The agency problem, the idea that corporate directors and officers are motivated to prioritize their self-interest over the interest of their corporation, has had long-lasting impact on corporate law theory and practice. In recent years, however, as federal agencies have stepped up enforcement efforts against corporations, a new problem that is the mirror image of the agency problem has surfaced — the reverse agency problem. The surge in criminal investigations against corporations, combined with the rising popularity of settlement mechanisms including Pretrial Diversion Agreements (PDAs), and corporate plea agreements, has led corporations to sacrifice directors and officers in order to reach settlements with law enforcement authorities as expeditiously as possible.

While such settlements are in the best interest of companies and shareholders, they have devastating effects for individual directors and officers. When settling through agreements, suspect companies usually attribute wrongdoing to a large group of directors and managers, without distinguishing among guilty and innocent individuals, and surrender all their information. As a result, directors and officers implicated in settlements may suffer severe reputational loss and face legal battles brought by corporations. Furthermore, the wrongdoing attributed to directors and officers in settlements expose them to derivative lawsuits for breach of their fiduciary duties. Unfortunately, extant law does not provide directors and officers with a means to prove their innocence or clear their name. In fact, it does not even give them a voice in the negotiations leading to the drafting of settlements. Thus, it dooms many directors and officers who have done no wrong to live with the mark of Cain and endure the economic consequences thereof.

To remedy the plight of individual directors and officers, we suggest three possible legal reforms. The first seeks to amplify the voice of individual corporate officers in settlement negotiations by giving them a right to a hearing prior to the finalization of a settlement. The second is to give directors and officers implicated in settlements the right to bring an action for a declaratory judgment that could clear their name and preempt derivative actions against them. The third solution is to recognize a horizontal fiduciary duty between directors and officers, thereby allowing innocent directors and officers the right to sue their guilty colleagues for breaching such duty.


INTRODUCTION
The high prevalence of obesity among Spanish children and adolescents has become an important public health problem.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the association between dietary macronutrient intake and obesity in a case-control study of children and adolescents (aged 5.5 to 18.8) from Navarra.

METHODS
Cases were 178 obese children (body mass index > 97th percentile), from Navarra. Controls were individually matched by sex and age. Anthropometric data were collected by trained personal using standardized procedures. Personal interviews were performed to collect previously validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). From these FFQs we calculated the intake of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and types of fatty acids. Energy-adjusted macronutrient intake was divided into quintiles. Conditional logistic regression was used and confounder factors were taken into account.

RESULTS
The macronutrient composition of the diet was similar between cases and controls, except for polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake, which was significantly inversely associated with obesity (p for trend < 0.01), with adjusted odds ratio = 0.34 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.77) for the fifth versus the first quintile.

CONCLUSIONS
An inverse and significant association between PUFA intake and obesity was found in this case-control study.


PURPOSE Most gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) express constitutively activated mutant isoforms of KIT or kinase platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) that are potential therapeutic targets for imatinib mesylate. The relationship between mutations in these kinases and clinical response to imatinib was examined in a group of patients with advanced GIST. PATIENTS AND METHODS GISTs from 127 patients enrolled onto a phase II clinical study of imatinib were examined for mutations of KIT or PDGFRA. Mutation types were correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS Activating mutations of KIT or PDGFRA were found in 112 (88.2%) and six (4.7%) GISTs, respectively. Most KIT mutations involved exon 9 (n = 23) or exon 11 (n = 85). All KIT mutant isoforms, but only a subset of PDGFRA mutant isoforms, were sensitive to imatinib, in vitro. In patients with GISTs harboring exon 11 KIT mutations, the partial response rate (PR) was 83.5%, whereas patients with tumors containing an exon 9 KIT mutation or no detectable mutation of KIT or PDGFRA had PR rates of 47.8% (P = .0006) and 0.0% (P < .0001), respectively. Patients whose tumors contained exon 11 KIT mutations had a longer event-free and overall survival than those whose tumors expressed either exon 9 KIT mutations or had no detectable kinase mutation. CONCLUSION Activating mutations of KIT or PDGFRA are found in the vast majority of GISTs, and the mutational status of these oncoproteins is predictive of clinical response to imatinib. PDGFRA mutations can explain response and sensitivity to imatinib in some GISTs lacking KIT mutations.


Cancer and its treatment are often associated with physical and psychosocial impairments that influence activities of daily living and can thus have a negative impact on quality of life. Some side effects can last for years, and cancer as well as the therapy itself can lead to a greater risk for other chronic diseases. Physical activity plays an important role within supportive care. There is growing evidence of the importance and effectiveness of physical activity during and after cancer treatment. However, the optimal components of exercise for each cancer type at a given treatment phase remain unclear, so that current recommendations primarily entail general physical activity guidelines including specific modifications and precautions. Further research is needed to investigate different doses and types of exercise to identify the optimal exercise prescription.


The Haus–Mecozzi theory of timing jitter and amplitude fluctuations of a self-starting additive-pulse mode-locked fiber ring laser operating in the negative group-velocity regime is reviewed. Experimental results confirm the theoretical predictions. The measured timing jitter has two physical origins. One is amplified spontaneous emission (quantum noise). The other is the amplitude fluctuation that is due to the pump source. The jitter is due mainly to the amplified spontaneous emission and is thus quantum limited.


Abousfian Abdelrazik is a Canadian citizen who, after having his name added to various anti-terrorism lists, and after being tortured by Sudanese officials, found himself unable to return home from Sudan largely because of Canadian government actions. Abdelrazik sought to challenge the constitutionality of these restrictions on his ability to return to Canada. However, he had no money and no means of support, as he was unable to leave a Canadian embassy in Sudan where he had sought refuge to avoid further torture by Sudanese officials. He therefore brought a motion for interim costs in Canada's Federal Court. If granted, this interim costs award would require the Canadian government to pay his legal fees so that his constitutional challenge could proceed.In Abdelrazik v Canada (re: Interim Costs), the Federal Court denied the request for interim costs – a decision that has serious implications not only for interim costs jurisprudence, but also for litigation involving citizens who allege that their right to be free from exile accorded by section 6 of the Charter has been violated.This comment critically analyzes the access to justice implications of the Federal Court decision in light of both the principle that courts may use costs awards to promote access to justice, and the unique challenges faced by Canadians mistreated abroad by the Canadian government.


Today, tourism economy has a crucial role as one of the main principles of commercial economy in global economy. However, despite its ample tourism attractions Iran does not enjoy an acceptable place in world. Present study tries to answer to the question that regarding economic indicators of this industry what is Iran`s position compared to other middle-east countries? In addition, Iran`s position is investigated during economic development plans. To study Iran`s position, totally nine indicators are selected: indicator of total participation of tourism industry in GDP, total participation of tourism industry in jobs created, internal travel and tourism expenses, government expenses, tourist export, domestic consumption of tourist, travel, tourism and commercial expenses, holiday travel and tourism expenses and finally, investment indicator in tourism sector. TOPSIS method is used to compose said indicators. Results show that during economic development plans, Iran has gained these ratings respectively: 6th rating in 1989, 6th rating in 1996, 4th rating in 2000, 5th rating in 2005, 5th rating in 2011, and 5th rating in 2013 among middle-east countries.


About 380 million years ago in the Devonian period, invasive species reigned rampant in the world ocean as the number of marine animal species plummeted. That ecological crisis has been classed as one of the Big Five mass extinctions. But paleontologists think the main problem was not that existing species died out but that new ones failed to form. And the new paper—published in the January issue of GSA Today —holds invasions responsible for that failure to speciate, at least in some marine animal groups.


This article describes the initial period (1994-2001) of an ongoing action research project to develop health information systems to support district management in South Africa. The reconstruction of the health sector in postapartheid South Africa striving for equity in health service delivery and building of a decentralized structure based on health districts. In terms of information systems (IS) development, this reform process translates into standardization of health data in ways that inscribe the goals of the new South Africa by enhancing local control and integration of information handling. We describe our approach to action research and use concepts from actor-network and structuration theories in analyzing the case material. In the detailed description and analysis of the process of IS development provided, we focus on the need to balance standardization and local flexibility (localization); standardization is thus seen as bottom-up alignment of an array of heterogeneous actors. Building on a social system model of information systems, we conceptualize the IS design strategy developed and used as the cultivation of processes whereby these actors are translating and aligning their interests. We develop a modular hierarchy of global and local datasets as a framework within which the tensions between standardization and localization may be understood and addressed. Finally, we discuss the possible relevance of the results of the research in other countries.


We present radiance regression functions for fast rendering of global illumination in scenes with dynamic local light sources. A radiance regression function (RRF) represents a non-linear mapping from local and contextual attributes of surface points, such as position, viewing direction, and lighting condition, to their indirect illumination values. The RRF is obtained from precomputed shading samples through regression analysis, which determines a function that best fits the shading data. For a given scene, the shading samples are precomputed by an offline renderer. The key idea behind our approach is to exploit the nonlinear coherence of the indirect illumination data to make the RRF both compact and fast to evaluate. We model the RRF as a multilayer acyclic feed-forward neural network, which provides a close functional approximation of the indirect illumination and can be efficiently evaluated at run time. To effectively model scenes with spatially variant material properties, we utilize an augmented set of attributes as input to the neural network RRF to reduce the amount of inference that the network needs to perform. To handle scenes with greater geometric complexity, we partition the input space of the RRF model and represent the subspaces with separate, smaller RRFs that can be evaluated more rapidly. As a result, the RRF model scales well to increasingly complex scene geometry and material variation. Because of its compactness and ease of evaluation, the RRF model enables real-time rendering with full global illumination effects, including changing caustics and multiple-bounce high-frequency glossy interreflections.


