The recovery of the economies of MERCOSUR, and the disturbances that the recent crises generated in the region have motivated reconsideration of the medium term prospects of the integration project. This paper tries to contribute to this activity with a brief analysis of regional macroeconomic interactions, and a discussion in broad terms of incentives and restrictions for macroeconomic cooperation in the specific conditions of the region. The themes that play through the discussion are that (i) the lack of a shared concrete perspective about the role of MERCOSUR for the growth of the national economies has limited the perception of the integration project as a valuable and permanent economic undertaking, which would place individual policies in a context of repeated interactions within a partnership; (ii) macroeconomic spillovers in the region have mainly originated in large fluctuations in national economies associated with crises where the sustainability of past observed trends was put into question; (iii) on several occasions, the countries of MERCOSUR have shown substantial differences in their approach to economic policies, including prominently the management of key macroeconomic instruments; (iv) uncertainties about how (and why) the integration scheme would evolve, and doubts about the incentives and reliability of the partners in their macroeconomic management have induced centrifugal forces, especially in times of economic turbulence; (v) in order to become a progressive project it seems that MERCOSUR would need to go about developing a set of shared views about the growth strategies of the economies, and the part of the regional agreement in them, which would proceed pari passu with advances in macroeconomic cooperation; (vi) these would include a non-trivial activity of searching for a certain convergence of "macromodels" of analysis and policy-making (not equivalent to uniformity of policies) and a routine of consultations that would facilitate implementing common actions when circumstances require.""


Fishermen involved in marketing and distribution of their daily fish catch incur additional cost apart from fishing. This study analyzed the costs and returns of artisanal fishing activity in Kebbi State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select 82 fishermen which constituted the sample size for the study. Descriptive statistics and net return model were used to analyze data collected. Results revealed that 47.1% were within the age range of 25-40 years, 11.8% had formal education and 84.4% were engaged in fishing as their major occupation. The average investment of a fisherman in the study area was estimated at N 64, 267, while net returns from sales of fresh fish varied between N 58.22 and N 208.2 for whole sellers and retailers respectively. The study concludes that although fishing is profitable, the return on investment is low thereby leaving the operators vulnerable to loss in case of downward shift in market price of fish. The study recommends that more fishermen should be encouraged to seek for alternative sources of income, while others are provided with fishing inputs or trained on modern fishing techniques and fish farming. Inactive fishermen cooperatives should be strengthened for better bargaining power for higher returns.


Observed streamflow of headwater catchments of the Tarim River (Central Asia) increased by about 30% over the period 1957–2004. This study aims at assessing to which extent these streamflow trends can be attributed to changes in air temperature or precipitation. The analysis includes a data‐based approach using multiple linear regression and a simulation‐based approach using a hydrological model. The hydrological model considers changes in both glacier area and surface elevation. It was calibrated using a multiobjective optimization algorithm with calibration criteria based on glacier mass balance and daily and interannual variations of discharge. The individual contributions to the overall streamflow trends from changes in glacier geometry, temperature, and precipitation were assessed using simulation experiments with a constant glacier geometry and with detrended temperature and precipitation time series. The results showed that the observed changes in streamflow were consistent with the changes in temperature and precipitation. In the Sari‐Djaz catchment, increasing temperatures and related increase of glacier melt were identified as the dominant driver, while in the Kakshaal catchment, both increasing temperatures and increasing precipitation played a major role. Comparing the two approaches, an advantage of the simulation‐based approach is the fact that it is based on process‐based relationships implemented in the hydrological model instead of statistical links in the regression model. However, data‐based approaches are less affected by model parameter and structural uncertainties and typically fast to apply. A complementary application of both approaches is recommended.


In 1949, construction of the planned town of Nowa Huta (New Steel Mill) began on the outskirts of Krakow, Poland. Its centerpiece, the Lenin Steelworks, promised a secure future for workers and their families. By the 1980s, however, the rise of the Solidarity movement and the ensuing shock therapy program of the early 1990s rapidly transitioned the country from socialism to a market-based economy, and Nowa Huta fell on hard times. Kinga Pozniak shows how the remarkable political, economic, and social upheavals since the end of the Second World War have profoundly shaped the historical memory of these events in the minds of the people who lived through them. Through extensive interviews, she finds three distinct, generationally based framings of the past. Those who built the town recall the might of local industry and plentiful jobs. The following generation experienced the uprisings of the 1980s and remembers the repression and dysfunction of the socialist system and their resistance to it. Today's generation has no direct experience with either socialism or Solidarity, yet as residents of Nowa Huta they suffer the stigma of lower-class stereotyping and marginalization from other Poles. Pozniak examines the factors that lead to the rewriting of history and the formation of memory, and the use of history to sustain current political and economic agendas. She finds that despite attempts to create a hegemonic vision of the past and a path for the future, these discourses are always contested - a dynamic that, for the residents of Nowa Huta, allows them to adapt as their personal experience tells them.


Abstract. Inverse models use observations of a system (observation vector) to quantify the variables driving that system (state vector) by statistical optimization. When the observation vector is large, such as with satellite data, selecting a suitable dimension for the state vector is a challenge. A state vector that is too large cannot be effectively constrained by the observations, leading to smoothing error. However, reducing the dimension of the state vector leads to aggregation error as prior relationships between state vector elements are imposed rather than optimized. Here we present a method for quantifying aggregation and smoothing errors as a function of state vector dimension, so that a suitable dimension can be selected by minimizing the combined error. Reducing the state vector within the aggregation error constraints can have the added advantage of enabling analytical solution to the inverse problem with full error characterization. We compare three methods for reducing the dimension of the state vector from its native resolution: (1) merging adjacent elements (grid coarsening), (2) clustering with principal component analysis (PCA), and (3) applying a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) with Gaussian pdfs as state vector elements on which the native-resolution state vector elements are projected using radial basis functions (RBFs). The GMM method leads to somewhat lower aggregation error than the other methods, but more importantly it retains resolution of major local features in the state vector while smoothing weak and broad features.


For some twenty years after the Second World War, Keynesian economic policies in countries of the capitalist West were successful in generating rapid growth with high employment. This `golden age of capitalism' did not survive the economic traumas of the 1970s; nor has the more recent emphasis on monetarist policies and supply-side performance succeeded in regenerating comparable growth rates. Blending historical analysis with economic theory, this book seeks to understand the making and unmaking of this `golden age', questions the basis of much present policy-making, and suggests alternative directions for policy.


The United States government's preventive counterterrorism strategy is no secret. As the U.S. government adopted a no-tolerance policy to apprehending the 9/11 terrorists, a fear-stricken public watched images of nefarious, dark-skinned, and bearded Muslims flash across millions of television screens. The message was, if there had ever been any doubt, that the 9/11 attacks confirmed Muslims and Arabs are inherently violent and intent on destroying the American way of life. Heightened scrutiny of these communities was thus perceived as not only warranted, but a rational response to an existential threat to the country.Ten years later, the 9/11 terrorist attacks appear to have succeeded in transforming the American way of life for the worse. In our hasty passage of the expansive PATRIOT Act, our fears gave way to the government's demand for unfettered discretion to preserve national security at the expense of civil liberties for all Americans. As a consequence, America has come to resemble a police state where government surveillance extends into almost every aspect of life. This article focuses on three of the most powerful components of the counterterrorism preventive paradigm and the significant risks they pose to the civil rights and civil liberties of the communities most targeted by the policies - Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. Section I examines the adverse consequences of the government's use of religiosity as a proxy for terrorism. The current preventative paradigm for countering terrorism risks infringing on First Amendment protected activities and misdirects limited law enforcement resources away from criminal activity. In addition to wasting limited resources, religious and racial profiling erodes trust between law enforcement and Muslim communities. To the extent constructive relations between communities and law enforcement bolsters public safety, the government has an interest in curtailing arbitrary and overreaching counterterrorism enforcement. Section II demonstrates the aggressive use of "material support to terrorism" as the fall back against individuals that the government cannot prove are engaged in terrorism. Indeed, the charges are found in most "terrorism-related" cases where a government informant plays a leading role in the attempted plot. The far-reaching and devastating effects of broadly interpreted material support laws on American Muslim charities and Muslim donors, as well as the broader American nonprofit sector, effectively criminalize otherwise legitimate charitable giving, peace building, and human rights advocacy. As a result, religious freedom rights are chilled as Muslims are deterred from practicing their faith fully from fear of inviting unwanted government scrutiny. In addition to calling for more judicious enforcement of material support laws not based on political ideology or religious belief, this paper argues for the need for a specific intent requirement in the law as a means of ensuring innocent but unpopular individuals are not targeted for prosecution. Section III focuses on the most recent and troubling developments in the preventive paradigm – the racial subtext of homegrown terrorism as a "Muslims only" club. The current debate about homegrown terrorism facilitates selective and arbitrary enforcement of counterterrorism laws against Muslims, while many non-Muslims commit or attempt to commit deadly acts of terror undetected. Notwithstanding the rise in terrorism by militias and right wing extremists, law enforcement has developed counterterrorism strategies based on essentialist stereotypes of terrorists as religious Muslims. Some Congressional leaders have followed suit by calling for more aggressive scrutiny of mosques, Muslim community organizations, and Muslim student groups. Furthermore, they seek to deputize Muslim religious leaders to spy on their congregations with little regard for the broad, adverse implications on religious freedom for all Americans. The article concludes by calling for smarter, more efficient policies that focus on criminal activity rather than false stereotypes that stigmatize entire communities as suspicious and disloyal. To the extent that Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians are the "miner's canary" in forecasting the post-9/11 loss of civil rights and liberties for all Americans, their experiences demonstrate America's downward progression away from the Founding Fathers' vision of a society where individuals can speak, assemble, and practice their faith free of government intervention or persecution.


