleigh, packed ourselves into a single car, and headed for the hinterlands. Little did we know that our 120-mile drive would take us into a world we wished this nation had left behind. We passed from city to towns to the "boonies," as rural areas are sometimes called, until no commercial establishments had appeared for many miles and cotton fields surrounded us as far as the eye could see. This scene did not scare us. We are all Southerners, born and raised; moreover, one of us grew up on a farm in Virginia, another had often worked in his great-grandmother's peanut fields in North Carolina and picked other crops, as well, and the third is the granddaughter of a Tennessee farmer, on whose land she had spent many a week, summer and winter, in her childhood. We thought we knew what we were getting into, had planned how we might handle the Klan if it reared its ugly head, had made sure we had gas aplenty to get us safely to our host's home. If we felt any misgivings--when our directions proved a bit ambiguous, when the autumn darkness settled over the countryside somewhat faster and heavier than we had expected--we brushed them aside with each other's assurances. Nonetheless, arriving at our destination, we finally had to admit that the situation had gotten out of our control. We had wondered aloud how our host was going to put us up; it would have taken more space than most black folks had, rural or urban, to provide each of us and our spouses, who had also been invited but did not accompany us, with places to sleep. Turning in at the picket fence as our directions instructed, we could not see a thing beyond the beams of the headlights; the house was invisible in the double darkness of a night cluttered with pines as old and thick as eternity. A pleasant-looking white woman answered our knock, to our surprise. None of us had met her--she had interviewed one of us by phone more than a year earlier, for a local newspaper feature, and had corresponded with two of us by email. But her way of talking, her cultural knowledge, her expressed concerns in arranging this reading had (mis)identified her as African American. Had we guessed that she was white, we might not have dismissed the idea that had briefly crossed our minds earlier, the couldn't-be that most certainly was, as we realized immediately upon entering: Our host lived in a plantation house. …


A pivotal problem in Bayesian nonparametrics is the construction of prior distributions on the space M(V) of probability measures on a given domain V. In principle, such distributions on the infinite-dimensional space M(V) can be constructed from their finite-dimensional marginals---the most prominent example being the construction of the Dirichlet process from finite-dimensional Dirichlet distributions. This approach is both intuitive and applicable to the construction of arbitrary distributions on M(V), but also hamstrung by a number of technical difficulties. We show how these difficulties can be resolved if the domain V is a Polish topological space, and give a representation theorem directly applicable to the construction of any probability distribution on M(V) whose first moment measure is well-defined. The proof draws on a projective limit theorem of Bochner, and on properties of set functions on Polish spaces to establish countable additivity of the resulting random probabilities.


This work is about a novel methodology for window detection in urban environments and its multiple use in vision system applications. The presented method for window detection includes appropriate early image processing, provides a multi-scale Haar wavelet representation for the determination of image tiles which is then fed into a cascaded classifier for the task of window detection. The classifier is learned from a Gentle Adaboost driven cascaded decision tree on masked information from training imagery and is tested towards window based ground truth information which is together with the original building image databases publicly available. The experimental results demonstrate that single window detection is to a sufficient degree successful, e.g., for the purpose of building recognition, and, furthermore, that the classifier is in general capable to provide a region of interest operator for the interpretation of urban environments. The extraction of this categorical information is beneficial to index into search spaces for urban object recognition as well as aiming towards providing a semantic focus for accurate post-processing in 3D information processing systems. Targeted applications are (i) mobile services on uncalibrated imagery, e.g., for tourist guidance, (ii) sparse 3D city modelling, and (iii) deformation analysis from high resolution imagery. * This work is funded by the European Commission's project MOBVIS (FP6-511051), the FWF Austrian research project Multi Sensor Deformation Measurement System Supported by Knowledge Based and Cognitive Vision Techniques'' (P18286-N04).