A local heavy rainfall of about 100 mm h occurred in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture on 26 August 2011. This rain was brought by a mesoscale convective system (MCS) that developed near a stationary front that slowly moved southward. In an analysis using geostationary multi-purpose satellite rapid scan images and dense automated weather station networks, development of the MCS occurred after the merging of sea breezes from the east (Kashima-nada) and the south (Tokyo Bay). Numerical experiments by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) nonhydrostatic model (NHM) with horizontal resolutions of 10 and 2 km using mesoscale 4D-VAR analysis of JMA for initial conditions tended to predict the position of intense rainfall areas west of the observed positions. In the mesoscale ensemble forecast using perturbations from JMA's one-week global ensemble prediction system (EPS) forecast, some ensemble members showed enhanced precipitation around Tokyo, but false precipitation areas appeared north of the Kanto and Hokuriku districts. As an attempt to improve the model forecast, we modified the model, reducing the lower limit of subgrid deviation of water vapor condensation to diagnose the cloudiness for radiation. In the modified model simulation, surface temperatures around Tokyo increased by about 1°C, and the position of the intense precipitation was improved, but the false precipitation areas in the Hokuriku district were also enhanced in the ensemble member which brought a better forecast than the control run. We also conducted an ensemble prediction using a singular vector method based on NHM. One of the ensemble members destabilized the lower atmosphere on the windward side of the Kanto district and suppressed the false precipitation in the Hokuriku district, and observed characteristics of the local heavy rainfall were well reproduced by NHM with a horizontal resolution of 2 km. A conceptual model of the initiation of deep convection by the formation of a low-level convergence zone succeeding merging of the two sea breezes from the east and south is proposed based on observations, previous studies, and numerical simulation results. In this event, the northerly ambient wind played an important role on the occurrence of the local heavy rainfall around Tokyo by suppressing the northward intrusion of the sea breeze from the south.


This study presents a historic overview of the role of mobile roof support (MRS) technologies in improving stability and worker safety and presents the results of recent field evaluations of the MRS load rate monitoring device and other remote deformation-monitoring techniques. Field studies were implemented at two sites in cooperation among researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Maleki Technologies, Inc., and J. H. Fletcher & Co. The objective of the field programs were to (1) study the interaction between MRS's and coal mine strata and (2) develop and test suitable monitoring systems for assessing roof and pillar stability. An MRS consists of a roof canopy, four hydraulic cylinders, a caving shield canopy, and associated electromechanical systems mounted on crawler tracks. The machines are controlled by radio from a remote location and operate on self-contained power units. Typically, MRS's have capacities of 5,340 and 7,120 kN (600 and 800 tons). In comparison to posts, an MRS is capable of maintaining the yield load after significant amounts of roof-floor deformation. Because the mining cycle is accelerated, MRS's help reduce the potential for time-dependent roof falls. MRS performance has been monitored in the laboratory under controlled static loading conditions and in the field under deep, twoseam mining conditions. Laboratory studies have quantified support capacity and system stiffness as a function of machine height. Field investigations have focused on determination of optimum operating conditions and development of warning systems that indicate excessive load on the machine and/or impending roof-pillar stability problems. Analyses of field data show that roof instabilities are influenced by (1) pillar failure, (2) pillar yielding, (3) mine seismicity, (4) geologic structures, and (5) panel layout designs and mining practice. Pillar yielding and failure (unloading) and seismicity can be conveniently monitored by the load rate monitoring device, but for consistent detection of roof falls, additional deformation measurements directly within the cuts are needed.


Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the priority pollutants measured in atmospheric particles due to their potential health risks to exposed individuals. A miniaturized solvent extraction and cleanup method has been developed for the determination of 14 types of PAHs in air particulate matter (APM) collected through the use of a five-stage stainless steel Berner sampler with aluminum foil as substrates. The analytical method employed sonication of the impacted APM in the aluminum foil substrates with dichloromethane, extract purification through silica cleanup in miniaturized glass columns, and analysis of the PAHs by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The performance characteristics of the method such as linearity, range, detection limits and quantification limits, recovery and precision for each of the 14 PAHs were established using procedures suggested by Eurachem and/or the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The method has direct advantages, i.e., use of minimal volume of solvents, and non-utilization of disposable silica solid phase extraction cartridges, but with performance characteristics that are within acceptable limits−thus resulting in a low-cost, practical, and reliable protocol that can quantify PAHs in APM.


Modelling of information is necessary in developing information systems. Information is acquired from many sources, by using various methods and tools. It must be recognized, conceptualized, and conceptually organized efficiently so that users can easily understand and use it. Modelling is needed to understand, explain, organize, predict and reason on information. It also helps to master the role and functions of components of information systems. Modelling can be performed with many different purposes in mind, at different levels, and by using different notions and different background theories. It can be made by emphasizing users' conceptual understanding of information on a domain level, on an algorithmic level, or on representation levels. On each level, the objects and structures used on them are different, and different rules govern the behavior on them. Therefore the notions, rules, theories, languages and methods for modelling on different levels are also different. It will be useful if we can develop theories and methodologies for modelling, to be used in different situations, because databases, knowledge bases, and repositories in knowledge management systems, developed on the basis of models and used to technically store information, are growing day by day. In this publication, the interest is focused on modelling of information and one of the central topics is modelling of time. Scientific and technical papers of high quality are brought together in this book.


Traditional operating systems limit flexibility, performance and utilization of hardware resources by forcing applications to use inappropriate high-level abstractions, uniform protection schemes and high-level static resource management. This forced use of inappropriate services results in poor application and operating system performance. A radical new approach to operating systems design and construction is needed to meet the requirements of modern applications. Within our Centre, we are designing BITS: the Component Based Operating System, to address these issues. To realize its full potential, BITS requires a radically new resource management strategy. The operating system design gives an environment for implementing extensions, but a resource manager module is responsible for making them available. It allows system services to be specialized, replaced or extended to better serve application-specific needs. In this paper we propose the MAGNET Resource Manager enabling a free-market negotiation of application requests and server resources. It provides an additional level of flexibility for application participation in resource management. MAGNET also provides a platform for an additional runtime level of extensibility: dynamic modification and replacement of its parts during execution.


Nancy Frey & Douglas Fisher (eds.) (2008). Teaching visual literacy: Using comic books, graphic novels, anime, cartoons, and more to develop comprehension and thinking skills. Thousand Oaks, California Corwin Press. 195 pages. ISBN 978-1-4129-5311-5, 978-1-4129-5312-2 There is broad consensus among scholars that our culture is more visual than ever before. High school or college students, among other groups, inevitably need to access images for their daily lives. However, teaching the language used by these images continues to be largely ignored as an issue in academia. Despite finding ourselves immersed in a veritable audiovisual abyss, the learning of this grammar is conspicuously absent and undervalued as an area of knowledge, like writing, that may be taught and learned. Teaching Visual Literacy is the title of a work, edited recently in the United States by Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, which seeks to approach this specific need. Professors at San Diego State University, with years of teaching experience, international prizes and books related to education, Frey and Fisher assemble a compilation of various articles written by and for specialists in the so called realm of "visual literacy". Throughout the book, they seek to provide a series of strategies to help increase students' involvement in the classroom through rarely used tools, such as illustrated books, manga comics, graphic novels, anime films and other visual sources of information. The book's main objective, in effect, is based upon the recommendation for different contributors to utilize this type of materials, previously considered "inappropriate" because of their content or underappreciated artistic merit. These materials, primarily comics and cartoons, have proven their detractors wrong by gaining ground in the classroom, probably due to their undeniable popularity, thematic diversity and cultural status attained over more than a century as "minor" genres. Although they cannot avoid using their critical judgment as educators, all of the authors express their preference towards the use of such tools, explaining throughout their contributions the processes that have led them as educational professionals to discover and overcome their biases. Going more deeply into the book's specific content, the first part delves into a certain theoretical load that justifies the significant permeability between visual and theoretical content. Models are addressed that are based primarily on human physiology in relation to color and perception of forms and our particular cognition (with frequent mention of Paivo's dual model (1978), which remains an undeniable reference in the field of cognitive psychology). In the first chapter, for example, Lynell Burmark introduces the expression visual literacy and explains how images influence our comprehension. Lawrence Baines provides suggestions on how to use students' interest in movies to motivate and involve them in education, capture their attention and foster their critical thinking skills. And Paula Kluth analyzes how approaches through visual literacy may succeed by helping students with disabilities demonstrate their knowledge. Many of those students exhibit clear visual orientation, so they are better equipped to understand and remember content when they are able to see it represented visually. Kelly Chandler-Olcott, in the fourth chapter, is the only author in the book who focuses on a genre (animation) and a specific style (Japanese anime), breaking from the tendency among many contributors to this work, and other books, to group together the same virtues and defects with products as disparate as American film, comics, graphic novels or animated film. Accordingly, this author takes a special interest in tracing the peculiarities of the Japanese market, if not in showing its stylistic or language differences (McLeod, 2006) relative to its Western counterparts. Her perspective is most closely aligned to authors (Jones, 2004; Poitras, 1999) who primarily sympathize with Japanese products and laud their excellent production, maturity and great diversity of subject matter as well as the country's long history in other "major" arts, film, painting or literature. …


