Cryptosporidiosis is caused by infection of the small intestine by Cryptosporidium parasites, resulting in severe diarrhea, dehydration, malabsorption, and potentially death. The only FDA-approved therapeutic is only partially effective in young children and ineffective for immunocompromised patients. Triazolopyridazine MMV665917 is a previously reported anti-Cryptosporidium screening hit with in vivo efficacy but suffers from modest inhibition of the hERG ion channel, which could portend cardiotoxicity. Herein, we describe our initial development of structure-activity relationships of this novel lead series with a particular focus on optimization of the piperazine-urea linker. We have discovered that piperazine-acetamide is a superior linker resulting in identification of SLU-2633, which has an EC50 of 0.17 μM, an improved projected margin versus hERG, prolonged pharmacokinetic exposure in small intestine, and oral efficacy in vivo with minimal systemic exposure. SLU-2633 represents a significant advancement toward the identification of a new effective and safe treatment for cryptosporidiosis.


Introduction: As in all surgeries, complications during cataract surgery are unavoidable and cause distress to the surgeon and the patient. This study was conducted to know the factors contributing to complications in our settings, to be able to counsel patients about complications and outcomes and to reduce litigations. Materials and Methods: The secondary data analysis was conducted using the National Eye Database from 2007 to 2014. Demographic features, ocular comorbidities, technique of surgery, grade of surgeons, types of intraoperative complications, and reasons for not obtaining good visual acuity following intraoperative complications were studied. Statistics was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Results: Out of 12,992 eyes, 6.1% had intraoperative complications. The highest rate of complications was when more trainees (medical officers [MOs] and gazetting specialists) operated. Posterior capsule rupture (PCR) was the most common complication followed by vitreous loss and zonular dehiscence. Those aged below 40 years had more complications (P < 0.05), and females had more complications. Ethnicity did not affect complications. Pseudoexfoliation was the only comorbidity causing complications (P < 0.05). Phacolytic lenses had 8.118 times the odds of getting intraoperative complications. MOs and gazetting specialists got more complications. Good outcomes were obtained in cases without complications and those operated by specialists. High astigmatism was the main reason for poorer outcomes. Conclusion: Intraoperative complications were caused mostly by less experienced doctors and had poorer outcomes. Age below 40 years, females, the presence of pseudoexfoliation and phacolytic lenses had more complications. PCR was the most common complication.


The aim of this work was to study the distribution of heavy metals and of subsequently developed morphological changes in the liver of female mice and their foetuses after oral administration of high doses of lead, mercury, and cadmium (0.03 mg of metal per mouse and day). Heavy metals were administered to pregnant female mice on days 9–20 of pregnancy. The animals were euthanised by cervical dislocation. Samples of mother and foetal liver were subsequently collected and processed by means of the common technique for light and electron microscopy. Histochemical reaction based on metal conversion into appropriate sulphide that conjugates with silver was used for detection of heavy metals. Deposits of heavy metals were found at the periphery of lobules of the central vein in the liver of female mice. On the contrary, in the liver of foetuses no predilection site for localisation of the reaction product could be identified. At the electron microscopy level, accumulation of heavy metals was connected as a rule with the occurrence of certain damage to some organelles. Deposits of the reaction product were located mainly in hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. Heavy metals were bound to the heterochromatin of cell nuclei, as well as to some cytoplasmic organelles, such as rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, ribosomes, and lysosomes. The presence of heavy metals was associated with obliteration of cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, separation of ribosomes, and destruction of lysosomes. Vacuolation of cell cytoplasm was also a frequent phenomenon. An interesting finding was the "contrasting" of structures containing nucleic acids. Accumulation of metals in the liver of pregnant mice and their foetuses observed in our study indicated that placental barrier does not protect the foetal organism against penetration of metals. Their higher accumulation in foetal compared to maternal liver can be explained by the intense metabolism of differentiating hepatocytes. Cadmium, mercury, lead, histochemical detection, light and electron microscopy, liver, mouse


The financial meltdown 2007-08 was a vast and complex event that many analysts are still trying to decipher. The purpose of this paper is to impart an understanding of the global financial crisis with a sharp focus on informed conjectures. To this end, the paper first provides a picture in the large of the financial turmoil 2007-08, and then, singles out contributing factors to the crisis (such as sub-prime mortgages, excessive risktaking and securitization) which taken in isolation could not possibly explain the collapse of the financial system. The main claims of this paper are the following two. First, no complete understanding of the financial crisis 2007-08 is possible without a thorough comprehension of the interactions among three mutually reinforcing financial innovations, namely: sub-prime mortgage, securitization and re-securitization. Second, the catastrophic financial collapse in October 2008 happened because re-securitization engendered pervasive Knightian uncertainty.


Abstract. Along with other types of schematic maps, structural schemes of hydrographic objects displaying information on the hierarchy of rivers can be important for users. They can be used for water tourism, hydrological research, educational purposes, as well as for solving various analytical problems related to water bodies. Despite the inability to convey the geometric features of the river and the terrain, these schemes differ in a variety of representations. Often, they are created at a certain scale, which allows them to be used to assess and compare the length of rivers, the distances from the mouth of the main river to the mouth of the tributaries, the distances between the tributaries. Depending on the type, they can display hydrological posts, lakes, reservoirs, settlements, tourist sites, etc. Apart from rivers and additional objects labels, it is common to label metric characteristics, for example, the distance from the mouth of the main river to the confluence of tributaries. Unlike, for example, subway maps, structure schemes of rivers are of particular importance not as an independent source of information, but as an additional – it is in combination with other methods of visualization of reference information (maps, diagrams, tables, and text blocks), they are really useful and informative. Currently, to create schemes of hydrographic objects, as a rule, graphic editors are used, due to their wide distribution. This approach is characterized by a low speed of creation, as well as the complexity of updating and supplementing schemes with new information. At the same time, the existing algorithms for automating the construction of schemes are often inappropriate to use for these purposes in our opinion. Since the calculation of the position of the graph elements is made in them based primarily on aesthetic considerations and the length of the edges on the resulting image, respectively, is arbitrary, while the transfer of the length of the rivers at a certain scale significantly expands the list of scenarios for the use of such schemes. In this paper, we consider methods and algorithms for creating structural schemes of hydrography, transmitting part of the metric properties of rivers – primarily their length and the distance of the tributaries from each other along the network lines. On the basis of methods and algorithms, a web service for creating river schemes is developed. The authors propose the following stages of creating structural schemes of hydrography: the choice of the type and purpose of the created structural scheme – the choice of the study area – the choice of the source data – the definition of the main object and the main rivers of the structural scheme – the definition of the main parameters of the scheme – the creation of a derived dataset – the formation of the structural schemes of the river. The first step is to select the type and purpose of the structural scheme to be created. In the course of the study, based on the analysis of existing schemes, as well as the study of the possible use cases, the authors identified following main groups of structural schemes of hydrographic objects and given their brief characteristics: overview schemes (for example, for school atlases), tourist schemes (for planning a route along the river and for navigation along the water route), analytical schemes (for example, for hydrological studies; for visualization of the consequences of river floods; for assessing the quality of surface waters, etc.). The authors have developed the approximate content and design of each of these groups of schemes. Thus, by selecting the type of scheme, the user defines a template, the parameters of which he will specify in the next steps. At the second stage, the choice of the study area is carried out, which allows: to limit the list of possible main objects and main rivers, among which it is necessary to choose, only to those that are at least partially located within this territory; to reduce the number of source data sets by those that belong to the region (for example, contain the object located in this region); enter an additional criterion for the selection of objects – other things being equal, priority will be considered objects located in the territory, less priority – objects located within the buffer zone around the territory and the least priority – objects located outside the buffer zone. The third step defines the data sources that will be used in the construction. To ensure the automation of the process of creating structural schemes, it is proposed to use a cartographic database as the main data source, which is due to the initial composition of the database (hydrography, settlements, communication routes and borders), the developed system of classification and coding of geographic objects, a single fixed format for recording digital cartographic information, as well as the possibility of supplementing semantic information about objects from various sources. Thus, to create schemes on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is advisable to use a small-scale cartographic database of scale 1 : 2 500 000. As additional sources, open data are used, usually presented in tabular or structured text format, which allows them to be integrated into geographic information systems. The greatest difficulty in the processing and preparation of information is textual data containing descriptions of tourist water routes. At the fourth stage, the main object and the main rivers of the structural scheme are selected. The main object is the object linking together the content of the scheme – a region, a large body of water or a river. For example, the main object might be the sea if the scheme shows the largest rivers flowing into that sea. The main rivers are considered to be of the smallest order, represented in the scheme by a straight line, occupying a central position and directly related to the main object. For the automated construction of structural schemes of the rivers it is necessary to define their main parameters. The authors highlighted the mandatory parameters and their values, set the order of their tasks. There are calculated or specified parameters (scale and format of the scheme), parameters that require the selection of a unique value (orientation of the main river), and parameters that contain a set of values (for example, general geographic or thematic objects displayed on the scheme). Depending on the type of diagram, the values of each parameter may vary. An important step in the development of structural schemes of rivers is the formation of derived datasets for each element of the content involved in the creation of the scheme, by selecting and processing the selected data. For example, the required tributaries of the river network are selected in accordance with specified criteria. At this stage, in order to assess the selection result and to ensure the readability of the created scheme, the graphical load (the area of all the conventional images present on the scheme) and the graphical load coefficient (the ratio of the graphic load to the total area) of the scheme is calculated. To improve the efficiency of evaluation, the calculation of the graphical load is proposed to be done not only for the whole scheme, but also for individual elements of the content, rows and columns of the scheme. At the last stage, the scheme is built using special algorithms. One of these algorithms, for example, is designed to build schemes in which the tributaries are depicted parallel to the main river and connected to it with the help of additional lines. In this way – when the images of all rivers are parallel to each other – the task of constructing a graph of rivers for the scheme is reduced to the choice of row for each river (between the lines of the standard distance), in which its image is placed entirely without breaks. The construction begins with the inflow of the main river nearest to the source, the image of which is placed in the first line. Then, for each subsequent inflow, an estimate is made – whether it fits entirely in the same line: if yes, it is depicted there, if not, the next line is evaluated, and so on, until a suitable one is found. On the basis of these steps, it is possible to automate the creation of various river schemes (the potential of which, despite their current relative unpopularity, is quite high). The possibility and benefits of using the developed methods and algorithms to create schematic maps of other objects (not hydrographic) have yet to be investigated.


