This work summarises the results of a set of sensitivity tests that were performed in order to obtain the best WRFARW configuration for a long term re-forecast of the Mediterranean basin. Here, the results of a sensitivity study on the horizontal and vertical resolution of the simulations are presented. It is well known the positive role of increasing horizontal and vertical resolutions in numerical weather simulations. Generally speaking, the higher the resolution of the simulation, the better the representation of atmospheric processes. However, it is not clear if a relation between horizontal and vertical resolution of the configuration of numerical simulations should be kept. In the literature a wide spectrum of combinations of horizontal and vertical resolutions in the simulations is found. A series of 3-month long simulations on a Mediterranean domain with different combinations of horizontal and vertical resolutions were made. The results will be validated to different observed and re-analysed fields in order to study the degree of improvement of each combination of vertical and horizontal resolution. Thus, the study attempts to provide an objective way to determine the appropriate resolution of a simulation based on meteorological aspects more than on computer limitations or personal experiences 1. SeaWind project • Collaborative project between Grupo de Meteoroloǵıa de Santander (GMS) and Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental (IH, http://www.ihcantabria.unican.es) W−E S − N − 35 − 30 − 25 − 20 − 15 − 10 − 5 0


Context. Extended main sequence turn-offs are features commonly found in the colour-magnitude diagrams of young and intermediate age (less than about 2 Gyr) massive star clusters, where the main sequence turn-off is broader than can be explained by photometric uncertainties, crowding, or binarity. Rotation is suspected to be the cause of this feature, by accumulating fast rotating stars, strongly affected by gravity darkening and rotation-induced mixing, near the main sequence turn-off. This scenario successfully reproduces the tight relation between the age and the actual extent in luminosity of the extended main sequence turn-off of observed clusters.
Aims. Below a given mass (dependent on the metallicity), stars are efficiently braked early on the main sequence due to the interaction of stellar winds and the surface magnetic field, making their tracks converge towards those of non-rotating tracks in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. When these stars are located at the turn-off of a cluster, their slow rotation causes the extended main sequence turn-off feature to disappear. We investigate the maximal mass for which this braking occurs at different metallicities, and determine the age above which no extended main sequence turn-off is expected in clusters.
Methods. We used two sets of stellar models (computed with two different stellar evolution codes: STAREVOL and the Geneva stellar evolution code) including the effects of rotation and magnetic braking, at three different metallicities. We implemented them in the SYCLIST toolbox to compute isochrones and then determined the extent of the extended main sequence turn-off at different ages.
Results. Our models predict that the extended main sequence turn-off phenomenon disappears at ages older than about 2 Gyr. There is a trend with the metallicity, the age at which the disappearance occurs becoming older at higher metallicity. These results are robust between the two codes used in this work, despite some differences in the input physics and in particular in the detailed description of rotation-induced internal processes and of angular momentum extraction by stellar winds.
Conclusions. Comparing our results with clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud and Galaxy shows a very good fit to the observations. This strengthens the rotation scenario to explain the cause of the extended main sequence turn-off phenomenon.


