Structured overlay networks form a major class of peer- to-peer systems, which are touted for their abilities to scale, tolerate failures, and self-manage. Any long-lived Internet-scale distributed system is destined to face network partitions. Although the problem of network partitions and mergers is highly related to fault-tolerance and self-management in large-scale systems, it has hardly been studied in the context of structured peer-to-peer systems. These systems have mainly been studied under churn (frequent joins/failures), which as a side effect solves the problem of network partitions, as it is similar to massive node failures. Yet, the crucial aspect of network mergers has been ignored. In fact, it has been claimed that ring-based structured overlay networks, which constitute the majority of the structured overlays, are intrinsically ill-suited for merging rings. In this paper, we present an algorithm for merging multiple similar ring-based overlays when the underlying network merges. We examine the solution in dynamic conditions, showing how our solution is resilient to churn dur- ng the merger, something widely believed to be difficult or mpossible. We evaluate the algorithm for various scenar- os and show that even when falsely detecting a merger, the algorithm quickly terminates and does not clutter the network with many messages. The algorithm is flexible as the tradeoff between message complexity and time complexity can be adjusted by a parameter.


This article treats with theory and practice of inmate's social rehabilitation from 1971 (when the Correctional Code was initiated) to 2002 (when the Punishment Code was initiated). In the Correctional Code social rehabilitation was called correction and reduction of inmates but it was only a declaration because there were too many of them and the correction was not possible. The researches (from 1971 1990) showed that the main officer's actions included prohibitions and more stiffen regime. Now, when the Punishment Code is in force, correction and education of inmates is changed by rehabilitation but the title of the Code is still pointed to the punishment. The aim of this article is to analyze results of research and anticipate perspective of social rehabilitation of inmates and officer's readiness and assumptions for rehabilitation. Rehabilitation: "Process of seeking to improve a criminals character and outlook so that he or she can function in society without committing other crimes" [3, p. 1290]. Social rehabilitation of inmates is a process of interaction between officer's of correctional institutions, community, institutions of society etc. and inmates which helps to restore a good reputation of inmates and human relationship between criminals and victims, compensation of material damage, to restore human rights, to strike previous convictions and to prepare the inmate for integration to society that he could be useful personality for himself, his family and society. Social rehabilitation is a part of education and socialization. The research's hypothesis: effectiveness of inmate's social rehabilitation and public security depends on: 1) empathetic relations between employees of penitentiary institutions and inmates; 2) satisfaction of inmate's needs by working. Results of the research. All Lithuanian penitentiary institutions employee's experiences in 1971 were divided in egocentric –2 %; anger – 35 %; empathy – 25%; and other experiences – 38 %. In 2002 the results of researches have changed very much: egocentric – 50 %, anger for inmates – 17%; empathy – 33 %. The employee's egocentric experiences enlarged from 2 to 50 %. It shows that personal problems of employees increased. It is very important that employee's anger reduced from 35 to 17 % and empathy increased from 25 to 33 %. It shows that European penitentiary structures influenced employee's of Lithuanian penitentiary system. Although the results of inmates experiences shows that empathy of inmates to employees in correctional institutions in 1971 and in 2002 is stable and equal to zero percent. Recently the main task of social rehabilitation is inmate's empathy's training. The second proposition – inmate's needs satisfaction by working – fully confirmed. By observation, bibliographical data analysis, questioning, summary of independent characteristics, educational experiment and statistical methods we can confirm that those inmates who satisfy their needs by work have positive attitudes towards each other, positive relationship even with prison's wardens and tries to participate actively in social rehabilitation. The main directions of social rehabilitation are: 1. To exchange one-way relationship (which are the part of the present theory's of behaviourism) to constructive interaction between employees and inmates. This is one of successful social rehabilitation conditions. 2. Penitentiary institutions employees' empathy to inmates is growing up but inmate's empathy to employees is equal to zero percent. The main task of inmate's social rehabilitation is empathy's training. 3. The satisfaction of inmates needs optimize their social rehabilitation by working.


Building on the work of Donald Schon and phenomenological treatments of practice, we propose a phenomenological theory of reflection-in-action that develops this concept further, thereby transcending a number of limitations we find in his theorizing. Our theory includes: an appreciation for the evaluative dimensions built into competent practice that encourage, if not require, reflecting; a further theorizing of the character of surprise; and a fuller delineation of the character of improvisation in relation to practice and its surprises. We begin with a phenomenological account of cognition in relation to work, especially in its form of professional practice. We reframe Schon's arguments in phenomenological, especially Heideggerian, terms and take account of relatively recent theorizing about knowledge-based work, illustrating these discussions with a vignette drawn from field research in the world of practice. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these arguments for practitioners as well as for further theorizing.


This article examines the origins of the development of a separate professional identity as special educators for teachers of children with disabilities in the United States, focusing particularly on the Boston, Massachusetts, public schools from 1870 to 1930. The article first traces emergent professionalization among teachers in institutions for individuals with disabilities, identifying specific training programs as well as the growth of professional knowledge and professional associations. It then discusses efforts by the Boston public schools to provide specialized training for teachers recruited to work in four special education programs: the Horace Mann School for the Deaf, conservation of eyesight classes for children with vision impairments, speech improvement classes for students with identified speech disorders, and special classes for children considered mentally retarded. Each program is examined in terms of desired teacher characteristics, requirements for hiring or certification, in-service programs to enhance professional knowledge, and other professional opportunities such as associations, publications, and mentoring. The article concludes with a brief discussion of how teacher training has contributed to the separation between general and special educators and how it might be redesigned to facilitate a reintegration of these separate professional worlds.


Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate perioperative complications of lumbar discectomy with or without bone-anchored annular closure device (ACD) implant in patients at high risk of recurrent disc herniation. Methods This was a post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial that compared outcomes of lumbar discectomy with or without additional placement of an ACD. Patients presented with imaging evidence of lumbar disc herniation and radicular pain that was unresponsive to conservative care. Randomization occurred intraoperatively following discectomy completion and confirmation of annular defect width ≥6 mm. Main outcomes included serious adverse events (SAEs) from any cause, device- or procedure-related SAEs, and reoperations at the index level. The perioperative period included all outcomes occurring between the day of surgery and 90 days following hospital discharge. Results Analyses were performed on a modified intention-to-treat population consisting of 272 patients treated with ACD and 278 patients treated with lumbar discectomy only (controls). Mean patient age was 44 years, 59% were men, and mean body mass index was 26 kg/m2. Baseline patient characteristics and operative outcomes were comparable between groups. The risks of all-cause SAE (9.7% vs 16.3%, p=0.056), device- or procedure-related SAE (4.5% vs 10.2%, p=0.02), and index-level reoperation (1.9% vs 5.4%, p=0.03) were lower with ACD vs controls. In multivariable logistic regression, control group assignment and female gender were independently associated with higher risk of device- or procedure-related SAE and index-level reoperation, respectively. Conclusion In patients undergoing lumbar discectomy to treat symptomatic intervertebral disc herniation, adjunctive placement of an ACD reduces the risk for perioperative complications occurring through 90 days following hospital discharge.


Network users know much less than ISPs, Internet exchanges and content providers about what happens inside the network. Consequently users cannot either easily detect network neutrality violations or readily exercise their market power by knowledgeably switching ISPs.
 This paper contributes to the ongoing efforts to empower users by proposing two models to estimate -- via application-level measurements -- a key network indicator, i.e., the packet loss rate (PLR) experienced by FTP-like TCP downloads.
 Controlled, testbed, and large-scale experiments show that the Inverse Mathis model is simpler and more consistent across the whole PLR range, but less accurate than the more advanced Likely Rexmit model for landline connections and moderate PLR.


Gaseous and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in air samples taken on a voyage of the Scholar Ship from January 16th to March 14th, 2008. Samples were taken from the Asian marginal seas and the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, providing an opportunity to assess spatial trends and potential sources of atmospheric PAHs over those oceans. The results show that continental sources were still responsible for some high concentrations of PAHs measured over the oceans. The Σ15PAHs in the gaseous phase were elevated on the approach to China and India, while the highest Σ15PAHs in the particulate phase were found at Chennai Harbor and close to Guinea. The high proportion of fluorene in the gas phase over the East and South China Sea could be a marker of coal and coke related combustion emission from Mainland China. The elevated high-molecular-weight PAHs in particles close to Guinea might be related to biomass burning in Africa. These results are consistent with previous PAH emission inventories and highlight the potential impact of continental PAH sources in China, India and Africa on the adjacent marine atmosphere.


In this work we present the development of a liquid aspiration and dispensing unit which is based on a single- use thermally expanding PDMS composite. The composite actuator consists of expandable microspheres incorporated into a PDMS matrix and allows for locally altering its topography by means of individually addressable integrated heaters. Devices were designed in order to enable the generation of a cavity by the expansion of the composite actuator and are entirely fabricated from low-cost materials using wafer-level processes only. The fabricated devices successfully demonstrated controlled liquid aspiration and release thereafter of liquid volumes ranging from 180 nl to 815 nl.


