The comparative morphology of the family Scaridae was examined to provide data which were used to i) assess the monophyly of the family, ii) identify groups of species within the family, and iii) determine the phylogenetic relationships of these groups. Analyses were based on examinations of 69 of the 80 species of Scaridae recognised in this study. In addition, five outgroup taxa from the family Labridae were examined. A total of 143 characters coded as 334 character states were used in the analyses. The characters were drawn from the osteology of the neurocranium, oral jaws, palatine arch, hyoid arch, branchial arches, pectoral girdle, pelvic girdle, axial skeleton, dorsal and anal fins, and the caudal skeleton. In addition, characters were drawn from the soft anatomy of the oral jaws and pharyngeal apparatus, the viscera, reproductive system, colour patterns and external morphology. Phylogenetic analyses of these character states were undertaken using the principle of maximum parsimony. Computational procedures were performed using the program PAUP. Two trees were produced with consistency indices of 0.697 (autapomorphies excluded). The topology and character state distributions of the ingroup are identical in both trees. The analyses strongly supported the monophyly of the Scaridae. The family is defined by 54 synapomorphies, of which 19 are unique and unreversed. Within the family ten groups are recognised. All are referrable to previously recognised genera. Calotomus, Leptoscarus, Sparisoma, Cetoscarus, Bolbometopon, Chlorurus, Hipposcarus and Scarus sensu stricto are hypothesised to be monophyletic based on the possession of unique derived character states. No uniquely derived character states were found to define Cryptotomus or Nicholsina. A cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationships of these ten taxa is provided. This cladogram is used as a basis for a new classification of the Scaridae. The following ten genera are recognised in this classification: Cryptotomus, Nicholsina, Calotomus, Leptoscarus, Sparisoma, Cetoscarus, Bolbometopon, Chlorurus, Hipposcarus and Scarus. The main difference in this classification from that in common usage is in the limits of the genus Scarus. The genus Scarus sensu lata as previously applied was paraphyletic and included species in two distinct lineages. These two lineages are recognised herein as Chlorurus and Scarus sensu stricto with Hipposcarus being the immediate sister group of Scarus sensu stricto. The analyses also indicate that the subfamily Sparisomatinae is paraphyletic. A subfamilial division of the Scaridae is therefore rejected. A diagnosis of supraspecific taxa, with a key to genera and a list of Recent species are provided. Biogeographical analyses based on the cladogram point to a major division between Indo-Pacific and Atlantic/Caribbean scarid taxa and 1 2 Records of the Australian Museum (1994) Supplement 20 identify the closure of the eastern Tethys and the formation of the Isthmus of Panama as key vicariance events in the history of the Scaridae. Analyses of habitat associations suggest that scarids first arose in seagrass and that reef dwelling forms are of a more recent origin. An analysis of adult feeding modes suggests that scarids which excavate the substratum when feeding arose from taxa which fed by browsing, and that taxa with a scraping mode arose relatively recently from excavating forms as a result of paedomorphosis.


AIM
We aimed to assess the classical and functional imaging features of patients with pathology located in the eloquent areas of the brain who were admitted to our centre between October 2012 and February 2018. We also studied intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), Motor evoked potentials (MEP), phase reversal, cortical mapping, the extent of resection and the calculation of postoperative morbidity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We compared our results with previous studies in which this technique was not used. The patient records of 163 patients were reviewed retrospectively after approval by the institutional ethics committee and comparisons were made with reports in the literature.

RESULTS
The lesion was localised in the visual cortex in eight of the 163 patients. We did not encounter any abnormality in the VEP recordings, so the surgeries were continued. The remaining 155 cases were followed by intraoperative SEP and MEP monitoring. We observed a greater than 50% decrease in the amplitude and an increase in latencies that was greater than 10% in intraoperative MEP and SEP monitoring in 24 patients of 155. Although 8 of 24 patients with abnormal SEP and MEP values were corrected with manuveurs, 6 patients developed increased neurological deficits postoperatively.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, all of these methods should not be seen as competitive with each other; they could be considered as complementary. All of these methods are helpful for a surgical team regarding loss of neurological function. The rate of loss might be up to 100% and irreversible despite corrective maneveurs.


The Imperial Rayon Company corruption scandal (popularly known as the Teijin incident) was Japan's major interwar political bribery case. Compared to numerous Japanese corruption cases of the past century, the Teijin affair stands out as not only the most sensational of the pre-1945 era, but also the most important - perhaps because more than any other case, it has left an indelible mark on the public mind. Nevertheless, Japanese and foreign scholars have neglected this incident, which brought down an entire cabinet and produced a record-setting trial. The sixteen defendants, all prominent bureaucrats, ministers, and businessmen, were charged with illegally profiting from the sale of Imperial Rayon Company stock held by the Bank of Japan. In December 1937, after a more than two-year trial, all sixteen were found innocent when the judges declared that the case had been fabricated by the prosecution. Their verdict ranks in importance with the famous Otsu case judgment, the benchmark for judicial independence from the executive. Despite its importance, basic facts about the Teijin case remain obscure, as scholars repeat factual misinformation and produce farfetched conspiracy theories. This study, the first comprehensive, scholarly work on the subject in English or Japanese, investigates controversial and important issues regarding the origins, results, and significance of the incident. It illustrates transwar continuities within the judicial system by showing that the institutional flaws in the old criminal justice system, which were magnified by the Teijin investigation and trial, remain embedded despite reform attempts during the Occupation. While illuminating the basic institutional features that generated it, the author uses the incident to spotlight the considerable amount of political criticism and public conflict that existed in Japan in the 1930s.


This thesis analyses the importance of race for the construction of nation and ethnicity in the Dominican Republic, a situation in which racial ancestry and spatial proximity to Haiti are paramount. Firstly, racial legacies are of primary importance among a Dominican population where cultural, linguistic and religious differences are limited. Racial differences are manipulated through the unequal standing and significance given to European, African and indigenous ancestries. European and indigenous heritages in the Dominican Republic have been celebrated at the expense of an African past. Secondly, Dominican identity is constructed vis-a-vis Haiti, most notably with respect to race and nation, and through the ancillary variables of religion and language. The importance of the Dominican Republic's shared insularity and shared history with Haiti is stressed throughout the study, though a racially-constructed fault-line has arisen from this territorial and historical association. In general terms, social geographers would describe the Dominican population as mulato/a. Dominicans, however, describe race with a plethora of colour-coded terms, ranging from coffee, chocolate, cinnamon and wheat, to the adoption of lo indio, a device which avoids using mulato/a or negro/a. The term indio/a is a key component of Dominican racial perception. It translates as 'indian', a much-used reference to the island's indigenous inhabitants before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. Negritud is associated in popular Dominican opinion with the Haitian population. Dominicanidad, on the other hand, represents a celebration of whiteness, Hispanic heritage and Catholicism. The analysis of secondary material is contextualised throughout the thesis by the results of field work undertaken during twelve months of research in the Dominican Republic, consisting of two visits between 1994 and 1995. Semi-informal interviewing of three hundred residents in three study sites focused on the issues of anti-Haitian sentiment and the bias towards a light aesthetic in Dominican society. Two survey sites were urban neighbourhoods of lower and upper-middle class status in the capital city of Santo Domingo, and the other was an area of rural settlement named Zambrana. Interviews were structured around a mixed fixed and open response survey. The first chapter introduces the outline of research and the location of survey sites. Chapter two analyses the historical basis of race in the Dominican Republic, examined in the context of relations with Haiti. The development of Dominican society from the colonial period is outlined, and the influence of anti-Haitian sentiment and the use of indio/a as an ambiguous racial term discussed with reference to contemporary opinion. The third chapter opens up the analysis of social differentiation in the Dominican Republic by considering the role of class stratification and its implication for racial identification. The development of social classes is described and the impact of race and class studied in the three survey sites. The fourth chapter addresses the role of race in popular culture, with a specific focus on the household. Racial terminology is frequently used in combination with the presuppositions inherent in a patriarchal culture. Women's roles are reviewed with particular reference to household structure, occupation and the gendered nature of race under patriarchal norms. The domestic or private sphere is a key site for the expression of patriarchy, but it is also the location for the practice of Afro-syncretic religious beliefs, which themselves are racialised and gendered. Aspects of race in everyday lives, thus, are inherently gendered, domesticated and sanctified. Chapter five expands the analysis of race to include the influence of international migration on Dominican racial identification. The Dominican Republic is a transnational society which relies on migrant remittances and commerce, in particular from the migration of Dominicans to the United States. International migration has dramatically shaped Dominican society over the last three decades. The chapter considers the effect of this two-way flow of people, capital and culture on Dominican perceptions of race. Despite the influence of transnationalism on most aspects of Dominican society, the impact of United States' race relations on migrant and non-migrant racial identity has been limited. The last two substantive chapters focus upon the specific aspects of race and nation as revealed through contemporary Dominican literature and politics. The sixth chapter reviews the importance of negritud in contemporary literature, and argues that many modern writers maintain idealised and misleading perceptions of the racial reality. Chapter seven concentrates on the impact of race during the Dominican elections in 1994 and 1996. Overt racial prejudice marked the campaigns of leading political parties, and the alleged Haitian 'threat' to Dominican sovereignty became a dominant item on the election agenda. Finally, the concluding chapter outlines existing theories of race and ethnicity, analysing their applicability to the Dominican situation and suggesting alternative viewpoints in the light of the current research. It is suggested that the promotion of a popular democratic ideology of multiculturalism could provide the basis for effective anti-racist policy in the Dominican Republic.


