Garbage collection (GC) is a critical part of performance in managed run-time systems such as the OpenJDK Java Virtual Machine (JVM). With a large number of latency sensitive applications written in Java the performance of the JVM is essential. Java application servers run in data centers on a large number of multi-core servers, thus load balancing in multi-threaded GC phases is critical. Dynamic load balancing in the JVM GC is achieved through work stealing, a well known and effective method to balance tasks across threads. This paper analyzes the JVM work stealing behaviour, and introduces a novel work stealing technique that improves performance, GC CPU utilization, scalability, and reduces the cost of jobs running on Google's data-centers. We analyze both the DaCapo benchmark suite as well as Google's data-center jobs. Our results show that the Gmail front-end server shows a 15-20% GC CPU reduction, and a 5% CPU performance improvement. Our analysis of a sample of ~59K jobs shows that GC CPU utilization improves by 38% geomean, 12% weighted geomean. GC pause time improves by 16% geomean, 20% weighted geomean. Full GC pause time improves by 34% geomean, 12% weighted geomean.


Interest in maps and cartography is on the rise, partly spurred by new technologies such as Google Earth and Google Maps. But the new users, welcome as they are, do bring new challenges in terms of ease of use and speed of delivery. Therefore, LIBER's Groupe des Cartothecaires devoted its biennial conference to state-of-the-art technologies and concepts such as new retrieval techniques, Web 2.0 content, links with geospatial databases and FRBRisation to investigate their potential for and impact on map libraries and map librarians — whilst concluding that the particular expertise of a map librarian is as indispensable as ever. John Moore, the Group's Secretary, reports on the conference.


For four decades, the Supreme Court's decision in Brandenburg v. Ohio has been celebrated as a landmark in First Amendment law. In one short unsigned opinion, the Court distanced itself from the embarrassment of the Red Scare and adopted a highly protective test that permits advocacy of unlawful conduct in all but the most dangerous cases. But 9/11 and the threat of terrorism pose a new challenge to Brandenburg. Although the government has not resorted to the excesses of McCarthyism, it has taken disturbing steps to silence the speech of political dissenters. These efforts raise questions about the adequacy of Brandenburg to protect speech during a time of crisis and fear. They also highlight ambiguities in the Brandenburg test that have been largely ignored by courts and scholars. For instance, does Brandenburg apply during war as well as peace? Does it apply to private advocacy as well as public advocacy? And is there anything about the current terrorist threat that would make its protections inapplicable? To answer these and other important questions, this Article undertakes a comprehensive reexamination of Brandenburg and the issue of criminal advocacy. It begins by demonstrating that Brandenburg has been gradually eroded by lower courts, both before and after 9/11. It then examines two fundamental questions at the heart of Brandenburg that have never been adequately answered: (1) Why should criminal advocacy be protected in the first place? and (2) How much protection should it receive? The Article argues that criminal advocacy should be protected because it furthers the underlying values of the First Amendment, including the search for truth, self-government, and self-fulfillment. It then rejects claims that criminal advocacy should receive less than full protection and explains, for the first time, that Brandenburg is properly understood as an application of strict scrutiny to a particular category of speech. Finally, the Article draws upon this reconceptualization of Brandenburg to resolve the many ambiguities in its framework.


One of corporate law's enduring issues has been the extent to which state-to-state competitive pressures on Delaware make for a race to the top or the bottom. States, or at least some of them, are said to compete with their corporate law to get corporate tax revenue and ancillary benefits. Delaware has "won" that race, with the overwhelming number of American large corporations chartering there. Here I argue that this long-standing debate is misconceived. Delaware's chief competitive pressure comes not from other states but from the federal government. When the issue is big, the federal government takes the issue or threatens to do so, or Delaware players are conscious that if they mis-step, Federal authorities could step in. These possibilities of ouster, threat, and consciousness have conditioned Delaware's behavior. Moreover, even if Delaware were oblivious to the Federal authorities, those authorities can, and do, overturn Delaware law. That which persists is tolerable to the Federal authorities. This reconception a) explains corporate law developments and data that neither theory of state competition can explain well, b) fits several developments in takeover law, going private transactions, and the rhetoric of corporate governance in Delaware, and c) can be detected in corporate law-making in Washington and Wilmington from the very beginning in the early 20th century "origins" of Delaware's dominance right up through last summer's Sarbanes-Oxley corporate governance law and the corporate governance failure in Enron and WorldCom. This analysis upsets the long-standing analysis of state corporate law competition as a strong race (whether to the top or to the bottom) because when a corporate issue is important, the federal government takes it over, or threatens to do so, or Delaware fears federal action. As such, we cannot tell whether Delaware, if it indeed raced to the top, did so because of the looming federal "threat". Nor can we tell whether Delaware, if it raced to the bottom, a) did so because national politics meant that, had they taken the locally efficient path, Congress, subject to wider pressures than is Delaware, would have taken the issue away, or b) would have instead raced to the top on other, more important issues that directly affected the mechanisms of a race to the top, had the states fully controlled them. Nor can we tell if that which persists is that which the Federal players approved of, or at least found tolerable. Too many of the truly important decisions, the ones that could affect capital costs - the mechanism driving the race-the-top theory - are taken away from Delaware or are at risk of removal or the Delaware actors know could be taken away if they seriously damaged the national economy or riled powerful interests. That is not to say that what happens at the state level in corporate law is trivial, but that the results are ambiguous in terms of the race debate. If efficiency is the usual result, then the Federal vertical element could correspond to the strengths of other organizational structures (like separating proposals from ratification in decision-making, of the checks and balances in the M-form corporation). If inefficiency is the usual result, we do not know whether the states, if free to compete without a federal "veto" possibility, would have raced toward efficiency. When we add this "vertical," Federal-state competition atop the horizontal state competition in corporate law, the state race debate - one that has stretched across the 20th century from Brandeis to Cary and beyond - is rendered empirically and theoretically indeterminate.


This chapter focuses on a traditional issue of word formation, namely synthetic compounds. The three basic approaches to the question will be reviewed and analyzed with the help of a large text corpus. The latter is of paramount importance for the analysis because dictionaries usually are not reliable for investigating highly productive word formation patterns and especially German compounding. It is shown that purely syntactic approaches do not cope well with the data, whereas a lexical approach like Construction Morphology is able to grasp the fine-grained distributional properties displayed by compounds. Furthermore, the corpus-based analysis allows us to shed some light on the complex network of semantic properties guiding the selective solidarity between deverbal head and nominal modifier by representing argument structure as a bundle of Dowty's base-roles.


The postwar histories of Paris and Amsterdam have been significantly defined by the notion of the "underground" as both a material and metaphorical space. Examining the underground traffic between the two cities, this book interrogates the countercultural histories of Paris and Amsterdam in the mid to late-twentieth century. Shuttling between Paris and Amsterdam, as well as between postwar avant-gardism and twenty-first century global urbanism, this interdisciplinary book seeks to create a mirroring effect over the notion of the underground as a driving force in the making of the contemporary European city.


Recent literature documents the pervasiveness of job polarization in the labor markets of the developed world. However, relatively little is known about polarization on a sub-national level. We exploit extensive data on both genders from Statistics Netherlands to confirm polarization as an important trend in the Dutch national labor market between 1999 and 2012. Furthermore, our sub-national analysis reveals considerable spatial heterogeneity among local labor markets. The degree of urbanization plays an important role; regions that are initially more urbanized are more likely to exhibit polarization. Finally, using a skill-based approach we report evidence supporting the routinization hypothesis as an important source of polarization.


Recently in a couple of decades, nanotechnology and nanoscience are becoming wide spread fields of research due to the revolutionary advances in the manufacturing processes which enable the realization of infinitesimally modest nanodevices holding a huge variety of fascinating properties and applications. Besides various functional materials, ZnO has captivated interests for a variety of applications in electronics and optoelectronics owing to its unique characteristics; such as, direct wide band gap, large exciton binding energy, semiconducting, photonic, and piezoelectric properties. A distinguished capability of the ZnO material is the effortless synthesis of nanoscale structures with enormous assortments in their morphological and dimensional aspects. Regardless the significant developments in the fabrication of ZnO based homojunction optoelectronic nanodevices, the stable and reproducible p-type conductivity of ZnO material is still a challenge which is one of the paramount factors of the increasing interest for fabrication of heterojunction of ZnO nanostructures with other mainstream ptype semiconductors, such as Si, GaN, and organic materials.Herein, ZnO nanorods, nanotubes and nanoflowers have been synthesized by solution-based methodology at low temperature (<100 ˚C) and a thorough study on the applications of ZnO nanostructures as white light emitting diodes (LEDs) has been perceived. At the outset, ZnO nanotubes have been synthesized by the trimming of aqueous chemically grown ZnO nanorods with 100% yield and their comparative optical properties have been explored through photoluminescence study, and a profound enhancement in ultraviolet and visible emission is observed (paper I). ZnO nanotubes are further exploited for its promising application as an optoelectronic device. Pure white light emission is observed from the ZnO nanotubes/p-GaN based LED. To analyze the location of the recombination of electron–hole and current transport mechanisms, the EL characteristics of n-ZnO nanotubes/p-GaN heterostructure LED have been investigated under forward and reverse bias. The origin of distinctly different EL peaks under both configurations has been suggested and the influence of increasing values of temperature on the device characteristics is also studied under fixed applied current, in order to check its performance under harsh conditions and for practical applications (paper II-III). Moreover, it is observed that ZnO-nanotubes/GaN heterostructure LED has an ability to produce an environmentally benign alternative of traditional lighting sources with high color rendering index (CRI) of 96 (paper IV). On the basis of EL, cathodoluminescence and transmission electron microscopy investigations; a robust correspondence has been established between the formation of radiative surface defect states in the nanotubes and the pure cool white light with appropriate color temperature. In paper V, a miniaturized white LED has been developed using Au/n-ZnO nanorods integrated on a glass pipette (having a sharp cylindrical tip with the diameter of 700 nm) which exhibits a broad EL band emission covering the whole visible spectrum range and a CRI value of 73. Besides one-dimensional ZnO nanostructures (nanorods and nanotubes), three-dimensional ZnO dahlia-flower nanoarchitectures have also been fabricated at room temperature relying on natural oxidation based aqueous chemically synthetic approach (paper VI). Glycineassisted multi-oriented ZnO nanoflowers with highly large surface area to volume ratio have been synthesized on Zn foil substrate through the self-assembly of thin nano-petals as building blocks and polar surfaces of ZnO have been anticipated to be stabilized through the adsorption of reactive hydroxyl and amide functions of glycine.