We present a CPU efficient protocol for refinement of protein structures in a thin layer of explicit solvent and energy parameters with completely revised dihedral angle terms. Our approach is suitable for protein structures determined by theoretical (e.g., homology modeling or threading) or experimental methods (e.g., NMR). In contrast to other recently proposed refinement protocols, we put a strong emphasis on consistency with widely accepted covalent parameters and computational efficiency. We illustrate the method for NMR structure calculations of three proteins: interleukin‐4, ubiquitin, and crambin. We show a comparison of their structure ensembles before and after refinement in water with and without a force field energy term for the dihedral angles; crambin was also refined in DMSO. Our results demonstrate the significant improvement of structure quality by a short refinement in a thin layer of solvent. Further, they show that a dihedral angle energy term in the force field is beneficial for structure calculation and refinement. We discuss the optimal weight for the energy constant for the backbone angle omega and include an extensive discussion of meaning and relevance of the calculated validation criteria, in particular root mean square Z scores for covalent parameters such as bond lengths. Proteins 2003;50:496–506. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This article analyzes institutional arrangements for the delivery of coastal programs through a new way of thinking about their evolution and structure. The notion of three distinct "dimensions" describing the phases in the evolution of institutional arrangements is introduced. The notion of dimensions is developed from conceptualizing about how institutional arrangements are diagrammed. This allows the visualization of how individual institutions and key stakeholders relate to each other in the delivery of coastal programs, how effective these relationships are, and how their relationships could be redesigned. "Dimensional thinking" enables the re-examination of existing institutional design of coastal programs and how these can evolve to meet the challenges of the new millennium. It is concluded that institutional arrangements have grown from a single dimensional view, where institutions (mainly governmental) delivered programs in isolation, through to the present second dimension where agency programs are managed through coordinating bodies and through coastal management plans. It is argued that a third dimension of institutional arrangements, one that recognizes and embraces the rapid pace of change in this century, will be needed that is aligned by themes rather than by organizational structure. To illustrate a third dimension a visualization tool is developed drawing from management cybernetics. It recognizes the increasing importance of formal and informal networks in relation to traditional modernist hierarchical management by recognizing multiple stakeholders (government at all levels, industry, advocacy groups, conservation interests, and the broader community) and their degree of mutual dependence. Dimensional thinking has the potential to institutionalize the interaction between these multiple stakeholders to ensure the effective delivery of coastal programs in the new millennium. A single answer to what the third dimension of coastal management program evolution should include is not presented. Rather, an approach is presented that allows coastal managers to move forward in the debate on redesigning coastal programs to meet today's complex suite of issues, values, and interests. An experimental case study from Western Australia is used to illustrate the potential application of the dimensional thinking to coastal management institutional design in that State's coastal program.


At the nexus of art and science, this dazzling new edition of Ernst Haeckel's first work reintroduces the genius of an enigmatic scientist and passionate observer of the natural world. Although original editions of this book are extremely rare, it is now available for the first time in a paperback edition, beautifully reproducing his drawings and watercolours. While the variety and detail of Haeckel's drawings display an impressive understanding of biological structure, the skill with which Haeckel drew these tiny, aquatic protozoa renders them genuine works of art. This volume features commentary and descriptions of each of the radiolarians from Haeckel's work.


In the editorialisation of this 2012 March edition of the Journal of Public Administration I could not think of a more appropriate parlance with which to capture the thematic essence of the articles that comprise it than to say the greatness of scholarship is not in the age of a scholar, but in the wit and ingenuity employed to navigate unchartered epistemological grounds. It is in this context that this polemic editorial, nostalgic of the Minnowbrook intellectualism spawned by the complex of power relations in the contestation of intellectual space and the hegemonic gerontocracy competing with the new in shaping the evolution of public administration as a field of study, is themed.


Recent immigrants in Switzerland are overrepresented at the top of the wage distribution in high and at the bottom in low skill occupations. Basic economic theory thus suggests that immigration has led to a compression of the wage distribution in the former group and to an expansion in the latter. The data confirm this proposition for high skill occupations, but reveal effects close to zero for low skill occupations. While the estimated wage effects are of considerable magnitude at the tails of the wage distribution in high skill occupations, the effects on overall inequality are shown to be negligible.


Joint enterprise (JE) is an extraordinary legal device deployed to punish and (re)produce those who are frequently presented as threatening the normative boundaries of the British state. In acknowledging the global relevance of over-representation and the use of collective punishment, this paper presents the accounts of prisoners who have been convicted under JE laws across England and Wales. Analysis reveals a particular process of criminalisation through police and crown prosecution teams' construction of the 'gang' narrative in courtrooms to drive the disproportionate punishment of members of negatively racialised communities. Of concern, the findings reveal that young Black men in particular are at risk of being convicted and punished for offences they did not commit. This paper empirically demonstrates how such racial injustice originates from a series of targeted and criminalising policies and practices.


During the Late Jurassic (Tithonian), a worldwide phosphorogenic episode is recorded from deposits occurring along the western margin of continental masses. Mesozoic outcrop studies suggest the origin of bedded neritic and deep-water phosphatic lime- stones in selected remnants of the San Pedro del Gallo terrane southwest of the Walper Megashear in northeastern Mexico were domi- nated by tectonics along a transform plate boundary. Three lower Oxfordian to upper Hauterivian tectonically isolated remnants of the San Pedro del Gallo terrane are examined, concentrating on the phosporite bearing La Caja Formation (lower Kimmeridgian to upper Tithonian). The primary phosphorus source for both the neritic and deep-water bedded phosphatic limestones within the La Caja Forma- tion seems to have been upwelling of nutrient-rich water, followed by degradation of organic matter associated with biologic communi- ties. Based on biostratigraphic evidence and geochemical fingerprinting, one suite of bedded phosphate stratiforms within the La Caja Formation is interpreted to have originally developed on a tectonically unstable shelf margin at neritic depths, subsequently redeposited out in the basin as turbidites, and became intercalated with outer bathyal to upper abyssal carbonate and siliciclastic sediments. Included within these deep-water facies of the La Caja Formation is an outer bathyal to upper abyssal second suite of bedded phosphatic limestones (BPL). The formation of neritic phosphatic sediments is reasonably well understood by most carbonate and phosporite workers; how- ever, the La Caja BPL represent the deepest reported paleobathymetric occurrence of this lithotype. The history of bedded phosphorite formation within the San Pedro del Gallo backarc basin reflects changes in paleocurrents and shifts in zones of nutrient-rich upwelling due to changes in basin configuration, and is a significant constraint on interpretations of continental paleogeography in the Northern Hemisphere during the Late Jurassic.


Although German unification has had a profound impact on European integration and economic development, very few studies of the East German economy exist. The editors of this volume have therefore brought together specialists in economics and politics who analyse such important issues as privatisation, monetary reform and unemployment. The aim is to provide scholars and interested readers with a critical understanding of the complex processes of German unification and to identify the general lessons that can be learnt from their analysis for economies and societies that undergo such profound transformations as has been the case in East Germany since the early 1990s.


The paper introduces a process algebra for business process models. The algebra is located within Problem Oriented Engineering, a framework for engineering design, and is based on a process pattern defined by Hall and Rapanotti by which Problem Oriented Engineering developments should be structured. The pattern is a generator for processes being composable in three ways: in sequence, in parallel and fractally. In explicating this process algebra, a machine readable and animatable CSP is used, which forms a semantic basis for the behaviour modelling of processes. The benefits of this algebra are: simplicity, support for business process analysis and synthesis, and explicit recognition of choices (and their impact) made by agents.


Photothermal convection has been a major obstacle for stable particle trapping in plasmonic optical tweezer at high optical power. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to suppress the plasmonic photothermal convection by using vanishingly small thermal expansion coefficient of water at low temperature. A simple square nanoplasmonic array is illuminated with a loosely Gaussian beam to produce a two dimensional optical lattice for trapping of micro particles. We observe stable particle trapping due to near-field optical gradient forces at elevated optical power at low temperature. In contrast, for the same optical power at room temperature, the particles are convected away from the center of the optical lattice without their accumulation. This technique will greatly increase usable optical power and enhance the trapping capability of plasmonic optical tweezer.


Five point mutations in a particular β-lactamase allele jointly increase bacterial resistance to a clinically important antibiotic by a factor of ∼100,000. In principle, evolution to this high-resistance β-lactamase might follow any of the 120 mutational trajectories linking these alleles. However, we demonstrate that 102 trajectories are inaccessible to Darwinian selection and that many of the remaining trajectories have negligible probabilities of realization, because four of these five mutations fail to increase drug resistance in some combinations. Pervasive biophysical pleiotropy within the β-lactamase seems to be responsible, and because such pleiotropy appears to be a general property of missense mutations, we conclude that much protein evolution will be similarly constrained. This implies that the protein tape of life may be largely reproducible and even predictable.


This article reviews empirical studies of litigation costs for the purpose of learning whether they support a particular version of the claim that civil justice processes consume too many resources. The inefficiency claim considered posits that these processes could transfer the same number of dollars to the same recipients at far less cost. The belief that costs can be reduced while keeping redistributive effects constant is a mainstay of the tort reform movement and the movement for alternative dispute resolution. The article argues that it should not be possible to reduce dollar-transfer costs dramatically without also changing distributive outcomes because parties should already be acting rationally to minimize these costs. Settlements and judgments are exchanges at prices set by parties or courts. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect litigants to act like exchange partners more generally and to minimize the cost of transacting. The review of empirical studies of discovery costs, alternative dispute resolution, litigation costs, and other subjects supports the suggestion that parties are acting rationally.


