1] Weather sayings are empirical rules for the prediction of weather and have been studied, so far, only by paremiologists and meteorologists. The author argues that they also present interest for environmental aesthetics, and that their aesthetic dimension is not confined to their stylistic qualities and versified form but is mainly based on the experience that underlies them. The analyses of weather lore in English, French, and German emphasize that this pre-modern, expert knowledge produced and still can bring enjoyment and, conversely, that the sources of this aesthetic enjoyment are to a large extent cognitive, even if not scientific by modern standards. These sources are specified in the paper as the intuition of a cosmic order behind a complex realm of phenomena; perceptual discrimination and descriptive accuracy, completed by aesthetic qualifications; imagination; a holistic worldview; and, finally, wisdom.


A new class of applications can now be envisaged with the emergence of both mobile ad hoc computing and ubiquitous computing. Applications of such kind are characterised by being largely distributed and proactive, i.e. able to operate without human intervention. The anonymous and asynchronous paradigm, which is advocated by event models, has shown to be well-suited for this kind of applications. However, current real-time event-oriented middleware technologies do not provide a complete solution for the requirements of mobile ad hoc environments. In this paper, we present the research carried out on both a resource and a QoS management framework to achieve real-time support for an event system operating in mobile ad hoc environments. The framework makes use of both reflection and component technology. The implementation of our resource system is developed in OpenCOM, which is a lightweight, efficient and reflective model based on Microsoft's COM.


Email communication has been widely used in managing customer queries, such as complaints and inquiries. The user is expected to respond the query properly. However, with an increasing number of query emails received every day, it seems likely that the inbox appears to have more unreplied queries and leads to overwhelmed and cluttered email management called email overload. This thesis presents a development in the email overload issue on managing a reply task. The system, called a smart email client, helps in replying to an email by suggesting a list of replies gleaned from the emails replied to in the past. These suggested replies are ranked according to the level of similarity. The methodology follows the Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) approach to solve the problem by reusing previously written solutions from the past replies stored in the case base. Techniques from Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval are utilised, particularly in lexical semantics, through using WordNet. Finally, an evaluation of the retrieval algorithm shows that the effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm is influenced by the case feature selection and various text analysis techniques such as lexical analysis, stemming, stopwords removal, and synonym expansion.


Objective. To describe the surgical, clinical and epidemiological characteristics in patients with pulmonary hydatid in the Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo. Material and methods. Descriptive, retrospective and observational study. The studied population was patients with the diagnosis of pulmonary hydatid, operated and registered in the Program of Torax and Cardiovascular Surgery of the Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo from January 2003 to December 2005. 113 clinical records and surgical reports were reviewed; clinical, epidemiological and surgical characteristics, intraoperatory and postoperatory morbidity/mortality as well as six-month follow up after the surgical treatment were recorded. Results. 113 patients were enrolled, 50.4% female, 15.9% were from Lima Metropolitana and the main symptom was thoracic pain. The principal surgical approach was the posterolateral toracotomy (97.3%). The surgical techniques used were pulmonary resection (52.2%), preservative surgery (40.7%) and mixed technique (7.1%). Pulmonary hydatidosis with intrapulmonary involvement was present in 4.5% and extrapulmonary involvement in 25.7%. Complicated cysts were in 80.5% of cases. There were intraoperatives surgical complications in 73.4% and postoperative complications in 22.1%. Conclusions. Patients were young adults, mainly rural immmigrants or people in transit, frequently with risk factors for hydatid. Intra-operatory complications were more frequent and unusual than postoperatory complications, but had no impact on the patients' mortality.


Background Intranasal lidocaine has been shown to be effective in treating patients with acute migraines; however, its efficacy is still controversial. In this study, we intend to assess the efficacy and safety of intranasal lidocaine compared with a placebo or an active comparator for the treatment of migraines. Method PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and Scopus databases were searched from their inceptions to November 2018. Randomized controlled studies investigating the efficacy of intranasal lidocaine compared with a placebo or an active comparator were selected. Two reviewers independently extracted and synthesized data using a random-effects model. The primary outcome was pain intensity. The secondary outcomes were success rate, the need for rescue medicine, and relapse occurrences. We registered the study at PROSPERO with an ID of CRD42018116226. Results Six studies (n = 613) were eligible for the meta-analysis. Overall, the results revealed that the study population who was administered intranasal lidocaine had a lower pain intensity at 5 min (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.61; 95% CI = -1.04 to -0.19) and 15 min (SMD = -0.72; 95% CI = -1.14 to -0.19), had a higher success rate (RR = 3.55; 95% CI: 1.89 to 6.64) and a less frequent need for rescue medicine (RR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.36 to 0.72) than the control group. These beneficial effects were not observed when an antiemetic was administered. Furthermore, intranasal lidocaine use had no significant influence on the relapse rate (RR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.51–1.56), regardless of the use of antiemetics. Using lidocaine caused local irritation in up to 49.4% of the patients in one report but did not cause major adverse events. Conclusion Intranasal lidocaine can be considered a useful option for patients with an acute migraine. It yields a high success rate, a low pain intensity, an infrequent need for rescue medicine, and tolerable adverse events. The administration of antiemetics is an important confounding factor.


Abstract. Injection of fluids into deep saline aquifers causes a pore pressure increase in the storage formation, and thus displacement of resident brine. Via hydraulically conductive faults, brine may migrate upwards into shallower aquifers and lead to unwanted salinisation of potable groundwater resources. In the present study, we investigated different scenarios for a potential storage site in the Northeast German Basin using a three-dimensional (3-D) regional-scale model that includes four major fault zones. The focus was on assessing the impact of fault length and the effect of a secondary reservoir above the storage formation, as well as model boundary conditions and initial salinity distribution on the potential salinisation of shallow groundwater resources. We employed numerical simulations of brine injection as a representative fluid. Our simulation results demonstrate that the lateral model boundary settings and the effective fault damage zone volume have the greatest influence on pressure build-up and development within the reservoir, and thus intensity and duration of fluid flow through the faults. Higher vertical pressure gradients for short fault segments or a small effective fault damage zone volume result in the highest salinisation potential due to a larger vertical fault height affected by fluid displacement. Consequently, it has a strong impact on the degree of shallow aquifer salinisation, whether a gradient in salinity exists or the saltwater–freshwater interface lies below the fluid displacement depth in the faults. A small effective fault damage zone volume or low fault permeability further extend the duration of fluid flow, which can persist for several tens to hundreds of years, if the reservoir is laterally confined. Laterally open reservoir boundaries, large effective fault damage zone volumes and intermediate reservoirs significantly reduce vertical brine migration and the potential of freshwater salinisation because the origin depth of displaced brine is located only a few decametres below the shallow aquifer in maximum. The present study demonstrates that the existence of hydraulically conductive faults is not necessarily an exclusion criterion for potential injection sites, because salinisation of shallower aquifers strongly depends on initial salinity distribution, location of hydraulically conductive faults and their effective damage zone volumes as well as geological boundary conditions.


This paper aims to introduce the development of a control system implemented for a force-feedback gripper mechanism, as well as the results of the experiments carried out on the device. The achievements shall be used in additional research related to medical purpose grippers, such as artificial hands. The aim of the current research is the improvement of the control system of artificial hands in order to assure the expected usability in the case of a simplified mechanical structure, and eventually to decrease the manufacturing cost of such devices to gain higher availability. First, the main units of the experimental device will be described. After the clarification of the basics, the applied control strategies shall be discussed in detail. From the basic PI/PID control, to adaptive fuzzy/neurofuzzy control, different methods are applied also on the simulation model and the experimental device itself. The main results of the research are the summary of differences between the particular control strategies. The properties of the controls, like speed, stability, accuracy and adaptivity are determined and a comparative analysis have been expounded. From the achieved results, the overall efficiency of the different control strategies can be determined, the type and properties of the optimal control can be described. Finally the aspects of further development will be discussed; on one hand, that means the design and production of a new, more complex mechanism; and on the other hand, the feedback of more state variables in order to gain more information for better function. Hopefully a complete five-finger gripper will be manufactured in the near future, and by the time it will be available, the results of this study can be utilized for its control system.


Few results related to the control of plant viruses have been reported successfully, and less research has been carried out under field conditions for the pathogens. The Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is a very challenging virus to combat and prevents achieving a high productive potential in Carica papaya due to the lack of resistant genes in commercial papaya cultivars such as red Maradol, which originated in Cuba and extends to all America and the Caribbean. In this study, the effectiveness of a new viral inhibitor (Inhibitovir), applied as a preventive and curative treatment to control PRSV was evaluated under field conditions. The results showed the possibility of using this viral inhibitor against PRSV because its effectiveness was comparable to that of the commercial antiviral (Q-2000VI). The use of Inhibitovir can prevent the damages caused by PRSV with satisfactory protection until harvest, allowing yield increases of 1.5 to 3 times. The preventive effect of Inhibitovir applications can attenuate and reduce disease symptoms, even in those plants that were infected prior to treatment. The field application of a new antiviral formulation offers a new alternative for efficient PRSV control, which can be included in integrated pest management.


