Myofibroblasts are fibrosis-driving cells and are well characterized in solid organ fibrosis, but their role and cellular origin in bone marrow fibrosis remains obscure. Recent work has demonstrated that Gli1+ and LepR+ mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are progenitors of fibrosis-causing myofibroblasts in the bone marrow. Genetic ablation of Gli1+ MSCs or pharmacologic targeting of hedgehog (Hh)-Gli signaling ameliorated fibrosis in mouse models of myelofibrosis (MF). Moreover, pharmacologic or genetic intervention in platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (Pdgfrα) signaling in Lepr+ stromal cells suppressed their expansion and ameliorated MF. Improved understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms in the hematopoietic stem cell niche that govern the transition of MSCs to myofibroblasts and myofibroblast expansion in MF has led to new paradigms in the pathogenesis and treatment of MF. Here, we highlight the central role of malignant hematopoietic clone-derived megakaryocytes in reprogramming the hematopoietic stem cell niche in MF with potential detrimental consequences for hematopoietic reconstitution after allogenic stem cell transplantation, so far the only therapeutic approach in MF considered to be curative. We and others have reported that targeting Hh-Gli signaling is a therapeutic strategy in solid organ fibrosis. Data indicate that targeting Gli proteins directly inhibits Gli1+ cell proliferation and myofibroblast differentiation, which results in reduced fibrosis severity and improved organ function. Although canonical Hh inhibition (eg, smoothened [Smo] inhibition) failed to improve pulmonary fibrosis, kidney fibrosis, or MF, the direct inhibition of Gli proteins ameliorated fibrosis. Therefore, targeting Gli proteins directly might be an interesting and novel therapeutic approach in MF.


This paper develops a methodology for predicting the impact of trade liberalization on exports by industry (3-digit ISIC) based on the pre-liberalization distribution of exports by product (5-digit SITC). Using the results of Kehoe and Ruhl (2013) that much of the growth in trade after trade liberalization is in products that are traded very little or not at all, we predict that industries with a higher share of exports generated by least traded products will experience more growth. Using our methodology, we develop predictions for industry-level changes in trade for the United States and Korea following the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). As a test for our methodology, we show that it performs significantly better than the applied general equilibrium models originally used for the policy evaluation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).


In this paper, the depth images and the colour images provided by Kinect sensors are used to enhance the accuracy of human detection. The depth-based human detection method is fast but less accurate. On the other hand, the faster region convolutional neural network-based human detection method is accurate but requires a rather complex hardware configuration. To simultaneously leverage the advantages and relieve the drawbacks of each method, one master and one client system is proposed. The final goal is to make a novel Robot Operation System (ROS)-based Perception Sensor Network (PSN) system, which is more accurate and ready for the real time application. The experimental results demonstrate the outperforming of the proposed method compared with other conventional methods in the challenging scenarios.


Abstract. Complicated systems composed of many interacting subsystems are frequently studied as complex networks. In the simplest approach, a given real-world system is represented by an undirected graph composed of nodes standing for the subsystems and non-oriented unweighted edges for interactions present among the nodes; the characteristic properties of the graph are subsequently studied and related to the system's behaviour. More detailed graph models may include edge weights, orientations or multiple types of links; potential time-dependency of edges is conveniently captured in so-called evolving networks. Recently, it has been shown that an evolving climate network can be used to disentangle different types of El Nino episodes described in the literature. The time evolution of several graph characteristics has been compared with the intervals of El Nino and La Nina episodes. In this study we identify the sources of the evolving network characteristics by considering a reduced-dimensionality description of the climate system using network nodes given by rotated principal component analysis. The time evolution of structures in local intra-component networks is studied and compared to evolving inter-component connectivity.


Examining recent judicial opinions, this Article analyzes and critiques the transformative-use doctrine two decades after the U.S. Supreme Court introduced it into copyright law in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music. When the Court established the transformativeuse concept, which plays a critical role in fair-use determinations today, its contours were relatively undefined. Drawing on an influential law-review article, the Court described a transformative use as one that adds "new expression, meaning or message." Unfortunately, the doctrine and its application are increasingly ambiguous, with lower courts developing competing conceptions of transformation. This doctrinal murkiness is particularly disturbing because fair use is a key proxy for First Amendment interests in copyright law. This Article traces the evolution of transformative use, analyzes three key paradigms of transformative use that have gained prominence in the post-Campbell environment, and offers suggestions for a jurisprudence in which transformative use is a less significant component of the fair-use analysis. Copyright © 2014 by Matthew D. Bunker and Clay Calvert. † Reese Phifer Professor of Journalism, College of Communication and Information Sciences, The University of Alabama. Ph.D., University of Florida, 1993; J.D., University of Kansas, 1985. ‡ Professor and Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication and Director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. B.A., 1987, Communication, Stanford University; J.D. (Order of the Coif), 1991, McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific; Ph.D., 1996, Communication, Stanford University. Member, State Bar of California. No. 1] DUKE LAW & TECHNOLOGY REVIEW 93


The front-end of kraft cooking, i.e. steaming, impregnation and heating, controls the cooking performance in terms of mass transfer, delignification and cooking uniformity. Therefore, it is of vital importance to understand the process mechanisms and optimise the front-end process conditions. This article discusses the effect of applying chip presteaming and higher pressure at the front-end of kraft displacement batch pulping on the cooking performance, bleachability and papermaking potential of the pulp. By applying chip presteaming and higher pressure it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of rejects after the cook and to lower the kappa number at constant cooking conditions. The better delignification uniformity and efficiency can be explained by the more thorough penetration of liquor into the wood chips achieved with the front-end modifications. According to the results, chip presteaming and higher pressure do not have a significant effect on the bleachability and papermaking potential of pulp. However, better pulp uniformity and the resulting lower pulp rejects content allows higher production of accept pulp and less fibre losses. The lower residual lignin content of the cooked pulp can be used as a trade-off for higher cooking throughput at the same chemical charge and recovery load or reduced bleaching chemical consumption due to lower pulp kappa number.


It started with curiosity: The name of the French philosopher seemed to pop up here and there, while we were working on dissertations and postdoc-projects. Not just, as we already knew, in the works of the French philosophers Gilles Deleuze, Bernard Stiegler and German media historians like Bernhard Siegert and Erich Hörl, but also in books and articles by John Durham Peters, Elisabeth Grosz and Yuk Hui. Simondon seemed to be relevant when discussing the question of technology in the Anthropocene, digging into neo-cybernetic trends within critical theory, understanding New Materialism and challenging AI-philosophy. What was it about this French philosopher that could inspire so many different thinkers and fields of thoughts?
We soon realized that we did not know very many people who had worked with the ideas of Simondon, and thus, set forth to produce some texts on him. With this issue, we do not intend to give a comprehensive introduction to Simondon's philosophy. What we hope to do, is to offer a handful of reflections upon how to use Simondon today.
We do this by publishing an article on the politics of problems in the thinking of Simondon and Gilles Deleuze, written by Stefano Daechsel and a three-part interview on Simondon's oeuvre with Yale-professors Gary Tomlinson, John Durham Peters and Paul North, conducted by Johan Fredrikzon. In addition, we have pieced together a few editorial texts: An overview of interesting articles and books on Simondon that we came across as we edited this volume, and a brief vocabulary of Simondonian thought.
The article and interview provide several answers to the question why Simondon is a relevant thinker today. Gary Tomlinson argues that Simondon offers key insights to evolutionary studies: He is able to bridge the gap between cultural and evolutionary biology. This is due to the Simondonian understanding of culture, Tomlinson argues, as something that arises in evolution and also shapes it. "We were toolmakers before we were human", as Tomlinson writes in the article "Semiotic Epicycles and Emergent Thresholds in Human Evolution" (Glass-bead.org, 2017), which he quotes in the interview.
Furthermore, Simondon flirts with what John Durham Peters calls neo-Thomism, a view of the history of technology that is not transcendental, nor teleologically determined or based on an idea of progress, but that is nevertheless intelligible. As John Durham Peters says in his interview: "Thomism gives you a potential of the world as an intelligible totality, much like James Joyce in Finnegan's Wake: a vision of the world as a knowable whole." Simondon's philosophy according to Durham Peters is "Aristotelian in the sense that nature has a structure which in some ways corresponds to the structure of understanding (…), the processes by which nature works and the processes by which technology works are analogous".
Most importantly, Simondon identifies possible strategies for resistance. Studying technology is necessary for us to act as political individuals, Stefano Daechsel argues in his article on Simondon and Deleuze. "[T]here is an urgency to Simondon's call for a technical culture that would foster a 'genuine awareness of technical realities (…)', such an awareness of technology 'possesses political and social value'." We need to delve into the technical realities, not in order to liberate ourselves from technology, but in order to modify and gain some kind of agency as technological beings. With reference to Robert de Niro's character in Terry Gilliam's film Brazil (1985), Paul North also reflects upon the agency of the individual through the figure of the tinkerer: "The kind of freedom where you can do anything, like ex nihilo creation. Simondon wants nothing to do with that. It is the middle person, the one who can take an invention and actually make it into a form of life, bring it in line with the milieu and allow each to change the other, that is interesting for Simondon."
Toward the end of the interview, North claims philosophy of technology today is looking for new resources in order to comprehend the world we live in. Mazzilli-Daechsel begins his article by stating that we need a way out of our politics of defeatism today. Simondon is a useful source to go to, in both regards. We hope this volume demonstrates that.
In addition to the section on Simondon, this issue of Sensorium Journal features two reviews, on the recent complete transcript of the Macy Conferences edited by Claus Pias and two books in the series "Understanding Media Ecology". We hope you enjoy your reading!