With the increase of requesting personal information online, unauthorized disclosure of user privacy is a significant problem faced by today's Internet. As a typical identity theft, phishing usually employs fraudulent emails and spoofed web sites to trick unsuspecting users into divulging their private information. Even legitimate web sites may collect private information from unsophisticated users such as children for commercial purposes without their parents' consent. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 was enacted in reaction to the widespread collection of information from children and subsequent abuses identified by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). COPPA is aimed at protecting child's privacy by requiring parental consent before collecting information from children under thirteen. In this thesis, we propose two solutions for ensuring user online privacy. By analyzing common characteristics of phishing pages, we propose a client-side tool, Trident, which works as a browser plug-in for filtering phishes. The experiment results show that Trident can identify 98-99% online and valid phishing pages, as well as automatically validate legitimate pages. To protect child's privacy, we introduce the POCKET (parental online consent on kids' electronic privacy) framework, which is a technically feasible and legally sound solution to enforce COPPA. Parents answer a questionnaire on their privacy requirements and the POCKET user agent generates a privacy preferences file. Meantime, the merchants are required to possess a privacy policy that is authenticated by a trusted third party. Only web sites that possess and adhere to their privacy policies are allowed to collect child's information; web sites whose policies do not match the client's preferences are blocked. POCKET framework incorporates a transaction protocol to secure the data exchange between an authenticated client and a POCKET-compliant merchant.


The overwhelming advancement in power electronics converters throughout the past few decades is leading to an increasing interest in the integration of Direct-Current (DC) systems to the existing AC ones on the generation, Low Voltage DC (LVDC), Medium Voltage DC (MVDC), and High Voltage DC (HVDC) levels. The utilization of DC systems offer many benefits over their AC counterparts such as the significant reduction in power losses and costs as well as the minimization of reactive current component. Nevertheless, DC systems still face many challenges among which protection is the most salient. This dissertation investigates and addresses the protection challenges posed by DC faults' behaviour in five DC systems. On the generation level, it explores the nature of various faults and partial shading conditions in utility-scale Photovoltaic (PV) arrays. The unique PV modules' voltage behaviour during faults and partial shading conditions is scrutinized to identify distinctive characteristics. These voltage features are utilized to propose a new time-domain voltage-based protection scheme. The proposed scheme's underlying concepts are analytically proved for generic PV modules, validated using detailed time-domain model of PV panels, and verified experimentally using polycrystalline-silicon panels. On the LVDC level, the dissertation examines the behaviour of lowand high-resistance faults. The analysis are founded upon a detailed time-domain simulation of a meshed LVDC microgrid. The failure of conventional protection methods in the presence of even small amounts of fault resistance are demonstrated. An effective method is proposed to detect such faults by using the resonance frequency generated from passive oscillators installed on the line terminals. The protection of MVDC microgrids is a major challenge as very high fault current magnitudes are attained within a couple of milliseconds. This dissertation reveals unique fault-launched Travelling wave (TW) waveform and polarity properties. These properties are exploited to propose an adequate time-domain TW-based protection scheme that detects, classifies, and locates DC faults in a timely manner. The impediments to reliable protection of hybrid AC/DC microgrids are twofold: (i) the very low AC fault current magnitudes in the AC-side due to the current control capability iv of inverter-based Distributed Generation (DG)s, and (ii) the very high DC fault current magnitudes attained within few milliseconds in the DC-side due to the uncontrollable discharge of the converters' DC link capacitors. A unified discriminant function TW-based protection scheme is proposed for hybrid AC/DC microgrids to detect, classify, and locate both AC and DC faults. DC faults in HVDC grids can cause severe damage to the converter stations and large loss of infeed within few milliseconds. Ensuring selectivity and sensitivity of the protection system within a short time window is a major challenge. This dissertation analyze the frequency spectra of the TWs initiated by faults on HVDC grids. Using the spectral content and polarity of the current TWs, a novel frequency-domain TW-based scheme is proposed to detect and locate faults within the required timeframe.


In spite of the enormous success of antidepressants, there are surprisingly few that are available in other than oral form. There is now substantial evidence that intravenous administration is well tolerated and may accelerate onset of therapeutic effect. With the possibility of transdermal delivery3/4a noninvasive and painless route of administration requiring no technical support3/4parenteral antidepressants may become more acceptable in this country and warrant further clinical investigation.


In many important cloud services, different tenants execute their requests in the thread pool of the same process, requiring fair sharing of resources. However, using fair queue schedulers to provide fairness in this context is difficult because of high execution concurrency, and because request costs are unknown and have high variance. Using fair schedulers like WFQ and WF²Q in such settings leads to bursty schedules, where large requests block small ones for long periods of time. In this paper, we propose Two-Dimensional Fair Queueing (2DFQ), which spreads requests of different costs across di erent threads and minimizes the impact of tenants with unpredictable requests. In evaluation on production workloads from Azure Storage, a large-scale cloud system at Microsoft, we show that 2DFQ reduces the burstiness of service by 1-2 orders of magnitude. On workloads where many large requests compete with small ones, 2DFQ improves 99th percentile latencies by up to 2 orders of magnitude.


Siphonostomatoid copepods are often numerically important at deep-sea hydrothermal vents but their role in vent food webs has been little investigated. We examined food sources of 2 vent copepod species, Stygiopontius quadrispinosus and Benthoxinus spiculifer, and their potential role in the diet of paralvinellid worms, using a combination of complementary techniques: (1) stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, (2) fatty acid composition and (3) morphological examination of copepod mouth structures using scanning electron microscopy. All 3 techniques revealed distinct differences between the 2 copepod species. Fatty acid composition identified bacteria as the main food source for both copepod species and indicated that S. quadrispinosus may be more specialised than B. spi- culifer. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes provided further evidence that the 2 species partition food sources but feed at the same trophic level. The fatty acid composition and stable isotopes of both paralvinellid worms showed that they are generalists, with a varied diet. Further, in samples where S. quadrispinosus were highly abundant, both worms had stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic com- positions that indicated that they were feeding on copepods. Although neither worm appeared anatomically equipped for seizing live copepod prey, we suggest that dead copepods may be con- sumed along with other particulate debris by the paralvinellid worms. The contribution of copepod remains to the detrital pool in these mineral substratum habitats remains to be quantified.


In general, ranking entities (resources) on the Semantic Web (SW) is subject to importance, relevance, and query length. Few existing SW search systems cover all of these aspects. Moreover, many existing efforts simply reuse the technologies from conventional Information Retrieval (IR), which are not designed for SW data. This paper proposes a ranking mechanism, which includes all three categories of rankings and are tailored to SW data.


Chitosan has attracted increasing attention from researchers in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields as a potential agent for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. However, identifying the development of emerging technologies related to this biopolymer is difficult, especially for newcomers trying to understand the research streams. In this work, we designed and implemented a research process based on a bibliometric predictive intelligence model. Our aim is to glean detailed scientific and technological trends through an analysis of publications that include certain word phrases and related research areas. Cross correlation, factor mapping, and the calculation of "emergent" scores were also used. A total of 1,612 scientific papers on chitosan technology related to viral disease treatment published between 2010 and 2020 were retrieved from the Web of Science. Results from the keyword modelling quantitatively highlight three major frontier research and development topic groups: drug delivery and adjuvants, vaccines and immune response, and tissue engineering. More specifically, the emergent scores show that much of the chitosan-based treatment for viral diseases is in the in vitro stage of development. Most chitosan applications are in pharmacology/pharmacy and immunology. All results were confirmed by experts in the field, which indicates that the validated process can be applied to other fields of interest.


We propose a novel approach to imaging that is not based on traditional optical imaging architecture. With the new approach, the image is reconstructed and visualized from random projections of the input object. The random projections are implemented within a single exposure by using a random phase mask which can be placed on a lens. For objects that have sparse representation in some known domain (e.g., Fourier or wavelet), the novel imaging systems have larger effective space - bandwidth product than conventional imaging systems. This implies, for example, that more object pixels may be reconstructed and visualized than the number of pixels of the image sensor. We present simulation results on the utility of the new approach. The proposed approach can have broad applications in efficient imaging capture, visualization, and display given ever increasing demands for larger and higher resolution images, faster image communications, and multidimensional image communications such as 3-D TV and display.