Cisco LAN Switching Configuration Handbook Second Edition A concise reference for implementing the most frequently used features of the Cisco Catalyst family of switches Steve McQuerry, CCIE No. 6108 David Jansen, CCIE No. 5952 David Hucaby, CCIE No. 4594 Cisco LAN Switching Configuration Handbook, Second Edition, is a quick and portable reference guide to the most commonly used features that can be configured on Cisco Catalyst switches. Written to be used across all Catalyst IOS platforms, the book covers general use of Cisco IOS, followed by a series of chapters that provide design and configuration guidelines. Each chapter starts with common design overviews and then describes the configuration of management features. Coverage includes Layer 2, Layer 3, multicast, high availability, and traffic management configurations. This book is organized by groups of common features, with sections marked by shaded tabs for quick reference. Information on each feature is presented in a concise format, with background, configuration, and example components. The format is organized for easy accessibility to commands and their proper usage, saving you hours of research time. From the first page, the authors zero in on quick facts, configuration steps, and explanations of configuration options in each Cisco Catalyst switch feature. The quick reference format allows you to easily locate just the information you need without having to search through thousands of pages of documentation, helping you get your switches up and running quickly and smoothly. Whether you are looking for a handy, portable reference to more easily configure Cisco Catalyst switches in the field, or you are preparing for CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE certification, you will find Cisco LAN Switching Configuration Handbook, Second Edition, to be an essential resource. Steve McQuerry, CCIE No. 6108, is a technical solutions architect with Cisco focused on data center solutions. Steve works with enterprise customers in the midwestern United States to help them plan their data center architectures. David Jansen, CCIE No. 5952, is a technical solutions architect (TSA) with Cisco focused on Data Center Architectures at Cisco. David has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry. David Hucaby, CCIE No. 4594, is a lead network engineer for the University of Kentucky, where he works with healthcare networks based on the Cisco Catalyst, ASA/PIX/FWSM security, and VPN product lines. Implement switched campus network designs Configure switch prompts, IP addresses, passwords, switch modules, file management, and administrative protocols Understand how Layer 3 interfaces are used in a switch Configure Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and EtherChannel interfaces Implement VLANs, trunking, and VTP Operate, configure, and tune Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) Handle multicast traffic and interact with multicast routers Streamline access to server and firewall farms with accelerated server load balancing Deploy broadcast suppression, user authentication, port security, and VLAN access lists Configure switch management features Implement QoS and high availability features Transport voice traffic with specialized voice gateway modules, inline power, and QoS features This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.


Humans and their ancestors are unique in being a fire‐making species, but 'natural' (i.e. independent of humans) fires have an ancient, geological history on Earth. Natural fires have influenced biological evolution and global biogeochemical cycles, making fire integral to the functioning of some biomes. Globally, debate rages about the impact on ecosystems of prehistoric human‐set fires, with views ranging from catastrophic to negligible. Understanding of the diversity of human fire regimes on Earth in the past, present and future remains rudimentary. It remains uncertain how humans have caused a departure from 'natural' background levels that vary with climate change. Available evidence shows that modern humans can increase or decrease background levels of natural fire activity by clearing forests, promoting grazing, dispersing plants, altering ignition patterns and actively suppressing fires, thereby causing substantial ecosystem changes and loss of biodiversity. Some of these contemporary fire regimes cause substantial economic disruptions owing to the destruction of infrastructure, degradation of ecosystem services, loss of life, and smoke‐related health effects. These episodic disasters help frame negative public attitudes towards landscape fires, despite the need for burning to sustain some ecosystems. Greenhouse gas‐induced warming and changes in the hydrological cycle may increase the occurrence of large, severe fires, with potentially significant feedbacks to the Earth system. Improved understanding of human fire regimes demands: (1) better data on past and current human influences on fire regimes to enable global comparative analyses, (2) a greater understanding of different cultural traditions of landscape burning and their positive and negative social, economic and ecological effects, and (3) more realistic representations of anthropogenic fire in global vegetation and climate change models. We provide an historical framework to promote understanding of the development and diversification of fire regimes, covering the pre‐human period, human domestication of fire, and the subsequent transition from subsistence agriculture to industrial economies. All of these phases still occur on Earth, providing opportunities for comparative research.


