Mental illness and mental symptoms depend on a construction that results from the decisions of certain social agents, which, in a specific social and historical context, according to an epistemological framework (how symptoms and disorders are constructed and detected) and an ontological framework (how they are defined, what they consist of), identify the behaviors which make up a symptom or a disorder (Berrios, 2011). Only after these theoretical hypotheses of mental symptom and disorder have been outlined are the data which empirically validate them searched and found. Therefore, the objects of psychiatry (mental symptom and disorder) being the result of a social conjecture and a philosophical perspective rooted in a specific time, they should also be studied with elements from social and human sciences (history, sociology, philosophy) (Telles-Correia, 2015).

Besides these elements, clinical experience is essential to find out new forms of presentation, as well as to name new clinical behaviors and manifestations. After all, this was the fundamental method of the great psychopathologists and nosologists of the late Nineteenth century and early Twentieth century, such as Falret, Kalbaum, Kraeplin, etc. (Jaspers, 1963; Goas, 1966).

These theoretical hypotheses, born out of clinical experience together with the historical, sociological and philosophical analysis of previously established theories are connected to reality through empirical validation. The latter aims to show that the said symptoms/diagnoses do really exist (Zachar, 2012).

According to Zachar (2012), there are two major paradigms of empirical validation. The first paradigm is the medical model. According to this model, validation includes the study of the natural history of disorders (which show to be consistent in terms of natural history with the proposed diagnosis), studies of family aggregation (which show a greater influence of heredity in the proposed diagnosis) and the search for neurobiological causality. This model was the basis for the development of classification systems such as the DSM.

At the same time a psychological model was developed. In this psychological/psychometric model current validation processes follow a different paradigm. According to this model, psychological/psychiatric variables are latent variables (which cannot be measured/observed directly but need instead to be assessed through other component variables). The validation of the instruments which measure this latent variable includes complex statistical methods (in the search for construct validity and criterion validity).

These two kinds of validation are not exclusive and nowadays there is a tendency for them to coexist and combine.

In recent years, the search for empirical validation has reached proportions never seen before, generally in line with the structures of diagnosis universally accepted. The so called content validation was thus devaluated. In this approach, the theoretical hypotheses are reassessed based on an important revision of the history and evolution of the established concepts (which comprises the sociological movements and the ontological and epistemological philosophical frameworks of the different authors) and also on the new data from updated clinical practice. With the devaluation of content validation, the current guidelines are considered to be beyond criticism and irrefutable. Most of the times the technicians involved in the validation of psychometric instruments aimed at evaluating a specific concept which has been established decades ago (sometimes more than a 100 years ago) do not know the origin of these concepts nor the history of their development thoroughly (nor if they are socially, historically and philosophically appropriate nowadays). The same applies to the researchers who try to find the anatomical/chemical correlates of psychiatric manifestations but often do not grasp the conceptual basis of the object studied nor the validity of the methods used to detect the said object, nor have they in their team a member able to explain this to them (Telles-Correia, 2015).

New advances of the neuroscience supported by a refined, reliable and valid phenotyping (e.g., at the level of symptoms and not at the level of disorders), are bringing some promising results. The mapping of clinical phenomenology on specific brain dysfunction is now becoming plausible and the resulting functional psychopathology may in the future significantly replace the present nosology (Jablensky, 2010).

Nevertheless, as Andreasen (2007) points out: "Applying technology without companionship of wise clinicians with specific expertise in psychopathology will be a lonely, sterile and perhaps fruitless enterprise."

Some of the chapters of this Ebook deal with aspects which are essential to the historical understanding of mental symptoms and disorders.

The first text of this topic will briefly review the fascinating history of Asperger syndrome: why it was born, its tumultuous existence, and its downfall.

The second text presents an historical overview of the understanding of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, highlighting the advances in neuroscience and how they influenced current perspectives on the nosology of this disorder.

The third text reviews many historical sources about the understanding and treatment of mental disorders in the early modern England and connects these with current trends in mental health care.

The fourth text will show a critical review about psychopathology classification systems on Sexual orientation and gender identity and argues for the broader respect and value of the diversity of human sexuality and of gender expressions.

The fifth text will review the history of histrionic personality disorder, one of the most ambiguous diagnostic categories in psychiatry reflecting attitudes about health, religion and gender across time.

The sixth text aims to review the evolution of the term "hallucination" up to present time, highlighting the difficulty in both defining and limiting this concept ever since its first appearance.

The seventh text presents some elements of the Freudian thinking on psychosis. Can the psychotic individual be invaded by a pulsating unconscious which demands a symbolic mediation?

The eighth text reflects recent changes in the Brazilian public policies for mental health since Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders was introduced which might disregard the subject and its personal history.

The ninth text aims at reviewing the contributions by the different authors to the construction of the term "melancholia," throughout history, where it has been associated not only to affective disorders but also to abnormal beliefs.


This thesis is concerned with the investigation of methods of providing support to non-expert users of telecare systems by creating easy-to-use interfaces and assessing the effect of adapting the interface to suit the cognitive style of individual users. The contributions to knowledge fall into three main areas; firstly the innovations built into a prototype adaptive telecare system, secondly the identification of the sort of tasks and the types of media that best suit different cognitive style groups, and thirdly the proposal of a new dimension of cognitive style that classifies individuals by their perception of visual compared to auditory information.
The first phase of the project is concerned with the design and implementation of a prototype adaptive telecare system that demonstrates existing usability principles. The prototype system enables users to communicate over the Internet using text, audio and video, and to enable access to information stored within the system and on the Internet. The adaptive features include the automatic selection of information based on the knowledge of the user and the automatic selection of a presentation style that is
based on the way the user perceives information. The system contains a number of innovations that relate to the application of the technology used to build the system, how information is structured, and the design of the style of interaction. The second phase of the project is concerned with assessing the effect of designing interfaces using
different media that are suitable for individual users based on how they perceive and process information.
Cognitive style is found to significantly affect performance in few tasks, but relative differences of
performance are observed between the cognitive style groups in the different types of task and in the different media versions of each task. A major contribution to knowledge is the identification of the tasks and the types of media that suit different cognitive style groups, as this will help developers of multimedia systems to design interfaces that will improve the performance ofusers in each cognitive style
group. The major contribution to the field is the proposal of a new visual-auditory dimension of cognitive style.
The assessment of cognitive style using a visual test is found to be significantly different to an assessment
using an auditory test. An individual's style can be calculated using an existing cognitive styles analysis
test augmented by the new audio test presented in chapter 8. The new visual and auditory classification of
cognitive style is found to explain the performance of subjects to a greater degree than the old purely
visual classification.


A 50-year-old female presented at the Oral Medicine clinic at the Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok with a chief complaint of severe pain in her oral cavity and lips for 1 week. She had no systemic diseases, except for vertigo, and was currently taking cetirizine hydrochloride. An oral examination revealed a hemorrhagic crust on her lips, scaly, large ulcerations on the upper labial mucosa, and multiple oral ulcerations on the right and left buccal mucosa. She had limited mouth opening and difficult in eating. She was treated with benzydamine hydrochloride mouthwash, triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% mouthwash, and fluocinolone acetonide 0.1% solution. The patient's pain and severe oral lesions gradually reduced after treatment for one week. At the one month follow-up, all lesions had completely disappeared and the laboratory investigation report showed that she was Herpes simplex virus Ab IgG type I and Type II positive; therefore, the diagnosis in this case was Herpes associated erythema multiforme (HAEM). The aim of this case report is to show the effectiveness of various potent topical steroids in treating severe oral ulcerations without any side-effects. Potent topical steroids are recommended as an alternative treatment for severe oral ulcerations in HAEM patients.


Electron microprobe dating of monazite was performed on enclaves of sapphirine-bearing granulites and their host granites from the southeastern part of the Madurai Block in India. The granulites are strongly migmatitic and comprise quartzofeldspathic leucosome veins and restitic domains of sapphirine, garnet, orthopyroxene, sillimanite and cordierite. Inclusions of sapphirine-quartz intergrowths in garnet testify to an UHT stage of metamorphism which was followed by a stage of decompression during which garnet was replaced by coronitic opx-sill intergrowths. Monazite inclusions in garnet, orthopyroxene and quartz often yield a bimodal age distribution of Mid- to early Neoproterozoic (1500-850 Ma) ages in the cores which are rimmed by late Neoproterozoic age domains (630-580 Ma). Monazites in the granite and the charnockite exclusively yield Pan-African values. The occurrence of sapphirine-quartz intergrowths and the early Neoproterozoic age population in the same petrographical position infers that the crystalline basement of the Madurai Block already experienced a stage of UHT metamorphism prior to the Pan-African orogenic event.