Intertemporal choice involves deciding between smaller, sooner and larger, later rewards. People tend to prefer smaller rewards that are available earlier to larger rewards available later, a phenomenon referred to as temporal or delay discounting. Despite its ubiquity in human and non-human animals, temporal discounting is subject to considerable individual differences. Here, we provide a critical narrative review of this literature and make suggestions for future work. We conclude that temporal discounting is associated with key socio-economic and health-related variables. Regarding personality, large-scale studies have found steeper temporal discounting to be associated with higher levels of self-reported impulsivity and extraversion; however, effect sizes are small. Temporal discounting correlates negatively with future-oriented cognitive styles and inhibitory control, again with small effect sizes. There are consistent associations between steeper temporal discounting and lower intelligence, with effect sizes exceeding those of personality or cognitive variables, although socio-demographic moderator variables may play a role. Neuroimaging evidence of brain structural and functional correlates is not yet consistent, neither with regard to areas nor directions of effects. Finally, following early candidate gene studies, recent Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) approaches have revealed the molecular genetic architecture of temporal discounting to be more complex than initially thought. Overall, the study of individual differences in temporal discounting is a maturing field that has produced some replicable findings. Effect sizes are small-to-medium, necessitating future hypothesis-driven work that prioritizes large samples with adequate power calculations. More research is also needed regarding the neural origins of individual differences in temporal discounting as well as the mediating neural mechanisms of associations of temporal discounting with personality and cognitive variables.


The hierarchical topology is a common property of many complex systems. Here we introduce a simple but generic model of hierarchy growth from the bottom to the top. Therein, two dynamical processes are accounted for: agent's promotions to next hierarchy levels when local speakers are elected and followed by other agents and agent's degradations to the lowest hierarchy. Following the initial stage when all agents are at the bottom level in the course of time the system approaches a stationary state where new hierarchies no longer emerge and the distribution of agents at different levels is exponential. In the stationary state the average hierarchy level and the fraction of agents at the lowest level are independent from the system size however the height of hierarchy, i.e. maximal number of observed hierarchy levels grows logarithmically along the total number of agents. The average number of followers of an agent in the stationary state is much smaller than the number of followers he possessed at the promotion moment. Results from numerical simulations are confirmed by an analytical treatment based on the rate equation.


Tablet computers have become a significant consumer technology by providing a more natural way of interaction via touch sensitive screens, compared to keyboard and mouse input. For this purpose, they are being used increasingly for education purposes, especially aimed for children. In this thesis, an educational application based on handwriting recognition technologies is developed for 1st grade students. The developed application lets teachers prepare online study material directly from text books that students write on and receive back a rich set of information such as timing and writing order, along with a student's completed homework. Arithmetic and linguistic exercises suitable for first grade curriculum are implemented into application. The thesis covers all aspects about designing and developing such an educational application, including: how to design a friendly and straightforward interface for children; how to prepare study material paralleling a variety of question types (matching, arithmetic, Turkish) found in elementary school education; and what applications would be most beneficial on the tablet platform. Besides the design and user interface issues, technical solutions are developed for how to implement sophisticated applications such as a Hidden Markov Model based recognizer on the Android platform, and how to verify answers. After the initial design, assessments are collected from first grade students on two separate occasions and the design of the application was iteratively improved to suit the young students' needs who have still-developing motor skills and lesser experience with technology compared to most adults.


Build a Timeless, Original Story Using Hundreds of Classic Story Motifs! It's been said that there are no new ideas; but there are proven ideas that have worked again and again for all writers for hundreds of years. Story Structure Architect is your comprehensive reference to the classic recurring story structures used by every great author throughout the ages. You'll find master models for characters, plots, and complication motifs, along with guidelines for combining them to create unique short stories, novels, scripts, or plays. You'll also learn how to:* Build compelling stories that don't get bogged down in the middle * Select character journeys and create conflicts* Devise subplots and plan dramatic situations* Develop the supporting characters you need to make your story work Especially featured are the standard dramatic situations inspire by Georges Polti's well-known 19th century work, The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. But author Victoria Schmidt puts a 21st-century spin on these timeless classics and offers fifty-five situations to inspire your creativity and allow you even more writing freedom. Story Structure Architect will give you the mold and then help you break it. This browsable and interactive book offers everything you need to craft a complete, original, and satisfying story sure to keep readers hooked!


The thesis presents a comprehensive study on assessment of smoke production properties of building products. Primarily the hazard related to the loss of visibility is considered. The starting point has been to investigate whether smoke prediction models can be developed to predict smoke test data from the full scale ISO Room Comer Test by the use of test data from the bench scale ISO Cone Calorimeter. The thesis outlines a theoretical base for fire parameters, then a set of fire parameters is developed. All fire parameters are then used in empirical approaches to develop smoke prediction models. The approaches are based on test data from 34 building products,and only models with a scientifically sound basis are accepted. By use of a found model,full scale smoked at a from pre-flashover fires are sufficently well predicted. The predictions are principally based on bench scale CO data. It is argued that bench scale smoke data might not have general suitability for such predictions.The study shows that the success of prediction depends on the elimination of the temperature dependency of the smoke production Then the generality of the full scale test data is considered This means verifying whether the smoke data are predominantly governed by the building products and less the fire scenario.The verification is done by comparison of the smoke production (generation) from the ISO Room Comer Test with corresponding data from three other enclosure tests. The verification validates smoke data from pre-flashover fires.This verification also implicitly validates the ISO Room Comer Test to be consistent with the fire scenarios the test is meant to cover.This leads to the conclusion that the ISO Room Comer Test can be used to assess smoke production from building products in growing fires. The relationship between bench scale and full scale data seems to disappear as a fire grows. This has been pointed out to be caused by complex full scale combustion conditions which need further investigation There are some indications that post-flashover smoke and CO data might possibly be predicted by reduced scale enclosure tests. Finally,the hazard related to the loss of visibility is considered The assessment relates to the occurrence of flashover. In pre-flashover fires the smoke hazard is identified to occur both outside and inside the plume.The lethal hazard outside the plume is identified to be a combination of high irradiance level and loss of visability, while lethal hazard inside the plume (fire eftluents) is identified to be a combination of loss of visibility and the initant effects of the fire eftluents.TheISO Room Comer Test is validated as applicable to evaluate the pre-flashover smoke hazard It is argued that a benchmark of smoke hazard occurs when the combustible changes from a moderately smoky product like wood to a highly smoky plastic based product. A proposal for how this could be implemented in a functionally based classification system is also given. The hazard assessment of post-flashover fires shows that the loss of visibility can be a significant hazard even when the fire atmosphere has a relatively low toxicity. It is argued that the hazard related to loss of visibility in post-flashover fires should provisionally be left out of classification.


By using an elegant response function theory, which does not require matching of the messy boundary conditions, we investigate the surface plasmon excitations in the multicoaxial cylindrical cables made up of negative-index metamaterials. The multicoaxial cables with dispersive metamaterial components exhibit a rather richer (and complex) plasmon spectrum with each interface supporting two modes: one TM and the other TE for m≠0 (the integer order of the Bessel function). The cables with nondispersive metamaterial components bear a different tale: they do not support simultaneously both TM and TE modes over the whole range of propagation vector. The computed local and total density of states enable us to substantiate spatial positions of the modes in the spectrum. Such quasi-one-dimensional systems as studied here should prove to be the milestones of the emerging optoelectronics and telecommunications systems.


The human genome is densely populated with transposons and transposon-like repetitive elements. Although the impact of these transposons and elements on human genome evolution is recognized, the significance of subtle variations in their sequence remains mostly unexplored. Here we report homozygosity mapping of an infantile neurodegenerative disease locus in a genetic isolate. Complete DNA sequencing of the 400-kb linkage locus revealed a point mutation in a primate-specific retrotransposon that was transcribed as part of a unique noncoding RNA, which was expressed in the brain. In vitro knockdown of this RNA increased neuronal apoptosis, consistent with the inappropriate dosage of this RNA in vivo and with the phenotype. Moreover, structural analysis of the sequence revealed a small RNA-like hairpin that was consistent with the putative gain of a functional site when mutated. We show here that a mutation in a unique transposable element-containing RNA is associated with lethal encephalopathy, and we suggest that RNAs that harbor evolutionarily recent repetitive elements may play important roles in human brain development.


ABSTRACT Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is the etiological agent of varicella (chickenpox) and herpes zoster (HZ [shingles]). Clinical observations suggest that VZV-specific T cell immunity plays a more critical role than humoral immunity in the prevention of VZV reactivation and development of herpes zoster. Although numerous studies have characterized T cell responses directed against select VZV open reading frames (ORFs), a comprehensive analysis of the T cell response to the entire VZV genome has not yet been conducted. We have recently shown that intrabronchial inoculation of young rhesus macaques with simian varicella virus (SVV), a homolog of VZV, recapitulates the hallmarks of acute and latent VZV infection in humans. In this study, we characterized the specificity of T cell responses during acute and latent SVV infection. Animals generated a robust and broad T cell response directed against both structural and nonstructural viral proteins during acute infection in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and peripheral blood. During latency, T cell responses were detected only in the BAL fluid and were lower and more restricted than those observed during acute infection. Interestingly, we identified a small set of ORFs that were immunogenic during both acute and latent infection in the BAL fluid. Given the close genome relatedness of SVV and VZV, our studies highlight immunogenic ORFs that may be further investigated as potential components of novel VZV vaccines that specifically boost T cell immunity.


