Abstract. Interactions between humans and the environment are occurring on a scale that has never previously been seen; the scale of human interaction with the water cycle, along with the coupling present between social and hydrological systems, means that decisions that impact water also impact people. Models are often used to assist in decision-making regarding hydrological systems, and so in order for effective decisions to be made regarding water resource management, these interactions and feedbacks should be accounted for in models used to analyse systems in which water and humans interact. This paper reviews literature surrounding aspects of socio-hydrological modelling. It begins with background information regarding the current state of socio-hydrology as a discipline, before covering reasons for modelling and potential applications. Some important concepts that underlie socio-hydrological modelling efforts are then discussed, including ways of viewing socio-hydrological systems, space and time in modelling, complexity, data and model conceptualisation. Several modelling approaches are described, the stages in their development detailed and their applicability to socio-hydrological cases discussed. Gaps in research are then highlighted to guide directions for future research. The review of literature suggests that the nature of socio-hydrological study, being interdisciplinary, focusing on complex interactions between human and natural systems, and dealing with long horizons, is such that modelling will always present a challenge; it is, however, the task of the modeller to use the wide range of tools afforded to them to overcome these challenges as much as possible. The focus in socio-hydrology is on understanding the human–water system in a holistic sense, which differs from the problem solving focus of other water management fields, and as such models in socio-hydrology should be developed with a view to gaining new insight into these dynamics. There is an essential choice that socio-hydrological modellers face in deciding between representing individual system processes or viewing the system from a more abstracted level and modelling it as such; using these different approaches has implications for model development, applicability and the insight that they are capable of giving, and so the decision regarding how to model the system requires thorough consideration of, among other things, the nature of understanding that is sought.


Many studies highlight the relationship between emotional state and behaviour. Emotions influence elderly people especially on physical activity and their mobility. It was shown that people with positive emotions perform more physical activity and have less difficulty in walking. Thus we can say that positive emotions can be associated with mobility in case of older people. Some older people may develop fear of moving, leading to reduce the outdoor mobility. An active lifestyle can maintain or improve everyday life, delaying different types of disabilities and mental health disease through elderly people. Also, emotions play a primary role into the structure and experience of Serious Games. The linkage between emotions and actions is extremely relevant in learning processes - learning is viewed as a process of participatory appropriation, where the learner acts and actively participates in doing within specific routinized contexts. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of an application as a serious game that aims to help elderly people to learn how to perform physical exercises in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle in their homes. A personalized program has as main advantage a higher flexibility, as it offers the patient the possibility of adjusting his training schedule according to his preferences and daily activities. In this sense, there is need for a sustainable platform designed specifically for performing physical exercises at home that would promote increasing mobility, especially for elderly people. An efficient method to accomplish this purpose is through the development of a cheap, accessible and easy to use a serious game, based on the motion capture technology. The exercises that need to be performed by the patient are automatically selected according to his profile, medical condition and acquired progress. By using the Kinect motion capture device, our application analyses the user's movements and compares them to those of a trainer character, by taking into account the performance and efficiency parameters. Also, the type of the exercise will be adjusted based on emotions, and the motivation of the user in performing physical exercises will be increased. Emotions are recognised using facial features (Facial Action Coding System) extracted from the user face using Microsft.Kinect and Microsoft.Kinect.Face libraries. Our system has been tested with several users who acquired a certain degree of progress. Therefore, we conclude that the presented solution can be successfully used for stimulating the physical activity and improving the mobility of elderly people, representing a great contribution to the field.


This is an autoethnographic study of one person's experience performing across gender lines in Second Life. Although there is a rich literature on gender crossing in virtual worlds, dating back to the text-only days, there are few ethnographic reports and fewer still from the vantage point of the performer. The paper is presented as a narrative recounting, alternating voice between the performed female persona in the virtual world and the author's performed male identity in real life. Taking the perspective of Queer Theory, the paper problematizes gender performance in any world, and takes tentative steps toward expanding the notion of identity queering to nonsexual aspects of the individual as well as the prospect of "queering reality" itself.


Differential access to health care is commonly cited as a source of heterogeneity in the health effects of environmental exposure, yet little causal evidence exists to support such claims. We test this hypothesis by utilizing exogenous variation in both access to health care and environmental exposure. Variation in access to care is derived from the roll-out of Community Health Centers (CHCs) across US counties in the 1960s and 1970s, and variation in environmental exposure comes from random year-to-year fluctuations in ambi-ent temperature within counties. We find that the provision of primary care through CHCs mitigates the relationship between heat and mortality by approximately 15%. Our results suggest that differential access to health care does contribute to observed heterogeneity in environmental health damages, and that improving access to primary care may be a useful means of mitigating harm from a warming climate.


The article provides a conceptualization of the link between recent migration flows and labour market uncertainty through the analysis of a critical example, the construction sector (characterized by economic volatility, worker mobility, employment insecurity, safety risk) in the UK and Spain (countries with large immigration, flexible labour markets and volatile construction sectors). Transnational labour mobility can be seen as a structural response to recent European dilemmas over how to combine flexibility and security, through the creation of a hyper-flexible buffer of migrant workers who, being disposable in case of downturn, can carry most of the uncertainty burden without causing political problems. This raises two issues: the social sustainability of such segmentation, in particular with regard to occupational health and safety; and the role organized labour can have, in particular in organizing such workers. The issues are analysed through labour market statistics and interviews with unionists, migrant organization representatives, employers and employment policy officers in both countries.


Summary Background Oxidative liver injury occurring with methotrexate restricts its use in the desired dose. Therefore, whether or not thiamine and thiamine pyrophosphate, whose antioxidant activity is known, have protective effects on oxidative liver injury generated with methotrexate was comparatively researched in rats using biochemical and histopathological approaches. Material/Methods Thiamine pyrophosphate+methotrexate, thiamine+methotrexate, and methotrexate were injected intraperitoneally in rats for 7 days. After this period, all animals' livers were excised, killing them with high-dose anesthesia, and histopathologic and biochemical investigations were made. Result Biochemical results demonstrated a significant elevation in level of oxidant parameters such as MDA and MPO, and a reduction in antioxidant parameters such as GSH and SOD in the liver tissue of the methotrexate group. Also, the quantity of 8-OHdG/dG, a DNA injury product, was higher in the methotrexate group with high oxidant levels and low antioxidant levels, and the quantity of 8-OHdG/dG was in the thiamine pyrophosphate group with low oxidant levels and high antioxidant levels. In the thiamine and control groups, the 8-OHdG/dG rate was 1.48±0.35 pmol/L (P>0.05) and 0.55±0.1 pmol/L (P<0.0001). Thiamine pyrophosphate significantly decreased blood AST, ALT and LDH, but methotrexate and thiamine did not decrease the blood levels of AST, ALT and LDH. Histopathologically, although centrilobular necrosis, apoptotic bodies and inflammation were monitored in the methotrexate group, the findings in the thiamine pyrophosphate group were almost the same as in the control group. Conclusions Thiamine pyrophosphate was found to be effective in methotrexate hepatotoxicity, but thiamine was ineffective.


Previous studies in normal females and in stilbestrolpretreated males have revealed increases in plasma insulin and growth hormone (HGH), after infusion of arginine monochloride, and a sharp decrease in free fatty acids (FFA), which return toward normal over two to two and one-half hours. In the present study, similar measurements were made after arginine infusion in subjects who were deficient only in HGH. The rise in plasma insulin levels in the HGH-deficient subjects was less than half the normal response. The fall in plasma FFA levels was similar in normal and in HGH-deficient subjects, but the HGHdeficient group failed to restore their FFA levels to control values over the time of the experiment.


Evacuation simulations allow to consider preventive measures against possible emergency scenarios. We have developed a simulation model that takes into account not only the characteristics of the environments but also is able to represent social behaviours that would render our models more accurate and realistic. The proposed model has a hybrid structure where the dynamics of fire and smoke propagation are modelled by mean of Cellular Automata and for simulating people's behaviour we use Intelligent Agents. In this paper, a behaviour in panic situation is added to the existing ones. Moreover, as main contribution, this paper explains the implementation of the model in which we apply a functional decomposition in order to accelerate the simulation and take advantage of current computer architectures.