Two remarkable features of the Australian economy over recent years have been strong growth in private consumption expenditure and household wealth. This paper examines the relationship between consumption and wealth in an effort to better understand aggregate consumption behaviour. We find a reasonably robust steady-state relationship between non-durables consumption, labour income and aggregate household wealth for the period 1988:Q4–1999:Q3. Based upon this relationship, an increase in per capita wealth of one dollar is eventually associated with a rise in annual non-durables consumption of approximately four cents. We also find that changes in both non-financial and financial assets have significant effects on consumption. Above-trend growth of wealth in recent years has contributed significantly to growth in consumption over this time. A further noteworthy result concerns the recent demutualisations and share floats in Australia; perhaps surprisingly, we find no evidence that these events had a significant effect on consumption growth. Finally, we place our results within the broader empirical literature and examine whether they are consistent with standard economic theories of consumption.


This article evaluates potential mechanisms for facilitating increased private-sector engagement in agricultural research for development and technology transfer (ARDTT), with particular emphasis on Bolivia. It reviews the mixed results of efforts, in developed and developing countries alike, to decentralise ARDTT and to encourage private-sector investment. Potential mechanisms for Bolivia are considered within three broad categories: taxation schemes; co-funding arrangements; and output-based approaches. The constraints to participation in ARDTT by the private sector that arise from concerns over high transaction costs, intellectual property rights, and the legal and regulatory environment are also assessed. The article concludes that compliance, or a hybrid of compliance and a competitive co-funding scheme, is most suited to Bolivia's needs. A flexible approach to intellectual property rights systems is required, although it remains a challenge to identify appropriate taxation regimes.


Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) rely on advancements in fields such as robotics, mobile computing, sensor networks, controls, and communications, to advance complex real-world applications including aerospace, transportation, factory automation, and intelligent systems. The multidisciplinary nature of effective CPS research, diverts specialized researchers' efforts towards building expensive and complex testbeds for realistic experimentation, thus, delaying or taking the focus away from the core potential contributions to be made. We present Up and Away (UnA), a cheap and generic testbed composed of multiple autonomously controlled Unmanned Ariel Vehicle (UAV) quadcopters. Our choice of using UAVs is due to the their deployment flexibility and maneuverability enabling a wide range of CPS research evaluations in areas such as 3D localization, camera sensor networks, target surveillance, and traffic monitoring. Furthermore, we provide a vision-based localization solution that uses color tags to identify different objects in varying light intensity environments and use that system to control the UAVs within a specific area of interest. However, UnA's architecture is modular so that the localization system can be replaced by any other system (e.g. GPS) as deployment conditions change. UnA enables interaction with real world objects, treating them as CPS input, and uses the UAVs to carry out CPS specific tasks while providing sensory information from the UAV's array of sensors as output. We also provide an API that allows the integration of simulation code that will obtain input from the physical world (e.g. targets to track) then provide control parameters (i.e. number of quadcopters and destinations coordinates) to the UAVs. The UnA architecture is depicted in Figure 1a. To demonstrate the promise of UnA, we use it to evaluate another research contribution we make in the area of smart surveillance, particularly that of target coverage using mobile cameras. Optimal camera placement to maximize coverage has been shown to be NP-complete for both area and target coverage. Motivated by the need for practical computationally efficient algorithms to autonomously control mobile visual sensors, we propose efficient near-optimal algorithms for finding the minimum number of cameras to cover a high ratio of targets. First, we develop a basic method, called cover-set coverage to find the location/direction of a single camera for a group of targets. This method is based on finding candidate points for each possible camera direction and spanning the direction space via discretizing camera pans. We then propose two algorithms, (1) Smart Start K-Camera Clustering (SSKCAM) and (2) Fuzzy Coverage (FC), which divide targets into multiple clusters and then use the cover-set coverage method to find the camera location/direction for each cluster. Overall, we were able to integrate the implementation of these algorithms with the UnA testbed to witness real-time assessment of our algorithms as shown in Figure 1b.


Furosemide (20-80 mg) was administered iv over 5 min to 16 patients with the diagnosis of acute pulmonary edema due to left heart failure. Serum and urine samples collected during the 24 hr after administration were assayed for furosemide and its biotransformation products by gas-liquid chromatography. A biexponential decay of serum furosemide concentrations vs. time was observed. Recovery of furosemide and its metabolites from urine in 24 hr varied between 30 and 98% of the administered dose. The excretion of unchanged drug accounted for 22.6-73.4% of the dose. The excretion of the glucuronide metabolite and 2-amino-4-chloro-5-sulfamoylanthranilic acid accounted for 3.3-40.4% and from 0.13-3.92% of the dose, respectively. Urinary excretion of furosemide was less in patients with, than in those without, myocardial infarction. Urinary excretion of the oxidative acidic metabolite was increased in patients with reduced creatinine clearance. The glucuronide metabolite of furosemide was the major biotransformation product in these patients with acute pulmonary edema.


Group synchronisation in choir performance was studied using motion capture. The choir consisted of South-African experts and Finnish novices. 4+4 participants' movements were recorded during a performance of a traditional song and choreography. The aim of the study was to: 1) describe possible differences in movement implementation between the two groups; 2) investigate synchronicity between all participants and within and between each of the two groups; 3) visualise the dynamics of interpersonal influence. Preliminary results indicate that simple indicators such as cumulative distance and position as a function of time reveal differences in implementation of choreography between the groups. Movements were very synchronous, but cross-correlations of the vertical velocities of markers revealed a subtle phase difference between individuals and shows that the expert group was more coherent than the novices, as was expected. This could be due to having more attentional resources to spend on coordination, as the musical and movement material is more familiar to the experts than the novices. Finally, the interpersonal interaction was visualised using windowed cross-correlation. This suggests that the temporal relationship of movements reflects the participants' mutual adaptation to each other's subtle timing perturbations, and that this adaptation is a


This essay, originally written for non-US lawyers, is the slightly revised version of a chapter on the United States for a volume on constitutional change in different countries that will be put out by Hart Publishing. Because it first introduces the basics of the U.S. constitutional system and the problem of constitutional change, it may be especially useful for students. The essay then builds an argument for paying attention to both constitutional change through judicial doctrine and outside the judiciary. It illustrates change outside the judiciary by focusing in the final section on presidential power in foreign affairs,using examples drawn from the Bush II administration.


Objectives Pericardial effusion is common after cardiac surgery. Growing evidence suggests that colchicine may be useful for acute pericarditis, but its efficacy in reducing pericardial effusion volume postoperatively has not been assessed. Methods This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in 10 centres in France included 197 patients at high risk of tamponade (ie, with moderate to large-sized persistent effusion (echocardiography grades 2, 3 or 4 on a scale of 0–4)) at 7–30 days after cardiac surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to receive colchicine, 1 mg daily (n=98), or a matching placebo (n=99). The main end point was change in pericardial effusion grade after 14-day treatment. Secondary end points included frequency of late cardiac tamponade. Results The placebo and the colchicine groups showed a similar mean baseline pericardial effusion grade (2.9±0.8 vs 3.0±0.8) and similar mean decrease from baseline after treatment (−1.1±1.3 vs −1.3±1.3 grades). The mean difference in grade decrease between groups was −0.19 (95% CI −0.55 to 0.16, p=0.23). In total, 13 cases of cardiac tamponade occurred during the 14-day treatment (7 and 6 in the placebo and colchicine groups, respectively; p=0.80). At 6-month follow-up, all patients were alive and had undergone a total of 22 (11%) drainages: 14 in the placebo group and 8 in the colchicine group (p=0.20). Conclusions In patients with pericardial effusion after cardiac surgery, colchicine administration does not reduce the effusion volume or prevent late cardiac tamponade. Clinical trial reg No NCT01266694.


Data on the synthesis and physicochemical studies of salts of mono- or dibasic unsaturated carboxylic acids and unsaturated metal oxo-carboxylates are generalised and described systematically. The structures and properties of the COO group in various compounds and characteristic features of the structures of carboxylate complexes are analysed. The main routes and kinetics of polymerisation transformations of unsaturated metal carboxylates are considered. The attention is focused on the effect of the metal ion on the monomer reactivity and the polymer morphology and structure. The possibility of stereochemical control of radical polymerisation of unsaturated metal carboxylates is demonstrated. The electronic, magnetic, optical, absorption and thermal properties of metal (co)polymers and nanocomposites and their main applications are considered.


We study sums over primes of trace functions of l-adic sheaves. Using an extension of our earlier results on algebraic twists of modular forms to the case of Eisenstein series and bounds for Type II sums based on similar applications of the Riemann hypothesis over finite fields, we prove general estimates with power saving for such sums. We then derive various concrete applications.


Three-dimensional topology of DNA in the cell nucleus provides a level of transcription regulation beyond the sequence of the linear DNA. To study the relationship between the transcriptional activity and the spatial environment of a gene, we used allele-specific chromosome conformation capture-on-chip (4C) technology to produce high-resolution topology maps of the active and inactive X chromosomes in female cells. We found that loci on the active X form multiple long-range interactions, with spatial segregation of active and inactive chromatin. On the inactive X, silenced loci lack preferred interactions, suggesting a unique random organization inside the inactive territory. However, escapees, among which is Xist, are engaged in long-range contacts with each other, enabling identification of novel escapees. Deletion of Xist results in partial refolding of the inactive X into a conformation resembling the active X without affecting gene silencing or DNA methylation. Our data point to a role for Xist RNA in shaping the conformation of the inactive X chromosome at least partially independent of transcription.