A monitoring program and a live load distribution study were conducted for the Land Bridge, located on State Highway 131 between Ontario and LaFarge in southwest Wisconsin. The bridge is a 275-ft long curved double trapezoidal steel box girder construction. Hybrid HPS70W and A588 weathering steels were used for the construction of the bridge. The monitoring program included measurements of live load and thermal strains as well as displacements for the girders over a four-year period. The effects of the in-service live load, in terms of both the applied stresses and the number of load cycles, were found to be insignificant. The thermal stress levels were found to be more significant but with only a limited number of load cycles. It was also found that there was no significant change in the load pattern, for both the stress level and number of load cycles, over the four years of the monitoring program for the bridge. The observed stress levels in the bridge were found to be below the fatigue stress threshold prescribed by AASHTO. This indicated that an infinite life could be expected for the bridge when fatigue is a consideration for the steel box girders. The live load distribution study for the Land Bridge included a field testing, a 3-D numerical simulation, and a comparative study of the results with those determined by the provisions of the AASHTO standard and LRFD specifications. Good agreement was achieved between the load distribution factor values that were obtained from the field testing and the numerical simulation. The comparison of the results with the values obtained from the AASHTO specifications indicated that over-conservative results yielded from the standard specifications while the results from the LRFD specifications were under-conservative. It is recommended that an additional study be performed to overcome this shortcoming of the current design specifications.


This paper aims to investigate the effect of learning and performance goal orientations on employee creativity through a mediating role of creative self-efficacy. The population of the study consists of all level of managers of commercial banking sector of Pakistan. Through stratified sampling technique a total 400 managers were selected for the study. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire having a five point Likert scale. The study found that both learning and performance goal orientations have positive and significant association with employee creativity. The study also found that creative self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between goal orientations and employee creativity. The study highlights implications and future research directions.


High thermal stability and anisotropic molecular orientation enhance the performance of vapor-deposited organic semiconductors, but controlling these properties is a challenge in amorphous materials. To understand the influence of molecular shape on these properties, vapor-deposited glasses of three disk-shaped molecules were prepared. For all three systems, enhanced thermal stability is observed for glasses prepared over a wide range of substrate temperatures and anisotropic molecular orientation is observed at lower substrate temperatures. For two of the disk-shaped molecules, atomistic simulations of thin films were also performed and anisotropic molecular orientation was observed at the equilibrium liquid surface. We find that the structure and thermal stability of these vapor-deposited glasses results from high surface mobility and partial equilibration toward the structure of the equilibrium liquid surface during the deposition process. For the three molecules studied, molecular shape is a dominant factor in determining the anisotropy of vapor-deposited glasses.


Over the years, life expectancy has increased significantly in the EU. Whether the additional life time is spent in good or in poor health will drastically influence the development of health care costs as morbidity status rather than age per se determines an individual's need for health services. However, empirical evidence on whether the prolonged lifespan is associated with a compression or an extension of morbidity is still sparse and inconclusive. In this paper, we analyse the prevalence of disability in the population 50 in Europe by age and by proximity to death over time using longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Despite an ageing population, we find average disability levels to remain constant over time. However, disability levels close to death increases.


Laboratory and theoretical studies provide insight into the mechanisms
that control earthquake nucleation, when fault slip velocity is
slow (<0.001 cm/s), and dynamic rupture when fault slip rates exceed
centimeters per second. The application of these results to tectonic
faults requires information about fabric evolution with shear and its
impact on the mode of faulting. Here we report on laboratory experiments
that illuminate the evolution of shear fabric and its role in controlling
the transition from stable sliding ( v ∼0.001 cm/s) to dynamic
stick slip ( v > 1 cm/s). The full range of fault slip modes was achieved
by controlling the ratio K = k / k c , where k is the elastic loading stiffness
and k c is the fault zone critical rheologic stiffness. We show that
 K controls the transition from slow-and-silent slip ( K > 0.9) to fast-and-audible
( K v = 3 cm/s, slip duration 0.003 s) slip events.
Microstructural observations show that with accumulated strain,
deformation concentrates in shear zones containing sharp shear
planes made of nanoscale grains, which favor the development of
frictional instabilities. Once this fabric is established, fault fabric does
not change significantly with slip velocity, and fault slip behavior is
mainly controlled by the interplay between the rheological properties
of the slipping planes and fault zone stiffness.


Interferi is an on-body gesture sensing technique using acoustic interferometry. We use ultrasonic transducers resting on the skin to create acoustic interference patterns inside the wearer's body, which interact with anatomical features in complex, yet characteristic ways. We focus on two areas of the body with great expressive power: the hands and face. For each, we built and tested a series of worn sensor configurations, which we used to identify useful transducer arrangements and machine learning fea-tures. We created final prototypes for the hand and face, which our study results show can support eleven- and nine-class gestures sets at 93.4% and 89.0% accuracy, re-spectively. We also evaluated our system in four continu-ous tracking tasks, including smile intensity and weight estimation, which never exceed 9.5% error. We believe these results show great promise and illuminate an inter-esting sensing technique for HCI applications.


Globalization results when markets become more integrated because of reduced transaction and transport costs. These costs have fallen because of sustained advances in transport technology and, more dramatically, in digital information and communication technology (ICT). Although communication costs tend to be a minor component of total trading costs, reductions in these costs may strongly stimulate international trade. The empirical evidence in support of this effect is, however, scant and its strength may depend on the composition of ICT and the nature of the product being traded. We test the hypothesis of an ICT effect on trade in bananas, oranges, tomatoes, and vegetables and fruit in general. We employ a gravity model of international trade between major exporting and importing countries for the period 1995 to 2009. The model explains the value of trade in terms of export and import countries' levels of internet and mobile phone penetration, and of a broad range of factors that might also affect bilateral trade. We test whether a fixed effects model or random effects model best suits the data; results suggest a fixed effects model is appropriate. Model results suggest that mobile phone penetration significantly stimulates trade in vegetables and fruit and oranges by exporting countries. , but its impact is less than that of fixed telephone usage which has an unexpected negative influence on banana imports. Internet usage has only a positive effect on trade in imports of tomatoes. Internet usage in exporting countries for fruit and vegetables are negatively associated.


School counselors are uniquely positioned to promote social responsibility and good character development in all students. Although every counselor must continue to embrace diversity and respect differences in personal values, unhealthy student behaviors could be deterred by deciding on ethical values that are necessary to ensure an optimal learning environment and student achievement. Consequently, the agreed-upon, consensual values could be taught, enforced, advocated for, and modeled in a preventative and proactive manner. ********** School counselors are too often confronted with the by-product of disrespectful, irresponsible, and uncaring student attitudes and behaviors. Unfortunately, many of the counseling interventions are remedial and focused on repairing the psychological damage resulting from unhealthy student choices linked to poor character that can destroy the moral landscape of an academic environment. These behaviors often include, but are not limited to, lying, stealing, cheating, bullying, violence, alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, tobacco usage, sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, academic underachievement, and chronic dissatisfaction with life. The American School Counselor Association's National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2003) encourages school counselors to provide direct services to every student and take leadership roles in effecting systemic change in a school. Character education is a proactive and purposeful approach designed to create a healthy learning environment to help each student incorporate values necessary for achievement (Lickona, 1991). THE STATUS OF OUR SCHOOLS' MORAL LANDSCAPE Is there really a need for school counselors to clarify and advocate for values that promote good character and socially responsible behaviors? The 2002 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth sampled 12,000 high school students across the United States and revealed the following results: (a) 74% admitted to having cheated on an exam in the past year, (b) 38% admitted to having stolen something from a store within the past year, (c) 43% believed one had to lie or cheat to get ahead in life, and (d) 95% of students believed it was important for people to be trustworthy (Josephson Institute of Ethics, 2002). Data such as this survey signal a warning sign that our youth need help in becoming socially responsible citizens. As Brooks and Goble (1997) pointed out, "There have been repeated warnings in the past years that ethical behavior was waning. However, the prevailing response remained one of denial and acquiescence. Schools pointed at parents, parents at schools, and society in general pointed at everyone else" (p. 24). According to Meyers (2000), schools took on driver education and let go of character education. As we lost our resolve to teach shared values, character itself waned during this period of social recession. We were left with more questions than answers. As Meyers said, Is there an absolute right and wrong? Are all cultures, and their values, moral equals? Does someone have a right to presume moral judgments--and impose them on our children? Should we instead merely help students wrestle with moral dilemmas and clarify their personal values? Or, despairing of any consensus, should we avoid the subject, leaving values, virtues, and character to the home? As a result, educators and school counselors have not been encouraged and supported by their community, parents, legislators, and media to teach children how to behave. IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS TO ADVOCATE FOR SELECT VALUES? One of the most challenging aspects of" being a professional school counselor is to subjugate personal opinions and values and control one's own needs, desires, and preferences to ensure that one is acting in the best interest of the student. …