War Powers in a Republic The Framers gave close thought on where to locate the war power. They knew that British precedents, on which they relied extensively in so many areas, assigned all of external affairs--including the war power--to the king. Yet the Framers did not trust executive judgments in matters of war. They were in the process of creating a republican government, and understood from their study of history that executives, in their search for fame and glory, had a dangerous appetite for war. John Jay in Federalist no. 4 warned that monarchs in other nations "will often make war when their nations are to get nothing by it, but for purposes and objects merely personal, such as a thirst for military glory, revenge for personal affronts, ambition, or private compacts to aggrandize or support their particular families or partisans." Such motives prompted executives to engage in wars "not sanctified by justice or the voice and interests of his people" (Wright 1961, 101). From 1789 to 1950, all of the major U.S. wars were either declared or authorized by Congress (Fisher 2004, 17-79). Over that period, presidents used military force a number of times without first obtaining congressional authority. None of those actions, however, could be called a major war. Edward S. Corwin said that the list of these presidential initiatives consisted largely of "fights with pirates, landings of small naval contingents on barbarous or semi-barbarous coasts, the dispatch of small bodies of troops to chase bandits or cattle rustlers across the Mexican border, and the like" (Corwin 1951, 16). A number of military initiatives were ordered not by the president but by naval officers and other military commanders, and some of those actions were later repudiated by the president (Wormuth and Firmage 1989, 149-51). The Korean War Respect for constitutional government ended abruptly in 1950 when President Harry Truman took the country to war against North Korea single-handedly. The academic community had an opportunity to challenge the legality of his actions, but chose instead to back what was deemed to be a politically defensible struggle against worldwide communism. Yet there was no need to make a choice between fighting communism and upholding the Constitution. Both could be achieved. If Truman decided he had to act first in an emergency, without congressional authority, he could have returned to Congress and sought statutory support. He chose not to. On June 26, 1950, President Truman announced to the American public that the UN Security Council had ordered North Korea to withdraw its forces from South Korea and return to a position north of the 38th parallel. When North Korea failed to comply, Truman ordered U.S. air and sea forces to give support to South Korea. He made a commitment that the United States "will continue to uphold the rule of law" (Public Papers of the Presidents 1950, 492). In fact, Truman violated the U.S. Constitution, a congressional statute, the UN Charter, and his own public promises. Consider the legislative history of the UN Charter. In 1945, senators debated language that called for member states to enter into "special agreements" when sending armed forces to the United Nations for collective military action. In an effort to build Senate support for the charter, Truman wired this note from Potsdam: "When any such agreement or agreements are negotiated it will be my purpose to ask the Congress for appropriate legislation to approve them" (U.S. Congress 1945). In this express manner, Truman publicly pledged to first seek statutory authority rather than assert a right to act unilaterally. As ratified by the Senate, Article 41 of the UN Charter provides that all member states shall make available to the Security Council, in accordance with these special agreements, armed forces and other assistance. Each nation would have to ratify those agreements "in accordance with their respective constitutional processes. …


It is clear that the growth of municipal wireless networks remains exponential in the US. This paper makes several observations on where municipal broadband policy is being made, what the dynamics are, what the implications are, and several ways to understand the similarity between municipal policy choices. We draw from three bodies of literature (policy transfer, policy diffusion and policy convergence) in order to understand and explain the similarity of actions and business plans of municipalities in states with no passed anti-municipal broadband legislation. Each mechanism implies a different form of motivation to the exchange of policy elements. The goal is to help researchers and policy makers begin the process of developing more robust models for analyzing the policy arena around the development and deployment of municipal broadband systems.


Nuclear extrachromosomal DNA elements have been identified in several kinetoplastids such as Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi, but never in Trypanosoma brucei. They can occur naturally or arise spontaneously as the result of sublethal drug exposure of parasites. In most cases, they are represented as circular elements and are mitotically unstable. In this study we describe the presence of circular DNA in the nucleus of Trypanosoma brucei. This novel type of DNA was termed NR‐element (NlaIII repeat element). In contrast to drug‐induced episomes in other kinetoplastids, the T. brucei extrachromosomal NR‐element is not generated by drug selection. Furthermore, the element is stable during mitosis over many generations. Restriction analysis of tagged NR‐element DNA, unusual migration patterns during pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and CsCl/ethidium bromide equilibrium centrifugation demonstrates that the NR‐element represents circular DNA. Whereas it has been found in all field isolates of the parasites we analysed, it is not detectable in some laboratory strains notably the genome reference strain 927. The DNA sequence of this element is related to a 29 bp repeat present in the subtelomeric region of VSG‐bearing chromosomes of T. brucei. It has been suggested that this subtelomeric region is part of a transition zone on chromosomes separating the relatively stable telomeric repeats from the recombinationaly active region downstream of VSG genes. Therefore, we discuss a functional connection between the occurrence of this circular DNA and subtelomeric recombination events in T. brucei.


This work presents a procedure for classifying land-use and land-cover (LULC) types in the Brazilian Amazon. Fraction imagery representing proportions of green vegetation, soil, and shade was estimated using all six reflective bands of the Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM1 to TM5 and TM7) through the linear spectral mixing model (LSMM). The fraction information registered at pixel level was then related to different types of land classes following three principal procedures: (1) selecting an image or image group as input for segmentation; (2) application of sequences of masking techniques to address the segmentation of preselected areas in order to obtain better image partitioning; and (3) application of an unsupervised classifier by region, named Isoseg, to group the segmented regions. Isoseg is a clustering algorithm that calculates the centre of each class using the covariance matrix and the average vector of the regions. An assessment of the classification was performed visually and by error matrix, relating reference data points to classification results. The results showed that fraction images were effective in highlighting the different types of LULC. Several tests were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the masking technique in the process for extracting information. The results showed that the use of masks significantly improves the segmentation results. However, in the Isoseg classification process, the masking technique was not able to avoid omission and commission errors between classes of similar structures. On comparing the results obtained in this work with a Maximum Likelihood classification, it was found that adopting the procedures described resulted in increases of 10% in average and global accuracy, and 18% in average reliability. Furthermore, a reduction was observed in the variability of errors created in the classification.


ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to explore how entrepreneurial behaviours are transmitted and embedded across generations within a Transgenerational Entrepreneurial Family (TEF). Although extant family business research has acknowledged the importance of learning in facilitating the transference of values, norms and attitudes, we know little about how learning embeds entrepreneurial behaviours at the family level. In order to address this, we adopted a longitudinal perspective of four TEF cases, drawing on numerous interviews, archival sources and observational instances. An iterative procedure for data analysis, which involved open coding, within-case analyses, second-order coding and cross-case analysis, was undertaken. Our findings illustrate how the implementation of entrepreneurial behaviours within TEFs was a process of negotiation and reification, informed by differences among families in response to critical incidents. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the presence of entrepreneurial behaviour enablers in each TEF has facilitated the perpetuation of entrepreneurial behaviours. Finally, we illuminate the importance of unlearning, the disregarding of prior learning to accommodate new information and behaviours, in the TEF context, where such entities are faced with unlearning paradoxes that subsequently influence their entrepreneurial behaviours.


A reactor capable of efficiently collecting kinetic data in flow is presented. Conversion over time data is obtained by passing a discrete reaction slug back-and-forth between two residence coils, with analysis performed each time the solution is passed from one coil to the other. In combination with minimal material consumption, this represents an improvement in efficiency for typical kinetic experimentation in batch as well. Application to kinetic analysis of a wide variety of transformations is demonstrated, highlighting both the versatility of the reactor and the benefits of performing kinetic analysis as a routine part of reaction optimization/development. Extension to the monitoring of multiple reactions simultaneously is also realized by operating the reactor with multiple reaction slugs at the same time.


The article examines Polish local journalists views about their profession and outlines the relation between new
media, society and journalists. The core of the paper is build up at findings from survey of local journalism
conducted at newsrooms in 2008-2010 in selected poviats in Lower Silesia (Southern Poland). The main aim of
the study is to investigate any development in attitudes to different professional values and changes of the local
press journalists work conditions due to the ICT, global network rapid growth and market pressure. The
interviews cover among others such aspects of journalists� work as: conditions of employment; reducing
journalist�s freedom; censorship inside the editorial staff; the pressure of the owner; the pressure coming out of
the publishers (e.g. politicians; local government; businessmen); journalism ethic rules; trainings; journalism
expectations. The article is exploring the role of the local newspaper journalist. It is being examined the impact
of the contraction in the local press on the newsrooms and journalists. Moreover it is being analysed the extent to
which the attitude of local journalists to local public life is changing and whether the local media fulfil the
watchdog function.


Our goal in this chapter is to test the perception of a typology of nonstandard Spanish features and Salvadoran lexical items among speakers of Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish (LAVS), a variant of Mexican Spanish used by the predominant Spanish-speaking speech community in Los Angeles. We demonstrate how Spanish-speaking immigrant communities in the United States reclassify acceptability ratings in a country that does not impose Standard Spanish, unless the speaker willingly enrolls in courses of L2 Spanish.