Happy birthday, dear Tramp!. Celebrating Chaplin's life and work as his alter-ego turns 100. From Alaska to Zimbabwe, the bowler hat, cane, baggy trousers and outsized shoes of the Tramp is still the most recognized silhouette in the world, 100 years after Charlie Chaplin first created him. Celebrating his centenary, TASCHEN presents The Charlie Chaplin Archives, the ultimate book on the making of Chaplin's films, using the vast resources of the Chaplin archives. Within a year of arriving in Hollywood in 1914, British-born Chaplin, playing the Tramp, had become the slapstick king of America. By the end of his second year on the silver screen. Chaplin's fame had spread worldwide. He was the first international film star and, with a million dollar contract, became one of the richest men in the world. With his own studio and his stock company of close collaborators, Chaplin began making his greatest movies: The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), The Circus (1928), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940)-an unassailable collection of work that has enshrined him in the collective consciousness of world culture.With unrestricted access to his archives, this book offers insight into the process behind the Chaplin genius, from the impromptu spontaneity of his early shorts to the meticulous retakes and reworking of scenes and gags in his classic movies. Using 1,200 stills, memos, storyboards and on-set photos, as well as interviews with Chaplin and his closest collaborators, we see how Chaplin turned his caricature of the Tramp into a living character. The Tramp is the ultimate underdog, an everyman trying to survive economic depression, two World Wars, and the Cold War. Whatever crises life threw at him, the Tramp, and Chaplin, shrugged it off, straightened his shoulders, and walked off into a brighter future. This is the entire Chaplin life history in words and pictures.It features: 1,200 images including many previously unseen stills, on-set photos, memos, documents, storyboards, posters, and designs, plus scripts and images for unmade films; an oral history, told from the point of view of Chaplin himself, drawing upon his extensive writings, many of which have never been reprinted before; supplementary interviews with some of his closest collaborators; material from over 150 books of press clippings in Chaplin's archives, which range from his early days in music halls to his death; Chaplin's short films, from Making a Living (1914) to The Pilgrim (1923), as well as all of his feature-length movies, from The Kid (1921) to A Countess from Hong Kong (1967); and, (In first print editions) a filmstrip from the classic City Lights (1931), cut from a print in Chaplin's archives. It also includes documents from the Chaplin Archives Property and Copyright of Roy Export Company Establishment, scanned by Cineteca di Bologna.


This comprehensive volume - containing 27 chapters and contributions from six continents - presents and discusses key principles, perspectives, and practices of social learning in the context of sustainability. Social learning is explored from a range of fields challenged by sustainability including: organizational learning, environmental management and corporate social responsibility; multi-stakeholder governance; education, learning and educational psychology; multiple land-use and integrated rural development; and consumerism and critical consumer education. An entire section of the book is devoted to a number of reflective case studies of people, organizations and communities using forms of social learning in moving towards sustainability.'This book brings together a range of ideas, stories, and discussions about purposeful learning in communities aimed at creating a world that is more sustainable than the one currently in prospect...The book is designed to expand the network of conversations through which our society can confront various perspectives, discover emerging patterns, and apply learning to a variety of emotional and social contexts' - From the Foreword by Fritjof Capra, co-founder of the Center of Ecoliteracy. 'Joining what is so clear and refreshing in this book with the larger movements toward a critically democratic and activist education that is worthy of its name, is but one step in the struggle for sustainability. But it is an essential step if we are to use the insights that are included in this book' - From the Afterword by Michael Apple, author of "Educating the "Right" Way: Markets, Standards, God, and Inequality".


EFSA performs environmental risk assessments (ERAs) for single potential stressors such as plant protection products, genetically modified organisms and feed additives and for invasive alien species that are harmful for plant health. In this risk assessment domain, the EFSA Scientific Committee recognises the importance of more integrated ERAs considering both the local and landscape scales, as well as the possible co-occurrence of multiple potential stressors that fall under the remit of EFSA, which are important when addressing ecological recovery. In this scientific opinion, the Scientific Committee gathered scientific knowledge on the potential for the recovery of non-target organisms for the further development of ERA. Current EFSA guidance documents and opinions were reviewed on how ecological recovery is addressed in ERA schemes. In addition, this scientific opinion is based on expert knowledge and data retrieved from the literature. Finally, the information presented in this opinion was reviewed by experts from the relevant EFSA Panels, European risk assessment bodies and through an open consultation requesting input from stakeholders. A conceptual framework was developed to address ecological recovery for any assessed products, and invasive alien species that are harmful for plant health. This framework proposes an integrative approach based on well-defined specific protection goals, scientific knowledge derived by means of experimentation, modelling and monitoring, and the selection of focal taxa, communities, processes and landscapes to develop environmental scenarios to allow the assessment of recovery of organisms and ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales.


A combination of a low 37 GHz brightness temperature and a negative 19 and 37 GHz spectral gradient can be an effective discriminant for frozen and thawed soil. SSM/I data for 1988 are used to study the freeze/thaw of soil in the Northern Tibetan Plateau, China. In this study, a previously derived freeze/thaw classification scheme was tested for this unique geographic location. It was found that the 37 GHz threshold needed to be refined for this region. It was also found that the 37 GHz emission is sensitive to the scattering centers embedded in the soil, which may account for the observed low brightness temperature. The selection of the 37 GHz brightness temperature threshold depends on the atmospheric and soil conditions inherent in a particular region.