Contract law has long suffered from an institutional problem: Which legal institution can best create an efficient law for commercial contracts that can overcome "obsolescence"—the persistence of rules that only solve yesterday's contracting problems? Until the early twentieth century, contract law was largely created by common law courts. The law's default rules were efficient when created, and courts updated them as commerce changed. But there were few rules, and the common law process was slow. In response, the twentieth century saw public and private lawmaking bodies enact commercial statutes in discrete legal areas such as secured credit, commercial paper, and bankruptcy. Cohesive interest groups rapidly updated these discrete rules, but the rules, both original and as changed, served only the creating groups' interests. Private lawmaking efforts also assumed a generalist portfolio. In the Uniform Commercial Code, they reached beyond specialized fields to the law of sales and then, in the Restatements, to all contracting behavior. But because these generalist bodies lack the institutional capacity to update, many of their rules have not changed with changing commercial practice. Obsolescence is not innocuous: It can induce inefficient contracting practices and encourage parties to behave strategically. The need for a modern general law of commercial contracts remains. Specialized lawmakers are subject to interest group capture, and the generalist lawmaking bodies cannot update. Courts have responded better to the obsolescence concern, but they are slow and limited. Hence, we suggest a public/private regulatory response to the vexing production problem in contract law.


Dementia is an umbrella term for several symptoms of impaired brain function. The person's behavior is affected when mental functions such as memory, attention, concentration and language are affected and the dementia patient can have difficulties to interpret sensory input. Communication is based a lot on body language. It is therefore important for the caregiver to seek eye contact with the patient in order to simplify communication and it can be of great help to show with the whole body what they mean and be able to point out things. Since people with dementia quickly can forget what happened just now it is common to say that they live in the present. This can lead to feelings of panic, if they can't understand what is happening or how they got into the situation they now find themselves in. Since people with dementia are perceived to have a tendency to become anxious when transported by wheelchair the purpose of this project was to find a way to allow eye contact between caregivers and patients. By developing such a product the expectation is that their feeling of security will increase. Initial in the project a survey was fulfilled to investigate whether caregivers to dementia patients had experienced the problem that the patients could become worried when they couldn't see who drove their wheelchairs. One part in the survey considered the nurses' view of a rear-facing wheelchair as a possible solution. With the help of various tools of product development the project resulted in a suggestion of a solution in which a removable push bar, if necessary, can be attached to the wheelchair so the wheelchair can be driven in the opposite direction, with the person with dementia and the driver facing each other. Conclusions that have been made in this project are that there is a need for a product that allows eye contact between a person with dementia and its caregiver. The resolution meets the objective to enable eye contact, next step is to produce a functional prototype that can be user-tested.


The effect of UV-B radiation on the growth and development of pea plants was studied. Pea is a self-pollinating plant with unlimited branching and short vegetative period. The number of flowers and pods per plant is limited by the conditions of vegetation. It is established that after irradiation of seedlings in doses from 2 to 15 kJ/m2 shoot growth decreased. Dose of 2 kJ/m2 inhibited growth, dry mass accumulation of shoots, formation of flowers and pods. The dose of 4 kJ/m2 activated increasing quantity of flowers and pods. Further increasing the dose of UV-B irradiation suppressed growth and development of pea plants. UV-B irradiation in a wide range of doses caused growth inhibition of pea plants. Pea plants are convenient object for investigation of UV-B radiation effects.


Author(s): Goela, Naveen | Advisor(s): Gastpar, Michael | Abstract: Communication over unreliable, interfering networks is one of the current challenges inengineering. For point-to-point channels, Shannon established capacity results in 1948, and it took more than forty years to find coded systems approaching the capacity limit with feasible complexity. Significant research efforts have gone into extending Shannon's capacity results to networks with many partial successes. By contrast, the development of low-complexity codes for networks has received limited attention to date. The focus of this thesis is the design of capacity-achieving network codes realizable by modern signal processing circuits. For classes of networks, the following codes have been invented on the foundation of algebraic structure and probability theory: i ) Broadcast codes which achieve multi-user rates on the capacity boundary of several types of broadcast channels. The codes utilize Arýkan's polarization theory of random variables, providing insight into information-theoretic concepts such as random binning, superposition coding, and Marton's construction. Reproducible experiments over block lengths n = 512, 1024, 2048 corroborate the theory; ii ) A network code which achieves the computing capacities of a countably infinite class of simple noiseless interfering networks. The code separates a network into irreducible parallel sub-networks and applies a new vector-space function alignment scheme inspired by the concept of interference alignment for channel communications. New bounds are developed to tighten the standardcut-set bound for multi-casting functions. As an additional example of low-complexity codes, reduced-dimension linear transforms and convex optimization methods are proposed for the lossy transmission of correlated sources across noisy networks. Surprisingly, simple un-coded or one-shot strategies achieve a performance which is exactly optimal in certain networks, or close to optimal in the low signal-to-noise regime relevant for sensor networks.


Injury and inflammation cause tissue acidosis, which is a common feature of various painful conditions. Acid-Sensing Ion channels (ASICs) are amongst the main excitatory channels activated by extracellular protons and expressed in the nervous system. Six transcripts of ASIC subunits including ASIC1a, ASIC1b, ASIC2a, ASIC2b, ASIC3, and ASIC4 are encoded by four genes (Asic1–4) and have been identified in rodents. Most ASIC subunits are present at substantial levels in primary sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) except for ASIC4. However, their expression pattern in DRG neurons remains largely unclear, mainly due to the lack of antibodies with appropriate specificity. In this study, we examined in detail the expression pattern of ASIC1-3 subunits, including splice variants, in different populations of DRG neurons in adult mice using an in situ hybridization technique (RNAscope) with high sensitivity and specificity. We found that in naïve condition, all five subunits examined were expressed in the majority of myelinated, NF200-immunoreactive, DRG neurons (NF200+). However, ASIC subunits showed a very different expression pattern among non-myelinated DRG neuronal subpopulations: ASIC1 and ASIC3 were only expressed in CGRP-immunoreactive neurons (CGRP+), ASIC2a was mostly expressed in the majority of IB4-binding neurons (IB4+), while ASIC2b was expressed in almost all non-myelinated DRG neurons. We also found that at least half of sensory neurons expressed multiple types of ASIC subunits, indicating prevalence of heteromeric channels. In mice with peripheral nerve injury, the expression level of ASIC1a and ASIC1b in L4 DRG and ASIC3 in L5 DRG were altered in CGRP+ neurons, but not in IB4+ neurons. Furthermore, the pattern of change varied among DRGs depending on their segmental level, which pointed to differential regulatory mechanisms between afferent types and anatomical location. The distinct expression pattern of ASIC transcripts in naïve condition, and the differential regulation of ASIC subunits after peripheral nerve injury, suggest that ASIC subunits are involved in separate sensory modalities.