We examine democratic policy-making in a simple institution with real-time agenda setting. Individuals are recognized sequentially. Once recognized, an individual makes a proposal, which is immediately put to a vote. If a proposal passes, it supercedes all previously passed proposals. The policy that emerges from this process is implemented. For some familiar classes of policy spaces with rich distributional politics, we show that the last proposer is effectively a dictator under a variety of natural conditions. Most notably, this occurs whenever a sufficient number of individuals have opportunities to make proposals. Thus, under reasonably general assumptions, control of the final proposal with real-time agenda setting confers as much power as control of the entire agenda.


The aim of this research is to point to the need for periodization (JAMESON, 1992) of Mark Twain's novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) to revisit the contemporary reception of books, marked in these readings by the possible accusations of racism and prejudice made to works by critics. The objective of that thesis is to reintegrate the literary texts in their production context and investigate how the ethnic and racial issues are figured in these Twain's novels. By means of concepts of Reception Theory as proposed by Jauss (1967), especially those of horizon of expectations, synchronic and diachronic reception amplified by the political reading as presented by Fredric Jameson (1992), Antonio Candido (1970) and Roberto Schwarz (1987) will seek to re-read these novels tied to their historical context of production.


Sediment concentration in hill-slope runoff is an important index for soil erosion. Developing a reliable and portable measuring system of sediment concentration is a core issue for soil and water conservation study, especially for the Tibetan Plateau under unfavorable climate and terrain conditions for field investigation. Challenges include uneven distribution of sediment across a runoff section as well as difficulty in detecting a wide range of particle sizes. An electrolyte tracer, with the advantage of uniform distribution and its widely used electric-conductivity sensor, can avoid the problems of direct measurement of sediment. A new measurement method of sediment concentration in runoff with an electrolyte tracer is proposed based on a premise that sediment concentration is closely correlated with hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient of solute in runoff. In this study, an experiment system of hill-slope runoff with an electrolyte tracer and sediments is first designed. Second, two model parameters in the advective-dispersive equation of solute transport, flow velocity and diffusion coefficient, are inversely estimated by calibrating the observed concentrations of an electrolyte tracer. And third, the relationship between sediment concentrations and hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients are defined through specified regression. As a result, a measurement system of sediment concentration in hill-slope runoff with an electrolyte tracer is primarily established by integrating the relationship of variables, experiment system, and model theory.


Children are underrepresented in COVID-19 case numbers, with most pediatric cases exhibiting limited severity, and do not seem to be major drivers of transmission, unlike for other respiratory viruses. That said, SARS-CoV-2 infects children across all age groups, and despite the high proportion of mild or asymptomatic infections, it would be naive not to consider them as transmitters. To address this point we used cell culture to systematically assess the presence of cultivable SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract in a cohort of our institution first 23 symptomatic neonates, children and teenagers with COVID-19 diagnosed by RT-PCR (See Appendix). Median age was 12.0 years (interquartile range [IQR 3.8-14.5], range 7 days-15.9 yrs). Most patients had an upper respiratory tract infection (n=13), followed by fever without source and pneumonia (each, n=2). Samples were collected at a median of 2 days (IQR 1-3) after symptom onset. Median viral load (VL) at time of diagnosis was 3.0x106 copies/ml (mean 4,4x108, IQR 6.9x103-4.4x108) from a nasopharyngeal swab (NPS). SARS-CoV-2 virus isolation was successful in 12/23 (52%) children after inoculating VeroE6 cells with a NPS specimen. SARS-CoV-2 isolation was determined by the presence of a typical cytopathic effect (CPE) and increased viral RNA in the supernatant. SARS-CoV-2 replication in all positive isolates (12/12) was confirmed by a second passage using new VeroE6 cells. Virus isolation was successful from NPS from all age groups, with a median initial VL of 1.7x108 copies/ml (mean 7.9x108, IQR 4.7x106-1.0x109) (Figure 1). The youngest patient that SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from was a 7-day old neonate. No correlation between disease presentation and success of virus isolation was observed. Our data show that initial VLs at diagnosis in symptomatic children is comparable to those in adults, and that symptomatic children of all ages shed infectious virus in early acute illness. Infectious virus isolation success was largely comparable to that of adults, although two specimens yielded an isolate at a lower VL (1.2x104 and 1.4x105 copies/ml) than what was observed in adults. SARS-CoV-2 shedding patterns of culture competent virus in symptomatic children resemble those observed in adults. Therefore, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from children is plausible. Considering the relatively low frequency of infected children at this time, biological or other unknown factors could reduce transmission in this population. Both large serological investigations and systematic surveillance of acute respiratory diseases are needed to understand the role of children in this new pandemic.


This article examines how the policy of "religious freedom" has been used to enable the CCP to retain institutional and ideological control over the religious sector of Chinese society. In particular, it looks at how the clash between religious and communist ideologies has evolved, first in the Maoist period and then in the context of reform and openness with the attendant growth of materialism and social change since 1978. A softening in the control of religion to encourage national reconstruction and foreign investment led to a proliferation of religious activity that alarmed Party leaders and triggered a tightening of ideological control and important changes in religious policy. The new policy of "accommodation" and emphasis on "legality" became the watchwords of the Jiang Zemin era. With further development they remain important in the new regime of Hu Jintao.


Background Patients experiencing homelessness represent a disproportionate share of emergency department (ED) visits due to poor access to primary care and high levels of unmet health care needs. This is in part due to the difficulty of communicating and following up with patients who are experiencing homelessness. Objective To determine the prevalence and types of "new media" use among ED patients who experience homelessness. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study with sequential enrolling of patients from three emergency departments 24/7 for 6 weeks. In total, 5788 ED patients were enrolled, of whom 249 experienced homelessness. Analyses included descriptive statistics, and unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios. Results 70.7% (176/249) of patients experiencing homelessness own cell phones compared to 85.90% (4758/5539) of patients in stable housing (P=.001) with the former more likely to own Androids, 70% (53/76) versus 43.89% (1064/2424), and the latter more likely to have iPhones, 44.55% (1080/2424) versus 17% (13/76) (P=.001). There is no significant difference in new media use, modality, or frequency for both groups; however, there is a difference in contract plan with 50.02% (2380/4758) of stably housed patients having unlimited minutes versus 37.5% (66/176) of homeless patients. 19.78% (941/4758) of patients in stable housing have pay-as-you-go plans versus 33.0% (58/176) of homeless patients (P=.001). Patients experiencing homelessness are more likely to want health information on alcohol/substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, pregnancy and smoking cessation. Conclusions This study is unique in its characterization of new media ownership and use among ED patients experiencing homelessness. New media is a powerful tool to connect patients experiencing homelessness to health care.


Abandoned up-dip drift mines in high-sulphur coal are a major source of acid mine drainage (AMD) in Appalachia. Studies of mines in the Monday Creek watershed of southeastern Ohio show that mines are recharged by surface runoff into subsidence features that dilate the natural stress-relief fracture system. The direct connection between the ground surface and the mines leads to a rapid response in the hydrograph, with a one- to four-day lag between precipitation and corresponding peak mine discharge. Subsidence occurs in topographic depressions where overburden is presumably relatively thin. Subsidence features drain 20–36% of the surface area. Unsaturated storage appears to be volumetrically insignificant, so that far more recharge occurs than the 5% often assumed for this region. Mine storage can change rapidly due to subsidence recharge. Hydrologically, mines with subsidence features behave like karst systems, with meteoric 'quickflow' representing more than 50% of the total flow. Mine discharge concentrations are relatively uniform through time, suggesting either equilibrium controls on chemistry or drainage of a well-mixed pool, or both. Evidence of dilution by high flows is slight. The first high flows after a baseflow period show only a slight increase in concentrations, attributed to flushing of stored reaction products. Loadings (concentrations x flow) depend on volumetric discharge and as a consequence are highly variable. The Eh/pH environment in up-dip drift mines indicates that mine waters are in contact with the atmosphere at least part of the time, unlike a true groundwater. Iron buffering partly controls pH, which clusters around values of 3.6–5.0.


It's the end of the school day on Friday and most of the teachers are congregating in the lounge and classrooms, happily anticipating the weekend. Carole, however, walks straight to the parking lot without pausing to speak to colleagues as she did in former years. Today she informed the principal that she would not be renewing her contract as a remedial reading teacher and, although saddened by her decision, she also feels relief that months of increasing frustration and self-doubt have reached a conclusion. Part of the tragedy of this hypothetical but all too familiar example of Carole is her feeling of isolation in dealing with the stress and depression culminating in burnout generated by her work as a remedial reading teacher. Ironically, her high levels of enthusiasm and success in her preservice education program and the excitement of her initial teaching experience did little to prepare Carole for the inevitable frustrations and disappointments in remedial teaching over which she had little or no control. Although a certain amount of stress and other burnout-inducing factors are present in any teaching situation, the authors of this article propose that the realities of certain professionals, such as reading teachers, magnify stress to levels that require explicit acknowledgement and preparation on a collective, profession-wide basis.