This study examined the impact of agricultural protection and other macroeconomic variables on agricultural growth in Nigeria from 1980 to 2016. The specific objectives were to (i) estimate the level of agricultural protection in Nigeria; (ii) determine the effects of agricultural protection on agricultural growth, and (iii) analyse the causal relationship between agricultural protection and agricultural growth in Nigeria. The data were obtained from annual time series dataset from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), World Bank, and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and were tested using unit root and cointegration tests. Descriptive statistics, Nominal Protection Coefficient (NPC) model, multiple regression and Granger causality were analytical test used, while the hypotheses were tested with F-test. Results revealed a significant presence of protection in the agricultural sector but not statistically commensurate with the share of agriculture to Nigeria's gross domestic product, (GDP). All hypotheses were tested at 1% probability level, i.e. p < 0.01. There was a negative significant relationship between agricultural growth and protection in agriculture. A significant and positive relationship exists between agricultural growth and budgetary appropriation to the agricultural sector, while foreign direct investment and farmers' economic welfare had a non-significant and negative relationship with protection level. There was significant causality running from budgetary appropriation (agriculture) to agricultural protection and from protection level to GDP (agriculture). One of the major recommendations is that government should review its policy instruments, programmes, and projects to ensure that targeted policy objectives such as increase in agricultural growth is achieved by increasing its budget and liberalizing the sector.


In the United States, chlordane and heptachlor are commonly used in pesticide formulations for agricultural purposes and for termite eradication in the home. Pathological conditions possibly associated with prior exposure to such formulations are presented in this report. Five recently diagnosed cases of neuroblastoma associated with chlordane exposure during prenatal and postnatal development have been identified. Three cases of aplastic anemia and three cases of acute leukemia are also reported in association with chlordane formulations. The cases suggesting association between chlordane exposure and neuroblastoma are of interest in view of recent data on the carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of chlordane and heptachlor and in view of data on environmental distributions and body burdens. The cases of aplastic anemia and leukemia are of interest in view of previous literature reports on associations between chlordane and similar chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides and blood dyscrasias, and in view of reports indicating that some subjects with aplastic anemia convert to leukemia. As previous studies are too limited to allow the development of valid inferences regarding the neoplastic risk of chlordane, there is need for formal epidemiologic study to evaluate health risks associated with chlordane through home exposure and through occupational exposure for termite exterminators, lawn care operators, and for workers in the agricultural setting.


Organisms of various kingdoms have been reported to deposit a variety of different minerals through biomineralisation 53. Key features of biomineralisation are the precise hierarchical control over structural growth of biominerals, species-specificity of the biomineral morphology, and ambient conditions (temperature and pH) for formation. The deposition of amorphous silica to form ornate frustules through biosilicification in diatoms is one example. In addition, biomineralisation is facilitated and controlled by various characteristic proteins in each biological system. The entrapment of the catalysing / templating / scaffolding biomacromolecules enables them to be recovered by selective dissolution of the biomineral. Study of these proteins, thus, is of interest in understanding biomineralisation. The proteins extracted from the diatom Cylindrothecafusiformis (silaffins) and the sponge Tethya aurantia (silicateins) have been shown to precipitate silica from silica precursors in vitro. Furthermore, this understanding helps us to design biomimetic materials, new processes, and applications based on the aforesaid minerals in a bioinspired synthetic manner in vitro. The identification of synthetic macromolecules that can act as catalysts/ templates/ scaffolds for silica formation gives exciting possibilities for bioinspired silica synthesis.


The New Zealand Building Code Approved Documents have recently incorporated reductions in the life safety F-ratings, which determine the fire resistance rating (FRR) requirements of fire barriers in buildings. This reduction has led to concern that in the event of a real fire exposure, where modern synthetic materials increase both the speed of fire growth, peak heat release rates and temperatures within a compartment, fires more severe than the AS1530.4 standard furnace test exposure may result. In such cases construction elements may not provide suitable fire protection for the life safety requirements of the Building Code. These requirements include provision for safe evacuation of occupants and fire service rescue activities. Three full-scale compartment tests were carried out, establishing the actual times to failure of numerous light timber framed (LTF) and light steel framed (LSF) non-loadbearing wall and LTF ceiling/floor assemblies. Each test assembly selected had detailed temperature data available from its respective standard furnace test, which had previously been undertaken to determine the assemblies FRRs. The compartment assemblies, of ISO 9705 room geometry, were exposed to fires of varying severity based on the fuel load energy density within the compartment and the ventilation opening dimensions. Synthetic materials were selected to replicate the initial fast fire growth associated with upholstered furniture. Wooden cribs were used to provide bulk fuel for the remainder of the FLED requirement. A method of predicting assembly failure times when exposed to real fire exposures has been established. The method is based on a correlation of the cumulative radiant heat energy that would impact on an assembly up to the point of its failure during a standard test, and the equivalent time at which a real fire exposure would have produced the same level of cumulative energy. The method provides good agreement and reasonably conservative prediction of a nonloadbearing assembly's insulation failure. Further validation is required to establish factors of safety to the method for determining assembly integrity failure. The method was found to be non-conservative for use on loadbearing assemblies.