We suggest to use the observationally measured and theoretically justified correlation between size and rotational velocity of galactic discs as a viable method to select a set of high redshift standard rods which may be used to explore the dark energy content of the universe via the classical angular-diameter test. Here we explore a new strategy for an optimal implementation of this test. We propose to use the rotation speed of high redshift galaxies as a standard size indicator and show how high resolution multi-object spectroscopy and ACS/HST high quality spatial images, may be combined to measure the amplitude of the dark energy density parameter ΩQ, or to constrain the cosmic equation of state parameter for a smooth dark energy component (w = p/ρ, −1 ≤ w < −1/3). Nearly 1300 standard rods with high velocity rotation in the bin V = 200 ± 20 km s−1 are expected in a field of 1 sq. degree and over the redshift baseline 0 < z < 1.4. This sample is sufficient to constrain the cosmic equation of state parameter w at a level of 20% (without priors in the [Ωm,ΩQ] plane) even when the [OII]λ3727 Å linewidth-diameter relationship is calibrated with a scatter of ∼40%. We evaluate how systematics may affect the proposed tests, and find that a linear standard rod evolution, causing galaxy dimensions to be up to 30% smaller at z = 1.5, can be uniquely diagnosed, and will minimally bias the confidence level contours in the [ΩQ, w] plane. Finally, we show how to derive, without a priori knowing the specific functional form of disc evolution, a cosmologyevolution diagram with which it is possible to establish a mapping between different cosmological models and the amount of galaxy disc/luminosity evolution expected at a given redshift.


We present a research effort into the application of semantic web methods and technologies to address the challenging problem of integrating heterogeneous volcanic and atmospheric data in support of assessing the atmospheric effects of a volcanic eruption.
 This exemplary volcano eruption scenario highlights what is true for the vast majority of data intensive Earth system investigations which have limited ability to explore important and difficult problems. This is because they are forced to find and use data representing an event or phemenonon of interest through data collections at the data-element, or syntactic, level rather than at a higher scientific, or semantic, level. Even if relevant data is found in one collection, it may not be easy or possible to find similar, related data in another collection. In many cases, syntax-only interoperability IS the state-of-the-art and at best, there are some instances of hard-wired but simple semantic enhancements (e.g. a special purpose web service wrapper around the data). Scientists and non-scientists are forced to learn details of the data schema, other people's naming schemes and syntax decisions and details of differing web site interfaces. These constraints are limiting even when researchers are looking for information in their own discipline, but they present even greater challenges when researchers are looking for information spanning multiple disciplines, including some in which they are not extensively trained. The volcano eruption scenario exemplifies many of these challenges. In this paper we present research progress on how semantic enablement for scientific data integration is achieved. We present how tologies implemented within existing distributed technology frameworks are providing essential, reuseable, and robust, support necessary for interdisciplinary scientific research activities.


Like other complex adaptive systems (CAS), any given work of art is complex, is a discovery process, makes use of rules, relies on the knowledge and insight of the artist, and evolved through feedback from others artists and the artist's audience. The same could be said of an artist's history of work, and of the arts as a system. More, if spontaneous orders require equality of status among agents, freedom of entry and exit, and rules of procedure, then it seems that the arts qualify as a social spontaneous order. With the specific example of literature, we also see that with the emergence of the literary spontaneous order, the foundations for the other liberal spontaneous orders – the free market and democracy in particular – are laid.


The Report is based on recent information from national household surveys in seven of the eight South Asian countries (i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), and provides an overview of the nature and extent of child labour, children's employment and educational status, at both the South Asian regional level and in each of the seven countries. For Afghanistan, a brief profile of child labour in the country has been compiled from various studies. Gender dimensions are explored, as are the differences between rural and urban areas. The Report highlights gaps and inconsistencies between national statistical surveys, which limited the analysis and subsequent findings. It includes recommendations for action, both at national level and at the SAARC (the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation) level.


This paper introduces a behavioural model and an algorithm that allow define classes of investors and draw the size each of them from financial data. The nonparametric pricing kernel estimated from stocks and options quotes allows to derive an estimate of the market utility. At the micro level it is assumed that each individual perceives lower future returns and higher future returns differently, and at a given threshold the individual switches from one attitude to the other. This switching point is peculiar of each class. The aggregate of the individual utilities must have the same features of the estimated market utility function, and two random search algorithms to compute the optimal aggregation are proposed and compared. Both computation techniques provide a similar distribution of investor classes. When the markets are bearish, even negative future states are perceived as high. On the other hand when markets are performing well, the switch to the high perception occurs only for bigger returns. For stock markets without a clear trend there is no predominance of a single class, investors are split between '"early"' and '"late"' switchers.


Vitamin D acts through its nuclear receptor to regulate FoxO function. Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin" long known for its role in calcium homeostasis, has more recently been implicated in protecting against some forms of cancer. Noting that the target genes regulated by FoxO-family transcription factors, which act as tumor suppressors, overlap with those regulated by the hormonal form of Vitamin D [1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D)] through its nuclear receptor (VDR), An et al. investigated the relationship between 1,25D- and FoxO-mediated signaling. Analyses of a squamous cell carcinoma line that undergoes growth arrest in response to 1,25D (SCC25 cells) revealed that 1,25D acted through the VDR to increase or decrease the abundance of the transcripts of various FoxO target genes in a manner consistent with their regulation by FoxO proteins. 1,25D slowly increased the abundance of FoxO proteins and inhibited insulin-dependent export of FoxO3a from the nucleus. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that 1,25D enhanced association of FoxO3a with the promoters of target genes; this was more rapid than the increase in FoxO3a protein but paralleled a decrease in FoxO3a phosphorylation. FoxO dephosphorylation is enhanced by its deacetylation, and a combination of coimmunoprecipitation analysis and glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays revealed ligand-independent association of VDR with FoxO proteins and protein phosphatase 1, as well as its partially 1,25D-dependent association with the deacetylase sirtuin 1 (Sirt1). Pharmacological inhibition of phosphatase activity inhibited 1,25D-dependent regulation of genes targeted by both VDR and FoxO (VDR/FoxO target genes), as did Sirt1 knockdown; indeed, the latter blocked a 1,25D-dependent increase in VDR binding to VDR/FoxO target gene promoters. Whereas knockdown of FoxO proteins failed to affect 1,25D-dependent regulation of VDR-specific target genes, it attenuated 1,25D-dependent regulation of VDR/FoxO target genes. Moreover, FoxO3a knockdown blocked the ability of 1,25D to inhibit SCC25 cell proliferation. Thus, 1,25D acts through the VDR to regulate FoxO function, a role that may be pertinent to its ability to protect against cancer. B.-S. An, L. E. Tavera-Mendoza, V. Dimitrov, X. Wang, M. R. Calderon, H.-J. Wang, J. H. White, Stimulation of Sirt1-regulated FoxO protein function by the ligand-bound vitamin D receptor. Mol. Cell. Biol. 30, 4890–4900 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text]


ABSTRACT Aim: AZD9291 is a potent, selective, irreversible EGFR-TKI, effective against the EGFR-TKI-sensitising (EGFRm+) and resistance T790M mutations. Here we report updated data from the ongoing Phase I study of AZD9291 in pts with EGFRm+ NSCLC (AURA; NCT01802632). Methods: Pts with EGFRm+ NSCLC and acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs were enrolled in a multicentre trial into dose escalation and expansion cohorts. AZD9291 was administered orally, at doses of 20–240 mg once daily. Stable brain metastases were allowed. Primary objective was safety and tolerability; anti-tumour activity was a secondary objective. Prospective mandatory central T790M testing was required in the expansion cohorts and was optional for dose escalation cohorts. Results: As of 2 April 2014, 232 pts (female 63%, median age 60, Asian/Caucasian 64%/34%, immediate prior EGFR-TKI therapy 60%) were enrolled: 31 pts in the dose escalation and 201 pts in the dose expansion cohorts, of whom 120 were T790M+ by central tumour testing. Adverse events (AEs) were mostly mild (CTCAE Grade 1/2), with diarrhoea (39%), rash (36%) and nausea (18%) the most commonly reported. 8 pts (3%) had dose reductions. Grade ≥3 AEs occurred in 24% of pts. There were 8 ILD-like reports. At the recommended Phase II dose of 80 mg QD, rash and diarrhoea occurred in 27% (Grade 3, 0%) and 20% (Grade 3, 1%) of pts, respectively. Among all evaluable pts to date, RECIST responses were observed at all dose levels. The confirmed overall response rate (ORR) in patients with centrally tested EGFR T790M+ tumours was 56% (56/100; 95% CI 46, 66%) and in patients with EGFR T790M- tumours the confirmed ORR was 17% (8/48; 95% CI 8, 30%). In 56 pts with EGFR T790M+ tumours and confirmed response: longest duration of response to date was ongoing at approx 7.5 months; 7/56 pts responded for at least >6 months and 46/56 have an ongoing response Conclusions: AZD9291 has been well tolerated at all dose levels tested. Clinical activity has been shown in pts with centrally confirmed EGFR T790M+ NSCLC, with durable responses of >6 months. Disclosure: J.C. Yang: Advisory board: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, Roche/Genentech, AstraZeneca, Merck, Bayer, Clovis Oncology. Corporate-sponsored research: Boehringer Ingelheim; D. Planchard: Advisory boards: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, BMS S.S. Ramalingam: Advisory boards: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech; L. Horn: Research funding: Astellas. Compensated advisory boards: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clovis, Helix Bio. Uncompensated advisory boards: PUMA, Xcovery. Steering Committee (uncompensated): Bayer. Honoraria: Boehringer Ingelheim; E. Felip: Advisory boards: Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Roche, BMS, Lilly; P. Frewer, M. Cantarini and S. Ghiorghiu: Employment and stock ownership: AstraZeneca; M. Ranson: Advisory boards: AstraZeneca; P.A. Janne: Consultant or advisory role: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Clovis Oncology, Pfizer, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Chugai, Immunogen. Stock ownership: Gatekeeper. Other: Lab Corp. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