The EU external energy policy has triggered heated debate among policymakers, regulators, academia and industrial stakeholders over recent decades. This article maintains that the gas sector has been of less interest to all these parties, because of its inertia and relative backwardness, compared to the electricity and renewable energy industries. However, since the Russia-Ukraine gas disputes, matters related to Euro-Mediterranean gas cooperation are back at the forefront of the energy agenda. The ever-changing nature of the EU external energy policy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is analysed in this paper by looking at the influence that EU economic interests and approach have had on the southern neighbourhood. The paper provides an overview of the political economy of gas industry development in the EU and its relationship with exporting countries in the Mediterranean basin. It further explores how EU actions and influence as rule promoter are able to provide a valid template for the emerging regulatory framework in the region. While the changing relationship with its southern neighbourhood can be described as part of the process of progressive securitization of energy matters, EU influence can hardly be described as the focal point of gas dynamics in the Mediterranean region. Member States' gas policies appear to have a greater traction, in consideration also of their vast and long term economic commitments.


Research on early compulsory schooling laws finds minimal effects on attendance but fails to investigate heterogeneous effects. Similarly, research proposes limited contexts in which expansion policies can increase equality but has difficulty separating policy and cohort effects. Capitalizing on within-country variation in timing of early compulsory laws, passed 1852 to 1918, I ask whether they improved equality of school attendance or educational attainment by class, nativity, and race. Based on census data, compulsory laws increased equality of attendance and attainment, particularly among young men in the North, where the laws reduced class and race gaps by over 20%. Early compulsory schooling laws provided "hidden gains," missed in previous analyses, suggesting policies that raise minimum schooling can increase educational equality in certain contexts.


There is more political thought in the Nights than would appear at first sight. Political concerns are to the fore in the story collection's exordium. Some of the stories can be seen as belonging to the mirror-for-princes genre and, if much of their content seems banal, this was usually true of the nonfictional essays in the genre. It is also true that philosophers sometimes used fables as vehicles for their thoughts on politics. Though criticism of tyranny and the positing of alternative societies are quite rare in Islamic literature, examples of both can be found in the Nights.


Sediment-dwelling biota such as mollusks (clam) and crabs collected from mangrove areas of the Calabar River are important routes of exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) contamination. Residual levels of OCPs including HCHs, DDTs, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, endrin ketone, entrin aldehyde, dieldrin, endosulfan, endosulfan sulphate, methoxychlor, were determined in these organisms. The results revealed the OCP loads to be predominated by DDTs and HCHs (much of which was derived from illegal usage of GAMMALIN 20 for fishing) with the overall means of 49.6 and 35.1 ng/g wet weight (ww), respectively, at 100% frequencies of occurrence. Concentrations of other OCP components were generally low and were not detected in all biota samples. This probably reflects low utilization of these OCPs in the region and/or low bioaccumulation potential in the biota species. In general, the OCP concentrations were higher in freshwater mollusks and crabs than in brackish water, indicating that freshwater biota were more easily influenced by OCPs than their brackish water counterparts. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant relationship between lipid content (LC) or body size of organisms and contaminant load, probably because of the non-equilibrium situation: smaller animals accumulated more OCPs than their larger counterparts, suggesting different uptake and elimination rates for these compounds. Biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) for DDTs and HCHs varied among the organisms and were in the ranges 1.02 – 9.78 and 0.74 – 8.72, respectively, indicating probably that HCHs were less bio-available in the river than DDTs. They were generally lower for highly polluted site (UMA; freshwater area) and higher for areas of low anthropogenic pressure (MR- brackish water area). Risk assessment matched against various standards clearly showed that the biota were highly contaminated with HCHs and DDTs, and may pose serious health threats to local inhabitants of the catchments. Furthermore, other selected OCPs such as heptachlor and dieldrin may in addition pose life-time cancer risk, especially to residents of the riverine/coastal communities who often consume more of these organisms than those living inland.


"The Awakening and Selected Stories" is Kate Chopin's groundbreaking depiction of a woman who dares to defy the expectations of society in the pursuit of her desire, edited with an introduction by Sandra M. Gilbert in "Penguin Classics". When "The Awakening" was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its author's reputation. But a century after her death, it is widely regarded as Kate Chopin's great achievement. Through careful, subtle changes of style, Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother, who - with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life, and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom. In her introduction, Sandra M. Gilbert considers the issues explored in the novel and the stories collected here (including "Emancipation", "At the cadian Ball", and "Desiree's baby") from their growth out of the feminist literary tradition of the nineteenth century, to their place among other concerns of fin de siecle writers in America and Europe, to their impact on contemporary feminist writing. Katherine O'Flaherty (1850-1904), known by her married name Kate Chopin, was an American author of short stories and novels. Her works appeared in literary magazines and popular American periodicals of the day, including "Vogue and The Atlantic". In 1899, her second novel, "The Awakening", was published to much outrage and harsh criticism based upon moral, rather than literary, standards. If you enjoyed "The Awakening and Selected Stories", you might enjoy Jean Rhys's "Good Morning Midnight", also available in "Penguin Classics".


Acta Medica, as an online open access journal, has completed the third year in the scientific field in 2014. In Volume 3, compared to Volume 2, the number of articles accepted for publication increased by about 30% reflecting the increased submissions. In Volume 3, of the articles, the distribution according to submission type in terms of case report, original article, review and other types was 32%, 27%, 23% and 18%, respectively. As Acta Medica, we would like to thank all authors and reviewers who were involved in the progression and improvement of Acta Medica. We would like to specifically mention the support of Prof. Murat Tuncer, Rector, Prof. Bulent Sivri, Dean, and Prof. Mustafa Aldur, Associate Dean of the Medical Faculty of Hacettepe University, whose continuous encouragement and support create us an innovative and independent environment. Additionally, we also thank Hakan Balci and Engin Helvaci for their admirable technical help. In 2014, the second "Scientific Writing Course" was established with great contribution of Prof. Levent Ozcakar. The course was very much inspiring to the attendants and we received extensive positive feedback. The total number of applications to the second course was 66, however we were able to accept 40 applicants for the course. The topics included techniques for manuscript writing, strategies for manuscript submission, revisions of manuscripts submitted to Acta Medica by Prof. Levent Ozcakar, presentation by HT-TTM Project Office, EndNote by Asist. Prof. Ceren Sucularli, and SPSS by Dr. Sevilay Karahan. In 2015, we are planning to organize "Scientific Writing Course" for the third time on March 14th with the planned applicant number of 75. A very special day for Turkish physicians will be the day of our course. We plan to introduce you the experienced Editors of very valuable medical journals in Turkey, in addition to an overview of EndNote and Biostatistics. This year we had two more motivating advancements. First of all, we had the opportunity of having a Language Editor. Assist. Prof. Sinem Husnu, one of the enthusiastic attendants of the "Scientific Writing Course" later became the Language Editorfor Acta Medica and joined our Editorial Team. We appreciate Dr. Husnu's passion and dedicated contributions. Secondly, an EndNote style was added to Acta Medica's web page with kind efforts of Dr. Ceren Sucularli. You can follow the newly accepted articles through our twitter account of @ActaMedica. We hope the number of followers will increase with your interest. Acta Medica, has targets anymore in terms of proceeding. The more submissions made to Acta Medica, the more chance Acta Medica has to be a journal involved in databases. We want you to accompany our passion, witness and be a part of the successes of Acta Medica.