The study departs from the fact that the most difficult activity in constructing tree volume table is measurement of diameter and length of section of standing sample trees. Besides, the number of sample trees to represent the population is also another problem. This study examines the construction of the volume equation through taper function by reducing the quantity of sample trees. Validation was also conducted for testing the accuracy of such volume equation. The study found that the best taper function was the third order polynomial model i.e., d/D=f{(h/H),(h/H)2,(h/H)3. The volume equation, constructed using only three sample trees by such taper function (V=0.3573337D2H), has almost the same good performance to equivalent the best model (V=6.14 10-5D1.8249H1.0342), that was constructed using 30 sample tree. Key words: taper function, tree volume equation, validation, accuracy, precision


Large cascades can develop in online social networks as people share information with one another. Though simple reshare cascades have been studied extensively, the full range of cascading behaviors on social media is much more diverse. Here we study how diffusion protocols, or the social exchanges that enable information transmission, affect cascade growth, analogous to the way communication protocols define how information is transmitted from one point to another. Studying 98 of the largest information cascades on Facebook, we find a wide range of diffusion protocols - from cascading reshares of images, which use a simple protocol of tapping a single button for propagation, to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, whose diffusion protocol involved individuals creating and posting a video, and then nominating specific others to do the same. We find recurring classes of diffusion protocols, and identify two key counterbalancing factors in the construction of these protocols, with implications for a cascade's growth: the effort required to participate in the cascade, and the social cost of staying on the sidelines. Protocols requiring greater individual effort slow down a cascade's propagation, while those imposing a greater social cost of not participating increase the cascade's adoption likelihood. The predictability of transmission also varies with protocol. But regardless of mechanism, the cascades in our analysis all have a similar reproduction number (≈1.8), meaning that lower rates of exposure can be offset with higher per-exposure rates of adoption. Last, we show how a cascade's structure can not only differentiate these protocols, but also be modeled through branching processes. Together, these findings provide a framework for understanding how a wide variety of information cascades can achieve substantial adoption across a network.


Author(s): Farole, Safia | Advisor(s): Bawn, Kathleen | Abstract: In countries ruled by a single party for a long period of time, how does political opposition to the ruling party grow? In this dissertation, I study the growth in support for the Democratic Alliance (DA) party, which is the largest opposition party in South Africa. South Africa is a case of democratic dominant party rule, a party system in which fair but uncompetitive elections are held. I argue that opposition party growth in dominant party systems is explained by the strategies that opposition parties adopt in local government and the factors that shape political competition in local politics. I argue that opposition parties can use time spent in local government to expand beyond their base by delivering services effectively and outperforming the ruling party. I also argue that performance in subnational political office helps opposition parties build a reputation for good governance, which is appealing to ruling party supporters who are looking for an alternative. Finally, I argue that opposition parties use candidate nominations for local elections as a means to appeal to constituents that are vital to the ruling party's coalition. I find that where the DA is the incumbent party, improvements in household access to basic services such as piped water and proper sanitation are associated with increased support for the party. I also find that when DA-run wards perform better than their neighboring ANC counterparts, support for the DA in the neighboring ward increases in the next election. Next, I examine whether the DA's reputation for good governance convinces ANC partisans to support the party. I find that the DA's reputation as an anti-corruption party is a stronger predictor of vote choice than attitudes toward the DA mayor in the cities of Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay. Finally, I examine the changes over time in the DA's nomination of local government candidates in Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Western Cape provinces in all local government elections (2000 – 2016). I find that while the DA has been successful at increasing the representation of black candidates in its candidate pool, these candidates are not winning elections or seats at the same rate as the white candidates who reflect the party's voter base.