The Cambro-Ordovician period has yielded the major development of volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits in Australia, resulting in about 12 million metric tons of contained metal (copper, lead, and zinc), concentrated in the Mount Read Volcanics (Tasmania)
and the Mount Windsor Volcanics (Queensland), The Archean (4 million metric tons of metal) and the Silurian (3.5 million metric tons of metal) constitute the next important episodes while the Devonian and Permian have produced isolated deposits.
The deposits range from Cu type to Zn-Cu type to Zn-Pb-Cu type. The Zn-Cu-type deposits are restricted to the Archean and Silurian, whereas the Cu type and Zn-Pb-Cu type occur sporadically throughout the time span from early Archean to Permian. In general terms, the major VHMS-bearing districts are calc-alkaline in character and display a thick basal pile of rhyolitic volcanics (1-3 km thick) including lavas, epiclastics, and subvolcanic intrusions which is overlain by a polymodal sequence containing various proportions of rhyolite,dacite, andesite, basalt, and sediments. The major deposits are commonly located at the top contact of the rhyolite pile or within the lower part of the overlying polymodal sequence.
There is a wide range in variability of styles of Australian VHMS deposits including mounds, pipes, sheets, layered deposits, stacked deposits, stockwork and disseminated deposits, distal reworked deposits, and cyclic layered deposits. Although these various styles show a range of features, there is a consistent theme across the spectrum of metal zonation, alteration mineralogy, alteration chemistry, sulfur isotopes, macrotextures, microtextures, and host volcanic relationships which strongly suggests that they all belong to the one genetic group of ore deposit. The classic mound-style deposits, such as Hellyer, have a series of key features, subsets of which are represented in the other deposit styles.
The mound deposits are considered to form from deposition of metal sulfides on the sea floor immediately around the hydrothermal vent. Growth of the mound occurs by upward replacement of sulfide assemblages stable at higher fluid temperatures, leading to zone refining and lead-zinc-silver-gold enrichment in the outer and upper parts of the mound, Departure from the classic mound style of deposit is related principally to three key factors: the chemistry of the ore fluid (salinity, temperature,f02, and aH2S), the nature (permeability and chemistry) of the volcanic pile, and the sea-Hoor environment (sea-Hoor topography and
..seawater depth). These factors control the aspect ratio of the deposit, the extent of stringer zone development, the degree of subsea-floor replacement mineralization, the nature and spatial development of footwall alteration, and the development and style of related distal mineralization.
Sulfur isotope studies of Australian VHMS deposits indicate that reduced seawater sulfate is a major source of sulfur in the deposit, whereas lead and strontium isotope results are compatible with the metals being derived by seawater convection and leaching from the volcanic pile and basement rocks. This conclusion is supported by the application of various leaching models which demonstrate the availability of an adequate source of both base and precious metals in the footwall volcanic sequences. The input of metals directly from volcanic magma chambers is not precluded by the available data, and one likely scenario involves the contribution of gold and copper from a magmatic vapor plume, rising to mix with convective seawater fluids which contribute lead, zinc, silver, and gold leached from the footwall volcanics and basement rocks. The relative importance of the magmatic input compared with the seawater convective input may help to explain the spectrum of deposit styles arid their spatial relationship to volcanic centers or adjacent sedimentary basins.


An option is a financial instrument which derives its value from an underlying asset. There are a wide range of options traded today. Some are simple and plain, like the European options, while others are very difficult to evaluate. Both buyers and sellers continue to look for efficient algorithms and faster technology to price options for profit. In this thesis, I will first map the PSO parameters to the parameters in the option pricing problem. Then, I extend this to study pricing of complex chooser option. Further, I design a parallel algorithm that avails of the inherent concurrency in PSO while searching for a optimum solution. For implementation of my algorithm I used graphics processor unit (GPU). Analyzing the characteristics of PSO and option pricing, I propose a strategy to normalize some of the PSO parameters that helps in better understanding the sensitivity of various parameters on option pricing results.


If the State of Kansas is to fulfill its obligation of providing a safe and serviceable highway system for its citizens, supplemental revenue sources may be needed. The increased emphasis p l aced on the methods used in financing highways and thoroughfares by the 1968 session of the Kansas Legislature justifies that an investigation of former means of financing could prove beneficial in determining solutions to this problem. The Republican legislators favored a plan calling for a two cent per gallon increase in the state motor fuel tax to assist in payment of a proposed revenue bond issue of $300 million. The proposed bond issue would be issued in $30 million units consecutively during a period of ten years. One cent of the proposed two cent per gallon increase in the motor fuel tax would be allocated to the cities and counties for street and road construction, and the remaining one cent of the increase would be used to retire the revenue bonds. None of the roads to be financed under this plan would be toll roads. In opposition, the Democratic legislators recommended a program which included the proposed issuance of a maximum of $350 million in revenue bonds to finance construction of 612 miles of turnpikes and freeways during a five year period. This proposal rejected any increase in the motor fuel tax. The revenue bonds would be repaid by tolls from turnpikes and an annual pledge of some $25 million in gasoline tax revenues. The Legislature passed the Republican proposal. However, Governor Robert B. Docking vetoed the bill. Docking expressed his reaction to the bill as: \It seems the Republican leaders can offer no more imaginative method to initiate progressive programs for the State of Kansas than to raise taxes.\ Francis Jacobs, Republican member of the House Committee on Highways, stated: \I would recommend the plan that we had in the last session of the Legislature. It is a program whereby we could build roads now and pay for them later. I believe the program that we came up with and which was passed by both the House and Senate, and vetoed by the Governor, was one of the finest plans that I have ever seen in the Legislature.\ Although the Republicans had a distinct majority in both houses, they lacked the necessary two- thirds to override an executive veto. At the time of writing of this study the problem remained unresolved. It is the purpose, therefore, of this study to investigate the methods of highway financing employed during the fiscal years from 1963 to 1967, and to determine whether supplemental revenue sources should be obtained. It is the further purpose of this paper to evaluate the adequacy of past revenue sources, and to recommend solutions that would provide enough revenue to maintain and improve Kansas' highway system. In addition, this study will determine the amount of Federal participation in the financing of highways in the State of Kansas during the past five years. The study will also involve a discussion of the allocation of funds among specific types of projects that are necessary in maintaining a highway system.


The theory of incomplete contracting is rival to that of complete contracting as a frame of reference to understand contractual relationships. Both approaches rest upon diametrically opposed postulates and lead to very different policy conclusions. From a theoretical viewpoint, scrutiny of the postulates has revealed that both frameworks are reasonable. This paper designs and implements an empirical test to discern whether contracts are complete or incomplete. We analyze a problem where the parties' inability to commit not to renegotiate inefficiencies is sufficient for contractual incompleteness. We study optimal contracts with and without commitment and derive an exclusion restriction that is useful to identify the relevant commitment scenario. The empirical analysis takes advantage of a data set from Spanish soccer player contracts. Our test rejects the commitment hypothesis, which entails the acceptance of the existence of contractual incompleteness in the data. We argue that our conclusions should hold a fortiori in many other economic environments.


The dynamics of NO rebinding in hemoglobin (Hb) was directly observed using femtosecond mid-IR spectroscopy after photodeligation of NO from HbNO in D(2)O at 283 K. Time-resolved spectra of bound NO appeared to have a single feature peaked at 1616 cm(-1) but were much better described by two Gaussians with equal intensities but different rebinding kinetics, where the feature at 1617 cm(-1) rebinds faster than the one at 1614 cm(-1). It is possible that the two bands each correspond to one of two subunit constituents of the tetrameric Hb. Transient absorption spectra of photodeligated NO revealed three evolving bands near 1858 cm(-1) and their red-shifted replicas. The red-shifted replicas arise from photodeligated NO in the vibrationally excited v = 1 state. More than 10% of the NO was dissociated into the vibrationally excited v = 1 state when photolyzed by a 580 nm pulse. The three absorption bands for the deligated NO could be attributed to three NO sites in or near the heme pocket. The kinetics of the three transient bands for the deligated NO, as well as the recovery of the bound NO population, was most consistent with a kinetics scheme that incorporates time-dependent rebinding from one site that rapidly equilibrates with the other two sites. The time dependence results from a time-dependent rebinding barrier due to conformational relaxation of protein after deligation. By assigning each absorption band to a site in the heme pocket of Hb, a pathway for rebinding of NO to Hb was proposed.


Bank specialization leads to expertise, including knowledge on zombie borrowers and the negative impact they exert on healthy borrowers. This induces specialized banks to reduce zombie lending. The reduction in zombie lending is larger when the scope and opportunity cost of negative spillovers to healthy borrowers is larger; namely, when the fraction of sectoral labor stuck in zombie firms is larger or when the sector is expected to grow faster. Additionally, specialized banks reduce zombie lending less in sectors with higher asset specificity, as zombie firms' default (and potential asset fire sales) could trigger reductions in healthy borrowers' collateral values.


This article places the 1974 film Chinatown alongside the historical events that the film portrays. Rather than a simple comparison between fact and fiction, Deverell and Sitton instead explore what we can learn about the people, places, and events in both Chinatown and the history of the Los Angeles aqueduct.


Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and potentially lethal complication from hospitalisation. Critically ill patients have multiple risk factors for VTE such as prolonged immobility, use of central venous catheters, mechanical ventilation complications related to comorbidities. To reduce the incidence of VTE, various pharmacologic and mechanical thromboprophylaxis (TP) regimes are available. Purpose To characterise the prophylactic strategies used in a cohort of critically ill patients during their stay in ICU length and their adherence to hospital guidelines for the prevention of VTE. Materials and methods We conducted a prospective review of all patients admitted to a traumatic and neurocritical ICU from July 2013 to September of 2013. Patients were excluded if they were being treated for VTE diagnosed before, or were therapeutically anticoagulated for other reasons prior to ICU admission. For ICU patients our guidelines recommend anticoagulant TP with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) as soon as it is safe, if it is not contraindicated. However, it is more common in ICU to start TP using mechanical methods because of the high risk of bleeding for the first few days, in which LMWH are contraindicated. A high risk of bleeding was defined as symptomatic bleeding, presence of organic lesions likely to bleed, haemophiliac diseases, haemostatic abnormalities (platelet count <50000/mm3; aPTT ratio >2; prothrombin time (IQ) <40%), or severe anaemia (haemoglobin <7 g/dL) due to bleeding or unknown causes. We collected bio-demographic data and other clinical data related to VTE. Results Over the study period 34 patients were admitted to the ICU. Of these, 4 were excluded. We therefore enrolled 30 patients, with a mean age of 45.5 years; of which 86.6% were men. The median length of stay in the ICU was 17 days (3–51). The main diagnostics for ICU admission were: acute spinal cord injury (SCI) (30%), stroke (26.6%) and head injury (23.3%). Of all the patients enrolled, 26 (87.7%) received TP treatment. Of the patients who used mechanical TP (43.75%), 96.6% used intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) and 3.3% used graduated compression stockings (GCS). The mean time to start treatment (MTS) was 1.7 days, and the mean treatment period (MTP) was 12.3 days. Of the patients treated with LMWH (always according to renal function) (84.3%): 50% received both, first mechanical and then pharmacologic TP, with a MTS of 13.7 days and a MTP of 11.9 days. 50% received LMWH as a first line treatment, with a MTS of 5.4 days and a MTP of 8.7 days. The main diagnostics for unsafe LMWH treatment and prolonged mechanical measures were: head injury (30.8%) and stroke (38.5%). Of all the patients, only 4 (13.3%) did not receive any TP treatment during their stay in ICU. During the study period, any occurrences of VTE were recorded but we do not know if any events occurred after the patients were discharged. Conclusions Overall, patients in this study received a high level of VTE prophylaxis (87.7%) Our ICU adheres appropriately to the hospital's guidelines for the prevention of VTE. A high percentage of the patients initially received mechanical TP on the first or second day, and started late treatment with LMWH because of the high risk of bleeding. However we believe that there was a small number of patients who should have started the TP treatment earlier, and we should evaluate the cause in order to influence policy and propose strategies for improvement. Including a pharmacist in the multidisciplinary team of critical care practitioners in the ICU is necessary to optimise treatments. No conflict of interest.


Abstract Iaidō is a Japanese swordsmanship art that teaches the practitioner, iaidokan, a series of sword techniques known as kata. The number, and severity of [sword] techniques increases as the practitioner achieves higher grades (kyu and dan). To understand and conduct the [spiritual] core of iaidō, the iaidoka must learn how to be attentive and bodily and mindfully present when carrying out these [sword] techniques. In this respect, mindfulness training could be of great help by enhancing the ability of the iaidokan skills in this regard. Additionally, mindfulness training may be used to teach the practitioner of iaidō how to develop a being-mode. This article discusses, from both an outside-in perspective, as academic researcher and an inside-out perspective as a mindfulness and iaidō practitioner, the meaning of iaidō in terms of attention, [mindfulness] meditation and a being-mode. This discussion may prepare the way for a new and inspiring understanding of Asian spiritual practices in a Western guise.


The purpose of this dissertation is to identify unique functions of immigrants' social networks and organizational affiliations, the spatial aspects of their communities, and the ways in which these are implicated in their conceptualization of the American urban housing market. This project first examines the ways scholars discuss and define ethnic communities and how spatial arrangements are understood in the context of urban development. I argue that past discussions of immigrant assimilation and integration assumed that external influences and abandonment of ethnic components remain important—though undefined—elements of community formation and subsequent evolution. My position is that immigration and immigrant experiences are one of a number of processes that transform the relationship between accumulation of social capital and spatial arrangement of residency. I argue it is possible to claim that identity reflected in housing selection echoes both resources from ethnic community and participation in American consumption. I explore this possibility through a study of three immigrant groups in the Chicago metropolitan area. Based on a quantitative survey nested in another quantitative survey, findings suggest that concerns with both ethnic community formation and integration into American society relate closely and may simultaneously inform immigrants' consumption behavior. Methodologically, these findings stress an increasing need for social scientists to explore causal linking between one's ability to develop relationships across individuals and organizations and ecological conditions of their surroundings that shape an individual's sense of communal membership.


This study investigates the long‐term variability of surface air temperature (SAT) over the Arabian Peninsula (AP), using data from the Climate Research Unit (TS 3.22) for the 1960–2010 period. The long‐term climatology suggests that the warmest AP mean temperatures occur during summer, with the highest temperatures over the northern AP (NAP), due to the monsoon–desert mechanism. During winter, the NAP exhibits low SATs under the influence of western disturbances originating from the Mediterranean. The southwestern AP exhibits the lowest temperatures because of its proximity to the Arabian Sea cold waters, and also because of the orographic effects. The inter‐annual variability of the SAT is stronger during winters. A linear trend analysis reveals a significant increase in the SAT anomaly (0.10 °C/decade) across the AP, consistently with the global temperature anomalies. Besides the local convective heating, summer SAT variability is associated with the weakening of the Asian jet stream and a Rossby wave train from the Indian Ocean. This variability is also influenced by the anomalous low pressure over the North Atlantic and the Sahara, a high‐pressure system over Siberia and the northwest Pacific. Both in spring and autumn, sea surface temperature (SST) variations over the Indo‐western Pacific are highly influenced the AP SATs, whereas winter SATs are modulated by the subtropical jet stream and the Middle East jet stream. In all seasons, the AP SAT is strongly influenced by the SST variations over the tropical oceans. The temperature variability is closely associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO). The warm phase of ENSO (i.e., El Niño) is one possible reason behind the inter‐annual increase in SAT over the southern AP. The negative phases of NAO and AO also play a role in increasing AP SAT.


We theoretically study the infrared (IR)-dressed photoionization of atoms excited by extreme ultraviolet attosecond pulse trains above ionization threshold. The initial state of atoms is treated perturbatively by the IR field, and the continuum states are considered as Coulomb–Volkov (CV) waves. CV waves can much reduce the gauge difference calculated with Volkov waves, and, in general, the contribution of ground-state perturbation to the photoelectron spectrum is negligible. Our calculations show qualitative agreement with the experimental results [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 013001 (2005)]. An evident dependence of the photoelectron spectrum on the delay phase between the IR field and the attosecond pulse train is exhibited in both helium and argon. The angular distribution of photoelectrons with various IR polarizations and the corresponding photoelectron spectra are presented. The linearly polarized IR fields are shown to have a higher controlling capability of the spectrum via IR delay phases than the circularly polarized fields. On the other hand, the circularly polarized IR fields have a fruitful angular dependence of photoelectrons with various IR delay phases.


The Oltenia Plain represents an important agricultural region of Romania, which displays vast surfaces that can be properly cultivated if one takes into account the climatic restrictions that generates a series of dysfunctions. In order to underline the problems related to the aridization tendency within the region, as well as to determine the most adequate plants, there were calculated many indexes used in different agroclimatic and biogeographical studies. Thus, according to the processed data, the Oltenia Plain generally belongs to the steppe and forest steppe domain and, with regard to the cultivable plants, there are recommended the thermophilous and xerothermophilous ones, which can get good productions even in the pluvial-thermal conditions characteristic to the region. The thermal regime imposes itself through a slight increasing tendency because of the extremely high values registered in summer, while the pluviometric regime registers obvious fluctuations and a decreasing tendency. Consequently, the issue related to the aridization of the southern part of the Oltenia Plain is confirmed, an issue that is presently stressed by other factors, such as massive deforestation, destruction of the irrigation systems etc., which led to the reactivation of certain areas covered by sands. However, the partial results of the study do not sustain the idea of desertification in the area.


The majority of Christchurch's stormwater has historically been discharged untreated directly into urban surface waterways. These receiving waterways have become adversely affected by the contaminants carried in the stormwater, particularly sediment and heavy metals. An event-based contaminant load model was developed to identify the distribution and magnitude of contaminant loads entering the waterway, as well as to assess the reduction in TSS and heavy metal loads that can be achieved by various stormwater management options. The GIS-Excel based model estimates contaminant loads from an individual storm event based on different contributing impervious surfaces and key rainfall characteristics (rainfall intensity, duration, pH and antecedent dry days). It then calculates contaminant reduction loads that could be achieved through source reduction (e.g. green roofs, repainting) as well as from treatment (e.g. raingardens, wet ponds) applied to different surfaces within the catchment. This model differs from other annual load models as it is event-based and accounts for storm characteristics in its calculation of contaminant loads. Christchurch is a valuable case setting due the unique opportunity for retrofitting improved stormwater management in the post-earthquake rebuild. It is anticipated that this modelling approach could later be adapted for use in other urban settings outside of Christchurch.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of pool exercise in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain and to determine characteristics influencing the effects of treatment.