I. INTRODUCTION Rapid innovation is occurring in the design of propulsion systems for the cars, light passenger trucks, and heavier commercial trucks that dominate the modern transportation systems in both the developed world and in emerging economies. (1) A common theme in these innovations is diminished use of petroleum to power the movement of people and goods. The desire to reduce petroleum use is rooted in both energy security and environmental concerns. Although some scholars question the severity of the security risks (2) or the environmental risks (3) of petroleum dependence, few scholars deny the significance of both risks. Since there is a large literature on the risks of petroleum dependence, we summarize here only some of the key concerns. From a security perspective, a national economy that depends on petroleum for transportation is vulnerable to unexpected supply disruptions and to the unpredictable behavior of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the coalition of oil-exporting nations that restricts global oil supplies and holds the price of oil above the level that would be observed in a highly competitive market. (4) Inflated world oil prices are also believed to play a perverse, indirect role in international affairs. For example, the inflated flow of oil dollars from oil-importing to oil-exporting countries is believed to sustain a future for autocratic regimes that violate human rights, condone terrorism, and oppose pro-democracy efforts around the world. (5) From an environmental perspective, oil use causes environmental damage throughout the supply chain, from the oil spills that occur during exploration, extraction, and transport of crude oil, to the vehicle tailpipe emissions that contribute to the unhealthy levels of smog and soot in urban air. (6) More recently, the dominant environmental concern has been climate change resulting from an increase in greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, which is exacerbated by the heavy use of petroleum to power vehicles. (7) In this article, prepared on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), our primary objective is to highlight the influential role that EPA is playing in the rapid innovation that is underway in the transport sector of the U.S. economy. Although we acknowledge that EPA is not the only governmental actor influencing the innovation process, we argue that EPA--through a variety of older and newer regulatory authorities created by Congress and judicial interpretation--is a key player in the public policy debate surrounding emerging transportation technologies. EPA is making significant decisions that will change the future of propulsion systems used in the United States and around the world. Our objective is not to make a normative argument as to whether EPA's influence has been--or will be--beneficial or harmful to the public interest, or to second guess whether EPA is making the most prudent decisions given the current state of knowledge regarding the viability of alternative transport technologies. Instead, we make a positive claim that we live in a world where agencies such as EPA have a meaningful degree of discretion to influence market decisions and technological futures and that EPA is likely to play a significant role in the future of automotive propulsion systems in the United States. We acknowledge that EPA shares responsibility for transport alternatives with a number of other agencies--including the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)--but we conclude that EPA plays a unique and influential role. Since we conclude that EPA decisions are significant in this arena, we encourage talented students of law, policy, economics, science, and engineering to consider making a professional contribution to this important federal agency. …


Despite its known importance, relatively few studies have focused on studying the effects of Intellectual Capital Components (ICC) on the economic competitiveness, determining related elements and relationships exists between them to assess its consequences. This study was designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the problem. After a literature review, fifteen related elements, obtained from the previous studies, were collected. A Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) was used to determine the relations exists between the elements, where the opinions of fifteen experts were applied when making related decisions. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis. The results showed relations exist between all fifteen elements, where all of them were confirmed using FCM representation.


Two women, Florence Houteff and Lois Roden, attained positions of leadership in the Davidian and Branch Davidian traditions. This article examines how they achieved, maintained, and eventually lost power. Several factors, including money, visions, and legal strategies contributed to their successes, but marriage to the founders of the two movements and the precedent of the influential female Adventist leader, Ellen White, helped to legitimate Florence Houteff and Lois Roden as leaders of their religious communities. Once they had assumed leadership roles, they proved themselves by innovative, radical, and convincing teachings based on scripture. Florence Houteff's leadership foundered on failed prophecy. Lois Roden lost leadership in a succession struggle between her son, George Roden, and Vernon Howell/David Koresh. Both prevailed briefly as leaders because of the persuasiveness of their religious authority.


The analysis of crude oil by means of different atmospheric pressure ionization (API) techniques is described. Crude oil is analysed without any separation prior to API-Fourier transform mass spectrometry. The use of a quadrupole/hexapole device to selectively enhance a certain mass range is demonstrated. Automated generation of molecular formulas from accurate mass measurements enables rapid compound identification.


IZA DP No. 12168 FEBRUARY 2019 All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Wages and Education for US Immigrants* Many destination countries consider implementing points-based migration systems as a way to improve migrants' quality, but our understanding of the actual effects of selective policies is limited. We use data from the ACS 2001-2017 to analyze the overlap in the wage distribution of lowand high-educated recent migrants from different origins after controlling for other observable characteristics. When we randomly match a highwith a low-educated immigrant from the same country, more than one-quarter of time the loweducated immigrant has a higher hourly wage, notwithstanding a statistically significant difference in the mean wage of the two groups for most origins. For 98 out of 114 countries, this synthetic measure of the overlap in the two wage distributions stands above the corresponding figure for natives. We also find that at least 82 percent of the variance in log wages for migrants with a given number of years of schooling is due to differences within rather than across countries. This suggests that heavily relying on education to select immigrants might fail to markedly improve their quality. JEL Classification: F22, J24


Abstract Large diameter steel line pipes are generally produced by cold deforming hot rolled or thermomechanically controlled rolled (TMCR) plate by the three-stage 'UOE' process. Pipe strength has been found to increase or decrease relative to the plate, depending on the steel grade and plate processing history. The strength increase is due to work hardening whereas any decrease in strength arises from the Bauschinger effect due to the reverse cold deformation of the UOE process. The steel chemistry, through the presence of strengthening microalloy precipitates, and prior processing, through the size and distribution of microalloy precipitates and the presence of retained work hardening, affect the magnitude of the Bauschinger effect. In the present work, the microstructures of two microalloyed (Nb and Nb+V) steel plates have been examined in terms of their grain size distributions, microalloy precipitate type, size and volume fraction to determine the major contributions to the plate strength levels. It has been found that both steels are primarily strengthened by a combination of grain size refinement and precipitate strengthening. Compression–tension testing has been carried out to determine the Bauschinger parameters for the two steels. The Bauschinger stress parameter, defined for the yield point (0˙1% of reverse deformation), was higher for the Nb+V steel (greater microalloying content) than the Nb steel. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations are being used to determine dislocation–dislocation and precipitate–dislocation interactions and how the spatial inhomogeneity in precipitate distribution affects the Bauschinger parameters.


Despite improvements in the science of climate forecasting, the application of forecasts faces key challenges. Prominent among such challenges is the fact that certain subgroupings of end users of climate information remain excluded from its potential benefits, or underserved. This paper suggests that such an omission may occur in part due to a lack of sophistication in the way the end user is viewed in the field of forecast applications research. End-user studies working both at generic and finer scales are cited, identifying reasons why certain user groups may be excluded from potential benefits of the forecast system. A case study in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, shows more specifically how one characteristic, namely gender, may determine such exclusion. The paper concludes by considering recommendations to improve inclusivity of climate information systems.


Ethnic conflicts often involve a delegitimation of the rival ethnic community and its national aspirations. This, I suggest, can impel the community in question to legitimate its politics through ethical principles, which in turn may affect its policies. An abiding non-recognition of the ethnonational movement from within and without may engender ethical transformation and policy reorientation. Empirically, I trace the emergence, evolvement and possible effects of the Zionist 'Iron Wall' ethics. The original concept comprised the horizon of Arab recognition and peace, the strategy of containment, and the moral pillars of reciprocal self-determination and the lesser injustice. Iron Wall ethics, while constantly challenged, predominated much of Zionism's history, culminating in the 1990s peace process. However, in the wake of the Second Palestinian Intifada, a prevailing assertion that the Arabs would never accept Israel's right to exist has undermined the Iron Wall's original ideals, rewriting its strategic prescription.


This study looked at the most important problems from previously discovered issues of learning Russian, focusing on the students at the University of Victoria. Conclusions made would help professors know the future steps to be taken in assisting students in becoming proficient in Russian. Two groups of students were studied: a group only recently introduced to proper pronunciation and another group who worked extensively for three months on techniques for proper pronunciation. From the two groups of participants, recordings were used to compare the groups to see which problems were apparent at the beginning and which problems continued into higher levels of learning. For both groups, the most important problem was word stress, which, in Russian, differs greatly from English. Other issues found included vowel reduction, palatalization of vowels, assimilation of prepositions to the following word, and intonation. However, the group who worked extensively on these pronunciation issues showed far more improvement than those only introduced to the concepts. It was also discovered that these issues are not resolved subconsciously, and a great deal of time must be spent focusing on them to ensure pronunciation problems do not continue into the more advanced levels of Russian learning. Future steps to be taken in research pertaining to Russian language learning would include how much emphasis instructors of Russian should put on these issues and when the problems disappear.


Earthquake is considered as one of the most catastrophic disasters in Iran, in terms of both short-term and longterm hazards. Due to the particular financial and time constraints in Iran, quickly constructed post-earthquake houses (PEHs) do not fulfill the minimum requirements to be considered as comfortable dwellings for people. Consequently, people often transform PEHs after they start to reside. However, lack of understanding about process, motivation, and results of housing transformation leads to construction of some houses not suitable for future transformations, hence resulting in eventually demolished or abandoned PEHs. This study investigated housing transformations in a natural bed of postearthquake Lar. This paper reports results of the conducted survey for comparing normal condition housing transformation with postearthquake housing transformation in order to reveal the factors that affect post-earthquake housing transformation in Iran. The findings proposed the use of a combination of 'Temporary' and 'Permanent' housing reconstruction models in Iran to provide victims with basic but permanent post-disaster dwellings. It is also suggested that needs for future transformation should be predicted and addressed during early stages of design and development. This study contributes to both research and practice regarding post-earthquake housing reconstruction in Iran by proposing new design approaches and guidelines. Keywords—Housing transformation, Iran, Lar, post-earthquake housing.