1. The Man of Law in Chauser's Poetic Judgment For many recent writers, Chaucer's poetic relationship to his Man of Law, even in the context of the poet's ironic and dramatic method of exposition, is somewhat unusual: in the Introduction to the tale, we may note the characteristic tone of humorous detachment from the teller, but, as the story of Constance advances, we witness the poet's marked concern to satirize the other's learning,(1) his shrill rhetoric,(2) his apparent obsession with his heroine,(3) and, not least, his concern with moral judgments, which would somehow illustrate the workings of providence. The theme of providence (or fate) in one of Chaucer's major sources, Ovid's Metamorphoses, is often linked to the question of poetic judgment, whereby the ability of a speaker to represent the meaning of a traditional legend is scrutinized in Ovid's penetrating irony. I shall attempt, therefore, to identify analogous modes of poetic procedure between Ovid and Chaucer that dramatize the problem of a better poetic rendering of a traditional legend. Moreover, the theme of judgment is explicit in Chaucer's concern with the theme of incest in the Introduction to the tale, where the Man of Law fears that he will be likened to the Pierides, who lost their poetic competition with the Muses. But the theme of a judgment involves a poetic procedure somewhat different from the concerns illustrated in Trivet and Gower, though an assessment of Chaucer's poetic purpose is facilitated by the very proximity of these medieval sources, as they allow us to remark on the poet's most original emphases: the astrological invocations are part of his original additions, and the teller's insistence that providence protect Constance's purity and innocence in the face of her numerous trials differs from the theme of her beneficent evangelizing influence in Nicolas Trivet's Cronicle, where God's "purveance" allows her to win "honor e amur" over the whole earth (SA, 181).(4) It is obvious that Trivet, like Gower, wishes to draw a moral point from the story of his heroine's constancy, whereas in Ovid the emphasis is on the poetic quality of the speaker's rendering of a traditional story. Thus, Trivet's theme of virtue rewarded is congruent with the presumed point of Gower's exemplum, which is, at least according to his Genius, Constance's ability to overcome detraction and envy and thus to serve as an example of moral teaching for Amans, who professes to be troubled by his jealousy of his lady's other admirers ("Min herte is Envious withal," 11. 478). Genius's view is that Amans's detraction of his lady's admirers simply dirties his own hands ("For who so wole his handes lime, / Thei mosten be the more unclene..." [11. 574-75]), that the story of Constance should reveal envy and detraction to be self-destructive, and that these can be overcome by virtuous conduct. We may expect that Chaucer would share with his immediate sources something of their moral tenor in an exemplary story of virtue and constancy rewarded,(5) but the lack of an overt moral is the paradoxical feature of Chaucer's mode of narrative that most clearly distinguishes it from its models: the Man of Law's interest in the relationship of human virtue to God's providential order is of course fully addressed in the tale, since he repeatedly intervenes to elicit our sympathy for Constance's trials and to condemn her antagonists as instruments of Satan. His major concern seems to be with his understanding of how providence will reward the virtue of his heroine, and he fears he cannot tell a thrifty tale (11. 46) that his creator has not already told. His contribution, however, will afford a contrast with the stories of a poet who has, apparently, produced many tales of women abused or mistreated. But the paradox here is that the Man of Law's catalogue refers also to the theme of poetic judgment, which does not address solely the question of content but also the manner of telling. …


This paper considers the Utility of CBR with the Aircraft maintenance domain and carries out a technical evaluation of two systems within the domain. We then outline some ongoing work with the Civil Aviation Autority, in England. This addresses some of the human factors and technical issues which should be resolved to enable the apparent potential of CBR Technology to become more widely accepted within the airline industry. Some related work being done by the FAA and the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development in the United Ststes is also highlighted.


Adequate characterization of potential evapotranspiration (PET) plays a critical role in hydrologic budgets, rainfall–runoff models, infiltration calculations, and drought prediction models (to name a few applications). The availability of reliable and continuous meteorological data remains a challenge; therefore, it is common to use modeled (simulated) meteorological data. This research used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to estimate PET using different meteorological input data (simulated vs. real data) and the three commonly used PET calculation methods (viz. Penman–Monteith, Hargreaves, and Priestley‐Taylor). The overall goal of this research was to determine the accuracy of prediction using simulated and real meteorological data when used with three PET calculation methods. Initial input layers to SWAT were: digital elevation models, soils, and land use. Real meteorological data were obtained from three local meteorological stations, whereas simulated meteorological data were generated by SWAT using one nearby national meteorological site. The model‐predicted PET results were validated using independent PET measurements from Florida Automated Weather Network sites. The results of the study indicate that the difference in predicted PET between simulated (modeled) and real meteorology for a given PET calculation method is not significant; however, it is significant across the methods of PET calculation.


This editorial refers to 'Automated quantification of coronary plaque with computed tomography: comparison with IVUS using a dedicated registration algorithm for fusion-based quantification', by M.J. Boogers et al. , doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehr465

The modern paradigm of unstable plaques has led to the abandonment of the central role of luminal narrowing as a risk factor of plaque rupture and embraced an integrated concept of plaque vulnerability including a variety of microanatomical features such as plaque size, lipid content of the core, fibrous cap thickness, and positive plaque remodelling.1,2 A large number of studies have documented a high diagnostic accuracy of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to detect coronary stenoses (a finding with strong clinical implications). However, unlike invasive angiography, CCTA can provide non-invasive visualization of the vessel wall, including information regarding plaque size, extent, composition, and arterial remodelling. Several studies have demonstrated that beyond coronary stenoses, the presence of non-obstructive plaques is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events.3 Confirmation of these findings emerged from the recent multinational, multiethnic CONFIRM registry, including >23 000 patients where the presence of non-obstructive coronary disease was associated with a 50–70% increase in total mortality.4