METHODS
A total of 134 women with fibromyalgia and 32 with chronic widespread pain were randomized to a 20-session pool exercise and a 6-session education programme or to a control group undertaking the same education programme. The primary outcomes were the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) total score and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). FIQ Pain and other health variables were included.

RESULTS
The FIQ total (p = 0.04) improved in the intervention group, with an effect size of 0.32. Patients who had participated in at least 60% of the exercise sessions improved in the FIQ total (effect size 0.44), the 6MWT (effect size 0.43) and FIQ Pain (effect size 0.69) compared with controls (p < 0.05). Long-term follow-up revealed lasting, but small, improvement (effect size < 0.29) in the 6MWT among the active participants (p < 0.05). Analyses within the subgroups showed that patients with milder stress, pain or depression improved most by treatment on the FIQ total (effect size > 0.50, p < 0.05) compared with controls.

CONCLUSION
The exercise-education programme showed significant, but small, improvement in health status in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain, compared with education only. Patients with milder symptoms improved most with this treatment.


It is very important to explore the base of large volcanoes because older volcanoes with distinct petrological characteristics are sometimes hidden behind them. Such older volcanoes provide keys to investigate the change of magma genesis and tectonic setting during geological time. We newly found an older volcano in southern part of Zao volcano, located in Japan. We have investigated in detail the eruptive products outcropping in its southern part and found that some eruptive rockswith peculiar features form a new stratovolcano which is different from Zao volcano. We call this newly found volcano, the Hiyamizuyama volcano.We have performed K-Ar dating on the representative rocks, obtaining an old age of approximately 1.45 My. The rocks are calcalkaline andesites to dacites, having distinct chemical compositional features with respect to any other calcalkaline rock of the stages 2–6 of Zao volcano. Megacrystals and plutonic intrusions represent a distinct character of the eruptive rocks of the Hiyamizuyama volcano. The finding of this older volcano is also important in order to consider the long-term temporal variation of volcanism and magmatism in the northeastern sector of Japan.


The early aughts saw an explosion of interest in social network sites. Many such sites, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter expanded to become "platforms," meaning they are both websites and distributors of data. These data would typically be distributed to third parties in privacy-sensitive ways and regulated by the platform. Such access is based on balancing three issues: user privacy, generativity (i.e., capacity for novelty) for third parties, and control for platforms. Platforms appear to be seeking progressively more control at the cost of generativity by severely restricting third-party access to data about the user's friends. The reductions or outright lack of access means that the insights from our digital traces are no longer as knowable to either third parties or users. This article unpacks this shift by clarifying some of the technical issues involved (particularly APIs, the main means of external data access). The case study of social network visualization is used to exemplify how social network sites seek control at the expense of generativity. The article notes how this shift was done with little oversight.


Roger Keesing wrote the first drafts of On not understanding symbols in 1978. After several versions of the manuscript circulated among his colleagues, Keesing decided to revise his analysis extensively. He eventually included snippets of the paper's ethnographic material in some of his later ethnography on Kwaio religion (1982). His final version of On not understanding symbols , half of which is found only in a hand written form, was never published but nonetheless is an important precursor for much of Keesing's later critiques on the "anthropology of meaning," and work on Kwaio religion. Keesing's final version of the manuscript, from which this paper is based, is found in Roger Keesing's Papers (MSS 0427) in the Tuzin Archive for Melanesian Anthropology housed in the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego. Jordan Haug transcribed and edited the manuscript. Minor modifications to the text were made to point the reader to relevant supporting material. Citations for references published after 1978 have been added in the editing process to give a broader sense of where this particular paper lies in Keesing's oeuvre and the broader ethnographic literature on the Kwaio. David Akin provided critical comments and inspiration in the editing process.


The orchid collection of the ELTE Botan- ical Garden, Budapest, Hungary was monitored for airborne fungi using viable and non-viable air-sam- pling methods (Hirst-type and a 3-stage Andersen sampler) with three different culture media. A new culture method was also applied to identify fungal spores from Hirst-type samples. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity, human- and phyto- pathological potential of the air spora. To find out sources of airborne fungi, samples were collected from the air in an adjacent greenhouse and outdoors, and from necrotic plants. A total of 58 genera were found in the air samples. Cladosporium and Penicillium spp. were common members of the airborne biota. A high proportion (27.5%) of identified genera may be presented as a member of microbial consortium associated with the orchids. Airborne fungi potentially pathogenic to humans were also detected. One species, Zygosporium masonii, was new to Hungary. Statistical analysis indicated that conditions of sampling had significant effects. The principal component analysis elucidated the three principal components represent- ing 75.34% of the total variance; the clusters of variables were related to the three types of culture media. Relative abundance of small-sized spores was high, presumably because of the fungal species composition and accelerated sedimentation of large spores in still air. Apparently, in the studied orchid greenhouse, a specific mycobiota developed due to the climate and hosts (Orchideaceae) grown there.


Aiming in the direction of designing more efficient aero engines, various concepts have been developed in recent years, among which is the concept of an intercooled and recuperative aero engine. Particularly in the area of recuperation, MTU Aero Engines has been driving research activities in the last decade. This concept is based on the use of a system of heat exchangers mounted inside the hot-gas exhaust nozzle (recuperator). Through the operation of the system of heat exchangers, the heat from the exhaust gas, downstream the LP turbine of the jet engine is driven back to the combustion chamber. Thus, the preheated air enters the engine combustion chamber with increased enthalpy, providing improved combustion and by consequence, increased fuel economy and low-level emissions. If additionally an intercooler is placed between the compressor stages of the aero engine, the compressed air is then cooled by the intercooler thus, less compression work is required to reach the compressor target pressure.In this paper an overall assessment of the system is presented with particular focus on the recuperative system and the heat exchangers mounted into the aero engine's exhaust nozzle. The herein presented results were based on the combined use of CFD computations, experimental measurements and thermodynamic cycle analysis. They focus on the effects of total pressure losses and heat exchanger efficiency on the aero engine performance especially the engine's overall efficiency and the specific fuel consumption. More specifically, two different hot-gas exhaust nozzle configurations incorporating modifications in the system of heat exchangers are examined. The results show that significant improvements can be achieved in overall efficiency and specific fuel consumption hence contributing into the reduction of CO2 and NOx emissions.The design of a more sophisticated recuperation system can lead to further improvements in the aero engine efficiency in the reduction of fuel consumption.This work is part of the European funded research program LEMCOTEC (Low Emissions Core engine Technologies).Copyright © 2014 by ASME


A series of psychophysical and electrophysiological (EEG) experiments are presented which aimed at assessing the effect of normal brain aging on the perception of illusory contours (ICs). ICs were here considered as exemplary tasks for the process of visual binding, as required for the handling of complex visual situations such as car driving for example. Furthermore, ICs are often used in the context of clinical neuropsychological assessments. Since as yet IC perception has not been systematically studied in the elderly population, our data can provide a baseline measure.

A total of 153 healthy paid volunteers, aged between 18 and 90 years, took part in two psychophysical and two electrophysiological experiments. In our first explorative behavioural paradigm we found that the time to identify ICs of the Kanizsa type (compared to control stimuli) increased steadily with advancing age, suggesting a gradual decline in visual binding capacities, which starts already from the age of 30 years on. The observed effect could not be explained by older people's well documented deficits in processing stimuli at higher eccentricities (see for example Poggel & Strasburger 2004; Sekuler et al. 2000; Kosslyn et al. 1999), since it proved robust, also when we reduced stimulus size from 10° to 5° of visual angle in our second psychophysical experiment.
In our first EEG experiment – a non-response paradigm – we did not replicate previous findings concerning an IC effect, i.e., a differential electrophysiological reaction between IC and control stimuli, which is considered to reflect the perception of the "Gestalt" (see for example Murray et al. 2004, 2002; Kruggel et al, 2001; Herrmann & Bosch 2001). The replication failed for both our young and older observers. A reduction of the stimulus size from 6° to 4° of visual angle in our second EEG experiment brought only a slight increase of differential activity in the young observers. Only when we induced a conscious processing of the presented shapes by introducing new target stimuli in the second part of this experiment, did we find a distinct IC effect in both subject groups, suggesting that the IC stimuli were perceived. This finding speaks for the importance of top-down influences in IC perception, an issue that still provokes considerable debate (Senkowski et al. 2005; Montaser-Kouhsari & Rajimehr 2004; Vuilleumier & Landis 1998; Gurnsey et al. 1996; Davis & Driver 1994; Pritchard & Warm 1983). Our findings suggest that the perception of ICs is weakened or delayed with advancing age, but that this deficit can be compensated for by cognitive strategies.


This qualitative research was carried out in Ireland during the summer of 2010. It investigated how to support small and medium tourism enterprises (STEs) in engaging in more sustainability practices. The research qualitatively explored the uptake of sustainability practices among STEs in Ireland, where the research sample and case studies are located; moreover, it aims to explore the effectiveness of sustainability learning tools on the uptake of sustainability practices among STEs, especially in the marketing area. It emerged that internal factors to the enterprise – like goal orientation, locus of control and self-efficacy – are more linked to higher level of sustainability engagement, than external factors to the company; also management skills and sustainability learning are mediating factors influencing higher levels of sustainability engagement. The findings confirmed the importance of networking and ongoing education, as well as highlighting the lack of actions so far taken by governments and agencies to stimulate small companies to incorporate sustainability into their operational practices. While it is evident that the tourism sector is primarily made up of small actors, the actions undertaken to support the growth of sustainable tourism have been limited to promoting information only related to the environmental area and highlighting the cost-saving factor. Sustainability learning for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially forms of learning which guarantee reflection and action through learning by doing, are very effective forms of learning; it's also easier to maintain a higher motivation to learning in the long term through implementing network learning, as well as offering some form of mentoring. The overall research uncovered the necessity for policy makers and planners to focus on activities and policies which promote the growth of human factors, the most crucial in motivating companies to further engage in sustainability; it is when managers personally engage in sustainability as a valuable tool, that they will engage in ongoing sustainability learning: when that happens, the company will engage in sustainability practises in the long term.