The new National Indigenous Languages Policy is aimed at keeping Indigenous languages alive and supporting Indigenous Australians to connect with their language, culture and country. The most recent report on Indigenous languages in Australia, the National Indigenous Languages Survey (NILS) Report 2005, found that the situation of Australia's Indigenous languages is grave and requires urgent action. Of the 145 indigenous languages still spoken in Australia, 110 are critically endangered. All of Australia's indigenous languages face an uncertain future if immediate action and care are not taken. The Australian Government is committed to addressing the serious problem of language loss in Indigenous communities. It requires coordinated action among the bodies involved in support of Indigenous languages, including government, language organisations and educational and research institutions. The proposed approach draws on reports and consultation over many decades, including the NILS report and feedback through the Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records Program. Objectives National Attention: To bring national attention to Indigenous languages – the oldest surviving languages in the world; and the pressures they face. Critically Endangered Languages: Reinforce use of critically endangered Indigenous languages that are being only partly spoken to help prevent decline in use and to maintain or extend their common, everyday use as much as possible. Working with Languages to Close the Gap: In areas where Indigenous languages are being spoken fully and passed on, making sure that government recognises and works with these languages in its agenda to Close the Gap. Strengthening Pride in Identity and Culture: To restore the use of rarely spoken or unspoken Indigenous languages to the extent that the current language environment allows. Supporting Indigenous Language Programs in Schools: To support and maintain the teaching and learning of Indigenous languages in Australian schools. Actions National Attention Undertake a feasibility study for the National Indigenous Languages Centre recommended by the NILS Report. Increase public recognition and appreciation of Indigenous languages by expanding the use of these languages across public and government functions. Support greater coordination and assistance amongst Indigenous language centres to maximise their impact nationally and to reach languages not currently supported. Critically Endangered Languages The Maintenance of Indigenous Languages and Records program, administered by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, is investing $9.3 million in 2009-10 on 65 projects around Australia supporting the revival and maintenance of Indigenous languages. Increase use of new technology to broaden the impact of language maintenance and revival activities by local community Indigenous language centres. Pilot Early Childhood Language Nests and Mobile Language Teams to supplement the work of language centres, especially in more remote areas that are not within easy reach. Consider Tax deductible status to Indigenous languages organisations through the Register of Cultural Organisations for maintaining and reviving Indigenous languages. Working with Languages to Close the Gap Given the centrality of language to strong Indigenous culture, and the broader social benefits of functional and resilient families and communities, better targeting support for Indigenous languages as part of a broader national focus on Indigenous culture generally, will contribute to the overall well-being of Indigenous communities. COAG has committed $38.6 million towards interpreting and translating services as part of the new Remote Service Delivery sites. The Remote Service Delivery National Partnership (RSD NP) provides for the strengthening of interpreting and translating services in response to local needs in each of the priority locations. In addition to the employment of interpreters in each location, the Commonwealth is responsible for working with the States and Northern Territory to introduce a national framework for the effective supply and use of Indigenous language interpreters and translators. It will include protocols for the use of interpreters and translators. Components of the proposed national framework include: development and strengthening of Indigenous interpreting services through establishing mentor/coordinator positions, providing base salary funding for interpreters and administrative support of interpreters; training and accrediting Indigenous interpreters – development of nationally consistent curriculum material for training and provision of training leading to accreditation and expertise in particular subject areas; increasing supply of Indigenous interpreters through development and establishment of a national recruitment and retention strategy, with localised flexibility; increasing demand for interpreters through increased training for government and non-government employees working in relevant locations; translation of government information products. Consideration could be given to forming a National Reference Group of Experts to advise on future directions of policy on Indigenous interpreters. Each of the components would involve contributions from the Commonwealth and from each of the jurisdictions. Strengthening Pride in Identity and Culture through Language Revival Support community-based Indigenous language centres by increasing links with major national, state and territory cultural institutions to ensure that Indigenous languages material is properly preserved and made accessible appropriately. Through the Indigenous Contemporary Music Action Plan, support music in Indigenous languages to increase the transmission of languages across generations to younger speakers, utilising festivals and multimedia to strengthen the focus on Indigenous languages and increasing broadcasting content in Indigenous languages. Potential collaboration with the Songroom Project, Sing Australia, Australian community Business Network and Foundation for Young Australians to work with communities where languages have been lost to promote language revival. Encouraging more grass-roots collaboration between language learning programs and Stolen Generation members and their organisations. Supporting Indigenous Language Programs in Schools The Government recently commissioned the Indigenous Language Programs in Australian Schools – A Way Forward report, which revealed that between 2006 and 2007 over 16,000 Indigenous students and 13,000 non-Indigenous students located in 260 Australian schools were involved in Indigenous language programs, covering over 80 different Indigenous languages. Significant funding for languages education is being provided to the states and territories through the National Education Agreement for languages, allowing jurisdictions flexibility to determine how funding is allocated. Funding can be used to support and maintain Indigenous language programs operating in government schools. $56.4 million is also being provided over 2009 to 2012 through the Schools Assistance Act 2008 to support the teaching of languages, including Australian Indigenous languages, in non-government schools. Several jurisdictions are currently establishing programs to strengthen the teaching and learning of Indigenous languages in schools, including a proposal by New South Wales to develop national senior secondary Indigenous languages courses. Indigenous languages and literacy and numeracy The Government is committed to languages education and recognises the important role that Indigenous language learning plays in some schools, particularly bilingual schools. The learning of English is also a fundamental skill that all Australians, including Indigenous Australians, must have in order to maximise their learning opportunities and life chances. All Australian governments through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) processes have committed to halving the gap in the reading, writing and numeracy achievements between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students within a decade. The Government is providing $56.4 million over four years to provide extra assistance to schools to enable them to expand intensive literacy and numeracy approaches that have been successful with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and provide professional development support to assist teachers to prepare Individual Learning Plans for Indigenous students. National curriculum The National curriculum is being developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, initially in English, mathematics, science and history. A second phase of subject areas will be developed in languages, geography and the arts. Indigenous perspectives will be written into the National Curriculum to ensure that all young Australians have the opportunity to learn about, acknowledge and respect the language and culture of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. Image: Rusty Stewart / Flickr


A key approach to progress along the path to further sustainable development is the continuous switch to second generation biofuels, which are derived from non-food resources. One of the most promising biofuels is lignocellulosic (2G) ethanol. Nevertheless, due to the current absence of cost competiveness, the 2G ethanol market is strongly dependent on policy support. Moreover, the production costs for 2G ethanol play a crucial role for future cost competitiveness and thereby for market development. Hence, the key question that arises is how the linkage between the policy-induced market growth and the reduction of production costs can influence the dynamics for 2G ethanol demand. To examine these dynamics and interaction in Europe over a forecasted 20 year period, a simple System Dynamics model was developed as a part of a research project funded by the European Union. The results of simulation runs show a positive impact of learning effects resulting from build up and running of new capacities on 2G ethanol price and thereby on 2G ethanol market demand. Moreover, it has been proven that these effects are closely interlinked with the considered policy incentives in the form of quota regulations according the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).


We present an improved way of acquiring spatially varying surface reflectance represented by a bidirectional texture function (BTF). Planar BTF samples are measured as images at several inclination angles which puts constraints on the minimum depth of field of cameras used in the measurement instrument. For standard perspective imaging, we show that the size of a sample measured and the achievable spatial resolution are strongly interdependent and limited by diffraction at the lens' aperture. We provide a formula for this relationship. We overcome the issue of the required depth of field by using Scheimpflug imaging further enhanced by an anamorphic attachment. The proposed optics doubles the spatial resolution of images compared to standard perspective imaging optics. We built an instrument prototype with the proposed optics that is portable and allows for measurement on site. We show rendered images using the visual appearance measured by the instrument prototype.


Glioma is the most common malignant brain tumor which has an overall terrible prognosis. Nevertheless, despite the tremendous research input that has been applied to treat gliomas, the efficacy of existing therapeutic modalities on real-life patients is still far from satisfactory, mostly due to several difficult obstacles unique to the CNS and gliomas themselves. Notably, the treatment efficiency of many anti-glioma chemotherapies based on small-molecule anticancer drugs is severely impaired by the blood–brain-barrier, blood–brain–tumor-barrier and resistance mechanisms related to intracranial gliomas, which prevent the therapeutic agents from gaining access to the desired site of action while aggravating associated side effects. Rationally based on the synergistic combination of multiple glioma-specific dosing approaches in chronological order, the time-sequenced targeting strategy is an emerging therapeutic paradigm to address these critical issues, which is capable of efficiently destroying the malignant glioma cells while sparing healthy brain cells and tissues. In this review, we will start with a brief introduction of the major difficulties associated with malignant gliomas and corresponding drug delivery strategies under clinical or laboratory studies, and then comprehensively summarize the recent advances in time-sequenced targeted anti-glioma nanoplatforms, in which their potential benefits and unsolved issues will both be covered.


Within the health research context, indigenous people globally have a commitment to provide their own solutions. Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) value the traditional Pōwhiri process of engagement and participation in mental health research. The practices and protocols within the Pōwhiri process (use in the Doctorate of Philosophy (2010) and Auckland University) are premised on the notion of respect and positive relationships between the tangata whenua (hosts or research participants) and manuwhiri (guests or researchers). This paper briefly describes the Pōwhiri process, which may be a model applicable to research with other indigenous cultures.