CCTA has an excellent accuracy to detect coronary plaques compared with the gold standard intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), with an area under the curve for the receiver operating characteristics analysis of 0.94, a sensitivity of 90%, and a specificity of 92%.5 The sensitivity is highest for the right coronary artery (RCA), and lowest for the circumflex artery (LCX). Several studies have assessed the value of CCTA for the quantification of the extent of coronary atheroma. Leber and colleagues showed that plaque volumes assessed with 64-slice CCTA correlated well with IVUS ( r = 0.83).6 Unfortunately, depiction of further microanatomical details such as the presence of a thin …


Convolutional neural networks are top-performers on image classification tasks. Understanding how they make use of color information in images may be useful for various tasks. In this paper we analyze the representation learned by a popular CNN to detect and characterize color-related features. We confirm the existence of some object- and color-specific units, as well as the effect of layer-depth on color-sensitivity and class-invariance.


It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Harlem Swing: Social Dance and the Harlem RenaissanceBlacktown crawled with white people, with pimps, prostitutes, bootleggers, with hustlers of all kinds, with colorful characters, and with police and prohibition agents. Negroes danced like they never have anywhere before or since.Carl Van Vechten, Nigger HeavenA NOTE ON THE HARLEM RENAISSANCEIn the decade following the Harlem Renaissance, Howard University professor and literary critic Alain Locke attempted to define what contribution black (or at the time Negro) people had made to American culture.(2) He claims in his article, "The Negro's Contribution To American Culture," that the focal point of this debate centers on the application of racial characteristics to artistic undertakings. "What makes a work of art Negro, its theme or its idiom? What constitutes a `Negro contribution to culture,' its authorship or its cultural base? Is there or should there be any such set of categories in our critical thinking or our creative living?"(3)Although many used the industries of black artistic expression and literature as a tool to overcome racial degradation, Locke proclaims that the very setting aside and titling of a product as "Negro" is enough to denigrate it, and relegate it to second class standing. This would thus contribute to "a sequel of minority status, and an unfortunate by-product of racial discrimination and prejudice."(4) The author claims that these categories should not exist because there is no difference between the majority and the minority, and that the continuation of classification does not promote the cause of black liberation. In fact, he declares that artistic freedom is stifled because artists are forced to conform to a certain set of criteria that high-lighted the blackness of their endeavor. "Consistently applied it [categorizing] would shut the minority art up in a spiritual ghetto and deny vital and unrestricted creative participation in the general culture."(5)Locke admits that most African American initiatives, namely in music and dance, are usually in time absorbed by the mainstream population where they lose some their vitality for acceptance by a larger audience. The contributions made in these two realms are also the most distinctively (and thus African) different from typical American (European-influenced) fare. "The Negro cultural influence...in music and dance,...[has] in rhythm, the tempo and the emotional overtones [the most distinguishing] of almost any typically Negro version of other cultural art forms."(6) Furthermore, the concept of Negro as it applied to the black of US affiliation was in itself classified according to what part of the country one resided. Additionally, the American black was part of the worldwide African dispersion of peoples who have some traits in common and others that are clearly particular to location. In this distinction, Locke should have realized that he was not supporting his point of the African Americans continuum of American culture contributions, but that certain traits would have been influenced by their African affiliation whether recognized by the artist or not. It would be these slight variations such as the "creative vitality and versatility, this contagious dominance seems in so many cases to be a characteristic trait of the Negro cultural product,"(7) that precisely make the work African, or African American in this case, and is its most pronounced point of distinction which characterizes it as being separate, or different, from that of the European American.Despite his own analysis which supports the contrary, he still contends that in other areas, like literature and visual art, that black expression is generally influenced by trends in the larger American culture. He points to a time, before 1890, when black expression was generally an imitation of white, and that any particular racial element was wholeheartedly discouraged. …