In October 2009 an oil pipeline running from the fuel depot of Jubany base to the residential and laboratory buildings broke and caused an oil contamination of the ice and snow-covered surrounding. Four months later soil samples were taken in close and greater vicinity to the spill site as well as in the Potter Cove, however, due to snow and melt water runoff through the affected area sampling was limited. One year later snow did not cover the area. Sampling was repeated approximately at the same places and some additional sites. At the spill site the soil even in greater depth was still impregnated by diesel oil whereas at the other sampling points neither smell nor visual appearance of oil residues were noticeable. Correspondingly, the TC% values of the soil samples were very low except for those from the spill site. Measurements of the hydrocarbon content, however, will show how much oil was left. In order to find out if and how the spill affected the cold environment we studied 76 samples for changes in the bacterial community on the basis of the 16S rRNA gene by means of DGGE. Most of the samples showed a high bacterial diversity in 2010 as well as in 2011 with only marginal changes in the taxonomic structure during this period. In contrast, the diversity of the samples near the diesel spill site became clearly reduced. Some strong bands in the DGGE-gels indicated an enrichment of specific bacteria types. Clone libraries revealed that Actinobacteria together with a Betaproteobacterium prevailed in these communities and constituted obviously a natural autochthonous potential for crude oil bioremediation.


The banana (Musa spp.) is considered as an important crop plant due to its high economic value as good dietary source. Banana is the rich source of carbohydrates and vitamins, particularly vitamins B; it is also a good source of potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Here, we analyzed the genetic relationship of four different banana varieties that are cultivated in south India. Random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) fingerprinting of these banana varieties (Grand Naine, Nendran, Poovan and Red Banana) were carried out by five decamer primers (OP-5, OP-6, OP-7, OP-8,OP-11) led to DNA amplification. The distances in the dendrogram constructed by UPGMA (Unweighted pair group method Arithmetical Means) were compared with the genetic distances between genotypes pairs to calculate the cophenetic correlation. The genetic variation between Grand naine and Nendran was found to be 0.89 nucleotide. Similarly the Poovan is getting 0.94 nucleotide variation from the above one and Red is getting 0.97 nucleotide at the highest from all. The results presented here also contribute to narrowing the gaps in our current understanding of the migration path of bananas and the emergence of secondary centers of diversity. Cultivated bananas (Musa spp.) are mostly diploid or triploid cultivars with various combinations of the A and B genomes inherited from their diploid ancestors Musa acuminata Colla. and Musa balbisiana Colla. respectively.


This article traces the evolution of the ideologies and narratives that have framed 'development' since its post-Second World War inception, through growth and dependency, adjustment and human development, state to market, to more equitable and globally supported sustainable development strategies required for the post-2015 decades. It analyses the ideas that became the main contributors to a multipolar and still contested narrative of national and global development, highlighting what can be learned from the process that led to current perspectives and goals for sustainable development. The article focuses especially on contributions by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and its global partners, both as critic of dominant orthodoxies and as creator or supporter of alternatives. It ends with reflections on the adequacy of the current narratives and perspectives in light of the challenges facing a multipolar, interconnected and interdependent world, and conclusions about future directions for thinking,action and research.


Quasars and AGN play an important role in many aspects of the modern cosmology.
Of particular interest is the issue of the interplay between AGN activity and formation
and evolution of galaxies and structures. Studies on nearby galaxies revealed that most
(and possibly all) galaxy nuclei contain a super-massive black hole (SMBH) and that
between a third and half of them are showing some evidence of activity (Kormendy and
Richstone, 1995). The discovery of a tight relation between black holes mass and velocity
dispersion of their host galaxy suggests that the evolution of the growth of SMBH and
their host galaxy are linked together. In this context, studying the evolution of AGN,
through the luminosity function (LF), is fundamental to constrain the theories of galaxy
and SMBH formation and evolution. Recently, many theories have been developed to
describe physical processes possibly responsible of a common formation scenario for
galaxies and their central black hole (Volonteri et al., 2003; Springel et al., 2005a; Vittorini
et al., 2005; Hopkins et al., 2006a) and an increasing number of observations in different
bands are focused on collecting larger and larger quasar samples. Many issues remain
however not yet fully understood.
In the context of the VVDS (VIMOS-VLT Deep Survey), we collected and studied
an unbiased sample of spectroscopically selected faint type-1 AGN with a unique and
straightforward selection function. Indeed, the VVDS is a large, purely magnitude
limited spectroscopic survey of faint objects, free of any morphological and/or color preselection.
We studied the statistical properties of this sample and its evolution up to
redshift z 4.
Because of the contamination of the AGN light by their host galaxies at the faint
magnitudes explored by our sample, we observed that a significant fraction of AGN in
our sample would be missed by the UV excess and morphological criteria usually adopted
for the pre-selection of optical QSO candidates. If not properly taken into account, this
failure in selecting particular sub-classes of AGN could, in principle, affect some of the
conclusions drawn from samples of AGN based on these selection criteria.
The absence of any pre-selection in the VVDS leads us to have a very complete sample of
AGN, including also objects with unusual colors and continuum shape. The VVDS AGN
sample shows in fact redder colors than those expected by comparing it, for example,
with the color track derived from the SDSS composite spectrum. In particular, the faintest
objects have on average redder colors than the brightest ones. This can be attributed to
both a large fraction of dust-reddened objects and a significant contamination from the
host galaxy. We have tested these possibilities by examining the global spectral energy
distribution of each object using, in addition to the U, B, V, R and I-band magnitudes,
also the UV-Galex and the IR-Spitzer bands, and fitting it with a combination of AGN
and galaxy emission, allowing also for the possibility of extinction of the AGN flux.
We found that for 44% of our objects the contamination from the host galaxy is not
negligible and this fraction decreases to 21% if we restrict the analysis to a bright subsample
(M1450 <-22.15).
Our estimated integral surface density at IAB < 24.0 is 500 AGN per square degree,
which represents the highest surface density of a spectroscopically confirmed sample of
optically selected AGN.
We derived the luminosity function in B-band for 1.0 < z < 3.6 using the 1/Vmax
estimator. Our data, more than one magnitude fainter than previous optical surveys, allow
us to constrain the faint part of the luminosity function up to high redshift. A comparison
of our data with the 2dF sample at low redshift (1 < z < 2.1) shows that the VDDS
data can not be well fitted with the pure luminosity evolution (PLE) models derived by
previous optically selected samples. Qualitatively, this appears to be due to the fact that
our data suggest the presence of an excess of faint objects at low redshift (1.0 < z < 1.5)
with respect to these models.
By combining our faint VVDS sample with the large sample of bright AGN extracted
from the SDSS DR3 (Richards et al., 2006b) and testing a number of different
evolutionary models, we find that the model which better represents the combined
luminosity functions, over a wide range of redshift and luminosity, is a luminosity
dependent density evolution (LDDE) model, similar to those derived from the major Xsurveys.
Such a parameterization allows the redshift of the AGN density peak to change
as a function of luminosity, thus fitting the excess of faint AGN that we find at 1.0 < z <
1.5.
On the basis of this model we find, for the first time from the analysis of optically
selected samples, that the peak of the AGN space density shifts significantly towards
lower redshift going to lower luminosity objects. The position of this peak moves from
z 2.0 for MB <-26.0 to z 0.65 for -22< MB <-20.
This result, already found in a number of X-ray selected samples of AGN, is consistent
with a scenario of "AGN cosmic downsizing", in which the density of more luminous
AGN, possibly associated to more massive black holes, peaks earlier in the history of
the Universe (i.e. at higher redshift), than that of low luminosity ones, which reaches its
maximum later (i.e. at lower redshift).
This behavior has since long been claimed to be present in elliptical galaxies and it is not
easy to reproduce it in the hierarchical cosmogonic scenario, where more massive Dark
Matter Halos (DMH) form on average later by merging of less massive halos.


The purpose of this dissertation is to capture and explore the existence of white privilege in K-12 schools through the perspective of minority educators. Further, my hope is to engage educators of all kind to begin conversations about white privilege in the schools; to deconstruct whiteness and its impact on education. This research brings forth voices of minority educators to shed light on conversations around race, whiteness and power in education. Today's educators must critically examine race and whiteness in order to break down barriers for children of color and create spaces where critical race consciousness is developed among students, parents, teachers and administrators. Not talking about race simply ignores it. By ignoring it, we are allowing systems of privilege to narrow mindedly influence education for us all. At the center of this dissertation lies a critical race theory foundation that calls one to challenge the experiences of whites as the normative standard. The null voices of minority educators are no longer acceptable within a critical race theory lens. Using narrative research design and semi structured interview questions, I was able to describe the experiences around white privilege from six minority educators. Dominant and emerging themes emerged including: Power Advantage, Exclusivity, Cultural Differences, Colorblind Ideology, Lack of Awareness or Understanding, Intentionality and Relationships.


The Bra. The Box Kite. The Cat. The Milk Carton. The Reclining Picasso. These are the playful names given to the eccentric beach houses of Andrew Geller. Built in the 1950s and 1960s, these whimsical vacation homes reflected the idea of summer leisure for a generation more concerned with fun on the beach than ostentatious display. For clients in the Hamptons, the Jersey shore, and in New England, Geller built dozens of houses, most of wood, and most on modest budgets. Geller, who worked with Raymond Loewy and directed the design of such modernist landmarks as the Lever House in New York, combined a modern interest in light, breeze and functional living with playful form-making. These spirited houses, shown here through vintage photographs and drawings, still delight today and should inspire anyone interested in beach house living.