In this thesis the properties of D-branes on Calabi–Yau spaces are investigated. Compactifications of
type II string theories on these spaces to which D-branes are added lead to N = 1 supersymmetric
gauge theories on the world-volume of these D-branes.
Both the Calabi–Yau spaces and the D-branes have in general a moduli space. We examine the
dependence of the gauge theory on the choice of the moduli, in particular those of the K¨ahler structure
of the Calabi–Yau manifold. For this purpose we choose two points in this moduli space which are
distinguished by the fact that there exists an explicit description of the spectrum of the D-branes. One
of these points corresponds to a manifold in the large volume limit on which the D-branes are described
by classical geometry of vector bundles. At the other points the size of the manifold is smaller than its
quantum fluctuations such that the classical geometry looses its meaning and has to be replaced by a
conformal field theory. The Witten index in the open string sector is independent of the variation of
these moduli and serves, together with mirror symmetry, as a tool to compare the two descriptions.
We give an extensive and general presentation of these two descriptions for the class of Fermat hypersurfaces
in weighted projective spaces. We explicitly carry out the comparison in many representative
examples. Among them are manifolds admitting elliptic and K3-fibrations and manifolds whose moduli
space can be embedded into the moduli space of another manifold. One main focus is on D4-branes, in
particular on the dimension of their moduli space.
Using the methods developed we are able to further confirm with our results the modified geometric
hypothesis by Douglas. It essentially states that the properties of these D-branes or of these gauge
theories can be determined partly by classical geometry, partly by mirror symmetry. A peculiarity of
these gauge theories is the appearance of lines of marginal stability at which BPS states can decay. We
show the existence of such lines in the framework of this class of Calabi–Yau spaces in two di®erent
ways and discuss the connection to the formation of bound states. Of particular interest is the D0-brane
whose appearance in this framework is explained.


Self Portrait, 18,088 Days is an installation of stones located in the landscape at the Nirox Foundation in South Africa. The work explores the marking of time whilst acknowledging our connection to earth and geological time. The number 18,088 represents the number of days from birth to the present day (May 12th, 2018). The stones are a metaphor for the thousands of stories we carry within that make up individual lives.

The NIROX Foundation will host its annual Winter sculpture exhibition, in collaboration with the Swedish sculpture park, Wanas Konst/The Wanas Foundation. The exhibition is supported by The Swedish Postcode Foundation.

The title "NOT A SINGLE STORY" is inspired by "The Danger of a Single Story," a TED Talk presented by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, positing that diversity strengthens rather than divides us. The exhibition is a bicontinental exchange between two of the world's leading sculpture parks and the selected artists come from various backgrounds, representing a rich diversity of perspectives and influences. "NOT A SINGLE STORY" is interested in showcasing works by forerunners alongside emerging artists.

By looking at overlapping dialogues through concurrent individual practices, contemporary concerns fuse together to form an open topography of viewpoints.

The preliminary artist list of 20+ participants consists predominantly of women artists in response to a very singular art history. The exhibition will combine existing works alongside newly developed productions.

Among others, the artists include: Yoko Ono (JP/US), Esther Mahlangu (ZA), Lubaina Himid (TZ/UK), Nandipha Mntambo (ZA), Mary Sibande (ZA), Nelisiwe Xaba (ZA), Claudette Schreuders (ZA), Jane Alexander (ZA), Marcia Kure (NG), Bronwyn Katz (ZA), Beth Diane Armstrong (ZA), Frances Goodman (ZA), Mwangi-Hutter (KE-DE), Marianne Lindberg De Geer (SE), Lungiswa Gqunta (ZA) ,Sethembile Msezane (ZA), Marcia Kure (NG/US), Gunilla Klingberg & Peter Geschwind (SE), Caroline Martensson (SE), Whitney McVeigh (UK), Sophia Van Wyk (ZA) and Lena Cronqvist (SE).


The objective of this study was to isolate oligosaccharides from local honey of Pulau Sumbawa and province of Kalimantan Timur and to analyze its prebiotic activity in vitro. Oligosaccharides were isolated with activated charcoal adsorption and ethanol treatment. Effectiveness of this method was evaluated by Thin Layer Chromatography and colorimetry. The isolates were then being a sample to prebiotic examination. Honey from Sumbawa forest has higher oligosaccharides content than honey from Kalimantan. Qualitative and quantitative assays showed that oligosaccharide isolation method was effective to concentrate the oligosaccharide with high degree of polymerization but ineffective for monoand disaccharides removal. The highest percentages of hydrolysis of oligosaccharide from Sumbawa and Kalimantan by mimic gastric juice were 1.78% and 0.59 %. Whereas, the hydrolysis was higher with amylase, 11.87% for Sumbawa and 21.03% for Kalimantan honey oligosaccharides. Prebiotic activity was 0.32, and 0.09 for honey oligosaccharide from Sumbawa and Kalimantan respectively. Honey oligosaccharide from Sumbawa presented higher prebiotic activity than inulin as prebiotic reference (0.11). GCMS chromatogram showed L. acidophilus cultured in media added with Sumbawa honey oligosaccharide produced lactic acid as the highest metabolite (48.01%).


Session of August 6 The eighteenth annual meeting of the Cordilleran Section of the Geological Society of America was held at Stanford University, in conjunction with that of the Pacific Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, April 6 and 7, 1917. The first session, April 6, was called to order at 10 a. m. by Chairman C. F. Tolman, Jr. After announcement in regard to the annual dinner, to be held at Stanford Union at 6 p. m., and the business meeting for 1.45 p. m., the following papers were read: STRUCTURE OF THE LITHOSPHERE BY BAILEY WILLIS Presented extemporaneously. Discussion Dr. A. C. LAWSON expressed appreciation and asked for experimental data of a positive kind as to movement on plains of schistosity, calling.attention to the fact that schistose rocks sometimes break as easily across as with lines of schistosity. Dr. Willis explained, illustrating by use. . .


Abstract Heat pipes and thermosyphons can be very effective heat transport devices for transferring the thermal energy of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant to a hydrogen production plant and/or other process heat applications. These devices operate nearly isothermally, transporting large amounts of thermal energy with little or no temperature drop. A dimensional analysis of the thermosyphon and the heat pipe is presented in this paper. Dimensional analysis is a valuable mathematical technique useful in research work for design and conducting model tests. This analysis yielded two terms - Er and EM - particular to the operation of these devices in addition to those commonly used in many heat transfer applications. The Er term relates the latent heat of vaporization to the pressure drop across the device, while the EM term relates the latent heat of vaporization to the capillary pressure. The significance of these two terms is discussed. The universal nature of these numbers should be useful in increasing the fundamental understanding of both the thermosyphon and the heat pipe.


We're being warned of future grain failures—not by the dreams of a biblical Pharaoh, but by modern computer model predictions. Climate science forecasts rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and episodes of increasingly extreme weather, which will harm crop yields at a time when the world's growing population can ill afford declines, especially in its most productive areas, such as the US Midwest. In order to adequately prepare, we call for the establishment of a new field research network across the US Midwest to fully integrate all methods for improving cropping systems and leveraging big data (agronomic, economic, environmental, and genomic) to facilitate adaptation and mitigation. Such a network, placed in one of the most important grain-producing areas in the world, would provide the set of experimental facilities, linked to farm settings, needed to explore and test the adaptation and mitigation strategies that already are needed globally.


Et Al. imagines kaleidoscopic possibilities for the stewardship of culture and land as decolonizing practices. Culture and the arts can enhance society by strengthening our connections to each other and to the earth. This arts management book was born during a racial reckoning and accelerated by a global pandemic. What exactly is the business of no-business-as-usual? The ethical challenge for arts management is far more complex than asking how to get things done; we must also ask who gets to do things, where, and with what resources? Our task is to generate cultures that refuse to annihilate themselves or each other, much less the planet. Et Al. contributes to the conversation about arts and cultural management by providing rare, behind-the-scenes insights on justice-centered arts management praxis — ideas tied to action. The book makes space for people to publicly reflect, write, and share insights about their own ideas and ways of working. Its polyphonic voices speak to pragmatic strategies for arts management across cultures, genres, and spaces. Its stories are told from the perspective of individuals and families, micro businesses, artist collectives, and civic institutions. As a digital publication, the platform lends itself to multi-media knowledge objects; the experiences documented within it include ethnographies, qualitative social research, personal and communal manifestos, dialogues between peers, visual essays, videos, and audio tracks. This open source, multimedia book is structured into six streams which are numbered for their exponential powers: Stream¹ : Center is Everywhere; Stream² : Gathering Community; Stream³ : Honoring Histories; Stream⁴ : Shifting Research; Stream⁵ : Forging Paths; Stream⁶ : Generative Practice. The book discusses imaginative ways of generating cultural equity in praxis, and is an invitation for further imagination, conversation, and connection. Et Al. presents an interactive landscape for readers, thinkers, and creators to engage with multimedia and intergenerational essays by Amy Shimshon-Santo, Genevieve Kaplan, Gerlie Collado, Abraham Ferrer, Julie House, Britt Campbell, Delia Xóchitl Chávez, Sean Cheng, Yvonne Farrow, Allen Kwabena Frimpong, Kayla Jackson, Erika Karina Jiménez Flores, Cobi Krieger, Loreto Lopez, Cynthia Martínez Benavides, Christy McCarthy, Janice Ngan, Cailin Nolte, Michaela Paulette Shirley, Robin Sukhadia, Katrina Sullivan, and Tatiana Vahan.