The neuropeptide substance P activates the cation channel NALCN in a G protein–independent manner to evoke slow excitation of neurons. Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide that causes slow excitation of neurons through SP-activated cation channel currents (ISP). The mechanisms involved in this slow excitation (including the identity of the channel) are unclear. Lu et al. investigated a role for NALCN, a neuronal cation channel, in mediating the effects of SP. Patch-clamp recordings showed that hippocampal pyramidal neurons from wild-type (WT), but not Nalcn–/–, mice responded to SP with an inward Na+ current that was blocked by an antagonist to TACR1, a G protein–coupled receptor for SP. Responses in Nalcn–/– neurons were rescued by transfection with a plasmid encoding Nalcn. Application of GTP or GDP analogs to lock G proteins into either "on" or "off" conformations, respectively, had no effect on ISP, suggesting that, although TACR1 was required for ISP, conventional G protein signaling was not. The Src family tyrosine kinase (SFK) inhibitor PP1 blocked ISP in neurons, whereas an SFK activator triggered an inward current (ISrc), which when it had plateaued rendered the neurons unresponsive to SP. ISrc did not occur in neurons from Nalcn–/– mice. Action potentials in ventral tegmental area dopaminergic neurons from WT, but not Nalcn–/–, animals were increased by SP, demonstrating a role for NALCN in SP-mediated modulation of neuronal excitability. No substantial ISP was detected in HEK 293T cells expressing TACR1 and NALCN; however, coexpression of a previously uncharacterized protein, UNC-80, whose gene interacts with Nalcn in other species, rendered the cells responsive to SP, which could be blocked by PP1. Taken together, these data suggest NALCN as the cation channel activated by SP in a G protein–independent, Src-dependent manner that involves UNC-80. B. Lu, Y. Su, S. Das, H. Wang, Y. Wang, J. Liu, D. Ren, Peptide neurotransmitters activate a cation channel complex of NALCN and UNC-80. Nature 457, 741–744 (2009). [PubMed]


In this paper, a network-on-chip four-level pulse amplitude modulation (4-PAM) scheme is proposed to be used for communication within the network itself in MPSoCs. A current-mode based 4-PAM transmitter is used to encode data transactions between neighboring routers. Decoding data streams is done by a flash-ADC based receiver using clocked latched type comparators. Additionally, this scheme is implemented on networks utilizing high-radix routers with a local concentration factor of 2 IPs per node to encode data streams injected into the network at the network interface and decode them at the input port of the router. We also discuss the required modifications to the router architecture in the input port buffers and introduce a two-stage allocation method to resolve conflicts of output port requests which is essential to maintain system stability after saturation by utilizing a fair flow control methodology. This results in a reduction in wiring load for each router which is an added value that facilitates the routing stage. The evaluation is extended to reflect the overall network performance supporting the use of multi-valued logic and estimate the overhead of implementation on area and power


With the increasing need for networked applications and distributed resource sharing, there is a strong incentive for an open large-scale service infrastructure operating over multidomain and multi-technology networks. Service discovery, as an essential support function of such an infrastructure, is a crucial current research challenge. Although a few survey papers have been published on this subject, our contribution focuses on comparing and analyzing key discovery approaches in the context of large-scale and multidomain networks. The comparison is conducted based on a set of well-defined criteria, leading to a selection of few approaches that can serve as the guide in designing a global service discovery system for large-scale and multi-technology networks.


Glucocorticoids (GC) are currently recommended as bridging therapy in combination with csDMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and should be tapered as rapidly as clinically feasible for safety concerns about their long-term use [1-3].To unravel the dynamical trajectory and characteristics of GCs tapering and discontinuation in RA patients commencing GCs with concomitant csDMARDs.We used data from longitudinal real-world TARRA (Treat-to-TARget in RA) cohort in Peking University First Hospital. RA patient who started GCs and contaminant csDMARDs therapy over 1-year follow-up were included. The changes in GCs dose and disease activity in the context of csDMARDs were evaluated. GCs discontinuation rate was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. The relapse profiles within 6 months after GCs discontinuation were also analyzed.A total of 207 RA patients were included. During a median follow-up duration of 38.6 months, 124 (59.9%) patients discontinued GC. The median oral prednisolone dose of 10 (5-10) mg/d at initiation was reduced by 50% in the first 6 months and then more slowly reduced, finally to zero by 48 months. The cumulative probability of GCs discontinuation was 26.6% at year 1, 48.0% at year 2, 58.6% at year 3, with calculated median time of 27 months (Figure 1). Of the 124 patients who discontinued GCs, add of other csDMARDs or increment of current csDMARDs was required in 29.0% of them. Approximately half of 124 patients were in clinical remission at the time point of GCs discontinuation. Within 6 months after GCs withdrawal, 79.1% (91/115) of participants maintained relapse-free.Figure 1.Kaplan-Meier curve with cumulative probability of glucocorticoids discontinuation in RA patients who start glucocorticoids with concomitant csDMARDs during the follow-up period. csDMARDs: conventional synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.In RA patients commencing GCs in addition to csDMARDs, GCs are feasibly discontinued with favorable control of disease activity in real-life setting, mostly without short-term flare. Adding targeted therapies are sometimes required to attain GCs discontinuation within the time frame of 3 months in current guidelines.[1]Hoes JN, Jacobs JW, Buttgereit F, Bijlsma JW. Current view of glucocorticoid co-therapy with DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2010 Dec;6(12):693-702. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2010.179.[2]Smolen JS, Landewé RBM, Bijlsma JWJ, et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2019 update. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jun;79(6):685-699. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216655.[3]Conn DL. The Story Behind the Use of Glucocorticoids in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2020 Dec 17;51(1):15-19. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2020.09.016.None declared


Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between social support and health, almost regardless of how social support and health have been conceptualised or measured. Even so, the issue of causality has not yet been sufficiently addressed. This issue is particularly challenging for mental health problems such as depressive symptoms. The aim of the present study is to longitudinally assess structural and functional aspects of social support in relation to depressive symptoms in men and women, through a series of competing causal models that, in contrast to many other statistical methods, allow for bi-directional effects. Methods: Questionnaire data from the Northern Swedish Cohort (n = 1001) were utilised for the years 1995 (age 30) and 2007 (age 42). Associations were analysed by means of gender-specific structural equation modelling, with structural and functional support modelled separately. Results: Both structural and functional support were associated with depressive symptoms at ages 30 and 42, for men and women alike. A higher level of support, particularly functional support, was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms over time among men. Among women, there were bi-directional effects of social support and depressive symptoms over time. Conclusion: Concerning social support and health, the social causation hypothesis seems relevant for men whereas, for women, the associations appear to be more complex. We conclude that preventive and health promoting work may need to consider that the presence of depressive symptoms in itself impedes on women's capability to increase their levels of social support.


Despite definite success in deep reinforcement learning problems, actor-critic algorithms are still confronted with sample inefficiency in complex environments, particularly in tasks where efficient exploration is a bottleneck. These methods consider a policy (the actor) and a value function (the critic) whose respective losses are built using different motivations and approaches. This paper introduces a third protagonist: the adversary. While the adversary mimics the actor by minimizing the KL-divergence between their respective action distributions, the actor, in addition to learning to solve the task, tries to differentiate itself from the adversary predictions. This novel objective stimulates the actor to follow strategies that could not have been correctly predicted from previous trajectories, making its behavior innovative in tasks where the reward is extremely rare. Our experimental analysis shows that the resulting Adversarially Guided Actor-Critic (AGAC) algorithm leads to more exhaustive exploration. Notably, AGAC outperforms current state-of-the-art methods on a set of various hard-exploration and procedurally-generated tasks.


In the present meta-analysis, the magnitude of the relationship between cognitive distortions and anger and violent behaviour of incarcerated offenders, based on selected data for the relationship between anger and violence, and cognitive distortions and violence was empirically assessed. Out of nineteen studies included for analysis nine of them contain statistical indicators regarding the relationship between anger and violence, and fourteen studies regarding cognitive distortions and violence. The results indicated a strong relationship both between anger and violence, and between cognitive distortions and violent behaviour. Furthermore, the moderating effect of the type of instruments (self-reported vs. observational behavioural measurements) used for violence assessment was tested. The results indicated that the type of instruments had no significant influence on the cognition-violence relationship, QB(1) = 0.12, p > .05, while in case of the anger-violence relationship, a significant moderating effect was identified, QB(1) = 14.26, p < .01, which supports a higher effect size when violence was measured by a self-reported than when was measured by behavioural observation.


From the Publisher:
Biomedicine has become one of the best-modeled domains from several perspectives - artificial intelligence, psychology, and the social sciences; yet few studies have combined these points of view. In this book, the interdisciplinary strengths of cognitive science offer fresh insights into biomedical problem solving.
Cognitive Science in Medicine presents current research that focuses on issues and results in applying techniques from cognitive science to problems in biomedicine. It includes material by researchers who have worked in both areas and is unique in linking models of physician knowledge with models of physician behavior.
David Evans discusses issues of cognitive science in medicine in his introduction; and in a chapter with Cindy Gadd and Harry Pople, deals with the problem of managing coherence and context in medical problem-solving discourse. Vimla Patel, Evans, and Guy Groen provide experimental data that illuminates the role of biomedical knowledge in clinical reasoning; and Patel, Evans, and David Kaufman offer a cognitive science framework for analysis of clinical interviews.
Other contributors and subjects include Clark Glymour on the empirical and representational issues in cognitive and medical science; Alan Lesgold on multilevel models of expertise; Arthur Elstein, James Dodd, and Gerald B. Holzman on the analysis of estrogen replacement decisions among residents; Kenneth R. Hammond, Elizabeth Frederick, Nichole Robillard, and Doreen Victor on the features of the student-teacher dialog in medicine; Naomi Rodolitz and William J. Clancey on tutoring for strategic knowledge; Paul J. Feltovich, Rand J. Spiro, and Richard L. Coulson on the foundationsof misunderstanding in established medical knowledge; John K. Vries, Evans, and Peretz Shoval on the development of semantic networks for medical information retrieval; and John Bruer, with a preface on the implications of cognitive-scientific studies for medical education.
David A. Evans is Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science at Carnegie-Mellon University and Vimla L. Patel is Associate Professor of Medicine and Educational Psychology at McGill University. A Bradford Book.


Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacillus, which is becoming widely recognized as an important nosocomial pathogen. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic relatedness, by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of 86 clinical isolates of S. maltophilia (colonization 22, infection 64) obtained from 79 hospitalized patients, from different geographic regions of Sao Paulo State. The genotypic analysis performed by RAPD and PFGE was used in 24 isolates for genetic identity confirmation. The results were congruent between the two methods but it was not possible to link genetic profiles with the studied variables, clinical state and geographic area, probably due to the great variability among the strains. The analyses by PFGE confirmed identity in 5 pairs of microorganisms and RAPD, in this study, showed to be a useful tool for investigation of diversity leading the identification of 85 genetic profiles. The genetic diversity shown may be due to re-infection by different strains or co-infection by multiple strains which suggests multiple entry sources of the bacterium in the hospital setting or of acquisition by patient. In this setting, colonization, infection and re-infection occur with unknown frequency, raising the need for the establishment of specific control measures.


Abstract. When using ultrafast laser ablation in some orthopedic applications where precise cutting/drilling is required with minimal damage to collateral tissue, it is challenging to produce large-sized and deep holes using a tightly focused laser beam. The feasibility of producing deep, millimeter-size structures under different ablation strategies is investigated. X-ray computed microtomography was employed to analyze the morphology of these structures. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of producing holes with sizes required in clinical applications using concentric and helical ablation protocols.


In a region where politics is part of the vocabulary of daily life, this study reveals the environment as a victim of politics in the Gaza Strip. The environmental crisis in Gaza continues to worsen as the groundwater becomes increasingly polluted and the political situation delays hope of "resting" the Gaza aquifer and finding solutions for proper disposal of sewage and solid waste. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been destroyed more than once as a result of the turbulent political situation. The Beit Lahia wastewater treatment plant flooded and killed several people in addition to causing casualties and displacing thousands of people, besides destroying homes and killing animals. The closure of the Gaza Strip led to a total paralysis of the economic sector. People9s diets were seriously affected. The effects on the industrial sector were not limited only to economic dimensions but affected the environment as well. In mid-2007 alone, more than 70% of the industrial sector was closed and the environmental indicators showed around a 70% decrease in the industrial waste production compared to the previous six years. However, the pollution load was increasing due to the absence of technologies and wastewater treatment facilities. Despite all the complicated circumstances in the Gaza Strip, the population growth rate is the highest in the world which means more needs, further depletion of natural resources, and more waste and pollution.


A widely-held assumption in the study of litigation and settlement is that if litigation is costly and settlement bargaining is costless, then in a complete-information setting, all disputes will settle with no need for litigation. This assumption is wrong. Even with complete information, perfectly rational parties may fail to settle out of court, and plaintiffs will spend resources to file suit, only for the parties thereafter to settle in court. This is because, outside of litigation, a strategy of stalling may be optimal for a defendant, and the plaintiff's only alternative is (costly) litigation. In this paper, I present a simple model demonstrating how stalling occurs, derive empirical predictions from the model, show how the model explains categories of litigation that existing models reliant on private information cannot explain (large numbers of debt-collection cases that are litigated, but no issues are contested), and discuss policy implications (including the limits of prejudgment interest as a tool to encourage settlement).


Purpose: To assess the effects of micronized (MIC) and nanoparticulate (NANO) transdermal hormone therapy (THT) on blood pressure, fasting insulin and ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) in postmenopausal women. Methods: In this open label study, 27 postmenopausal women, with no clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease, were randomly divided in two groups. During 12 weeks, fifteen patients received on the left forearm micronized (MIC) THT (micronized 17?-estradiol 2.5 mg/ day + progesterone 100 mg/day). Fourteen patients received a nanoparticulate (NANO) THT (nanoparticulate 17?-estradiol 2.5 mg/ day + progesterone 100mg/day). After treatment patients were evaluated. Baseline and Post-THT measures were determined: Insulin, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, CRP-stratified levels, total progesterone, TSH and FSH levels. The study was registered at clinical trials.gov (NCT02467673). Results: The mean age was 61.4 years. CRP-stratified high levels decreased in a higher number on NANO THT patients, who moved from high to intermediate and low levels (P<0.05). No effect was observed on TSH and FSH serum levels in both groups. Insulin levels decreased significantly on NANO group (P<0.05) patients and did not change on MIC group. Conclusions: Micronized and Nanoparticulate THT for 12 weeks had beneficial effects in postmenopausal women with no clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease.


A real-time data compression and transmission algorithm for a periodic ECG signal is used for tele-medicine. It is used for storing and transmission purposes without affecting the signal quality, they are capable of recording and processing long records of bio signals. The requirements of memory in the storage device having 250Hz sampling rate, 12 bit resolution and 52 megabits of memory. For transmission applications, highly integrated compression and decompression methods are used. The aim of bio signal compression scheme is to minimize the storage space without losing any clinically relevant information, which can be done by means of reducing eliminating redundancies in the signal. The algorithm is used to detect the peaks of differenced ECG data and then to perform DWT between the current peak and the previous peak of data stream. The performance level is compared to provide the optimal level of compression by shorter symbols of sequence identical signals by RLE. The bio signal data transmission method is used to limited bandwidth for long distance communications.


The problem of performing transformations from geocentric to geodetic coordinates has received an inordinate amount of attention in the literature. Numerous approximate methods have been published. Almost none of the publications address the issue of efficiency and in most cases there is a paucity of error analysis. Recently there has been a surge of interest in this problem aimed at developing more efficient methods for real time applications such as DIS. Iterative algorithms have been proposed that are not of optimal efficiency, address only one error component and require a small but uncertain number of relatively expensive iterations for convergence. In a recent paper published by the author a new algorithm was proposed for the transformation of geocentric to geodetic coordinates. The new algorithm was tested at the Visual Systems Laboratory at the Institute for Simulation and Training, the University of Central Florida, and found to be 30 percent faster than the best previously published algorithm. In this paper further improvements are made in terms of efficiency. For completeness and to make this paper more readable, it was decided to revise the previous paper and to publish it as a new report. The introduction describes the improvements in more detail.


Plant functional traits provide information about adaptations to climate and environmental conditions, and can be used to explore the existence of alternative plant strategies within ecosystems. Trait data are also increasingly being used to provide parameter estimates for vegetation models. Here we present a new database of plant functional traits from China. Most global climate and vegetation types can be found in China, and thus the database is relevant for global modeling. The China Plant Trait Database contains information on morphometric, physical, chemical, and photosynthetic traits from 122 sites spanning the range from boreal to tropical, and from deserts and steppes through woodlands and forests, including montane vegetation. Data collection at each site was based either on sampling the dominant species or on a stratified sampling of each ecosystem layer. The database contains information on 1,215 unique species, though many species have been sampled at multiple sites. The original field identifications have been taxonomically standardized to the Flora of China. Similarly, derived photosynthetic traits, such as electron-transport and carboxylation capacities, were calculated using a standardized method. To facilitate trait-environment analyses, the database also contains detailed climate and vegetation information for each site. The data set is released under a Creative Commons BY license. When using the data set, we kindly request that you cite this article, recognizing the hard work that went into collecting the data and the authors' willingness to make it publicly available.


Some patients with initial normal levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) have lower HDL-C levels during lipid-lowering treatment. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of low HDL-C (< 1.0 mmol/L; < 40 mg/dL) before and during lipid-lowering treatment. Additionally, the prevalence of low HDL-C during fibrate and statin treatment was compared. All patients attending two Health Insurance Associations during February and March 2002 for continuing reimbursement of their lipid-lowering drug were included in this study. Date of birth, sex and the actual lipid-lowering drug were recorded. The most recent lipoprotein levels and those after a three-month diet before the start of the treatment were recorded. In total, 2,259 patients (56% women) were included; 69% were treated with statins and 31% with fibrates. Low HDL-C levels were found before the initiation of the treatment in 7% of the statin patients and in 11% of the fibrate patients. During treatment, 10% of the statin patients and 13% of the fibrate patients had low HDL-C levels. The proportion of patients whose HDL-C decreased below 1.0 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) during treatment was 6% for statins and 4% for fibrates. Although lipid-lowering drugs are known to increase HDL-C levels slightly, not all patients benefit from this effect.


Leaders in an effectively engaged metropolitan university understand, agree on, and invest in thoughtfully chosen outreach commitments. The effective pursuit of such commitments requires also a balance among expectations, behaviors, and practices not always compatible. While outreach thrives on initiative, coordination is critical. Individuals energized by personal commitments must, nevertheless, serve an institutional vision. Though success often embodies the acceptance of risks, costs require careful and continuing scrutiny. Institutions that manage such balances well are most likely to succeed.


The electro-osmosis chemical treatment (ECT) is a useful method for improving soil strength. Some laboratory tests on ECT for strengthening high-salinity soft marine soils were investigated using self-designed laboratory facilities in this research. This study focused on improving the mechanical properties by using ECT method and analyzed the effects of using CaCl2 solution on soil strength owing to the electrolyte is an important factor for improving the bearing capacity of the high-salinity marine soils. Three groups of tests with different time for consolidation were performed to analyze the effective consolidation time on the ECT. In addition, several practical issues, including the current, voltage, energy consumption and the bearing capacity of the treated soils before and after experiments, were considered in the tests. The laboratory tests results demonstrated that the ECT technique is an effective method for improving the high-salinity marine soft soils. Furthermore, the definition of the effective time for consolidation was proposed for the ECT of high-salinity soft marine soils to improve the feasibility and economical efficiency of the ECT. This study provides some references and suggestions for practical application of the ECT technique for marine soft soils.