The 1994 Rwandan genocide has become the most heavily adjudicated conflict in recent world history. After the assassination of Rwanda's president on April 6, 1994, a reactionary group of elites seeking to reassert their control over Rwandan society by appealing to the ethnic loyalties of the majority Hutu population, organized genocide of the country's Tutsi minority. On orders from the central government, community leaders throughout Rwanda gathered Tutsi in churches, schools, and other public buildings with promises of protection, before local militia groups systematically slaughtered them. In the weeks after, death squads and roadblocks helped to hunt down survivors. In just 100 days, over 80 percent of Rwanda's Tutsi population was killed. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After the July 1994 military victory of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a largely Tutsi rebel army that had been attacking Rwanda since 1990, both the international community and the newly installed Rwandan government embraced trials as a primary tool for promoting post-conflict social reconstruction. The UN Security Council created the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in late 1994, which focused on prosecuting the top organizers of the genocide, and the first trials took place in Arusha, Tanzania in 1997. The Rwandan government itself began to arrest thousands of individuals on genocide charges immediately after the RPF victory, and by 1999, Rwandan prisons held more than 120,000 genocide suspects. With the Rwandan judicial system in shambles, the government did not begin the first genocide trials until December 1996, and even working at full capacity, the courts would have taken over 100 years to complete prosecutions. Seeking to speed up the rate of prosecution and implicate the population more directly in the judicial process, the government launched a new system of non-professional grassroots justice in 2002, called gacaca courts, drawing loosely on a traditional Rwandan dispute resolution mechanism. Gacaca courts were organized in every locality in the country, using popularly-elected lay judges to treat most genocide crimes. By early 2010, over 1.5 million cases had been heard in gacaca courts, and the process was winding down to a close. Transitional justice--the use of judicial mechanisms to help rebuild post-conflict and post-authoritarian societies--has emerged in the past two decades as a major international trend, promoted by the international community and widely studied by scholars. Along with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which has sparked a wave of human rights trials around the world, and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which has inspired numerous attempts to develop alternative judicial mechanisms, post-genocide justice in Rwanda has become a major focus of international interest and academic analysis. In the Rwandan case, given the shocking nature of the violence that took place in 1994, policymakers, diplomats, and human rights activists insisted that judicial accountability was essential. Trials of genocide perpetrators, they argued, would promote the rule of law, stop the cycle of violence, and allow survivors to move on with their lives. Scholars of transitional justice have been particularly intrigued by gacaca's innovative attempt to adapt Western legal traditions to Rwandan culture, and many have predicted that gacaca could become a model for using local judicial mechanisms to promote reconciliation. In practice, however, the benefits of trials in Rwanda remain unclear, while their negative consequences are substantial. In this essay, I draw on an extensive field research from a project conducted in Rwanda between 2001 and 2006 involving a national survey, hundreds of individual and focus group interviews, and ethnographic case studies of three local communities, to assess the impact of trials on social reconstruction. …


Nanostructures with high aspect ratio, e.g. carbon nanotubes (CNT) and metallic nanowires (NW), have opened attractive possibilities for development of high performance cold field emission (FE) cathodes for vacuum electronics. CNT on porous alumina were synthesized using ferrocene as a single source precursor in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. In order to influence the number density of CNT emitters and their anchoring, the pore diameter of the alumina templates was varied between 20 and 200 nm. The field emission performance of such CNT cathodes of some ten mm 2 size was integrally measured in a spacer-free diode configuration with luminescent screen, and the current distribution has been derived by means of developed image analysis software, which utilizes a calibration of the light intensity as function of the current. A strong increase of the integral dc current density has been found for pore diameters below 60 nm. The current distribution and conversion results in maximum local values of 108 mA/cm 2 at 7 V/µm (dc). In pulsed mode, peak values of up to 0.2 A/cm 2 at 11.5 V/µm averaged over several mm 2 size have been achieved with much improved luminescence and homogeneity of the emission which is, as demonstrated, suitable for light source applications.
      The high current carrying capability of the CNT emitters on porous alumina was confirmed by local measurements with a field emission scanning microscope (FESM), which provided Fowler-Nordheim-like (FN) currents of up to 19 µA from single emitters. FESM voltage scans show high emitter number densities of up to 60000/cm 2 at E < 20 V/µm. It was found that both field enhancement factors (β) and emitter number densities are strongly dependent on the CVD growth conditions. Moreover, sparse emitters with comparably low average β ~ 300 are preferable for high current densities, rather than those which are densely grown with β ~ 1100. Single CNT emitters on porous alumina have shown fluctuations, long-term instabilities, and strong (~ 50%) current drift over some hours. Resolved in a ms time scale the emission current reveal a switching between several electronic states, which is caused by the adsorbates. Cathode processing at different pressures and currents results in much improved current stability of ± 10% as measured over 18 hours.
      First experiments on copper NW with different geometrical properties, electrochemically grown in the etched ion-tracked pores of polymers, resulted in an emission site density of up to 1.4 x 10 5 cm -2 at 6 V/µm. Only 6% of the free-standing and vertically aligned NW were strong emitters. Nearly all NW showed unstable FN behavior with a mean β value of ~ 250, which corresponds to a cylindrical emitters with sharp edges.


ABSTRACT Schools represent a central meeting place where societal inequalities are reproduced and questions of social justice become important. This study focuses on categorisations related to race, nationality, and gender in interactions in Finnish teaching environments, as well as teacher reflections on these situations. We discuss the implications of the categorisations on social justice and the role of the teacher in these situations. We conducted video observations of a sixth-grade teacher in a Finnish primary school. The study employs both critical multicultural education approaches and Conversation Analysis. Results show that the pupils use categories race, nationality, and gender in ways that limit the agency and positioning of some of the pupils. The extensive and intersecting categorisation in teaching situations makes it demanding for teachers to address and challenge unequal norms attached to the categories. Results also indicate that teachers need an understanding of othering and normativity in order to allow spontaneous critical discussion and problematising categorisations that pupils use. Also, the results highlight the importance of involving pupils in the process of questioning norms that do not provide all pupils with the same agency or sense of belonging.


Capital access programs and funds for women starting and expanding their businesses have grown dramatically over the past decade. These programs cover the spectrum from microenterprise to venture capital funds and serve highly diverse populations. Thirteen best practice programs and three promising practices (new programs that appear innovative but do not yet have a track record) are profiled in this report and are the basis for our analysis of key success factors, barriers, and constraints faced by women entrepreneurs, and our policy recommendations. We profile and analyze the programs to share best practices and lessons learned so that successful programs can be replicated. Our analysis of these best practice programs identifies six areas that can improve the strength of all capital access programs and expand their reach.


A close relationship exists between kidney function and a successful pregnancy outcome. Renal disease can affect the outcome of pregnancy, pregnancy can affect the progression of pre-existing renal disease, and pregnancy itself can cause renal impairment. Women with renal disease who conceive and continue the pregnancy are at risk of adverse maternal and foetal outcomes. Although advances in antenatal and neonatal care continue to improve outcome, the risks remain proportionate to the degree of renal insufficiency.


Adult Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. may reach spawning grounds but perish before reproducing, a phenomenon known as "prespawn mortality" (PSM). This review synthesizes information on PSM rates and estimation methods to evaluate patterns and facilitate study design development. Questionnaire responses from 60 fisheries professionals indicated that female PSM was routinely monitored in numerous Pacific salmon populations, but variations in data collection and reporting could lead to systematic biases in estimates. Reported PSM rates varied among years and locations, ranging from 0% to over 90%. An evaluation of methodological variations within a single data set illustrated that PSM estimates were sensitive to estimation method, the timing and spatial extent of sampling, and inclusion of male data. To improve accuracy of PSM estimates based on carcass data, we recommend frequent surveys during holding and spawning periods, use of spatially and temporally balanced study designs with adequate sample sizes, ...


In two contiguous quarries located south of Mt. Magaggiaro, in the Sciacca region (south-western Sicily), a discontinuous pelagic succession is exposed, overlying the lower to (?) middle p.p. Early Jurassic peritidal limestone of the Inici Fm. The area belongs to the palaeogeographic "Saccense Domain". Posidoniids-rich pelagites, late Bajocian in age, generally overlie directly the peritidal limestone; the base of the pelagic succession corresponds to, and is concordant with, a planar surface that truncates tilted beds of the Inici Fm. A thin condensed horizon, exceptionally rich in ammonites and belemnites, is however locally interposed between the peritidal limestone and the Bajocian pelagic deposits. It bears a mixed ammonite assemblage indicating a late Toarcian (D. meneghini biozone) to middle Aalenian age. The biochronological meaning of this horizon serves to constrain better the drowning event that affected the platform. The angular nature of the unconformity, corresponding to a drowning unconformity, is interpreted as the product of synsedimentary extension that predated the drowning of the Inici platform.