This paper descriptionbes the development and use of a process simulator to optimize gypsum recovery at Afmine, a small plant near Yzerfontein on the South African West Coast. The simulator consisted of models of the major plant equipment, viz. hydrocyclones, surge bins, settling tanks, a primary sieve and a dewatering screen. Experimental data suggested that the equipment could be modelled satisfactorily from data published in the open literature. Simulation studies have indicated that gypsum losses on the plant could be reduced substantially by means of some relatively minor modifications to the plant layout. Moreover, sensitivity analyses of the plant have indicated that optimization of the settling tanks should receive priority over the other process units.


Formation of organic-inorganic nanohybrid material of 1-naphthaleneacetate in the
lamella of Zn-Al-Iayered double hydroxide (ZANOL) with and without
microwave-assisted aging was done and the properties of the resulting materials
were compared. For both methods, the results showed that the intercalation of 1-
naphthaleneacetate (NAA) anion into the Zn-Al-Layered double hydroxide lamella
are readily accomplished, resulting in a Zn-AI-NAA nanocomposite (ZAN AN),
with the expansion of the interlayer spacing from 9.0 A. in the layered double
hydroxide to 20.0 A. in the nanohybrid. This expansion is to accommodate the
NAA anion of larger size than nitrate. The resulting materials afforded well
ordered organic-inorganic nanolayered structure. Further characterization of the
resulting materials including the true density, organic-inorganic content, surface
area and morphology, was also carried out.
Both ZANOL and ZANAN exhibited good neutralizing and, buffering power
toward RN03 and NaOH solutions. Deintercalation of the NAA ions from the interlayer of ZANAN could be done in an excessive volume of HN03 or NaOH
solutions. NAA ions could be adsorbed on ZANOL if added into an aqueous
solution of NAA. At the same time, the NAA ions adsorbed by ZANOL, could
also be desorbed into the aqueous solution. The process of adsorption-desorption is
a continuous process and no equilibrium was achieved, even up to 14 days.
Both ZANAN and ZANOL used in the tissue culture study of oil p alm clones of
E7, E8, L272, L273 and L255 did not assist in the initiation of roots. Instead, the
results showed that the MS medium with the presence of NAA ions inhibited the
growth of roots.


As technology for the radiosurgical treatment of brain metastases has evolved, it is now technically and logistically possible to treat an increasingly larger number of brain metastases. Historically, it was difficult to treat more than three or four tumors. For this reason and a perception that patients with more than a few tumors had dramatically worse survival, large clinical trials limited the eligibility to those with no more than three to four tumors[1]. The earlier model Gamma Knife units were designed and optimized for a single target in the brain and could not reach the entire cranial volume for any given frame placement. The newer model Gamma Knife units (Perfexion and Icon) were designed to more easily treat multiple tumors anywhere in the brain. New linear accelerators offer single isocenter therapies for multiple targets accurately aligned with automated six degree of freedom image guidance systems. Efficient delivery is enhanced by VMAT and high output flattening filter free modes offering up to four times the beam fluence of standard linacs. Taken together these enhancements in technology bring the possibility of radiosurgery to a greater percentage of patients with brain metastases. As there is increasing concern regarding the neurocognitive consequences of whole brain radiation therapy, we need to ask "how many is too many?" To begin to answer this question, it is useful to revisit some of the potential misconceptions regarding brain metastases.


The Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) traces its origin to the establishment of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr Parish, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1897, under the leadership of the Rev. Francis Hodur. It is the only surviving institution to emerge from Independentism (a religious movement among immigrant Catholics in the United States and Canada around the turn of the twentieth century who moved away from the Roman Catholic Church in America and formed and joined separate, yet still self-described "Catholic," religious institutions) and as such is the only extant schism of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The founding of the PNCC and its parishes reflects widespread conflicts in immigrant communities, not only between the Irish-dominated hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and non-Irish immigrant Roman Catholic laypeople, but also among members of individual Roman Catholic parishes. The Roman Catholic parish was a place where immigrants struggled not only with priests and bishops, but also with each other over church property ownership and their role in church governance. PNCC recruiters were able to gain converts from Roman Catholicism by appealing to their new sense of Polish nationalism, which many immigrants developed in the United States. Polish nationalist feelings also motivated many Roman Catholics to break away from Roman Catholic parishes and form independent Catholic churches, many of which later joined the PNCC. Although many Polish immigrants came to equate their Polish identity with their Catholic identity, PNCC recruiters were able to convince many Roman Catholics that the PNCC was not only a legitimate Catholic church, but also more "Catholic" than the Roman Catholic Church itself. The PNCC appealed to immigrants' sense of nationalism and Catholicism to convince Roman Catholics and members of independent Catholic churches to join the PNCC at a time when immigrants' thoughts turned from returning home to staying in the United States.


Character recognition systems can contribute tremendously to the advancement of the automation process and can improve the interaction between man and machine in many applications, including office automation, cheque verification and a large variety of banking, business and data entry applications. The main theme of this paper is the automatic recognition of hand-printed Arabic characters using machine learning. Conventional methods have relied on hand-constructed dictionaries which are tedious to construct and difficult to make tolerant to variation in writing styles. The advantages of machine learning are that it can generalize over the large degree of variation between writing styles and recognition rules can be constructed by example. The system was tested on a sample of handwritten characters from several individuals whose writing ranged from acceptable to poor in quality and the correct average recognition rate obtained using cross-validation was 86.65%.


Description of Pachypleurosaurus edwardsi, from the middle Triassic of Italy and Switzerland, provides a basis for establishing the pattern of aquatic locomotion within the Nothosauria and for determining their relations with more primitive terrestrial reptiles and fully aquatic plesiosaurs. Judging by the proportions of the trunk, limbs and tail, nothosaurs, like modern crocodiles and marine iguanids, relied mainly on lateral undulation of the trunk and tail for aquatic propulsion. The rear limbs probably acted mainly as rudders. Differences in the structure of the pectoral girdles and forelimbs among nothosaurs and the elaboration of the coracoids suggest that the forelimbs were becoming important in propulsion, with emphasis on the back stroke. Pachypleurosaurus has the greatest degree of development of the anterior portion of the shoulder girdle, suggesting that the recovery stroke was of considerable importance. In this feature Pachypleurosaurus approaches the pattern seen in plesiosaurs. It is concluded that the transition between primitive terrestrial diapsids and plesiosaurs occurred via a succession of changes in patterns of aquatic locomotion. Early sauropterygians would have used almost exclusively the axial skeleton and its musculature in swimming. As in the majority of secondarily aquatic reptiles, stereotyped behaviour patterns of terrestrial locomotion would have rendered use of the forelimbs disadvantageous in the water, and they were progressively reduced to limit drag. The hind limbs were also reduced and initially functioned to control changes in depth and direction. The relations of the dermal and endochondral elements of the shoulder girdle in nothosaurs and plesiosaurs differ from those of the majority of early reptiles in having the scapulae superficial to the clavicles and the interclavicle superficial to the clavicles. This may be attributed to a redevelopment of the endochondral and dermal elements subsequent to a period of reduction associated with an early stage in aquatic adaptation. Nothosaurs and plesiosaurs are unique among secondarily aquatic diapsids in the emphasis on the forelimbs for propulsion. In plesiosaurs, both the fore and hind limbs are greatly enlarged and the significance of the tail for propulsion is much reduced. Both limbs may have served in a mode of swimming similar to that practised by the modern sea lions. Although individual vertebrae and bones of the limbs and girdles appear to show a transition from nothosaurs through primitive to advanced plesiosaurs, major differences in the proportions of the trunk, girdles and limbs clearly distinguish nothosaurs and plesiosaurs. This may be attributed to a marked reduction in the amount of lateral undulation of the trunk region and elaboration of the rear limbs as paddles in the immediate ancestors of plesiosaurs.


America is the world leader in innovation, but many of the innovative ideas that are hatched in American start-ups, labs, and companies end up going abroad to reach commercial scale. Apple, the superstar of innovation, locates its production in China (yet still reaps most of its profits in the United States). When innovation does not find the capital, skills, and expertise it needs to come to market in the United States, what does it mean for economic growth and job creation? Inspired by the MIT Made in America project of the 1980s, Making in America brings experts from across MIT to focus on a critical problem for the country. MIT scientists, engineers, social scientists, and management experts visited more than 250 firms in the United States, Germany, and China. In companies across America -- from big defense contractors to small machine shops and new technology start-ups -- these experts tried to learn how we can rebuild the industrial landscape to sustain an innovative economy. At each stop, they asked this basic question: "When you have a new idea, how do you get it into the market?" They found gaping holes and missing pieces in the industrial ecosystem. Even in an Internet-connected world, proximity to innovation and users matters for industry. Making in America describes ways to strengthen this connection, including public-private collaborations, new government-initiated manufacturing innovation institutes, and industry/community college projects. If we can learn from these ongoing experiments in linking innovation to production, American manufacturing could have a renaissance.