Background: Lead (Pb) is a proven environmental toxicant throughout the world. Elevated blood lead level (BLL) adversely affects the neuro-cognitive and behavioral development of children. Considering the worst source of lead pollution, the government of Bangladesh banned leaded petrol and phased out two-stroked vehicles from Dhaka citya€"the capital of Bangladesha€"in late 1999. In 2000, on the verge of introducing unleaded gasoline, a baseline survey showed high mean value of BLLs (15 µg/dL) in school children of Dhakaa€"much higher than the CDC's permissible level of 10 µgm/dL. Methods: This cross sectional, follow-up study was conducted to see the current status of BLLs in school children of Dhaka city. Total 100 students from two schools, 50 girls and 50 boys from grade six through ten, were randomly selected and their finger-pricked bloods were analyzed for Pb levels. Results: The mean (±SD) BLLs was 15.31±5.81 µgm/dL; and the majority (84%) of the students tested had BLLs higher than 10µg/dL. The BLLs was found significantly higher among the students who used to play outside house premises in a dusty environment (p=0.03) and among the frequent users of a traditional eye cosmetics a€A"surmaa€ (p= 0.032). No significant associations were noted between BLLs and the gender of the study subjects, their housing status, and the distance of the houses from the school. Conclusion: The mean BLL is still alarmingly high in the studied school children that have not declined significantly despite taking several visibly effective measures. Recommendation: The possible causes and source(s) of such persistently higher BLLs in children need priority exploration, since this important environmental health issue is of crucial importance so far the health and wellbeing of the future generations of the country are concern.


Hearing loss is common, but often both undetected and untreated. In this two-part study we evaluated an online hearing test and used this test to explore potential links between hearing status, cognitive abilities, psychological distress as well as quality of life.Out of a total of 1370 online recruited participants who completed the procedure, 16.2% failed the online hearing test. Hearing difficulties were more prevalent among the older participants. Poor self-rated hearing ability, as measured by the Amsterdam Inventory of Auditory Handicap, increased the odds ratio for failing the hearing test (OR 2.34, 95 % CI 1.74-3.15). The same was true for scoring above the cut-off score of 11 on the anxiety subscale on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (OR 2.55, 95 % CI 1.22-5.33). On the other hand, good performance on the cognitive tasks lowered the risk for a failed hearing test.We conclude that online hearing tests may have the potential to reduce the time lag between noticing hearing difficulties and beginning a process to address the problem. Moreover, online data collection facilitate large scale investigations on the links between hearing, cognition and perceived communication and mental health problems.


We demonstrate a micro-structured aperture made of a unique hollow triangular-core fiber (HTCF) that consists of a central air hole, a high-index hollow triangular core, and silica cladding for all-fiber novel beam shaping. Detailed fabrication processes to embed a hollow triangular structure into a cylindrical optical fiber are described and unique diffraction patterns out of the HTCF for monochromatic light are analyzed both experimentally and theoretically. Fourier-optic analysis combined with guided mode calculation was pursued to interpret experimental patterns in terms of the beam propagation distance.


Despite tremendous advancements in the livestock sector, additional opportunities exist to improve even further livestock production around the globe. Forecasting is not an exact science and it relies heavily on past and current knowledge. Improvements in the nutritional sciences (both human and animal) include a better understanding of agents that cause deterioration of human health, improving the quality of animal products, applying effective fetal programming, developing new feeds and feeding strategies, and revisiting longstanding technologies. Improvements in the understanding of the rumen microbiome will enable scientists to increase the fermentation efficiency and, hopefully, select microbial species of greater interest. Improvements in remote sensing and ground-based instrumentation, telecommunications, and weather forecasting technologies will aid in the continued improvements of early warning systems to assist livestock producers in reducing risk and adapting to the changing environment. Broad utilization of sensor technologies will allow scientists to collect real-time data and, when combined with mathematical modeling, decision support systems will become an indispensable managerial tool for livestock production with the possibility to automate low-level decisions on the farm, such as supplementation schedules, sorting of animals, and early detection of disease and outbreaks. The identification of feed efficient animals may be the single most impactful advancement towards long-term livestock sustainability and the promise of feeding the world animal products. We contend that education across societal levels is the first step to solve current and future challenges of the livestock industry. The dilemma has been who will take the first step forward.


This study focuses on the relations between minority stressors, protective factors and psychological wellbeing among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people. Experimental data based on a sample of 156 showed that participants asked to recall a negative coming out experience to somebody significant reported more identity threat and distress and less positive affect compared to those recalling a neutral coming out experience. In the negative recall condition, the effects of the stressors of discrimination and rejection on the variance of distress through the mediation of identity threat were statistically significant but not in the neutral recall condition and the two conditions statistically significantly differed in regards to the relationship between discrimination and distress. Identity resilience-continuity was associated with less identity threat and distress in the negative recall condition only, while social support was negatively associated and LGB stigma sensitivity was positively associated with distress in both conditions. Degree of outness (operating as a coping strategy) was associated with increased positive affect in both the neutral and negative recall conditions. When recalling a negative coming out experience, LGB people may be more susceptible to distress associated with minority stressors but also capitalize on available coping strategies.


This thesis explores processes of social exclusion within Pakistani Muslim communities in Britam and Germany through the symbolic act of caring for one's elders. In particular social exclusion is explored through individual perceptions of what it means to be included or excluded with reference to their experiences and expectations of informal familial care Pakistani Muslim identities in diaspora are maintained, in part, through the continual exercise of Islamic and Pakistani cultural symbols. These symbols also serve to construct and sustain community boundaries,
distinguishing 'us' (Pakistani Muslims) from 'them' (non-Muslim White British and Germans). Hierarchical structures based on gerontocratic principles, aligned with the importance of family, and ethics of izzath, result in widespread beliefs amongst Pakistani Muslim communities that 'we' look after our elders and 'they' do not. As a
result familial care of elders has come to be seen as an integral symbol of 'Pakistani Muslim' identity in diaspora S uch symbolic value results in the care relationship
between elders and their kin being subject to Islamic and Pakistani cultural understandings of 'good' and 'bad'. Whilst these moral assertions have the potential to exclude, individual experiences, understandings and perceptions of them differ. Through an exploration of these experiences this study seeks to provide a grounded
understanding of social exclusion.

Based on qualitative empirical data, consisting of 43 interviews, 26 of which were conducted in Germany, and 17 in Britain, the research advocates a re-configuration
of the emphasis placed upon structurally constructed thresholds of social exclusion. Through grounded accounts of the care relationship the thesis puts forward an
alternative typology of care, which takes into account the ethics of izzath, khidmath, reciprocity and the corresponding structural frameworks of Islam and Pakistani
culture. The research demonstrates that the diasponc Pakistani Muslim community's attempts at continuation and unity have the potential to exclude where conditions
and values of such perpetuation are not met. However, such thresholds of exclusion are fluid, subject to individual resource and identity negotiations that call into
question exclusion based upon 'indisputable' moral authorities.


Title of Document: THE IMPACT OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF STOCHASTIC UNDERSTANDING OF PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION Darcy Lynn Conant, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Directed By: Dr. Patricia Campbell Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership Stochastic understanding of probability distribution undergirds development of conceptual connections between probability and statistics and supports development of a principled understanding of statistical inference. This study investigated the impact of an instructional course intervention designed to support development of stochastic understanding of probability distribution. Instructional supports consisted of supplemental lab assignments comprised of anticipatory tasks designed to engage students in coordinating thinking about complementary probabilistic and statistical notions. These tasks utilized dynamic software simulations to elicit stochastic conceptions and to support development of conceptual connections between empirical distributions and theoretical probability distribution models along a hypothetical learning trajectory undergirding stochastic understanding of probability distribution. The study employed a treatment-control design, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine students' understanding after a one-semester course. Participants were 184 undergraduate students enrolled in a lecture/recitation, calculus-based, introductory probability and statistics course who completed lab assignments addressing either calculus review (control) or stochastic conceptions of probability distribution (treatment). Data sources consisted of a student background survey, a conceptual assessment, ARTIST assessment items, and final course examinations. Student interviews provided insight into the nature of students' reasoning and facilitated examination of validity of the stochastic conceptual assessment. Logistic regression analysis revealed completion of supplemental assignments designed to undergird development of stochastic conceptions had a statistically significant impact on students' understanding of probability distribution. Students who held stochastic conceptions indicated integrated reasoning related to probability, variability, and distribution and presented images which support a principled understanding of statistical inference. THE IMPACT OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF STOCHASTIC UNDERSTANDING OF PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION


Persistency constitutes an important issue in software development and is of particular importance within object oriented design. However it seems that identification of persistent objects and their later design have not been given enough attention. The paper investigates one of UML-based software development process from the perspective of modeling persistency. Drawbacks of currently used typical approaches to modeling persistent data are identified and compared with mature techniques for database modeling. An improvement of the development process by providing means for modeling of persistency at early stages and introduction of data modeling technique into UML-based development process is proposed. The proposal is supported by a definition of UML persistent data modeling profile based on the usage of database technology for implementation persistency. Integration of the improvement with existing solutions for realization of persistency is also discussed.


Beverage emulsions are systems that are composed of two liquids including oil and water which are prepared by homogenizing oil phase in an acidic aqueous phase. They must be stable in both concentrated and diluted form for a period of 6-12 months upon standing at room temperature. Two immiscible phases contained systems are thermodynamically unstable. In other words, they are vulnerable to break down over time by different process such as flocculation, coalescence, gravitational separation, phase inversion and ostwald ripening. The rate of destabilization depends on physicochemical properties of two phases, interfacial layer characteristic and the components present in both continuous and dispersed phase. However, beverage emulsions are thermodynamically unstable; it is possible to make it kinetically stable using an appropriate emulsifier with respect to emulsion properties, change the dispersed phase characteristic in a way that retards its upward movement. In this article, the most common factors affected on beverage oil-in-water emulsion stability are reviewed. We will also introduce some solutions to improve beverage emulsion stability.