Insurance is a financial institution that is engaged in the service field and a Non-Bank Financial Institution. The achievement of PT Asuransi Jiwa TASPEN is not maximal, due to the limitations of facilities, infrastructure, and human resources in the development of the market, but the opportunities of this company in achieving the targets set will be very large if it implements strategies that fit the factors it experiences. This study aims to identify and study the internal and external factors that affect the existence of PT Asuransi Jiwa TASPEN and to formulate appropriate strategic alternatives to be applied in this company. These internal and external factors strongly influence the company. With its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, the management must utilize SO strategy that harnesses its largest power to take advantage of opportunities. The SO alternative strategies include the strengthening of the partnerships with the government and availability of insurance programs to the needs of civil servants, development of marketing distribution, opening of the office channeling at the branch offices in order to anticipate market development, and improvement of the quality and quantity of human resources.Keywords: alternative strategies, insurance, Asuransi Jiwa, SWOT


Upon entering the Critical and Creative Thinking Program, I was unsure of my strengths as an educator. I have always been interested in working with younger children, and found a career in education quite rewarding. Still, merging my personal interests with my professional ones seemed like a task that was not important for my growth as a teacher. Soon into my endeavors as a CCT student, I realized that intertwining both worlds is what keeps me motivated as a teacher and my students interested as learners. This synthesis allows me to explore the arena of Slam poetry beyond a superficial level— to really understand what it means to align my writing with the works of others that are so introspective and provocative. As the CCT program has highlighted various times in each course that I have taken over the years, reflection is the key to growth. Therefore, reflecting about past courses and the curriculum/activities that were developed during them as well as on my own activities as a slam poet helps to pinpoint the direction I would like to take in activities I plan for v my students in the future. This paper also compares and contrasts Beat Poetry and Slam Poetry, since both have inspired me as a writer and have characteristics that can be used in curricular activities for preschool children. I also decipher my own thought processes by analyzing my own writing, and ultimately concoct creative writing endeavors for my students. These will hopefully foster an environment that promotes individuality and appreciation of different human experiences. vi DEDICATION To my mother, Deborah, who made me the person I am today.


Throughout the course of the nineteenth and twentieth century, the United States faced multiple epidemics of deadly diseases. In the face of such epidemics and often in moments of panic, governments instituted significant quarantines and like the war against terror, public health officials understood quarantines as crucial to protecting the well-being of the nation. Such quarantines most harshly affected those who stood on the margins of society, often poor immigrants and non-whites. Deadly epidemics raise the question of how we respond as a nation to fear and how much liberty we are willing to sacrifice for an abstract concept of the general welfare of the nation. It also provokes the question of precisely whose liberty is at stake and how we define who is to be included or excluded from the community that deserves protection.This article examines two episodes of threatened epidemics that occurred in 1892 in New York City. Both of these potential epidemics, one involving typhus and the other cholera, resulted in the quarantine of thousands of people, the large majority of whom were poor immigrants, primarily Italians and Russian Jews. The article interrogates the discourse surrounding these epidemics and the roles that local, state, and federal governments played. It also analyzes how law ultimately failed to protect some of the most vulnerable people - those who were imagined to have the capacity to pollute the country and the body politic. The article then goes on to examine a number of other large scale quarantines that occurred at the turn of the century and the emerging jurisprudence that they produced.


PURPOSE
We describe a method to study the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) performance of CsI microcolumnar CsI x-ray detectors using hybridmantis, an approach for Monte Carlo simulations that maximizes utilization of CPUs and GPUs within modern workstations.

METHODS
We use hybridmantis, which is a modified version of penelope that outputs coordinates and energy deposited during x-ray and electron interactions occurring within the scintillator which are then used as source for optical showers using fastdetect2. We make use of the Lubberts description of the scintillator as a stack of thin layers and calculate the transfer of noise and signal as the weighted summation of the contribution of each layer.

RESULTS
We show results in terms of the Lubberts fraction and then report DQE by introducing the Swank factor and the x-ray interaction efficiency calculated from the Monte Carlo output. We report DQE results calculated using our methods for 4 screen models previously studied by our group.

CONCLUSION
This method relies on the calculation of point response functions at each depth and proper weighting of the contribution of each layer to signal and noise transfer. This methodology can be used to guide optimization approaches for maximizing DQE of microcolumnar CsI x-ray detectors.


More than a decade of UK state R&D investment, totalling in excess of £250 million, has shown CCS to be effective, achievable and strategically beneficial to UK objectives.
The cancellation in November 2015 of the UK Government's £1 billion CCS capital allocation is an unforeseen and fundamental change to UK energy and climate policy, carried out without consultation.
UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) advice was framed in expectation of UK CCS commercialisation programme delivery leading to routine delivery of the technology on electricity generation and some process industries towards 2030s.
Removal of the CCS contribution towards the Fifth Carbon Budget and beyond severely limits flexibility in the delivery of other low-carbon generation, especially new nuclear where forecast delivery is increasingly in doubt - the CCC and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) should consider the impact of scenarios with no CCS and delayed nuclear capacity.


: E-commerce is growing at a fast speed in India as India is seen as a producing a sizeable and profitable market for e-commerce business. However, e-commerce laws in India are still not clear to most of the e-commerce entrepreneurs. As a result most of the e-commerce websites are not following the laws of India and are inadvertently (without knowledge) violating the laws of India. Regulatory authorities of India have started questioning the operations of e-commerce websites of India and many of them are facing potential legal actions. The tussle is not merely between the regulatory authorities and e-commerce website owners but it also extends to disputes between e-commerce websites and their consumers. Most of the consumers are not aware about their digital rights while dealing with such e-commerce companies and websites. At the same time there is lack of forums and dispute resolutions platforms for digital consumers in India where they can agitate their claims. In short, e-commerce dispute resolution in India is still to be managed by Indian Government. With the rapid development of the Internet and electronic commerce, dispute resolution mechanisms are needed to help resolve disputes between parties located anywhere in the world in a manner that is fair, expeditious and cost effective. ADRs are evolving with new technologies, making it possible to solve a dispute through electronic mechanisms of which Online dispute resolution (ODR) has been labelled "a logical and natural step" for the resolution of disputes that arise on the Internet without the physical presence of the parties involved. This paper presents the ODR phenomenon with a specific focus on policy-making and regulatory problems in India. It argues that the current regulatory framework for online dispute resolution is, to a large extent, defective. Existing deficiencies result not only from a lack of comprehensive ODR law, but also from the weaknesses of the other modalities of regulation: market, norms and technology. Arguably, the current "hands-off" approach to regulating ODR has been unsuccessful, and it is time to re-examine that position.


In this study, Lactic Acid Bacteria isolated from traditional fermented foods were screened for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Antimicrobial activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was assayed against several multi-drug resistant clinical human pathogenic bacteria. Among the bacterial isolates that were tested, K1.16 and MM17 had 99% and 98% relatedness with Lactobacillus herbarum strain TCF032 E4 and Lactobacillus paraplantarum strain DSM 10667 respectively, and were able to reduce silver efficiently into silver nanoparticles. The Ultraviolet–Visible spectrum showed a plasmon peak at ~ 410 nm confirming the presence of silver nanoparticles. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrum revealed a strong signal in the silver region confirming the formation of silver nanoparticles as well as a optical absorption peak at approximately 3 KeV due to surface plasmon resonance. Diffraction peaks were observed at 38.1°, 44.2°, 64.4° and 77.4° in the 2θ range. The peaks were indexed to (111), (200), (220) and (311) which can be indexed according to the facets of a face centered cubic crystal structure of silver. Scanning transmission electron microscope micrographs recorded from the coated grid of the synthesized nanoparticles showed a spherical shape of silver nanoparticles with the size range of 11-71 nm. Silver nanoparticles produced by Lactobacillus plantarum (K1.16) were the most potent as indicated by the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations across all pathogenic bacterial isolates tested in this study, which included; Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Salmonella Typhimurium, Bacillus cereus and Enterobacter spp. These findings can be pertinent in the development of novel topical ointments against pathogenic microorganisms.


In photosynthesis, sunlight is converted into chemical energy that is stored mainly as carbohydrates and supplies basically all life on Earth with energy.In order to efficiently absorb the light energy, plants have developed the outer light harvesting antenna, which is composed of ten different protein subunits (LHC) that bind chlorophyll a and b as well as different carotenoids. In addition to the light harvesting function, the antenna has the capacity to dissipate excess energy as heat (feedback de-excitation or qE), which is crucial to avoid oxidative damage under conditions of high excitation pressure. Another regulatory function in the antenna is the state transitions in which the distribution of the trimeric LHC II between photosystem I (PS I) and II is controlled. The same ten antenna proteins are conserved in all higher plants and based on evolutionary arguments this has led to the suggestion that each protein has a specific function.I have investigated the functions of individual antenna proteins of PS II (Lhcb proteins) by antisense inhibition in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Four antisense lines were obtained, in which the target proteins were reduced, in some cases beyond detection level, in other cases small amounts remained.The results show that CP29 has a unique function as organising the antenna. CP26 can form trimers that substitute for Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 in the antenna structure, but the trimers that accumulate as a response to the lack of Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 cannot take over the LHC II function in state transitions. It has been argued that LHC II is essential for grana stacking, but antisense plants without Lhcb1 and Lhcb2 do form grana. Furthermore, LHC II is necessary to maintain growth rates in very low light.Numerous biochemical evidences have suggested that CP29 and/or CP26 were crucial for feedback de-excitation. Analysis of two antisense lines each lacking one of these proteins clearly shows that there is no direct involvement of either CP29 or CP26 in this process. Investigation of the other antisense lines shows that no Lhcb protein is indispensable for qE. A model for feedback de-excitation is presented in which PsbS plays a major role.The positions of the minor antenna proteins in the PS II supercomplex were established by comparisons of transmission electron micrographs of supercomplexes from the wild type and antisense plants.A fitness experiment was conducted where the antisense plants were grown in the field and seed production was used to estimate the fitness of the different genotypes. Based on the results from this experiment it is concluded that each Lhcb protein is important, because all antisense lines show reduced fitness in the field.