A modern day second order analysis and ultimate strength review is made of a hypothetical 47-story unbraced frame designed under the 1969 AISC Specification. The original design is part of a study of high rise building structural schemes in use in the late 1960's. The paper discusses in detail the design assumptions of the original frame. A discussion is made of the AISC interaction equations and some of the possible pitfalls in their usage. A reanalysis of the frame is made using an iterative P-Delta procedure and a one-step P-Delta analysis using modern day frame analysis programs that directly account for the P-Delta effect. An ultimate strength study is performed on the frame using an analytical approach developed at Lehigh University to estimate the true 'safety factor' of the original design.


From a reformed dogmatic and apologetic viewpoint, this article investigates the new understanding of Genesis 1-3 as theological material with a polemic and prophetic purpose. This is what dr Nico Vorster wants to bring into the catechism classes and other work of the Reformed churches. Critical questions are being asked about issues such as Voster's view of science; also the measure that determines what is historical and what is mythical, as well as his assumptions about Biblical history and antique creation stories. Voster's view is being judged according to the claims of the Scripture and the reformed confession and hermeneutics. This article comes to the conclusion that the questions that Vorster poses the text of Genesis 1-3, that do not come directly from the text itself, causes him to, unlawfully, find answers that changes the context and content from what is really written in the first chapters of the Bible.


Introduction: OT linen includes surgical gown, lap bundle, drape bundle, trolley drape and other packages for each surgery. Usage of reusable OT linen in OT is prevalent in majority of Indian hospitals.Recently, usage of disposable OT linen is rampant in most of the private hospitals. It has a higher advantage of reduced infection transfer to the patient and to the handlers as well. Disposable gowns are used only once and are good in providing protection; however, the problems associated with disposable fabrics are high-risk contamination, environmental issues through waste and landfill, expense, and discomfort if they are reinforced with a plastic film.1Reusable linen are usually more comfortable than disposable fabrics; however, reusable cotton fabric without a finish does not protect against bacterial penetration.2 Aim & Objective: This study aims to bring to light the strategies adopted in healthcare practice for improving the hospital acquired infection (HAI) rates and managing biomedical waste. The objectives was to study the change in hospital infection control rates by adopting innovative practices likedisposable linen as against recycling of hospital linen. The study also gives us a picture on the evolving waste management practices in healthcare all aimed at optimizing the hospital infection rate.Material M volume of waste generated in using disposable gowns; tracking of Hospital infection and observation of changing practices. Chi Square test was applied to ascertain the statistical significance. Results & Conclusion: The study showed that the total number of surgical cases was about 22562 when using reusable linen and surgical site infection (SSI) during the period was 98. The total number of surgical cases done using disposable linen (2014-15) was 28571 with a total SSI of 78.Chi square test used to ascertain the significance showed p-value as 0.0019 (test of significance at p<0.05) which is highly significant. Biomedical waste generated was outsourced during the years 2009 onwards with the hospital paying based on number of kilograms of waste generated. However over the years the same has been abolished and the terms of payment have been fixed on the bed complement irrespective of the quantity of waste generated. Hence an increase in the volume of waste generated did not have any cost impact on the biomedical waste. The study brings to light that in switching over to disposable linen, there is a reduction (from 0.43% to 0.27%) inhospital acquired infection rate. Hence switching over to disposal gowns may be considered as a contributory factor towards control of Hospital acquired infection (HAI).


This Info Brief is intended to create increased understanding of the important role that families can play in the postsecondary success of students with disabilities. For the purposes of this brief, a postsecondary institution is defined as any accredited institution of higher learning offering 2-year, or 4-year degrees, or other institutions offering professional certificate programs. It is based in large part on findings from a national online dialogue titled Connecting with Families: Supporting the Postsecondary Success of Young Adults with Disabilities, which was held January 22 through February 11, 2015. During the dialogue, families provided insights into areas in which they and their postsecondary students could benefit from support. Strategies and resources that postsecondary institutions can use to better engage families and address the support gaps identified during the dialogue are provided to enable institutions to partner more closely with families to promote the education and employment success of youth with disabilities.


Memory Consistency and Program Verification Rodrigo Ferreira 2010 Formal reasoning about concurrent programs is usually done with the assumption that the underlying memory model is sequentially consistent, i.e. the execution outcome is equivalent to an interleaving of instructions according to the program order. However, memory models in reality are weaker in order to accommodate compiler and hardware optimizations. To simplify the reasoning, many memory models provide a guarantee that data-race-free programs behave in a sequentially consistent manner, the so-called DRF-guarantee. The DRF-guarantee removes the burden of reasoning about relaxations when the program is well-synchronized. It is common belief that the current tools for program verification, such as Concurrent Separation Logic (CSL), yield DRF-programs. In principle, they can rely on the DRF-guarantee to ignore memory model issues. However, there is no rigorous evidence for that, given the fact that the work on memory models is not founded with a level of formalism adequate for program verification. It is a semantic gap between the two fields. This thesis provides seminal work towards bridging them together. In our presentation, we formalize memory consistency models by giving a parameterized operational semantics to a concurrent programming language. Behaviors of a program under a relaxed memory model are defined as behaviors of a set of related programs under the sequentially consistent model. This semantics is parameterized in the sense that different memory models can be obtained by using different relations between programs. We present one particular relation, called command subsumption, that we believe accounts for many memory models and sequential optimizations. We then show that the derived relaxed memory model provides the DRF-guarantee, using, as intermediate, an auxiliary


Weak and strong sorting classes are pattern-closed classes that are also closed downwards under the weak and strong orders on permutations. They are studied using partial orders that capture both the subpermutation order and the weak or strong order. In both cases they can be characterised by forbidden permutations in the appropriate order. The connection with the corresponding forbidden permutations in pattern-closed classes is explored. Enumerative results are found in both cases.


For courses in manufacturing processes at two- or four-year schools. An up-to-date text that provides a solid background in manufacturing processes. Manufacturing Engineering & Technology, 6/e, presents a mostly qualitative description of the science, technology, and practice of manufacturing. This includes detailed descriptions of manufacturing processes and the manufacturing enterprise that will help introduce students to important concepts. With a total of 120 examples and case studies, up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of all topics, and superior two-color graphics, this text provides a solid background for manufacturing students and serves as a valuable reference text for professionals. The Sixth Edition has been completely updated, and addresses issues essential to modern manufacturing, ranging from traditional topics such as casting, forming, machining, and joining, to advanced topics such as the fabrication of microelectronic devices and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing.


Responding to the recent turn in queer theory toward the aesthetic and away from the antisocial theory of sex, this essay argues for recuperating queer sexual formalism as a basis for ethical relationality and communality. The essay focuses on a group of seventeenth-century mock-love lyrics known as "imperfect enjoyments" that interrupt both sexual and formal heteroconventions, turning the sexual impasse into a queerly generative and procreative act. Although scholars traditionally read the poems as satires on sexual failure, I show that libertine poets' investments in philosophical materialism, particularly Lucretian materialism, decenter this form of generation, allowing for the exploration of nonnormative, unscripted forms of creativity and relationality to emerge. Rejecting the notion that queer theory is "postsex," the essay draws on Lucretian materialism to highlight the unlimited metamorphic possibilities of rearranging both art and life forms.


In this article, we investigate the behaviour of a number of methods for estimating the co-integration rank in VAR systems characterized by heteroskedastic innovation processes. In particular, we compare the efficacy of the most widely used information criteria, such as Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) , with the commonly used sequential approach of Johansen [Likelihood-based Inference in Cointegrated Vector Autoregressive Models (1996)] based around the use of either asymptotic or wild bootstrap-based likelihood ratio type tests. Complementing recent work done for the latter in Cavaliere, Rahbek and Taylor [Econometric Reviews (2014) forthcoming], we establish the asymptotic properties of the procedures based on information criteria in the presence of heteroskedasticity (conditional or unconditional) of a quite general and unknown form. The relative finite-sample properties of the different methods are investigated by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study. For the simulation DGPs considered in the analysis, we find that the BIC-based procedure and the bootstrap sequential test procedure deliver the best overall performance in terms of their frequency of selecting the correct co-integration rank across different values of the co-integration rank, sample size, stationary dynamics and models of heteroskedasticity. Of these, the wild bootstrap procedure is perhaps the more reliable overall as it avoids a significant tendency seen in the BIC-based method to over-estimate the co-integration rank in relatively small sample sizes.


In this letter, the conduction mechanism through epitaxial nickel oxide (NiO) dielectric films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures was investigated. In particular, macroscopic current-voltage measurements carried out at different temperatures allowed to demonstrate that Poole-Frenkel (PF) mechanism rules the conduction through the dielectric layer, with an emission barrier of 0.2 eV. Conductive atomic force microscopic measurements were carried out to directly image the presence of preferential current spots on the NiO surface, which have been correlated to the defects responsible for the PF emission.