On January 18, 2011, The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) received a phone call from a resident living south of Elmore City, in Garvin County, Oklahoma, that reported feeling several earthquakes throughout the night. The reporting local resident had also offered that there was an active hydraulic fracturing project occurring nearby. Upon examination there were nearly 50 earthquakes, which occurred during that time. After analyzing the data there were 43 earthquakes large enough to be located, which from the character of the seismic recordings indicate that they are both shallow and unique. The earthquakes range in magnitude from 1.0 to 2.8 Md and the majority of earthquakes occurred within about 24 hours of the first earthquake. Careful attention and significant effort was put into obtaining the most accurate locations possible and gaining a reasonable estimate in the error in locations. The nearest seismic station is 35 km away from where the earthquakes occurred. Formal errors in location are on the order 100-‐500 m horizontally and about twice that for depth. Examination of different velocity models would suggest that the uncertainties in earthquake locations should be about twice the formal uncertainties. The majority of earthquakes appear to have occurred within about 3.5 km of the well located in the Eola Field of southern Garvin County. The Eola Field has many structures, which may provide conduits for fluid flow at depth. The well is Picket Unit B well 4-‐18, and about seven hours after the first and deepest hydraulic fracturing stage started the earthquakes began occurring. It was possible to model 95% of the earthquakes in this sequence using a simple pore pressure diffusion model with a permeability of about 250 mD (milliDarcies). While this permeability may be high it is less than those reported for highly fractured rock. The strong correlation in time and space as well as a reasonable fit to a physical model suggest that there is a possibility these earthquakes were induced by hydraulic-‐fracturing. However, the uncertainties in the data make it impossible to say with a high degree of certainty whether or not these earthquakes were triggered by natural means or by the nearby hydraulic-‐fracturing operation.


The evolution of Lithastrinus from Eprolithus is observed in Turonian through Santonian material via variation in the number and morphology of wall elements. Previously, the shape of projections off the wall elements (rays) the size of the diaphragm, and inclination and twisting about the central area of the wall elements have been used to separate the genera, but these criteria are too general to consistently separate transitional 7-rayed forms. The more reliable criteria we have defined for distinguishing two different taxa, Eprolithus moratus and Lithastrinus septenarius, provides a more accurate biostratigraphic placement for these intermediate forms. The younger late Turonian to middle Santonian form, L. septenarius, is separated from the older form, E. moratus, through reduced central depression size (<50% the width of the entire central area) and rays that are generally longer (>50% the width of the central area) and angled away from the ring of elements (>15°). In Lithastrinus the rays only project from the proximal and distal sides of the wall elements, while in E. moratus they extend as a single ridge between the two sides. When in the focal plane of the diaphragm the wall elements appear as a rounded collar in L. septenarius, which can also be used to differentiate between the two taxa, especially in poorly preserved material.


During the work of the Ecological Survey of the University of Cape Town a few Crustacea of various groups were collected which proved to be infested with Rhizocephalan parasites. Remarks on one of these, a parasite of Galathea dispersa Bate, are given in the present paper, while notes are added on the data from the literature and on the structure of some other specimens 1). The Rhizocephala occurring as parasites of species of the genus Galathea belong to the genera Triangulus and Lernaeodiscus (family Lernaeodiscidae) or to the genus Galatheascus (family Peltogastridae). Moreover, one species of the genus Sacculina is known as a parasite of a Galathea, while Parthenopea subterranea Kossmann, a species usually infesting Callianassa, has been reported as a parasite of Galathea dispersa. The following is a review of the literature on the parasites here dealt with, the scientific names are recorded as they were used in the cited papers. Gerbe (1862). Records of parasites ("Sacculina, ou Peltogaster") of Carcinus moenas, Xanthus floridus, Portunus marmoreus, and Galathea squammifera, apparently from the Atlantic coast region of France. No characters noted of the adult parasites, the larvae are stated to show specific differences. Perhaps the first (unnamed) record of Lernaeodiscus squamiferae Perez, 1922. Stuxberg (1873). "Pachybdella Carcini" mentioned as a parasite of various Brachyura and of Galathea squamifera, the last record obviously based on Gerbe (1862). Milne Edwards & Bouvier (1900). One female specimen of Galathea squamifera Leach "sacculinee", from Lanzarote, Canary Islands, depth 30 m; two female specimens of Galathea intermedia Lilljeborg "sacculinees", the one from north of the Banc d'Arguin, Mauretania, depth 235 m, the other from the Cape Verde Islands, depth 318 m. Possibly


HVAC equipment manufacturers spend a considerable amount of time and effort updating existing product lines in order to meet the ever-increasing demand for energy efficient systems. As a major part of HVAC systems, an air handling unit (AHU) controls the airflow through the system and regulates the indoor air quality. Plenum fans used in AHUs inherently produce a rotational airflow, which can create highly unstructured airflow as it enters a heat exchanger located downstream. This in turn leads to lower heat transfer rates and premature heat exchanger failure. As such, airflow uniformity is presently regarded as an important consideration in designing these systems. Through advancements in computer technologies within the last decade, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become an economical solution allowing HVAC equipment designers to numerically model prototypes and reduce the time required to optimize a given design and identify potential failure points. While CFD analysis also offers the ability to visualize and characterize the airflow through an AHU system, it has often been used to model individual components such as fans or heat exchangers without analyzing them as a single unit. This work presents the CFD models used to characterize the airflow within an AHU in order to aid in understanding the effects that flow uniformity has on heat exchanger performance. The airflow uniformity was analyzed over a range of volumetric flow rates, and experiments were used to validate the baseline simulations. Different baffle designs were then added into the validated simulations to observe their influence on both airflow uniformity and heat transfer performance. Results indicate that airflow uniformity is, by itself, an insufficient metric to predict heat transfer performance. Additionally, steady-state CFD analyses performed on simplified geometries are shown to provide a sufficient model to be used for further optimization, when the inlet conditions are well specified.


Mimicry of warning signals is common, and can be mutualistic when mimetic species harbour equal levels of defence (Müllerian), or parasitic when mimics are undefended but still gain protection from their resemblance to the model (Batesian). However, whether chemically defended mimics should be similar in terms of toxicity (i.e. causing damage to the consumer) and/or unpalatability (i.e. distasteful to consumer) is unclear and in many studies remains undifferentiated. In this study, we investigated the evolution of visual signals and chemical defences in a putative mimicry ring of nudibranch molluscs. First, we demonstrated that the appearance of a group of red spotted nudibranchs molluscs was similar from the perspective of potential fish predators using visual modelling and pattern analysis. Second, using phylogenetic reconstruction, we demonstrated that this colour pattern has evolved multiple times in distantly related individuals. Third, we showed that these nudibranchs contained different chemical profiles used for defensive purposes. Finally, we demonstrated that although levels of distastefulness towards Palaemon shrimp remained relatively constant between species, toxicity levels towards brine shrimp varied significantly. We highlight the need to disentangle toxicity and taste when considering chemical defences in aposematic and mimetic species, and discuss the implications for aposematic and mimicry signal evolution.


Seed quality is a major issue for crop establishment especially in low input farming systems, where varieties often grow under more stressful conditions than in conventional farming systems. Corn (Zea mays L.) seed for organic (low input) production will eventually need to be grown organically, thus research is needed to ensure excellent seed quality in organic corn seed production. The objective of this study was to compare seed quality and composition differences between a group of high protein corn genotypes grown under low input and conventional farming systems, and to compare the relative seed quality of these genotypes to two well known inbreds, B73 or Mo17. Twenty high protein breeding genotypes were planted during two growing seasons in conventional and organic nurseries near Ames, Iowa, to produce seeds for laboratory tests. The germination, saturated cold, accelerated aging, and soak test percentages of seeds produced organically were 5 to 11% lower than for seeds produced conventionally. Protein, measured by near-infrared reflectance, was unaffected by the production location, but the oil content of seeds produced organically was significantly higher (between 0.2 and 0.3% higher) than in the conventional system. Location by genotype interactions for most tests were non significant both years, indicating that genotypes selected for high seed quality in a conventional system will also have high seed quality when grown in a low input, organic system.


The rat beta-tropomyosin (TM) gene expresses two isoforms via alternative RNA splicing, namely skeletal muscle beta-TM and fibroblast TM-1. The latter is also expressed in smooth muscle where it corresponds to smooth muscle beta-TM. Skeletal muscle beta-TM contains exons 7 and 10, whereas exons 6 and 11 are used in fibroblasts and smooth muscle. In order to study the properties of the alternatively spliced proteins, recombinant TMs derived from bacterial and insect cell expression systems were produced, including the normal beta gene products, fibroblast TM-1 and beta skeletal muscle TM, two carboxy-terminal chimeric TMs, TM-6/10 and TM-7/11, as well as a carboxyl-truncated version of each, TM-6Cla and TM-7Cla. The purified TM isoforms were used in actin filament association studies. The apparent TM association constants (Ka) were taken as the free concentration at half saturation and were found to be 6 microM for beta Sk TM, 8.5 for TM-6/10, 25 microM for TM-1, and 30 microM for TM-7/11 at an F-actin concentration of 42 microM. For the truncated TMs, the values determined were higher still but the binding was not carried out to full saturation. Isoforms were also produced using the baculovirus-insect cell system which produces proteins with an acetylated amino terminus as is normally found in vivo. This modification significantly enhanced the F-actin association of TM-1 but not the beta skeletal TM or the other isoforms. Fibroblast TM-2 or TM-3, both products of the alpha gene, enhanced the affinity of TM-1 for F-actin, demonstrating different isoforms can act cooperatively on binding to actin. This effect was not detected with the other expressed beta gene products. The presence of 83 kDa nonmuscle caldesmon was found to enhance the binding of TM-1 for F-actin. This effect was dependent on the presence of both exons 6 and 11, as caldesmon had little effect on the other beta gene products. Collectively these results demonstrate TMs differ in their affinity for F-actin, which can be altered by other TMs or actin-binding proteins. The beta tropomyosin isoforms were fluorescently-tagged and microinjected into cultured cells to study their in vivo localization where it was found that each of the full-length TMs bound to microfilaments but, at the light microscopy level, the isoforms were not differentially localized in these fibroblasts.