This study investigated the validity of a parent report measure of vocabulary development, the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Sentences (CDI), in children with and without developmental disabilities. Concurrent validity was examined by comparing results from the CDI and laboratory measures of vocabulary in 44 children with Down syndrome and 46 typically developing children with mental ages from 12 to 27 months. Significant correlations between .70 and .82 were obtained. Predictive validity was examined by measuring the vocabulary of 20 children with Down syndrome and 23 typically developing children first at approximately 20 months mental age and later at a mental age of approximately 28 months. Significant correlations were obtained between the CDI at Time A and all but one of the vocabulary measures at Time B (r = .46 to .66). These results establish the validity of parent measures of vocabulary development for children with Down syndrome and confirm their validity for typically developing children.


One unanswered question about the binary neutron star coalescence GW170817 is the nature of its post-merger remnant. A previous search for post-merger gravitational waves targeted high-frequency signals from a possible neutron star remnant with a maximum signal duration of 500 s. Here, we revisit the neutron star remnant scenario and focus on longer signal durations, up until the end of the second Advanced LIGO-Virgo observing run, which was 8.5 days after the coalescence of GW170817. The main physical scenario for this emission is the power-law spindown of a massive magnetar-like remnant. We use four independent search algorithms with varying degrees of restrictiveness on the signal waveform and different ways of dealing with noise artefacts. In agreement with theoretical estimates, we find no significant signal candidates. Through simulated signals, we quantify that with the current detector sensitivity, nowhere in the studied parameter space are we sensitive to a signal from more than 1 Mpc away, compared to the actual distance of 40 Mpc. However, this study serves as a prototype for post-merger analyses in future observing runs with expected higher sensitivity.


Accidental Information Discovery: Cultivating Serendipity in the Digital Age provides readers with an interesting discussion on the ways serendipity—defined as the accidental discovery of valued information—plays an important role in creative problem-solving. This insightful resource brings together discussions on serendipity and information discovery, research in computer and information science, and interesting thoughts on the creative process. Five thorough chapters explore the significance of serendipity in creativity and innovation, the characteristics of serendipity-friendly tools and minds, and how future discovery environments may encourage serendipity.


This paper examines implications for cost-effective allocation of pollution controls when preferences of coalitions organized along regional lines, or according to preferences for air vs. water quality improvements, are accounted for. Results are compared to a base case in which NOx emissions reductions must satisfy only a water quality standard, and total costs are minimized over emissions sources. Relative to base-case result that marginal control costs must be equal across sources, stronger relative preferences for air imply shifting of control toward sources that produce greater ancillary benefits to air quality. Regional differences may require side payments to induce cooperation where benefits are low, but this will not affect how controls themselves should be allocated.


Summary form only given, as follows. Co-channel interference is a major impairment in wireless systems with channel (frequency and/or time) re-use. In practice the performance of time division multiple access (TDMA) and frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems is limited by a few dominant co-channel interferers. These can be removed by means of multiple antennas but it is difficult to demand this at the mobile because of technology limitations. The standard solution is to treat co-channel interference as Gaussian noise and to employ powerful channel codes. However, this solution is far from optimal since the decoder is using an inappropriate metric for decoding. In this paper it is shown that a more effective use of system redundancy is to design channel codes that are matched to an adaptive linear receiver, so that the combination provides interference suppression. It is shown that a simple one symbol parity check code is capable of suppressing one interferer, a repetition code of length N is capable of suppressing N-1 interferers, and a code of K information symbols and N channel symbols is capable of suppressing N/K interferers.


In this paper I discuss financial models created to price complex derivatives. I argue that their development can only be understood with reference to the purposes for which they have been created, and to the institutional environment in which they have evolved. I show via stylized computer simulations that the timing of losses from using the 'wrong' model can be very different, depending on whether the trader adopts the market consensus model (even if wrong), or not. This and other institutional factors encourage model uniformity, and penalize the trader or quant who tried to develop a 'better' model at odds with the market. I argue that this gives rise to a game of 'sociological pricing co-ordination', a game that can be sustained despite the apparently model-independent reference point given by the terminal payoff. Given the timing of the losses, these models can be successful for the quants and traders who develop them, but provide few 'cognitive spin-offs', and they can be seriously misunderstood by outsiders such as regulators.


The laws of thermodynamics provide a clear concept of the temperature for an equilibrium system in the continuum limit. Meanwhile, the equipartition theorem allows one to make a connection between the ensemble average of the kinetic energy and the uniform temperature. When a system or its environment is far from equilibrium, however, such an association does not necessarily apply. In small systems, the regression hypothesis may not even apply. Herein, it is shown that in small nonequilibrium systems, the regression hypothesis still holds, though with a generalized definition of the temperature. The latter must now be defined for each such manifestation.


In Europe, water management is moving from flood defence to a risk management approach, which takes both the probability and the potential consequences of flooding into account. It is expected that climate change and socio-economic development will lead to an increase in flood risk in the Rhine basin. To optimize spatial planning and flood management measures, studies are needed that quantify future flood risks and estimate their uncertainties. In this paper, we estimated the current and future fluvial flood risk in 2030 for the entire Rhine basin in a scenario study. The change in value at risk is based on two land-use projections derived from a land-use model representing two different socio-economic scenarios. Potential damage was calculated by a damage model, and changes in flood probabilities were derived from two climate scenarios and hydrological modelling. We aggregated the results into seven sections along the Rhine. It was found that the annual expected damage in the Rhine basin may increase by between 54% and 230%. While the major part (about three-quarters) can be accounted for by climate change in our study, it has to be borne in mind that potential increases in capital value are not considered in our study. The influence of socio-economic development as a potential driver of risk may therefore underestimated in this study. The highest current potential damage can be found in the Netherlands (€110 billion), compared with the second (€80 billion) and third (€62 billion) highest values in two areas in Germany. Results further show that the area with the highest fluvial flood risk is located in the Lower Rhine in Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany, and not in the Netherlands, as is often perceived. This is mainly due to the higher flood protection standards in the Netherlands as compared with Germany.


1. The lysosomal enzymes of circulating polymorphonuclear leucocytes contain a potent elastase; release of this enzyme within the lung is thought to be responsible for the destruction of elastic tissue in pulmonary emphysema. 2. The release of lysosomal enzymes from blood leucocytes of normal and emphysematous subjects during phagocytosis of particulate material was studied In vitro. Acid phosphatase and acid ribonuclease were used as markers of lysosomal enzyme release, no sufficiently sensitive assay for elastase being available. Cigarette smoke was separated into 'particulate' and 'soluble' fractions. In a preliminary study, the particulate fraction stimulated enzyme release; in the experiments reported here, latex particles were used to produce this effect. 3. Approximately one-third of the total lysosomal enzyme content was released to the exterior of the cell during phagocytosis of latex particles. In this respect there was no difference between normal and emphysematous subjects. 4. The effects of the non-particulate soluble fraction of cigarette smoke on phagocytosis-induced enzyme release were studied. This fraction inhibited enzyme release from polymorphonuclear leucocytes of normal subjects but not from those of emphysematous patients. When the 'cigarette-smoke solution' was replaced by the respiratory inhibitor, antimycin A, a similar inhibition of enzyme release occurred. The inhibition of phagocytosis in cells of normal subjects is presumed to be due to a respiratory inhibitor such as carbon monoxide in the soluble fraction of the smoke. We postulate that the polymorphonuclear leucocytes of emphysematous patients are adapted to hypoxic conditions so that inhibition of enzyme release does not occur.


The present study aimed to assess the effect of supplementation on the performance of F1 (Boer × females of no defined breed) goats finished in native pasture. The experiment was conducted at the Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Patos Campus, Paraiba, Brazil, with twenty-four 120-day-old non-castrated F1 (Boer × NDB) male goats, with a 15.52 kg live weight (LW). Animals were distributed in four levels of supplementation (0.0; 0.5; 1.0; 1.5% of body) and six replicates. In order to perform the evaluation of dry matter availability, the herbaceous vegetation was divided into grass and herbaceous dicotyledon and evaluated at the beginning (5/28/2007), in the middle (7/9/2007) and at the end (8/6/2007) of the experiment. In the beginning of the experiment, the availability of grass dry matter was 1,102.89 kg/ha, and at the end of the experiment, the availability of the referred matter was greater (1,494.81); on the other hand, the opposite occurred for the dicotyledons, with a dry matter content of 1,759.46 kg/ha in the beginning of the experiment, and only 236.76 kg/ha at the end of the experiment. Supplementation made it possible to estimate the increase in dry matter intake of 257.15 g/day and of 20.79 g/kg0.75/day, as well as the daily weight gain of 103 g for each percentage point increase that resulted from supplementation. The availability and nutritional quality of forage had a strong influence on the effect of supplementation on dry matter intake, with a negative response for supplementation levels of up to 0.74% of the live weight Consequently, the finishing of F1 crossbred goats in a grazing area in the Caatinga can be improved with the supplementation of concentrate at levels 1.0 to 1.5% of the live weight.