Today's global culture makes communication through writing in a foreign language a most desirable tool to expand personal and professional relations. However, teaching writing is a complex, time-consuming endeavor in any language. Foreign language teachers at every level struggle to fit writing into an already full curriculum and need the most effective methods and tools with which to teach. Technology may provide a viable scaffold to support writing instruction for teachers and students.
The purpose of this research was to determine any benefits of weekly/structured, in-class, computer-assisted grammar drill and practice on the composition quality and quantity of intermediate university Spanish learners. A related purpose was to determine whether students who participated in such practice would access a computer-based writing assistant differently during writing than students without the treatment. The research design was a nonequivalent groups pretest-posttest design. Fifty-two subjects' compositions were graded with both holistic and analytic criteria to analyze composition quality and quantity, and statistical analyses assessed interactions of treatment and effects. The computer-based Atajo writing assistant, which could be accessed during composition, had a logging feature which provided unobtrusive observation of specific databases accessed by each student.
There were no statistically significant differences found between the two groups in overall composition scores or in subscale scores. Improvements across time were observed in composition performance for both the experimental and control groups. The implementation of computer-based grammar and vocabulary practice did show a small to moderate positive effect; that is to say, students who received weekly, structured computer grammar and vocabulary practice had higher scores for composition quality and quantity on the posttest measure and accessed the databases less than the control group. The consistent positive trends in the composition data results intimate that over a more extended period of time, computer-based grammar instruction might enhance the quality and quantity of written composition in the foreign language classroom.


Abstract Context: Instructional videos for osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) are a potentially valuable resource for novice learners. Objective: To evaluate student experiences and the effectiveness of instructional videos in lieu of live faculty demonstration in a second-year osteopathic manipulative medicine course. Methods: Faculty created and produced written instructions and videos for selected Still and facilitated positional release techniques. These materials incorporated curricular design principles and psychomotor skills development strategies. During a second-year OMT skills laboratory session, students used the videos as the primary source for technique demonstration and instruction. Table trainers monitored and assisted students per their request or if errors were observed. Students completed surveys regarding their previous experiences in the OMT skills laboratory sessions (presession survey) and the video-based instructional one (postsession survey). One month after the survey, students were also asked to complete a postexamination survey. Student scores on the skills competency examination were compared with scores from the previous year. Results: Of the 230 students, 162 (70%), 135 (59%), and 86 (37%) responded to the presession, postsession, and postexamination surveys, respectively. The majority of students indicated that the OMT videos helped them feel more prepared (98%) and more confident for their examination (78%), were a valuable addition to learning (97%), and would help increase confidence in using osteopathic manipulative medicine on patients (84%). Two-thirds of students indicated that the videos were superior to faculty demonstration from the stage. Compared with students from the previous year, no statistically significant improvement was noted on the total clinical competency examination scores. Conclusion: The faculty-created videos for teaching OMT techniques did not improve scores on the clinical competency examination but had subjective benefits as part of the OMT laboratory sessions. Instructional videos can serve as an alternative to live demonstration to allow more time in the laboratory for assessment and feedback.


I was deeply honoured when the Geological Society invited me to give the William Smith Lecture for 1970. It was an invitation rather easy to accept but when I contemplated the work of William Smith himself, I began to feel more and more inadequate for the task. What could a chemical-geologist say that might do honour to a man who was one who established geology as a rigorous science and who founded stratigraphy and geological mapping, the heart of all geology? I think that as most of us grow a little older, we find that our new thoughts or the stage of thinking we have reached is often only that of workers long ago. For this reason when I pondered the subject of this lecture I looked a little at some of the writing of Smith himself and found again that my own present trend of thinking and plans for future working, were simply echoes from Smith. This man, who as Lyell states was 'unassisted by advantage of wealth or station in society' could have been the author of many parts of our present so-called 'forward looks'. I think it is perhaps justifiable here to quote a few of William Smith's remarks from the 1815 memoir which accompanied his map of the strata of England: "The wealth of a country primarily consists in the industry of its inhabitants, and in its vegetable and mineral productions; the application of the latter of which to the purposes of manufacture, within memory, has


The shortage of men teachers in primary schools is a global concern. As the demand for men teachers expands, the reasons why men choose not to teach, also grows. In some countries a media-fuelled fear of being accused of sexual abuse, and resultant policies designed to protect students and teachers, has deterred potential applicants and impacted on the freedom of men teachers to engage with students in gender-neutral, nurturing ways. At the same time as men are feeling compelled to act in keeping with traditional masculinities, gender equity policies are directing schools to challenge damaging stereotypes and encourage diversity in life choices. This paper investigates how three men in three countries – England, Sweden and New Zealand – have responded to these conflicting messages and how they have modified their physical contact in light of perceived risks. Although the size of the study restricts the validity of the findings, the paper highlights the complexity of factors that influence men teachers, including cultural mores, and adds to the call for more intensive teacher education around gender.


Objective: To provide a clinical practice guideline with the latest evidence for diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection for patients, caregivers, administrative and government bodies at all levels of care in Colombia. Materials and Methods: This guide was developed by a multidisciplinary team with the support of the Colombian Association of Gastroenterology, Cochrane STI Group and Clinical Research Institute of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Relevant clinical questions were developed and the search for national and international guidelines in databases was performed. Existing guidelines were evaluated quality and applicability. One guideline met the criteria for adaptation, so the group decided to adapt 4 clinical questions and to develop 10 de novo clinical questions. Systematic literature searches were conducted by the Cochrane Group. The tables of evidence and recommendations were made based on the GRADE methodology. The recommendations of the guide were socialized in a meeting of experts with government agencies and patients. Results: An evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection was developed for the Colombian context. Conclusions: The opportune detection and appropriate management of Helicobacter pylori would contribute to the burden of the disease in Colombia and its associated diseases


What does the economic future hold for Europe? In the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, four macroeconomic threats have been subject to heated debates by economists and politicians. Some fear that Europe may face (1) secular stagnation, (2) sovereign defaults, (3) excessively high (or low) inflation and (4) collapse of the common currency euro. This paper discusses the relevance and potential drivers of these four threats. Importantly, it highlights the relationships between them, offering an analogy between the European economy and an overweight patient suffering from diabetes. The discussion implies that Europe needs long-term austerity but short-term stimulus, precisely the opposite of what most European countries have done since 2010. In particular, the paper stresses the need for conceptual reforms of public finances that take into account the ageing population trend, especially the pay-as-you-go financed pension and health care schemes. It is argued that such reforms would not only decrease the risk of costly sovereign defaults, but also reduce uncertainty in the economy, stimulate economic activity, and thus minimise the risk of a secular stagnation and a deflationary trap in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis. In addition, they would decrease the likelihood of excessive inflation further down the track caused by unpleasant monetarist arithmetic, as well as reduce the danger of a euro breakup. This scenario parallels an overweight patient adopting a suitable diet that helps him reduce his weight, blood pressure and insulin dependence – alleviating the risk of premature death.


ABSTRACT Probiotics are considered to have multiple beneficial effects on the human gastrointestinal tract, including immunomodulation, pathogen inhibition, and improved host nutrient metabolism. However, extensive characterization of these properties is needed to define suitable clinical applications for probiotic candidates. Lactobacillus johnsonii 456 (LBJ 456) was previously demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory and anti-genotoxic effects in a mouse model. Here, we characterize its resistance to gastric and bile acids as well as its ability to inhibit gut pathogens and adhere to host mucosa. While bile resistance and in vitro host attachment properties of LBJ 456 were comparable to other tested probiotics, LBJ 456 maintained higher viability at lower pH conditions compared to other tested strains. LBJ 456 also altered pathogen adhesion to LS 174T monolayers and demonstrated contact-dependent and independent inhibition of pathogen growth. Genome analyses further revealed possible genetic elements involved in host attachment and pathogen inhibition. Importantly, we show that ingestion of Lactobacillus johnsonii 456 over a one week yogurt course leads to persistent viable bacteria detectable even beyond the period of initial ingestion, unlike many other previously described probiotic species of lactic acid bacteria.


The system described uses a digital image correlation technique called Digital speckle photography (DSP) for the measurement of 3-D surface deformations. A stereoscopic technique with two perpendicular video cameras was developed to enable accurate measurements on arbitrarily shaped objects. Using the calibration algorithm described the main source of error are random errors originating from the correlation algorithm. Standard deviations of displacements as low as 2 micrometer for in-plane displacements and 12 micrometer for the out-of-plane component are reported, for an inspected area of 100 X 100 mm2.


A dysfunctional judicial system in which bribes are welcome, rather than banned or frowned upon, is difficult to imagine, particularly in light of the prohibitions placed on such conduct in the United States. And yet just such a system is currently in place in Ukraine. One of the factors likely contributing to the corrupt nature of Ukraine's judiciary is the lack of a jury trial system; Ukraine has never had a single criminal or civil jury trial despite the fact that the right to a jury trial, at least in criminal cases, is guaranteed by its Constitution. This Article argues that Ukraine can and should make room for juries in its judicial system and provides a framework for both criminal and civil jury trial implementation. Although the use of juries will not remedy all the problems plaguing Ukraine, it can bring this country closer to achieving a truly democratic form of government. Additionally, other former Soviet Republics, especially those that closely resemble Ukraine in terms of their economic, political, and cultural characteristics, could learn and benefit from Ukraine's example in this respect. The implementation of jury trials in Ukraine is particularly important because this country, "once considered a worldwide symbol of an emerging, free-market democracy that had cast off authoritarianism, is teetering. And its predicament poses a real threat for other European economies and former Soviet republics." Ukraine - widely considered "a linchpin for stability in Europe" - has a population of "46 million people and a highly strategic location a collapse in Ukraine could wreck what little investor confidence is left in Eastern Europe, whose formerly robust economies are being badly strained." Further, governmental problems in Ukraine could "cause neighboring Russia, which has close ethnic and linguistic ties to eastern and southern Ukraine, to try to inject itself into the country's affairs. What is more, the Kremlin would be able to hold up Ukraine as an example of what happens when former Soviet republics follow a Western model of free-market democracy." Introducing a jury trial framework in Ukraine - particularly one that is more effective than that currently being used in Russia - will aid in the legitimization of the Ukrainian government and court system, thereby helping to stabilize the presently tumultuous relationship between Ukrainian citizens and their government.