Surveys show that American workers want more "voice" in the workplace. For the past century, unions have served as the principle voice mechanism for workers, but with the decline of unions, employee voice also has diminished. Section 8(a)(2) of the NLRA compounds this problem by prohibiting most employer-supported programs by which employees "deal with" employers concerning terms and conditions of employment. Both the East and the West offer possible alternative voice mechanisms. Over the past two decades, American employers increasingly have looked to the Japanese experience in adopting quality circles, work teams, and other employee involvement programs. But the growth in these programs has fallen short of expectations due, in part, to the reluctance of some employers to cede managerial discretion. Further, even if the Section 8(a)(2) bar is removed to permit more EIP's, additional employee voice will occur only if individual employers choose that result. Europe provides a different model in the form of works councils. Works councils are elected bodies of employees that meet regularly with management to discuss establishment level problems. Most countries in Western Europe legislatively mandate the formation of works councils for plants in excess of a certain minimum size. In addition, works councils are undergoing a continent-wide boom as the expanding European Union has adopted a series of directives that require a near universal establishment of works councils over the next few years. This article proposes the framework for a new American Works Councils Act. Such legislation not only would enhance employee voice, but also would link the United States and Europe in effectively establishing what hopefully would be the first of many new global labor norms.


BACKGROUND
It is not clear whether a Chiari pelvic osteotomy performed for the treatment of advanced osteoarthritis can delay the need for total hip arthroplasty. We present the mid-term results of the Chiari pelvic osteotomy performed for the treatment of Tönnis grade-3 osteoarthritis (large cysts, severe narrowing of the joint space, or severe deformity or necrosis of the head with extensive osteophyte formation), with a particular focus on whether this procedure can delay the need for total hip arthroplasty.

METHODS
We followed thirty-two hips in thirty-one patients with Tönnis grade-3 osteoarthritis who had refused total hip arthroplasty and had been treated with a Chiari pelvic osteotomy. The mean age at the time of surgery was 35.2 years. The mean duration of follow-up was 11.2 years, at which time clinical evaluation with the Harris hip score and radiographic evaluation were performed.

RESULTS
The average Harris hip score improved from 52 points preoperatively to 77 points at the time of follow-up; the average pain score improved from 20 to 31 points. Three hips with a hip score of <70 points required total hip arthroplasty. With a hip score of <70 points as the end point, the cumulative rate of survival at ten years was 72%. The clinical outcome was significantly influenced by the preoperative center-edge angle (p = 0.004), the preoperative acetabular head index (p = 0.039), achievement of the appropriate osteotomy level (p = 0.011), and superior migration (p = 0.009) and lateral migration (p = 0.026) of the femoral head.

CONCLUSIONS
Although the clinical results were inferior to those of total hip arthroplasty, Chiari pelvic osteotomy may be an option for young patients with advanced osteoarthritis who prefer a joint-conserving procedure to total hip arthroplasty and accept a clinical outcome that is predicted to be less optimal than that of total hip arthroplasty. Moderate dysplasia and moderate subluxation without complete obliteration of the joint space and a preoperative center-edge angle of at least 10 degrees are desirable selection criteria.


The issue of how MNCs manage the organizational culture in their overseas subsidiaries is one of the central questions for managing overseas employees. The study explores how a Japanese MNC in Hong Kong manages its organizational culture across cultures. The results imply that a company will not be effective if it uses artifacts only, such as ceremonies to convey the desired culture to the local employees. The more important mechanism is the human resource management system which is considered as the statement of the company's values, beliefs and assumptions. Since the case company uses a dual human resource management system and a dual control practice for the Japanese and local employees, these practices send out mixed messages and signals to the local employees who cannot project the desired state culture. Furthermore, because local employees bring along with them their values derived from national culture, they tend to adhere to these values rather than those of the company.


The Federal Communications Commission voted in a contentious three-two split to relax rules limiting ownership of TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers. Among its critics are members of Congress who may pass legislation reinstating the old rules. Others will likely file suit against the FCC in the hopes of overturning the decision. This article will discuss the current debate over media deregulation in light of the recent FCC order. Specifically, this ibrief focuses on concerns over media consolidation in the wake of the 'Clear Channelization' of American radio, and addresses the contrasting depictions of the current media landscape by advocates and opponents of deregulation.


Abstract. Financial resources are crucial to improve existing urban drinking water supply in developing countries typically characterized by low cost recovery rates and high and rapidly growing demand for more reliable services. This study examines the willingness to pay for improved urban drinking water supply employing a choice model (CM) in an urban context in Ethiopia, Hawassa, with a household survey of 170 respondents. The design of the choice model allows the estimation of the values of two attributes of urban drinking water service (extra day water delivery per week and safer water). The findings indicate that households are willing to pay up to 60% extra for improved levels of water supply over and above their current water bill. Especially those households living in the poorest part of the city with the lowest service levels demonstrate that they are willing to pay more despite significant income constraints they are facing. Women value the improvement of water quality most, while a significant effect is found for averting behavior and expenditures. The estimated economic values can be used in policy appraisals of investment decisions.


Jacob Jongbloed (nick-named "Janus") was a Dutch aviation physiologist and avid aviator. While lack of funding hindered his work tremendously, he nonetheless became an important figure in aeromedical research between World War I and II, chiefly in the field of the effects of acceleration on the human organism. Most of his work was published in Dutch and German journals, rendering him an unknown force in the English-speaking world. Only after World War II did he make a name for himself in Anglo-American circles, primarily due to his involvement in various international organizations dealing with aeromedical matters and his part in developing the first Dutch heart-lung machine. Due to his many posts and his scientific work in the field, he could be regarded as the "father" of Dutch aviation medicine.


The atomic concentration ratio of In to P on InP(100) surfaces has been determined to an accuracy of 20% by measuring the In 3d 5/2 and P 2p XPS intensities and using the corresponding atomic sensitivity factor values previously derived by the authors. The experimental results show that there exists a preferential sputtering effect for the argon ion bombardment. The In to P concentration ratio reaches a value of 2.2 at 1 keV ion beam energy and increases monotonically with the ion energy. After annealing the sample at approximate 300℃ in ultra high vacuum for 30 minutes, the In to P ratio at the surface decreases to 1.2 which is quite closed to the value of bulk stoichiometric ratio. It can be deduced from the angular dependence of the XPS intensities and the chemical shift of In 3d 5/2 binding energy that after the heat treatment, the In-P chemical bonds which were broken by the ion bombarding could reconnect, and the surface atomic arrangement was thus led to become an ordered structure with an outmost atomic layer rich in In.


The exhibition 'I am definitely coming for longer if I come again' (acknowledgments to Count Arthur Strong) is my first international solo show and contains 10 new sculptures. This develops my research into the pointless, playful and absurd activities which form part of creative practice, visible in other spheres of social and cultural activity, outside that of art making.

Building upon my recent London solo show 'Art is a Cupboard', the objects in this exhibition elaborate a wry guerilla strategy akin to bricolage (see Levi-Strauss 'The Savage Mind', 1966) where free-standing objects and collages are cobbled together from materials that are scavenged and pillaged, or sourced from builders' merchants, DIY stores and household shops.

The sculptures operate as a means to display a wealth of imagery - photographic, drawn and painted - encouraging multiple narratives/ readings. The imagery selected sets up a conflict between the physical poverty of the structures' fabrication, and the actual nature or location of the image; beautiful landscapes, idealized settings, glamorous parties, indulgent events are displayed upon practically derelict and abused supports. The images selected for inclusion are chosen specifically to set up and indulge these hierarchies of visual and physical experience.

A publication will be released with text by Melissa Gronlund and image(s) by Adam Gillam. The publication will act as an anti grand gesture, generated from the lowest technology available within the printing industry, the photocopier. In the same way that the sculptures are constructed from base denominator materials and question the potential commodification of the art object, the publication will challenge the gesture of the glossy artists' exhibition catalogue. The publication will be freely available and will be both a limited and unlimited edition; there will be a specific number made for the show but will be continually reproduced on demand.


The oleander mealybug, Paracoccus burnerae (Brain), is a pest of citrus in South Africa. This study was carried out to determine the effect of temperature on development rate of P. burnerae and to investigate whether development rate may explain why P. burnerae is outcompeting the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso), in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa. The influence of temperature on life history traits of P. burnerae was determined at 20, 22, 25 and 27 °C and compared with corresponding data for P. citri from other studies. The rate of development increased linearly with an increase in rearing temperature in the embryonic, first instar and pupal stages but reached a climax at 26.13 and 28.6 °C in the second instar of both species, respectively. Planococcus citri exhibited lower developmental thresholds except in the first instar, shorter degree-days and faster developmental rates than P. burnerae. Results of the current study indicate that the dominance of oleander mealybug over the citrus mealybug is linked neither to developmental rates nor sum of effective temperatures.


Fatigue related crashes represent a significant social and economic cost to the community, as fatigue is one of the primary contributing factors in road crashes. However the examination of fatigue crashes is often problematic as there is no universal definition of fatigue and it is difficult to objectively measure the degree of driver fatigue following a crash. Therefore the Australia Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has constructed an operational definition of a fatigue related crash. The definition is based on a set of well research selection criteria and uses crash characteristics routinely collected by different traffic authorities. The objective of this study is to test the ATSB operational definition of fatigue and to monitor the trends of fatigue related crashes on National Route 39, which is a major transport corridor between Brisbane and Melbourne. This study found that, there was a small increase in the number of fatigue related crashes from 12 percent in 1995 to 14 percent in 1999. The ATSB definition was found both to be practical and to possess face validity. Therefore the definition could be used to study and monitor fatigue related crashes in other contexts or on other specific routes. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E206143.