In the northern South Island of New Zealand, displacement at the Pacific-Indian plate boundary is accommodated by the east-north-east-striking, right-lateral strike-slip Marlborough fault system. The southernmost Marlborough fault is the Hope fault; the late Pleistocene-Holocene horizontal slip rate on this fault is 20-25 mm/yr, about half of the rate of Pacific-Australian plate motion. Near the eastern end of the Hope fault, most displacement is transferred to the north-northeast-striking Jordan thrust, but the average dip-slip rate at the surface trace of this thrust is less than 4 mm/yr. We propose that most slip takes place on a blind thrust, expressed at the surface by the fault-propagation folding of the Seaward Kaikoura Range, and that the rate of uplift of this range is as high as that of the Southern Alps, 6 to 10 mm/yr. The major restraining bend of the Alpine fault has the same average slip rate as the Wairau fault, 4-6 mm/yr. Even though the Alpine fault is an east-dipping, reverse-separation fault at the restraining bend, this low slip rate results in uplift of the Spenser Mountains east of the bend at a rate lower than that of the Southern Alps and Seaward Kaikoura Range.


I argue that morphological markings and richness of verbal tense paradigms might not be related to verb movement in the way proposed by Biberauer and Roberts (2010). I show that in Brazilian Portuguese there has been a partial loss of verb movement, although the language kept some synthetic forms. I assume Giorgi and Pianesi's (1997) proposal for tense-aspect structure. Some synthetic forms for tenses such as the pluperfect and future are absent in BP and were replaced by periphrastic forms. I show that the residual synthetic forms in Brazilian Portuguese don't convey their original tense meanings, indicating loss of verb movement to a higher functional head. In other words, residual synthetic forms have now only aspectual related features, and they do not move to a higher Tense head. Keywords: verb movement; richness of tense; Brazilian Portuguese; Romance languages


Client authentication has been a continuous source of problems on the Web. Although many well-studied techniques exist for authentication, Web sites continue to use extremely weak authentication schemes, especially in non-enterprise environments such as store fronts. These weaknesses often result from careless use of authenticators within Web cookies. Of the twenty-seven sites we investigated, we weakened the client authentication on two systems, gained unauthorized access on eight, and extracted the secret key used to mint authenticators from one.

We provide a description of the limitations, requirements, and security models specific to Web client authentication. This includes the introduction of the interrogative adversary, a surprisingly powerful adversary that can adaptively query a Web site.

We propose a set of hints for designing a secure client authentication scheme. Using these hints, we present the design and analysis of a simple authentication scheme secure against forgeries by the interrogative adversary. In conjunction with SSL, our scheme is secure against forgeries by the active adversary.


The importance of successful innovation for the long-term performance of companies can hardly be exaggerated. However, we need to consider this in a dynamic setting, in which competitors do not remain passive. We find that two thirds of new product launches meet reaction by competitors after their launch. We also empirically demonstrate that the strategic launch decisions that managers take have an effect on future reaction by competitors.

Following an extensive review of the literature, a propositional model is developed. In order to test this theoretical model, an ex post facto field study was designed, in which the authors obtained comprehensive information on 509 new industrial products launched in the US, the UK and the Netherlands. Competitive reaction is diagnosed in terms of changes in the marketing instruments of the competitor. A logistic regression model is estimated on the occurrence of competitive reaction with any marketing instrument. We also look at the occurrence of individual marketing instrument reactions. The data show that competitors react primarily by means of price changes. Product assortment and promotional changes are less frequent, whereas distribution policy modifications occur very rarely.

The characteristics of the new product launch strategy were found to have a significant impact on both the occurrence and nature of competitive reactions. We claim that the competitive effect of radically new products and incrementally new products greatly differs. The results show that competitors fail to respond to radical innovations and to new products that employ a niche strategy. They do react if a new product can be assessed within an existing product category and thus represent an unambiguous attack. Both innovative and imitative new products meet reaction in this case. The results also demonstrate that competitors are more inclined to react to the introduction of new products that are supported by extensive communication by the innovating firm. The likelihood of reaction is also higher in high growth markets than in low growth markets. The article discusses theoretical and managerial implications of these results, as well as thoughts for future research that may add more insight.


Most readers, especially those with car loans or home mortgages, know about collateral--property that the lender can take away from the borrower in the event that the borrower defaults. In low/middle income countries, it is understood that conservative lenders exclude firms from credit markets with their excessive collateral requirements. Usually, this is because only some property is acceptable as collateral: large holdings of urban real estate and, sometimes, new motor vehicles. Microenterprises, SMEs, and the poor have little of this property but they do have an array of productive assets that could easily be harnessed to serve as collateral. It is only the legal framework which prevents firms from using these assets to secure loans. In countries with reformed laws governing collateral, property such as equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, livestock are considered excellent collateral. This book aims to better equip project managers to implement reforms to the legal and institutional framework for collateral (secured transactions). It discusses the importance of movable property as a source of collateral for firms, the relationship between the legal framework governing movable assets and the financial sector consequences for firms (better loan terms, increased access, more competitive financial sector), and how reforms can be put in place to change the lending environment.


The development of a sterilizing vaccine against malaria remains one of the highest priorities for global health research. While sporozoite vaccines targeting the pre-erythrocytic stage show great promise, it has not been possible to maintain efficacy long-term, likely due to an inability of these vaccines to maintain effector memory T cell responses in the liver. Vaccines based on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) might overcome this limitation since vectors based on rhesus CMV (RhCMV), the homologous virus in rhesus macaques (RM), elicit and indefinitely maintain high frequency, non-exhausted effector memory T cells in extralymphoid tissues, including the liver. Moreover, RhCMV strain 68–1 elicits CD8+ T cells broadly recognizing unconventional epitopes exclusively restricted by MHC-II and MHC-E. To evaluate the potential of these unique immune responses to protect against malaria, we expressed four Plasmodium knowlesi (Pk) antigens (CSP, AMA1, SSP2/TRAP, MSP1c) in RhCMV 68–1 or in Rh189-deleted 68–1, which additionally elicits canonical MHC-Ia-restricted CD8+ T cells. Upon inoculation of RM with either of these Pk Ag expressing RhCMV vaccines, we obtained T cell responses to each of the four Pk antigens. Upon challenge with Pk sporozoites we observed a delayed appearance of blood stage parasites in vaccinated RM consistent with a 75–80% reduction of parasite release from the liver. Moreover, the Rh189-deleted RhCMV/Pk vectors elicited sterile protection in one RM. Once in the blood, parasite growth was not affected. In contrast to T cell responses induced by Pk infection, RhCMV vectors maintained sustained T cell responses to all four malaria antigens in the liver post-challenge. The delayed appearance of blood stage parasites is thus likely due to a T cell-mediated inhibition of liver stage parasite development. As such, this vaccine approach can be used to efficiently test new T cell antigens, improve current vaccines targeting the liver stage and complement vaccines targeting erythrocytic antigens.


ABSTRACT In China, the term 'people's mediation' generally refers to folk mediation sponsored by people's mediation committees, in which parties to disputes are brought together for conciliation, based on the laws and norms of social morality. The goal of people's mediation is to promote mutual understanding in order to reach voluntary agreements to settle disputes and realise a harmonious society. People's mediation was born of Maoist resistance to feudal Chinese forms of mediation, although it is infused with Confucian values which were initially rejected and only recently revived by the Communist Party. Because of its popularity, this form of mediation has attracted much attention from academics, practitioners and policymakers alike. After exploring its cultural context and historical evolution, this paper revisits existing literature and relevant laws on people's mediation and summarises certain components of people's mediation, including its cultural value, historical origin, legal principles, practices, and challenges.


Metal syntactic foams are a novel grade of materials that find potential applications in the manufacture of lightweight structural components and biomedical applications. For these materials to be inducted into industrial applications, it becomes imperative to study their machining behavior. In this article, for the first time in the literature, machining characteristics of AZ91 magnesium foam reinforced with thin-walled hollow alumina ceramic microspheres being studied. Through cutting experiments, it is found that finer the size of hollow microspheres and higher their volume fraction, higher was the magnitude of cutting forces recorded. The failure mechanisms that constituted chip formation during cutting AZ91 foam has been explicated through a mechanistic cutting force model. The proposed force model takes into account key hollow alumina microsphere properties such as wall thickness-to-diameter ratio, average microsphere size, and volume fraction. The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis showed two key modes of failure during cutting metallic foams. Microsphere bursts and fractures control matrix plastic deformation through an effective load transfer mechanism. The transverse matrix cracks, which are initiated as a result of induced shear stress, promote the propagation of longitudinal adhesive cracks. This rapid crack growth takes place along the direction of maximum energy release rate, thus weakening the interfacial strength and reducing effective load transfer. This leads to microsphere separation, and further matrix densification due to the collapse of microsphere cavities leads to chip separation. The developed mechanistic model was in better agreement with experimental results.