This 2006 article argues: It is commonly said that copyright matters because it encourages the production of socially beneficial, culturally significant expressive content. Excessive focus on copyright law and policy, however, can obscure other information practices that also produce beneficial and useful expression. The functions that make up the creative cycle -- creation, selection, production, dissemination, promotion, sale, and use of expressive content-- have historically been carried out and controlled by centralized commercial actors. However, all of those functions are undergoing revolutionary decentralization and disintermediation. Different aspects of information technology, notably the digitization of information, widespread computer ownership, the rise of the Internet, and the development of social networking software, threaten both the viability and the desirability of centralized control over the steps in the creative cycle. Those functions are being performed increasingly by individuals and disorganized, distributed groups. This raises questions about copyright as the main regulatory force in creative information practices. Copyright law assumes a central control structure that applies less well to the creative content cycle with each passing year. Copyright law should be adjusted to recognize and embrace a distributed, decentralized creative cycle and the expanded marketplace of ideas it promises.


How do we understand the complex patterns of neural responses that underlie scene understanding? Studies of the network of brain regions held to be scene-selective—the parahippocampal/lingual region (PPA), the retrosplenial complex (RSC), and the occipital place area (TOS)—have typically focused on single visual dimensions (e.g., size), rather than the high-dimensional feature space in which scenes are likely to be neurally represented. Here we leverage well-specified artificial vision systems to explicate a more complex understanding of how scenes are encoded in this functional network. We correlated similarity matrices within three different scene-spaces arising from: (1) BOLD activity in scene-selective brain regions; (2) behavioral measured judgments of visually-perceived scene similarity; and (3) several different computer vision models. These correlations revealed: (1) models that relied on mid- and high-level scene attributes showed the highest correlations with the patterns of neural activity within the scene-selective network; (2) NEIL and SUN—the models that best accounted for the patterns obtained from PPA and TOS—were different from the GIST model that best accounted for the pattern obtained from RSC; (3) The best performing models outperformed behaviorally-measured judgments of scene similarity in accounting for neural data. One computer vision method—NEIL ("Never-Ending-Image-Learner"), which incorporates visual features learned as statistical regularities across web-scale numbers of scenes—showed significant correlations with neural activity in all three scene-selective regions and was one of the two models best able to account for variance in the PPA and TOS. We suggest that these results are a promising first step in explicating more fine-grained models of neural scene understanding, including developing a clearer picture of the division of labor among the components of the functional scene-selective brain network.


During March 1984, an archaeological survey was carried out on the Probst and McGriff leases in Live Oak County, Texas, for Chevron Resources Company. No cultural resources were found on the Probst lease. However, two prehistoric sites (41 LK 270 and 41 LK 271) were located on the McGriff lease. The two archaeological sites are described as lithic scatters which are eroded and otherwise disturbed by land modifications. The sites are not considered to be potentially significant cultural resources, and therefore not deemed eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. We recommend that no further work is needed.


Complementary approaches have been taken to better understand the sources and their spatial distribution for secondary inorganic (nitrate and sulphate) and secondary organic aerosol sampled at a rural site (Harwell) in the southern United Kingdom. A concentration field map method was applied to 1581 daily samples of chloride, nitrate and sulphate from 2006 to 2010, and 982 samples for organic carbon and elemental carbon from 2007 to 2010. This revealed a rather similar pattern of sources for nitrate, sulphate and secondary organic carbon within western/central Europe, which in the case of nitrate, sulphate, organic carbon and secondary organic carbon, correlated significantly with EMEP emissions maps of NOx, SO2, and VOC respectively. A slightly more southerly source emphasis for secondary organic carbon may reflect the contribution of biogenic sources. Trajectory clusters confirm this pattern of behaviour with a major contribution from mainland European sources. Similar behaviours of, on the one hand, sulphate and organic carbon and, on the other hand, EC and nitrate showed that the former are more subject to regional influence than the latter in agreement with the slower atmospheric formation of sulphate and secondary organic aerosol than for nitrate, and the local/mesoscale influences upon primary EC. However, careful analysis of back trajectories and Concentration Field Maps indicates a strong contribution of mainland European sites to EC concentrations at Harwell. In a separate study, measurements of sulphate, nitrate, elemental and organic carbon were made in 100 simultaneously collected samples at Harwell and at a suburban site in Birmingham (UK). This showed a significant correlation in concentrations between the two sites for all of the secondary constituents, further indicating secondary organic aerosol to be a regional pollutant behaving similarly to sulphate and nitrate.