of a dissertation at the University of Miami Dissertation supervised by Professors Jae K. Lee and Nagi G. Ayad. No. of pages in text. (126) Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition resulting in loss of function below the level of injury. Inflammation after SCI promotes cell death, increases injury size, and decreases functional recovery. The inflammatory response is coordinated by many different signaling modalities including the epigenetic modification of promoters and enhancers. Bromodomain and extraterminal domain-containing proteins (BETs) are epigenetic readers that bind acetylated lysines in promoters and enhancers to promote pro-inflammatory transcription. BET inhibition suppresses inflammation in multiple animal models, including rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis. However, the role of BETs in neuroinflammation is not well understood. Using quantitative PCR, I demonstrated BET mRNA expression in primary neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia and in the spinal cord. To assess the role of BETs in neuroinflammation, I pharmacologically inhibited the binding of BETs to acetylated chromatin using the small-molecule JQ1. JQ1 significantly reduced cytokine-induced inflammatory activation of neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia in vitro. Furthermore, JQ1 treatment significantly reduced the expression of multiple cytokines after experimental SCI in mice. Because JQ1 also decreased the expression of many key chemokines, I hypothesized that BET inhibition would decrease leukocyte infiltration after SCI. Using flow cytometry, I found that JQ1 treatment significantly decreased the number of macrophages and neutrophils infiltrating the lesion site 3 days post-injury. These results suggest that BET inhibition is an effective anti-inflammatory therapeutic in acute SCI. To determine whether inflammatory inhibition acutely after SCI improved tissue sparing and functional recovery, I treated contusion-injured mice with JQ1 and assessed locomotor recovery using the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) open field test and sensory recovery using the acetone and hotplate assays. JQ1 treatment did not significantly improve locomotor recovery or reduce lesion size, but did alleviate thermal hyperalgesia, suggesting BETs may also play a role in chronic pain. These results indicate that although BET inhibition reduces inflammation acutely after SCI, it is insufficient to promote significant tissue sparing or locomotor recovery in a mouse model of SCI. Overall, these studies demonstrate that targeting epigenetic proteins is an effective therapeutic mechanism for decreasing inflammation acutely after SCI and allows for the simultaneous inhibition of multiple inflammatory-response genes.


In most metazoan cell types, the nucleus occupies a clearly defined region of the cytoplasm. For instance in epithelial cells, it is commonly positioned close to the basal membrane, whereas in skeletal muscle fibres, the majority of nuclei are uniformly distributed adjacent to the plasma membrane. A few muscle cell nuclei, however, cluster beneath the postsynaptic membrane. In certain cell types, the nucleus may be repositioned according to cell cycle phase or cell activity. Each of these situations requires that nuclei be physically coupled to the cytoskeleton. This is accomplished in large part by LINC (linker of the nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complexes. These structures consist of inner nuclear membrane SUN (Sad1p-UNC-84)-domain proteins that function as transluminal tethers for outer nuclear membrane KASH-domain proteins. Together, SUN–KASH pairs function as links in a molecular chain that couples cytoskeletal elements, including motor proteins, to nuclear components. In addition to having obligate roles in nuclear positioning and chromatin organisation, LINC complexes may also function in mechanotransduction. The fact that a number of human diseases have been associated with LINC complex defects indicates that in many cell types these represent essential structures at the interface between the nucleus and cytoplasm.

Key Concepts

The nuclear envelope forms the interface between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Its most prominent features are the inner and outer nuclear membranes (INM and ONM) separated by a narrow (∼50 nm) gap, the perinuclear space (PNS).
SUN domain proteins of the INM function as transluminal tethers for KASH domain proteins in the ONM.
The nucleoplasmic domain of SUN proteins provides binding sites for both chromatin proteins and components of the nuclear lamina.
KASH domain proteins represent attachment sites at the nuclear envelope for a variety of cytoskeletal elements, including motor proteins.
SUN–KASH pairs, which span both nuclear membranes, are known as LINC (linker of the nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complexes and mechanically couple nuclear structures to the cytoskeleton.
LINC complexes have essential roles in nuclear migration and positioning in multiple cell types.
During meiosis, LINC complexes have an essential role in telomere-led chromosome movement, a process that facilitates homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis.
LINC complexes are thought to mediate the transmission of mechanical signals to the nucleus: mechanotransduction.