Objective: The present work is an analytical and prospective study on the determination of HDL-cholesterol through two different methodologies, precipitation and direct method, in a group of 51 patients attended by a school laboratory. Method: For the determination of these analytes, two methodologies were used: direct method and precipitation method, because it has been observed experimentally discrepancies in the values referring to the results of determination of cholesterol-HDL when comparing the results from the two methodologies, which can lead to a failed therapy. Result: Of the 51 samples analyzed, 38 (74.5%) were female and 13 (25.5%) were male. The results were divided into groups by age group, in order to verify a possible difference between the groups, the age range was 11 to 88 years. When the HDL-cholesterol values obtained by the two different methods were evaluated, there was a significant difference (p 0.0001) in the HDL-cholesterol values between the direct method (56.06 ± 1.653) and the precipitation method (39.35 ± 1.193). Conclusion: For HDL values, it was possible to verify that there is a significant increase between the HDL-cholesterol values obtained by the direct method in relation to the method by precipitation independent of variables such as sex and age group. This way further studies are needed in order to find a pattern of variation between the methods and allow the adequacy of the results through a correction factor or even new reference values. Key words: Cholesterol HDL, Benchmarking, Lipid Metabolism, Dyslipidemias.


Overview Established in 1993, the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) is the premier Track Two organization in the Asia Pacific region and counterpart to the Track One processes dealing with security issues, namely, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers Plus Forum. It provides an informal mechanism for scholars, officials and others in their private capacities to discuss political and security issues and challenges facing the region. It provides policy recommendations to various intergovernmental bodies, convenes regional and international meetings and establishes linkages with institutions and organisations in other parts of the world to exchange information, insights and experiences in the area of regional political-security cooperation. The CSCAP Regional Security Outlook (CRSO) is an annual publication to highlight regional security issues and to promote and inform policy relevant outputs as to how Track One (official) and Track Two (nonofficial) actors can, jointly or separately, advance regional multilateral solutions to these issues.


Lead iodide nanoparticles are synthesized in reverse micelle solution of AOT/H2O/n-heptane. Optical absorption spectra and TEM analysis indicated the formation of crystalline particles with an average radius of 1.5 nm, which is less than the Bohr radius of the exciton (1.9 nm) in bulk PbI2. Using theoretical models and optical spectra of quantum confined PbI2 nanoparticles, a radius of 1.5 nm and a thickness of 1.7 nm was calculated, which are in full agreement with the TEM results. Particles were isolated from the dispersed medium and were analysed by powder XRD and Raman spectroscopy, indicating the formation of a predominantly 2H-PbI2 polytype. This work presents the first case of fully isolated, fully characterized solid nanoparticles of PbI2. It also presents XRD and Raman spectrum for the first time for PbI2 nanoparticles of intermediate quantum confinement.


Improvements in the strength and durability of frost-susceptible soils and aggregates can be achieved through chemical stabilization using portland cement, where the efficacy of cement stabilization for improving durability depends on the degree to which hydraulic conductivity is reduced. Hydraulic conductivity is commonly estimated from basic soil properties using Moulton's empirical equation. However, the hydraulic conductivity estimation does not consider the detrimental effects of freezing or the benefits of cement stabilization. The purpose of this research was to derive new equations relating hydraulic conductivity after freezing to specific material properties of cement-treated soils and aggregates stabilized with different concentrations of cement. This research included material samples from two locations in Alaska and from single locations in Minnesota, Montana, Texas, and Utah, for a total of six material samples. Each soil or aggregate type was subjected to material characterization by the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) classification system. Moisture-density curves were developed, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) testing was performed to determine cement concentrations generally corresponding to low, medium, and high 7-day UCS values of 200, 400, and 600 psi, respectively. After being cured for 28 days at 100 percent relative humidity, the prepared specimens were subjected to frost conditioning and hydraulic conductivity testing. The Alaska-Elliott, Minnesota, Montana, and Utah materials exhibit decreasing hydraulic conductivity with increasing UCS, the Texas material exhibits increasing hydraulic conductivity with increasing strength from the low to medium cement concentration levels but decreasing hydraulic conductivity from the medium to high cement concentration levels, and the Alaska-Dalton material exhibits increasing hydraulic conductivity with increasing strength. Multivariable regression analyses were performed to investigate relationships between hydraulic conductivity and several material properties, including soil gradation and classification, fineness modulus, specific gravity, cement content, porosity, compaction method, dry density, and 7-day UCS for each specimen. The R 2 values computed for the six-parameter, four-parameter, USCS, and AASHTO-classification models are 0.795, 0.767, 0.930, and 0.782, respectively. Further research is recommended to investigate the effects of cement on hydraulic conductivity for USCS and AASHTO soil types not covered in this research.


Prostitution is illegal in almost all parts of the United States. Regardless of whether one considers this to be positive or negative, prostitution is still a booming business and thrives despite the legal ramifications of the practice. The pervasiveness of prostitution despite its prohibition may lead one to question the point of the legislation if enforcement is so costly and ineffective. Is prostitution illegal because it harms the well being of society as a whole and the prostitute in particular? Or perhaps it is simply distasteful or worse, immoral and must be forbidden by the law. This, however, leads to several questions. Should the law be able to regulate the behavior of individuals in private moral matters, if so, under what conditions, and further, should prostitution be regulated by the government or even be considered immoral? By analyzing the arguments presented by various sexual ethical theories that condemn prostitution as morally impermissible and exposing their flaws, this thesis then turns to consent theories that accept some forms of prostitution as morally acceptable in order to show that prostitution, while illegal in the united states, is, in certain situations, morally acceptable, and should not be prohibited. This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council


Abstract Context: Osteopathic manual medicine (OMM) encompasses hands-on diagnosis and treatment as part of patient care. The area of osteopathic principles and practice (OPP) is considered a core competency for students and practitioners of this medical tradition. The Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA) is a useful tool for assessing candidates' competency. Objectives: To examine the relationship of COMLEX-USA Level 1 total scores and OPP subscores with OMM course grades, and to determine if these grades are predictive of COMLEX-USA Level 1 OPP performance. Methods: The authors collected data—COMLEX-USA Level 1 total and OPP subscores, OMM grades (written, practical, and total for first and second academic years), sex, and age—for a cohort of osteopathic medical students at a single institution, and these data were then analyzed by means of correlation analysis. Results: Records were obtained from a second-year class of osteopathic medical students (N=217). The authors' analysis of total scores and OPP subscores on COMLEX-USA Level 1 yielded a statistically significant correlation with all variables. Although the correlations were moderate, second-year written examination grades showed the strongest association with the COMLEX-USA Level 1 OPP subscores (r=0.530) and total scores (r=0.566). Conclusion: Performance in the second-year OMM written examination could identify students potentially at risk for poor performance on COMLEX-USA Level 1.