J ohn N. Whitaker, MD, died August 29, 2001, in Birmingham, Ala, from injuries suffered during a bicycle race in Tennessee on August 25, 2001. Dr Whitaker was a professor and the chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Health Services Foundation. Neurology has lost a great leader, clinician, teacher, and investigator. He possessed that rare blend and balance of intelligence and intuitive thinking, with qualities of generosity and thoughtfulness. His gentlemanly and kindly demeanor were admired and appreciated by all. Dr Whitaker received his undergraduate degree (magna cum laude) from Hendrix College (Conway, Ark) and his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine (Memphis) in 1965. Following a medical internship at City of Memphis Hospitals, he obtained neurology training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, finishing in June 1970. He then served as a clinical associate in the Medical Neurology Branch at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Md) before joining the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis) as an assistant professor. He was on the neurology staff of the University of Tennessee in Memphis from 1973 to 1985 and served as chairman of the Department of Neurology at that institution from 1983 to 1985. Since 1985, he served as professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There he also had appointments in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and the Department of Biophysics. His honors include membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, selection as a clinical investigator, a medical investigator in the Veterans Administration, and recipient of a Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award. He was also given the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award by the University of Tennessee College of Medical Alumni Association in October of 2000. His service and organizations include being president of the American Neurological Association (19951997), chair of the medical advisory board of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (1994-1997), and a member of the editorial boards of Archives of Neurology, Annals of Neurology, Muscle and Nerve, Journal of Immunology, Journal of Neuroimmunology, Journal of Neurological Sciences , Multiple Sclerosis , and Neurobase. He was associate editor for the "Controversies in Neurology" section of the Archives of Neurology since 2000. He has received research support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Veterans Administration. He was the principal investigator of 3 phase 3 trials of agents for multiple sclerosis and was involved with many clinical programs dealing with the optimal care of patients with multiple sclerosis. He published more than 250 original papers, chapters, and reviews characterizing the clinical, cellular, and biochemical features of human demyelinating diseases. "John was one of those rare people who was able to balance all the duties required of an internationally known researcher, a deeply caring physician, a dedicated teacher, and a keen administrator," said Dr William Deal, vice president and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Dr Whitaker was a major figure in American medicine. This is a real loss. The passion with which he cared for his patients, research and students was one of the traits that I most admired. I will also miss his subtle sense of humor and joy of all things academic," said Pres W. Ann Reynolds of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr Whitaker is survived by his wife, Elaine; his 3 children, Jeff, Amy, and Stacey, together with his son Jeff's wife, Alexi; and his sister, Beverly Long.


A methodology is presented for computing elastic‐rebound‐based probabilities in an unsegmented fault or fault system, which involves computing along‐fault averages of renewal‐model parameters. The approach is less biased and more self‐consistent than a logical extension of that applied most recently for multisegment ruptures in California. It also enables the application of magnitude‐dependent aperiodicity values, which the previous approach does not. Monte Carlo simulations are used to analyze long‐term system behavior, which is generally found to be consistent with that of physics‐based earthquake simulators. Results cast doubt that recurrence‐interval distributions at points on faults look anything like traditionally applied renewal models, a fact that should be considered when interpreting paleoseismic data. We avoid such assumptions by changing the "probability of what" question (from offset at a point to the occurrence of a rupture, assuming it is the next event to occur). The new methodology is simple, although not perfect in terms of recovering long‐term rates in Monte Carlo simulations. It represents a reasonable, improved way to represent first‐order elastic‐rebound predictability, assuming it is there in the first place, and for a system that clearly exhibits other unmodeled complexities, such as aftershock triggering.