Characterization of the surface of Treponema pallidum was accomplished by ['25I]lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination of intact organisms and sensitive ra-dioimmunoprecipitation and gel electrophoresis technology. At least 11 outer membrane proteins with molecular weights ranging from 89,000 (89K) to 20K were identified, and all elicited high titers of antibody in experimentally infected rabbits. Proteins of 89.5K, 29.5K, and 25.5K previously implicated as ligands involved in attachment (J. B. Baseman and E. C. Hayes, J. Exp. Med. 151:573-586, 1980) were found to reside on the treponemal surface. Low levels of the 89.5K treponemal protein were released by high salt concentrations, whereas the remaining comigrating material was neither radioiodinated nor released with selec- tive detergents. Other lower-molecular-weight (60K, 45K, and 30K) surface proteins were extracted with octyl glucoside detergent, suggesting their hydrophobic interaction with the external membrane. The molecular organization of surface proteins was studied by employing the cross-linker dithiobis(succinimidyl)-propionate, and data suggested the presence of a highly fluid envelope resulting in random collisions by the surface proteins. The biological function of the treponemal outer envelope proteins was evaluated using, as the indicator system, adherence of T. pallidum to monolayer cultures of eucaryotic cells. Trypsin treatment of motile, freshly harvested organisms decreased the extent of surface parasitism to normal rabbit testicular cells, reinforcing the idea of the proteinaceous nature and role of treponemal ligands for attachment. Other data supported functional


The impact of high-frequency trading (HFT) strategies on market quality has been debated in both public forums and academic studies for years. Although some consider HFT to be inherently bad, others view it as providing important liquidity to markets. Thus, the question regarding HFT's impact on market quality remains open. To address this, the authors conducted two sets of controlled laboratory experiments, one with and one without an HFT robot trader. The authors focus on two aspects of HFT trading strategies that have the potential to affect market quality negatively: arbitrage and directional trading. Indeed the authors designed the HFT robot to have a perfect view of the market before executing a trade to provide it the best chance to influence the market. The introduction of this HFT robot had a significant positive impact on trading volume and bid depth, but it had a negligible impact on other market quality indicators such as efficiency, price volatility, bid-ask spread, and book depth. Thus, the authors find that in this polar case, HFT is neither a drain on nor a boost to market quality, suggesting that HFT trading, in its worst case, has a benign effect on the market. TOPICS: Futures and forward contracts, derivatives Key Findings • We seek to examine the effect of high-frequency trading on market quality using controlled laboratory experiments. • We find no statistically significant effects for most measures of market quality when we introduce high-frequency trading. The only measures that are affected by high-frequency trading are trading volume and bid depth. • High-frequency traders are effective middlemen and invoke a response from traders in terms of bidding behavior.


Purpose of reviewWarfarin has been the sole oral anticoagulant used in the management of thromboembolic disorders for over 60 years. Target-specific oral anticoagulants (TSOAs) have recently emerged as alternatives to warfarin, because they do not require laboratory monitoring. Nevertheless, with the rising use of TSOAs, there is growing concern among clinicians regarding management of bleeding in patients taking them. Unlike warfarin, there is no antidote or reversal agent for TSOAs. This review summarizes recent developments and attempts to provide a systematic approach to patients on TSOAs presenting with bleeding complications. Recent findingsCurrently, data involving clinical management of TSOAs are limited and primarily based on ex-vivo or animal models using hemostatic agents with uncertain implications in bleeding patients. There is a pressing need for randomized clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of hemostatic agents. SummaryWithout evidence-based guidelines for TSOA management, appropriate patient care requires an understanding of TSOA pharmacology, their effect on coagulation tests and, hence, a correct interpretation of test results, as well as a systematic approach to bleeding complications.


The relationship between citizens and police occupies a central place both in urban politics and in the political economy of cities. In this respect, for nearly 50 years, New York and Los Angeles have been bellwethers for many of the nation's larger cities. In each city, as in cities across the world, citizens look to police to protect them from crime, maintain social order, respond to a variety of extra-legal community concerns, and reinforce the moral order of the law by apprehending offenders and helping bring them to justice (Reiss, 1971; Black, 1980; Skogan and Frydl, 2004). Beyond enforcing social and political order, the police are the front line representatives of a variety of social service needs in communities (Walker, 1992). Accordingly, policing is an amenity of urban places that shapes how citizens regard their neighborhood and their city, and in turn, the extent to which citizens see their local institutions as responsive and reliable (Skogan, 2006). Effective and sustainable governance, especially when it comes to public safety, depends on the capacity of the institutions of criminal justice to provide "value" that leverages legitimacy and cooperation among its citizens (Moore et al., 2002; Skogan and Frydl, 2004; Tyler and Fagan, 2008; Tyler, 2010).


For the twenty-first-century reader of William Shakespeare's plays, meaning construction is an active process. As part of the literary transmission, the reader is encouraged to decode the text in order to develop a deeper comprehension of, and improve familiarity with, the written text. However, a significant change occurs when the reader becomes the viewer of Shakespeare's performed work. For such a viewer, the communication of meaning is accessible through the observation of a dramatised version of Shakespeare's text, which may be difficult to decode owing to the immediacy of transmission that obtains in a performance. The focus of this thesis is, therefore, to support and improve the viewer's meaning construction of the dramatic text.

The transmission of the dramatic text can create barriers to the construction of meaning for a number of reasons: unfamiliar language, a director's adaptations or even an actor's interpretation of a character. When this happens, the viewer can become a passive participant. By investigating the barriers to comprehending Shakespeare's dramatic text, this thesis discusses the need to modify Shakespeare's language, expand director/actor information, and improve the connection with the viewer.

This thesis discusses the need to create a performative text, a mediated version of the literary and dramatic texts combined. The facilitation of the performative text, by a dramatic mediator, must occur to enable the active viewer. The introduction of a performative text improving the dramatic transmission of the text encourages the active meaning construction of the viewer.

Revising Shakespeare takes a practice-led approach to the research, exploring the creative process and outcomes of four Shakespearean adaptations, and discussing the findings from rehearsals to production. This exegesis outlines the possibilities of revising Shakespeare's work, identifying choices that encourage a shift in the viewer's comprehension, ultimately enabling the active participation of the viewer through an explicit mediation of the performative text.


I SOMETIMES TALK ABOUT MY MUM TO MABEL, BECAUSE MABEL DOESN'T EVER GET UPSET. Verity adores her cat, Mabel, and is desperately sad when she dies. Remembering her recent school lessons about the Ancient Egyptians, Verity decides to mummify Mabel and keep her hidden. Verity's dad and grandparents can't bear to talk about death, having lost Verity's mum in childbirth, but when they eventually discover what Verity has done with Mabel, the whole family learns that it's time to talk. A superb handling of bereavement in Wilson's uniquely accessible and enjoyable style.


In this brief article, various types of quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods are introduced, in particular, those that are applicable to systems in extreme regimes of temperature and pressure. References to longer articles have been given where detailed discussion of applications and algorithms appear.

One does QMC for the same reason as one does classical simulations; there is no other method able to treat exactly the quantum many-body problem aside from the direct simulation method where electrons and ions are directly represented as particles, instead of as a "fluid" as is done in mean-field based methods. However, quantum systems are more difficult than classical systems because one does not know the distribution to be sampled, it must be solved for. In fact, it is not known today which quantum problems can be "solved" with simulation on a classical computer in a reasonable amount of computer time. One knows that certain systems, such as most quantum many-body systems in 1D and most bosonic systems are amenable to solution with Monte Carlo methods, however, the "sign problem" prevents making the same statement for systems with electrons in 3D. Some limitations or approximations are needed in practice. On the other hand, in contrast to simulation of classical systems, one does know the Hamiltonian exactly: namely charged particles interacting with a Coulomb potential. Given sufficient computer resources, the results can be of quite high quality and for systems where there is little reliable experimental data. For this reason, QMC methods, though more expensive, are useful to benchmark and validate results from other methods.

The two main applications discussed in this review are the "electronic structure problem"; computing the energy of the interacting systems of electrons and fixed ions, and the problem of quantum effects of the nuclei.

Most QMC algorithms are based on random …


In this project, a design for a non-invasive, EEG-based braincontrolled wheelchair has been developed for use by completely paralyzed patients. The proposed design includes a novel approach for selecting optimal electrode positions, a series of signal processing algorithms and an interface to a powered wheelchair. In addition, a 3D virtual environment has been implemented for training, evaluating and testing the system prior to establishing the wheelchair interface. Simulation of a virtual scenario replicating the real world gives subjects an opportunity to become familiar with operating the device prior to engaging the wheelchair.


Corn and soybean meal based diets with increasing levels of ground peas, sub-species hortense cultivar Alfetta (0, 20 and 40%), were formulated to evaluate the nutritional value of this ingredient with 18 castrated male pigs of commercial hybrids averaging 40 kg. The study also aimed to determine the apparent digestible and metabolizable energy and nitrogen retentions of peas. A total period of four weeks was used in which body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion and amount of feces and urine were evaluated. The results demonstrated an overall performance of animals fed diets with increasing levels of green peas similar to those fed the control diet without peas. These results were consistent with the outcome from the metabolism assay, which demonstrated digestibility and nitrogen retention similar to the control diet. Digestible and metabolizable energy values of 3,968 and 3,723 kcal/kg were calculated. Results clearly indicate the possibility of inclusion up to 40% ground peas in the growing pigs feeding, without any constraint on animal performance.