A district energy system based on "thermal bus" was proposed, in which the heating and cooling water transmission processes shared one set of the distribution pipe network. Combined with the gas energy stations, ground source heat pumps, small-scale photovoltaic power stations and rooftop solar collectors and other facilities, it provided the users in the region with heating in winter, cooling in summer and power supply all year round. From the perspective of the bidirectional (supply/return) flow of heat energy along the thermal bus, the mathematical model of the main equipment applied for the source, pipe network, load and storage was established. The optimization model with the lowest system operation cost was proposed considering the fuel cost, the external electricity purchase fee and the satisfaction degree of all users' energy demand. The operation cost and energy consumption of the regional energy system scheme and the traditional distributed energy system scheme are studied by a practical case study. The results showed that the new scheme reduces the operating cost by 21.5% and 16.8% respectively under the typical weekly scenarios of cooling in summer and heating in winter. When no storage equipment was used, the new scheme reduced the amount of purchased electricity in summer and winter by 4.1% and 5.2% respectively.


PURPOSE
The purpose is to document the clinical, pathological, and genetic features of pancreatic carcinoma (PC) in carriers of a specific p16-Leiden mutation (a 19-bp deletion in exon 2 of the CDKN2A gene).

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Clinical data and paraffin embedded tissue were obtained from 12 patients of p16-Leiden-positive families with PC. Because of the known 19-bp germ-line deletion, we could specifically analyze the genotype of the wild-type allele for loss of heterozygosity. K-ras codon 12 mutations were determined and immunohistochemical testing for p16, Tp53, Smad4, and cyclooxygenase 2 was performed.

RESULTS
The average age of subjects that developed PC (8 males) was 58 years (range, 43-74 years). Histology was considered as conventional ductal adenocarcinoma in 11 of 12 and neuroendocrine carcinoma (1 of 12). The carcinomas were located in the head (10 of 12), corpus (1 of 12), and tail (1 of 12) of the pancreas. The specific p16-Leiden mutation was confirmed in the tissue of all subjects. Loss of heterozygosity of the wild-type allele was present in 2 of 7 tumors analyzed. Immunostaining for p16 was negative in 10 of 10. Tp53 mutations were detected in 5 of 12. Smad4 was negative in 5 of 12 and cyclooxygenase 2 was overexpressed in 11 of 12. K-ras codon 12 mutations were present in 9 of 10 and in three precursor lesions even before abrogation of p16 protein expression was seen (one of three).

CONCLUSIONS
The p16-Leiden deletion was associated with progression toward conventional ductal adenocarcinomas in all cases but one. Our observations might support the feasibility of early diagnosis of PC in p16-Leiden mutation carriers and might also indicate that chemoprevention needs consideration.


This thesis explores the relationships and resultant meanings that people have for the place of Jenolan Caves, the most visited cave tourist site in Australia. The aim of the research project was to:
further our understanding of the social dimensions of caves tourism in order to comment on issues and practices related to sustainability.
The question was approached from a constructionist perspective, which assumes that the world of human perception is not real in an absolute sense but is made up and shaped by cultural and linguistic constructs; it is a constructing of knowledge about reality not constructing reality itself.
The findings are based on interviews with staff, visitors and other people who regularly associate with the place of Jenolan Caves. The highlight, and perhaps the most exciting finding, was the rich depth of meaning that Jenolan is given by a broad range of people. Staff and visitors articulated a sense of passion, care and physical engagement.
The obvious emotion of place reflects the embodied nature of place experience, other facets of which include the active and sensual ways we interact, and make sense of places we visit. Although sight dominates the experience the sound, touch and smell in a cave are also essential ingredients of the experience.
It was clear that emotion is a response we have to place; emotion is also central in the construction of Jenolan as a tourism place. In particular passion and enthusiasm oscillates between visitors and staff, creating a connection between the two and becoming a central facet of Jenolan.
Emotions relating to place are also negative and there was a clear tension for many people in close association with Jenolan between protecting place and selling or using place. Two dominant discourses that people draw on to make sense of Jenolan are stewardship and commodification, these are ways of making sense of Jenolan that have different primary goals but in practice are woven together. The tension exists as a very real, expressed frustration, disillusionment, and at times anger for those that work at Jenolan. It is time this tension is acknowledged, if for no other reason than it will inevitably have an impact on the interdependent relationships that exist between staff, visitors and others. That is, a satisfactory visitor experience is vulnerable to negative changes in staff relationship to place.
Within the managing organisation, and across a portion of the relevant disciplines, the embodied nature of place experience and interdependence between peoples and place is not fully recognised. It is not fully articulated within the Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust, and in likelihood is not articulated in other protected area agencies. The implications of these findings for the ongoing sustainability of protected area tourist sites, such as Jenolan Caves, is that discourses and approaches are required that open the management system to the sensual, emotional, and interdependent nature of place.
A systematic monitoring approach of Visitor Impact Management has been adopted by Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust. On reflection the aim of such an approach is to enable the organisation to identify when strategies need to be altered, that is to learn. The findings indicate that much about the visitor experience is emotional and relates to discourses or ways of seeing that aren't fully articulated in the organisation. The findings also indicate strong links between place interpretations of visitors, staff, the organisation and others. It is possible that frameworks such as Visitor Impact Management, which examine a component of place meaning in a systematic way, will facilitate solutions to many visitor related issues, but when the issues relate to tacit processes in the organisation or arise from unfamiliar discourses will not be recognised and/or dealt with. Visitor Impact Management located in the broader context of organisational learning may provide a process that opens the organisation to the full depth of place meaning, and provide tools for engaging with a broader variety of meaning-making discourses.
Qualitative methodology was adopted to answer these explorative questions. Specifically ethnographic methods of data collection were used: interviews, observations, and document analysis. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 79 staff and locals, and 140 visitors. These were recorded through note taking, returned to respondents for inspection (not to visitors), and then coded for items that provided insight into the relationship and meaning that Jenolan had inspired.


In intraspecific studies, reticulated graphs are valuable tools for visualization, within a single figure, of alternative genealogical pathways among haplotypes. As available software packages implementing the global maximum parsimony (MP) approach only give the possibility to merge resulting topologies into less-resolved consensus trees, MP has often been neglected as an alternative approach to purely algorithmic (i.e., methods defined solely on the basis of an algorithm) "network" construction methods. Here, we propose to search tree space using the MP criterion and present a new algorithm for uniting all equally most parsimonious trees into a single (possibly reticulated) graph. Using simulated sequence data, we compare our method with three purely algorithmic and widely used graph construction approaches (minimum-spanning network, statistical parsimony, and median-joining network). We demonstrate that the combination of MP trees into a single graph provides a good estimate of the true genealogy. Moreover, our analyses indicate that, when internal node haplotypes are not sampled, the median-joining and MP methods provide the best estimate of the true genealogy whereas the minimum-spanning algorithm shows very poor performances.


Report on the findings of a survey of the library skills and computer literacy of 2058 students entering the University of Malaya in the 1996/97 academic session. Although most students were familiar with libraries, they lacked searching skills associated with electronic retrieval of inforation particularly keyword searching. Almost 60% of the students said they knew how to use a computer. However, their computer skills were largely confined to word processing. Very few were familiar with accessing the Internet, using multimedia, searching CD-ROM and online databases and using a computerised catalogue. It was also found that about half of them were able to differentiate between a book citation and a journal article citation.


Cartridge-pneumatic starter systems are used on military aircraft. In the cartridge mode used for alert starts, the starter turbine is driven by hot gases produced through the controlled burning of a solid propellant cartridge within a closed chamber (the breech chamber/cartridge chamber assembly). Premature failures of steel breech chambers have been prevalent enough to cause serious concern. The breech chamber is fabricated from a 4340 Ni-Cr-Mo steel forging heat treated to a hardness in the range HRC 40 to 45. The failures have taken several forms, including fracture and unzipping of the chamber dome, burn-through of the dome, and shearing of bayonet locking lugs. Factors identified as significant in the failures are the pressure developed in the chamber and internal corrosion of the chamber in an environment that can produce stress-corrosion cracking. The interior configuration of the chamber and the stress distribution also have a bearing upon the failure modes. Several failures are reviewed to illustrate the problems.


This paper addresses the problem of optimizing the training treebank data because the size and quality of the data has always been a bottleneck for the purposes of training. In previous studies we realized that current corpora used for training machine learning–based dependency parsers contain a significant proportion of redundant information at the syntactic structure level. Since the development of such training corpora involves a big effort, we argue that an appropriate process for selecting the sentences to be included in them can result in having parsing models as accurate as the ones given when training with bigger – non optimized corpora (or alternatively, bigger accuracy for an equivalent annotation effort). This argument is supported by the results of the study we carried out, which is presented in this paper. Therefore, this paper demonstrates that the training corpora contain more information than needed for training accurate data–driven dependency parsers.