Sediment resources are essential to fulfill the State of Louisiana's commitment to implement a Coastal Master Plan (CMP) to mitigate its chronic land loss, protect more than 2 million people who live in the coastal zone, and to save Louisiana's rapidly disappearing complex and fragile ecosystem. With increasing rates of sea level rise and increased storm intensities along with continuing subsidence, the future quantity of sediment needed for ecosystem restoration will significantly increase, and at the same time, the accessibility to the sediment resources will become much more technologically challenging and cost prohibitive. These devastating environmental circumstances will compound the complexities of a sustainable ecosystem restoration in coastal Louisiana. Restoration projects must be robust enough (using adequate compatible sediment) to survive future environmental scenarios while the quantity of actively captured sediment resources available for critical restoration projects is likely to decrease, rendering the dredging and transporting of these sediment resources increasingly difficult and costly. These challenges will be an opportunity for Louisiana to utilize more sustainable, passively captured sediment (i.e. using large sediment diversions from the Mississippi River) to help offset limitations concerning actively harvesting sediment and to build and sustain wetlands in coastal Louisiana. Although any large-scale and meaningful restoration of the Louisiana coastal plain must involve sediments from the Mississippi River, the scope of this paper is restricted to offshore sediment resources. A strategic approach to optimize utilization of sediment resources includes minimizing handling and transport costs by first locating potential sediment sources and then identifying the most cost-effective way of using that sediment resource for restoration. The project cost and its success are defined by the sediment selection process. Thus, it is suggested that improvements in planning and management of multiple-use conflicts be based on regional understandings of sediment resources for an approach that maximizes benefits. The Louisiana Sediment Management Plan (LASMP) was conceptualized and formulated to improve planning and coordination of sediment utilization in Louisiana. This plan has evolved and has been adaptively managed in the absence of any prototype. Restoration activities are further complicated by competing interests and multiple uses of limited sediment resources. To maximize the availability of offshore sediment, the state is collaborating with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and engaging with other stakeholders in deciding the fate of decommissioned pipelines and to strategically plan the installation of new pipelines in offshore areas identified as significant sediment resources with the intent of protecting identified sediment resources for future use. Future offshore wind-farms may pose new challenges but simultaneously offer opportunities for conflict resolution via stakeholder engagement. For the past two decades the State of Louisiana/Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) of Louisiana has developed a considerable institutional knowledge base and expertise and improved the art and science of sediment management. A robust process has been adaptively developed with interagency collaboration and coordination to resolve conflicts/issues concerning obstacles to resource access. LASMP is not only a template for sediment management for coastal restoration, but also provides guidance for stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution for competing needs of seafloor resources especially in Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM).


Three different broadband sensitization concepts for optically active erbium ions are reviewed: 1) silicon nanocrystals, with absorption over the full visible spectrum, efficiently couple their excitonic energy to Er3+, 2) silver-related defect states in sodalime silicate glass have absorption in the blue and transfer energy to Er3+, and 3) organic cage complexes coordinated with well-chosen chromophores serve as broadband sensitizers in the visible. Energy transfer rates, efficiencies, and limiting factors are addressed for each of these sensitizers. Implications of the use of strong sensitizers for planar waveguide design are illustrated by using a model for the sensitizing effect of ytterbium.


2-semicarbazono-1-hydroxy, 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-(4'-methoxyphenyl) ethanol (abbreviated as 2C4MBS) with chemical formula C16 H16 Cl N3 O3 was synthesized and a new organic crystal was grown by slow evaporation technique. Single crystal of 2C4MBS had been subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis to estimate the lattice parameters and the space group. The qualitative analysis on the compound was carried out using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements. The structure was confirmed by FTIR, Mass spectra, proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral analyses. Transmission of the compound in the visible and u.v, region was investigated using UV–vis spectroscopy. The thermal stability of the crystal was determined by TG-DTA analysis. The non-linear optical absorption (NOA) properties in the solution state were investigated by the Z-scan technique. 2C4MBS compound exhibited reverse saturable absorption (RSA) under nanosecond pulse irradiation.


Recent disputes over whether older people should pay more for health insurance, or receive lower priority for transplantable organs, highlight broader disagreements regarding the legality of using age-based criteria in health care. These debates will likely intensify given the changing age structure of the American population and the turmoil surrounding the financing of American health care. This Article provides a comprehensive examination of the legality and normative desirability of age-based criteria.

In the Article, I defend a distributive justice approach to age-based criteria. Rather than viewing age as a personal characteristic akin to race or religion, the distributive justice approach regards age as relevant in two ways to the distribution of an extremely valuable and widely desirable good, namely years of life. First, age establishes how much life someone has already enjoyed. Second, age indicates (though imperfectly) how much more life a person is likely to gain from treatment. A distributive justice approach also differentiates justifications grounded in distributive considerations — such as the higher predicted costs of treating older patients — from justifications grounded in animus or false stereotypes about older patients. Distributive justice approaches are therefore aligned with emerging animus-focused approaches to antidiscrimination law.

The distributive justice approach I defend contrasts with two prevailing theoretical approaches to age-based criteria, which I call nondiscrimination and discretion. On the nondiscrimination approach, age-based criteria are viewed with great skepticism, analogous to race-based criteria: they are permissible — if at all — only when they advance the interests of disadvantaged groups, and they are subject to exacting judicial scrutiny. In contrast, the discretion approach, often identified with highly deferential versions of the "rational basis" test in equal protection law, views age-based criteria as broadly permissible, and defers to medical professionals' judgments.

Part I of the Article explains that age discrimination statutes, as well as the Equal Protection Clause and similar state constitutional provisions, permit the use of age-based criteria when those criteria have a rational grounding and do not appeal to animus or bias. They therefore leave room open for the use of a distributive justice approach. Part II goes on to argue that the conceptual underpinnings of antidiscrimination law do not support the enactment of new law, or the adoption of new interpretations of existing law, that would reject the use of age-based criteria. Part III proposes a detailed normative framework for the use of age-based criteria in health care, the lifetime justice approach, that considers the future life patients can gain from treatment and the past years of life they already have experienced. The lifetime justice approach also includes a principle of nonabandonment, which supports the continued provision of supportive medical care to older people in need. It then defends this framework against objections — most prominently, the objection that it disregards the moral equality of older people. Part IV applies the analysis offered in the earlier Parts to age-based criteria employed in various areas of medical practice and health policy, including the examples of transplantation and health insurance discussed at the outset.


American Christians have become increasingly polarized on issues of climate change and environmental regulation. In recent years, mainline Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church have made explicit declarations of support for global climate action. Prominent Southern Baptists and other evangelical Protestants, on the other hand, have issued statements that are strikingly similar to the talking points of secular climate skeptics, and have attempted to stamp out "green" efforts within their own ranks. An analysis of resolutions and campaigns by evangelicals over the past 40 years shows that anti-environmentalism within conservative Christianity stems from fears that "stewardship" of God's creation is drifting toward neo-pagan nature worship, and from apocalyptic beliefs about "end times" that make it pointless to worry about global warming. As the climate crisis deepens, the moral authority of Christian leaders and organizations may play a decisive role in swaying public policy toward (or away from) action to mitigate global warming.


Yu-Feng Hsu and Shen-Horn Yen (2006) Immature biology of Prosotas reveals an ovipositing strategy unusual in polyommatine lycaenids (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Polyommatinae), with a description of a new subspecies of P. dubiosa from Taiwan. Zoological Studies 45(3): 308-321. The immature biology of a widespread and often-abundant lycaenid in the genus Prosotas was heretofore poorly documented. Investigations conducted on 2 widely distributed and largely sympatric species, P. nora and P. dubiosa, revealed that both species exhibit peculiar oviposition behaviors. The females oviposit in the host inflorescence only during a critical development stage of the inflorescence. Their ova are laid within tightly arranged flower buds and are concealed with a transparent gelatinous substance, rendering the ova cryptic. Due to this peculiar behavior, host choice by Prosotas obviously requires a suitable inflorescence type in addition to appropriate chemical stimuli of potential host plants. In association with this ovipositional behavior, larvae of both species exit the ovum or ova laterally rather than in the usual way from the top. The papillae anales of the female genitalia are produced posteriad and show a modification to facilitate oviposition. The ovipositional behavior and lateral eclosion of the larvae are considered potential synapomorphies of the genus Prosotas as they are unique among polyommatine lycaenids. A discussion on earlier misconceptions concerning the immature biology of Prosotas is provided. Finally, samples of P. dubiosa from Taiwan were compared with those from other regions, revealing that they consistently differ from those of other regions, and thus they are described as P. dubiosa asbolodes, ssp. nov. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/45.3/308.pdf


The paper presents a modified least squares despread respread multitarget constant modulus algorithm (LS-DRMTCMA). The cost function of the original algorithm was modified by the minimum bit error rate (MBER) criterion. The novel algorithm tries to optimize weight vectors by directly minimizing bit error rate (BER) of code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile communication system. In order to achieve adaptive update of weight vectors, a stochastic gradient adaptive algorithm was developed by a kernel density estimator of possibility density function based on samples. Simulation results showed that the modified algorithm remarkably improves the BER performance, capacity and near-far effect resistance of a given CDMA communication system.