This dissertation addresses signaling mechanisms involved in thyroid carcinoma formation, with a view of identifying novel levels for therapeutic intervention. In this frame, appended manuscripts II, III and IV focus on the functional characterization of a novel BRAF mutation and on molecular targeting of RET or BRAF pathways in thyroid cancer. The main body of the dissertation describes a novel signaling mechanism that we have identified in thyroid carcinomas harboring BRAF or RET/PTC oncogenes and that involves CD44. CD44, a cell surface adhesion molecule overexpressed in a wide range of cancer types, undergoes sequential proteolytic cleavage at the extracellular and intramembrane domains. This results in the shedding of the ectodomain (ectoCD44) and in the intracellular release of an intracellular fragment (CD44-ICD). CD44-ICD is translocated to the nucleus and activates gene transcription. Our group has previously demonstrated that CD44 is overexpressed in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tissue samples and in cell lines harboring RET/PTC or BRAF oncogenes. Here, we show that RET/PTC signaling induces γ-secretase-dependent CD44 proteolysis through the ERK pathway. Chemical blockade of either RET/PTC or MEK abrogates CD44 cleavage. Adoptive overexpression of CD44-ICD stimulates TSH-independent proliferation of thyroid follicular PC cells. CD44-ICD binds to CREB and stimulates CREB-mediated transcription in PC cells by potentiating CREB S133 phosphorylation. Through this mechanism, CD44-ICD up-regulates cyclin D1 expression and proliferation of thyroid cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that ERK kinase pathway-mediated CD44 cleavage sustains proliferation of thyrocytes harboring RET/PTC, RAS or BRAF oncogenes. This novel pathway may provide new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in thyroid carcinoma.


The writer is of the opinion that government intervention is the probable cause of suburban sprawl in American cities. Two types of sprawl  are discussed, namely, sprawl which results due to to the creation of suburbs and sprawl arising from the inability to be mobile without the use of one's personal transport. The writer makes use of comparative tables and statistics to add credibility to the findings. The school system, the creation of highways, making jay-walking a crime and the legal obligation to provide huge parking lots for shopping centres are some of the unusual reasons why  there has been excessive sprawl in American cities.
Solutions are suggested to counter government intervention.  Although the study is USA based, book could  have universal appeal. However, as acknowledged by the writer,  the cost that will have to be incurrred, may be a barrier.


Boron was incorporated into GaN in order to determine its limits of solubility, its ability of reducing the lattice constant mismatch with 6H-SiC, as well as its effects on the structural and optical properties of GaN epilayers. B x Ga l-x N films were deposited on 6H-SiC (0001) substrates at 950 °C by low pressure MOVPE using diborane, trimethylgallium, and ammonia as precursors. A single phase alloy with x=0.015 was successfully produced at a gas reactant B/Ga ratio of 0.005. Phase separation into pure GaN and B x Ga l-x N alloy with x=0.30 was deposited for a B/Ga reactant ratio of 0.01. This is the highest B fraction of the wurtzite structure alloy ever reported. For B/Ga ratio ≥ 0.02, no B x Ga l-x N was formed, and the solid solution contained two phases: wurtzite GaN and BN based on the results of Auger and x-ray diffraction. The band edge emission of B x Ga l-x N varied from 3.451 eV for x=0 with FWHM of 39.2 meV to 3.465 eV for x=0.015 with FWHM of 35.1 meV. The narrower FWHM indicated that the quality of GaN epilayer was improved with small amount of boron incorporation.


Extented Abstract The Purpose of the Research Numerous decisions regarding the psychological counseling and guidance (PCG) services were taken during the Turkish National Education Councils (T.N.E.Council), which convened eighteen times between 1939 and 2010. The present study evaluates the decisions made about the PCG services addressed in the T.N.E.Councils held between 1939 and 2010. Method The study employed the case study design among qualitative research designs. Case study is an empirical research method that studies a contemporary phenomenon in its own real-life circumstances and makes a multidirectional, systematic, and in-depth examination of cases (Buyukozturk, K?l?c-Cakmak, Akgun, Karadeniz ve Demirel, 2009). The study universe consists of the Turkish National Education Councils held between 1939 and 2010. No sampling was performed since the entire universe was available. The study employed the embedded single-case design (type 2) among the case study designs. Written document analysis was used as the data collection method and the obtained data were analyzed through descriptive analysis. Furthermore, the data obtained from the documents are also presented in quantitative form. For this purpose, the "yes or no method" and the "covered area method" were used and frequency and percentage distributions are provided. Findings The results of the research show that the 7th T.N.E.Council (1962) was the first education council that addressed PCG. Since the 7th T.N.E.Council up to the present, PCG services have been discussed and various related decisions were taken in all education councils. An examination of the agenda items for the decisions about PCG services reveals that PCG first appeared as an agenda item in the 18th T.N.E.Council (2010). .9% (f=1) of the decisions concerning PCG were taken during the 7th T.N.E.Council; 5.5 % (f=6) were taken in the 8th T.N.E.Council; 6.4 % (f=7) were taken in the 9th T.N.E.Council; .9 % (f=1) were taken in the 10th T.N.E.Council; 4.5 % (f=5) were taken in the 11th T.N.E.Council; 4 % (f=4) were taken in the 12th T.N.E.Council; .9 % (f=1) were taken in the 13th T.N.E.Council; 4.5 % (f=5) were taken in the 14th T.N.E.Council; 18.4 % (f=20) were taken in the 15th T.N.E.Council; 9.1 % (f=10) were taken in the 16th T.N.E.Council; 11 % (f=12) were taken in the 17th T.N.E.Council and 33.9 % (f=37) in the 18th T.N.E.Council. The results revealed that 51.6 % (f=24) of the decisions made about PCG concerned educational PCG; 34.04 % (f=16) pertained to professional PCG; 6.38 % (f=3) were about personal PCG; and 8.52 % (f=4) were related to developmental PCG. The results also demonstrated that no title was used during the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, and 14th T.N.E.Councils (1962-1993) to refer to psychological counselors. Phrases such as "guidance activities", "guidance services", "guidance service", and "guidance association" were used when formulating the decisions about PCG services. The 11th T.N.E.Council (1982), used the title of "school counselor", while the 13th N.E. Council (1990), and 17th N.E. Councils (2006) employed the title of "guidance teacher". The 15th T.N.E.Council (1996) separately referred to "guidance worker", "guidance teacher", and "psychological counselor". The expression of "those in charge of guidance" was used to formulate the decisions made in the 16th T.N.E.Council (1999). The 18th T.N.E.Council (2010) made use of the title of guidance teacher/psychological counselor. Results and Suggestions An overall evaluation of the study's results show that various decisions were taken in the Turkish National Education Councils about PCG. The 7th T.N.E.Council (1962) was the first education council that addressed PCG. Since the 7th T.N.E.Council up to the present, PCG services have been discussed and various related decisions were taken in all education councils. In general, as shown by a historical overview of the attempts made to offer PCG services in educational institutions, these attempts mostly concentrated on professional and educational guidance services. The councils made very limited mention of personal PCG services, while developmental PCG notion was only introduced in the 18th T.N.E.Council held in 2010. It was also during the 18th T.N.E.Council that PCG services were treated as an agenda item on its own. A greater number of PCG-related decisions were taken in this council. Apparently, the problems and conceptual confusion regarding school psychological counselors still reign in National Education Councils. The following suggestions are made in the light of the study results: 1. The upcoming councils should treat PCG as a separate agenda item, about which various decisions should be made. 2. The title of "school psychological counselor" should be used instead of "guidance teacher" for experts offering PCG services in counsils. 3. To abandon the use of "guidance teacher" for "psychological counselors", PCG professional law should be enacted and our professional field should be legally defined in public staff list nr 190. 4. Developmental PCG program should be applied at all educational levels starting from preschool education.


Objective: This study evaluated the effects of the incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) obtained from Fusarium oxysporum on heat-activated acrylic resin (HAAR) and their influence on resin's surface roughness, hardness, color alteration and antimicrobial capacity against Candida albicans . Material and Methods: For this, 50 discs of HAAR (2x5 mm) were produced and divided into three groups, Control: HAAR; Ag1: HAAR plus 0.539 mg of AgNPs; and Ag2: HAAR plus 1.1 mg of AgNPs. Knopp hardness (HK), surface roughness (Ra and Rz) and color alteration according to the CIE Lab were measured. Specimens were then evaluated in vitro with regard to C. albicans biofilm formation through formed colony count (CFU/mL). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses were performed. Results: The addition of AgNPs of both concentrations changed Ra, Rz and HK significantly. There was statistically significant difference for L (p=0.00); a*(p=0.00) and b*(p=0.00) parameters. There were no differences between Ag1 and Ag2 biofilm formation, but the comparison of both with the control group presented a significant reduction (p=0.0091) on biofilm formation. SEM and AFM images showed no signs of NPs clustering. Conclusion: It can be concluded tha AgNPs incorporation in HAAR was effective in reducing C. albicans activity, with a slight change in color and hardness of the material, being effective therefore, in regions such as the dental prostheses palate, which have lesser aesthetic appeal. Keywords Acrylic resins; Silver; Antimicrobial agents.