By how the brain works for the Very young child's mind when they are born to be his mind Loader with operational program acquired genes text of this operational program is to pay attention to what is repeated, pay attention to visual and auditory stimuli. The basis of learning is repetition and stimulate the senses Comes from the interaction, in order for this program works must interact with the child to stimulate the child's mind and its cells nerve The most important year of the child is the first year then the second and child neglect in the first two years whether to let him watch TV or maid or not to interact with it leads to stop some senses and stop the mental and linguistic age of the child in the event that a child has been neglected in the first months or that the brain did not stimulate becomes less active in subsequent years. To answer questions from parents of children autism spectrum more than 300 children from various Arab countries as well as Arab expatriates residing in the foreign and Arab countries and found that 90% of children have been exposed to neglect inadvertently leaving them in front of children's channels in the first year for a long time or screens devices in the first year or Second – The majority of them left by parents to watch the channels that repeat content and songs. We also found more cases that lead to leaving the child of the TV is 1. Working mother 2. Expatriate mother or traveling 3. Pregnant another child early 4. Busy father 5. Ignorance of the seriousness of the TV. We also found the answer from the mothers of the children and some of the videos that the child's behavior after the birth and to the pre-watch TV normally be in terms of sounds, movement and visual communication, hearing, especially in the first 6 months. We also found symptoms of autism spectrum emerged after the child's addiction to watch these channels which - Lack of eye contact - Lack of attention to the appeal - Link TV or screens - Age-stop linguistic and stop mental age where he does not fit the true age - Non-participation of children playing - Trouble sleeping and eating Repetitive movements - problems in some senses such as smell - touch - taste - and the sensitivity of sound. We have reached the symptoms depend on several factors and varies from child, including 1-In any month of the child's age began to watch TV for a long time in the first year it led to a mental age and freeze them know mental age of a child. 2-how much the period that lasted for Child Show TV screens or devices and the way parents interact with the child and that will affect the senses And by how the brain works and the impact of television addiction children how we came to cause these symptoms TV and how it works to freeze the mind and the senses. The child is born and all the memory empty for the senses and the sense of each storage and retrieval program It must be filled to the age of 18 months and the formation of memory for each sense. Repetition is the basis of learning, The basis for the work of the senses is the interaction What happens when you watch the child to repeat content channels and songs and cartoons. First, the sense of sight To operate the sense of sight must be watched repeated things and stores it in memory of sight colors, sizes and shape as well as the normal speed stored in memory in order to be considered and very young children learn best by relating to real live people. In the case that the child was TV it stores the two-dimensional images without the size without touching without smell. What happens in a child's memory - will not be storage size and shape and the smell will not prolong the consideration of the fact things Because he used to watch Photos shown great speed and two-dimensional resulting in lack of eye contact of the child things really are not two-dimensional 2. Example hearing Natural that a child hears different intensity, size and level far and close sounds and different directions And heard his name many times and pay attention to the call and stores voice his name and repetition soon be named in memory of hearing When you call it retrieves the sound of the voice memory and quickly analyze the mind and pay attention to the call quickly In the case of watching TV heard voices and one level - from one direction - will store specific sounds like what you watch from songs and animation films - Due to the channels repeating the content of the songs and songs will be stored these sounds in the audio memory and where the child spends a long time without having heard the sound of his name or Call it will become the voice of his name store down memory because the foundation is repetition will lose the sound of his name and therefore will not respond to the call of his parents, although he pay attention to the voices of the TV - also cause sensitivity of the hearing because the ear will be used on a one-level sounds also happen speech problems Because child labor channels to repeat songs, therefore the child tends to happen almost addictive frequencies songs to find that the child does not respond to the call of his father, but as soon as the employment of children are attracted to channel quickly even if the child was in another room 3. The lack of movement and sitting in front of the TV for a long time Problem will happen in the system estimate distances, balance and touch 4. Eating natural person is an important topic when watching TV in a mind will not eat cares tastings - this is what happens to the child while watching TV will be attentive to the TV will weaken the sense of taste and also in the future and also will not be digested without eating has swallowed digest TV addiction will lead to feelings and not to freeze the growth of social relations and do not care even in the absence of the mother in some cases 5. Speech and becomes a child receives only laziness happens to think and speak weaken the speech where language acquisition results from the interaction with others and not to watch TV and weaken the sense of touch, smell, at least in this moment of interaction depends mental age As the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended preventing children less than two years of watching TV and that our recommended weaning in two years and we recommend that leaving the child less than two years, is television crime. We demand from channels that repeat content and songs put a warning on the channel to prevent viewing of less than two years for the prevention of the spread of autism spectrum Recommendation prevent children less than two years to watch TV once, especially in the first year of interaction with the child as much as possible with sound and movement and smile and touch. There are some people messages, most of which prove that the child is exposed to neglect is intentional to leave him in front of children's channels, especially with a nanny does not speak baby language was the mother is busy with work or pregnancy in the most important months needed for the child to interact and evolve and also busy mothers to the Internet and social networking sites and it is clear that children channels a major reason for the increased prevalence of autism spectrum leaving the child who is less than two years, is to watch TV screens is a crime. *Channels of the most influential in the children come to the fore Channel Toyyour aljannah TV by 70% and it shares Space Toon – BRAAEAM TV - Tom and Jerry. Message from one of the mothers of children born harmony boy and girl Posted says that the child has a lack of eyes contact - do not pay attention to the appeal - does not realize what around following orders - the child likes to eat only cake and yogurt An inquiry was made of them Does the child and the girl child and how much TV they been seen an hour and why his sister was not affected The answer is as follows: From the age of 6 months, the child watches TV more than 7 hours per day Is his sister was watching TV a period equal to the period of her brother or less? The answer is that the mother of his twin sister was watching TV a period of not less concerned with road a lot - and always come out with me and leave the other child sits at home with his grandmother. The findings of the researcher: 1. For the prevention of autism spectrum prevents a child less than two years, is to watch TV once and interaction with the child as much as possible with sound and movement and smile and touch and play and that leaving the child less than two years for a maid or TV crime. 2. A children's channels must repetitive writing a warning on its screen to prevent children less than two years of viewing because they cause symptoms of autism spectrum. 3. Can restart the mind and the senses again by reverse engineering and without medication starts to work the mind and the senses notice of appeal identifying himself and prolong the matter and get ready to learn and make up for lost and begin the appearance of improvement in the first week.


The importance of how a protein reconfigures its structure to achieve its function has long been appreciated; yet, the progress in our fundamental understanding of protein dynamics does not seem to be commensurate with the rapid advances in experimental techniques and ever increasing computational prowess. In this review, we attempt to look at this issue based on quantitative characterisations that go beyond simply determining the kinetics rates or only allowing qualitative statements about conformational states. We summarise the theoretical basis for determining from experimental data the kinetics and the structural elements of protein conformational dynamics. The two kinetics elements include the apparent potential of mean force and the intra-molecular diffusion coefficient along a coordinate defined by the pair of single-molecule Förster-type resonance energy transfer reporters that are chemically attached to the protein. We show that it is now possible to resolve the relative contributions of these two kinetics elements when discussing the physical origin of the protein's conformation-reconfiguration rate changes due to mutation or interaction with chemical effectors or with other proteins. The structural element refers to the orthogonal conformational modes that give rise to the intrinsic conformational motions of the protein, and could allow a comparative study among proteins from different families. To achieve these, it is essential that experimental data be rigorously analysed and integrated with molecular simulations – which include molecular dynamics simulations, coarse-grained modelling, and enhanced sampling. In turn, the close interplay between computation and experiment through this new direction could accelerate the discovery of predictive models.


Abstract. In this article, the first spatially resolved and millennium-length summer (June–August) temperature reconstruction over the Arctic and sub-Arctic domain (north of 60° N) is presented. It is based on a set of 44 annually dated temperature-sensitive proxy archives of various types from the revised PAGES2k database supplemented with six new recently updated proxy records. As a major advance, an extension of the Bayesian BARCAST climate field (CF) reconstruction technique provides a means to treat climate archives with dating uncertainties. This results not only in a more precise reconstruction but additionally enables joint probabilistic constraints to be imposed on the chronologies of the used archives. The new seasonal CF reconstruction for the Arctic region can be shown to be skilful for the majority of the terrestrial nodes. The decrease in the proxy data density back in time, however, limits the analyses in the spatial domain to the period after 750 CE, while the spatially averaged reconstruction covers the entire time interval of 1–2002 CE. The centennial to millennial evolution of the reconstructed temperature is in good agreement with a general pattern that was inferred in recent studies for the Arctic and its subregions. In particular, the reconstruction shows a pronounced Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; here ca. 920–1060 CE), which was characterised by a sequence of extremely warm decades over the whole domain. The medieval warming was followed by a gradual cooling into the Little Ice Age (LIA), with 1766–1865 CE as the longest centennial-scale cold period, culminating around 1811–1820 CE for most of the target region. In total over 600 independent realisations of the temperature CF were generated. As showcased for local and regional trends and temperature anomalies, operating in a probabilistic framework directly results in comprehensive uncertainty estimates, even for complex analyses. For the presented multi-scale trend analysis, for example, the spread in different paths across the reconstruction ensemble prevents a robust analysis of features at timescales shorter than ca. 30 years. For the spatial reconstruction, the benefit of using the spatially resolved reconstruction ensemble is demonstrated by focusing on the regional expression of the recent warming and the MCA. While our analysis shows that the peak MCA summer temperatures were as high as in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the spatial coherence of extreme years over the last decades of the reconstruction (1980s onwards) seems unprecedented at least back until 750 CE. However, statistical testing could not provide conclusive support of the contemporary warming to exceed the peak of the MCA in terms of the pan-Arctic mean summer temperatures: the reconstruction cannot be extended reliably past 2002 CE due to lack of proxy data and thus the most recent warming is not captured.


The purpose of this paper is to outline a conceptual framework of the key processes that integrate sustainability across the supply chain strategically. This has not been done to date due to several factors including the nascent nature of sustainable supply chain management (SCM) research; increased complexities in SCM such as a proliferation of perspectives given various foci of disciplines, theoretical lenses and stakeholder perspectives; and ever more complex strategies given the added sustainable components. With the maturation of this field, the business case as to why sustainability criteria should be integrated in to core business operations has been well established. Piloted sustainable supply chains are coming of age and are exemplified as flagship business practices in company sustainability reports. Practitioners and academics are now turning to the problem of scaling up processes, not only across the whole supply chain, but across the network too. There is no research that systematically maps processes that integrate sustainability dimensions across the supply chain. This presented an opportunity to develop a conceptual framework, outlining the content from themes and issues in SCM and sustainability processes. Through the literature reviewed, key issues in sustainable SCM and its key processes were identified. Furthermore, key findings indicate that there are divergent interests in sustainability agendas across all disciplines and stakeholders that affect how these processes are integrated. This suggests how sustainability is perceived and integrated, requires further attention. To help frame the understanding of how these processes are managed, given the factors at play, the framework is built upon the theoretical proposition of Network Theory (NT), and the influence of power and decision-making. The aim is to develop a theoretical understanding of sustainable SCM with the intention of making an original contribution to the supply chain discipline.