This article seeks to establish the extent of displacement effects across gaming products. This is a particularly difficult question to address with precision. To date, many studies have looked at policy changes such as the introduction of a new product into the market to assess the severity of displacement effects. However, simple before and after comparisons are invalid. One needs to know what the appropriate counterfactual would have been in the absence of the policy change  – which by its very nature is unobservable. The alternative is to look at identical populations exposed to different regimes. Australia represents such a natural experiment. In Australia, Betting and Gaming legislation is determined at the state level, giving rise to some interesting differentials across states within a single country. This article estimates a state level (fixed effects) panel data model, exploiting the intra-state differences in the portfolio of gaming products available, to estimate the extent of displacement effects across the gaming sector. The results are particularly relevant to the current UK policy debate, which is focused on the potential impact on the existing market following a forthcoming, radical deregulation of the industry (with further liberalization proposed).


BR Ambedkar is usually projected as a protagonist of social justice. But equally important was his role in constitutionalizing India, evident first in his witness to the 1919 Southborough Committee on Franchise, followed by his intervention in the 1930 Round Table Conference in London, where he defended compensatory discrimination for the untouchables in opposition to the Gandhi. The article argues that in so doing Ambedkar was evidently influenced by his teacher at the University of Columbia, John Dewey, who taught him the finer principles of liberalism. By comparing the views of Gandhi and Ambedkar on separate electorates and reservation, the article pursues the argument that unlike the former, Babasaheb sought to transform society through politics which, to him, meant the consolidation of constitutional values or endosmosis, or, to borrow George Grote's expression, constitutional morality. On the basis of a thorough analysis of the principal arguments that he made to defend constitutional protection for compensatory discrimination, this article provides valuable insights showing the analytical basis of Babasaheb's notion of social justice. Furthermore, his defence of liberal constitutional values also laid the foundation of a unique moral and political framework for public reasoning, a contribution that has not been adequately recognized in contemporary scholarship on Dalits, BR Ambedkar or social discrimination.


The pairwise entanglement dynamics in a multipartite open system consisting of three entangled cavity photons locally coupled with independent N-mode reservoirs is studied via concurrence. The initial states of cavity photons are prepared in two types of W-like states while the corresponding reservoirs are prepared in the factorable vacuum state. The result shows that all the pairwise concurrences of the total system including cavities and reservoirs undergo qualitatively different dynamical behaviors. Among the two W-like states, only one could exhibit entanglement sudden death (ESD) leading the corresponding reservoirs to exhibit entanglement sudden birth. In addition, by taking the entanglement of the corresponding reservoirs into account, entanglement invariants are constructed for the W-like state that does not undergo ESD.


Environmental variables and the distribution of tree species within a remnant of tropical montane semideciduous forest in Lavras, southeastern Brazil). The purpose of the present contribution was to seek patterns of spatial distribution of the tree community in a remnant of tropical semideciduous forest and their correlation with environmental variables, stressing both catenary variations of soil properties and edge effects. The forest fragment, known as Mata da Subestacao, covers an area of 8.75ha and is located on the campus of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), southeastern Brazil (21o13'17''S and 44o57'47''W), with altitudes ranging from 910 to 940m. The sampling was carried out using two transects, A and B, 80m apart, containing 21 and 31 adjacent 20 x 20m quadrats, respectively. Both transects followed the direction of the main slope, linking opposite forest edges. In each quadrat all individuals with diameter at breast height (dbh) = 5cm were identified to the species level and measured (dbh and height). A detailed topographical survey was carried out on the sampled area. Samples of the top 20cm of soil were collected at the centre of each quadrat for chemical and textural analyses. The soils of each quadrat were classified and two soil catenas were identified: transect A contained Nitosols (lower slope) and Oxysols (upper slope) while transect B contained Nitosols (slope base), Cambisols (lower slope) and Oxysols (upper slope). The floristic survey performed in the sample transects and in the whole fragment totalled 238 species belonging to 143 genera and 57 families. The 3120 individuals recorded in the plots belonged to 175 species, 115 genera and 49 families. The Shannon diversity index H' = 4,19 nats.individual-1 and evenness J' = 0,81 were high when compared to similar surveys in the same region. The high index of rare species (relative density <1 of 84,5% suggests that genetic isolation due to fragmentation may jeopardize the biological conservation of many species with time. The Oxysols of both transects were more acidic, poorer in exchangeable bases and richer in aluminium than Nitosols and Cambisols. The composition and structure of the tree community differed among the soil groups. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the abundance distribution of the species was significantly correlated with topographic and soil variables; there was no clear correlation with the forest edges. The most strongly correlated variables were the mean elevation, the saturation of bases and the proportions of sand, silt and clay. Therefore, the distribution of tree species in the fragment is apparently influenced primarily by soils nutritional status and ground water regime. The heterogeneity of both soils and topography may have contributed to make undetectable by the methods used any edge effect on the composition and structure of the tree community.


Introduction: Meghalaya is a state in northeast India that has a predominantly indigenous population and an age-old system of tribal medicine. There are practitioners of this system in most villages, who use medicinal plants sourced from the state's vast forest bio-resources. This project studied the tribal medicine of Meghalaya from three perspectives, the healer, the community and the policy maker. It locates tribal medicine within the government's policy on medical pluralism and seeks to understand how tribal medicine of a local context fits into the national policy of the Government of India. Methods: A mixed methods study design was employed. Estimates of awareness and use of traditional medicine in the community were obtained from the analysis of a household survey. For the qualitative component tribal healers, policy makers, and influential members of the community were interviewed. A combination of in-depth interviews, observations and focus group discussions was employed in the field with healers, while in-depth interviews were the main source of data from policy actors. Qualitative data was analysed using a thematic content analysis approach that incorporated elements of the grounded theory approach. Results: The community - tribal medicine has wide acceptance across the state, 87% believed it to be efficacious and 46 % reported using it in the 3 months prior to the survey. In comparison only 31% had heard of any of the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) systems that are being promoted by the state and only 10.5% had ever used it in their lifetime. Healers - tribal healers are a heterogeneous group who treat a wide variety of ailments. Their expertise is well regarded in the community for certain ailments such as musculoskeletal disorders, but often their services were sought when patients were dissatisfied with biomedicine. For physical ailments that are culturally understood their services are often the preferred option. Their expertise niches have evolved through their interactions with, and the perceived needs of the community. Policy actors – although there were some appreciative voices, several biomedical doctors and policy makers in the government department of health derided tribal medicine's unscientific nature. In comparison other systems like Ayurveda and homeopathy were assumed to have scientific merit mainly because of institutionalisation and government recognition of these systems. The comparison with homeopathy is pertinent as its scientific credentials are being increasingly questioned in scientific literature. In contrast those outside the health department, academics, biomedical doctors and other influential members of the community favoured tribal medicine because of its widely regarded efficacy and its cultural value. Neglect of tribal medicine while promoting the imported AYUSH systems was seen as illogical and disrespectful to their culture by the latter group. Conclusions: the current policy in Meghalaya of mainstreaming AYUSH medicine is not supported by locally relevant evidence. It has led to a disproportionate increase in AYUSH doctors in the public sector. It represents a top down approach to policy formulation that ignores local realities. This study demonstrates the importance of contextualising policy to cultural milieus. It emphasises the importance of research in health system development and questions the generalising of policy in a country as diverse as India. The study illustrates the complexities, but points to the potential benefits of supporting tribal medicine in Meghalaya


Form-focused instruction makes up an important part of the literature on second language acquisition research. Current approaches to second language instruction have called for an integration of message-focused and form-focused instruction in the L2 classroom. At the same time, a growing interest is the pedagogical applications of form-focused research, which proposes a means of addressing form in the classroom using various instructional options, some of which involve incidental and pre-planned focus on form. This study examined the nature and occurrence of pre-planned and incidental focus on form in two secondary school ESOL classrooms, and what thinking underlay the two teachers' practices in choosing a particular option. The study reports on the methods and approaches that two teachers employed in the context of their own ESOL classrooms, in which formfocused instruction occurred, and explored the extent to which different levels of experience influenced the instructional decisions of two ESOL teachers. The results showed that there was a considerable amount of attention to form in lessons that purported to be 'communicative' and certainly were so. It also became clear that in these classes, a focus-on-form was not just a reactive phenomenon, it was also proactive since the students played an important part in both initiating and responding focus on form episodes. Much of the focus on form that arose was triggered by a problem in using English accurately, not by a problem in communication. That means that, although the lessons were 'communicative', the students regularly paid attention to language for its own sake. It is suggested that both pedagogy and teacher education/development may benefit from a perspective in which both good and not-so-good practice is seen as cognitive and reflective activity.