OPUS is a branch and bound search algorithm that enables efficient admissible search through spaces for which the order of search operator application is not significant. The algorithm's search efficiency is demonstrated with respect to very large machine learning search spaces. The use of admissible search is of potential value to the machine learning community as it means that the exact learning biases to be employed for complex learning tasks can be precisely specified and manipulated. OPUS also has potential for application in other areas of artificial intelligence, notably, truth maintenance.


Transforming existing data into graph formats and visualizing large graphs in a comprehensible way are two key areas of interest of information visualization. Addressing these issues requires new visualization approaches for large graphs that support users with graph construction and exploration. In addition, graph visualization is becoming more important for existing graph processing systems, which are often based on the property graph model. Therefore this paper presents concepts for visually constructing property graphs from data sources and a summary visualization for large property graphs. Furthermore, we introduce the concept of a graph construction time line that keeps track of changes and provides branching and merging, in a version control like fashion. Finally, we present a tool that visually guides users through the graph construction and exploration process.


Paul as Missionary: Identity, Activity, Theology and Practice takes the view that before anything else Paul must first and foremost be identified as a missionary. Using the entire Pauline corpus the contributors to this volume assess what Paul's correspondence can tell us about how he perceived his role and identity. The work comprises four parts: in section one, Pauls identity as priest, eschatological herald, and missionary-pastor are explored while in part two topics such as the apostle's activity among pagans, his suffering, and Pauls missionary message; to the church at Rome are considered. Section three comprises essays on the Spirit as the governing dynamic, the glory of God as the apostles missionary goal, and the importance of Pauls Christology in shaping his mission to the Gentiles. Finally, part four addresses Pauls missionary praxis, including his support of his missionary enterprise.


© 2017 Wiley Publishing Ltd.Fatigue data are generally derived under constant-amplitude loading conditions, but aircraft components are subjected to variable-amplitude loading. Without interaction effects, caused by overloads and underloads intermingled in a loading sequence, it could be relatively easy to establish a crack growth curve by means of a cycle-by-cycle integration. However, load-spectrum effects largely complicate a crack growth under variable-amplitude cycling. In this paper, fatigue crack growth behaviour of aeronautical aluminium alloy 2024-T3 was studied. Effects of various loading conditions such as stress ratio and amplitude loadings were investigated. In particular, the effect of different overloads on the fatigue crack growth was simulated using Zencrack code. Preliminary analyses on Compact Tension (CT) specimens proved that the numerical results generated were in agreement with the results provided by an afgrow code for the same conditions. A case study was carried out on a helicopter component, undergoing repeated overloads, to compare numerical results obtained implementing yield zone models in Zencrack.


A novel type of electrostatic diesel particulate reduction device has been developed which is intended for use in low exhaust temperature applications. Tests were conducted to assess the performance of the technology with particular emphasis on temperature dependence and ultrafine particle removal efficiency. Rolling road dyno tests were used to enable the tests to be performed with conditions as close as possible to real on road driving. The device works by electrostatically ionizing the particulate matter which is then attracted onto an earthed surface where agglomeration occurs. This process results in a reduction in ultrafine particles which combine together with other particles to form larger agglomerates. Larger agglomerated particles are less of a health risk and are easier to remove by filtration or other means. The device was tested over a range of operating conditions on a number of vehicles and it was found in all of the tests that the device significantly reduced the emission of ultrafine particles (85 - 99%). These results were consistent over the entire drive cycle from engine cold start proving the non-temperature dependence of the technology and its suitability to low exhaust temperature applications such as urban driving where catalysis can be less effective. Conventional forecourt diesel fuel was used in all of these tests. This paper presents a selection of the test results, gives an introduction to the technology, an explanation of the ionization and agglomeration processes and details the test methods used to obtain the results.


Article 32 (1) of Directive 2012/34/EU provides that in order to obtain full recovery of the costs incurred by the infrastructure manager (IM) a Member State may, if the market can bear this (MCB), levy mark-ups on the basis of efficient, transparent and non-discriminatory principles, while guaranteeing optimal competitiveness of rail market segments. The charging system shall respect the productivity increases achieved by railway undertakings (RUs). The main implementation problem is a question how to evaluate the MCB level, the productivity increases achieved by RUs and optimal competitiveness in an efficient, transparent and non-discriminatory way if: 1) the meanings of the included concepts are unclear for natural monopoly; 2) there are mutual contradictions among these concepts, for instance, obligation to which can pay at least the cost that is directly a commercial advantage to give priority to the most productive RU when capacity is limited; and 3) it is impossible to make unified methodology for mark-up evaluation due to the differences among EU rail markets. As a result of the study it was concluded that the distinction of market segments in networks with primarily freight transportation appears as a result of the requested deviations from the optimal usage of the rail network.


In 2004, Scaphoideus titanus, vector of Grapevine flavescence doree phytoplasma, was first recorded in Austrian vineyards. The absence of the phytoplasma in 2004-06 was confirmed by molecular analyses of grapevine and vector samples. To estimate the risk to Austrian viticulture a Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) was conducted, following the EPPO decision support scheme. The highest risk of introduction arises from the extensive trade in rootstocks and, especially for vineyards located along traffic routes and waterways, from the passive or active spread of the vector. Climate will not limit the establishment of the vector in the large northern Austrian vine-growing regions of Niederosterreich and Burgenland. At present the probability that the disease and vector become associated is restricted to parts of South Styria. Plant protection practice cannot prevent the establishment and spread of vector populations, especially in sustainable production systems, which forms more than 70% of the total Austrian viticulture area. The possibility for containment or even eradication is given, but requires an early recognition of the vector and disease and the immediate initiation of measures. Otherwise, losses to vine growers, follow-up costs for eradication and additional efforts in the production of plants would be substantial. Following the assessment, legal measures and recommendations to prevent disease entry and to minimise impacts of established vector populations are considered.


An approximate expression is derived for the length of a stigmatic final image in multiple-traverse cells of the John U. White type. The length of the final tangential image is, for a point source, ΔLT≈hb212R2(N-4N),where h is the height of the "rear" mirrors illuminated, b is the separation of the entrance and exit images, R is the common radius of curvature of the three spherical mirrors, and N is the number of traversals. Direct experimental measurements of image length for two sets of mirrors are in agreement with the calculated values. The results are discussed in terms of design parameters, and two new cells constructed in accordance with these principles are described.


The exponential growth of research and clinical experience regarding posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since its inclusion as a diagnosis in DSM-III 27 years ago has made it increasingly difficult to keep pace with advances in knowledge about the disorder. The three highly respected editors of this book identified the need for a comprehensive textbook on PTSD and brought together a group of 60 strong contributors, predominantly from the United States (with one or two well chosen exceptions), to produce a highly readable volume that will undoubtedly be of great use to individuals specializing in traumatic stress.

The chapters detailing the historical background of the disorder set the scene and the chapters concerning psychological theories, epidemiology, and neurobiological theories provide up-to-date discussions of current knowledge in these areas. One great strength of the book is the detailed consideration of memory in PTSD, trauma-induced dissociation, and gene-environment interactions. Work in these areas is increasing and our knowledge is improving, and the chapters provide readers with an opportunity to consolidate their knowledge in these important areas that are not fully covered in many other texts.

The section on prevention and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder comprehensively reviews the evidence for interventions and importantly includes a chapter on cultural issues and trauma, which are often forgotten.

The final section of the book, "Uncharted Territory," provides a helpful overview of PTSD and the law. Perhaps not surprisingly, the focus is on U.S. legislation, although many of the issues can be easily translated to other countries, particularly the more developed ones. The contributing authors sensibly write, "Healthy skepticism must be tempered with an ethical obligation to deal with PTSD claimants in an honest and empathic manner." Many texts do not consider emerging and novel treatments that have not been subjected to extensive evaluation but are in some cases already widely used. It is very important that such approaches are considered and fairly assessed. The chapter dedicated to emerging treatments for PTSD provides a useful review and helpfully recommends capitalizing on social support because of its association with recovery. Given the limited evidence for blanket early intervention, the chapter on public mental health interventions provides some excellent points, with a focus on providing for basic needs and triage. The final chapter provides a fitting end to the book with a synthesis of key questions and an agenda for future research.

Overall this is a very good overview of the traumatic stress field and a volume I am very pleased to have on my bookshelf. I suspect that others will feel the same.


The effective knowledge transfer and innovation activities in the agri-food supply chain may push all producers in the vertical to improve their competitiveness while saving resources. In the paper the innovation activities and knowledge transfer in the dairy value chain in the Czech Republic are examined in order to assess the potential for enhancing sustainable dairy production. A particular attention is given to the collaboration with R&D organisations and other important agents. Concurrently the role of the structural changes is considered. The methodological approach builds on the concept of the sectoral system of innovation. Based on statistical figures and face to face interviews the increasing dynamics in the innovation process is observed, however, farmers and processors are in their innovation activities disconnected and their collaboration with research institutions and other companies is rather low. The main innovation objectives as well as drivers and barriers of the collaboration are specified.