In a previous study (G. M. Wahl, B. Robert de Saint Vincent, and M. L. De Rose, Nature (London) 307:516-520, 1984), we used gene transfer of a CAD cosmid to demonstrate that gene position profoundly affects amplification frequency. One transformant, T5, amplified the donated CAD genes at a frequency at least 100-fold higher than did the other transformants analyzed. The CAD genes in T5 and two drug-resistant derivatives were chromosomally located. In this report, we show that a subclone of T5 gives rise to an extrachromosomal molecule (CAD episome) containing the donated CAD genes. Gel electrophoresis indicated that the CAD episome is approximately 250 to 300 kilobase pairs, and a variety of methods showed that it is a covalently closed circle. We show that the CAD episome replicates semiconservatively and approximately once per cell cycle. Since the CAD cosmid, which comprises most of the CAD episome, does not replicate autonomously when transfected into cells, our results indicate that either the process which generated the episome resulted in a cellular origin of DNA replication being linked to the CAD sequences or specific rearrangements within the episome generated a functional origin. The implications of these results for mechanisms of gene amplification and the genesis of minute chromosomes are discussed.


Areas in which there is a transition from diagenesis to metamorphism occur in a variety of tectonic settings, some of which are of an extensional character rather than the collision setting normally associated with regional metamorphism. In collision settings the diagenetic to metamorphic transition is typically followed by a continuum into the highest grades of metamorphism. The baric type is usually of an intermediate-pressure variety, and metamorphism occurs at a late stage in the tectonic cycle. In extensional settings, such as marginal basins, a restricted facies series is developed that ranges from diagenetic levels up to a low greenschist facies maximum. The metamorphism is normally of a low-pressure type and develops early in the tectonic cycle. These characteristics suggest that it is possible to subdivide broadly the field of low-grade regional metamorphism into compressional (orogenic) and extensional settings.


This work reports on the synthesis of a novel magnetic nanoadsorbent for solid phase extraction of leached bisphenol A (BPA) from some polycarbonate products. In order to improve the adsorbent selectivity toward the analyte, the adsorbent was coated with a layer of the BPA imprinted polymer. The prepared adsorbent has been fully characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that, after carful optimization of various affecting factors on the removal and desorption of BPA, the analyte can be determined in the concentration range of 5.0–1000.0 ng mL−1 with a detection limit as low as 1.5 ng mL−1 by using the spectrofluorometric method. The results of the real sample analysis showed that the investigated samples release detectable and considerable amounts of BPA into water under simulated use conditions confirming the previous concerns about dangers of polycarbonate product usage in daily human life.


Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID). According to the Rome III consensus, FD is divided into 2 subgroups: epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) and postprandial distress syndrome (PDS). Although multiple mechanisms of FD pathogenesis have been suggested, its underlying etiology and pharmacological therapy remain unclear. Ghrelin is a gut-derived peptide found in the stomach. It plays a role in the regulation of gastric motility and appetite. The ghrelin gene encodes 3 molecular forms, acyl ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin and obestatin. Acyl ghrelin acts as an endogenous ligand for growth hormone secretagogue receptor; furthermore, it is orexigenic, with effects on food intake, energy homeostasis and gastrointestinal motility. Des-acyl ghrelin exerts an opposite effect to acyl ghrelin. Obestatin exerts an inhibitory effect on the motor activity of the antrum and duodenum in fed animals. These peptides exert differential effects on gut motility and food intake. The therapeutic potential of ghrelin has attracted attention due to its varied bioactivities. Certain studies have shown that total ghrelin levels are significantly lower in patients with FD compared with healthy volunteers and that the acyl ghrelin levels of patients with FD are higher compared with healthy volunteers. However, a recent study demonstrated that acyl ghrelin levels in patients with PDS were lower compared with healthy volunteers; the association between FD and other ghrelin family gene products also remains unclear. Although certain studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of acyl ghrelin administration and its agonist in patients with FD, only a few clinical reports exist. Further studies are required in order to examine the effects of ghrelin on FD.


From every State and Territory of Australia, including the islands of the Torres Strait over 200 delegates gathered at the 2017 First Nations National Constitutional Convention in Uluru, which has stood on Anangu Pitjantjatjara country in the Northern Territory since time immemorial, to discuss the issue of constitutional recognition. Delegates agreed that tokenistic recognition would not be enough, and that recognition bearing legal substance must stand, with the possibility to make multiple treaties between Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders and the Commonwealth Government of Australia.  In this paper, we look at the roadmap beyond such a potential change. We make the case for a redistributive approach to capital, and propose key outcomes for social reconstruction, should a voice to parliament, a Makarrata[1] Commission and multiple treaties be enabled through a successful referendum. We conclude that an alteration of the Commonwealth Constitution (Cth) is the preliminary overture of a suite of changes: the constitutional change itself is not the end of the road, but simply the beginning of years of legal change, which seeks provide a socio-economic future for Australia's First Peoples, and the oldest continuing cultures in the world. Constitutional change seeks to transform the discourse about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relations with the Australian state from one centred on distributive justice to one that is primarily informed by retributive justice. This paper concerns the future generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and their right to labour in a market that honours their cultural contributions to humanity at large.

[1] Yolŋu ceremony for coming together after a struggle.


Italy was the first European country to be hit by COVID-19 in the early 2020, since then losing over 100,000 people to the disease. By the end of the vaccination campaign of 2021, 81% of the public received at least one dose. These dramatic developments were accompanied by a rigorous discussion around vaccination, both about its urgency and its possible negative effects. Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms in the country, but pre-pandemic vaccination debate has been shown to be polarized and siloed into echo chambers. It is thus imperative to understand the nature of this discourse, with a specific focus on the vaccination hesitant individuals, whose healthcare decisions may affect their communities and the country at large. In this study we ask, how has the Italian discussion around vaccination changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have the unprecedented events of 2020-2021 been able to break the echo chamber around this topic? We use a Twitter dataset spanning September 2019 - November 2021 to examine the state of polarization around vaccination. We propose a hierarchical clustering approach to find the largest communities in the endorsement networks of different time periods, and manually illustrate that it produces communities of users sharing a stance. Examining the structure of these networks, as well as textual content of their interactions, we find the stark division between supporters and hesitant individuals to continue throughout the vaccination campaign. However, we find an increasing commonality in the topical focus of the vaccine supporters and vaccine hesitant, pointing to a possible common set of facts the two sides may agree on. Still, we discover a series of concerns voiced by the hesitant community, ranging from unfounded conspiracies (microchips in vaccines) to public health policy discussion (vaccine passport limitations). We recommend an ongoing surveillance of this debate, especially to uncover concerns around vaccination before the public health decisions and official messaging are made public.


Recent clinical trials have shown the efficacy of a passive acoustic device used during shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) treatment. The device uses the far-field acoustic emissions resulting from the interaction of the therapeutic shock waves with the tissue and kidney stone to diagnose the effectiveness of each shock in contributing to stone fragmentation. This paper details simulations that supported the development of that device by extending computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the flow and near-field pressures associated with shock-induced bubble collapse to allow estimation of those far-field acoustic emissions. This is a required stage in the development of the device, because current computational resources are not sufficient to simulate the far-field emissions to ranges of O(10 cm) using CFD. Similarly, they are insufficient to cover the duration of the entire cavitation event, and here simulate only the first part of the interaction of the bubble with the lithotripter shock wave in order to demonstrate the methods by which the far-field acoustic emissions resulting from the interaction can be estimated. A free-Lagrange method (FLM) is used to simulate the collapse of initially stable air bubbles in water as a result of their interaction with a planar lithotripter shock. To estimate the far-field acoustic emissions from the interaction, this paper developed two numerical codes using the Kirchhoff and Ffowcs William–Hawkings (FW-H) formulations. When coupled to the FLM code, they can be used to estimate the far-field acoustic emissions of cavitation events. The limitation of the technique is that it assumes that no significant nonlinear acoustic propagation occurs outside the control surface. Methods are outlined for ameliorating this problem if, as here, computational resources cannot compute the flow field to sufficient distance, although for the clinical situation discussed, this limitation is tempered by the effect of tissue absorption, which here is incorporated through the standard derating procedure. This approach allowed identification of the sources of, and explanation of trends seen in, the characteristics of the far-field emissions observed in clinic, to an extent that was sufficient for the development of this clinical device.


Abstract : This document presents a new O(n lg lg n) time sort algorithm that is more robust than O(n) distribution sorting algorithms. The algorithm uses a recursive partition-concatenate approach, partitioning each set into a variable number of subsets using information gathered dynamically during execution. Sequences are partitioned using statistical information computed during the sort for each sequence. Space complexity is O(n) and is independent from the order and distribution of the data. If the data is originally in a list, only O(square root of (n) extra space is necessary. The algorithm is insensitive to the initial ordering of the data, and it is much less sensitive to the distribution of the values of the sorting keys than distribution sorting algorithms. Its worst-case time is O(n lg lg n) across all distributions that satisfy a new fractalness criterion. This condition, which is sufficient but not necessary, is satisfied by any set with bounded length keys and bounded repetition of each key. If this condition is not satisfied, its worst case performance degrades gracefully to O(n lg n). In practice, this occurs when the density of the distribution over omega(n) of the keys is a fractal curve (for sets of numbers whose values are bounded), or when the distribution has very heavy tails with arbitrarily long keys (for sets of numbers whose precision is bounded). In some preliminary tests, it was faster than Quicksort for sets of more than 150 elements. The algorithm is practical, works basically in place, can be easily implemented and is particularly well suited both for parallel processing and for external sorting. (Author)


The present work provides morphological informations on two zoeal stages of the alpheid shrimp Betaeus truncatus obtained from plankton samples in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Larvae of B. truncatus were found in coastal waters of Argentina (47°-55°S) in autumn (April) and spring (October) mainly, reaching up to 846 ind.*1000-3 per station. Larval identification of the species was confirmed by the only known previous description of the second zoeal stage of this Caridean shrimp from shallow waters of central Chile. Differences in larval size, development of the appendages and telson indicate the present larval stages to be more advanced than that of previous work which are discussed as adaptations at latitudinal changes of the environment. Since the knowledge on life history and larval morphology in the Alpheidae is extremely scarce, we provide these descriptions in order to facilitate future ecological work on meroplankton, as well as these features could give more insights into phylogenetic relationships on the basis of larval characteristics.