GUIDELINES Recent advances in single cell mRNA sequencing technology such as Drop-seq (Cell, 2015) have allowed the investigation of cellular composition and processes within complex tissues. Although some fresh tissue samples are available for prospective studies, there is an abundance of archived clinical samples readily available in biobanks to investigate different biological processes. However, archived tissues are not easily amenable to tissue digestion, yielding cells with compromised integrity. An alternate method to single-cell sequencing called DroNc-seq (Nature Methods, 2017) employs the use of single nuclei. DroNc-seq takes advantage of the higher structural integrity of the nuclear membrane as compared to the cellular membrane. This permits exploration of tissues for which a viable single-cell suspension cannot be obtained, such as cardiac tissue. With growing interest in cataloguing cardiac transcriptomic data for the Human Cell Atlas Project, the need for optimized nuclei isolation protocols proves critical. Here, we develop a method for obtaining single-nucleus suspensions from snap-frozen human heart tissue for use in DroNc-seq, expanding the variety of samples from which we can obtain transcriptomic data. Keep samples on ice throughout procedure to prevent RNA degradation.


A range of stereoscopic display technologies exist which are no more intrusive, to the user, than a pair of spectacles. Combining such a display system with sensors for the position and orientation of the user's point-of-view results in a greatly enhanced depiction of three-dimensional data. As the point of view changes, the stereo display channels are updated in real time. The face of a monitor or display screen becomes a window on a three-dimensional scene. Motion parallax naturally conveys the placement and relative depth of objects in the field of view. Most of the advantages of "head-mounted display" technology are achieved with a less cumbersome system. To derive the full benefits of stereo combined with motion parallax, both stereo channels must be updated in real time. This may limit the size and complexity of data bases which can be viewed on processors of modest resources, and restrict the use of additional three-dimensional cues, such as texture mapping, depth cueing, and hidden surface elimination. Effective use of "full 3D" may still be undertaken in a non-interactive mode. Integral composite holograms have often been advanced as a powerful 3D visualization tool. Such a hologram is typically produced from a film recording of an object on a turntable, or a computer animation of an object rotating about one axis. The individual frames of film are multiplexed, in a composite hologram, in such a way as to be indexed by viewing angle. The composite may be produced as a cylinder transparency, which provides a stereo view of the object as if enclosed within the cylinder, which can be viewed from any angle. No vertical parallax is usually provided (this would require increasing the dimensionality of the multiplexing scheme), but the three dimensional image is highly resolved and easy to view and interpret. Even a modest processor can duplicate the effect of such a precomputed display, provided sufficient memory and bus bandwidth. This paper describes the components of a stereo display system with user point-of-view tracking for interactive 3D, and a digital realization of integral composite display which we term virtual integral holography. The primary drawbacks of holographic display - film processing turnaround time, and the difficulties of displaying scenes in full color -are obviated, and motion parallax cues provide easy 3D interpretation even for users who cannot see in stereo.


OBJECTIVE
To determine relationships among several common measures of performance prior to and during veterinary school (ie, Graduate Record Examination [GRE] scores, undergraduate grade point average [UGPA], Qualifying Examination [QE] scores, overall grade point average during veterinary school [VGPA], and scores for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination [NAVLE]).

DESIGN
Longitudinal retrospective study.

SAMPLE POPULATION
192 students from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and 152 students from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

PROCEDURES
Student UGPA, VGPA, and GRE score data were gathered during the normal admissions and academic processes. The QE was administered as a low-stakes examination at both institutions for the purposes of curricular assessment. Scores on the NAVLE were provided with student permission by the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. Path analysis was used to explore hypothesized relationships among variables.

RESULTS
GRE scores and UGPA predicted NAVLE scores indirectly through QE scores and VGPA, whereas QE scores and VGPA directly predicted NAVLE scores. The resulting models explained 58% to 62% of the variance in NAVLE scores, with QE score being the strongest predictor.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Results indicated that for veterinary school students, GRE scores, UGPA, VGPA, and QE scores could be used to predict scores on the NAVLE. This suggests that these measures could prove useful to veterinary schools when admitting students or preparing them for the NAVLE.


Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in adults is a recognized clinical syndrome and its diagnosis is established through GH stimulation testing. The decision to perform GH stimulation testing should be based on clinical findings, medical history and using the appropriate GH stimulation test to obtain biochemical evidence. The insulin tolerance test (ITT) remains the diagnostic test of choice, but this test is labor intensive, contraindicated in the elderly and in adults with seizure disorders and ischemic heart disease, can be unpleasant for the patient, and is potentially hazardous. The glucagon stimulation test (GST) in recent years has been increasingly used as the alternative test to the ITT in the US and Europe because of its availability, reproducibility, safety, lack of influence by gender and hypothalamic cause of GHD, and relatively few contraindications. In the article, we discuss our recommendations in performing this test, the potential drawbacks in conducting and caveats in interpreting this test, and its future perspectives.


BACKGROUND
Recommendations encouraging physical activity (PA) set no upper age limit, yet evidence supporting the benefits of PA among the very old is sparse. We examined the effects of continuing, increasing, or decreasing PA levels on survival, function, and health status among the very old.

METHODS
Mortality data from ages 70 to 88 years and health, comorbidity, and functional status at ages 70, 78, and 85 years were assessed through the Jerusalem Longitudinal Cohort Study (1990-2008). A representative sample of 1861 people born in 1920 and 1921 enrolled in this prospective study, resulting in 17 109 person-years of follow-up for all-cause mortality.

RESULTS
Among physically active vs sedentary participants, respectively, at age 70, the 8-year mortality was 15.2% vs 27.2% (P < .001); at age 78, the 8-year mortality was 26.1% vs 40.8% (P <.001); and at age 85 years, the 3-year mortality was 6.8% vs 24.4% (P < .001). In Cox proportional-hazards models adjusting for mortality risk factors, lower mortality was associated with PA level at ages 70 (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.96), 78 (0.69; 0.48-0.98), and 85 (0.42; 0.25-0.68). A significant survival benefit was associated with initiating PA between ages 70 and 78 years (P = .04) and ages 78 and 85 years (P < .001). Participation in higher levels of PA, compared with being sedentary, did not show a dose-dependent association with mortality. The PA level at age 78 was associated with remaining independent while performing activities of daily living at age 85 (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-3.33).

CONCLUSIONS
Among the very old, not only continuing but also initiating PA was associated with better survival and function. This finding supports the encouragement of PA into advanced old age.


Published in honor of John C. Olin, Professor Emeritus of History at Fordham University, for his many contributions to the study of Catholic reform in the sixteenth century, this is an assembly of nine essays on Catholic religious orders of that period. The contributors devote attention to the spirituality of the founder(s) and to the specific apostolate of the order. The focus of the essays is on the religious communities that were founded between 1524, when the Theatines arose, and 1621, when the Piarists were recognized by the papacy as a religious order. Most of these orders were founded for reasons unrelated to the crisis posed by Protestantism, but they were soon enlisted by the hierarchy to counteract its effects. If the Council of Trent (1545-1563) can be considered the architect of Catholic reform and renewal, and the papacy and episcopate as its enforcer, surely the religious orders of men and women in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries ought to be considered as the initiators or disseminators of reform while serving as missionaries, teachers, preachers, catechists, and confessors. The contributors are: Kenneth J. Jorgensen, S.J., Albertus Magnus College; Elisabeth G. Gleason, University of San Francisco; Richard L. DeMolen, Erasmus of Rotterdam Society; Charmarie J. Blaisdell, Northeastern University; John W. O'Malley, S.J., Weston School of Theology; Jodi Bilinkoff, University of North Carolina-Greensboro; John Patrick Donnelly, S.J., Marquette University; Wendy M. Wright, Creighton University; Paul F. Grendler, University of Toronto.


Abstract Eric Dunning influenced the development of curricula and research agendas in sociology, history, social science and sports studies, internationally, in the UK and in Ireland. Dunning was also doctoral supervisor to, and academic colleague/mentor and friend of, both authors (at Leicester, Dublin and Chester). Inspired by him, this paper reflects on the craft of sociological research. The case study is the struggle for recognition of 'Ireland' in international athletics and the associated painstaking ongoing archival and mixed methods research work in multiple venues, involving sporting, state and personal papers, interviews and oral history sources. Such a history of the social dynamics of charisma and shame between the so-called 'mother country' (Great Britain) and a restless dominion (Ireland) was by no means structureless or patternless, but ontologically interdependent with life today. Accordingly, we consider several themes: the interplay between theory and evidence, the involvement-detachment balance and exploring knowledge figurations. In line with Dunning (and Elias), the paper adopts an anticipatory motif, that is to say, the work of understanding social relations between the 'British' and 'Irish' 'then' and 'now' is not finished. This work is one step in carrying forth the baton – the stock of intergenerational knowledge – about doing sociology, handed to us in trust by Dunning.