In this paper, we introduce an electricity market model and use it to explore the effect of climate change on electricity output and prices. It is calibrated to the New Zealand Electricity Market, and includes multiple generation fuels, uncertain fuel availability, and storage options. The model is formulated in continuous time, which mimics the many short trading periods that are common to electricity spot markets, while properly incorporating forward-looking generation decision making. Specifically, it is used to estimate the effects of changes that may arise in characteristics of fuels -water and gas- as a consequence of climate change and climate change policies. The model does this under the polar cases of a competitive market structure and monopoly. There are three key findings from the results. First, the results illustrate the importance of allowing for volatility and including management of storage in electricity market models. Second, they suggest that reductions in average hydro fuel availability will reduce welfare significantly. Increases in the volatility of hydro fuel availability will also affect welfare, but to a very small extent. Third, the value of reservoir expansion is sensitive to the distribution of hydro fuel availability. Finally, the effects of a carbon tax are also reported.


This thesis contains an account of some of the work undertaken by the author while a member of the Astronomy Group at the University of Durham. The work of the group which involves the measurement of the amount of linear polarisation in nebular astronomical objects, is in collaboration with the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The initial chapters of the thesis describe the design and construction of the Durham Polarimeter which detects and measures the polarisation, and outlines the advantages of using a 4 cm McMullan electronographic camera as a recording device Initial alignment of the polarimcter components prior to observation and the procedures followed to obtain a series of electronographic plates are described along with the development of a series of reduction equations which link the polarisation parameters to the densities of the images on the electronographic plates. Electronographs of the irregular II galaxy, M82, which is the subject of study in this thesis are illustrated. In the later chapters of the thesis, the 1 education of the visual electronograplis to a digital form and the subsequent sophisticated computer programming required to accurately align the digital electronographs, lead out the densities for several thousand locations distributed over the lunge of the galaxy, and finally convert these densities to polarisation parameters is described. Comparison of the new polarisation map of 1182, with the previous photo-electric determinations confirms the success of this new automatic technique for the production of high resolution, accurate polarimetric measurements. In the final chapters of this thesis, M82 is reviewed chronologically, and the observational information on the galaxy is summarised. Finally, the present polarisation data is analysed using a recent model of the galaxy, and the result which are consistent with those previously determined are considered in conjunction with the mass of observational evidence concerning the evolution and morphology of the galaxy. The possibility that M82 may represent a connecting link in galactic evolution is tentatively proposed.


Abstract. We present a digital elevation model of the bed of Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica, derived from radio-echo sounding data. The data cover an 18  ×  40 km area immediately upstream of the grounding line of the ice stream. This area is of particular interest because repeated seismic surveys have shown that rapid erosion and deposition of subglacial sediments has taken place. The bed topography shows a range of different subglacial landforms including mega-scale glacial lineations, drumlins and hummocks. This data set will form a baseline survey which, when compared to future surveys, should reveal how active subglacial landscapes change over time. These data also allow comparison between subglacial landforms in an active system with those observed in deglaciated areas in both polar regions. The data set comprises observed ice thickness data, an interpolated bed elevation grid, observed surface elevation data and a surface elevation grid. The data set is available at http://doi.org/269 .


Whole-body regeneration, the formation of an entire adult from only a small fragment of its own tissue, is extremely rare among chordates. Exceptionally, in the colonial ascidian Botrylloides leachii, a fully functional adult is formed from their common vascular system, upon ablation of all adults from the colony, in just 10 days thanks to their high blastogenetic potential. While previous studies have identified key genetic markers and morphological changes, no study has yet focused on the haematological aspects of regeneration despite the major involvement of the remaining vascular system and the contained haemocytes in this process. To dissect this process, we analysed colony blood flow patterns using time-lapse microscopy to obtain a quantitative description of the velocity, reversal pattern, and average distance travelled by haemocytes. We also observed that flows present during regeneration are powered by temporally and spatially synchronized contractions of the terminal ampullae. In addition, we revised previous studies on B. leachii haematology as well as asexual development using histological sectioning, and compared the role of haemocytes during whole-body regeneration. We found that regeneration starts with a rapid healing response characterized by blood clotting and infiltration of immunocytes, followed by increased activity of haemoblasts, recruitment of macrophage-like cells for clearing the tissues of debris, and their subsequent disappearance from the circulation concomitant with the maturation of a single regenerated adult. Overall, we provide a uniquely detailed account of the haematological properties of regenerating B. leachii colonies, providing novel lines of inquiry towards the decipherment of regeneration in chordates.


This paper reports findings from an exploratory study about how students majoring in humanities and social sciences use the Internet and library resources for research. Using student discussion groups, content analysis, and a student survey, our results suggest students may not be as reliant on public Internet sites as previous research has reported. Instead, students in our study used a hybrid approach for conducting course-related research. A majority of students leveraged both online and offline sources to overcome challenges with finding, selecting, and evaluating resources and gauging professors' expectations for quality research.


Summary 1. Obstacles approaching in the flight path trigger postural and wing kinematic adjustments in tethered flying locusts. We sought to confirm that these behaviours were steering behaviours by measuring the changes in the flight forces associated with their execution. We also investigated the coordination of these behaviours in the execution of collision avoidance manoeuvres and the effect of speed or size of the obstacle on the timing and magnitude of the response. 2. Locusts were tethered and suspended in a wind tunnel from orthogonally arranged leaf springs mounted with strain gauges. Lift and yaw torque could be monitored unambiguously. We also monitored a forward translation force which combined pitch and thrust. During flight, the locusts were videotaped from behind while targets of different sizes (5cm35 cm, 7cm37 cm, 9cm39cm, 11cm311cm) were transported towards the head at different speeds (1, 2, 3 or 4 ms21). 3. Angular asymmetry of the forewings during the downstroke with the right forewing high, and abdomen and hindleg movement to the left, were temporally associated with an increase in yaw torque to the left. With the left forewing high, abdomen and hindleg movement to the right were temporally associated with a decrease in yaw torque to the left. Obstacle avoidance behaviours could be associated with either an increase or a decrease in the pitch/thrust component. 4. Leg, abdomen and wingbeat alterations in response to the approach of an obstacle were independent but tightly coordinated. Slower approaches increased the magnitude of the responses. However, the size of the obstacle had no effect on the magnitude of the response. Slower and larger targets generated earlier reactions (i.e. locusts reacted when the targets were further from the head). 5. We conclude that the behaviours we have described were steering behaviours which would have directed the animal around an obstacle in its flight path, and that there were at least two strategies for collision avoidance associated with slowing or speeding flight. Leg, abdomen and wingbeat alterations formed a coherent avoidance response, the magnitude of which was dependent upon the time available for it to develop. We further conclude that the manoeuvre was not initiated at a constant time to collision and we propose that the avoidance strategy was to initiate the manoeuvre when the targets subtended more than 10˚ in the insect's field of view.


The saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) is one of the most relevant variables in studies of water and solute movement in the soil. Its determination in the laboratory and in the field yields high dispersion results, which could be an indication that this variable has a no symmetrical distribution. Adjustment of the normal, lognormal, gamma and beta distributions were examined in order to search for a probability were density function that would more adequately describe the distribution of this variable. The experiment consisted in determining the saturated hydraulic conductivity, through the constant head permeameter method, in undisturbed samples of three soils of different textures from the central western region of the Sao Paulo State, Brazil, and submitting the results to the statistical tests for identification of the most adequate asymmetrical distribution to represent them. Ksat presented high variability, non normal distribution and lognormal, gamma and beta distributions fit. The lognormal probability density function was the most indicated to describe the variable, due to the verified greater agreement.