Clustering is a central approach for unsupervised learning. After clustering is applied, the most fundamental analysis is to quantitatively compare clusterings. Such comparisons are crucial for the evaluation of clustering methods as well as other tasks such as consensus clustering. It is often argued that, in order to establish a baseline, clustering similarity should be assessed in the context of a random ensemble of clusterings. The prevailing assumption for the random clustering ensemble is the permutation model in which the number and sizes of clusters are fixed. However, this assumption does not necessarily hold in practice; for example, multiple runs of K-means clustering returns clusterings with a fixed number of clusters, while the cluster size distribution varies greatly. Here, we derive corrected variants of two clustering similarity measures (the Rand index and Mutual Information) in the context of two random clustering ensembles in which the number and sizes of clusters vary. In addition, we study the impact of one-sided comparisons in the scenario with a reference clustering. The consequences of different random models are illustrated using synthetic examples, handwriting recognition, and gene expression data. We demonstrate that the choice of random model can have a drastic impact on the ranking of similar clustering pairs, and the evaluation of a clustering method with respect to a random baseline; thus, the choice of random clustering model should be carefully justified.


Over the last two decades, right-wing populist parties in Western Europe have gained sizable vote shares and power, much to the fascination and consternation of political observers. Meshing traditionalism and communitarian ideals, right-wing populist parties have come to represent a polar normative ideal to the New Left in Western Europe. In his dynamic study Cleavage Politics and the Populist Right, Simon Bornschier applies a cultural as well as political dimension to analyze the parties of both the right and left in six countries. He develops a theory that integrates the role of political conflict around both established cleavages and party strategies regarding new divisions to explain the varying fortunes of the populist right.

Combining innovative data from election campaigns and opinion surveys, Cleavage Politics and the Populist Right explains the emergence of the Front National in France and the transformation of the Swiss People's Party to right-wing populism. Where the populist right has made a breakthrough, a new cultural cleavage has formed. On the other hand, when established parties succeed in averting the entry of a right-wing populist competitor, the new cultural conflict presents itself in tempered form, as demonstrated in the case of Germany.


Summary

Donkeys have evolved to thrive on highly fibrous, poor quality foodstuffs and have evolved as browsers as well as grazers. As such, they have different nutrient requirements with significantly lower energy and protein needs when compared with horses. Dietary management of donkeys is essential when kept in a temperate climate as they are prone to obesity and related disorders. A diet based on fibrous forages and limited grazing is usually sufficient for the majority of donkeys and mules. Specialist feeding is discussed in this article.


Human choice is not free—we are bounded by a multitude of biological constraints. Yet, within the various landscapes we face, we do express choice, preference, and varying degrees of so-called willful behavior. Moreover, it appears that the capacity for choice in humans is variable. Empirical studies aimed at investigating the experience of "free will" will benefit from theoretical disciplines that constrain the language used to frame the relevant issues. The combination of game theory and computational reinforcement learning theory with empirical methods is already beginning to provide valuable insight into the biological variables underlying capacity for choice in humans and how things may go awry in individuals with brain disorders. These disciplines operate within abstract quantitative landscapes, but have successfully been applied to investigate strategic and adaptive human choice guided by formal notions of optimal behavior. Psychiatric illness is an extreme, but interesting arena for studying human capacity for choice. The experiences and behaviors of patients suggest these individuals fundamentally suffer from a diminished capacity of willful choice. Herein, I will briefly discuss recent applications of computationally guided approaches to human choice behavior and the underlying neurobiology. These approaches can be integrated into empirical investigation at multiple temporal scales of analysis including the growing body of experiments in human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and newly emerging sub-second electrochemical and electrophysiological measurements in the human brain. These cross-disciplinary approaches hold promise for revealing the underlying neurobiological mechanisms for the variety of choice capacity in humans.


A thiazine dye reductase has been described in endothelial cells that reduces methylene blue (MB), allowing its uptake into cells. Because a different mechanism of MB uptake in human erythrocytes has been proposed, we measured MB uptake and reduction in this cell type. Oxidized MB (MB(+)) stimulated reduction of extracellular ferricyanide in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, reflecting extracellular reduction of the dye. Reduced MB was then taken up by the cells and partially oxidized to MB(+). Both forms were retained against a concentration gradient, and their redox cycling induced an oxidant stress in the cells. Whereas concentrations of MB(+) <5 microM selectively oxidized NAD(P)H, higher concentrations also oxidized both glutathione (GSH) and ascorbate, especially in the absence of d-glucose. MB(+)-stimulated ferricyanide reduction was inhibited by thiol reagents with different mechanisms of action. Phenylarsine oxide, which is selective for vicinal dithiols in proteins, inhibited MB(+)-dependent ferricyanide reduction more strongly than it decreased cell GSH and pentose phosphate cycle activity, and it did not affect cellular NADPH. Open erythrocyte ghost membranes facilitated saturable NAD(P)H oxidation by MB(+), which was abolished by pretreating ghosts with low concentrations of trypsin and phenylarsine oxide. These results show that erythrocytes sequentially reduce and take up MB(+), that both reduced and oxidized forms of the dye are concentrated in cells, and that the thiazine dye reductase activity initially responsible for MB(+) reduction may correspond to MB(+)-dependent NAD(P)H reductase activity in erythrocyte ghosts.


The youngest of twenty children of sharecroppers in rural Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer witnessed throughout her childhood the white cruelty, political exclusion, and relentless economic exploitation that defined black existence in the Delta. In this intimate biography, Chana Kai Lee documents Hamer's lifelong crusade to empower the poor through collective action, her rise to national prominence as a civil rights activist, and the personal costs of her ongoing struggle to win a political voice and economic self-sufficiency for blacks in the segregated South. Lee traces Hamer's early work as a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in rural Mississippi, documenting the partial blindness she suffered after being arrested and beaten by local officials for leading a group of blacks to register for the vote. Hamer's dramatic appearance at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, where she led a group from the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in a bid to unseat the all-white Mississippi delegation, brought both Hamer and the virtual powerlessness of black Mississippians to the nation's attention; but the convention also marked her first debilitating encounter with the middle class of the national civil rights movement. Despite her national visibility, Hamer remained a militant grassroots leader who never stopped working for the betterment of her own community in Sunflower County, Mississippi. Among many local initiatives, she established the Freedom Farm Corporation, a revolutionary cooperative venture aimed at facilitating economic self-sufficiency for the rural poor. Lee renders Hamer's acute political instincts, her rhetorical prowess, and her skill in retooling her past to serve strategic political purposes, as well as her deep frustration with a society that was willing to hold her up as an example of individual heroism but resisted her efforts at collective transformation. Offering a complex understanding of how racism, sexism, violence, and economic injustice intersected to spur the civil rights movement and to shape, and sometimes restrict, the role of women and poor people within it, Lee illuminates the abiding links between political activism and economic transformation. The definitive biography of one of the most important civil rights activists of the twentieth century, "For Freedom's Sake" documents Fannie Lou Hamer's lifelong crusade to empower the poor through collective action, her rise to national prominence as a civil rights activist, and the personal costs of her ongoing struggle to win a political voice and economic self-sufficiency for blacks in the segregated South.


Structural health monitoring (SHM) has become a strong national interest because of the need of reliable and accurate damage detection methods for aerospace, civil and mechanical engineering infrastructure. Health monitoring of these structures usually requires the sensors to have such features as large area coverage, maintenance free or minimum maintenance, ultra-low cost per measurement point, and capability of operation in harsh environments. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) has attracted considerable interest for this application because of its compactness, electromagnetic immunity, and excellent multiplexing capability. Several FBG multiplexing techniques have been developed to increase the multiplexing number and further reduce the unit cost. To the author's best knowledge, the current demonstrated maximum multiplexing number are 800 FBG sensors in a single array using optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), whose maximum fiber span is limited by the coherence length of light source. In this work, we proposed and demonstrated a wavelength-scanning time-division multiplexing (WSTDM) of 1000 ultra-weak FBGs for distributed temperature sensing. In comparison with the OFDR method, the WSTDM method distinguishes the sensors by different time delays, and its maximum operation distance, which is limited by the transmission loss of the fiber, can be as high as tens of kilometers. The strong multiplexing capability and low crosstalk of the ultra-weak FBG sensors was investigated through both theoretical analysis and experiment. An automated FBG fabrication system was developed for fast FBG fabrication. With this WSTDM method, we multiplexed 1000 ultra-weak FBGs for distributed temperature sensing. Besides the demonstrated temperature measurement, the reported method can also be applied to measure other parameters, such as strain, pressure.