This paper sheds new light on how African countries' legal systems and institutions influence the governance and stability of their banks. We find that institutional factors, in particular the legal family of origin, political stability, contract enforcement and strength of investor protection promote central corporate governance reforms. Using a difference-in-difference approach, we also reveal that those reforms mediate the impact of institutions on banks. If countries have a corporate governance reform in place their banks show better internal governance and higher stability.


The subject of heart-block has held a prominent position in recent medical literature. Certain features of the following cases of auricularventricular block appeal to me as deserving of record and discussion. They are taken from the records of the University Hospital and presented in this form on the recommendation of Dr. A. W. Hewlett, to whom I am indebted for many valuable suggestions. Case 1.—History. —B. E. M., 28, student, was admitted May 20, 1909, complaining of dizziness and dyspnea on exertion. His family history and habits were good. Two years previously he suffered from a very severe tonsillitis followed by acute rheumatism. During the second week of his illness the heart-rate increased out of proportion to his illness, rising to 170 on sitting up. There was no pain but excessive nervousness and a small goiter developed. He improved on thyroidectin after seven months in bed,


Applied games present a twenty-first-century method of consuming information for a specific purpose beyond pure entertainment. Objectives such as awareness and engagement are often used as intended outcomes of applied games in alignment with strategic, organizational, or commercial purposes. Applied games were highlighted as an engagement-based outcome to explore noPILLS, a pan-European policy research project which presented policy pointers and suggested methods of interventions for reducing micropollution within the wastewater treatment process. This paper provides an assessment of a video game which was developed for the purpose of public engagement with policy-based research. The video game, Project:Filter, was developed as a means of communicating noPILLS to secondary school children in Scotland as part of a classroom-based activity. Knowledge development and engagement were identified using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to evidence topical awareness, depth of understanding, and suggested methods of intervention. Analysis of observations also provided insights into challenges surrounding logistics, pedagogy, social interactions, learning, and gender as contributing factors to the schoolchildren's experiences of Project:Filter. The intention of this paper is two-fold: firstly, to provide an example of developing video games from policy-based research; and secondly, to suggest methods of phenomenological assessment for identifying play-based engagement.


Dating violence is a multidimensional and cross-cultural problem that in the last decade has extended worryingly to teenage age. The consequences are so serious and lasting over time that they cause serious psychological, educational, family and social implications. Knowledge of predictive indicators and the consequences that these aggression and victimization processes cause, can offer an important guide for the design of prevention and intervention protocols that contribute to decrease the prevalence of cases, to facilitate their identification, to give an answer faster and more efficient. This study emphasizes the moral development of adolescents as a key indicator and, specifically, in the level of moral disengagement they present. The aims are: a) Analyze the level of moral disengagement of adolescents, as well as the mechanisms they use to accept and normalize violent behaviors; b) Know what mechanisms of moral disengagement predict certain forms of aggression in dating relationships. The sample consists of 2029 adolescents (55.4% girls) with ages between 14 and 18 years (M = 16.2; SD = 1.2). The results indicate that adolescents have a moderate level of moral disengagement (M = 2,562; SD = 0.4362) and the most commonly used disengagement mechanisms coincide with the diffusion and displacement of responsibility for the damage caused. As the level of disengagement increases, the mechanisms that adolescents use to validate and approve aggressive behaviors committed and suffered are diversified. Finally, it is found that the use of mechanisms such as dehumanization and euphemistic language are strong predictors of certain forms of victimization.


Bromine from very short lived substances (VSLS), primarily from natural oceanic sources, contributes substantially to the stratospheric bromine loading. This source of stratospheric bromine has so far been ignored in most chemistry climate model calculations of stratospheric ozone trends. Here we present a transient simulation with the chemistry climate model EMAC for the period 1960–2005 including emissions of the five brominated VSLS CHBr3, CH2Br2, CH2BrCl, CHBrCl2, and CHBr2Cl. The emissions lead to a realistic stratospheric bromine loading of about 20 pptv for present‐day conditions. Comparison with a standard model simulation without VSLS shows large differences in modeled ozone in the extratropical lowermost stratosphere and in the troposphere. Differences in ozone maximize in the Antarctic Ozone Hole, resulting in more than 20% less ozone when VSLS are included. Even though the emissions of VSLS are assumed to be constant in time, the model simulation with VSLS included shows a much larger ozone decrease in the lowermost stratosphere during the 1979–1995 period and a faster ozone increase during 1996–2005, in better agreement with observed ozone trends than the standard simulation without VSLS emissions.


Malignant melanomas of female genital tract are rare malignancies occuring in older individuals. Amelanotic melanomas are consequently rarer as they make up a small fraction of vaginal melanomas. Amelanotic malignant melanoma a unique variant of melanoma is difficult to differentiate from other epithelial and nonepithelial malignancies due to absence of melanin pigmentation. This report describes a case of vaginal amelanotic melanoma occuring in a young patient, which was confirmed on immunohistochemistry using S-100, HMB-45 and Melan A.


Clearly there is nowadays an increasing use of portable electric devices (mobile phones, laptops, electric cars, sensor networks ...). These devices use batteries as a power source. Therefore, it is increasingly important to have a good knowledge of the remaining battery power, to exactly know at what point should be recharged. Moreover its wear out must also be known in order to replace it when necessary.
Li-ion batteries have provided many advantages over their predecessors. They provide a higher voltage, they are lighter and the energy density with respect to their weight and volume is much higher.
This project aims to estimate the actual remaining battery charge through temperature variations that occur inside the battery both during charging and discharging. The aim is to find a simple and cheap solution, which does not require external elements. For this reason, temperature measurements are carried out using a thermistor that is already present in lithium batteries. At present, its purpose is to avoid overheating.
A Li-ion battery with 740mAh capacity provided by VARTA Microbattery was used. From measurements of current, voltage and temperature we calculated the internal resistance, the heat flow inside the battery and the thermal impedance. It has been shown that it is possible to relate temperature variations, current and voltage to the heat generated in the battery. Thus, it is possible to estimate the state of charge of the battery (SoC) from temperature fluctuations.
In addition, consecutive charge and discharge cycles were carried out. Injected and extracted charge was calculated for each of them. Then, it was related to SoH. Finally, new definitions of SoC and SoH which consider their relationships are proposed.


Abstract Two experiments showing continuous, real-time measurements of the radial convergence of a high-aspect-ratio aluminum flux conserver are presented. These results were obtained by measuring the compression of both axial and radial components of an internal low-intensity magnetic field. Repeatable flux conserver compressions of this type, uniform to 10:1 compression ratio, form a step toward achieving magnetized target fusion, where a plasma of appropriate temperature and density would be introduced into the flux conserver for compression to fusion conditions. While X radiographs show this compression ratio was achieved, the magnetic field probe signals were cut off earlier. Axial component measurements resulted in compression ratios of 7:1 and 6.3:1, for the first and second compressions, before the magnetic probe signals were lost. Radial component measurements disagree with the axial probe results. Although the discrepancy between axial and radial probe measurements is not completely understood, possible explanations are presented.


Background: Patient satisfaction with the cosmetic result of spinal fusion surgery was studied in 40 cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Neutral or dissatisfied patients were compared with satisfied patients in several physical and psychological characteristics. The aim of the study was to determine whether adolescents generally report satisfaction with the postoperative appearance of their back after the correction of severe curves and whether preoperative medical and/or psychological factors could distinguish between patients who report satisfaction with the cosmetic surgical result from those who report neutrality or dissatisfaction. Previous reports emphasize the need for medical outcome research that evaluates both patient satisfaction and technical success. Patient satisfaction with spinal surgery has largely been evaluated in retrospective studies and most consistently is related to postoperative cosmesis and degree of curve correction. Methods: 40 adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis without any comorbidity who were 10 years of age or older were studied preoperatively by physical and psychological measurements. Results: Of patients undergoing surgical correction of severe curves, 50% reported satisfaction with the cosmetic result. Neutral or dissatisfied patients were more likely to have a King II or King IV curve types and less correction than satisfied patients. Preoperative psychological difficulties (P< 0.05) and unmet expectations regarding postoperative cosmesis (P<0.05) were more common among neutral or dissatisfied patients. Conclusion: Most adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis expressed satisfaction with the cosmetic surgical result. Preoperative physical characteristics, psychological difficulties, and unrealistic expectations regarding postoperative cosmesis are associated with patient neutrality or dissatisfaction.


"Physicians' Desk Reference" has been the authoritative source on prescription drugs for 70 years. Found in virtually every physician's office, pharmacy, clinic, and library, no medical reference is more current, more recognized, or more respected. Now in its 70th edition, PDR contains full, FDA-approved drug label information, including warnings and precautions, drug interactions, and hundreds of full-color pill images. Every label in PDR includes information on dosages, side effects, and safety information, such as contraindications, pregnancy ratings, and interactions with other drugs, food, and alcohol. Data on clinical trials are also included.