Picturing the Carmina Burana This art-historical study focuses on the miniatures in the Carmina Burana manuscript or Codex Buranus (c.1230), which are analysed in relation to both the texts and the pictorial tradition. This largest collection of medieval Latin lyrics is named after Benediktbeuern (Benedictobura), the Bavarian abbey where it was discovered in 1803, but this was not where it originated. The provenance of the manuscript, now in Munich (BSB Clm 4660), has been discussed ever since. The Codex Buranus is a unique example of a thematically ordered and illustrated Latin songbook of secular content. One illuminator adorned the lyrical texts with ornamental initials and eight colourful miniatures. These framed pen-drawings have a multiple function: they illustrate specific text groups and larger themes, but also play a role in the subdivision and lay-out of the manuscript. The first section with moral and political songs is illustrated by the image of Fortune's Wheel, which opens the pictorial cycle as an allegory of time and human fate, but also indicates the cyclic character of this worldly song repertoire. The central and largest section, devoted to Love, contains Latin songs from the international repertoire as well as more local bilingual (Latin-German) compositions. The first series praises love's happiness and laments its sorrows, with a miniature of Dido's fatal love for Aeneas to mark the break. The local repertoire consists of seasonal love lyrics, often dance songs, that welcome the arrival of spring. The songs open with a description of nature, visualized by a unique full-page miniature of a wooded 'spring landscape' with birds and animals. The human response to the joys of nature is shown in a separate image, of a young lover offering flowers to his beloved. The final section celebrates the delights of winter: drinking and gambling in the tavern in good (male) company. The air of parody of this festive season is reflected in an unholy 'Drinkers' Mass'. A tavern scene with dice players is combined with two 'noble board games', tables (backgammon) and chess, to round off the game theme and the picture cycle in a more courtly fashion. Analysis of the pictorial traditions of the diverse themes makes clear that the Codex Buranus is a very early witness of a new secular and courtly imagery. Most parallels point to Italy and the Mediterranean, especially for the game scenes and the iconography of Fortuna and Dido, including the 'Venetian' ship of Aeneas. The drawing style of the illuminator seems to be rooted in the Salzburg school, but later he must have specialized in secular art in an area closer to Italy, most likely at the patriarchal court of Aquileia near Venice. The artist may have come from Passau in the entourage of patriarch Wolfger von Erla (1204-18), who probably started the collection. The project was finished under patriarch Bertold von Andechs (1218-51), who must have commissioned the manuscript. Moreover, his family held the custody of the abbey of Benediktbeuern where the codex was found. As a last stroke of fortune the composer Carl Orff (1895-1982), who made the Carmina Burana world-famous, was laid to rest in the church built on the site of Bertold's ancestral castle of Andechs


The 1993–1995 surge of Bering Glacier, Alaska, occurred in two distinct phases. Phase 1 of the surge began on the eastern sector in July, 1993 and ended in July, 1994 after a powerful outburst of subglacial meltwater into Tsivat Lake basin on the north side of Weeping Peat Island. Within days, jokulhlaup discharge built a 1.5 km 2 delta of ice blocks (25–30 m) buried in outwash. By late October 1994, discharge temporarily shifted to a vent on Weeping Peat Island, where a second smaller outburst dissected the island and built two new sandar. During phase 2, which began in spring 1995 and ended within five months, continuous discharge issued from several vents along the ice front on Weeping Peat Island before returning to the Tsivat Basin. Surge-related changes include a five- to six-fold increase in meltwater turbidity; the redirection of supercooled water in two ice-contact lakes; and an increase in the rate of glaciolacustrine sedimentation. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photos by Austin Post show large ice blocks in braided channels indicating excessive subglacial discharge in a similar position adjacent to Weeping Peat Island during the 1966–1967 surge. During the subsequent three decades of retreat, the location of ice-marginal, subglacial discharge vents remained aligned on a linear trend that describes the position of a persistent subglacial conduit system. The presence of a major conduit system, possibly stabilized by subglacial bedrock topography, is suggested by (1) high-level subglacial meltwater venting along the northern side of Weeping Peat Island during the 1966–1967 surge, (2) persistent low-level discharge between surges, and (3) the recurrence of localizing meltwater outbursts associated with both phases of the 1993–1995 surge.


Reading fluency has been identified as a key component in effective literacy instruction (National Reading Panel, 2000). Instruction in reading fluency has been shown to lead to improvements in reading achievement. Reading fluency instruction is most commonly associated with guided repeated oral reading instruction. In the present retrospective study we examine the effects of a computer-based silent reading fluency instructional system called Reading Plus (Taylor Associates, Winooski, Vermount, USA) on the reading comprehension and overall reading achievement of a large corpus of students in an urban school setting. Findings indicate that the program resulted in positive, substantial, and significant improvements in reading comprehension and overall reading achievement on a criterion referenced reading test for Grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 and on a norm-referenced test of reading achievement for Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10. Moreover, mean gains made by students in the Reading Plus intervention were greater than mean gains for all students at the state and district level. The findings were generally positive for all subpopulations studied, including special education and regular education students. Qualitative reports from teachers who participated in the study were also supportive of the program. Implications for the study are explored for particular subgroups of students and for the role of fluency instruction with struggling adolescent readers.


SUMMARY: A number of functionalized polymer containing pesticide active groups have been discussed for the purpose of developing ideal controlled release formulations for herbicides, molluscicides and wood preservation. These polymers have been prepared either by polymerization of active monomers or by chemical modification. The active groups are attached directly to the polymer backbone or through a spacer group via covalent or ironic bonds. The results obtained from the hydrolysis studies of these functionalized polymers, indicated that several factors appear to be major govering the rates of release of active moieties. These factors include the environmental conditions as well as the effects of polymers compositions, properties and chemical structures such as the degree of crosslinking, the type and ratio of comonomer, the hydrophilicity, the spacer group, the type of the pesticidepolymer chemical bonds, and the simulated conditions necessary to increase the duration of the activity such as pH and temperature.


Human life styles have changed so much and awareness on the use of sugar or sweeteners has become an integral part in our daily diet. Sweeteners which are high in calorie like white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses and fruit syrups found in natural and processed are hazardous to our health. Stevia is very popular and ideal to substitute sugarcane. A study was conducted to determine optimum nitrogen (N) level and fertiliser application frequency (A) for high biomass yield and sweetness quality (content, yield, ratio) of stevia. A total of seven different levels of N and two application frequencies (after every harvest, A1 and after every two harvest, A2) were tested. Results indicated that biomass yield escalated with increased level of N up to 250 kg N/ha. At this level, total dry matter yield from four times of the harvesting frequency was 6 t/ha. There were interaction between N and A on glycoside content and glycoside yield of stevia. The maximum stevioside (St) content was about 85 mg/g at A2, under control treatment (0 N). Meanwhile, the maximum rebaudioside-A (Reb-A) content was 25 mg/g, better at A1 when plant treated with 40 kg N/ha as compared with A2. The St and Reb-A yield were better with application of 210 kg N/ha and 170 kg N/ha, respectively, at A2. Sweetness index of stevia was calculated by ratio of Reb-A to St because Reb-A possess the sweetest compound in stevia. It was found that application of N fertiliser at 50 kg/ha and at A1, the sweetness of stevia was high with the ratio of Reb-A to the St of 0.4.


The proper piezoelectric tensor of AlN was determined using the changes of the Berry phases in response to axial and shear strains in the linear regime. Phases arose from the variation of the wavevector of the Bloch states. Calculations were done in the Quantum ESPRESSO software package using Vanderbilt's formulation of the proper piezoelectric tensor. The maximum longitudinal piezoelectric modulus |eij|max coefficient of 1.461 C/m2 was found when both the change in the Berry phase and strain were along the c-axis.


Security fixes and feature improvements don't benefit the end user of software if the update mechanism and strategy is not effective. In this paper we analyze the effectiveness of different Web browsers update mechanisms; from Google Chrome's silent update mechanism to Opera's update requiring a full re-installation. We use anonymized logs from Google's world wide distributed Web servers. An analysis of the logged HTTP user-agent strings that Web browsers report when requesting any Web page is used to measure the daily browser version shares in active use. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first global scale measurement of Web browser update effectiveness comparing four different Web browser update strategies including Google Chrome. Our measurements prove that silent updates and little dependency on the underlying operating system are most effective to get users of Web browsers to surf the Web with the latest browser version. However, there is still room for improvement as we found. Google Chrome's advantageous silent update mechanism has been open sourced in April 2009. We recommend any software vendor to seriously consider deploying silent updates as this benefits both the vendor and the user, especially for widely used attack-exposed applications like Web browsers and browser plug-ins.


The nature of the dark matter in the Universe is one of the greatest mysteries in modern astronomy. The neutralino is a nonbaryonic dark matter candidate in minimal supersymmetric extensions to the standard model of particle physics. If the dark matter halo of our galaxy is made up of neutralinos some would become gravitationally trapped inside massive bodies like the Earth. Their pair-wise annihilation produces neutrinos that can be detected by neutrino experiments looking in the direction of the centre of the Earth.The AMANDA neutrino telescope, currently the largest in the world, consists of an array of light detectors buried deep in the Antarctic glacier at the geographical South Pole. The extremely transparent ice acts as a Cherenkov medium for muons passing the array and using the timing information of detected photons it is possible to reconstruct the muon direction.A search has been performed for nearly vertically upgoing neutrino induced muons with AMANDA-B10 data taken over the three year period 1997-99. No excess above the atmospheric neutrino background expectation was found. Upper limits at the 90 % confidence level has been set on the annihilation rate of neutralinos at the centre of the Earth and on the muon flux induced by neutrinos created by the annihilation products.


Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a product and service design technique primarily oriented to deliver the 'voice of the customer' throughout every single planning and design activity. QFD was successfully applied in almost every manufacturing industry, methodologically adapted and employed in the service industries and software development too. The electronic product and service delivery is nowadays a necessary part of a business strategy. By increasing the competitive pressure the electronic environment makes the service providers 'listen' to the voice of the customer more carefully, to refine it and deliver high quality products and services. This paper demonstrates the QFD application to Internet banking services, which led us to study the quality of online banking from both the customer's and the provider's perspective. It outlines the links between quality, quality management tools and Internet banking and discusses the complexity of a quality management system for electronic banking.


Process programming refers to the activity of algorithmicly describing models of programming activities (processes). A serious limitation of process programming has been that . it is often hard to describe a programming process a priori. In this paper we present an approach to process programming which addresses this limitation. Our approach is based on the premise that process programs are easier to describe in hindsight rather than by foresight, and hence can be synthe- sized by observing and analyzing a recorded process history. In this paper we describe an adaptation of the well-known explanation-based learning algorithm to synthesize a process fragment from a process history. We demonstrate the useful- ness of the approach on a realistic example of coordinating file changes through a version control system.


This thesis explores the ways in which taste is mobilized as a sensory, cultural, and political force in contemporary Western societies. My explorations derive from a context in which there is a growing dissatisfaction with the quality of food and this is seen as severely impacting upon social and cultural structures and institutions and as altering people's health, habits and ways of life. This thesis investigates in what way taste and people's sensuous engagement with food offers insight into the nature of relations between people, food, and environs. It further examines how such relations tackle the transmogrification of food and the systems supporting it, how these surpass dichotomous views of fast and slow food, and how these redefine essential dimensions of what it is that constitutes food and eating. I show that taste, rather than being a static attribute which determines people's choices and status, is an active process of exploring, learning, and knowing. The analysis of relations between people, food and the senses is grounded in ethnographic research pursued with the Slow Food Movement in Britain. This international organization, originating in Italy, advocates that the education of taste is imperative and people need to develop and deepen their knowledge about food by eating produce which is produced, sourced, sold and prepared in sustainable and equitable ways. The thesis discusses discursive and embodied ways of engaging with food and proposes approaching the formation and training of taste in terms of patterns of perceptual experience. In highlighting food tasting as a sensory practice, I introduce the notion of sensory pageantry and evaluate several tensions and contestations around speedier and slower modalities of experiencing taste. Thus, I demonstrate that training techniques of remembering, repeating, rebalancing and fine-tuning hone taste into a skill and mode of knowing. This thesis argues that taste is relational and multi-sensuous. Methodologically, this thesis takes an interdisciplinary perspective and draws on arguments, concepts and theories from anthropology and sociology, cultural geography and ecological psychology. Furthermore, this thesis introduces storytelling as a way of 'capturing' the evanescent and fleeting character of taste.


With regional variations, climate change has a significant impact on water quality deterioration and scarcity, which are serious challenges in developing countries and emerging economies. Often, effective projects to improve water management in the light of climate change are difficult to develop because of the complex interrelations between direct and indirect climate impacts and local perceptions of vulnerabilities and needs. Adaptation projects can be developed through a combination of participatory, bottom-up needs assessments and top-down analyses. Climate change impact chains can help to display the causal chain of climate signals and resulting impacts and thereby establish a system map as a basis for stakeholder discussions. This article aims to develop specific climate change impact chains for the water management sector in rural coastal India that combine bottom-up and top-down perspectives. Case studies from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, India, provide a basis for the impact chains developed. Bottom-up data were gathered through a vulnerability and needs assessment in 18 villages complemented with top-down research data. The article is divided into four steps: (1) system of interest; (2) data on climate change signals; (3) climate change impacts based on top-down as well as bottom-up information; (4) specific impact chains complemented by initial climate change adaptation options.


Variance Reducing (VR) stochastic methods are fast-converging alternatives to the classical Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) for solving large-scale regularized finite sum problems, especially when a highly accurate solution is required. One critical step in VR is the function sampling. State-of-the-art VR algorithms such as SVRG and SAGA, employ either Uniform Probability (UP) or Importance Probability (IP), which is deficient in reducing the variance and hence leads to suboptimal convergence rate. In this paper, we propose a novel sampling scheme that explicitly computes some Adaptive Probability (AP) at each iteration. Analysis shows that, equipped with AP, both SVRG and SAGA yield provably better convergence rate than the ones with UP or IP, which is confirmed in experiments. Additionally, to cut down the per iteration computation load, an efficient variant is proposed by utilizing AP periodically, whose performance is empirically validated.


Stimuli outside classical receptive fields have been shown to influence significantly the activities of neurons in primary visual cortex. While there has been substantial experimental and theoretical interest in the phenomena and mechanisms of these contextual influences, computational insight into their roles in visual processing is limited.

It is proposed that contextual influences are used for visual segmentation. The cortex locates GLOBAL region boundaries by detecting the breakdown of homogeneity or translation invariance in the input, using LOCAL intracortical interactions mediated by horizontal connections. This is implemented in a biologically based model of V1, in which contextual influences highlight neural activities near input region boundaries. Being more salient, the boundaries can pop-out perceptually for segmentation, as demonstrated in texture segmentation and figure - ground segregation. Our proposal introduces a new framework for visual segmentation--segmentation without classification--namely, segmentation occurs without classification of features within a region or comparison of features between regions. This framework is simpler than traditional approaches, making it implementable through V1 mechanisms. However, it is powerful enough to handle segmentation problems that are tricky for traditional approaches. The model is suggested as performing pre-attentive segmentation; higher-level mechanisms are needed to refine its output. In addition, the model performs segmentation in exactly the same neural circuit that solves the dual problem of the enhancement of contours (and displays the usual phenomena of contextual influences such as iso-orientation suppression and its contrast dependence). Theoretical predictions are discussed to propose experimental tests of the theory.


M.-P. Schutzenberger asked to determine the support of the free Lie algebra L(Zm) (A) on a finite alphabet A over the ring Z(m) of integers mod m and all pairs of twin and anti-twin words, i.e., words that appear with equal (resp. opposite) coefficients in each Lie polynomial. We characterize the complement of the support of L(Zm) (A) in A* as the set of all words w such that m divides all the coefficients appearing in the monomials of l* (w), where l* is the adjoint endomorphism of the left normed Lie bracketing l of the free Lie ring. Calculating l* (w) via the shuffle product, we recover the well known result of Duchamp and Thibon (Discrete Math. 76 (1989) 123-132) for the support of the free Lie ring in a much more natural way. We conjecture that two words u and v of common length n, which lie in the support of the free Lie ring, are twin (resp. anti-twin) if and only if either u = v or n is odd and u = (v) over tilde (resp. if n is even and u = (v) over tilde), where (v) over tilde denotes the reversal of v and we prove that it suffices to show this for a two-lettered alphabet. These problems can be rephrased, for words of length n, in terms of the action of the Dynkin operator l(n) on lambda-tabloids, where lambda is a partition of n. Representing a word w in two letters by the subset I of [n] = \1, 2, ... , n\ that consists of all positions that one of the letters occurs in w, the computation of l* (w) leads us to the notion of the Pascal descent polynomial p(n)(I), a particular commutative multi-linear polynomial which is equal to the signed binomial coefficient when vertical bar I vertical bar = 1. We provide a recursion formula for p(n) (I) and show that if m inverted iota Sigma(i is an element of I)(1)(i-1) (n - 1 i - 1), then w lies in the support of L(Zm) (A).


The boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved on by Alain de Botton's inspiring new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are of course entirely false - and yet that religions still have important things to teach the secular world. Rather than mocking religions, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from them - because they're packed with good ideas on how we live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, de Botton (a non-believer) proposes that we should look to religions for insights into how to build a sense of community, make our relationships last, get more out of art, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, and much more. For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing peculiar doctrines or doing away with consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last Alain de Botton has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.


Gut microbiota and human relationships are strictly connected to each other. What we eat reflects our body-mind connection and synchronizes with people around us. However, how this impacts on gut microbiota and, conversely, how gut bacteria influence our dietary behaviors has not been explored yet. To quantify the complex dynamics of this interplay between gut and human behaviors we explore the "gut-human behavior axis" and its evolutionary dynamics in a real-world scenario represented by the social multiplex network. We consider a dual type of similarity, homophily and gut similarity, other than psychological and unconscious biases. We analyze the dynamics of social and gut microbial communities, quantifying the impact of human behaviors on diets and gut microbial composition and, backwards, through a control mechanism. Meal timing mechanisms and "chrono-nutrition" play a crucial role in feeding behaviors, along with the quality and quantity of food intake. Considering a population of shift workers, we explore the dynamic interplay between their eating behaviors and gut microbiota, modeling the social dynamics of chrono-nutrition in a multiplex network. Our findings allow us to quantify the relation between human behaviors and gut microbiota through the methodological introduction of gut metabolic modeling and statistical estimators, able to capture their dynamic interplay. Moreover, we find that the timing of gut microbial communities is slower than social interactions and shift-working, and the impact of shift-working on the dynamics of chrono-nutrition is a fluctuation of strategies with a major propensity for defection (e.g. high-fat meals). A deeper understanding of the relation between gut microbiota and the dietary behavioral patterns, by embedding also the related social aspects, allows improving the overall knowledge about metabolic models and their implications for human health, opening the possibility to design promising social therapeutic dietary interventions.