Cell culture is one of the critical bioprocessing steps required to generate sufficient human‐derived cellular material for most cell‐based therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine. Automated cell expansion is fundamental to the development of scaled, robust and cost effective commercial production processes for cell‐based therapeutic products. This paper describes the first application of process capability analysis to establish and compare the short‐term process capability of manual and automated processes for the in vitro expansion of a selected anchorage‐dependent cell line. Estimates of the process capability indices (Cp, Cpk) have been used to assess the ability of both processes to consistently meet the requirements for a selected productivity output and to direct process improvement activities. Point estimates of Cp and Cpk show that the manual process has poor capability (Cp = 0.55, Cpk = 0.26) compared to the automated process (Cp = 1.32, Cpk = 0.25), resulting from excess variability. Comparison of point estimates, which shows that Cpk < Cp, indicates that the automated process mean was off‐centre and that intervention is required to adjust the location of the process mean. A process improvement strategy involving an adjustment to the automated process settings has demonstrated in principle that the process mean can be shifted closer to the centre of the specification to achieve an estimated seven‐fold improvement in process performance. In practice, the 90% confidence bound estimate of Cp (Cp = 0.90) indicates that that once the process is centred within the specification, a further reduction of process variation is required to attain an automated process with the desired minimum capability requirement. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abbott, Altenkirch, Ghani and others have taught us that many parameterized datatypes (set functors) can be usefully analyzed via container representations in terms of a set of shapes and a set of positions in each shape. This paper builds on the observation that datatypes often carry additional structure that containers alone do not account for. We introduce directed containers to capture the common situation where every position in a datastructure determines another datastructure, informally, the sub-datastructure rooted by that position. Some natural examples are non-empty lists and node-labelled trees, and datastructures with a designated position (zippers). While containers denote set functors via a fully-faithful functor, directed containers interpret fully-faithfully into comonads. But more is true: every comonad whose underlying functor is a container is represented by a directed container. In fact, directed containers are the same as containers that are comonads. We also describe some constructions of directed containers. We have formalized our development in the dependently typed programming language Agda.


Research on computer system resilience, indeed on dependability and security generally, suffers from fragmentation into numerous partly-overlapping communities, and inconsistencies in terminology. As a partial response to this situation, we report on the development and use of a Resilience Knowledge Base (RKB) which currently contains over 60 million information items drawn from publication repositories and funding agencies worldwide. We describe the RKB technology, showing how it can support exploration of the research space using semantic web techniques to ameliorate difficulties caused by differences in terminology. We discuss the potential for the RKB to support Resilience-Explicit Computing, in which the decision to select a tool or configure a component from among alternatives is supported using metadata-based mechanism descriptions. The RKB Explorer can identify indirect but potentially significant inter-relationships not only between people,between these and information about tools, components and training materials.


Word-of-mouth (WOM) is widely considered the most influential source of information for consumer purchase decisions, and the explosion of social media has stirred interest in the communication. This study used the strength of weak ties, social exchange theory, and attribution theory as a framework for examining how the level of influence (persuasiveness and purchase probability) varied across the type of WOM (traditional WOM and eWOM) and tie strength (strong, weak, or absent). An experiment with 201 individuals found no significant difference in the level of influence between traditional WOM and eWOM. Strong ties were significantly more influential than weak or absent ties, but there was no significant difference between weak and absent ties. Influence also varied significantly by product category, with WOM influencing movies more than mobile phones. Finally, the influence of WOM was significantly higher for persuasiveness than purchase probability. Overall, this study found that the influence of traditional WOM was not significantly different from the influence of eWOM.


Written by an engineer-sailor-oceanographer, and based on the premise that all who go to sea will benefit from a broader interpretation of seamanship, this book attempts in simple terms to explain the ocean as an operating environment, how boats and ships behave in this environment, and what the average sailor can do to make any voyage safer and more pleasurable. Beginning with the oceans origin, the author describes its geography, circulation, climate, and meteorology. From waves and breakers he takes us through ship dynamics to strategies for heavy weather seamanship and emergency procedures. The author, William G. Van Dorn, confesses to having a lifelong love affair with the sea, whether swimming, surfing, diving, sailing, orfor the past forty yearsjust studying its many moods and facets. Readers of this book will find that his studying has yielded an exceedingly rich trove of knowledge about the dynamics of the sea and ways in which men and women who go to sea can handle its various conditions. According to Edmond L. Mandin, retired marine superintendent for American President Lines, Oceanography and Seamanship has a place in the masters research library of every APL containership. It is considered to be the primer for APL deck officers in the strategies of heavy weather seamanship. This book is an outstanding resource for both the recreational sailor and those in the shipping business who would like to learn more about the behavior of the ocean and the response of the craft that ply it. Originally slanted toward cruising yachtsmen, the book has gained a solid reputation among commercial fishermen, charter boat operators, and shipping companies. It is a reference at maritime academies and is used as a textbook in colleges and secondary schools.


Kiloparsec-scale binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) signal active supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs in merging galaxies. Despite their significance, unambiguously confirmed cases remain scarce and most have been discovered serendipitously. In a previous systematic search, we optically identified four kpc-scale binary AGNs from candidates selected with double-peaked narrow emission lines at z = 0.1–0.2. Here, we present Chandra and Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) imaging of these four systems. We critically examine and confirm the binary-AGN scenario for two of the four targets, by combining high angular resolution X-ray imaging spectroscopy with Chandra ACIS-S, better nuclear position constraints from WFC3 F105W imaging, and direct starburst estimates from WFC3 F336W imaging; for the other two targets, the existing data are still consistent with the binary-AGN scenario, but we cannot rule out the possibility of only one AGN ionizing gas in both merging galaxies. We find tentative evidence for a systematically smaller X-ray-to-[O iii] luminosity ratio and/or higher Compton-thick fraction in optically selected kpc-scale binary AGNs than in single AGNs, possibly caused by a higher nuclear gas column due to mergers and/or a viewing angle bias related to the double-peak narrow-line selection. While our result lends some further support to the general approach of optically identifying kpc-scale binary AGNs, it also highlights the challenge and ambiguity of X-ray confirmation.


There exists a lot of work in the literature trying to make the UAVs fly autonomously for example extracting perspective cues such as straight lines. However, it is only available in well-defined human made environments, in addition to many other cues which require enough texture information. Our main target is to detect and avoid frontal obstacles from a monocular camera using a quad rotor Ar.Drone 2 by exploiting optical flow as a motion parallax, the drone is permitted to fly at a speed of 1 m/s and an altitude ranging from 1 to 4 meters above the ground level. In general, detecting and avoiding frontal obstacle is a quite challenging problem because optical flow has some limitation which should be taken into account i.e. lighting conditions and aperture problem.


BACKGROUND Arterial stiffening is a major contributing factor in the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, there is no gold standard for evaluating arterial stiffness. This study aimed to evaluate the newly developed speckle-tracking carotid strain imaging method in assessing arterial stiffness in patients with ESRD. METHODS In total, 85 patients with normal renal function (controls) and 36 with ESRD were enrolled in this single-center study. Carotid B-mode ultrasonography was performed for all patients. Arterial stiffness indices and strain parameters of the common carotid arteries were analyzed. Values were compared between the groups, and multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to assess the impact of ESRD on carotid strain. RESULTS There were no differences in the intima-media thickness, β stiffness index, and arterial compliance, but arterial distensibility was lower, and the elastic modulus and pulse wave velocity β (PWV) were higher among patients with ESRD (all p < 0.05), whether assessed in the longitudinal or transverse plane. Both longitudinal and transverse strain rates were reduced in patients with ESRD (all p < 0.05). In multivariate analyses, ESRD independently reduced both transverse radial strain and strain rate (all p < 0.05), and the transverse circumferential strain and strain rate (p < 0.05). However, all conventional aortic stiffness indices and longitudinal strain parameters were not associated with ESRD. CONCLUSIONS Speckle-tracking carotid strain ultrasonography was successfully performed in both normal subjects and patients with ESRD. Multidirectional carotid strain analyses may provide more value than conventional aortic stiffness indices for risk stratification in patients with ESRD.


Diacene-fused thienothiophenes (DAcTTs) have provided an excellent π-framework for the development of high mobility p-type molecular semiconductors in the past decade. However, n-type DAcTTs are rare and their electron transport characteristics remain largely unexplored. Herein, a series of functionalized low LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT)-based small molecules, D(C7CO)-BTBT, C7CO-BTBT-CC(CN)2C7, and D(C7CC(CN)2)-BTBT, have been developed. Detailed structural, physicochemical, optoelectronic, and single-crystal characterization were performed. The new molecules exhibit large optical band gaps (∼2.8–3.1 eV) and highly stabilized (−ΔELUMO = 1.2–1.4 eV)/π-delocalized LUMOs as compared to p-type DAcTTs. Symmetric functionalization is found to be important to enable strong intermolecular interactions in the solid-state. All molecules exhibit alternately stacked layers of "F–BTBT–F" and "S" (F: functional group/S: substituent) with strong herringbone-like interactions (2.8–3.6 A distances) between π-cores. While carbonyls, regardless of the substituent, adopt nearly coplanar π-backbones with BTBT, dicyanovinylenes are found to be twisted (47.5°). The conformational difference at the molecular level has unusual effects on the π-electron deficiencies, frontier molecular orbital energetics, thermal/photophysical properties, and π-electronic structures. Dicyanovinylenes at the 2,7 positions, despite twisted conformations, are shown for the first time to yield good electron transport in DAcTTs. The D(C7CC(CN)2)-BTBT thin film exhibits large 2D plate-like crystalline grains (∼1–2 μm sizes) of terraced islands and becomes a rare example of an n-type DAcTT in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Although a stabilized/π-delocalized LUMO, largely governed by functional groups and intramolecular twists, is essential for electron transport, our findings suggest that it should be combined with proper substituents to yield a favorable three-dimensional BTBT/functional group π-electronic structure and a low intramolecular reorganization energy. Combined with our first n-type DAcTT semiconductor D(PhFCO)-BTBT, a molecular library with systematically varied chemical structures has been studied herein for the first time for low LUMO DAcTTs. The molecular engineering perspectives presented in this study may give unique insights into the design of novel electron transporting thienoacenes for unconventional optoelectronics.