In X-ray imaging, a reduction of the field of view (FOV) is proportional to a reduction in radiation dose. The resulting truncation, however, is incompatible with conventional tomographic reconstruction algorithms. This problem has been studied extensively. Very recently, a novel method for region of interest (ROI) reconstruction from truncated projections with neither the use of prior knowledge nor explicit extrapolation has been published, named Approximated Truncation Robust Algorithm for Computed Tomography (ATRACT). It is based on a decomposition of the standard ramp filter into a 2D Laplace filtering (local operation) and a 2D Radon-based filtering step (non-local operation). The 2D Radon-based filtering that involves many interpolations complicates the filtering procedure in ATRACT, which essentially limits its practicality. In this paper, an optimization for this shortcoming is presented. That is to apply ATRACT in one dimension, which implies that we decompose the standard ramp filter into the 1D Laplace filter and a 1D convolutionbased filter. The convolution kernel was determined numerically by computing the 1D impulse response of the standard ramp filtering coupled with the second order anti-derivative operation. The proposed algorithm was evaluated by using a reconstruction benchmark test, a real phantom and a clinical data set in terms of spatial resolution, computational efficiency as well as robustness of correction quality. The evaluation outcomes were encouraging. The proposed algorithm showed improvement in computational performance with respect to the 2D ATRACT algorithm and furthermore maintained reconstructions of high accuracy in presence of data truncation.


The digital convergence of broadcast television, usergenerated content from online and mobile sources, and interactive surfaces brings an opportunity for the development of platforms to support media-rich data storytelling for television audiences. In this paper, we report on a production model and system featuring a multi-touch interactive table with tangibles in the broadcast studio, on which performers use information visualizations to access and present media-rich content from viewers. The system uses content generated from a mobile application that couples close-ended survey items with rich media, such as video. The app is designed to increase opportunities for public debate on civic issues, but is also suitable for pure entertainment topics, such as sports and lifestyle. We present the results of an evaluation of our production model and the studio prototype in a lab setting with television production experts and on-air talent. Our results indicate that such systems must be designed with a flexible user profile in mind to accommodate performer capabilities and preferences, operational variations, program formats, and changing conventions in touch interaction.


For a man who liked being called "the" American, Mark Twain spent a surprising amount of time outside the continental United States. Biographer Roy Morris, Jr., focuses on the dozen years Twain spent overseas and on the popular travel books "The Innocents Abroad," "A Tramp Abroad," and "Following the Equator" he wrote about his adventures. Unintimidated by Old World sophistication and unafraid to travel to less developed parts of the globe, Twain encouraged American readers to follow him around the world at the dawn of mass tourism, when advances in transportation made leisure travel possible for an emerging middle class. In so doing, he helped lead Americans into the twentieth century and guided them toward more cosmopolitan views.In his first book, "The Innocents Abroad" (1869), Twain introduced readers to the American Vandal, a brash, unapologetic visitor to foreign lands, unimpressed with the local ambiance but eager to appropriate any souvenir that could be carried off. He adopted this persona throughout his career, even after he grew into an international celebrity who dined with the German Kaiser, traded quips with the king of England, gossiped with the Austrian emperor, and negotiated with the president of Transvaal for the release of war prisoners. "American Vandal" presents an unfamiliar Twain: not the bred-in-the-bone Midwesterner we associate with Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer but a global citizen whose exposure to other peoples and places influenced his evolving positions on race, war, and imperialism, as both he and America emerged on the world stage."


One of the factors that generate acid mine drainage (AMD) is the presence of sulphide minerals in rocks because sulphide minerals will have oxidation with oxigen and water to generate AMD. Learning sul ph ide minerals in rocks can not be separated from the rocks themselves. Present paper is an attempt to study how the physical properties of rocks are and their influences in generating acid mine drainage. At Banko barat, especially at PIT 3 timur, the lithology of rocks is complex. It is assumed that the complexity of rocks will influence the complexity of formation of acid mine drainage. Thus by knowing the characteristics of each rock it is expected to be useful in identification of which rocks require special attention in the mine planning process.


The meaning that people attribute to things necessarily derives from human transactions and motivations, particularly from how those things are used and circulated. The contributors to this volume examine how things are sold and traded in a variety of social and cultural settings, both present and past. Focusing on culturally defined aspects of exchange and socially regulated processes of circulation, the essays illuminate the ways in which people find value in things and things give value to social relations. By looking at things as if they lead social lives, the authors provide a new way to understand how value is externalized and sought after. They discuss a wide range of goods - from oriental carpets to human relics - to reveal both that the underlying logic of everyday economic life is not so far removed from that which explains the circulation of exotica, and that the distinction between contemporary economics and simpler, more distant ones is less obvious than has been thought. As the editor argues in his introduction, beneath the seeming infinitude of human wants, and the apparent multiplicity of material forms, there in fact lie complex, but specific, social and political mechanisms that regulate taste, trade, and desire. Containing contributions from American and British social anthropologists and historians, the volume bridges the disciplines of social history, cultural anthropology, and economics, and marks a major step in our understanding of the cultural basis of economic life and the sociology of culture. It will appeal to anthropologists, social historians, economists, archaeologists, and historians of art.


The Mongol Century explores the visual world of China's Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), the spectacular but short-lived regime founded by Khubilai Khan, regarded as the pre-eminent khanate of the Mongol empire. This book illuminates the Yuan era - full of conflicts and complex interactions between Mongol power and Chinese heritage - by delving into the visual history of its culture. Shane McCausland considers how Mongol governance and values imposed a new order on China's culture and also how a sedentary, agrarian China posed specific challenges to the Mongols' militarist and nomadic lifestyle. He also explores how an unusual range of expectations and pressures were placed on Yuan culture: the idea that visual culture could create cohesion across a diverse yet hierarchical society, while balancing Mongol desires for novelty and display with Chinese concerns about posterity. Although in recent years exhibitions have begun to open up the inherent paradoxes of Yuan culture, this is the first study in English to adopt a fully comprehensive approach. It incorporates the full range of visual media of the East Asia region to reconsider the impact Mongol culture had in China, from urban architecture and design to tomb murals and porcelain, and from calligraphy and printed paper money to stone sculpture. A fresh and invigorating analysis, The Mongol Century explores, in fascinating detail, the visual culture of this brief but captivating era of East Asian history.


This is the first biography of the fateful relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. It was the defining relationship of their lives, and marked the intersection of the great Tudor and Stuart dynasties, a landmark event in British history. Distinguished biographer Jane Dunn reveals an extraordinary story of two queens ruling in one isle, both embodying opposing qualities of character, ideals of womanliness and of divinely ordained kingship. Theirs is a drama of sex and power, recklessness, ambition and political intrigue, with a rivalry that could only be resolved by death. As regent queens in an overwhelmingly masculine world, they were deplored for their femininity, compared unfavourably with each other, and courted by the same men. By placing this dynamic and ever-changing relationship at the centre of the book, Dunn throws new light and meaning on the complexity of their natures. She reveals an Elizabeth revolutionary in her insistence on ruling alone, while Mary is not the romantic victim of history, but a courageous adventurer with a reckless heart. Vengeful against her enemies and the more ruthless of the two, she was untroubled by plotting Elizabeth's murder. Elizabeth, however, was in anguish at having to sanction Mary's death warrant for treason. Working almost exclusively from contemporary letters and writings, she lets them speak to us across more than four hundred years, their voices and responses surprisingly familiar to our own, their characters vivid, by turns touching and terrible.


During the last few decades, air pollution has become one of the major environmental and public health issue in every important cities over the world. Photochemical pollutants, like ozone which play a central role in today's air pollution problems, are formed in the atmosphere by reaction of two emitted precursors: Volatile Organic Carbons (VOCs) and NOx (NO + NO2). Ozone is a highly non linear process because its formation is driven by complex chain reactions. The decrease of ozone concentration produced by a reduction of its emitted precursors is therefore unpredictable, unless calculated by numerical photochemical models. The simulation of photochemical air pollution requires detailed chemical mechanisms and a lot computer resources. The number of chemical species within the chemical mechanism has to be confined to the strict minimum in order to minimise the CPU time. A solution is to lump the immense number of VOC species involved in atmospheric pollution in a convenient smaller number of mechanism species, keeping enough details to generate accurate results in reasonable calculations times. The calculation of all kinetic data of a lumped mechanism is a tremendous work unless carried out by a generation programme. CHEMATA, presented in this work, is a chemical mechanisms generation programme designed to create lumped and explicit tropospheric gas phase chemical mechanisms. Based on the widely used mechanism RACM, CHEMATA generated an extended mechanism to test the carbonyl species parameterisation of RACM and two smaller mechanisms to compare two lumping methods (the reduced mechanism and the small mechanism). The new mechanisms have been implemented in a bOx model and in the 3D eulerian air quality model TAPOM, also presented in this work. TAPOM have been run with the four chemical mechanisms on three simulations domains (Mexico City, Milan and Bogota) presenting different emissions strengths and meteorological conditions. The comparisons between the different mechanisms, in a bOx or 3D model and with or without emission reductions lead to the following conclusions: The comparison between the extended mechanism and RACM shows that the treatment of the carbonyl species in RACM does not induce notable errors in mesoscale modelling. The use of the extended mechanism should be kept for special simulations when enhanced precision in VOCs is required or for time periods longer than 2 or 3 days. The reduced mechanism is the best compromise between CPU time and accuracy. When calculating photochemical pollution, or emission reduction scenarios, this mechanism can save a lot of time. The small mechanism presents a clear tendency to produce more "VOC sensitive" results, which can lead to severe ozone overestimations. It should only be used for qualitative simulation when CPU time is a critical issue.