Criminal sanctions work to reduce crime in a variety of ways. In a simple economic sense, legal sanctions raise the cost of criminal conduct. Expressive law scholars have shown that the criminal law can help to reduce crimes in other ways as well - by shaping preferences, changing social meanings, and encouraging non-legal sanctions. Lawmakers rely on these mechanisms when they attempt to use criminal laws to change behavior. But lawmakers and scholars alike should keep in mind that the expressive function of criminal law does not always work as intended. In order to illustrate that point, this article examines street culture's reaction to criminal drug policy. The first section describes street ideology and the social meaning of crack dealing and marijuana use. It relies not only on recent academic work in the fields of sociology and history, but also on a variety of primary sources, including music, movies, magazines, poetry, and memoirs. These sources demonstrate that in street culture, drug policy has utterly failed to produce its intended social norms. In fact, if anything, criminal drug policy has helped to create a system of norms and meanings that undermine the state's goal. The second section lays a foundation in theoretical sociology for the argument that expressive criminal law can fail. It draws on several concepts, including strain theory, differential association, and labeling theory, from canonical sociological texts. The third section examines implications for recent law and norms scholarship. Finally, and most provocatively, the article questions whether criminal law's production of oppositional cultures is truly a failure or simply part of its intended function.


"One of my oldest crusades is against the distinction between thought and feeling, which is really the basis of all anti-intellectual views: the heart and the head, thinking and feeling, fantasy and judgment ...and I don't believe it's true...I have the impression that thinking is a form of feeling and that feeling is a form of thinking." Susan Sontag, one of the most internationally renowned and controversial intellectuals of the latter half of the twentieth century, still provokes. In 1978 Jonathan Cott, a founding contributing editor of Rolling Stone magazine, interviewed Sontag first in Paris and later in New York. Only a third of their twelve hours of discussion ever made it to print. Now, more than three decades later, Yale University Press is proud to publish the entire transcript of Sontag's remarkable conversation, accompanied by Cott's preface and recollections. Sontag's musings and observations reveal the passionate engagement and breadth of her critical intelligence and curiosities at a moment when she was at the peak of her powers. Nearly a decade after her death, these hours of conversation offer a revelatory and indispensable look at the self-described "besotted aesthete" and "obsessed moralist." "I really believe in history, and that's something people don't believe in anymore. I know that what we do and think is a historical creation...We were given a vocabulary that came into existence at a particular moment. So when I go to a Patti Smith concert, I enjoy, participate, appreciate, and am tuned in better because I've read Nietzsche." "There's no incompatibility between observing the world and being tuned into this electronic, multimedia, multi-tracked, McLuhanite world and enjoying what can be enjoyed. I love rock and roll. Rock and roll changed my life...You know, to tell you the truth, I think rock and roll is the reason I got divorced. I think it was Bill Haley and the Comets and Chuck Berry that made me decide that I had to get a divorce and leave the academic world and start a new life."


Biobanks are critical for collecting and managing high-quality biospecimens from donors with appropriate clinical annotation. The high-quality human biospecimens and associated data are required to better understand disease processes. Therefore, biobanks have become an important and essential resource for healthcare research and drug discovery. However, collecting and managing huge volumes of data (biospecimens and associated clinical data) necessitate that biobanks use appropriate data management solutions that can keep pace with the ever-changing requirements of research. To automate biobank data management, biobanks have been investing in traditional Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). However, there are a myriad of challenges faced by biobanks in acquiring traditional LIMS. Traditional LIMS are cost-intensive and often lack the flexibility to accommodate changes in data sources and workflows. Cloud technology is emerging as an alternative that provides the opportunity to small and medium-sized biobanks to automate their operations in a cost-effective manner, even without IT personnel. Cloud-based solutions offer the advantage of heightened security, rapid scalability, dynamic allocation of services, and can facilitate collaboration between different research groups by using a shared environment on a "pay-as-you-go" basis. The benefits offered by cloud technology have resulted in the development of cloud-based data management solutions as an alternative to traditional on-premise software. After evaluating the advantages offered by cloud technology, several biobanks have started adopting cloud-based tools. Cloud-based tools provide biobanks with easy access to biospecimen data for real-time sharing with clinicians. Another major benefit realized by biobanks by implementing cloud-based applications is unlimited data storage on the cloud and automatic backups for protecting any data loss in the face of natural calamities.


We study the effect of Airbnb's smart-pricing algorithm on the racial disparity in the daily revenue earned by Airbnb hosts. Our empirical strategy exploits Airbnb's introduction of the algorithm and its voluntary adoption by hosts as a quasinatural experiment. Among those who adopted the algorithm, the average nightly rate decreased by 5.7%, but average daily revenue increased by 8.6%. Before Airbnb introduced the algorithm, White hosts earned $12.16 more in daily revenue than Black hosts, controlling for observed characteristics of the hosts, properties, and locations. Conditional on its adoption, the revenue gap between White and Black hosts decreased by 71.3%. However, Black hosts were significantly less likely than White hosts to adopt the algorithm, so at the population level, the revenue gap increased after the introduction of the algorithm. We show that the algorithm's price recommendations are not affected by the host's race—but we argue that the algorithm's race blindness may lead to pricing that is suboptimal and more so for Black hosts than for White hosts. We also show that the algorithm's effectiveness at mitigating the Airbnb revenue gap is limited by the low rate of algorithm adoption among Black hosts. We offer recommendations with which policy makers and Airbnb may advance smart-pricing algorithms in mitigating racial economic disparities.


Objective:To determine prevalence, risk factors, and effect on outcome of multiple-drug–resistant (MDR) bacteria in patients with severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Design:Prospective, observational, cohort study. Setting:Thirty-bed medical intensive care unit (ICU) in a university hospital. Methods:All chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with acute exacerbation who required intubation and mechanical ventilation for >48 hrs were eligible during a 4-yr period. Patients with pneumonia or other causes of acute respiratory failure were not eligible. In all patients, quantitative tracheal aspirate was performed at ICU admission (positive at 106 colony-forming units [cfu]/mL). MDR bacteria were defined as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, ceftazidime- or imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and extended-spectrum &bgr;-lactamase–producing Gram-negative bacilli. All patients received empirical antibiotic treatment at ICU admission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine variables associated with MDR bacteria and variables associated with ICU mortality. Results:A total of 857 patients were included, and 304 bacteria were isolated (≥106 cfu/mL) in 260 patients (30%), including 75 MDR bacteria (24%) in 69 patients (8%). When patients with MDR bacteria were compared with patients without MDR bacteria, previous antimicrobial treatment (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.2–4.7; p = .013) and previous intubation (OR, 31; 95% CI, 12–82; p < .001) were independently associated with MDR bacteria. When patients with bacteria other than MDR or patients with no bacteria were used as a reference group, these risk factors were still independently associated with MDR bacteria. Although ICU mortality rate was higher in patients with MDR bacteria than in patients without MDR bacteria (44% vs. 25%; p = .001; OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.4–3.8), MDR bacteria were not independently associated with ICU mortality. Inappropriate initial antibiotic treatment (88% vs. 5%; p = <.001; OR, 6.7; 95% CI, 3.8–12) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (23% vs. 5%; p = <.001; OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1–1.8) rates were significantly higher in patients with MDR bacteria than in patients with bacteria other than MDR. Inappropriate initial antibiotic treatment was independently associated with increased ICU mortality (OR, 7.1; 95% CI, 1.9–30; p = .003). Conclusion:MDR bacteria are common in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Previous antimicrobial treatment and previous intubation are independent risk factors for MDR bacteria. Although MDR bacteria are not independently associated with ICU mortality, inappropriate initial antibiotic treatment is an independent risk factor for ICU mortality in these patients. Further studies are needed to determine whether broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment is cost-effective in these patients.