One of the most important uses of technology is that it makes it easy for instructors to incorporate multimedia into their teaching. There are different multimedia tools. Three of the most popular ones are visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic in which students take in information. Some students are visual learners, while others are auditory or kinaesthetic learners. While students use all of their senses to take in information, they seem to have preferences in how they learn best. In order to help students learn, teachers need to teach as many of these preferences as possible. Therefore, teachers can incorporate these multimedia tools in their curriculum activities so that students are able to succeed in their classes. This study is an analysis of multimedia tools for Iranian EFL students. Over 100 students complete a questionnaire to determine if their multimedia tools are auditory, visual, or kinaesthetic. The purpose of this study is to increase faculty awareness and understanding of the impact of multimedia tools on the teaching process. A review of the literature along with analysis of the data will determine how multimedia tools affect the teachingprocess.


This chapter presents an overview of tire-derived aggregate concrete, also known as rubberized concrete, a cementitious-based material with some or all of its mineral aggregates replaced with rubber particles. Typical source of rubber materials is scrap tire. Tire- derived aggregate concrete has practical applications as safety barriers, sound barriers, and architectural features among others. General observed trends include a decrease in compression strength, a decrease in flexural strength, and an increase in energy absorption and damping capacities with an increase of rubber content. These characteristics are modifiable by application of lightweight aggregates, fiber-reinforcement, admixtures, and other common techniques. The chapter also includes discussions on handling, design, and analysis of tire-derived aggregate concrete.


The objective of this study is to determine if there are gender differences in the relative permeability between
work and family boundaries. Using self-administered questionnaires data were gathered from 250 employees. Half of the employees consisted of nurses working in a hospital in Selangor, Malaysia and another half their husbands. The study found that there was no evidence of gender differences in the permeability of work and family boundaries indicating that the dynamics of boundary permeability between work and family roles are similar among females and males. However, the respondents, both females and males, reported that work interfered with family life more than family life interfered with work. These results suggested that work and family boundaries are asymmetrically permeable with family boundaries being more permeable than work boundaries. Implications for future research are discussed.


Objective: To study the edema causing factors in hypertensive, amlodipine-induced pedal edema patients. Methods: The present was a prospective, observational study. A total of one hundred and twenty-four essential hypertensive patients, of either gender attending the outpatient department of cardiology and medicine, were recruited for this study. Out of the 124 patients, 62 were of the amlodipine-induced pedal edema [AIPE] group and other 62 patients were amlodipine-treated non-edema [ATNE] group. All the patients were receiving a dosage of amlodipine 5 mg/day. All recruited patients completed the study. The present study conducted at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. Results: The vanillyl mandelic acid (VMA) (mean±SD) 7.08±2.3 mg/24 h and 4.9±1.7 mg/24 h in AIPE and ATNE groups respectively. Blood pressure (BP) and VMA was higher in AIPE group than the ATNE group (p<0.001). Pulse rate (PR), serum proteins, creatinine, sodium, osmolality, did not show any significant difference between the two study groups. Conclusion: In essential hypertensive patients with AIPE group presented with a higher VMA level than the ATNE group. The elevated catecholamine's possibly the causative factor for AIPE.


Tick resistance and the effects of dexamethasone and anti-histamine were investigated in four Kedah-Kelantan (KKKK), four FI Kedah-Kelantan X Friesian (KKFF), and four 25% Kedah-Kelantan X 75% Frieisian (KFFF) using experimental tick infestations. Experimental animals were infested (20,000 larvae) on four occasions with an interval of two months between infestations to determine tick responses and haematological and cellular responses of the host. Subsequently, the effects of dexamethasone and anti-histamine were investigated. Number of ticks, their weight, weight of egg masses and number of hatched larvae were significantly (P<0.05) lower in KKKK than in their crosses. At tick attachment sites, infiltration and degranulation of eosinophils and basophils were the striking changes. KKKK expressed intense eosinophil and basophil response than their crosses. Mast cells were completely ablated at 24 h post infestation indicative of their degranulation. Animals treated with dexamethasone were susceptible to B. microplus larvae as shown by the production of a high number of engorged female ticks, high
mean weight of replete ticks, mean weight of egg masses and number of larvae. There was a reduction or complete ablation of cellular infiltration particularly of eosinophils at tick feeding sites in all genotypes. There was little or no effect of anti-histamine treatment on the acquisition of resistance. On the contrary, animals treated with anti-histamine and dexamethasone became more susceptible to B. micro plus larvae. Eosinophil number was higher in anti-histamine treated than those receiving both anti-histamine and dexamethasone in all genotypes. The high tick resistance of Kedah-Kelantan (KKKK) may be attributed to reduction of ticks numbers, presence of degranulated eosinophils and basophils, the absence of immunosuppression, and release of histamine at tick attachment sites from degranulated eosinophils and basophils. Histamine initiates an immediate hypersensitivity reaction leading to self-grooming. As a result, the number of engorged ticks were reduced or absent in Kedah-Kelantan than in their crosses.


At some level, the political decisions preempt in these kinds of operations.... Everything that's done is political.--General Joseph Hoar, USMC (ret.) Former CINCCENT (1) In early 1991, Somalia fell into a state of civil war, precipitating a catastrophic famine. (2) Almost two years later, in late November 1992, following a year in which the United States first resisted intervening altogether and then did so only relatively modestly, President George H. W. Bush decided to launch a large-scale, American-led military intervention termed Operation Restore Hope. Less than a year later, amid rapidly deteriorating public and congressional support for the mission, President Bill Clinton announced his intent to end U.S. involvement in Somalia. A review of the myriad studies of the U.S.-led humanitarian intervention reveals numerous proposed explanations for the decision making of Presidents Bush and Clinton, including the rapid turnabout in the Bush administration's attitude toward intervention. While typically presented in the unique context of the Somalia case, most such explanations are merely case-specific variants of several of the most widely employed variables in the theoretical literature on the domestic sources of foreign policy. Such factors include bureaucratic politics and organizational routines (Allison 1969; Sagan 1993; Zegart 1999), the individual preferences, values, and characteristics of leaders (Larson 1983; March and Olsen 1998), electoral incentives (Gaubatz 1991; Smith 1996), and public preferences (Zaller 1994; Ostrom and Job 1986; Powlick 1995; Sobel 2001), including, in the last instance, the constraining effect of public opinion (Holsti 1996; Sobel 1993, 2001; Rosenau 1961; Powlick 1995). I argue that with one exception, these explanations provide only partial insight into the full range of U.S. policy decision making with respect to Somalia between 1992 and 1994. The exception is the constraining role of public opinion. In this respect, the Somalia intervention exemplifies a more general pattern in presidential decision making. In this study, I develop a theory to explain the circumstances under which public scrutiny is likely to influence presidents in their foreign policy decision making. My argument refines previous theories concerning the influence of domestic political risks on crisis outcomes, allowing more nuanced predictions concerning conditions under which presidents are likely to be willing to use military force abroad. I argue that, unless a president is highly confident of success, an attentive public can, when the strategic stakes are relatively modest, inhibit him from undertaking risky foreign policy initiatives, including using military force. The political costs of failing are greater if the public is attentive because it will be more inclined to punish a president if it is watching closely when he falters than if it is uninterested or distracted. Moreover, this pattern is self-reinforcing. All else equal, a policy fashioned under intense public scrutiny is more likely to fail, because public scrutiny reduces the president's freedom to develop an optimal foreign policy, free from domestic pressure to compromise. This further raises the political risks associated with an attentive public. And when the strategic stakes in a foreign crisis are modest, a president is likely to weigh more heavily the potential political risks associated with a given policy, thereby making public attentiveness a potential constraining factor. Hence, unless they are quite confident of success, presidents are more likely to use force in low-stakes foreign crises when the public is inattentive. (See Baum n.d. for a game theoretic extension of the theory and large-N statistical testing.) After explicating the theory, I illustrate some of its key elements through a case study of Operation Restore Hope, the U.S.-led multinational humanitarian relief operation in Somalia that spanned the G. …


This paper proposes an all encompassing test methodology for firewalls. It extends the life cycle model to revisit the major phases of the life cycle after a firewall is in service as foundations for the tests. The focus of the tests is to show that the firewall is, or isn't, still fit for purpose. It also focuses on the traceability between business requirements through to policy, rule sets, physical design, implementation, egress and ingress testing, monitoring and auditing. The guidelines are provided by a Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP). The methodology is very much process driven and in keeping with the Security Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model (SSECMM). This provides multiple advantages, including the capture of configuration errors, results are measurable and repeatable, assurance is developed and it can be used as a roadmap for process improvement. Sample tests are provided in the paper, but act merely as a guideline. It would be expected that the test and evaluation master plan be tailored for any specific organisation.