Purpose: Allelic loss involving chromosome arms 5q, 8p, 17p, and 18q is commonly detected in colorectal cancer (CRC). The short arm of chromosome 1 is also frequently affected in a whole range of cancer types, including CRC. Our aim in the present study was to determine whether allelic losses on 1p were likely to be of much value in predicting the prognosis of CRC cases. Experimental Design: Genomic DNA was prepared from tumor and corresponding normal tissue specimens from 90 patients who had undergone curative resection for CRC. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome arms 1p, 2p, 5q, 7q, 8p, 17p, 17q, and 18q was examined using 14 microsatellite markers, and possible correlations between LOH and clinicopathological factors (including tumor recurrence and patient survival) were investigated. LOH at the MYCL1 microsatellite marker at 1p34 was detected in 12 of 74 (16.2%) patients who were informative for this marker. Results: After controlling for tumor stage and gender and excluding findings for patients with remote metastasis, we found that patients who were positive for LOH at MYCL1 were 31 times more likely to experience recurrence than those who were negative for LOH at this locus (95% confidence intervals, 2.27-∞; P = 0.04). There were indications of a similar tendency for LOH at the 14-3-3-σ-TG microsatellite marker at 1p35, but we could find no evidence of a significant association between LOH at this site and tumor recurrence or patient survival. We were also unable to detect significant association between LOH at the various sites on 2p, 5q, 7q, 8p, 17p, 17q, and 18q and either tumor recurrence or patient survival. Conclusions: CRC patients whose tumors exhibited LOH at MYCL1 at chromosome 1p34 were likely to have a poor prognosis, suggesting that this marker may have clinical relevance.


ABSTRACT: The 3-hourly standard meteorological data measured at Rome for the period 1951–1996were analysed in order to gather information about the impact of climate on monument decay. Thefreezing-thawing and condensation-evaporation cycles in micropores were computed for eachmonth. The occurrence of the freezing-thawing cycles was determined by means of a cross compari-son between the temperature observations and the model calculations for the lowering of the freez-ing point due to the curvature effect of the ice surface into pores. The occurrence of the condensa-tion-evaporation cycles was determined by means of a cross comparison between relative humidityobservations and the lowering of the critical relative humidity for condensation into micropores dueto the curvature of the water meniscus. The effect of sea spray on the lowering of the freezing pointwas calculated to evaluate the number of the freezing-thawing cycles on the surface or in the macro-pores contaminated by NaCl. Wind roses as well as the drizzle, rain, shower, hail, snow and fog roseswere drawn in order to determine which vertical-surface orientations undergo wetting or washingout by meteoric water. Finally, the relevance of each of these meteorological variables was evaluated,evidencing the peculiarities of the region, which is influenced by both the Mediterranean climate andthe cyclonic systems coming from the Atlantic Ocean.KEY WORDS: Rome · Urban climate · Freezing-thawing cycles · Condensation-evaporation cycles ·Precipitation roses · Monument decay


Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of digital social responsibility (DSR) on customer trust and brand equity in the context of social commerce. A total of 324 respondents who have experienced in shopping through social commerce participated in this study through an online survey. Design/Methodology/Approach: Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the empirical data derived from surveys with the proposed hypotheses. Findings: The results showed that digital social responsibility (DSR) initiatives have significantly and positively effects on customer trust (CT) and brand equity (BE). DSR also has an indirect and positive influence on BE via CT as mediating in social commerce context. Practical Implications: The research is one of first attempts to provide valuable insight for studying the relationship between DSR, CT and BE in the context of social commerce. Companies should be aware that implementing DSR helps them to gain benefits in enhancing customer trust and brand equity. Originality/Value: The study provides a better understanding of the role of digital social responsibility in customers' attitudes and brand equity in a social commerce platform.


We propose and evaluate a novel architecture enabling high-capacity, resource efficient and agile elastic optical networks. It is based on sliceable bandwidth-variable transponders and optical white box switches which route optical signals without filtering them. Instead of using active filtering components, each node is equipped with an optical white box based on a programmable optical switch that serves as an optical backplane. It provides interconnections between input/output ports and passive splitters and couplers. Due to signal broadcast and the absence of filtering (so-called drop-and-waste transmission), some of the signals appear on unintended links which can lead to an overhead in spectrum usage. To address this issue, we formulate the problem of signal routing, modulation format and spectrum assignment in programmable filterless networks based on optical white boxes as an integer linear program (ILP) with the objective to minimize the total spectrum usage. Simulation results indicate that our proposed solution obtains a beneficial tradeoff between component usage and spectrum consumption, using a drastically lower number of active switching elements than the conventional networks based on hard-wired reconfigurable add/drop multiplexers, and lowering the maximum used frequency slot by up to 48% compared to existing passive filterless networks.


INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF CYTOKINES IN IMMUNITY TO MAREK'S DISEASE Kamran Haq Advisor: University of Guelph, 2012 Dr. Shayan Sharif Marek's disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of chickens caused by an oncogenic herpesvirus, Marek's disease virus (MDV). Despite the availability of MD vaccines, little is known about the underlying immunological mechanisms that mediate vaccine-induced immunity. The objective of this research was to elucidate these mechanisms. To characterize host responses in the lungs, chickens were vaccinated with herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) and infected with MDV-RB1B. Vaccinated MDV-infected chickens had a higher accumulation of viral genome in the lungs, associated with T cell infiltration in lung tissue and an up-regulation of interferon (IFN) - and interleukin (IL) 10. This finding led us to conclude that IFN-γ has a role in immunity; hence, we further investigated the role of this cytokine. The hypothesis tested was that the protective efficacy of HVT against MDV-RB1B would be enhanced when combined with recombinant chicken IFN-γ (rChIFN-). Chicken IFN-γ coding sequence was cloned into an expression plasmid, and the bioactivity of rChIFN- was confirmed. Administration of this plasmid led to a significant reduction in tumour occurrence in HVT vaccinated MDV-infected chickens, suggesting enhanced vaccine-induced immunity. To shed more light on the relevance of IFN-γ to immunity against MD, studies were designed to down-regulate the expression of IFN-γ in chicken tissues. Three small interfering (si)RNAs specific for chicken IFN- were selected which significantly inhibited expression of IFN-γ by up to 80% in cultured cells. These three siRNAs and a non-target control were cloned and expressed as short hairpin RNA (shRNA) using an avian adeno-associated virus (rAAAV) vector system. An MDV challenge trial was conducted once shRNA expression by the rAAAV was confirmed in vitro. It was reasoned that down-regulation of IFN- would lead to abrogation of immunity conferred by HVT. There was an increase in the number of chickens with tumours that received HVT and rAAAV + IFN-γ shRNA compared to the control group, though not statistically significant. However, no difference in MDV genome load in feathers was detected between vaccinated MDV-infected birds with or without rAAAV. In summary, we have demonstrated here that cytokines are induced in the course of vaccination against Marek's disease and that IFN-γ plays a role in vaccine-induced immunity against MD.


Adult-onset chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) can originate from early life through so-called the "developmental origins of health and disease" (DOHaD) or "developmental programming". The DOHaD concept offers the "reprogramming" strategy to shift the treatment from adulthood to early life, before clinical disease is apparent. Melatonin, an endogenous indoleamine produced by the pineal gland, has pleiotropic bioactivities those are beneficial in a variety of human diseases. Emerging evidence support that melatonin is closely inter-related to other proposed mechanisms contributing to the developmental programming of a variety of chronic NCDs. Recent animal studies have begun to unravel the multifunctional roles of melatonin in many experimental models of developmental programming. Even though some progress has been made in research on melatonin as a reprogramming strategy to prevent DOHaD-related NCDs, future human studies should aim at filling the translational gap between animal models and clinical trials. Here, we review several key themes on the reprogramming effects of melatonin in DOHaD research. We have particularly focused on the following areas: mechanisms of developmental programming; the interrelationship between melatonin and mechanisms underlying developmental programming; pathophysiological roles of melatonin in pregnancy and fetal development; and insight provided by animal models to support melatonin as a reprogramming therapy. Rates of NCDs are increasing faster than anticipated all over the world. Hence, there is an urgent need to understand reprogramming mechanisms of melatonin and to translate experimental research into clinical practice for halting a growing list of DOHaD-related NCDs.


An elegant gift volume from the early Victorian era consisting of a selection of parables from the New Testament. The text is done in a calligraphic style, with ornate illuminated borders. Within many of the borders are small illustrations of the text. The text and illuminations were recreated from the originals by chromolithographs. The binding is a "papier-mâche" binding, consisting of front and back covers of deeply-molded black paper-mâche and a leather spine.