Abstract. Recognition of tree species and geospatial information of tree species composition is essential for forest management. In this study we test tree species recognition using hyperspectral imagery from VNIR and SWIR camera sensors in combination with 3D photogrammetric canopy surface model based on RGB camera stereo-imagery. An arboretum forest with a high number of tree species was used as a test area. The imagery was acquired from the test area using UAV-borne cameras. Hyperspectral imagery was calibrated for providing a radiometrically corrected reflectance mosaic, which was tested along with the original uncalibrated imagery. Alternative estimators were tested for predicting tree species and genus, as well as for selecting an optimal set of remote sensing features for this task. All tested estimators gave similar trend in the results: the calibrated reflectance values performed better in predicting tree species and genus compared to uncorrected hyperspectral pixel values. Furthermore, the combination of VNIR, SWIR and 3D features performed better than any of the data sets individually, with calibrated reflectances and original pixel values alike. The highest proportion of correctly classified trees was achieved using calibrated reflectance features from VNIR and SWIR imagery together with 3D point cloud features: 0.823 for tree species and 0.869 for tree genus.


In 2013 Spain introduced a series of educational reforms explicitly inspired by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 results. These reforms were mainly implemented in secondary education – based upon the assumption that this is where Spain's educational problems lie. This paper questions this assumption by attempting to identify the point where Spanish children fall behind young people in other developed counties in terms of their reading skills. Specifically, by drawing data from multiple international assessments, we are able to explore how cross-national differences in reading skills change as children age. Consideration is given to both the average level of achievement and the evolution of educational inequalities. Our conclusion is that policymakers have focused their efforts on the wrong part of the education system; educational achievement is low in Spain (and educational inequalities large) long before children enter secondary school. This study therefore serves as a note of caution against simplistic interpretation of the PISA rankings; policymakers must take a more nuanced approach when enacting important educational reforms.


Web application has various input functions which are susceptible to SQL-Injection attack. SQL-Injection occurs by injecting suspicious code or data fragments in a web application.Personal information disclosure ,loss of authenticity, data theft and site fishing falls under this attack category. It is impossible to check original data code and suspicious data code using available algorithms and approaches because of inefficient and proper training techniques of dataset or design aspects. In this paper we will use SVM (Support Vector Machine) for classification and prediction of SQL-Injection attack. In our propose algorithm, SQL-Injection attack detection accuracy is (96.47% and which is the highest among the existing SQL-Injection detection Techniques.


The purposes of this study aimed at examine the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and performance of SMEs in Uasin Gishu County. The research questions were; what is the relationship between innovation and performance of women owned SMEs in Uasin Gishu County?, what is the relationship between proactiveness and performance of women owned SMEs in Uasin County?, what is the relationship between risk taking and performance of women owned SMEs in Uasin Gishu County? This study adopted a correlation research design, with the target population comprised of 81 women owners of all small and medium enterprises within Uasin Gishu County. Questionnaire was the main tool of data collection. Questionnaires were administered with the help of research assistants. Chi-square was computed to establish the association between entrepreneurial orientation dimensions and performance. The study found out that innovation X (73) = 0.829 p = 0.032, proactiveness X(73) = 0.716 p = 0.002 and risk taking X(73) = 0.897 p = 0.002 were significantly associated with performance. The results of this study reveal a relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The study recommended that the Department of Micro and Small-Enterprise Development (DMSED) needs to sensitize women entrepreneurs on strategies for innovation, proactiveness and risk taking in improving performance. The study further recommends that SMEs need to embrace entrepreneurial orientation dimensions: Innovation, proactiveness and risk taking for their businesses to grow. Therefore, women entrepreneurs should be innovative, proactive to acquire new market opportunities and take risks to succeed in a dynamic environment.


Online political advertising and its implications for liberal democracies has become a topic of considerable scholarly and regulatory interest in recent years. The report is guided by the question of how online political advertising is regulated in Europe, especially in the context of elections but also more generally. Its aim is to map the existing, and to some extent upcoming, regulatory framework of online political advertising in the EU and in selected Member States of Germany, France, Spain, Ireland and Poland. After a brief analysis of key concepts, the report maps the EU regulation of data protection and electronic commerce, and other complementary regulation within the Union's competence. Lastly, the report contains the five case studies of Member State election and online media law. While the relevant EU law is in flux with new regulatory initiatives being processed in the fields of data protection, e-commerce and artificial intelligence, uncertainties also remain concerning the interpretation of existing laws, for instance, on data protection obligations and intermediary liability. In turn, the addressed Member States currently a lack proper electoral and media law framework that would systematically take into account the deployment of online services in the dissemination of election propaganda. However, there is increasing attention paid to online services by national regulators that focuses primarily on information disseminated via the largest online services.


In 2017, the anticorruption #rezist protests engulfed Romania. In the context of mounting concerns about exposure to and engagement with political information on social media, we examine the use of public Facebook event pages during the #rezist protests. First, we consider the degree to which political information influenced the participation of students, a key protest demographic. Second, we explore whether political information was available on the pages associated with the protests. Third, we investigate the structure of the social network established with those pages to understand its diffusion within that public domain. We find evidence that political information was a prominent component of public, albeit localized, activist communication on Facebook, with students more likely to partake in demonstrations if they followed a page. These results lend themselves to an evidence-based deliberation about the relation that individual demand and supply of political information on social media have with protest participation.


Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a potential technique for reanimating paralyzed muscles post neurological injury/disease. Several technical challenges including difficulty in measuring and compensating for delayed muscle activation levels inhibit its satisfactory control performance. In this paper, an ultrasound (US) imaging approach is proposed to measure delayed muscle activation levels under the implementation of FES. Due to low sampling rates of US imaging, a sampled-data observer (SDO) is designed to estimate the muscle activation in a continuous manner. The SDO is combined with continuous-time dynamic surface control (DSC) approach that compensates for the electromechanical delay (EMD) in the tibialis anterior (TA) activation dynamics. The stability analysis based on the Lyapunov-Krasovskii function proves that the SDO-based DSC plus delay compensation (SDO-DSC-DC) approach achieves semi-global uniformly ultimately bounded (SGUUB) tracking performance. Simulation results on an ankle dorsiflexion neuromusculoskeletal system show the root mean square error (RMSE) of desired trajectory tracking is reduced by 19.77 % by using the proposed SDO-DSC-DC compared to the DSC-DC without the SDO. The findings provide potentials for rehabilitative devices, like powered exoskeleton and FES, to assist or enhance human limb movement based on the corresponding muscle activities in real-time.


The goal of this research is to analyze the healtiness of banks seen from CAMEL category. The research applied a case study in PD BPR BKK Banjarharjo. The hypotheses tested using CAMEL analysis tools. The result of the study is that the modal used 2008 until 2010 is consideredin a healthy criteria. The increasing ROA in 2008 until 2010 is considered healthy criteria for operational expenses incurred by the operating income. Such condition meant that the banks are able to manage the assets which are used to pay the obligations. The significant increasing of LDR over the years 2008 until 2010 makes the received funds by the bank to increase the savings deposits, time deposits and the core capital. As the recunts, the banks are able to increase credit disstribution. More over, the IRR showed a positive values in the face of market risks and the development of healthy levels in 2008 until 2010 for the components of Capital, Assets, Earnings and Liquidity tends to increase.


This article analyses the origins and data collection methodologies of research articles published in three Information System journals (Information Systems Research; Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association - JAMIA; and MIS Quarterly) between 2005 and 2007. A coding sheet was utilized to collect the relevant data for content analysis. Most articles were written by multiple authors based in the USA. Over 80% of the articles published in JAMIA were funded with over 40% for the other two journals. The data collection methodologies were diverse, but the most popular for all three journals was the questionnaire. A variety of statistical packages were used to analyze quantitative data while coding was the most popular method for analyzing qualitative data. These journals published more mixed methodological approach studies compared to previous research in this area.


The paper proposes a new performance index, the energy resemblance index (ERI), to address the performance evaluation and design issues in the digital redesign of analogue control systems. The ERI is defined as the ratio of the integral of the square error (ISE) of the continuous-time system over the error sequence energy (ESE) of the redesigned digital system. By directly transforming the analogue controller into a digital controller as a function of sampling time, ESEs using different discretisation methods for the redesigned system can be obtained via a recursive formula. The authors prove that the ESE will approach the ISE as the sampling time approaches zero for discretisation methods which satisfy a simple condition. Performance of the redesigned digital control system using different discretisation methods at different sampling times can be evaluated based on this index. As for the design, the proper sampling time can be determined based on the user-specified ERI percentage, so that the redesigned digital system performs accordingly. It is found that performance of the redesigned digital system depends on the discretisation method used, the controlled process and the sampling time chosen. There is no particular discretisation method which outperforms the others in all cases.


Fifteen years ago we presented an agenda for crisis management research and training in Europe, here that article is revisited through a comprehensive review of social science scholarship in the field. Both the discourses on risk and crisis 'management' and on crisis 'politics' are surveyed in an effort to show the connect between knowledge and policy agendas for capacity building. Priority areas for European research are identified and discussed. The vital roles of research-based education and experience-based training to foster enhanced crisis management practices are noted. Independent yet policy-focused centres of crisis management scholarship are encouraged and needed. These should be linked through a transnational network to support a common 'rapid reflection' force in service of European leadership, when it matters the most.