Debugging errors during real-world testing of remote platforms can be time consuming and expensive when the remote environment is inaccessible and hazardous such as deep-sea. Pre-real world testing facilities, such as Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL), are often not available due to the time and expense necessary to create them. Testing facilities tend to be monolithic in structure and thus inflexible making complete redesign necessary for slightly different uses. Redesign is simpler in the short term than creating the required architecture for a generic facility. This leads to expensive facilities, due to reinvention of the wheel, or worse, no testing facilities. Without adequate pre-real world testing, integration errors can go undetected until real world testing where they are more costly to diagnose and rectify, e.g. especially when developing Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs). This thesis introduces a novel framework, the Augmented Reality Framework (ARF), for rapid construction of virtual environments for Augmented Reality tasks such as Pure Simulation, HIL, Hybrid Simulation and real world testing. ARF's architecture is based on JavaBeans and is therefore inherently generic, flexible and extendable. The aim is to increase the performance of constructing, reconfiguring and extending virtual environments, and consequently enable more mature and stable systems to be developed in less time due to previously undetectable faults being diagnosed earlier in the pre-real-world testing phase. This is only achievable if test harnesses can be created quickly and easily, which in turn allows the developer to visualise more system feedback making faults easier to spot. Early fault detection and less wasted real world testing leads to a more mature, stable and less expensive system. ARF provides guidance on how to connect and configure user made components, allowing for rapid prototyping and complex virtual environments to be created quickly and easily. In essence, ARF tries to provide intuitive construction guidance which is similar in nature to LEGO R © pieces which can be so easily connected to form useful configurations. ARF is demonstrated through case studies which show the flexibility and applicability of ARF to testing techniques such as HIL for UUVs. In addition, an informal study was carried out to asses the performance increases attributable to ARF's core concepts. In comparison to classical programming methods ARF's average performance increase was close to 200%. The study showed that ARF was incredibly intuitive since the test subjects were novices in ARF but experts in programming. ARF provides key contributions in the field of HIL testing of remote systems by providing more accessible facilities that allow new or modified testing scenarios to be created where it might not have been feasible to do so before. In turn this leads to early detection of faults which in some cases would not have ever been detected before.


Objective: Epidemiological studies have found that lead exposure increases the risk for Park-inson's disease and patients with Parkinson's disease have lower odds of developing non-smoking-related cancer (1). It would be inter-esting therefore to find the molecular links be-tween Parkinson's disease and cancer. To do this, we studied mRNA expression of alpha-synuclein gene, a promising genetic marker for Parkinson's disease, and expression of the tu-mor suppressor gene p53 after oxidative stress induced by lead. Methods: We used ATDC5 cell line as a model of tumor and treated by lead nitrate for 0, 2, 4, 16, 24 and 48 hours. The mRNAs of alpha-synuclein and p53 were quan-tified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and expressed as mean (±SD) for 3 samples at each time point. Results: Ex-pression of both of alpha-synuclein and p53 mRNA increased with increasing exposure of lead treatment. The levels of alpha-synuclein and p53 mRNA were correlated with each other (r=0.9830; P<0.001). Conclusion: We propose that lead's neurotoxicity in PD is caused by al-pha-synuclein expression and aggregation, which releases the inhibitory influence of al-pha-synuclein on p53 expression, thereby al-lowing p53 to act as the cell's guardian of the genome and reduce tumorigenic potential. Treatments that reduce alpha-synuclein aggre-gation may need to account for a concomitant reduction in p53's protective effect.


Since 1995, USC's Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) has conducted the definitive longitudinal study of the human resource management function in organizations. By analyzing new data every three years since then, the Center has been able to consistently chart changes in how HR is organized and managed, while at the same time providing guidance on how professionals in the field can drive firm performance. Global Trends in Human Resource Management, the seventh report from CEO, provides the newest findings about what makes HR successful and how it can add value to organizations today. Edward E. Lawler III and John W. Boudreau conclude that HR is most powerful when it plays a strategic role, makes use of information technology, has tangible metrics and analytics, and integrates talent and business strategies. To adapt to the demands of a changing global marketplace, HR is increasingly required to span the boundaries between its function, the organization as a whole, and the dynamic environment within which it operates. This report tracks changes in a global sample of firms that shows how HR differs across Europe, the U.S., and Asia, providing an international benchmark against which to measure a company's practice and shows how HR can adapt in a rapidly changing landscape.


Background
Streptavidin is a protein produced by Streptomyces avidinii with strong biotin-binding ability. The non-covalent, yet strong bond between these two molecules has made it a preferable option in biological detection systems. Due to its extensive use, considerable attention is focused on streptavidin production by recombinant methods.

Methods
In this study, streptavidin was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21 (DE3) pLysS cells and purified by affinity chromatography. Various dialysis methods were employed to enable the protein to refold to its natural form and create a strong bond with biotin.

Results
Streptavidin was efficiently expressed in E. coli. Streptavidin attained its natural form during the dialysis phase and the refolded protein bound biotin. The addition of proline or arginine to the dialysis buffer resulted in a refolded streptavidin with greater affinity for biotin than refolding in dialysis buffer with no added amino acids.

Conclusion
Dialysis of recombinant streptavidin in the presence of arginine or proline resulted in proper refolding of the protein. The recombinant dialyzed streptavidin bound biotin with affinity as great as that of a commercial streptavidin.


extract] The styles of teaching and studying law in civilian and common law jurisdictions are very different. In the context of a desire to make civil procedure in common law jurisdictions less adversarial, the greater emphasis on case based learning in the common law world is striking. The origins of this difference lie in the greater importance (at least doctrinally, if not in practice) of precedent. In the common law world much of the law is still found in binding judgments, and even where there is statute law, the emphasis in teaching is still on the cases, and their facts, rather than on a systematic and theoretical analysis of legislation or 'codes'.


This article analyses how university students in Hong Kong talk about 'self' and 'other'. Three groups of students, Hong Kong Chinese, Mainland Chinese, and Overseas Exchange students, were asked to characterise these three groups in a pre-discussion questionnaire, and subsequently discuss freely what they had written. Selected excerpts from these discussions are analysed, and the analyses show that there are significant differences between the written and the oral responses. The pre-discussion stereotypes appear to be predominantly positive, whereas the students jointly construct predominantly negative stereotypes about 'the other' during their discussions. Different discourse strategies are employed by the three groups to discredit 'the other' and, at the same time, enhance intergroup differentiation and a positive ingroup identity. The findings are discussed vis-à-vis predominantly social psychological theories, and the study highlights that the attempt to create more internationalised universities may be jeopardised if negative intergroup stereotypes prevail. The article suggests that universities should take a more proactive role in promoting anti-racist multicultural education to counter intergroup prejudice and potential conflict.


Bank is one of the most important pillars of economy activities. However,
banking sector has a real potential crisis threat. Alongside with steady current
global banking development, financial crises that have happened clearly affect
global economy. Based on that situation, BIS (Bank for International Settlement)
– an international financial standard setting organization, realizes the urgency to
make an international financial standard and supervision to anticipate future
potential financial crises.
This research aims to identify how Basel II framework manages banking
capital & credits and how Islamic law perspective takes Basel II into
consideration. The research is conducted by analyzing Basel II documents
published by BIS. The research uses library research method to find out the
aimed result. The focus is on the 2 nd pillar of Basel II publication that is Capital
Adequacy Ration (CAR).
CAR, as an Islamic economis policy, will be analyzed using fala>h} approach.
Fala>h} is an Islamic economics objective that consists of happiness, success,
acomplishment or good luck concept. The earthly dimension of fala>h has some
parameters that can be used to analyze Islamic economics policy. Additionally,
the Islamic fiqh maxim takes part in analyzing the policy. The mas}lah}at concept
in fiqh maxim approach shares aim with fala>h concept in the sense that all of
sharia aims for mas}lah}at . The mas}lah}at can be accomplished by extinguishing
mafsadat or seize mas}lah}at .
The research results are, 1) Basel II focuses on macro-prudential aspect in
order to anticipate potential financial crises, 2) under Basel II, independent credit
rating institution has a latent moral hazard threat, 3) beneficial ( mas}lah}at ) aspects
of the hereafter, cooperation principle, justice, fairness and the forbidden of
exploitation are not the core value of Basel II framework, thus 4) crises
prevention aspect as stated to be Basel II object are weak. Therefore, 5) Basel II
as a regulation basis is not in line with fiqh maxim i.e dispelling harm
predominant taking interest ( dar'ul mafa>sid awla min jalb al-masha>lih ).