Keywords:

LINC complex;
SUN domain protein;
KASH domain protein;
nuclear envelope;
nuclear lamina;
cytoskeleton;
meiosis


Fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) is first-line treatment of medically fit chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients; however, despite good response rates, many patients eventually relapse. Although recent high-throughput studies have identified novel recurrent genetic lesions in adverse prognostic CLL, the mechanisms leading to relapse after FCR therapy are not completely understood. To gain insight into this issue, we performed whole-exome sequencing of sequential samples from 41 CLL patients who were uniformly treated with FCR but relapsed after a median of 2 years. In addition to mutations with known adverse-prognostic impact (TP53, NOTCH1, ATM, SF3B1, NFKBIE, and BIRC3), a large proportion of cases (19.5%) harbored mutations in RPS15, a gene encoding a component of the 40S ribosomal subunit. Extended screening, totaling 1119 patients, supported a role for RPS15 mutations in aggressive CLL, with one-third of RPS15-mutant cases also carrying TP53 aberrations. In most cases, selection of dominant, relapse-specific subclones was observed over time. However, RPS15 mutations were clonal before treatment and remained stable at relapse. Notably, all RPS15 mutations represented somatic missense variants and resided within a 7 amino-acid, evolutionarily conserved region. We confirmed the recently postulated direct interaction between RPS15 and MDM2/MDMX and transient expression of mutant RPS15 revealed defective regulation of endogenous p53 compared with wild-type RPS15. In summary, we provide novel insights into the heterogeneous genetic landscape of CLL relapsing after FCR treatment and highlight a novel mechanism underlying clinical aggressiveness involving a mutated ribosomal protein, potentially representing an early genetic lesion in CLL pathobiology.


A compact, inexpensive atomic absorption spectrometer has been designed, constructed, and evaluated for the determination of lead at the μg/L level. The new device is made feasible by the combination of a reliable tungsten coil atomizer, a miniature spectrometer/charge-coupled device combination mounted on a PC card, and a near-line background-correction method. The finished spectrometer can be powered by a normal 12-V car battery, controlled with a laptop computer, and transported in any automobile. The overall dimensions of the original prototype system are 19 in. × 8 in. × 3 in. (excluding the computer), and it has no moving parts. The total estimated cost of the system including the computer is less than $6000. The limit of detection for Pb is 20 pg (20-μL sample volume), the linear dynamic range is two orders of magnitude, and the precision for the technique is 5% RSD at concentrations ten times greater than the detection limit. The accuracy of the technique was determined with the use of NIST SRM #1579a "Powdered Lead-Based Paint" containing 11.995 wt % Pb and NIST SRM 955a "Lead in Blood" containing 54.43 μg/dL Pb. The accuracy for the paint sample was 95.1% (11.41 wt % found) with the use of the calibration curve method (aqueous standards) and 97.2% (11.66 wt % found) with the method of standard additions. The accuracy for the blood sample was 93.5% (50.9 μg/dL found) with the calibration curve method and 96.6% (56.3 μg/dL found) with the method of standard additions. The limiting source of noise for the instrument is detector noise, so that the performance of the device can be improved by increasing the optical throughput of the system.


Outside the U.S., little is known about the labor-market returns to vocational (or polytechnic) postsecondary education. This paper focuses on the labor-market returns to polytechnic bachelor's degrees in Finland. Using detailed administrative data, we estimate person fixed effect models to study returns for individuals with labor-force attachment prior to polytechnic school enrollment. We find sizable earnings and employment impacts for polytechnic bachelor's degrees, although the returns vary by personal characteristics and field of study.


Abstract  Biomass harvest may eventually be conducted on over 100 000 000 ha of US crop and forest lands to meet federally‐mandated targets for renewable biofuels. Such large‐scale land use changes could profoundly impact working landscapes and the arthropod communities that inhabit them. We review the literature on dedicated biofuel crops and biomass harvest from forests to look for commonalities in arthropod community responses. With expanded biofuel production, existing arthropod pests of biofuel crops will likely become more important and new pests will emerge. Beneficial arthropods will also be influenced by biofuel crop habitats, potentially altering the distribution of pollination and pest control services to the surrounding landscape. Production of biofuel crops including initial crop selection, genetic improvement, agronomic practices, and harvest regimes will also influence arthropod communities. In turn, arthropods will impact the productivity and species composition of biomass production systems. Some of these processes have the potential to cause landscape‐level changes in arthropod community dynamics and insect‐vectored plant diseases. Finally, changes in arthropod populations and their spatiotemporal distribution in the landscape will have impacts on consumers of insects at higher trophic levels, potentially influencing their population and community dynamics and producing feedbacks to arthropod communities. Given that dedicated biofuel crops and intensified biomass harvest from forests are still relatively uncommon in North America, as they increase, we anticipate 'predictably unpredictable' shifts in arthropod communities and the ecosystem services and functions they support. We suggest that research on arthropod dynamics within biofuel crops, their spillover into adjacent habitats, and implications for the sustainability of working landscapes are critical topics for both basic and applied investigations.