This paper reviews the rich corpus of observational evidence for tidal effects, mostly based on photometric and radial-velocity measurements. This is done in a period when the study of binaries is being revolutionized by large-scaled photometric surveys that are detecting many thousands of new binaries and tens of extrasolar planets. We begin by examining the short-term effects, such as ellipsoidal variability and apsidal motion. We next turn to the long-term effects, of which circularization was studied the most: a transition period between circular and eccentric orbits has been derived for eight coeval samples of binaries. The study of synchronization and spin-orbit alignment is less advanced. As binaries are supposed to reach synchronization before circularization, one can expect finding eccentric binaries in pseudo-synchronization state, the evidence for which is reviewed. We also discuss synchronization in PMS and young stars, and compare the emerging timescale with the circularization timescale. We next examine the tidal interaction in close binaries that are orbited by a third distant companion, and review the effect of pumping the binary eccentricity by the third star. We elaborate on the impact of the pumped eccentricity on the tidal evolution of close binaries residing in triple systems, which may shrink the binary separation. Finally we consider the extrasolar planets and the observational evidence for tidal interaction with their parent stars. This includes a mechanism that can induce radial drift of short-period planets, either inward or outward, depending on the planetary radial position relative to the corotation radius. Another effect is the circularization of planetary orbits, the evidence for which can be found in eccentricityversus-period plot of the planets already known. Whenever possible, the paper attempts to address the possible confrontation between theory and observations, and to point out noteworthy cases and observations that can be performed in the future and may shed some light on the key questions that remain open. 1 School of Physics of Astronomy, Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University c © EDP Sciences 2018 DOI: (will be inserted later) 2 Tidal effects in stars, planets and disks


This thesis sets out to examine the role of the poems in Echo (a supplement to the Natal Witness) that were published between 1986 and 1994. I will be exploring these poems in the light of the political conflict that was taking place between Inkatha, on the one hand, and the United Democratic Front/Congress ofSouth African Trade Unions (UDF/COSATU), and later on the African National Congress (ANC), on the other. The introductory chapter will deal with the scope ofmy research. It will outline what it is that I will be researching and the direction of my research. I will also begin to introduce some of the key theoretical assumptions around izibongo (praise poetry) and some of its key definitions as a dominant tradition that influenced some of the Echo poets. Chapter Two will deal with the history of the Echo Poetry Corner itself. [t looks at its early beginnings, who conceived the idea and why, and what the editorial policy of this page was. It will also shed some light on how complex issues, such as the originality and authenticity of the poems, were dealt with. The third chapter deals with the background to the political conflict in the Natal Midlands and in Pietermaritzburg in particular. It will be an analysis of violence, its origins and its interpretations, and will show how violence affected the people and the poets around Pietermaritzburg. 7 In Chapter Four I will begin to critically analyse the poems, looking at various themes that were expressed in the poems. I will also define the role that these poems played in the political conflict, looking at whether they engaged with the reality of the time or tried to escape it. In conclusion, Chapter Five deals with my findings on the role that the Echo poems played during the political conflict. It will also address the issue of the role of the poet or poetry in a violent society. The positive role of poetry during war will also be dealt with.


Local regeneration partnerships are being actively implemented by the Nigerian government as an innovative policy to deliver public infrastructure and to improve the quality of public services, particularly to improve the living standards of the populace. Nigeria being the biggest economy in Africa has a huge amount of demands for high quality infrastructure projects and public services; this has necessitated socioeconomic reforms that have paved the way for Public Private Partnerships and partnership working. Nonetheless, the complexity of PPP arrangements in Nigeria, as it concerns bureaucratic practices in public institutions; limited competences of partner organisations in partnership arrangements; and opportunistic proponents in the collaboration processes of these partnerships amongst other challenges has constituted a dilemma for the public and private sectors to balance the interests of partner organisations. In this thesis, the collaboration processes that influence, shape and impact on partnership working in Nigerian local regeneration partnerships are studied and the implications that results from these partnership working are explained. A qualitative inductive approach is adopted in this research, using a case study strategy to address the overall research aim. The qualitative study drew on data from 42 in-depth semi- structured interviews with participants from the public and private sector organisations involved in the collaboration processes of five local regeneration partnerships. Utilising the collaborative advantage concept as the guiding theoretical framework, wherein collaborative advantage imply that organisations should only collaborate, when an objective can be met that none of the organisations otherwise could have achieved on their own. The findings of this research revealed that distinct factors within the Nigerian institutional environment have led to PPP policy adoption and implementation, but local context factors act as constraints in the implementation of partnership arrangements such that they have not turned out as expected. Competence gaps and limitations in the capacity of partners to make effective decisions with regards to the management of partnerships and in carrying out the terms of partnership agreements have necessitated the services of PPP consultants and transaction advisers in guiding the partnership process. The findings of this research also indicated that due to institutional and local conditions in Nigeria, partner organisations adapt operating procedures to mitigate against the risks faced in the partnership working. Consequently, the successful delivery of the partnerships goals had implications for the survival of the Nigerian local regeneration partnerships investigated. Furthermore, by utilising the collaborative advantage theory, it emerged from the empirical data that sustainability of partnership agreements, improved interaction among partners and the efficient provision of services are strategic elements of collaborative advantage that could be achieved in partnership working. The research also contributes to knowledge by enhancing the collaborative advantage theory through its application in local regeneration partnerships and within the developing country context of Nigeria. The research delineated that the collaboration elements; mutual interdependence, trust, transparency and accountability have implications on the strategic decisions made during the collaboration processes of the five Nigerian local regeneration partnership arrangements. A conceptual model was developed for deeply understanding collaborative work in Nigerian local regeneration partnerships; this model's core thus allows its consideration to be applied to various forms of Public Private Partnerships within Nigeria and to a greater extent Public Private Partnership practices in sub-Sahara Africa. Based on the research findings of this study, a number of PPP policy recommendations are presented to raise the effectiveness of collaboration processes in Nigerian local regeneration partnerships.


This study investigated how aging modulates semantic encoding. We used a task where participants were required to determine the semantic relatedness between the cue and target stimuli. Single-character Chinese words were the cues, whereas two-character words describing the cues were the targets. The targets can be visual-based (appearance) or associative-based (meaning). Experiment One compared the reaction times on the two types of targets between older (n = 29) and younger participants (n = 31). Older participants performed significantly slower on the visual- than associative-based trials, while the younger participants showed no difference. The results suggest that aging would hinder semantic encoding of visual- rather than associative-based processes. The slowness in processing is likely attributable to age-related decline in attentional control. Experiment Two tested the aging effect on top-down attentional control by presenting pre-cue before each trial on older (n = 26) and younger participants (n = 49). The results indicated that valid pre-cue reduced the latency differences between the visual- and associative-based trials among the older participants. The valid pre-cues were found to effectively shorten the reaction time of the visual-based trials suggesting possible facilitation of attentional control among the older adults. Our findings substantiate age-related attentional control decline only in visual- but not associative-based processing. Future studies should explore the mechanisms underlying such differential age-related effect.


In this article, the authors present a novel approach to the generation of virtual scenarios of multivariate financial data of arbitrary length and composition of assets. With this approach, decades of realistic time-synchronized data can be simulated for a large number of assets, producing diverse scenarios to test and improve quantitative investment strategies. The authors' approach is based on the analysis and synthesis of the time-dependent individual and joint characteristics of real financial time series, using stochastic sequences of market trends to draw multivariate returns from time-dependent probability functions that preserve both distributional properties of asset returns and time-dependent correlation among time series. Moreover, new time-synchronized assets can be arbitrarily generated through a principal component analysis–based procedure to obtain any number of assets in the final virtual scenario. The validation of such a simulation is tested with an extensive set of measurements and shows a significant degree of agreement with the reference performance of real financial series—better than that obtained with other classical and state-of-the-art approaches.


The Japanese government published "The Water and Sanitation Broad Partnership Initiative (WASABI)" in March 2006. This initiative was based on the policies that Japan will support the self-help efforts of developing countries on water and sanitation, establishing broad partnerships with international organizations, and the other donor agencies, etc. Because water resources are very limited, there are many areas and regions which have to use a heavily polluted water source. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the emergent water treatment technology which can supply safe drinking water from polluted source water at a reasonable cost. In order to anticipate a sustainable development of water service the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare published "The Water Works Vision" so as to restructure the water utility management system in 2004. The vision asks to reform the water utility management system so as to mobilize every resource including public private partnership. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an audit system by a third party for risk communication among the stakeholders.


Amajor goal of ecology and evolutionary biology is to explain patterns of species richness among clades. Differences in rates of net diversification (speciation minus extinction over time) may often explain these patterns, but the factors that drive variation in diversification rates remain uncertain. Three important candidates are climatic niche position (e.g., whether clades are primarily temperate or tropical), rates of climatic niche change among species within clades, and microhabitat (e.g., aquatic, terrestrial, arboreal). The first two factors have been tested separately in several studies, but the relative importance of all three is largely unknown. Here we explore the correlates of diversification among families of frogs, which collectively represent ∼88% of amphibian species. We assemble and analyze data on phylogeny, climate, and microhabitat for thousands of species. We find that the best-fitting phylogenetic multiple regression model includes all three types of variables: microhabitat, rates of climatic niche change, and climatic niche position. This model explains 67% of the variation in diversification rates among frog families, with arboreal microhabitat explaining ∼31%, niche rates ∼25%, and climatic niche position ∼11%. Surprisingly, we show that microhabitat can have a much stronger influence on diversification than climatic niche position or rates of climatic niche change.


This paper investigates motion estimation and compensation in object-oriented analysis-synthesis coding. Object-oriented coding employs a mapping parameter technique for estimating motion information in each object. The mapping parameter technique using gradient operators requires high computational complexity. The main objective of this paper is to propose a hybrid mapping parameter estimation method using the hierarchical structure in object-oriented coding. The hierarchical structure employed constructs a low-resolution image. Then six mapping parameters for each object are estimated from the low-resolution image and these parameter values are verified based on the displaced frame difference (DFD). If the verification test succeeds, the parameters and object boundaries are coded. Otherwise, eight mapping parameters are estimated in a low-resolution image and the verification test is again applied to an image reconstructed by estimated parameters. If it succeeds, the parameters and object boundaries are coded, otherwise, the regions are coded by second-order polynomial approximation. Theoretical analysis and computer simulation show that the peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) of the image reconstructed by the proposed method lies between those of images reconstructed by the conventional 6- and 8-parameter estimation methods with reduction of the computation time by a factor of about four.