During the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, Taiwan reported 346 confirmed cases and 73 deaths.1 Of all known infections, 94% were transmitted inside hospitals. Nine major hospitals were fully or partially shut down, and many doctors and nurses quit for fear of becoming infected. The Taipei Municipal Ho-Ping Hospital was most severely affected. Its index patient, a 42-year-old undocumented hospital laundry worker who interacted with staff and patients for 6 days before being hospitalized, became a superspreader, infecting at least 20 other patients and 10 staff members.2,3 The entire 450-bed hospital was ordered to shut down, and all 930 staff and 240 patients were quarantined within the hospital. The central government appointed the previous Minister of Health as head of the Anti-SARS Taskforce. Ultimately the hospital was evacuated; the outbreak resulted in 26 deaths.2 Events surrounding the hospital's evacuation offer important lessons for hospitals struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been caused by spread of a similar coronavirus.


We study the generalisation properties of majority voting on finite ensembles of classifiers, proving margin-based generalisation bounds via the PAC-Bayes theory. These provide state-of-the-art guarantees on a number of classification tasks. Our central results leverage the Dirichlet posteriors studied recently by Zantedeschi et al. [2021] for training voting classifiers; in contrast to that work our bounds apply to non-randomised votes via the use of margins. Our contributions add perspective to the debate on the"margins theory"proposed by Schapire et al. [1998] for the generalisation of ensemble classifiers.


The paper presents a developed method and algorithm to create environmental sustainable optimised forms based on the solar energy received in relation to receiving, containing and distributing energy. Different studies are created based upon this approach, to which forms are evaluated against conventional building geometries. The work shows a significant improvement on several aspects of environmental performance. Lastly the work presents an idea of maximum structures, rather than minimum structures as a path in future research work.


Multi-access relay (MAR) assisted communication appears in various applications such as hierarchical wireless sensor networks (WSN), two-way relay channels (TWRC) etc. since it provides a high speed and reliable communication with considerably large coverage. In this thesis, we develop the optimal power allocation, network coding and information fusion techniques to improve the performance of MAR channel by considering certain criterion (e.g., minimizing the average symbol error rate (SER) or maximizing the average sum-rate. For this purpose, we first derive optimal information fusion rules for hierarchical WSNs with the use of complete channel state information (CSI) and the partial CSI using channel statistics (CS) with the exact phase information. Later, we investigate the optimization of the MAR channel that employs complex field network coding (CFNC), where we have used two different metrics during the optimization: achievable sum rate and SER bound of the network under the assumption of receiver CSI. After that, we formulate the optimal power allocation problem to maximize the achievable sum rate of the MAR with decode and forward relaying while considering fairness among users in terms of their average achievable information rates under the constraints on the total power and network geometry. We show that this problem is non-convex and nonlinear, and obtain an analytical solution by properly dividing parameter space into four regions. Then, we derive an average SER bound for the CFNC coded MAR channel and aim to jointly optimize the CFNC and the relay power by minimizing SER bound under the total power constraint, which we prove as a convex program that cannot be solved analytically since the Karush-Khun-Tucker (KKT) conditions result in highly nonlinearity equations. Following that, we devise an iterative method to obtain SER optimal solutions which uses the information theoretical rate optimal analytical solution during the initialization and we show that this speeds up the convergence of the iterative method as compared to equal power allocation scheme. Next, we integrate CFNC into WSNs that operate over non-orthogonal communication channel, and derive optimal fusion rule accordingly, combine the SER bound minimization and the average rate-fairness ideas to come up with an approximate analytical method to jointly optimize CFNC and the relay power. Simulation results show that the proposed methods outperform the conventional methods in terms of the detection probability, achievable average sum-rate or average SER.


Wave propagation in random media has become a subject of increasing interest for a wide range of different research areas. The reason for this is that most insonified media clearly reveal a highly irregular behavior that can be quantified. A stochastic fractal yields a random process that displays a behavior similar to observations from, e.g., well‐log and seafloor topology measurements. Considerations of wave propagation in random media indicate that the leading behavior of the coherent part of the wave field (the signature) is predominantly determined by the spatial autocovariance function of the medium. Dispersion is always present and the question is how to account for this in a global way, i.e., without local information. For the 1‐D situation it can be shown that the signature gradually converges to a limiting solution that is determined by the stochastic expectation of the power spectrum of the medium contrasts. The required global effective medium representation can be found after combination of t...


The following article examines the Made-in-the-World initiative of the WTO from different angles. Methodological issues and methods for the conversion of foreign trade statistics on value-added basis are analyzed, primarily - those for the internationalization of the input- output accounts. Aspects of economic theory and economic policy of Made-in-the-World are portrayed. Renewal of the theory of compara- tive advantage in transnational supply chains and the potential impact of a new approach based on value chains of foreign trade for the in- ternational trade policy are discussed. Anti-dumping cases in the complex triangular relationship between the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the Peoples Republic of China are studied.


BACKGROUND
There is little literature on patient-reported outcomes following total ankle replacement in patients with osteoarthritis, posttraumatic osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. We compared the differences in demographic data and clinical and patient-reported outcomes among patients with those types of arthritis who underwent total ankle replacement performed with use of the MOBILITY Total Ankle System.

METHODS
Patients were divided into three groups based on the preoperative diagnosis of type of arthritis. We analyzed patient demographic data, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, and patient-reported outcomes as measured with use of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), the 36-item Short-Form (SF-36) Health Survey, and patient-satisfaction scores, collected preoperatively and at one and two years postoperatively.

RESULTS
The study included 106 consecutive patients who underwent total ankle replacement between March 2006 and December 2009. The posttraumatic osteoarthritis group, which had twenty-eight patients, was significantly younger (mean age, 54.8 yrs; p < 0.05) than the other groups; the rheumatoid arthritis group, which had twenty-two patients, had a significantly lower mean body mass index (24.5 kg/m(2); p < 0.05); and the osteoarthritis group, which had fifty-six patients, had a higher proportion of males (41 males; p < 0.05). The posttraumatic osteoarthritis group reported better scores for two of the eight domains of the SF-36 preoperatively. At one year postoperatively, the posttraumatic osteoarthritis group and the rheumatoid arthritis group had better FAOS results regarding pain than those of the osteoarthritis group, and the posttraumatic osteoarthritis group also reported better scores for the general health domain of the SF-36. At two years, the posttraumatic group continued to show significantly higher scores for the general health domain of the SF-36. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the AOFAS scores, other FAOS results, or the patient-satisfaction scores at one and two years postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that early outcomes after total ankle replacement for patients with posttraumatic osteoarthritis are comparable with those for patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.


Sequestration by Arkansas forests removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, storing this carbon in biomass that fills a number of critical ecological and socioeconomic functions. We need a better understanding of the contribution of forests to the carbon cycle, including the accurate quantification of tree biomass. Models have long been developed to predict aboveground live tree biomass, but few of these have been derived from Arkansas forests. Since there is geographic variability in the growth and yield of pine as a function of genetics, site conditions, growth rate, stand stocking, and other factors, we decided to compare aboveground tree biomass estimates for a naturally regenerated, uneven-aged loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)-dominated stand on the Crossett Experimental Forest (CEF) in southeastern Arkansas. These predictions were made using a new locally derived biomass equation, five regional biomass equations, and the pine model from the National Biomass Estimators. With the local model as the baseline, considerable biomass variation appeared across a range of diameters—at the greatest diameter considered, the minimum value was only 69% of the maximum. Using a recent inventory from the CEF's Good Farm Forty to compare each model, stand-level biomass estimates ranged from a low of 76.9 Mg/ha (a different Arkansas model) to as much as 96.1 Mg/ha (an Alabama model); the local CEF equation predicted 82.5 Mg/ha. A number of different factors contributed to this variability, including differences in model form and derivation procedures, geographic origins, and utilization standards. Regardless of the source of the departures, their magnitude suggests that care be used when making large-scale biomass estimates.


Too often, children's communication needs are not considered when it comes to important messages – especially concerning disaster risk reduction. Drought has a significant impact on children both mentally and physically, however, they are rarely told how to make themselves more resilient. Messages aimed at drought resilience are mostly presented in a format that children will not understand, or care to understand. Children have quite unique communication needs with regard to message content, language, media and culture. These needs were researched and moulded into an existing cyclical communication model that may prove to be a useful guideline in constructing a message towards drought resilience for foundation phase children. The main aim of the adapted model is to offer messages containing the "stickiness" factor.


Simple methods for estimating the proportion of land changing from forest to nonforest are developed. Variance estimators are derived to facilitate significance tests. A power analysis indicates that 400 inventory plots are required to reliably detect small changes in net or gross forest loss. This is an important result because forest certification programs may require additional precautions when wood from areas where forestland area loss is occurring is harvested or purchased. Net and gross forest area loss must be clearly differentiated to avoid confusion. Estimates of gross forest cover loss from satellite data should not be equated with net forest area loss, which can be better determined from remeasured forest inventory plots. Simultaneous tests of net and gross forest area loss should use multiple comparison procedures to ensure that overall error rates are correct. Examples of applications demonstrate how to properly perform these tests. A simulated example is used to verify that the variance estimators are reliable. An application to USDA Forest Service inventory data indicates that neither net nor gross forest loss at the state level was statistically significant for states that had sufficient remeasured plot data publicly available when this analysis was done.