Abstract. Urban environments are the primary contributors to global anthropogenic carbon emissions. Because much of the growth in CO2 emissions will originate from cities, there is a need to develop, assess, and improve measurement and modeling strategies for quantifying and monitoring greenhouse gas emissions from large urban centers. In this study the uncertainties in an aircraft-based mass balance approach for quantifying carbon dioxide and methane emissions from an urban environment, focusing on Indianapolis, IN, USA, are described. The relatively level terrain of Indianapolis facilitated the application of mean wind fields in the mass balance approach. We investigate the uncertainties in our aircraft-based mass balance approach by (1) assessing the sensitivity of the measured flux to important measurement and analysis parameters including wind speed, background CO2 and CH4, boundary layer depth, and interpolation technique, and (2) determining the flux at two or more downwind distances from a point or area source (with relatively large source strengths such as solid waste facilities and a power generating station) in rapid succession, assuming that the emission flux is constant. When we quantify the precision in the approach by comparing the estimated emissions derived from measurements at two or more downwind distances from an area or point source, we find that the minimum and maximum repeatability were 12 and 52%, with an average of 31%. We suggest that improvements in the experimental design can be achieved by careful determination of the background concentration, monitoring the evolution of the boundary layer through the measurement period, and increasing the number of downwind horizontal transect measurements at multiple altitudes within the boundary layer.


In an increasingly urban world, developing sustainable cities is crucial for global sustainability. Urban nature‐based solutions (NBS), such as green infrastructure, are often promoted for their potential to provide several urban services. These include stormwater mitigation, improving energy efficiency of buildings, and carbon emissions mitigation, but few studies have compared the multifunctionality of NBS to conventional urban solutions providing similar services. Fewer yet have acknowledged the indirect resource (specifically climate, land, energy, water [CLEW] nexus) impacts that these solutions may have. This paper analyzes these aspects, employing a simple CLEW nexus accounting framework, and attempts a consistent comparison across different resource systems. The comparison includes direct and indirect impacts of a set of stylized—and diverse—solutions, each with different primary objectives: green roofs, representing a multifunctional urban NBS; permeable pavements targeting mitigation of stormwater flows; window retrofits targeting energy efficiency; and rooftop PV installations targeting CO2 emissions mitigation. The results highlight both the direct and total (CLEW nexus) impacts of green roofs on stormwater retention, energy use, and CO2 emissions. However, also for the studied conventional solutions with primarily a single direct function, CLEW nexus impacts spread across all measured dimensions (energy, water, and CO2) to varying degrees. Although the numerical results are indicative and uncertainty needs to be further assessed, we suggest that the development of this type of multifunctional, multisystem assessment can assist urban sustainability planning, with comprehensive and consistent comparison of diverse (NBS and conventional) solutions.


Eocene gem zircons from Reddistone Creek, Glen Innes, Australia, have been assessed for isotopic and chemical homogeneity by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), Isotope Dilution Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ID TIMS), Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and Wavelength Dispersive X-ray analysis (WDS). Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) SIMS data show that the U-Pb and Th-Pb isotope systems are homogeneous at the ion microprobe spot mass of a few ng for two zircons, AusZ2 and AusZ5, and that AusZ2 has good homogeneity in U, Th, and Th/U ratio. Twelve ID U-Pb TIMS analyses of separate 200–400 μm chips, measured in two different laboratories, show that AusZ2 has remarkable isotopic homogeneity at the sub-permil level, is concordant, and has a 206 Pb- 238 U age of 38.8963 ± 0.0044 Ma (2σ; n = 12, MSWD = 1.01). A similar data set for AusZ5 shows that this gem has a similarly precise and reproducible 206 Pb- 238 U age of 38.9022 ± 0.0035 Ma (2σ; n = 12, MSWD = 2.4), but exhibits scatter in 207 Pb- 235 U that is in excess of that expected based on the uncertainty of individual analyses (weighted mean 207 Pb- 235 U date of 39.162 ± 0.054 Ma, 2σ; n = 12, MSWD=10.0), with two concordant analyses and 10 slightly discordant analyses (0.7%). The slight discordance of AusZ5 may reflect an initial excess of 231 Pa. The AusZ2 and AusZ5 ID TIMS data sets demonstrate the excellent reproducibility of measurements between labs using the EARTHTIME calibration spikes and solutions. LA-ICP-MS trace element data indicate that AusZ2 is also very homogeneous for the REE and other trace elements, whereas AusZ5 shows trace element heterogeneity. WDS analysis confirms the major element homogeneity of these zircons. Our data show that the AusZ2 zircon will be an excellent Reference Material (RM) for ID TIMS, SIMS, and LA-ICP-MS microanalysis of U-Pb isotopes and trace elements in Cainozoic zircons.


Purpose: To determine the frequency of hypertensive retinopathy on the basis of "Imtiaz's Grading System of Hypertensive Retinopathy", at Larkana Pakistan.
Study Design:  Case series study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Ophthalmology and Medical Unit 1 Chandka Medical College Hospital Larkana, Pakistan from January 2016 to January 2018.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted from January 2016 to January 2018 on 288 clinically diagnosed patients of hypertension by at least two senior consultants simultaneously and selected in accordance with inclusion and exclusion criteria. A standard proforma was filled in for every patient. Complete clinical examination including fundoscopy and blood pressure level was recorded. SPSS version 20 was used for data entry and analysis.
Results: Utilizing Imtiaz's Grading System of Hypertensive Retinopathy, out of the total 288 patients, 87 (30.21%) had hypertensive retinopathy. There were 39 (44.83%) male and 48 (55.17%) female patients. There were 51 (58.62%) patients who had Grade I hypertensive retinopathy, 19 (21.84%) patients had Grade II hypertensive retinopathy and 17 (19.54%) patients had Grade III hypertensive retinopathy. There were 83.9% patients presenting with headache, 35.6% complained of blurred vision, 17.2% patients complained of floaters, 8% had diplopia, 5.7% patients complained of pain in the eyes and 10.3% patients presented with transient visual loss (amaurosis fugax).
Conclusion: Early detection and management of hypertension and its systemic complications to prolong the life span of hypertensive patients, is possible if symptoms are given importance towards diagnosis of hypertension.
Keywords: Hypertensive retinopathy, Hypertension, Headache, Diplopia.


For four years, Jessica Stern interviewed extremist members of three religions around the world: Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Traveling extensively-to refugee camps in Lebanon, to religious schools in Pakistan, to prisons in Amman, Asqelon, and Pensacola-she discovered that the Islamic jihadi in the mountains of Pakistan and the Christian fundamentalist bomber in Oklahoma have much in common. Based on her vast research, Stern lucidly explains how terrorist organizations are formed by opportunistic leaders who-using religion as both motivation and justification-recruit the disenfranchised. She depicts how moral fervor is transformed into sophisticated organizations that strive for money, power, and attention. Jessica Stern's extensive interaction with the faces behind the terror provide unprecedented insight into acts of inexplicable horror, and enable her to suggest how terrorism can most effectively be countered. A crucial book on terrorism, Terror in the Name of God is a brilliant and thought-provoking work.


Abstract Background The purpose of this paper was to determine the availability of peak flow meters, perceptions about their usefulness and the perceptions of clinical indications for their use. Methods A questionnaire was administered to private and public sector practitioners (n=72) working in three urban areas of greater Johannesburg. Data were collected concerning practice profiles, the characteristics of the practitioners, the extent of and indications for use, and the reasons for failure to use these meters. Results The results showed that only 21 (29%) of the practitioners advised their asthma patients to use peak flow meters for home monitoring. A scoring system (summary score), which was developed to summarise knowledge of both the indications for the use of the meters and the method of peak flow measurement, showed that only 33.3% of the practitioners attained maximum or close to maximum scores (6 to 8 of an 8-point scale). Conclusion Peak flow meters were underutilised by family practitioners. The cost of the peak flow meter was an important reported cause of underutilisation. It is recommended that the importance of the peak flow meter in the management of asthma be emphasised at the undergraduate and continuing medical education level. The findings of this study could also be used to guide the national campaign coordinators in South Africa in their strategy to improve asthma care among family practitioners. Since asthma may be under-diagnosed in the community, further research is needed to assess the effects of education in assisting people to recognise asthma. Early recognition and diagnosis of asthma, together with appropriate asthma education, may significantly reduce morbidity. The role of illiteracy and cost in limiting the use of peak flow meters warrants investigation, as does the possibility of developing suitable meters for populations with limited formal education. Doctors need to make more conscientious, concerted and informed efforts to monitor their asthma patients and to collaborate, where appropriate, with health educators to optimise the management of asthma. This could include workshops within the community and with fellow healthcare workers (doctors, primary healthcare sisters) on various aspects of asthma care, which will incorporate inhaler techniques and peak flow meter use.


This article examines the process by which early twentieth-century European modernists and African American artists of the Harlem Renaissance negotiated the influence of traditional African sculpture. With a focus on African American painter Aaron Douglas, the author investigates how and to what end his generation of African American artists incorporated these influences. The author additionally discusses how their methods, and the conditions surrounding them, compare to the aforementioned modernists. In examining the roots of these respective trajectories, the author discovered that various people and factors –including critics, cultural and political leaders, patrons, philanthropists, artistic/aesthetic movements, colonization, commercialization, racism, and social responsibility – impacted the abilities of modernists and African American artists to embrace or reject the influence of traditional African sculpture. The author urges art teachers and studio art professors to be mindful of the power structures that inhibit their abilities to look inclusively at the complexities of traditional African sculptural influences and their potential during student critiques.