The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established by His Highness the Aga Khan in 1977 to identify and encourage excellence in architecture and other forms of intervention in the built environment of societies with a Muslim presence. The award is given every three years and recognizes all types of building projects that affect today's built environment. Smaller projects are given equal consideration as large-scale buildings. Richly illustrated and with explanatory texts, the book presents this year's shortlist and the award recipients. This year's topic is centered around the relationship between life and architecture. Numerous essays examine how architecture interacts with the life of people who inhabit it.


Structural buckling under dynamic loads may occur at load levels that are less than the corresponding static loads. Presence of local geometric imperfections may induce an early buckling for both static and dynamic loadings. The phenomenon of "dynamic weakening" is studied for a general class of shell structures under a general class of time-dependent loadings. A doubly curved quadrilateral Love-Kirchhoff shell finite element is used. Geometric deviations of the shell middle surface are included within the element formulation by suitably modifying the strain-displacement relations. This is accomplished by retaining additional terms that are quadratic in spatial derivatives of imperfections and displacement components. The nonlinear equations of motion are written in the Lagrangian system and are solved by using an incremental algorithm based on Newmark's generalized operator. The dynamic responses up to buckling are obtained for a perfect spherical cap and an imperfect spherical cap both under external pressure, as well as a complete imperfect sphere under external pressure. Numerical results include the effects of amplitude of imperfection and thickness of shell on the dynamic buckling loads. The formulation is general and can be applied to obtain the dynamic buckling responses of a wide variety of shell structures.


Abstract A key issue regarding the educational policy in Greece and the European Union is the early leaving of the school. On the one hand, rises the problem of under-birth that some developed countries face and, on the other, the existence of economically and socially non-productive people, who nevertheless consist a part of the society. In our time and more than ever, society must overcome various obstacles in order to achieve the development and sustainable growth which is also Europe's strategy for this decade. In the this study the authors examine early school drop-out by focusing on the social causes and on the research findings that have been carried out, indicating measures and strategies for prevention and treatment. A second part of the study concerns the presentation of the European Union's educational policies in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy, with the aim of showing the progress of the strategic actions in the education of Greece. Our study shows that the EU member states are making great efforts in order to achieve the best possible result in education in the shortest possible time: That is, to form efficient teachers and schools by emphasizing and empowering the elimination of social and educational exclusions, as an integral part of the pursuit of progress and development of the society and the economy.


Multicenter clinical and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) studies require a high degree of reproducibility across different sites and scanner manufacturers, as well as time points. We therefore implemented a multiparameter mapping (MPM) protocol based on vendor's product sequences and demonstrate its repeatability and reproducibility for whole‐brain coverage. Within ~20 min, four MPM metrics (magnetization transfer saturation [MT], proton density [PD], longitudinal [R1], and effective transverse [R2*] relaxation rates) were measured using an optimized 1 mm isotropic resolution protocol on six 3 T MRI scanners from two different vendors. The same five healthy participants underwent two scanning sessions, on the same scanner, at each site. MPM metrics were calculated using the hMRI‐toolbox. To account for different MT pulses used by each vendor, we linearly scaled the MT values to harmonize them across vendors. To determine longitudinal repeatability and inter‐site comparability, the intra‐site (i.e., scan‐rescan experiment) coefficient of variation (CoV), inter‐site CoV, and bias across sites were estimated. For MT, R1, and PD, the intra‐ and inter‐site CoV was between 4 and 10% across sites and scan time points for intracranial gray and white matter. A higher intra‐site CoV (16%) was observed in R2* maps. The inter‐site bias was below 5% for all parameters. In conclusion, the MPM protocol yielded reliable quantitative maps at high resolution with a short acquisition time. The high reproducibility of MPM metrics across sites and scan time points combined with its tissue microstructure sensitivity facilitates longitudinal multicenter imaging studies targeting microstructural changes, for example, as a quantitative MRI biomarker for interventional clinical trials.


Water and energy are the two most fundamental ingredients of modern civilisation and are also the most precious and essential resources around the globe. They are inseparably coupled and with increasing pressures on these resources as the world's populations grow, the concepts of a combined approach can be applied while addressing the economic, climate, water and energy crises. Sustainable development depends on the efficient use of water and energy resources and on the widespread of water recycling, reuse and renewable energy. The use of permeable pavements with integrated geothermal heat pumps (GHP) for the treatment of urban runoff is a novel application and addresses the concept of concurrently reducing the carbon footprint for non-conventional heating and cooling systems whilst treating urban stormwater runoff. At The University of Edinburgh, Institute of Infrastructure and Environment, research is being carried out on GHP (ground source) and permeable pavement systems (PPS) to provide scientific evidence of their workability as a combined system for residential and commercial uses. The research enables decision-makers to assess public health risks, treatment requirements and removal efficiencies, and the potential for urban water runoff recycling as well as alleviation of flood risk.


Abstract. Bedload transport measurements with acoustic sensors were obtained during summer 2015 in the Albula River in Switzerland. An impact plate measuring system was used with geophone and accelerometer sensors. This system provides indirect estimations of bedload transport in water courses. In April 2015, 30 impact sensors were installed in a new permanent measuring station to monitor continuously bedload transport in a mountain river with a large annual rate of sediment transport (around 90 000 m 3 yr −1 ). Records of the first year of measurement showed that (i) the signal response in terms of geophone and accelerometer impulses is comparable for both types of sensors; (ii) there is a good correlation between discharge data and impulses recorded by both types of sensors; (iii) the critical discharge at the start of bedload transport is around 5 m 3 s −1 ; (iv) a mean calibration factor for the geophone impulses can be estimated which is in a similar range as values determined from other sites with field calibration measurements.


Granular physics has made considerable progress during the past decades in the understanding of static and dynamic properties of large ensembles of interacting macroscopic particles, including the modeling of phenomena like jamming, segregation and pattern formation, the development of related industrial applications or traffic flow control. The specific properties of systems composed of shape-anisotropic (elongated or flattened) particles have attracted increasing interest in recent years. Orientational order and self-organization are among the characteristic phenomena that add to the special features of granular matter of spherical or irregularly shaped particles. An overview of this research field is given.


This article addresses the use of the human voice in contemporary Chinese independent documentary in relation to xianchang. Broadly analogous to the Anglophone concept of "liveness," xianchang is a shooting practice that interrogates questions of immediacy (being "on the scene") and mediated distance (the reflexive consideration of such a practice). It is critical to any genealogy of independent documentary in the People's Republic of China. In turn, sound practice, and particularly direct sound, is critical to xianchang. Analyzing the use of talking heads in early independent documentary, this article argues that they were not simply a relic of the televisual zhuantipian aesthetic but also the focus for a particular form of xianchang: liveness as presence and as testimony. In particular, following Erving Goffman, it suggests that critical moments of "flooding out" in Bumming in Beijing and I Graduated! serve both to construct the documentary subject as an "internal witness" to the events of 1989 and also—by suggesting the uncontrolled and contingent nature of filming "in the present"—to validate this act of witnessing as unofficial, and therefore truthful. While this form of liveness lives on in activist documentary by directors such as Ai Xiaoming, Hu Jie, Zhao Liang, and Cui Zi'en, other directors have used the talking head in ways that highlight its mediated side. Using Shu Haolun's Nostalgia and Wang Bing's Fengming: A Chinese Memoir as examples, the article explores how these films present the talking head as a product of technical intervention by the director, or as a response of the documentary subject to the act of film-making. This does not mean that liveness has ceased to be important; rather, that it is understood to be a quality produced from the encounter of director and subject "on the scene" of filmmaking (mediated distance), rather than as existing independently of such an encounter (immediacy). The article connects this increasingly catholic use of the talking head to the emergence of digital video. This has not only facilitated more experimental approaches to documentary—as reflected in Nostalgia—but also encouraged consideration of the self-mediating capacity of the documentary subject. This question is addressed directly in Fengming: A Chinese Memoir. The use of the human voice in these two films thus demonstrates an awareness of documentary production dynamics that is not inherent to digital video as a medium but has been stimulated by its impact on the Chinese independent documentary scene.


The experience of having an infant with colic may affect early interactions between the mother and infant. The present study investigated infant mother interaction in infants with colic, excessive crying, and non-colic controls and their mothers. The Colic Symptom Checklist was used to identify infants between 4-6 weeks of age with colic (N=18), excessive crying (N=9), and controls without crying problems (N=13). The subjects were healthy, full-term normal infants recruited through pediatric referral. There were no differences between the three groups of infants for infant medical or family demographic characteristics. Face-to-face interaction was used to describe the caregiver's behavior, affect and the extent to which they facilitate or disrupt the infant and to describe the infant's behavior and affect in the context of the interaction with the mother. The infants and their mothers were videotaped in Tronick's Face-to-Face and Still-Face Interaction Paradigm. Infant and maternal affective behaviors were coded using Tronick and Weinberg's scoring system. Kruskal-Wallis tests. showed that the interactions of the infants without colic or crying problems were characterized with more engagement with the environment during the first two minutes (p<.05) and still face (p<.05). Also, maternal responses differed in infants with colic. The mothers of infants with colic engaged in more withdrawn behaviors during the first two minutes (p<.05) and the reunion episodes (p<.05). These findings may have implications for the later maternal child attachment relationship.