In this paper we study the origin and the effect of amplitude and phase noise on laser optical feedback imaging associated with a synthetic aperture (SA) imaging system. Amplitude noise corresponds to photon noise and acts as an additive noise; it can be reduced by increasing the global measurement time. Phase noise can be divided in three families: random, sinusoidal, and drift phase noise; we show that it acts as a multiplicative noise. We explain how we can reduce phase noise by making oversampling or multiple measurements depending on its type. This work can easily be extended to all SA systems (radar, laser, or terahertz), especially when raw holograms are acquired point by point.


Hackman sets the stage for thinking about team performance by outlining the five conditions for team effectiveness. The main message of this book for leaders and team members is that their first priority should be to get in place conditions that foster team effectiveness. Building Productivity: 18 Blueprints for Success by Eileen L. Berman, Ed.D. Authority Press Inc., 2000 ISBN 1-929059-00-0 3.49 6


Summary: Improved diagnostic methods and medical therapies are necessary for early detection and treatment and an improved prognosis. It is thus vital to both examine and evaluate the role of the various existing proteins as biomarkers in carcinogenesis and to assess the contribution of these proteins in anti-cancer activity, for consideration in therapeutic strategies. It is essential to both examine and evaluate the role of the various existing proteins as biomarkers in carcinogenesis and to assess the contribution of these proteins in anti-cancer activity, for consideration in therapeutic strategies. The purpose of this review is twofold. Firstly, it is to evaluate recent data about which proteins can be utilized as biomarkers in carcinogenesis. The proteins reviewed include: CPTP, IL-6, CCN, and S100. Secondly, it is to evaluate the contribution of dietary proteins in cancer activity. Specifically, how whey protein, soy proteins and lectin, a phytochemical could be useful in cancer prevention and treatment. Recent Findings: Whey protein, present in dairy products, is an excellent source of the sulphur amino acid cysteine, the rate limiting substrate in glutathione synthesis. Notably, this protein survives digestion and has been shown to have anti-carcinogenic properties in animal studies. Lectins are phytochemicals present in plant foods, and have active components which alters cancer initiation, promotion and progression. Lectins have been characterized as a useful tool in biochemistry, cell biology, immunology and in diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in cancer research. Soy proteins contain various compounds, including isoflavones, protease inhibitors and protein kinase inhibitors, which have been proven effective in tumor growth inhibition. They have therefore, been greatly emphasized in cancer prevention and treatment. It has been proved that soy food consumption was associated with decreased risk of death and recurrence of breast cancer. CPTP is a recently discovered protein whose main role is to transport C1P, a pro-inflammatory molecule. The discovery of CPTP may shine a light on the mechanism of inflammatory diseases, and hopefully offer a potential target for therapeutic purposes in cancer research. Interleukin-6 is a multifunctional cytokine that affects the activity of cancer cells. It is involved in tumor growth, and elevated levels is associated with an increased risk of cancer. S100B is a well-established biomarker for malignant melanoma, and useful in assessing tumor load, stage and prognosis for patients with this disease. Other members of this family of proteins include S100A4, which has been associated with several malignancies and S100A2, which has been found to be decreased in some cancers. CCN are a group of regulatory proteins, located in the extracellular matrix (maricellular). They are involved in cellular adhesion, mitogenesis, chemotaxis, cell survival, and wound healing. CCN proteins are also able to modulate the signals of several proteins, which may also influence skeletal development and angiogenesis. Many of the functions of these proteins are thus also related to tumor growth. Furthermore, CCN interacts with estrogen in the development of cancer, and is implicated in some breast and ovarian cancers.


This study explores the factors influencing risk exposure among informal urban market traders in Ghana. Using the number of times of business risk exposure as the outcome variable, the study employed Poisson estimation technique to examine data on 612 respondents drawn from informal urban market traders. The study shows that regulation of business activities, market levy, number of dependents, level of formal education and numbers of economic activities engaged in are the major predictors of business risk exposure among the informal commercial market traders in Ghana. The study recommends enforcement of market regulatory compliance policy among the traders. It is also recommended that the government continue to invest in free universal basic education policy for all citizens to enhance human resource capacity and improve cognitive ability to adopt proactive measures in order to avert the occurrence of business risk exposures among the informal market traders.


The Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) region has been recognized as a key region that plays a vital role in troposphere-to-stratosphere transport (TST), which can significant impact the budget of global atmospheric constituents and climate change. However, the details of transport from the boundary layer (BL) to tropopause layer (TL) over these regions, particularly from a climatological perspective, remain an issue of uncertainty. In this study, we present the climatological properties of BL-to-TL transport over the ASM region during boreal summer season (JuneJuly-August) from 2001 to 2009. A comprehensive tracking analysis is conducted based on a large ensemble of TSTtrajectories departing from the atmospheric BL and arriving at TL. Driven by the winds fields from NCEP/NCAR Global Forecast System, all the TST-trajectories are selected from the high resolution datasets generated by the Lagrangian particle transport model FLEXPART using a domain-filling technique. Three key atmospheric boundary layer sources for BL-to-TL transport are identified with their contributions: (i) 38 % from the region between tropical Western Pacific region and South China Seas (WP) (ii) 21 % from Bay of Bengal and South Asian subcontinent (BOB), and (iii) 12 % from the Tibetan Plateau, which includes the South Slope of the Himalayas (TIB). Controlled by the different patterns of atmospheric circulation, the air masses originated from these three source regions are transported along the different tracks into the TL. The spatial distributions of three source regions keep similarly from year to year. The timescales of transport from BL to TL by the large-scale ascents r-range from 1 to 7 weeks contributing up to 60–70 % of the overall TST, whereas the transport governed by the deep convection overshooting become faster on a timescales of 1–2 days with the contributions of 20–30 %. These results provide clear policy implications for the control of very short lived substances, especially for the source regions over Indian subcontinent with increasing populations and developing industries.


We present a compilation and analysis of the vascular plants, vegetation, and ethnobotany of Banaba (Ocean) Island in the Republic of Kiribati in the tropical Central Pacific Ocean. It is based on a 2005 field survey, plus analysis of available information in the literature. The flora of the small, raised phosphatic limestone island of Banaba is very limited compared to the floras of larger limestone and volcanic islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Isolation, small size, prolonged droughts and water scarcity, almost 80 years of open-cast phosphate mining, abandonment of the island by most people after cessation of mining in 1979, and widespread destruction, relocation and death of the Banaban people during and after World War II have led to serious degradation, disturbance, displacement and loss of the flora, vegetation, knowledge and ancient cultural traditions related to plants. This paper attempts for the first time to document the nature of Banaba's flora and vegetation and provide background on the reasons for their impoverished and endangered state and the loss of Banaban ethnobotanical knowledge. The recorded flora of Banaba consists of approximately 205 species, of which only 50 are possibly native and none endemic. The balance of the flora is composed of ornamentals, weedy exotics, food plants, and a limited number of other useful cultigens. Although greatly outnumbered by exotics, indigenous species still dominate most areas including some of the most disturbed habitats, as well as constituting the most culturally and ecologically important resources on the island. Most plants had traditional native names and associated cultural knowledge, many serving as "trees of life." It is argued that the protection and enhancement of the native and long-established non-indigenous flora and associated knowledge are crucial to the ecological integrity and survival of the people of Banaba and the culture and traditions of the Banaban people, most of who now live on Rabi Island in Fiji or elsewhere overseas.


PURPOSE
The goal of this investigation was to assess the influence of acute bouts of aerobic versus resistance exercise on the executive control of working memory.

METHODS
Twenty-one young adult participants completed a cardiorespiratory fitness test and maximal strength tests. On subsequent days, task performance measures of reaction time (RT) and accuracy were collected while participants completed a modified Sternberg working memory task before the start of, immediately after, and 30 min after an intervention consisting of 30 min of either resistance or aerobic exercise and a seated rest control.

RESULTS
Findings indicated shorter RT immediately and 30 min after acute aerobic exercise relative to the preexercise baseline with no such effects observed after resistance exercise or seated rest. Further, in the aerobic condition, a larger reduction in RT from the baseline occurred during task conditions requiring increased working memory capacity. Again, no effect was observed in the resistance exercise or the seated rest conditions.

CONCLUSION
These data extend the current knowledge base by indicating that acute exercise-induced changes in cognition are disproportionately related to executive control and may be specific to the aerobic exercise domain.


Ex-CID. Ex-New York. Ex-cellent' reads the sign outside the Satisfaction Guarantee Detective Agency. Cephas Buthelezi certainly talks the talk, Precious discovers, but would he have the wherewithal to deal with her current case - a man who has been attacked by ostrich rustlers, and is eager to reassess his life? Meanwhile, there are difficulties at the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, where one of the apprentices has discovered the Lord, problems at home with the mysterious death of a hoopoe, and romantic complications when Mma Makutsi sets up a typing school for men ...


A fascinating exploration of this fundamental aspect of graphic design,The Layout Bookexplains the hows, whys and why-nots of the placing of elements on a page or screen layout. A historical overview of the subject is followed by a systematic look at key theoretical principles and practical applications.Offering a huge array of potential layout options and with over 200 color illustrations from some of the world's leading design studios, whether you are working in print or digital media this book encompasses a variety of creative approaches.   The second edition has also been updated to include interviews with practising designers, as well as new exercises to aid readers in their own explorations.Invaluable for design students looking for a better understanding of layout design, and inspiring for working designers,The Layout Bookproves itself as a graphic design must-have.