The parameters of soil hydraulic functions are essential to the accurate simulation of soil moisture based on the Richards equation. Optimal values of these parameters can be calibrated by inverse modeling, in which the incomplete consideration of various errors may influence the parameter estimation results, thus further limiting the accuracy of modeling and forecasting. The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is believed to be a flexible and effective sequential data assimilation method that provides a framework of explicit consideration of the various sources of uncertainty and is suitable for real‐time, updated observations. The objective of this study was to extend the use of the EnKF to parameter estimation in vadose zone hydrology to improve the treatment of uncertainty in the calibration process. The parameters of soil hydraulic functions were estimated by assimilating observations of soil water pressure dynamics using EnKF with an augmentation technique. The results of the synthetic experiments on 12 soils with different textures indicated that EnKF estimates can quickly approach stable estimates. In contrast to the batch calibration process that used a simple least squares objective function, the EnKF reduced the risk of obtaining suboptimal estimates. The EnKF also performed well in the multiparameter estimation scenarios with synthetic observations and in its application in a heterogeneous soil profile with in situ field observations from a previous study. We further explored the factors that may influence estimation results, including the initial estimate, the ensemble size, the observation error and the model error, the assimilation interval, the water regime, and the variability of the estimated parameters. The result of this study indicates that the EnKF scheme is an effective method for parameter estimation in vadose zone hydrology.


This study provides a quantitative assessment of food security using a large household- level expenditure survey conducted by the Government of India during 2004/05. The analysis tests the impact of several key assumptions required to estimate actual calories consumed from the expenditure data. The authors found significant differences in the estimates of calories consumed and the number of food-insecure people under alternative plausible assumptions for computing the calorie content of nonprocessed foods, processed foods, and meals eaten outside the household. The measurement errors were largest in accounting for calories consumed by the highest and lowest income households. Overall, the difference between the highest and lowest estimate of the number of people consuming an average of less than 2,100 calories per day was equivalent to about 17 percent of India's population, or 173 million people in 2004/05. Given the significant measurement error in estimating calories consumed, it is important to consider not only consumption surveys, but also aggregate food availability studies and survey data on anthropometric measures that accompany undernourishment—such as growth stunting— in assessing food insecurity.


1. Simultaneous recordings of multi-unit muscle nerve sympathetic activity and arterial blood pressure were made in 29 subjects, 17 healthy and 12 hypertensive. The neural activity, quantified by counting the number of pulse-synchronous sympathetic bursts in the mean voltage neurogram (burst incidence), was plotted against blood pressure. The effect of spontaneous temporary blood pressure fluctuations was studied by correlating different pressure parameters of individual heart beats to the occurrence of a sympathetic burst. 2. Between subjects there were marked differences in burst incidence but no correlation was found to interindividual differences in blood pressure level. 3. When for each heart beat the occurrence of a burst was correlated to different pressure parameters there was a close negative correlation to diastolic, a low correlation to systolic, and an intermediate negative correlation to mean blood pressure. 4. In a given subject, when comparing heart beats with the same diastolic pressure, the occurrence and the amplitudes of the sympathetic bursts were higher during falling than during rising pressure. This directional dependence of the muscle—nerve sympathetic activity was slightly more pronounced in the hypertensive group, but this was considered secondary to the hypertension. 5. The findings of an intimate correlation with dynamic variations in blood pressure and the absence of correlation to the static blood pressure suggest that the sympathetic outflow to skeletal muscle is of importance for buffering acute blood pressure changes but has little influence on the long-term blood pressure.


Serum obtained from 57 healthy individuals and patients admitted to the hospital owing to diverse pathological causes, as well as serum from seven patients with AIDS and disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection, were studied to determine the prevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies against surface proteins of M. avium complex. Immunodot assay to detect serum positivity against MAC and Western Blot technique in order to determine the MAC antigens eliciting antibody production were performed. Sera from 89 percent and 81 percent of the non-AIDS population had IgG and IgM antibodies against MAC antigens, respectively. In contrast, 43 percent and 71 percent of the AIDS population had IgG and IgM antibodies against MAC antigens, respectively, in the serum. To define further the antigens recognized by these naturally occurring antibodies, the serum of 14 non-AIDS and four acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients were studied. Multiple antigens of MAC, with molecular weight ranging from 10 to 95 kilodaltons were recognized by IgG and IgM antibodies present in the sera. The IgM type antibodies were shown to react mainly against 10 kilodalton and 31 kilodalton antigenic protein, while the IgG type antibodies were produced mainly against the 10, 31, and 65 kilodalton proteins. Although the pattern of reaction was consistent between non-AIDS and AIDS populations, IgM antibodies were not detected against the 10 kilodalton protein nor were IgG antibodies detected against the 31 kilodalton protein in the AIDS population.


Experience, attitudes, and expectations have been identified as separate influences on speech perception and comprehension across groups. In this study, we investigate the interaction among these three variables. 58 Australia-born participants completed an online survey and a vowel categorization task. The survey examined participants' experience with Vietnamese-accented English and their attitudes towards Asians. The vowel categorization task examined participants' recovery of a Vietnamese-accented speaker's intended vowels. Half of the participants were told to expect a Vietnamese accent whereas the other half were not. Results indicated that the relationship between listener expectations and group attitudes varied according to whether or not participants had experience with the Vietnamese accent. This interaction was most clearly reflected on the 'book' vowel. Compared to participants who did not expect a Vietnamese accent, had no experience with the Vietnamese accent, but positive attitudes towards the Vietnamese group, those who expected a Vietnamese accent showed a decrease in accuracy on 'book' categorization. A decrease in 'book' categorization accuracy was also found for those having experience with the accent but negative attitudes. In contrast, an increase in accuracy was found for those having no experience with the Vietnamese accent and negative attitudes towards the Vietnamese group, and those having experience with the accent and positive attitudes. We concluded that expectations, experience and attitudes interact in their relationship with speech perception. This working paper is available in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: https://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/vol22/iss2/16


Abstract Women's right to freedom from discrimination is the constitutionally entrenched fundamental right… and is repeatedly guaranteed in a series of legislation in Bangladesh. Bangladesh also assumes affirmative obligations to respect and ensure this right through ratifying over a dozen international human rights instruments. Despite that fact, discrimination persists in a pervasive form to deny women's equal rights in legislative offices…, and women are unjustifiably deprived of their lawful rights and privileges….Legal initiatives and women's activism across nations have forced to significant modifications in policies of political parties and laws to redress women's meagre status in governance. Drawing upon this insight, this note recommends the reconceptualisation of laws and the selection criterion of political parties in Bangladesh to mitigate women's disadvantaged positions in local government.


Abstract: Despite its low nutrient concentration, the high amount of biomass accumulated in the tree stem makes it an important nutrient sink. Hence, nutrient loss through timber removal at harvesting is a major cause of nutrient impoverishment at some forest sites. The present study was designed to test the following hypotheses: (a) nutrient allocation in the different tree tissues would be affected by (re)translocation processes related with leaf senescence; hence, (b) timber may have a higher nutrient concentration during the defoliated period (in deciduous species); and consequently, (c) modifying harvesting time could influence nutrient export. To test these hypotheses, the present study analyzes the intra-annual dynamics of foliar and trunk nutrient concentration in a planted teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) forest in Costa Rica. Samples from nine trees were taken at nine sampling times between June 2012 and August 2013. The results confirm the above-mentioned hypotheses and reveal that modifying harvesting time have different consequences: (1) when harvesting occurs between August and October, it reduces the N-P-K exported through timber harvesting by 24-29-43%; (2) when harvesting occurs in December, the reduction is 28-29-14%. Harvesting between August and October (rainy season) may involve logistical difficulties. Harvesting slightly earlier than usual (i.e., December, just after the rainy season but before leaf senescence) would therefore be an efficient approach to reducing nutrient export through timber extraction.