I: The Resurgent Family and FacultyIn a paper published in the Modern Language Association's professional journal Profession 94, Judith Pascoe discussed her difficulty getting a teaching position while pregnant. Despite evidence to the contrary, the general assumption in hiring is that female faculty with children under-perform. Pascoe's story ends happily, but she is "still concerned about the way pregnancy affects women's job searches and, more generally, about the way family and faculty careers combine" (73). I share her concern and will examine it with regard to the more general issue she raises of how family and faculty careers combine, with consideration of the present status of the family in society to help position the issue. Three questions in particular arise: can the professor with a family, even if the spouse is not working, compete with single professors, given the split allegiance between the family and the university? How will the university respond to this divided loyalty? And how will the public view professors and the university in this conflict of loyalties?North Americans are emphasizing family values again. United States President Bill Clinton presented the moral vision of his presidency in a November 1993 speech as founded on the virtue of the traditional family. Clinton's speech--coming from a centre-left liberal yet--can be expected to influence greatly moral agendas and popular opinion in the foreseeable future. Conservative writers on education such as Allan Bloom and Dinesh D'Souza have been calling for just such a turn. Western Canada, massively supporting the Reform Party, is in agreement.Being single or married should not, ideally, be a determinant in either a professor's performance or the perception of it. But feminism has shown us how the personal is political, so that we cannot ignore a society increasingly turning toward what are called family values, nor will it continue to ignore us. Will such a society continue to permit direction of its tax dollars to an institution that is increasingly necessary for its children to attend, but which is the locus of what that society finds increasingly antithetical to its vision of societal health? What relation, parents will ask, can a single (female? gay?) professor have to a community that is trying to instill family (patriarchal?) values? When the larger community sees professors with families unable to compete because of divided loyalty, will itthen privilege those professors? Will "family clauses" in future be written into contracts of employment? These questions can be summarized in the two specific issues that interest me here: the current relation between the university and the academic family; and what relations could be, given the trends in society and our own desires.There are indisputable signs of a resurgence of interest in family values. Newsweek recently devoted a special issue to the crisis of the Black family in the United States, in the process signalling what also could happen to White families if insufficient attention is paid to spousal communication, time with children, and the demands of employment. The irony of the Black experience as instructive to Whites was underscored by the recognition of a Black leader that the be@te noire of White American liberals, Dan Quayle, was right in asserting the importance of family ("Special" 20). Here, if Canada's "national newspaper" is any indication, we are also beginning to weather an assault on the liberal values that have guided cultural development since the 1960s. In two Globe and Mail articles from last spring, both the contents and the juxtaposition of headlines belied a semiotic that could not be lost on the wary reader. The first article (Fraser) was concerned with the new effort to strengthen the traditional family in the United States, an effort that is notable because it spans the political spectrum; right, left, and centre, as Clinton's speech also reveals, all agree on the need for a renaissance of the family. …


ARTICLE INFO In this paper, the combustion chamber of SGT600 gas turbine with 18 similar burners is numerically simulated from compressor outlet to turbine inlet with ANSYS CFX software to investigate the flow field and combustion properties. The threedimensional simulation is carried out with a combustion model based on a turbulent flame speed closure (TFC) model for the 2equation turbulence model, k-e, in SGT600. Excellent agreement between the results of numerical analyses and experimental data was observed so that the error rate in calculated outlet temperature was 0.1 percent. The numerical model predicted the temperature at the inner surface of the heat shield about 1390 K. Also the maximum temperature of the liner was 1285 K. The temperature reduction shows the effects of cooling flow. Due to the results, the CFD model enables the prediction of the temperature of heat shield and combustor's wall and could determine the critical points of operation.


The level of activity of the customers on the banking market is one of the measurements of demand for financial services. It allows one to better understand the changes on the banking market. The objective of this paper is to identify and evaluate the changes in the level of activity of bank customers in the segment of cooperative banks. The analysis includes the level of activity of the individual customers as well as entrepreneurs on the deposit and credit markets in the years 1994-2014. The analyses used the Census X-11 method as well as the Fast Fourier Transform analysis. The level of activity of the customers of cooperative banks undergoes periodic fluctuations. The cycle and intensity of these fluctuations is different for the deposit and for credit markets. The deposit market is dominated by the periodical cycles and the credit market by seasonality. Accidental factors play a surprisingly high role in the changes of the activity levels of the cooperative bank customers.


Nanoporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) coatings with high surface area, optical transparency and electron transfer properties have been prepared using an interpenetrating inorganic–organic hybrid sol–gel approach. UV-Vis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies were carried out on the prepared materials in addition to the characterization of their microstructures with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen sorption experiments. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and impedance spectroscopy were employed to characterize the electrochemical and electron transfer properties of the coatings in both acidic and neutral media with an Fe3+/Fe2+ redox couple. The material had a specific surface area of over 90 m2 g−1 with a bimodal pore distribution with two distinctive peaks at ca. 8 and 40 nm. The electrochemical capacitance of the material was about 100 times as high as the value obtained for a commercially available nonporous fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode. The estimated electron transfer rate of the former was three times larger than that of the FTO. The optical transparency, high surface area and high electron transfer rate of the nanoporous ATO coatings make the material well suited for diverse photoelectrochemical applications.


Social media companies are in Congress's sights. In May 2016, in the wake of allegations that Facebook workers had suppressed pro-conservative viewpoints and links while injecting liberal stories into the newly introduced Trending Topics section, Senator John Thune sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg demanding, among other things, a copy of the company's guidelines for choosing Trending Topics, a list of all news stories removed or injected into Trending Topics, and information about what steps the company would take to "hold the responsible individuals accountable." Facebook complied, with Zuckerberg himself meeting with lawmakers.

During the recent hearings before the Senate and House intelligence committees on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, Senator Dianne Feinstein told the general counsels of Facebook, Google, and Twitter — whose CEOs were conspicuously absent — "You bear this responsibility. You've created these platforms. And now they're being misused. And you have to be the ones to do something about it. Or we will." Despite intensive lobbying efforts by these companies, both individually and through their collective trade association, legislation imposing new restrictions on how they operate is, "[f]or the first time in years...being discussed seriously in Washington." As one reporter put it, "In 2008, it was Wall Street bankers. In 2017, tech workers are the world's villain."

That Bay Area tech companies are having something of a PR crisis is clear. And in the rough and tumble of politics, that these companies would meet with and appease legislators is no great surprise. But if Congress does decide to get tough, how credible and wide-ranging is the regulatory threat, under current First Amendment jurisprudence?

Some prominent commentators claim that Facebook is analogous to a newspaper and that its handling of a feature like Trending Topics is analogous to a newspaper's editorial choices. As a result, these commentators find congressional scrutiny of such matters to be constitutionally problematic. Moreover, the editorial analogy has been a remarkably effective shield for these tech companies in litigation. In a series of lower court cases, Google and others have argued that their decisions concerning their platforms — for example, what sites to list (or delist) and in what order, who can buy ads and where to place them, and what users to block or permanently ban — are analogous to the editorial decisions of publishers. And like editorial decisions, they argue, these decisions are protected "speech" under the First Amendment. While mostly wielded against small-fry, often pro se plaintiffs, courts have tended to accept this analogy wholesale.

Large consequences hinge on whether the various choices companies like Facebook and Google make are indeed analogous to editorial "speech." The answer will partly determine whether and how the state can respond to current challenges ranging from the proliferation of fake news to high levels of market concentration to the lack of ad transparency. Furthermore, algorithmic discrimination and the discrimination facilitated by these platforms' structures affect people's lives today and no doubt will continue to do so. But if these algorithms and outputs are analogous to the decisions the New York Times makes on what to publish, then attempts to extend antidiscrimination laws to deal with such discrimination will face an onslaught of potentially insuperable constitutional challenges. In short, these companies' deployment of the editorial analogy in the First Amendment context poses a major hurdle to government intervention.

Whether, or to what extent, the editorial analogy should work as a shield against looming legislation and litigation for companies like Facebook and Google is something this historical moment demands we carefully consider. My primary aim in this paper is to do just that. I will engage critically with, and ultimately raise questions about, the near-automatic application of the editorial analogy. The core takeaways are these: (1) we should be cognizant of the inherent limitations of analogical reasoning generally and of the editorial analogy specifically; (2) whether these companies' various outputs should receive coverage as First Amendment "speech" is far from clear, both descriptively and normatively; (3) the proposition that regulations compelling these companies to add content (disclaimers, links to competitors, and so on) compel the companies to speak is also far from clear; and, finally and most crucially, (4) given the limits of analogical reasoning, our future debates about First Amendment coverage should focus less on analogy and more on what actually matters — the normative commitments that undergird free speech theory and how our choices either help or hinder their manifestations.


In this era of dramatically increased astronomy education research efforts, there is a growing need for standardized evaluation protocols and a strategy to assess both student comprehension of fundamental concepts and the success of innovative instructional interventions. Of the many topics that could be taught in an introductory astronomy course, the nature of light and the electromagnetic spectrum is by far the most universally covered topic. Yet, to the surprise and disappointment of instructors, many students struggle to understand underlying fundamental concepts related to light, such as blackbody radiation, Wien's law, the Stefan-Boltzmann law, and the nature and causes of emission and absorption line spectra. Motivated by predecessor instruments such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT), and the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI), we call for, and are working on, the development and validation of a Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory. This assessment instrument should measure students' conceptual understanding of light and spectroscopy and gauge the effectiveness of classroom instruction in promoting student learning in the introductory astronomy survey course.


An experimental strategy for systematically assessing the influence of surface passivation layers on the photocatalytic properties of nanowire photoanodes by combining photocurrent analysis, photoluminescence spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy with a systematic variation of sample structure and the surrounding electrolyte is demonstrated. Following this approach we can separate the impact on recombination and transport processes of photogenerated carriers. We apply this strategy to analyze the influence of ultra-thin TiO2, CeO2 and Al2O3 coatings deposited by atomic layer deposition on the photoelectrochemical performance of InxGa1−xN/GaN nanowire (NW) photoelectrodes. The passivation of surface states results in an increase of the anodic photocurrent (PC) by a factor of 2.5 for the deposition of 5 nm TiO2. In contrast, the PC is reduced for CeO2- and Al2O3-coated NWs due to enhanced defect recombination in the passivation layer or increased band discontinuities. Furthermore, photoelectrochemical oxidation of the InxGa1−xN/GaN NW photoelectrode is attenuated by the TiO2 layer and completely suppressed for a layer thickness of 7 nm or more. Due to efficient charge transfer from the InxGa1−xN NW core a stable TiO2-covered photoanode with visible light excitation is realized.