Dr Naomi Dale is an Assistant Professor of Management and Program Director of the Bachelor of Event and Tourism Management for the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra. Naomi has been teaching and researching in the Tourism Discipline at UC since 2006. She was the recipient of an Australian Post Graduate Award scholarship and in 2013 completed her PhD investigating destination choice by school excursion groups in Australia. Dr Dale's research is concerned with Learning and Engagement in Tourism. This incorporates research in the specific areas of educational tourism, indigenous tourism, policy impacts of curriculum, and visitor research at cultural institutions and national capital attractions. It also captures emerging research interests in the application of social media, and strategies for engagement through e-platforms (in teaching, tourism and events). Other key areas are around the shared economy, consumer behaviour and marketing.  Naomi was an invited special issue editor for the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management which gathered articles on the theme of thresholds and learning outcomes in tourism, hospitality and events. The editorial, "Perspectives to implementing threshold learning outcomes in tourism, hospitality and events education" was published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management (Vol. 30, pp. 1-3, 2017) along with an article by Dr Dale discussing the "Semantics of Learning Outcomes across institutions, industry and governing bodies". Research in progress is around the use of social media in tourism experiences and the impact that has on engagement and satisfaction and also the types of images captured and shared by visitors. We understand that increasingly social media is being used as a part of a tourism experience. What we don't understand is what impact being 'connected' is having on the experience and engagement. This research is framed by the understanding that travel photographs simultaneously represent and deny reality and we are seeking to understand how capturing images for sharing online (or not) enhances or negatively impacts on participation in iconic tourism experiences. Initial analysis of the qualitative data from our participants' experiences at a five-star accommodation and tour weekend at Jamala Lodge confirms photography is not simply capturing an image for private use, and that the immediacy of sharing with friends and family impacts on the purpose of the images captured. Outside of traditional academic impact, her research on shaping industry practice and influencing government policy is particularly notable. For example, the research conducted around school excursion tourism is utilised by the Department of Education and Training toward policy and funding decisions for the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) which sees funding go to schools who visit cultural attractions in Canberra with links to the National curriculum. This research is also critical in securing funding from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government who uses the research to understand the economic impact of school excursions to the ACT and Region. Other research outputs providing impacts for end-users of research include important industry publications such as the "Report on the Size and Effect of School Excursions to the National Capital" which was launched by the Chief Minister at Parliament House, and the Accommodation Strategy Parliament House for the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS). For this report Dr Dale was approached to be part of the tender team by Cox Architecture for expertise in tourism and visitation to Canberra. Naomi also led the teams providing a tourism strategy for the newly amalgamated Snowy Monaro Regional Council, and service quality indicators for cycle tourism destinations with CycleLife HQ. Demonstrating Naomi's developing international profile is the facilitation and co-ordination since 2013 of the Visitor Research Forum. This sees academics and industry practitioners coming together to present current research on visitors and has an impact on both academics and industry as the dialogue opportunities strengthen research in the discipline. This forum is co-hosted by University of Canberra with The University of Queensland. Recently the forum was held in New Zealand, where it was hosted by Te Papa in Wellington, and Melbourne by Museum Victoria. The Visitor Research Forum is the only opportunity for this kind of knowledge sharing and collaboration in Australia and New Zealand.  Dr Dale has been the National Capital Attractions Association (NCAA) President since December 2015. This role represents the Canberra and Region Tourism industry in a number of ways such as membership meetings and advocacy activities. The role as president includes being the Award Owner for the Canberra & Region Tourism Awards, a Board member representing the ACT on the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) which incorporates the National Tourism Awards, national tourism accreditation (ATAP), Star Ratings and representation on the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Tourism Committee. The president's role also brings membership to National Capital Educational Tourism Project (NCETP) Joint Venture in partnership with Deputy Director-General of Enterprise Canberra (ACT Government). These leadership roles enable direct access to national policy creation and decision making and representation of Canberra and the University in those negotiations. Naomi is passionate about all things visitors and tourism and seeing people engaged in these spaces. Whilst wearing many of the above hats she is also a mum, keen traveller, food and wine enthusiast and avid sports fan.


The White House, through the Solicitor General, has requested that the Supreme Court remand American Electric Power (AEP), the leading case on public nuisance applied to climate change, to the Second Circuit to conduct, inter alia, a displacement analysis (Part I). With momentum in favor of displacing the Federal common law of nuisance with respect to States' suits for climate change damages, it would behoove us to take a good look at what the law of displacement requires of the courts. The central question here is whether the common law of public nuisance should be displaced. My short answer is, contrary to prevailing opinion, no. Displacing the cause of action which would allow remedies for climate change damages to be available from the courts is a top priority of climate change deniers as well as those who believe the Congress or the EPA should be in charge of all things related to US climate policy. Yet the evidence for climate change is mounting, and neither Congress nor the EPA has grasped the nettle. This paper argues that the law of public nuisance should remain a viable avenue for States' Attorneys General to limit major emissions contributing toward climate change damages. Displacement is not as simple an inquiry as the literature and the Solicitor General's brief would suggest. The displacement test itself is unduly complicated and should be reformulated into a stricter test (Part II). The extant reasoning from the Supreme Court in Milwaukee II fails to fully capture the complexity of the displacement context when the Plaintiff is a quasi-sovereign (Part III). The displacement test is exceptionally tricky to apply when the common law at stake is that of public nuisance (Part IV). AEP provides the Court a chance to assess the Judiciary's role in the separation of powers in the context of Federal responses to climate change. Even if adequate legislative or regulatory responses to climate change were implemented, there may still be important roles for the judiciary to play in the United States response to climate change aside from barring the States from protecting their own property and public health (Part V).* As predicted, the Supreme Court's decision on June 20, 2011 turned on the issue of displacement. I would not concur until after the U.S. EPA issued notice of carbon dioxide performance standards for new stationary sources on March 27, 2012.


Since the arrival of European settlers to Australia, many of Australia's unique ecosystems have been altered and under pressure. The main drivers of these changes have been land clearance for broad acre agriculture, the introduction of aggressive weeds, the reduction of native fauna due to habitat loss and predation by feral animals, like foxes and cats, and the gradual urbanisation of the landscape.
In Tasmania these drivers have resulted in the loss and fragmentation of many temperate grassland and grassy woodland communities. The lowland Themeda grasslands currently make up less than 10% of the estimated pre-European extent and the lowland valley Poa grassland community is less than 15% of the pre-European extent. With only 9% of these communities currently protected under the National Reserve System, it is evident that many of these communities are fragmented, occurring predominantly on private land, along roadsides, cemeteries and "islands" isolated by spreading urbanisation. In order to better protect these vulnerable communities it is imperative that private land managers need to implement appropriate management regimes that encourage species diversity and abundance.
The Pontville Small arms Range Complex is a Commonwealth owned site that is currently managed by the Defence Department as a military training facility. In 1999 a vegetation survey was undertaken to describe the lowland vegetation communities on the site and to review the management regimes in place. This study found 5 endangered 4 vulnerable and 4 rare flora species. It also identified that the vegetation communities provided habitat for a number of significant fauna species.
An assessment of how these vegetation communities are doing a decade later has revealed that there has been a significant decline in species richness across all of the vegetation communities. The findings have also revealed that the management regime employed appears to have had little impact on the overall floristic composition or abundance. The factors driving this decline are a combination of seasonal effects, drought conditions and the additional pressures of grazing. It is unclear as to whether grazing alone has resulted in the general species decline, but no doubt in combination with the other environmental factors, grazing has not helped in protecting these vulnerable communities. A review of current grazing management and other management regimes seems to an appropriate course of action to maintain and improve the biodiversity of all of these vegetation communities.


This document reports on a brief literature review about social and cognitive functions of spatial features used when collaborating in both physical and virtual settings. Those concepts come from various fields like social, cognitive as well as environmental psychology or CSCW (Computer Supported Collaborative Work). I briefly summarize the social and cognitive affordances of spatial features like distance, proxemics, co-presence, visibility or activity in the context of physical and virtual space. The way human beings employ those features finally allows to give insights about potential avenues of research.


The promulgation of the China Arbitration Law in 1994 largely reformed and gave shape to the modern Chinese arbitration regulatory framework. However, since then, there has been little legislative improvement in meeting the changing needs. Instead, judicial efforts by China's Supreme People's Court and institutional initiatives by Chinese arbitration commissions have further refined and internationalized the Chinese arbitration system. Recent years have witnessed many changes in the Chinese arbitration landscape, particularly the formation, expansion, and complication of the Chinese arbitration market. This Article first critically examines the current regulatory framework and special features of the Chinese arbitration system, many of which promised in the China Arbitration Law, and often referred to as "arbitration with Chinese characteristics." It then analyzes comprehensively arbitral developments of the past decade in order to pierce the veil of arbitration reform in China, highlighting the pitfalls, patterns, prognoses, and prospects. Finally, this Article identifies the "essential" and "highly recommended" ingredients in prospective reform proposals and examines the extent to which such proposals can actually transform China into a favorable international arbitration forum.