Isolated coastal utilities in arctic villages commonly use a mix of diesel and wind power to provide electrical service to their consumers. It is common for such communities to experience periods of high wind generation for which no immediate demand exists and either waste, curtail, or poorly utilize the surplus. The objective of the present work is to explore (through mathematical and numerical modelling) the technical feasibility of and optimization strategies for distributing this excess wind energy as domestic space heat for use as a cleaner, more economical alternative to fossil fuels. Autonomously controlled Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) devices are considered as a solution to decouple the supply of excess wind power with domestic heat demand without the need for communication infrastructure or a second distribution circuit. First, using numerical heat transfer analysis, it is shown that the performance of an ETS heater core can be generalized and expressed in terms of its physical properties and simple geometric dimensions in such a way as to inform system sizing and economic performance studies for prospective applications. Furthermore, a collection of autonomous ETS units is shown (using a full-scale lab-validated mathematical model) to possess the ability to assume the role of partial and/or sole frequency regulator on a hybrid wind-diesel system. Several design changes are proposed, which render the commercially-available units more amenable to frequency regulation. Ultimately, ETS is shown to be a promising alternative means of utilizing excess renewable energy for domestic space heat while providing additional stability to the electrical grid.


The Community Protection Committee (CPC) programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) shows what can be achieved in promoting rights and protection in the most inauspicious circumstances. Promoting a process of non-confrontational dialogue and strengthening women's voices within it has had tangible results in reducing abuses, improving gender equality and developing more positive relationships between citizens and those in power. The DRC experience offers important lessons for how to promote active citizenship in chaotic and conflict-prone environments. This case study evaluates the Community Protection Committees in Democratic Republic of Congo project in order to explore how change happens and inform future programme design and ways of working. This publication forms part of a series of Active Citizenship Case Studies .


In Analysis two modes of non-topological convergence are interesting: order convergence and convergence almost everywhere. It is proved here that oder convergence of sequences can be induced by a limit structure, even a finest one, whenever it is considered in σ-distributive lattices. Since convergence almost everywhere can be regarded as order convergence in a certain σ-distributive lattice, this result can be applied to convergence of sequences almost everywhere and thus generalizing a former result of U. Höhle [11] obtained in a more indirect way by using fuzzy topologies. Mathematics Subject Classification (2010): 06B23, 06D75, 28A20, 54A20.


Abstract. The Lidar/Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC) combines the multiwavelength lidar technique with sun/sky photometry and allows us to retrieve vertical profiles of particle optical and microphysical properties separately for fine-mode and coarse-mode particles. After a brief presentation of the theoretical background, we evaluate the potential of LIRIC to retrieve the optical and microphysical properties of irregularly shaped dust particles. The method is applied to two very different aerosol scenarios: a strong Saharan dust outbreak towards central Europe and an Eyjafjallajokull volcanic dust event. LIRIC profiles of particle mass concentrations for the coarse-mode as well as for the non-spherical particle fraction are compared with results for the non-spherical particle fraction as obtained with the polarization-lidar-based POLIPHON method. Similar comparisons for fine-mode and spherical particle fractions are presented also. Acceptable agreement between the different dust mass concentration profiles is obtained. LIRIC profiles of optical properties such as particle backscatter coefficient, lidar ratio, Angstrom exponent, and particle depolarization ratio are compared with direct Raman lidar observations. Systematic deviations between the LIRIC retrieval products and the Raman lidar measurements of the desert dust lidar ratio, depolarization ratio, and spectral dependencies of particle backscatter and lidar ratio point to the applied spheroidal-particle model as main source for these uncertainties in the LIRIC results.


Children who have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are more likely to have sleep problems than peers without ADHD. These problems affect quality and quantity of sleep which may exacerbate or mimic ADHD symptoms. Consistent sleep hygiene can ameliorate some sleep problems. However, at least 50% of children with ADHD have a parent with the disorder. These adults are likely to have sleep problems and executive function deficits that can make establishing and maintaining consistent sleep hygiene difficult. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine feasibility of a) 6-10-year-old children with ADHD tolerating actigraphy watches and completing sleep diaries with parent help, and b) of both mother and father completing surveys about their own sleep hygiene and ADHD symptoms as well as surveys about the child's sleep and sleep hygiene. A convenience sample of five parent-child triads was recruited from a small private school in the Southeast. Children had a diagnosis of ADHD, were between 6-10 years old, understood English. None of the children had begun puberty, had physiologic sleep problems, or had co-morbid Autism, Tourette syndrome, or anxiety disorder. All parents lived with the participating child, and read and wrote English. Parents did not have physiological sleep problems. Children were able to complete diaries and wear actigraphy watches while both parents were able to complete instruments for themselves and/or their child. The in person session with parent and child will focus on instruction on the actigraphy watches; parents will complete instruments in their home and return them with the watch to the principal investigator (PI) at the end of seven days. These results substantiated the feasibility of the protocol and will guide a larger study to determine relationships and effect sizes of identified variables and child sleep.


The satellite navigation is supposed to be used in applications that need coordinates generally. However we can meet a plenty of satellite signal reception problems in a real environment, often called as difficult conditions. The difficult conditions hinder reliable positioning with required accuracy, often in applications that are important for saving or securing the safety of human lives (work of rescue teams, protection of people in large warehouses, safety of lone forest workers, etc.). The main reason for this is the weakness of the received satellite signals. In addition to that, the weak signals are also highly vulnerable by interference, spoofing or jamming, even with the low-power and often generated by low-cost devices. In spite of this, radio systems complementing and making the backup of the satellite positioning are searched. There are terrestrial radio systems using high-power signals with properties which are suitable for the positioning purposes. The most important property in conjunction with the sufficiently high power is a very sharp and possibly unambiguous correlation function. Besides the signals of systems used primarily for the navigation (such as eLORAN, e.g.) signals of some systems primarily dedicated to communication have the acceptable properties mentioned above. They are usually called Signals of Opportunity. As an example let us mention signals of the DVB-T, LTE, Wi-Fi, etc. In the field of indoor navigation signal strength fingerprinting is frequently used. However, for much larger open areas this approach is not the best one, because it requires a kind of a site survey to be done. In case of outdoor applications, the use of different principles has to be considered. The methods based on signal power and angles of arrival measurements have been found unsuitable because they may be misleading even in a lightly obstructed area. Range estimation using packet round trip delay (similar concept to the DME ranging used in aviation) is not possible because most of the systems do not have a stable response delay. However, some systems with synchronous transmitters (or base stations) can be used by the way of hyperbolic navigation concept. Luckily many of the systems with high transmitted power, such as TV broadcast or cellular data systems downlink have the precise transmission timing incorporated. This contribution describes utilizing the OFDM Signal of Opportunity for the positioning purposes. The proposed method is based on the peak search in an estimated radio communication channel model. The time differences of arrivals of signals from individual transmitter pairs can be measured in this way. At least two independent measurements must be used for the final two-dimensional position estimate by the iterative LevenbergMarquardt algorithm. With three independent measurements the 3D positioning is available. Because the measured differences do not have generally to share the common timescale (only the measurement pairs have to), combining of more independent systems together is possible by nature of our approach. The validity of the above mentioned theoretical concept is demonstrated and verified by means of an experiment on real captured DVB-T (OFDM modulated) signals. Moreover, an analysis of transmitter geometry influence on the positioning accuracy is also shown and the graphical output for the real scenario is provided. Considering these results, future goals and improvement possibilities are formulated.


The design of intelligent agents is a key issue for many applications. Since there is no universally accepted definition of intelligence, the notion of rational agency was proposed by Russell as an alternative for the characterization of intelligent agency. A rational agent must have models of itself and its surroundings to use them in its reasoning. To this end, this paper develops a formalism appropriate to represent the knowledge of an agent. Moreover, if dynamic environments are considered, the agent should be able to observe the changes in the world, and integrate them into its existing beliefs. This motivates the incorporation of perception capabilities into our framework. The abilities to perceive and act, essential activities in a practica! agent, demand a timely interaction with the environment. Given that the cognitive process of a rational agent is complex and computationally expensive, this interaction may not be easy to achieve. To solve this problem, we propase inference mechanisms that rely on the use precompiled knowledge to optimize the reasoning process.


Objectives Disutility allows to identify how much population values intervention-related harms contributing to knowledge on the benefits/harms ratio of cancer screening programs. This systematic review evaluates disutility related to cancer screening applying a utility theory framework. Methods Using a predefined protocol, Embase, Medline Ovid, Web of Science, Cochrane, Google scholar and supplementary sources were systematically searched. The framework grouped disutilities associated with breast, cervical, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening programs into the screening, diagnostic work up, and treatment phases. We assessed the quality of included studies according to the relevance to target population, risk of bias, appropriateness of measure and the time frame. Results Out of 2840 hits, we included 38 studies, of which 27 measured (and others estimated) disutilities. Around 70% of studies had medium to high-level quality. Measured disutilities and Quality Adjusted Life Years loss were 0–0.03 and 0–0.0013 respectively in screening phases. Both disutilities and Quality Adjusted Life Years loss had similar ranges in diagnostic work up (0–0.26), and treatment (0.09–0.27) phases. We found no measured disutilities available for lung cancer screening and—little evidence for disutilities in treatment phase. Almost 40% of the estimated disutility values were above the range of measured ones. Conclusions Cancer screening programs led to low disutities related to screening phase, and low to moderate disutilities related to diagnostic work up and treatment phases. These disutility values varied by the measurement instrument applied, and were higher in studies with lower quality. The estimated disutility values comparing to the measured ones tended to overestimate the harms.