Financial markets, processes, and instruments are often difficult to fathom; the credit crisis highlights both their importance and their fragility. Donald MacKenzie is one of the most perceptive analysts of the workings of the financial world. In this book, he argues that economic agents and markets need to be analyzed in their full materiality: their physicality, their corporeality, their technicality. Markets are populated not by disembodied, abstract agents, but by embodied human beings and technical systems. Concepts and systematic ways of thinking that simplify market processes and make them mentally tractable are essential to how markets function. In putting forward this material sociology of markets, the book synthesizes and contributes to the new field of social studies of finance: the application to financial markets not just of economics but of wider social-science disciplines, in particular science and technology studies. The topics covered include the development of financial derivatives exchanges (non-existent in 1970, but now trading products equivalent to $13,000 for every human being on earth); arbitrage; how corporate profit figures are constructed; the crucial new markets in carbon emissions; and a case-study of a hedge fund (based, unusually, on direct observation of its trading). The book will appeal to research students and academics across the social sciences, and the general reader will enjoy the book's explanations and analyses of some of the most important phenomena of today's turbulent markets.


This thesis focuses on the faunal remains from a sequence of 11 Epipalaeolithic and
ten Neolithic sites in the eastern Jordanian steppe, with the aim of investigating the
subsistence practices of hunters and herders between 20,000bp and 7,500bp, and their
temporal and geographic variability within the study region.
The first section outlines the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental background of
the southern Levant; reviews subsistence evidence and models for the periods concerned; and
describes the study area and sites.
The second section concerns methodological approaches. A model of gazelle
ethology for prehistoric eastern Jordan is presented, since this taxon is dominant in many of
the study assemblages. Eleven modern case studies are used to predict population structure,
demography and mobility, drawing on the principles of behavioural ecology. The
archaeozoological methodologies used in the thesis are explained.
The third section presents the results of the analyses. Taxonomic identification,
quantification and faunal diversity are described and discussed for each assemblage, and
broad temporal and geographical trends highlighted.
Whether the assemblage compositions reflect the environmental changes discussed
earlier is considered. It is demonstrated that the size diminution observed in both gazelle and
hare between the late Pleistocene and early Holocene is probably attributable to climatic
change. The question of selectivity in the taxa killed by prehistoric hunters is investigated.
This is approached through ecological modelling and it is concluded that no strong selective
biasses are observed. The nature of gazelle hunting is then further explored; the age profiles
and sex ratios of the animal culls are compared to the model of gazelle social composition,
and seasonal hunting times are proposed. The results suggest that none of the Epipalaeolithic
assemblages shows signs of selective culling. Two Neolithic assemblages contain high
proportions of juveniles, and interpretations relating to herd management practices, intensive
hunting, and the targetting of vulnerable animals are discussed.
The treatment of carcasses of the hunted animals is investigated. Body part
representation, butchery and processing evidence, and taphonomic factors are considered, in
order to present a picture of the activities undertaken at each site.
The appearance of domestic caprines in eastern Jordan is considered. An assessment
is made of their wild/domestic status, the management of herds and of carcass treatment.
The results of the faunal remains analysed are integrated with other forms of
archaeological evidence to discuss issues of mobility, contact and exchange, and to consider
the changing and varied use of this area in prehistory.


The LUMO-lowering activation of a,b-unsaturated ketones has been accomplished through the development of a new imidazolidinone organocatalyst. That new imidazolidinone catalyst provided the first enantioselective catalytic Diels-Alder reaction with simple ketone dienophiles. Significantly, that catalyst is able to activate both cyclic and acyclic a, b-unsaturated ketones in this cycloaddition process.

A new strategy for the synthesis of two privileged structural motifs, the polyketide and polyglycolate architectures, has been developed based on the direct aldehyde aldol reaction. Two different catalysts are presented that are capable of performing the enantioselective direct aldol cross coupling of two distinct aldehyde components. Imidazolidinones have been shown for the first time to initiate the HOMO-raising activation of both saturated and a, b-unsaturated aldehyde substrates. Using an imidazolidinone catalyst, the first direct enantioselective catalytic aldol coupling of two aldehydes is described and provides synthetically valuable b-hydroxy dimethylacetals. Later, proline was found to be an exceptionally effective catalyst for the direct aldehyde aldol reaction. In contrast to imidazolidinone catalysts, proline affords b-hydroxyaldehyde products that are primed for use directly in subsequent aldol reactions.

Utilizing those direct aldehyde aldol methodologies, a two-step synthesis of 2,4,6-O-protected carbohydrates has been developed. Importantly, this modular strategy is capable of producing highly enantioenriched differentially protected forms of glucose, mannose, allose, mannosamine, as well as unnatural hexose derivatives. Furthermore, this method for sugar synthesis has been applied to the construction of differentially protected 13C6-labeled glucose, mannose, and allose in just four steps from labeled ethylene glycol.

The enantioselective catalytic direct aldehyde aldol reaction was further applied toward the total synthesis of the marine natural product callipeltoside C. Several key fragments have been successfully synthesized and coupled to form macrolactone precursors. Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi ring closure across the C-9/C-10 bond, however, affords exclusively the undesired C-9 epimer. Therefore, completion of the total synthesis will require a revised order for fragment assembly.


The biomineralization of magnetotactic bacterial magnetite nanoparticles is a topic of intense research due to the particles' narrow size distribution and magnetic properties. Incorporation of foreign metal ions into the crystal matrix of magnetotactic bacterial magnetite has been previously examined by a number of investigators. In this study, cells of a magnetotactic bacterium, Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1 were grown in the presence of manganese, ruthe- nium, zinc and vanadium, of which only manganese was incorporated within the magnetosome magnetite crystals. We demonstrate that the magnetic properties of magnetite crystals of magnetotactic bacteria can be significantly altered by the incorporation of metal ions, other than iron, in the crystal structure. The Verwey transition serves as a unique marker to probe the incorporation of the dopant within the magnetosome: manganese incorporation into the magnetite nanocrystals is signaled by a suppression oftheVerwey transition,aswell as by changes in the crystallinestructureand chemicalcomposition ofmagnetosome magnetite.


American law treats youths within the criminal justice system with contrasting impulses. In some cases, the law deems youths worthy of special protections and places them within the juvenile justice system. In other situations, however, it views youths as posing distinct dangers and funnels them into justice systems designed for adults. So long as youths remain under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system, they are afforded the protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). One of the JJDPA's core protections, sight and sound separation, aims to prevent youths from having any visual or spoken exchanges with incarcerated adults when they are held in an adult facility. The reauthorization of the JJDPA in December 2018 significantly strengthened sight and sound separation protection for youths tried as adults in the criminal justice system, affording them separation protections that are relatively similar to those afforded to their counterparts tried within the juvenile justice system. However, instead of immunizing all youths tried in the criminal justice system from sight and sound contact with incarcerated adults, the new statutory language includes a loophole for a presiding judge to deem a youth ineligible for sight and sound protection if it is "in the interest of justice" to do so. The current application of the sight and sound separation protection thus may leave a significant portion of the youth population vulnerable and exposed to the dangers of adult facilities. A presiding judge can now look to factors such as age, mental maturity, delinquency history, and more to determine the rights of an incarcerated youth in an adult facility instead of automatically providing him or her with complete protection. Therefore, this Note argues that sight and sound separation's statutory application should be made even more comprehensive by providing for the unqualified inclusion


The authors present a comparative analysis of ultraviolet-O3 (UVO) and O2 plasma-based surface activation processes of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), enabling highly effective functionalization with metal oxide nanocrystals (MONCs). Experimental results from transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy show that by forming COOH (carboxyl), C-OH (hydroxyl), and C=O (carbonyl) groups on the MWCNT surface that act as active nucleation sites, O2 plasma and UVO-based dry pretreatment techniques greatly enhance the affinity between the MWCNT surface and the functionalizing MONCs. MONCs, such as ZnO and SnO2, deposited by the atomic layer deposition technique, were implemented as the functionalizing material following UVO and O2 plasma activation of MWCNTs. A comparative study on the relative resistance changes of O2 plasma and UVO activated MWCNT functionalized with MONC in the presence of 10 ppm methane (CH4) in air is presente...


The maintenance of the endangered Caspian brown trout Salmo trutta caspius populations in Iran depends on its artificial breeding. There is no information on how current hatchery breeding protocol influences effective population size of breeders (Ne), which is a critical parameter to maintain genetic diversity in future generations. The current hatchery protocol (CHP) was comparatively evaluated with a balanced hatchery protocol (BHP), where mixtures of equal amounts of gametes per male and female breeder were used to balance parental contributions to progeny. To evaluate putative differences in viability between families, individual crosses were performed and fertilized ova of different families were mixed to constitute balanced family pools. 1440 alevins were totally sampled in the crosses performed from the 11 breeders. An exclusion-based parentage approach using three polymorphic microsatellite markers unambiguously assigned more than 93% of progeny to a single pair of parents. Significantly different contributions of breeders to progeny were observed in CHP (p<0.05). The primary constraint on Ne in BHP was the unbalanced contribution of males, which seemed a consequence of sperm competition in mixed fertilization caused by differences in sperm quality. Sperm motility duration was positively correlated with the number of sired progeny by each male. The results illustrate the limitations of the BHP in minimizing the loss of genetic diversity observed in CHP. A protocol based on mixture of equal number of fertilized ova from individual male × female crosses emerged as the best alternative for conservation of Caspian brown trout.