Assessments deliver information about the knowledge level of a student. Formative assessments' main purposes are to identify student's weaknesses and strengths, and support educators in the planning process of their instruction. In this paper a graphical user interface concept is presented to provide feedback with the aid of the editing results of medical students, who train with Virtual Patient, which is a computer-based simulation of patient care.


Background - UK healthcare has adopted various improvement strategies from business including using satisfaction surveys. However, the way patients form and express judgements of quality care can be more complex than customer purchases. Research in adult patient satisfaction has found capturing patient opinion challenging; however, adult service- user views continue to underpin quality care guidance across healthcare. Development of knowledge to include parental views of quality care is important to inform future guidance specific to children's services.

Methods - This study aimed to examine how parents determined the quality of care provided when their child was hospitalised, factors influencing perceptions of care and whether these judgements changed over time. Using a grounded theory approach, data were collected through a series of in-depth interviews (22) with nine parents following their child's hospitalisation.

Findings - The substantive grounded theory - Parenting in an alien hospital world: on guard and on behalf offers new perspectives on the complex psychosocial processes underlying parents' quality judgements. When their child was hospitalised parents landed in an 'alien' world but continued to try 'to parent' (protect and advocate) their child. Parents' experiences were characterised by landing; moving from being' new parents' to 'old hands'; searching for and judging the 'clues' and facing dilemmas of how best to respond to professionals. Parents were found to use an escalating level of signals to prompt health professionals to respond to their queries and concerns Parents' personal lens altered through their transitional journey and this, together with their perception of professionals' power impacted on their chosen responses to professionals and their quality judgements. Parents held two views of care quality: 'at the time' and a final 'on balance' view. The final view recognised their own heightened emotions and reflected their current transition.

Conclusions - Ultimately parents judge hospital care as high quality when they perceived health professionals acted as their allies in their parenting roles as protectors and advocates for their child in the alien hospital world. Health professionals could improve parents' experiences and quality judgements of care by early recognition and response to their 'signalling' and by explicitly acting as parental allies.


Purpose Nowadays, the intensive use of natural resources in order to satisfy the increasing energy demand suggests a threat to the implementation of the principles of Sustainable Development. The present study attempts to approach thermodynamically, the depletion of natural resources in the methodological framework and the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Methods An environmental decision support tool is studied, the Exergetic Life Cycle Assessment (ELCA). It arises from the convergence of the LCA and Exergy Analysis (EA) methodologies and attempts to identify the exergetic parameters that are related to the Life Cycle of the examined system or process. The ELCA methodology, beside the fact that locates the system parts which involve greater exergy losses, examines the depletion of natural resources (biotic and abiotic) and the sustainable prospective of the examined system or process, under the scope of exergy. In order to obtain concrete results, the ELCA methodology is applied to a large scale, grid connected, Photovoltaic (PV) system with energy storage that is designed to entirely electrify the Greek island of Nisyros. Results and discussion Four discerned cases were studied that reflect the present state and the future development of the PV technology. The exergy flows and balance for the Life Cycle of the PV system, as they were formed in the ELCA study, showed that the incoming exergy (solar radiation, energy sources, and materials) is not efficiently utilized. The greater exergy losses appear at the stage of the operation of the PV installation. Due to the fact that contribution of the renewable exergy (solar radiation) to the formation of the total incoming exergy of Life Cycle is significant, it emerges that satisfaction of electric power needs with a PV system appears to be exergetic sustainable. The increase of the Life Cycle exergetic efficiency supported by the future technological scenario in contrast to present scenarios emerges from the increased electricity output of the PV-system. Consequently, the increased exergetic efficiency involves decreased irreversibility (exergy losses) of the PV system"s Life Cycle. Conclusions The application of ELCA in electricity production technologies exceeds the proven sustainable prospective of the PV systems, however it aims to show the essence of the application of ELCA methodology in the environmental decision making process. ELCA can be a useful tool for the support and formation of the environmental decision making that can illustrate in terms of exergetic sustainability the examined energy system or process.


Aeronautical warfare played a greater role in the First World War than initially given credit, forcing the British government over time to develop a competent  ̳Home Defence' system to ward off German bombings and satisfy the British public's pressure for protection. By juxtaposing early aerial history with the British public's perceptions and the government's response, this study reveals a vital transition in the nature and perceptions of warfare during the First World War, providing a socio-military perspective rarely seen in pure military or social histories. Debunking the misconception of the reliance of aerial warfare for just scouting and reconnaissance, this study demonstrates that aerial bombardment, focusing particularly on the German bombing campaign over Britain, had a significant psychological impact on the British people. Moreover, studying these bombings illustrates the rapid technological and tactical advancements that transpired as the war progressed, eventually leading to the creation of the ̳infant' British Royal Air Force and an aerial defense system that would become the foundation of Britain's defense system during World War II. The enduring results of these German bombings was Britain's reunion with the European continent – no longer allowing it to remain in isolation – while simultaneously contributing to the general  ̳totalization' of warfare that occurred in the First World War.


Calendering is the papermaker's last chance to reduce thickness variations along the length and width of the finished sheet, and to improve the sheet smoothness. A smoother sheet results in improved print quality, while more uniform thickness profiles improve the winding process. The calendering operation thus improves the quality of the finished product. In recent years there has been an increase in the loads, speeds and temperatures at which soft-nip calenders, whether on or off line, can be operated without mechanical failure of the cover; the result has been an improvement in the surface and printing properties achievable with mechanical printing grades of paper, and an increase in the production rates which can be sustained. As a result, these calenders have slowly replaced traditional machine calenders in new and retrofit installations. The best available design and trouble-shooting tools for modern machine calenders are based on empirical models, whose coefficients have not been related to fundamental paper or fibre properties. New furnishes therefore require experimental determination of these coefficients, and extrapolation to new calendering conditions involves some risk. As well, there are no published models, empirical or otherwise, for the design and troubleshooting of soft-nip calenders, an unfortunate state of affairs given the increased number of installations of these machines. The purpose of this review is to outline the current understanding of the process, and to identify areas where further research 12th Fundamental Research Symposium, Oxford, September 2001 1001 Preferred citation: T.C. Browne and R. H. Crotogino. Future Directions in Calendering Research. In The science of papermaking, Trans. of the XIIth Fund. Res. Symp. Oxford, 2001, (C.F. Baker, ed.), pp 1001–1036, FRC, Manchester, 2018. DOI: 10.15376/frc.2001.2.1001.


This new book extends Teun A. van Dijk's earlier research on discursive racism to the Latin world. He presents a first inventory of elite discourse and racism in Spain and Latin America by examining discursive reactions in Spain to recent immigration, as well as age-old racism and ethnicism in text and talk in Latin America (especially Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile). Through careful analysis of the media, political discourse, textbooks and other public discourses in these countries he shows that discursive euro-racism is ubiquitous also in countries outside Europe. Spain reproduces, but as yet in a less radical way, the kind of racist discourse we find elsewhere in Western Europe. In Latin America, ethnicism and racism against the indigenous peoples and against Afrolatins has prevailed in elite discourse since colonialism and slavery. This is the first integrated study of discursive racism in the Latin world and provides a useful framework for similar research.


The objective of this Workpackage 4 is to develop techniques to characterize the malicious code that is collected in the previous workpackage. The main idea is to enrich the collected code thanks to metadata that might reveal insights into the origin of the code and the intentions of those that created, released or used it. This deliverable provides a preliminary discussion of possible contextual features of malware, and for each feature, an estimate on its effectiveness and the difficulty to obtain it. Some of these features can be used to analyze potential threats and discriminate collected samples that are mere variations of already known threats.


The public benefit corporation ("PBC") is one of the most hyped developments in corporate law, due to the PBC's unique social purpose. Unlike the traditional corporation, directors of PBCs are required under their fiduciary duties to consider the impact of their decisions on a range of stakeholders and communities. This new form is hailed by many as a framework for a reformed capitalism. Critics, on the other hand, have assailed PBCs as unworkable—at best allowing corporations to "greenwash," providing a thin disguise for ordinary corporate profit-seeking behavior.

What has been lacking in this debate is evidence about whether and how the new form is being adopted. We fill this gap with an empirical study of early-stage investment in PBCs. Early-stage investment, consisting of venture capital and similar funds, presents an interesting test case for PBC funding, because these investors have profit-maximizing incentives and fiduciary duties of their own. Using our novel dataset, we can discern whether for-profit investment is occurring in PBCs, and if so, whether it is different in kind from ordinary early stage investment.

We find that PBCs are receiving investment at significant rates, and that funding is coming from typical sources of venture capital—including traditional, profit-seeking VC firms. We also find that VC firms are investing in more consumer-facing industries, as well as investing smaller amounts than traditional investments at the same stage, raising concerns about greenwashing. While the ultimate arc of the PBC remains uncertain, our results show that it is gaining acceptance as an investment that can earn an acceptable rate of return—though, as we argue, the PBC status itself may be a secondary factor in VCs' decisions.

We use these results to develop a theory of future PBC development, which asserts that in the medium term, investment in PBCs is likely to remain siloed in smaller, newly formed firms. We conclude that widespread adoption of the form will take time, as network effects build and experience with the form becomes embedded within the entrepreneurial and legal ecosystem. The PBC is not a failure. But it is in its infancy, and any full embrace will take a significant period of time.