The parameter μ describes the 238U/204Pb ratio of an Earth reservoir. Mantle domains labeled HIMU (high μ) originally defined reservoirs with highly radiogenic Pb isotope ratios observed in basalts from a select number of ocean islands, St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean and the Cook‐Austral islands in the South Pacific Ocean. While some authors use the term HIMU in this original sense, others refer to HIMU as a widespread component in many mid‐ocean ridge and ocean island basalt (MORB and OIB) sources. Here we show that highly radiogenic Pb isotope signatures in MORB and OIB originate from two different sources. In addition to the classical HIMU component observed at St. Helena and the South Pacific (named HIMU in the following), we define a component with slightly less radiogenic Pb but significantly more radiogenic Sr isotope signatures. This component lies at the extension of the (Atlantic and Pacific) MORB array in a Sr‐Pb isotope ratio diagram and is argued to be a ubiquitous component in MORB and many OIB sources. The inferred role of this component in the mantle and its inferred genetic origin closely resemble those originally suggested for a mantle component termed FOZO by Hart and coworkers. By redefining the composition, the origin, and the role of FOZO in the mantle, we establish a simple conceptual framework that explains the isotopic variability in both MORB and OIB with the lowest number of components. OIB are grouped into HIMU‐type OIB and basalts from islands that diverge from the MORB‐FOZO array toward various isotopically "enriched" compositions (EM). The apparent ubiquity of FOZO in the mantle and the calculated isotopic evolution of compositionally diverse MORB suggest that normal mantle melting and continuous subduction and aging of that crust during recycling through the mantle are the dominant causes of the MORB‐FOZO array. In contrast to FOZO, HIMU‐type OIB are quite rare, and if an origin by recycling of oceanic crust is also postulated, the production of HIMU sources has to be a special and rare combination of age and composition of subduction‐modified recycled oceanic crust.


Church discipline – is semper reformanda in a time and space warp? Church discipline has become an anachronism in the life of the Christian faith community. In part, this results from a misunderstanding of the fundamental meaning of the term. Its early emphasis was on spiritual nurture, discipling people into the faith and into a relationship with one another and God. By the time of the Reformation, it took on a legalistic and rigid form that militated against its earlier approach. This resulted from a misunderstanding of key reformers from the Reforming tradition such as John Calvin and John Knox, who were concerned to build up individuals within the Christian community to become responsible members of society. In this way, discipline is transformative of individuals and society. The work of discipline was closely related both to pastoral care and Christian education and offered a corrective to Medieval discipline, where the concept of discipline was distorted when the use of punitive discipline as a last resort was elevated to become the norm. This situation was replicated in the post-Reformation period. Consequently, it now needs to be rehabilitated in the form of discipling or mentorship in order to restore its usefulness as an educative tool in the process of the pilgrimage towards the kingdom of God.


This article concludes this special issue on the European Union as international mediator that set out to advance our theoretical and empirical knowledge about EU mediation. Providing a comprehensive reflection of EU mediation activities and the diverse settings where they take place, this concluding article identifies some connection points between the articles and discusses their findings on the motives/drivers, roles/strategies, effectiveness and institutional capacities of EU mediation. It discusses the implications of these findings for policymaking, focusing on the conditions for EU mediation effectiveness, the advantages of the multi-layered nature of EU mediation and the need for flexible adaptation of mediation strategies. Finally, the article sets the scene for future research endeavors on EU mediation by identifying three future research avenues that focus on the politics, domestic effects and comparative advantage of the EU as international mediator.


The southwestern part of the Albuquerque Basin of the Rio Grande rift between the Ladron Mountains and Rio Grande Valley is cut by three major and several lesser-known north-south normal faults with Quaternary offsets: Loma Pelada, Loma Blanca, and Cliff (from west to east). Each fault block exposes different sedimentary deposits ranging in age from mid-Miocene to early Quaternary. Deposits in the footwall of the west-down Cliff fault adjacent to the modern Rio Grande Valley consist of two kinds of southeast-directed channels and floodplain deposits of the ancestral Rio Puerco and Rio Salado and mixtures. The two channel types presumably joined the ancestral Rio Grande west of the Joyita Hills. The floodplain/basin-floor deposits are time- and in-part lithologically correlative with the broad fluvial fan of the Ceja Formation and Llano de Albuquerque to the north; they predate development of high-level terraces of the Rio Grande and modern west-east Rio Salado Valley to the south. Clasts are distinctive for the two types of stream channels, although locally some become mixed. Rio Puerco gravels commonly are well-rounded siliceous pebbles (at least 20 % chert) less than 8 cm long with a few larger pebbles; rare pebbles of 3.26-Ma Grants obsidian are present in upper exposures. Rio Salado clasts include larger, subangular-subrounded pebbles to boulders of limestone, sandstone, granite, quartzite, other Proterozoic metamorphic rocks, ash-flow tuffs, intermediate and basaltic volcanic rocks, and rare travertine. To determine the path(s) of the two channel types upstream from the exposures at the north end of the Cliff fault, we looked for similar suites of clasts between the Cliff and Loma Blanca faults and between the Loma Blanca and Loma Pelada faults. Northeast-directed Rio Salado deposits meet and overlie Rio Puerco deposits along the southern margins of the Rio Puerco Valley west of the Cliff fault and may be traced southwest to the east side of the Loma Blanca fault north of the Rio Salado Valley. Between the Loma Blanca and Loma Pelada faults, two possible levels of northeast-trending bluff-lines with Rio-Salado-type gravel deposits south of the bluffs suggest northeastward-directed paths toward the Rio Puerco. However, in the underlying deposits that clearly predate piedmont gravels shed from the Ladron Mountains, similar suites of "Rio Salado" clasts indicate northward transport. The transport direction shifts northeastward near AT&T road. North of AT&T road, clasts similar to the "Rio Salado" suite are directed southeast and probably were reworked from separate exposures northeast of the Ladron Mountains. Rio Puerco channels on both sides of the Loma Blanca fault are also directed southeast. We conclude that there may be several origins for clasts of the "Rio Salado suite" exposed in the footwall of the Cliff fault and that paleogeographic maps of fluvial contributors to deposits of the southern Albuquerque Basin may need revision.


The spatial dimension of economic policy is often important. However, as opposed to partial-equilibrium multi-region programming models, existing multi-region Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models have rarely explicitly treated geographical space. This paper develops a spatial-network, mixed-complementarity CGE model that combines the strengths of CGE and partial-equilibrium programming models. We implement the model with a prototype data set for a stylized, poor, developing country with rural regions linked to an urban region that provides the gateway to international markets. We demonstrate that the model provides a good framework for analyzing the impact of higher world prices and reduced domestic transportation costs.


Firm-hosted virtual peer-to-peer problem solving (P3) communities offer a low-cost, credible, and effective means of delivering education and ongoing assistance services to customers of complex, frequently evolving products. Building upon the social constructivist view on learning and drawing from literature on the firm-customer relationship in services marketing, we distinguish between functional and social benefits received by P3 community participants and study the central role of learning in influencing these benefit perceptions. The proposed model is tested on data gathered from 2,299 active members of a P3 community hosted by a global online auction firm, and the framework's generalizability is demonstrated using a sample of 204 members of a global B2B software firm's P3 community. Based on the results, specific recommendations are provided to marketers interested in implementing service support programs via customer communities, and future research opportunities are explored.


Port-island is offshore artificial island of 436 hectare area which has both functions of a harbor and a city. The new city planning which surrounded residential area in a public institution has been done. Residential area is constituted in high altitude condominium and many community institutions of citizen hospital, international convention facility, international exhibition building is built as surrounding a condominium group.Kobe city received the big damage by South Hyogo earthquake that occurred at 5: 46 am on January 17, 1995. The people who can't get information of outside by the damage of life line and liquefaction damage spent an anxious few days. Our country is narrow, we need to continue construction of artificial island as utilization the space. So it is important to compare an amount of subsidence of building and ground of before and after an earthquake disaster.This paper describes liquefaction damage of Port-island using observation result of leveling and satellite image


This paper analyzes the labeling and signage of heritage food in northern Italy, which prioritizes signs of authenticity and tradition as semiotic but also political economic processes. For the small- and medium-sized producers with whom I do linguistic anthropological and ethnographic research, signaling the small-scale, hands-on, artisanal, and traditional nature of their production is as essential to giving their goods value as high quality foods as are any of the material qualities of the foods themselves. Simultaneously, the circulatory possibilities of late capitalism and representational regimes such as intellectual property shape the economic value of authenticity. This renders signs of manuality, time (i.e., tradition), and place (i.e., locality) available as well to larger-scale producers whose food-making strategies may be highly mechanized and industrial in nature, but who can afford to disseminate, profit from, and protect these signs in their own packaging and labeling. In considering signage and labels in this light, this paper attempts to illuminate a paradox: that those who produce 'authentic' heritage food may be the least-well positioned to profit from them within late capitalist food systems.