TIBCO Architecture Fundamentals is a must-read for anybody involved with the architecture and design of distributed systems, system integration issues, or service-based application design. Bert Hooyman, Chief Architect, Europe, for MphasiS (an HP Company) I would like all the folks on my team to read this, to ensure we are all on the same page with the deliverables that are expected from architecture teams involved in global projects and the role that the TIBCO tools play in implementing these solutions. Joseph G. Meyer, Director of Architecture Services and R&D, Citi TIBCOs product suite comprises a diverse range of components. Each component is specialized for a particular functionality, ranging from basic messaging through services, service orchestration, the management of complex business processes, managing master data across multiple systems, and the interpretation ofmassive streams of events (complex event processing). The architecture series from TIBCO Press comprises a coordinated set of books for software architects and developers, showing how to combine TIBCO components to design and build real-world solutions. TIBCO Architecture Fundamentals is the core book for understanding and using the TIBCO product suite. It focuses on the TIBCO ActiveMatrix product suite and a handful of the other most commonly used components, including the TIBCO Enterprise Message ServiceTM and TIBCO BusinessEventsTM. The book provides a sound basis for applying TIBCO products to solve the most common integration and SOA challenges faced by architects and developers. In addition, it lays the foundation for the more advanced books to be added to the architecture series. Designed to make the material as accessible as possible, the book starts with concrete problems architects and developers face every day, showing how to solve these problems with combinations of TIBCO (and selected third-party) products. In the context of specific design scenarios, it also discusses key concepts and decision trade-offs. To accomplish its practical aims, the book Provides useful techniques for discussing and documenting architectures Presents reference architectures (design patterns) for solving common SOA and system integration problems Describes each problem and solution from both business process and technical perspectives Supplies an overview of the typical solution roles played by different TIBCO products The book largely avoids the code-level detail already available in the product manuals, concentrating instead on blueprints for solving whole classes of problems.


Abstract Restricted feeding of broiler breeders is required for improved long‐term health and welfare. Because feeding frustration and hunger are major welfare concerns during rearing, many suggestions have been made to decrease the negative feelings of hunger while maintaining suitable growth rates and reproductive health. Non‐daily ("skip‐a‐day") feeding schedules are commonly used around the world to increase portion sizes at meal times while restricting intake but these practices are prohibited in many countries due to welfare concerns on fasting days. We compared birds raised on a non‐daily feeding schedule (2 non‐consecutive fasting days per week, 5:2), previously suggested as a welfare‐friendlier non‐daily alternative, to birds raised on daily feed restriction. We found signs of increased physiological stress levels in 5:2 birds, including elevated heterophil to lymphocyte ratios (1.00 for 5:2 vs. 0.75 for daily fed at 12 weeks of age), increased adiposity (0.21% lean body weight [LBW] for 5:2 vs. 0.13% LBW for daily fed), and reduced muscle growth (pectoral muscle 5.94% LBW for 5:2 vs. 6.52% LBW for daily fed). At the same time, 5:2 birds showed signs of lower anxiety before feeding times (activity was reduced from 10.30 in daily fed to 4.85) which may be a result of the lower feed competition associated with larger portion sizes. Although we found no difference in latency to first head movement in tonic immobility between the treatments (136.5 s on average for both groups), 5:2 birds generally showed more interest in a novel object in the home pen which indicated increased risk taking and reduced fear while fasting. The 5:2 birds in this study showed no signs of learning the feeding schedule, and this unpredictability may also increase stress. Taken together, the effects of 5:2 vs. daily feed restriction on the welfare of broiler breeder pullets remain inconclusive and differ between feeding and fasting days. In addition to reducing stress by minimizing the number of fasting days, we suggest that a shift to more predictable schedules may help improve the welfare of broiler breeder pullets.


Geochemistry is a key tool in identifying sources of elements for both mineral exploration and environmental purposes. This study evaluates the first systematic regional hydrogeochemical survey for environmental assessments of the classic Andean copper mineral province and the Andina–Los Bronces mining district of Central Chile. One hundred and forty-five water samples were collected systematically in the Valparaíso and Metropolitana Regions of Central Chile, including the capital, Santiago. The concentrations of more than 70 elements and compounds were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography (IC) along with the stable isotopes (δD, δ18O, δ34S, δ18OSO4, δ15N and δ18ONO3) and used to define the geochemical baselines in the area and distinguish between different sources. The geochemistry demonstrates the potential to distinguish between natural (bedrock, hydrothermal alteration and mineralization) and anthropogenic (agriculture, sewage and urban) sources of elements. The distribution patterns of many chemicals show a strong correlation with the presence of evaporitic components (Ca, SO42-, Sr, K, Rb, total dissolved solids (TDS)), hydrothermal alteration and sulphide mineralization (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Co and REEs). High concentrations of nitrate, phosphate and alkalinity occur downstream of agricultural areas and reflect pollution from fertilizers. Overall, the catchment areas affected by mining activities are relatively small and highly localized compared to those affected by agriculture and urban centres. Supplementary material: A list of anomalously high element concentrations and specific isotopic compositions associated by source is available at: http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18799


This comparative study is based on two large surveys of privateland and forest owners in two Estonian counties. While more than half of Polvamaa is covered with forests, Laanemaa has a potential for summer tourism and second homes. We explore different rationales for obtaining landed property and analyse the individual property holders' relations to—and use of—landand forests. Based on the two interlinked restitution and privatisation processes from 1991 onwards, our surveys reveal two main rationales among the owners:emotional and economic. The owners' relations to the property are connected with legacies from both the interwar independence and the Soviet period. In addition, different rationalities, ambitions and attitudes are also related to how the property was obtained. In spite of the demand for land, many resituated landowners have chosen to maintain or recreate family property, even if the property was not actively used. In both Polvamaa and Laanemaa the emotional bonds to land are strong among the owners of restituted or inherited property, while this is a weaker factor among those who have obtained land or forest through privatisation.


Membrane proteins perform a host of vital cellular functions. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms whereby they fulfill these functions requires detailed biophysical and structural investigations. Detergents have proven pivotal to extract the protein from its native surroundings. Yet, they provide a milieu that departs significantly from that of the biological membrane, to the extent that the structure, the dynamics, and the interactions of membrane proteins in detergents may considerably vary, as compared to the native environment. Understanding the impact of detergents on membrane proteins is, therefore, crucial to assess the biological relevance of results obtained in detergents. Here, we review the strengths and weaknesses of alkyl phosphocholines (or foscholines), the most widely used detergent in solution-NMR studies of membrane proteins. While this class of detergents is often successful for membrane protein solubilization, a growing list of examples points to destabilizing and denaturing properties, in particular for α-helical membrane proteins. Our comprehensive analysis stresses the importance of stringent controls when working with this class of detergents and when analyzing the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins in alkyl phosphocholine detergents.


Taking maximum advantage of dynamic reconfiguration in the implementation of digital systems poses a number of challenging research problems. Specifically, techniques are needed to partition the system behavioral description into segments of computation (or "scheduling units"), and to define a reconfiguration schedule with respect to those units, so as to maximize the performance of the dynamically reconfigurable system, subject to the area constraints of the FPGA. We propose a methodology to: (1) perform a coarse-grained partitioning of the system behavioral description into a set of tasks, (2) determine which sub-set of tasks is to remain resident in the FPGA, and which sub-set is to be non resident, (3) generate a reconfiguration schedule for the non-resident tasks by specifying when such tasks should be loaded on to and erased from the FPGA.


Abiotic stress can alter key physiological constituents and functions in green plants. Improving the capacity to monitor this response in a non-destructive manner is of considerable interest, as it would offer a direct means of initiating timely corrective action. Given the vital role that plant pigments play in the photosynthetic process and general plant physiological condition, their accurate estimation would provide a means to monitor plant health and indirectly determine stress response. The aim of this work is to evaluate the response of leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid (Ct) content in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to changes in varying application levels of soil salinity and fertilizer applied over a complete growth cycle. The study also seeks to establish and analyze relationships between measurements from a SPAD-502 instrument and the leaf pigments, as extracted at the anthesis stage. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted in triplicate by employing distinct treatments of both soil salinity and fertilizer dose at three levels. Results showed that higher doses of fertilizer increased the content of leaf pigments across all levels of soil salinity. Likewise, increasing the level of soil salinity significantly increased the chlorophyll and Ct content per leaf area at all levels of applied fertilizer. However, as an adaptation process and defense mechanism under salinity stress, leaves were found to be thicker and narrower. Thus, on a per-plant basis, increasing salinity significantly reduced the chlorophyll (Chlt) and Ct produced under each fertilizer treatment. In addition, interaction effects of soil salinity and fertilizer application on the photosynthetic pigment content were found to be significant, as the higher amounts of fertilizer augmented the detrimental effects of salinity. A strong positive (R2 = 0.93) and statistically significant (p < 0.001) relationship between SPAD-502 values and Chlt and between SPAD-502 values and Ct content (R2 = 0.85) was determined based on a large (n = 277) dataset. We demonstrate that the SPAD-502 readings and plant photosynthetic pigment content per-leaf area are profoundly affected by salinity and nutrient stress, but that the general form of their relationship remains largely unaffected by the stress. As such, a generalized regression model can be used for Chlt and Ct estimation, even across a range of salinity and fertilizer gradients.


The layer-by-layer deposition of polymers onto surfaces allows the fabrication of multilayered materials for a wide range of applications, from drug delivery to biosensors. This work describes the analysis of complex formation between poly(acrylic acid) and methylcellulose in aqueous solutions using Biacore, a surface plasmon resonance analytical technique, traditionally used to examine biological interactions. This technique characterized the layer-by-layer deposition of these polymers on the surface of a Biacore sensor chip. The results were subsequently used to optimize the experimental conditions for sequential layer deposition on glass slides. The role of the solution pH and poly(acrylic acid) molecular weight on the formation of interpolymer multilayered coatings was researched, and showed that the optimal deposition of the polymer complexes was achieved at pHs ≤2.5 with a poly(acrylic acid) molecular weight of 450 kDa.