This study describes the analysis of truck volume data collected by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) over four and one half years, from 1988 through 1993. The primary objectives of this research were to: investigate the patterns in truck volumes at various locations in Washington State; determine whether seasonal factors can be developed and applied to short duration truck volume measurements to better estimate average annual conditions; develop procedures for routinely calculating and applying these values in Washington; develop an easy procedure that other states can use to create their own seasonal factoring process, and produce a guidebook that explains this process and lists the necessary steps clearly and concisely. This report summarizes all but the last of these objectives; this last objective is met in another summary report. The project analyses show that it is very difficult to develop and apply truck seasonal adjustment factors that accurately predict annual truck volumes from a single short duration truck volume count. As a result, the project team recommends that, wherever possible and financially appropriate, each state should collect multiple, site specific vehicle classification counts in order to accurately estimate annual truck volumes whenever pavement design projects are to be performed.


There are enormous reserves of energy in the winds and the tides and in the temperature difference between the upper and lower regions of the oceans. If the energy produced from wind and water were converted into electrical energy, it would satisfy the electricity demands of the entire world many times over. However, this kind of conversion isn't possible - not now or in the future. ""Wind and Water"" describes conventional hydropower, or wind power, and some of the newer technologies (with less certain futures) that are being introduced to harness the power of ocean currents, ocean waves, and the temperature difference between the upper and lower layers of the ocean. The strengths and limitations of each technology are discussed as well as mathematical models that describe the maximum amount of energy that can be harnessed by such devices. This comprehensive new volume also examines how these power producers benefit from government support and the economics of operating these types of generating stations. An interview with Dr. Stan Bull, former Associate Director for Science and Technology at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is included in which he shares his views about how scientific research is - and should be - managed, nurtured, and evaluated.


In this myth-busting book Nouriel Roubini shows that everything we think about economics is wrong. Financial crises are not unpredictable 'black swans', but an inherent part of capitalism. Only by remaking our financial systems to acknowledge this, can we get out of the mess we're in. Will there be another recession, and if so what shape? When will the next bubble occur? And what can we do about it? Here Roubini gives the answers, and lists his commandments for the future.


Title of Document: Community Ecology and Sirex noctilio: Interactions with Microbial Symbionts and Native Insects Brian Matthew Thompson, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Directed By: Assistant Professor, Daniel S. Gruner, Department of Entomology Sirex noctilio is an invasive woodwasp with a global distribution that feeds on the sapwood of pine trees. Wood-feeding in the basal Hymenoptera (sawflies) arose out of sequential adaptations to feeding on nutrient poor and digestively refractive internal plant organs (xylem). Symbiotic association with White-rot fungi are thought to aid overcoming nutritional and digestive barriers, including exceedingly low nitrogen (N) and refractory lignocellulosic polymers. In this dissertation I evaluate wood-feeding relative to nutrition, symbiosis and biotic resistance to invasion of exotic North American habitats in Sirex noctilio [Hymenoptera: Siricidae]. I evaluated nutrient relations within fungal mutualism using: 1) functional morphological analysis of insect feeding, 2) sterol molecules to determine diet sources and 3) metagenomic and isotopic analyses for discovery of novel microbial associates and their associated nutrient pathways. Nutritional constraints of wood feeding are potentially compounded by the presence of diverse fungal and insect communities as they divide the tree resource. I examined the role biotic resistance to Sirex and its fungal mutualist, Amylostereum, in North America using field and laboratory experiments. Morphological evidence supported a role for Amylostereum in external digestion of wood. Observational evidence confirmed Sirex larvae did not ingest wood biomass but preferentially extracted liquid substances via specialized structures of mandibles. Sterol analysis indicated plant compounds as the primary constituent of the diet, while metagenomic analysis of bacteria and their metabolic pathways showed a bacterial microbiome adapted to short chain plant polymers, starch and sugar metabolism. Stable isotopes suggested an additional symbiotic association with nitrogen fixing bacteria enriched the nitrogen deficient food substrate. These studies point toward herbivory with microbial supplementation of nutrients as a tri-partite relationship, pending conclusive identification of the bacterial symbiont for Sirex. Specific constraints of wood feeding by the Sirex symbiotic complex were antagonized by intraguild predation and fungal competition in North America. Competition interfered with Amylostereum, while intraguild predation accounted for an additional 15% mortality of larval populations. This research describes the evolutionary role of microbial symbionts in wood-feeding in the Hymenoptera and the internal and external constraints to foraging this ubiquitous, yet nutrient poor food resource. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY AND SIREX NOCTILIO: INTERACTIONS WITH MICROBIAL SYMBIONTS AND NATIVE INSECTS


In this paper we describe and clarify the definitions and the usage of the simple and logarithmic returns for financial assets like stocks or portfolios. It can be proven that the distributions of the simple and logarithmic returns are really close to each other. Because of this fact we investigate the question whether the calculated financial risk depends on the use of simple or log returns. To show the effect of the return-type on the calculations, we consider and compare the riskiness order of stocks and portfolios. For our purposes, in the empirical study we use seven Hungarian daily stock prices and for the risk calculation we focus on the following risk measures: standard deviation, semivariance, Value at Risk and Expected Shortfall. The results clearly show that the riskiness order can depend on the use of the return type (i.e. log or simple return). Generally, often – due to missing data or the nature of the analysis – one has to use approximations. We also examine the effect of these approximations on the riskiness order of stocks and of portfolios. We found differences in the riskiness order using exact or approximated values. Therefore, we believe, if this is possible, exact values instead of approximated ones should be used for calculations. Additionally, it is important that one uses the same type of return within one study and one has to be aware of the possible instabilities when comparing return results. Panna Miskolczi


Head-down suspension (HDS) of rats has evolved as a useful model for the simulation of a microgravity environment. Previous HDS experiments with rats have shown an impaired capacity to perform aerobic exercise as demonstrated by reductions in maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max), treadmill run time (RT), and mechanical efficiency (ME) of treadmill running at submaximal conditions. To determine whether endurance training (TR) before HDS would modify exercise performance, male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to nontrained (NT) or TR groups for 6 wk and exposed to HDS or cage control (CC) conditions for 29 days. The rats were tested for VO2 max, RT, and ME before treatment and on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. In addition, water and electrolyte excretion was measured on days 1 and 21 of the experimental period. Before HDS, the TR rats had significantly higher measures of VO2 max (15%) and RT (22%) than the NT rats. On day 28, HDS was associated with significant reductions in absolute VO2 max (ml/min) in TR (-30%) and NT (-14%) rats. Relative VO2 max (ml.min-1.kg-1) was significantly reduced in TR (-15%) but not NT rats. Similar reductions in RT occurred in TR (-37%) and NT (-35%) rats by day 28. ME was reduced 22% in both TR and NT rats after 28 days of suspension. HDS elicited diuresis, natriuresis, and kaliuresis in TR rats after 21 days but not after 24 h. In contrast, HDS-NT rats exhibited no diuretic, natriuretic, or kaliuretic responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We present an exploratory study of a group of patients (150) who have undergone precutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with the use of drug eluting stents. We concentrate on the most often studied rare adverse event, i.e. death, as well as the still unexplored cancer variable. The aim of the study is to identify possible statistical hypotheses for a subsequent, large sample study. The results of this study may lead to a change in the therapy administered after precutaneous coronary interventions which will reduce the mortality rate. To achieve this, we use clustering techniques such as hierarchical cluster analysis, principal components methods and interactive brushing. We show that death cases cluster in the space defined by the available variables, while the cancer cases do not seem to cluster.


Serbia is negotiating European Union (EU) membership, a process that started in 2014 after the Brussels-mediated agreement between Kosovo and Serbia was signed in April 2013. Although the Federal Republic (FR) of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) was officially included into the EU's Stabilization and Association Process soon after the fall of the Milošević regime in October 2000, complex political issues have prevented its faster progress toward the EU. EU measures after 2001 in the areas of financial assistance, trade, and legal harmonization have sustained in a major way the country's political and economic reforms, facilitating fast economic integration with the EU economy, financial and banking integration, the adoption of many laws in conformity with the acquis communuataire, new business opportunities, and increasing foreign direct investment. However, the Serbia–EU integration process has also been accompanied by strict political conditionality that has greatly delayed the establishment of contractual relations. Despite major efforts of various governments to comply with EU conditions, it was only in late April 2008 that Serbia concluded a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU, which has paved the way for obtaining candidate status in 2012 and the opening of EU accession negotiations in 2014. In the meantime, EU's enlargement negotiations framework has been strengthened further, making the negotiation talks much more complex and demanding. In addition to Serbia's insufficient compliance with accession criteria, particularly reforms of the judiciary and public administration, the contested issue of Kosovo's independence continues to pose a major threat to Serbia's entry into the EU. Despite the absence of a common position on the part of the EU, given that Kosovo has still not been recognized by five EU member states, the limited progress in the Belgrade–Priština EU-facilitated dialogue represents one of the major obstacles for Serbia's EU membership. Serbia's entry into the EU, which could possibly take place in 2025, is likely to bring many benefits to the country and its population, but also to the EU, as this is a region of not only risks but also opportunities.