The research analyzes the threats to enterprises through the development of an integrated system of economic security. A classification of threats to the economic security of the enterprises is given. The generalized formalized procedure for threat analysis, their sources and the behavior of the subjects is given. Identifying threats to economic security held by the example of the food industry enterprises. the results of a threat analysis of the food industry has learned that during the financial and economic activity, the company meets the following threats of economic businesses security : investment, higher purchase prices for grain, financial instability, credit, depreciation of fixed assets, unfair practices of partners and competitors.


Objectives: The workforce of clinical pharmacist is one the elements of pharmacy strategic plan in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study is to explore the demand for clinical pharmacist's workforce in fifteen years (2016-2030) at Ministry of Health hospitals and primary care centers, and all Non-Ministry of Health hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a prospective analysis of fifteen years (2016-2030) of health care provider hospital and MOH primary care centers projecting demand of clinical pharmacists in the future. All data were derived from Ministry of health statistical Year Books. It included current and future demand for clinical pharmacist workforces at hospitals in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The type of hospital included having bed capacity of 50-1500 beds with Adults public hospitals, pediatrics and maternity hospitals, Psychiatric hospitals, Diabetic centers, Cardiology centers, Oncology Centers, Renal Dialysis Centers, and Medical cities. All calculations were based on MOH clinical pharmacist workforce standards of hospitals. The calculations were per each region for a total of twenty-one regions for MOH hospital and primary care centers, the expected number of clinical pharmacist requirement in the coming years 2016-2030 were estimated per each sector across Saudi Arabia. Result: The total numbers of hospitals were 466 in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 274 (58.8%) Ministry of Health hospitals, 152 (32.6%) private hospitals, and 40 (8.6%) non-MOH governmental hospitals. Over the eleven years, the average number of hospitals were (423.45) with a range number of (384-467), and the total number was (467).The total average demand of clinical pharmacists at MOH hospitals by the year 2030 will be (6,018.96) with range (5,020.20-7,132.26) while the average total demand of clinical pharmacists at MOH primary care centers by the year 2030 will be (2787.55) with range (2,325.00-3,303.16). The total requirement of a clinical pharmacist in all sectors by the year 2030 will be (12,077.88) with range (8,501.28- 12,077.88). Conclusion: The MOH hospitals and primary care centers sectors will be with the highest demand for clinical pharmacists in the future. Targeting for more graduated clinical pharmacist from the college of pharmacies, opening new clinical pharmacist jobs, and implementation of new vision of pharmacy practice by 2030 is required in Saudi Arabia. Key word: Clinical pharmacist, Workforces, Ministry of health, Saudi arabia.


Turbulent and radiative exchanges of heat between the ocean and atmosphere (hereafter heat fluxes), ocean surface wind stress, and state variables used to estimate them, are Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) and Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) influencing weather and climate. This paper describes an observational strategy for producing 3-hourly, 25-km (and an aspirational goal of hourly at 10-km) heat flux and wind stress fields over the global, ice-free ocean with breakthrough 1-day random uncertainty of 15 W m-2 and a bias of less than 5 W m-2. At present this accuracy target is met only at OceanSITES reference station moorings and research vessels (RVs) that follow best practices. To meet these targets globally, in the next decade, satellite-based observations must be optimized for boundary layer measurements of air temperature, humidity, sea surface temperature, and ocean wind stress. In order to tune and validate these satellite measurements, a complementary global in situ flux array, built around an expanded OceanSITES network of time series reference station moorings, is also needed. The array would include 500 - 1000 measurement platforms, including autonomous surface vehicles, moored and drifting buoys, RVs, the existing OceanSITES network of 22 flux sites, and new OceanSITES expanded in 19 key regions. This array would be globally distributed, with 1 - 3 measurement platforms in each nominal 10° by 10° boxes. These improved moisture and temperature profiles and surface data, if assimilated into Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models, would lead to better representation of cloud formation processes, improving state variables and surface radiative and turbulent fluxes from these models. The in situ flux array provides globally distributed measurements and metrics for satellite algorithm development, product validation, and for improving satellite-based, NWP and blended flux products. In addition, some of these flux platforms will also measure direct turbulent fluxes, which can be used to improve algorithms for computation of air-sea exchange of heat and momentum in flux products and models. With these improved air-sea fluxes, the ocean's influence on the atmosphere will be better quantified and lead to improved long-term weather forecasts, seasonal-interannual-decadal climate predictions, and regional climate projections.


As human use of the oceans increases, marine spatial planning (MSP) is being more widely adopted to achieve improved environmental, economic, and social outcomes. However, there is a lack of practical guidance for stakeholder driven, scientifically informed MSP processes in small island and data‐limited contexts. Here, we present an overview of MSP on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, with a focus on the scientific and technical input that helped inform the process. Montserrat presents an interesting case study of MSP in the small island context as it has ocean uses that are common to many islands, namely small‐scale fisheries and tourism, but the marine environment has been heavily impacted due to volcanic activity. We detail the methods for data collection and analysis and the decision‐making process that contributed to a marine spatial plan. We highlight aspects of the process that may be useful for other small islands embarking on MSP, and lessons learned regarding scientific support, including the need for on‐site scientific support and guidance throughout MSP, the importance of setting clear objectives, working within data limitations and making data accessible, and choosing and using appropriate decision support tools.


The study was conducted in the greenhouse of Malang Research Institute for Legumes and Tuber Crops, July ‐ October 2013. Twenty peanut genotypes were tested, each genotype were planted in five plastic pots (Φ = 30cm), 2 peanut seeds/pot. Inoculation of rust spore suspension (density of 20,000 spores / ml ) at 3 weeks after planting by spraying it to the leaves of peanut. Rust disease observation was done by given a value to the leaves that covered leaf spot or rust disease and refers to Subramamyam (1995 ). Out of 17 peanut genotypes tested, one genotype was resistant (R) , 8 genotypes were moderately resistant (MR), 8 genotypes were moderately susceptible (MS) against leaf spot disease. Moreover three genotypes were resistant (R), three genotypes were moderately resistant (MR) , 10 genotypes were moderately susceptible (MS) , and one genotype was susceptible (S) against rust diseases. Keywords: peanut, leaf spot and rust disease, resistance.


Several emerging petascale architectures use energy-efficient processors with vectorized computational units and in-order thread processing. On these architectures the sustained performance of streaming numerical kernels, ubiquitous in the solution of partial differential equations, represents a challenge despite the regularity of memory access. Sophisticated optimization techniques are required to fully utilize the CPU. We propose a new method for constructing streaming numerical kernels using a high-level assembly synthesis and optimization framework. We describe an implementation of this method in Python targeting the IBM® Blue Gene®/P supercomputer's PowerPC® 450 core. This paper details the high-level design, construction, simulation, verification, and analysis of these kernels utilizing a subset of the CPU's instruction set. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by implementing several three-dimensional stencil kernels over a variety of cached memory scenarios and analyzing the mechanically scheduled variants, including a 27-point stencil achieving a 1.7 × speedup over the best previously published results.


This paper contributes to the literature on distance and quality by identifying a firm-based force contributing to explain the observed increase of the quality of shipped goods with the distance of their destination market. This force originates from the influence of distance on firms' strategic behavior when the quality level of goods is a choice variable for them, and complements the ones already proposed in the literature. Our approach differs from the extant literature because it does not rely on technology or preference/income differentials to identify the determinants and drivers of trade flows. Moreover, it allows to clearly disentangle between the price setting and quality choice of firms. We find that distance has an unambiguously positive effect on the average quality of traded goods. Our results suit the empirical evidence on distance and quality and contribute to the analysis of the determinants of firms' trade performance.


The beam emission spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic is used to measure fluctuations of electron density in the edge and core of fusion plasmas, and is a key in understanding turbulence in a plasma reactor. A synthetic BES diagnostic for the turbulence simulation code XGC1 has been developed using a realistic neutral beam model and an optical system easily adaptable to different kinds of tokamaks. The beam is modeled using multiple beam energy components, each one with a fraction of the total energy and their own mass and energy (mono-energetic components). The optical system consists of a lens focusing a bundle of optical fibers and resulting in a 2D measurement. The synthetic diagnostic gives similar correlation functions and behaviour of the turbulences than the usual methods that do not take into account the full 3D optical effects. The results, based on a simulation of XGC1, contain an analysis of the correlation (in space and time), a comparison of different approximations possible and their importance in accurately modeling the BES diagnostic.


Hierarchical policies are useful in many contexts in which resources are shared among multiple entities. Such policies can easily express the delegation of authority and the resolution of conflicts, which arise naturally when decision-making is decentralized. Conceptually, a hierarchical policy could be used to manage network resources, but commodity switches, which match packets using flow tables, do not realize hierarchies directly.
 This paper presents Hierarchical Flow Tables (HFT), a framework for specifying and realizing hierarchical policies in software defined networks. HFT policies are organized as trees, where each component of the tree can independently determine the action to take on each packet. When independent parts of the tree arrive at conflicting decisions, HFT resolves conflicts with user-defined conflict-resolution operators, which exist at each node of the tree. We present a compiler that realizes HFT policies on a distributed network of OpenFlow switches, and prove its correctness using the Coq proof assistant. We then evaluate the use of HFT to improve performance of networked applications.