Two studies were conducted to examine the use of grounded embodied pedagogy, construction of Imaginary Worlds (Study 1), and context of instructional materials (Study 2) for developing learners' Computational Thinking (CT) Skills and Concept knowledge during the construction of digital artifacts using Scratch, a block-based programming language. Utilizing a conceptual framework for grounded embodied pedagogy called Instructional Embodiment, learners physically enacted (Direct Embodiment) and mentally simulated (Imagined Embodiment) the actions and events as presented within pre-defined Scripts. Instructional Embodiment utilizes action, perception, and environment to create a dynamic, interactive teaching & learning scenario that builds upon previous research in embodied teaching and learning.
The two studies described herein examined the effects of Instructional Embodiment, Imaginary World Construction, and Context on the development of specific Computational Thinking Concepts and Skills. In particular, certain CT Concepts, such as Conditionals, Variables, Thread Synchronization, Collision Detection, & Events, and CT Skills, such as abstraction and pattern recognition, were identified and measured within the learners' individual digital artifacts. Presence and/or frequency of these Concepts and Skills were used to determine the extent of Computational Thinking development.
In Study 1, fifty-six sixth- and seventh-grade students participated in a fifteen-session curricular program during the academic school day. This study examined the type of instruction and continuity of Imaginary World Construction on the development of certain CT Skills and Concepts used in a visual novel created in Scratch. Main effects were found for learners who physically embodied the pre-defined instructional materials: embodying the pre-defined Scripts led to the learners using significantly more 'speech' Blocks in their projects and more Absolute Positioning Blocks for 'motion' than those who did not physically embody the same Scripts. Significant main effects were also found for continuity of Imaginary World Construction: learners who were instructed to continue the premise of the first digital artifact (Instructional Artifact) implemented significantly more computational structures in their second digital artifact (Unique Artifact) than those who were instructed to create a Unique Artifact with a premise of their own design.
In Study 2, seventy-eight sixth- and seventh-grade students participated in a seventeen-session curricular program during the academic school day. This study examined the type of instruction and context of instructional materials on the development of CT Skills and Concepts during the construction of a video game using Scratch. Similar to Study 1, findings suggest that physically embodying the actions presented within the pre-defined instructional materials leads to greater implementation of many of these same structures during individual artifact construction. The study also showed that as the pre-defined Scripts become more complex (e.g. single-threaded to multi-threaded), the effect of physical embodiment on the development of CT Skills and complex CT Concept structures becomes less pronounced. Findings from this study also suggest that Context has a significant effect on identifying & implementing the CT Skill pattern recognition: learning CT Concepts from an Unfamiliar Context had a significant positive effect on the implementation of both Broadcast/Receive couplings and Conditional Logic & Operator patterns.
In sum, the findings suggest that the type of instruction, the continuity of the Imaginary World being constructed, and the context of the instructional materials all play a significant role in the learners' ability to develop certain Computational Thinking Skills and Concept knowledge. The findings also suggest that a physically embodied approach to teaching abstract concepts that is grounded in an unfamiliar context is the most effective way to integrate a grounded embodied approach to pedagogy within a formal instructional setting.


Objective: Periostin is an extracellular matrix protein secreted by airway epithelium and pulmonary fibroblasts. Periostin was shown to play a role in eosinophilic airway inflammation. This study evaluated the serum periostin levels and exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in children with asthma. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 children with intermittent and mild persistent asthma (29 of them were allergic, and 31 of them were nonallergic) and a control group comprising 30 healthy children, ages between 7 and 17 years, were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data of the patients were recorded. The levels of FeNO and serum periostin were measured. Results: The serum periostin level was significantly correlated with age (59.08±12.79 ng/dL in 6–12 years and 46.18 ± 11.64 ng/dL in 13–18 years, p<0.001). No statistically significant difference was detected between the children with allergic and nonallergic asthma. The FeNO values were not different in the patient and the control groups. When the correlation between NO and periostin values of the only allergic patients was considered, no statistically significant difference was found (r = 0.327, p=0.077). Also, the serum periostin levels were higher in polysensitized children compared with only pollen sensitivity, but the "p" value was not at the significance level (58.2±15.1 and 44.65±8.3, p=0.065). Conclusion: In this study, serum periostin level was evaluated as a biomarker in children with asthma and it was correlated with age. No significant difference was detected in the serum periostin level of children with intermittent and mild-persistent asthma. Further studies are needed to evaluate serum periostin levels in children with moderate and severe-persistent asthma.