Emergency vehicles undertake emergency driving, using lights and sirens, to move rapidly through traffic in response to situations where life and property are at risk. For the emergency driving to be effective, other motorists need to drive in a manner that facilitates their passage. Despite laws to support this, problematic encounters can result in emergency vehicles being unable to get through. The current research expanded on earlier exploratory research into motorists' encounters with emergency vehicles (Grant, 2010) to examine psychological factors involved with motorists' responses to emergency vehicles. A construct validity approach was used to develop a scale through which a larger representative sample could be assessed. A qualitative study with emergency service drivers and motorists combined with existing literature to provide the basis for the scale development, and the subsequent testing and refinement resulted in the Responding to Emergency Vehicles Scale (REVS). The data obtained throughout development of the scale, from 1089 participants, were used to investigate psychological factors associated with responding to emergency vehicles and have identified the following overarching factors: Reasons for responding to emergency vehicles; attitudes and beliefs about emergency vehicles/services; appraisal of the encounter and their ability to respond; prior associations with emergency services personnel, or vehicles; and beliefs around punishment. The study also explored participants' demographic factors relative to their reported driving behaviours during emergency vehicle encounters. Lastly, it identified the needs of the emergency service drivers during encounters, suggesting that existing road safety messages were inconsistent with actual needs of emergency service drivers, and suggested an alternative model of response. Overall, the psychological factors provided an understanding of the participants' aptitude to be trained to respond more effectively. Their strong pro-social intentions indicated RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES ii an intention to respond appropriately to emergency vehicles and they were cognisant of the potential consequences of not doing so. Their generally positive views about emergency vehicles as well as associated services, and beliefs in the appropriateness of punishment further supported their willingness to respond appropriately. Finally, participants reported that they were aroused by emergency vehicles encounters, but not stressed to the extent they were incapable of responding. Whilst the research was undertaken from a predominately theoretical lens, the applied nature of the phenomenon under scrutiny yielded findings that can inform policy around responding to emergency vehicles. Specifically, the findings suggest the need to embed explicit training on emergency vehicles within the existing driver training framework. They also recommend amendment to the road safety message used to guide motorists' actions during encounters with emergency vehicles. Future studies could confirm the appropriateness of the recommended response model with a larger sample of emergency service drivers, and use the REVS to assess larger samples and different driving populations. RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY VEHICLES iv


This paper contributes to the existing Real Business Cycle (RBC) literature by introducing Marginal Efficiency of Investment (MEI) shocks into small open economic model. Investment shocks are the most important drivers of business cycle fluctuations in small open economy because the fluctuations in all the macroeconomic variables showed a significant response to MEI shocks than productivity shocks. The anticipation of pro-cyclical behavior of the external accounts when the model was augmented with the form of share of consumption in the household utility function, μ, and an appealing, but complex, concave adjustment cost function becomes a standpoint that differentiates this study from other investment shocks literatures. The pattern of the rise in investment in both shocks explains why investment shocks is so important in times of recession and it reveals the main source of fluctuations in a small open economy.


"Medical" marijuana is approved in 21 states and the District of Columbia for numerous conditions, including glaucoma, Crohn disease, posttraumatic stress disorder, epilepsy, Alzheimer disease, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Both the number of states and the number of approved indications for medical marijuana are expected to increase. Physicians will bear the responsibility of prescribing marijuana and thus have an obligation to understand the issues involved in its "medicalization."


The challenge of providing access to clean water is visible in Texas, where chronic drought coincides with increasing water demand. The 2012 Texas State Water Plan reports a 2,700 million cubic metres (MCM) gap between freshwater supply and demand in 2010, a number predicted to grow to 3,100 MCM by 2060. Due to the difficulty of reducing water demand, policy makers and water providers are evaluating new sources, including brackish groundwater for desalination or direct use. It is estimated that Texas aquifers contain more than 3,300,000 MCM of brackish groundwater, which, if converted to fresh water, could meet current consumption needs for 150 years, albeit at a greater cost. Using Texas as a case study, this article addresses policies to better manage the supply of brackish groundwater. We review the geological, technical, and legal contexts of groundwater in Texas and situate brackish groundwater within those constructs. We consider efforts by other states to regulate brackish groundwater and identify management goals, including facilitating access to and incentivizing use of brackish groundwater and protecting freshwater aquifers from potential saline intrusion related to brackish groundwater production. Various brackish groundwater policies are examined, and policy recommendations regarding use of the resource are offered.


An experimental setup which is going to be used in order to investigate the drying performance of a batch type fluidized bed dryer for some harvested foods under varying drying temperatures and velocities is introduced in this paper. This study also presents a correlation study in which the drying performances of batch type fluidized bed drying processes available in the literature are investigated in terms of drying rates with respect to drying time at some constant drying air velocities and temperatures. It is too hard to find such a study which presents different experimental results on the common bases. This gives an original contribution to the literature. The correlation study herein provides a novel insight for both academic and industrial aspects. Therefore it satisfies a preliminary estimation of drying performance before any experimental study. Key-Words: fluidized bed drying; drying performance; drying rate; drying time


This research (January 2009 to January 2012) described the impact of Work Based Learning (WBL) programmes on three large organisations involved in HE/employer engagement partnerships to up-skill experienced employees in NE England. A case study approach gathered rich qualitative data from public and private organisations, and their university partner which provided long-term, whole-day university-based master-class WBL programmes for University-accredited qualifications with the support of Higher Education Funding Council for England's Strategic Development Funding. The public organisation delivered its own certificate-level sessions; and a Foundation Degree was delivered by the University and the organisation's Directors. Modified action research observations of classes preceded a questionnaire profiling candidates, their motivations, and perspectives about WBL. Stakeholders' semi-structured interviews (Wengraf, 2001) answered: "how, why and with what consequences does the Mode 2 learning of the individual impact the Mode 2 learning of the organisation", premised on WBL using Mode 2 "how to" knowledge (Gibbons et al, 1994). Data, mainly collected from May to November 2010, was analysed using a modified grounded theory approach (Corbin and Strauss, 2008) with fractal concept analysis (Wasserman, Clair and Wilson, 2009). Rich descriptions of the impacts of WBL from the perspectives of those involved in HE/employer engagement partnerships resulted in models for developing new partnerships and incorporating employer engagement within a university. Original contributions to WBL knowledge included the Courtyard Model based upon findings including types of knowledge/concepts/values that emerged from the research which may potentially lead to new pedagogies. Impacts of WBL included networking that carried the organisation's strategic vision into its culture to enhance its sustainability and possible growth. Candidates attributed valuing reputation, knowledge and people to universities as organisations. The Courtyard Model summarised the relationship between the impacts of WBL on the development of candidates and organisations in terms of reputation, knowledge, people, networks, culture and sustainability.


In developing countries umbilical cord infections constitute a major cause of neonatal morbidity and pose significant risk for mortality Methods of caring for the umbilical cord vary greatly between communities depending on their cultural and religious beliefs, level of education and resources. The risk of cord infection is increased by unhygienic cutting of the cord and application of unclean substances. This study examined the cord management practices and management outcome among mothers in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross sectional community based study was conducted in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Calabar South is one of the two Local Government Areas that make up Calabar Metropolis with 11 wards. Women of child bearing age were used as population of the study. A sample size of 451 mothers was selected using the snowball method. A structured pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed descriptively using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 18.0 at 95% confidence interval. Results: Whereas most of the respondents 224(49.8%) used methylated spirit in cleaning the cord, others used dettol 88(19.6%), saliva and salt 44(9.8%), herbal preparations 44(9.8%). Most of the respondents 314 (69.8%) applied unhygienic substances at the base of the stump after cleaning the cord. Main reason for choice of materials includes to wade off evil spirits and hasten cord separation 270(55.9%). The outcome of cord management showed that majority of the umbilical cords were infected 338 (75.1 %.). Conclusion: Majority of the respondents applied harmful and contaminated materials/ substances to the umbilical cord. Good umbilical cord care practices can lead to improved newborn care while poor umbilical cord care practices may result in neonatal morbidity and mortality. Improving the standard of umbilical cord care among mothers can largely be achieved through health education and follow up visits by nurses after discharge from the health facility.


Abstract The theory of communicative action is less associated with the idea of peace than with the cultivation of infrastructures for democratic interaction on the model of reasoned reciprocity. The theory is also marked by reflexive and historical attention to its distance from practice, thereby associating the theory with the critical diagnosis of the age. Such associations invite an action perspective on peace as a critical project oriented toward reasoned discourse. The paper explores the contributions of the theory of communicative action by taking one of its fundamental assumptions as a starting point: the recurring theme of mutual recognition. By exploring extensions of this theme into articulations of democratic and rational discourse, the paper offers mutual recognition as a basis for the theory as a communicative idea of peace for the continuation and development of peace studies.


In this paper we look at the application of ICTs to the improvement of state-citizen relations in a developing country context. Our argument is that, to maximise responsiveness of the government, ICTs need to target the structural problems in state-citizen relations, from which unresponsiveness of the state to citizens is generated. Failure, as portrayed here, arises from the fact that ICTs, rather than being used for tackling the causes of issues in government responsiveness, tend to be conceived and utilised primarily as a means for acquiring political consensus. This argument is illustrated through a case study of computerisation of the ration card procedure in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where a typical problem of state unresponsiveness – mirrored by a burgeoning amount of unattended ration card applications – is matched by a typical e-government solution, i.e. digitalisation of the process of document release. Our case study reveals that, while the structural problems of the process of ration card delivery in Kerala lie within two crucial nodes, namely poverty status determination and verification of applications, the digital solution devised by the government addresses predominantly the front-end, politically appealing node constituted by citizen application for a ration card. This strategy, which leaves untouched the crucial nodes of state unresponsiveness, turns out in citizen dissatisfaction on the long run. Implications are both theoretical, as a cause for failure is identified and deconstructed in the domain of ICT4D, and practical, as an orientation to structural problems is recommended for policymakers that engage in ICT-based government reform.