Sophia A. McClennen's paper, "Exilic Perspectives on 'Alien Nations'," is an excerpt from her book, The Dialectics of Exile: Nation, Time, Language and Space in Hispanic Literatures (Purdue UP , 2004). In the paper, McClennen summarizes her theory that exile writing is inherently dialectical. Focusing on writers working in the latter part of the twentieth century who were exiled during a historical moment of increasing globalization, transnational economics, and the theoretical shifts of postmodernism, McClennen proposes that exile literature is best understood as a series of dialectic tensions about cultural identity. Through a comparative analysis of Juan Goytisolo (Spain), Ariel Dorfman (Chile) and Cristina Peri Rossi (Uruguay), McClennen addresses dilemmas central to debates over cultural identity such as nationalism versus globalization, time as historical or cyclical, language as representationally accurate or disconnected from reality, and social space as utopic or dystopic. After presenting an overview of her book, McClennen then focuses on the ways exile writers construct what she calls an "Alien Nation" where competing and contrasting visions of the relationship between the exile and the nation intersect and contradict. Sophia A. McClennen, "Exilic Perspectives on 'Alien Nations'" page 2 of 11 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 7.1 (2005):


This paper estimates the effect of environmental regulation on industry location and compares it with other determinants of location such as agricultural, education and R&D country characteristics. The analysis is based on a general empirical trade model that captures the interaction between country and industry characteristics in determining industry location. The Johnson-Neyman technique is used to fully explicate the nature of the conditional interactions. The model is applied to data on 16 manufacturing industries from 13 European countries. The empirical results indicate that the pollution haven effect is present and that the relative strength of such an effect is of about the same magnitude as other determinants of industry location. A significant negative effect on industry location is observed only at relatively high levels of industry pollution intensity.


Delays are perhaps the most common and costly problem encountered in construction and civil
engineering projects worldwide. According to the owner's requirements, in the Libyan
construction industry, the owner's supervisor (OS) - either an individual supervisor engineer (SE)
or a consultant organization (CO) - represents the owner on the construction site and plays an
important role in monitoring the implementation of the consultant's (design team's) plans This
involves monitoring the performance of the contractor and reducing the owner's risk of any
liability or contractor claims. The OS also attempts to ensure that the owner's targets are met in
terms of the three main criteria of time, cost and quality. The OS has clearly defined guidelines
and procedures to monitor quality and budget. However, monitoring time, and protecting the
owner from any claims, is a more problematic task.
One of the OS's important roles is to ensure that the project remains on schedule, hence to protect
the client from delays and associated claims. However, there are no existing means of
determining the OSs' effectiveness in performing this task. In this thesis, a review of relevant
literature is combined with a field survey of experts in the supervision of Libyan construction
projects, to develop a method of assessing the effectiveness of both SEs and COs regarding
construction project delays. This method produces a set of weighted criteria, which generates
scores according to SEs' and COs1 performances as perceived by those surveyed. The results
indicate that Libyan SEs are currently deficient in a number of areas, particularly communication
skills; obtained scientific, technical and legal knowledge; knowledge in dealing with claims;
previous experience; and knowledge and use of modern techniques. The results indicate that
Libyan COs are less deficient in a number of areas, but are most deficient in terms of motivation,
and quality systems.
The results have implications for the selection and appointment of Supervisor Engineers and for
their professional development needs.
This research also investigates causes of delay in construction projects in Libya. The most
frequent delay causes in Libyan construction projects are: delay in owner payments to the
XIcontractor; long administrative routines; instability of material prices; frequent adjustments and
additional work ordered by owner; delay in administrative processes carried by owner's
supervisor; unavailability of spare parts in the local market; supervisor delays in decision making
and taking action on time; lack of or bad application of modern planning techniques by the
contractor; the delay in communication between the supervisor and the owner to obtain required
approval or permission; and unclear drawings and specifications prepared by the consultant.


REIMAGINING THE CHALK TALK: ANIMATED HANDWRITING AS A SOCIAL CUE TO IMPROVE MOTIVATION IN MULTIMEDIA VIDEO LESSONS Hillary C. Kaplowitz Old Dominion University, 2018 Director: Dr. Ginger S. Watson Animated handwriting in multimedia video lessons, such as those popularized by the Khan Academy, has reimagined the classic teaching technique of writing on a chalkboard while lecturing for online delivery. This digital chalk talk effect mimics classroom lectures where words are written letter by letter on a chalkboard as they are spoken. Low-cost applications, tablets, and document cameras allow instructors at all levels to easily create their own animated handwritten videos. As adoption increases, it is important to understand the effects of this strategy. This study employed a true experimental, between-subjects, posttest design that compared multimedia lessons with different text display formats on outcomes of motivation, mental effort, and learning. Undergraduate student volunteers (n = 234) from a large U.S., West Coast, regional, four-year public university were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: Animated handwritten, animated typewritten, or static typewritten. Each group watched a different version of a five-segment, twelve-minute multimedia lesson about cryptography. Lessons differed only in the visual text display format and contained identical narration and content. Results indicated that multimedia with animated handwritten text produced strong social cues motivating learners. Participants who viewed the animated handwriting reported significantly greater social agency attitudes toward the learning experience than with static typewritten text. They perceived the narrator's voice as more dynamic with animated handwriting when compared to static, even though the voice was identical. They also reported more attention to the lesson and materials with animated handwriting than either animated typewritten or static typewritten. These motivational gains are accomplished without introducing extraneous cognitive load or negatively impacting learning outcomes. Significant findings from this research demonstrated that animated handwritten text is more than just a signaling strategy. The combination of text being hand-drawn and appearing as if a real person is writing it in real time adds a powerful social cue. Results of this study demonstrate that using animated handwriting in multimedia video lessons is an effective way to increase motivation through social cues that can be accomplished without requiring expansive technical knowledge, expensive equipment or extensive time investments.


Introduction The global prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) is 16%, representing more than 20 million infants worldwide, of which 96% are born in low-income countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, predictors and perinatal outcomes of LBW newborns. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of data obtained from the hospital's obstetric and neonatal database. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were performed with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The prevalence of LBW was 21% (n = 8,011) and two-thirds of these were delivered at term. Seven percent of newborns were stillbirths and 2% died within 24hrs after birth. Logistic regression revealed that primigravida and grand multiparity were associated with LBW (OR: 1.25, 95%CI: 1.15-1.37; and OR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.01-1.25, respectively). Having <4 antenatal care (ANC) visits was associated with increased odds of LBW (OR: 1.74, 95%CI: 1.59-1.87). Regression models revealed an independent association between LBW and increased odds of stillbirths (OR = 7.20, 95%CI 6.71-7.90), low Apgar score (OR = 3.42, 95%CI: 3.12-3.76) and early neonatal deaths (OR = 1.82, 95%CI: 1.51-2.19). Conclusion The prevalence of LBW was high and was associated with extreme maternal age groups, grand multiparity, low maternal education, low number of ANC visits and obstetrics risks factors and complications. Both LBW and prematurity were independently associated with poor perinatal outcome. Future interventions should focus on improving the quality of ANC and integrating peripartum emergency obstetric and neonatal care.


Citacion: Abstract The species of the strictly Neotropical ophionine wasp genus Alophophion Cushman, 1947 are revised. New descriptions of all previously named species are provided, except Alophophion holosericeus (Taschenberg, 1875) for which the type series is lost and the name is herein considered a nomen dubium. The female of A. flavorufus (Brulle, 1846) is described for the first time. Four informal species groups are proposed based on the morphology of the mandibles, development of the malar space, and general proportions of the head (i.e., development of the face and gena). Whereas the genus previously included only seven named species, it is here expanded to include 49 species (not including the aforementioned nomen dubium), 43 of which are newly discovered and described and thereby increasing the diversity by over eight times. A key to the four species groups and their included taxa is provided. Alophophion is confined to cold and/or dry areas of subequatorial South America, with the exception of A. mancocapaci new species and A. pedroi new species which occur incloud forests around Cuzco, Peru. The genus is newly recorded from Bolivia and Ecuador, and more extensive and accurate distributions are summarized for A. chilensis, A. flavorufus , and A. politus. Alophophion flavorufus is newly recorded from Argentina.


A kinetic model is derived to study the successive movements of particles, described by a Poisson process, as well as their generation. The irreversible thermodynamics of this system is also studied from the kinetic model. This makes it possible to evaluate the differences between thermodynamical quantities computed exactly and up to second-order. Such differences determine the range of validity of the second-order approximation to extended irreversible thermodynamics.


Few studies have investigated the ability of national conservation networks to adapt to changes in underlying environmental drivers (such as precipitation) and their consequences for factors such as human density and species richness patterns. In this article, the South African avifauna is used as the basis for such analysis to ascertain the likely extent of current, and future, anthropogenic impacts on priority conservation areas. We show that human population pressure is high in or around most of these priority areas and is likely to increase, given the magnitude of post-climate change estimated from predicted changes in precipitation and relationships between species richness, human densities, and rainfall. Although additional conservation areas, such as the Important Bird Area (IBA) network, are likely to introduce valuable flexibility to conservation management, only limited options are available for such expansions, and the conservation value of these areas is likely to be compromised by changing climate. Ultimately, a more integrated conservation approach is needed for effective conservation policies. Such an approach should confer adequate protection on current reserves and emphasize sustainable utilization of non-reserve areas.