During its nearly fifty years of history, the First Italian Republic has been characterised by the highest rate of cabinet turnover in Western Europe. There are several convincing explanations for this exceptional feature; nevertheless, merely looking at the average figure risks overlooking the variety in the Italian government experience. Focusing on the spatial determinants of Italian cabinet duration shows that the presence of a core party has a positive, albeit conditional, impact on government duration, largely depending on the degree of intra-cabinet conflict. Moreover, whenever the core is absent, the inability of cabinets to change the status quo appears to lengthen, rather than shorten, their duration. This outcome appears in line with works stressing the substantial policy immobilism of Italian governments throughout most of the postwar period. The analysis relies on a new dataset based on a coding of the investiture debates of all the Italian cabinets. This allows one to track the evolution of parties' preferences in a policy space that can change between (rather than only across) elections. The results show the importance of in-depth case studies to better analyse some puzzles within the cabinet duration literature that might otherwise be averaged out in large-N comparative analysis.


We studied autocrine transforming growth factor (TGF) signaling in kidney epithelium. Cultured proximal tubule cells showed regulated signaling that was high during log-phase growth, low during contact-inhibited differentiation, and rapidly increased during regeneration of wounded epithelium. Autoregulation of signaling correlated with TGF receptor and Smad7 levels, but not with active TGF , which was barely measurable in the growth medium. Confluent differentiated cells with low receptor and high Smad7 levels exhibited blunted responses to saturating concentrations of exogenously provided active TGF , suggesting that TGF signaling homeostasis was achieved by cell density-dependent modulation of signaling intermediates. Antagonism of Alk5 kinase , the TGF type I receptor , dramatically accelerated the induction of differentiation in sparse , proliferating cultures and permitted better retention of differentiated features in regenerating cells of wounded, confluent cultures. Alk5 antagonism accelerated the differentiation of cells in proximal tubule primary cultures while simultaneously increasing their proliferation. Consequently, Alk5-inhibited primary cultures formed confluent, differentiated monolayers faster than untreated cultures. Furthermore, treatment with an Alk5 antagonist promoted kidney repair reflected by increased tubule differentiation and decreased tubulo-interstitial pathology during the recovery phase following ischemic injury in vivo. Our results show that autocrine TGF signaling in proliferating proximal tubule cells exceeds the levels that are necessary for physiological regeneration. To that end, TGF signaling is redundant and maladaptive during tubule repair by epithelial regeneration. (Am J Pathol 2009, 174:1291–1308; DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2009.080295)


The author divided the discussion is divided in three parts. The first, which is very synthetic, will cover some of Bion's theories as regards "Work Group Mentality", "Basic Assumptions Group Mentality", and their respective leaders. In the second he introduced J. Bleger's "Syncretic Sociality" concept, which introduces a third type of "Group Mentality" different from the one developed by Bion's theory. The third part, which is the longest, is dedicated to the role of the Genius Loci. The Genius Loci is not a leader, like the Work Group mentality leader or the basic assumptions group mentality leader. However, it performs some important functions for the social and mental life of a group. Work Group and Basic Assumptions Group


Finding connected components is a fundamental task in applications dealing with graph analytics, such as social network analysis, web graph mining and image processing. The exponentially growing size of today's graphs has required the definition of new computational models and algorithms for their efficient processing on highly distributed architectures. In this paper we present cracker, an efficient iterative MapReduce-like algorithm to detect connected components in large graphs. The strategy of cracker is to transform the input graph in a set of trees, one for each connected component in the graph. Nodes are iteratively removed from the graph and added to the trees, reducing the amount of computation at each iteration. We prove the correctness of the algorithm, evaluate its computational cost and provide an extensive experimental evaluation considering a wide variety of synthetic and real-world graphs. The experimental results show that cracker consistently outperforms state-of-the-art approaches both in terms of total computation time and volume of messages exchanged.


Tax expenditures have grown in importance to the point where they are now the dominant instruments for implementing new discretionary spending policies, and operate at a cost in forgone revenues unmatched since the Tax Reform Act of 1986. While it is true that some forms of government intervention are best delivered through the tax system, it cannot be the case that neutral design principles would lead to a situation where the federal government spends twice as much through tax expenditures as it does through explicit discretionary spending programs. This paper, the Fourteenth Annual Woodworth Memorial Lecture, is a meditation on the corrosive effect of tax expenditures on the federal budget and Congressional political processes. Tax subsidies erode our ability to conceptualize the size and activities of government, or to engage in constructive political discourse about our allocative priorities in a world of scarce resources. The paper therefore attempts to shift attention from the decades-long debate over the normative tax base from which tax expenditures should be identified to the more pressing questions of how the political process privileges tax expenditures over explicit outlays, and how in turn the lower salience of tax expenditures distorts policy making.Tax expenditures are privileged because they are not treated as spending for any budget purpose: instead, they are budget "nothings," and their costs are simply subsumed into the revenues baseline. The result is that their efficiency costs are typically under-appreciated (as developed in an extended fable about the country of Freedonia), and the repeal of a poorly targeted tax subsidy, rather than being hailed as curbing wasteful spending, is decried as a targeted tax hike.Pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules limit the growth of tax expenditures to some extent, because they require a "pay for" to be paired with a new tax subsidy, but those rules in turn inadvertently encourage the perverse phenomenon of the Congress Within a Congress, in which the tax-writing committees, having learned how to dispense even lump sum discretionary grant programs through the tax code, can function as a complete mini-Congress. The tax-writing committees now both raise revenues (their traditional role) and spend those new revenues, through increasingly transparent tax subsidies that satisfy both the tax-writing committees' spending priorities and the PAYGO rules. The resulting package is presented to the two chambers of Congress as revenue-neutral, and therefore implicitly as having no significant distributive or allocative consequences, when instead it should be understood as a "tax and spend" proposal.


Marketing assistance loan (MAL) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) programs differ in their treatment of basis. This paper analyzes marketing decisions under these programs when producers are differentiated by location with respect to the terminal market. The developed model may help explain the observed lack of an association between the county loan rate and the share of a county's production enrolled in MAL programs. Under certain conditions, multiple equilibria are shown to emerge. The effects of MAL and LDP programs on welfare and policy implications are discussed.


This qualitative study uses Patricia Hill Collins' "both/and" conceptual framework to explore experiences of both oppression and resistance among welfare recipients attending college. It examines how children, social networks, integration into campus life, and interactions with caseworkers affect welfare recipients' college attendance and college persistence. As is well established in the sociological literature, having children complicates college attendance and persistence. But this research shows that children also provide the predominant incentive for poor mothers to attain higher education. Moreover, this study reveals complexities in welfare recipients' experiences with their social networks, work-study jobs, and caseworkers that are often overlooked by current research on higher education and welfare reform. Keywords: welfare recipients, higher education, welfare reform, matrix of domination ********** When asked to name the most important reasons why she attended college, Seana, a Black mother of one, replied, "because I wanted a career, not a job." Seana and the other participants in this research are among the one-fifth of welfare recipients nationwide with some four-year college or university experience (Peterson, Song, and Jones-DeWeever 2002). Seana is well aware that postsecondary education confers substantial benefits to welfare recipients. Those with higher education are more likely to find jobs, work in their field of study, earn higher wages, and report greater family well-being than welfare recipients who lack higher education (see Kahn, Butler, Deprez, & Polakow, 2004 for a review of this research). However, recent policy changes made it more difficult for welfare recipients to attend college. The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), or welfare reform, requires that welfare recipients engage in work-related activities within two years of receiving assistance. Most states allow only one year of higher education to count as work-related activity (Pandey, Zhan, Neely-Barnes, and Menon, 2000). Thereafter, a welfare recipient who attends school must do so in addition to work requirements. Moreover, under welfare reform, states enacted "work-first" programs that emphasized job searches and job placement rather than higher education (Golonka and Matus-Grossman, 2001). After welfare reform, welfare recipients' enrollment in higher education dropped considerably (Center for Women's Policy Studies, 2002); as Jacobs and Winslow (2003) conclude, "the result of welfare reform has been to reduce overall access to postsecondary education for welfare recipients" (p. 212). Given the unequivocal benefits of college attendance for welfare recipients, and the decreasing numbers of them who are attending college, research on welfare recipients who make it to college is especially important. This research explores college attendance and persistence among seventeen single mothers--most women of color--who receive welfare and attend an urban university in Kentucky. It uses Patricia Hill Collins' (1991) "both/and" (p. 226) conceptual stance to explore the multiple axes of domination and resistance experienced by poor, single-mother college students. As revealed below, these students' narratives question many of the theoretical assumptions and empirical findings of the existing sociological literature on higher education. Their experiences can also enhance the literature on welfare reform, which until recently rarely examined the experiences of welfare recipients attending college. Collins is one of several multiracial feminists who emphasize that race, class, and gender form a "matrix of domination" (1991, p. 225) such that these three systems of oppression interact to affect people in distinct ways. Most students in this sample are disadvantaged in educational institutions because they are poor, single-mother students on welfare. …