Applying self-regulated learning in early childhood classrooms assumes that children are metacognitive learners by default, an assumption which is deeply flawed. The theoretical advancement in theory of mind development provides new perspectives in understanding the challenges young children are facing in comprehension of mental states in learning. The present study proposed that theory of mind development is critical for children to engage in mindful learning, which refers to the learning during which the learner is consciously aware of own mental states and the changes in them, both motivational and epistemic mental states. This dissertation launched an investigation of children's developing understanding of learning as a process of mental representational change from a theory of mind framework. The goal was to pinpoint the mental properties that are essential to children's understanding of learning, examine their relationship with theory of mind ability including false belief understanding, and outline the developmental trajectory of mindful learning during preschool and early elementary school years. Six studies focused on children's understanding of knowledge change in learning, children's understanding of beliefs about knowledge state in learning, and children's understanding of learning intention. Simple stories concerning various learning scenarios were designed to address children's understanding of the concept of learning. The results found that vi young children first understood learning as a behavior independent of knowledge change. Changes in children's understanding of learning were correlated with their emerging theory of mind ability, and developed through preschool and early elementary school years. Around the time of school entry, children began to appreciate that learning is a representational knowledge change in the mind, and people decide whether to learn based on their belief about knowledge state. They also began to understand that learning intention is often related to learning outcome; however, intention is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition for learning. Based on the data on a theory of mind battery and those from the literature, it was suggested that children in different cultures might develop theory of mind understanding via different routes. The theoretical implication of mindful learning was discussed in relation with theory of mind, metacognition, and personal epistemology. The practical implication of mindful learning was discussed in the context of early childhood pedagogy and curriculum as well as school readiness. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Douglas A. Frye This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/157


Osteoarthritis (OA) or degenerative joint disease (DJD) is a pathology which affects the synovial joints and characterised by a focal loss of articular cartilage and subsequent bony reaction of the subcondral and marginal bone. Its etiology is best explained by a multifactorial model including: age, sex, genetic and systemic factors, other predisposing diseases and functional stress. In this study the results of the investigation of a modern identified skeletal collection will be presented. In particular, we will focus on the relationship between the presence of OA at various joints. The joint modifications have been analysed using a new methodology that allows the scoring of different degrees of expression of the features considered.
Materials and Methods
The sample examined comes from the Sassari identified skeletal collection (part of "Frassetto collections"). The individuals were born between 1828 and 1916 and died between 1918 and 1932. Information about sex and age is known for all the individuals. The occupation is known for 173 males and 125 females. Data concerning the occupation of the individuals indicate a preindustrial and rural society. OA has been diagnosed when eburnation (EB) or loss of morphology (LM) were present, or when at least two of the following: marginal lipping (ML), esostosis (EX) or erosion (ER), were present. For each articular surface affected a "mean score" was calculated, reflecting the "severity" of the alterations. A further "score" was calculated for each joint. In the analysis sexes and age classes were always kept separate. For the statistical analyses non parametric test were used.
Results
The results show there is an increase of OA with age in all the joints analyzed and in particular around 50 years and 60 years. The shoulder, the hip and the knee are the joints mainly affected with ageing while the ankle is the less affected; the correlation values confirm this result. The lesion which show the major correlation with age is the ML. In our sample males are more frequently and more severely affected by OA than females, particularly at the superior limbs, while hip and knee are similarly affected in the two sexes. Lateralization shows some positive results in particular in the right shoulder of males and in various articular surfaces especially of the superior limb of both males and females; articular surfaces and joints are quite always lateralized to the right. Occupational analyses did not show remarkable results probably because of the homogeneity of the sample; males although performing different activities are quite all employed in stressful works. No highest prevalence of knee and hip OA was found in farm-workers respect to the other males.
Discussion and Conclusion
In this work we propose a methodology to score the different features, necessary to diagnose OA, that allows the investigation of the severity of joint degeneration. This method is easier than the one proposed by Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994), but in the same time allows a quite detailed recording of the features.
Epidemiological results can be interpreted quite simply and they are in accordance with other studies; more difficult is the interpretation of the occupational results because many questions concerning the activities performed by the individuals of the collection during their lifespan cannot be solved. Because of this, caution is suggested in the interpretation of bioarcheological specimens.
With this work we hope to contribute to the discussion on the puzzling problem of the etiology of OA. The possibility of studying identified skeletons will add important data to the description of osseous features of OA, enriching the medical documentation, based on different criteria. Even if we are aware that the clinical diagnosis is different from the palaeopathological one we think our work will be useful in clarifying some epidemiological as well as pathological aspects of OA.


The numbers are staggering: China spent $40 billion to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and Russia spent $50 billion for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. Brazil's total expenditures are thought to have been as much as $20 billion for the World Cup this summer and Qatar, which will be the site of the 2022 World Cup, is estimating that it will spend $200 billion. How did we get here? And is it worth it? Those are among the questions noted sports economist Andrew Zimbalist answers in Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup . Both the Olympics and the World Cup are touted as major economic boons for the countries that host them, and the competition is fierce to win hosting rights. Developing countries especially see the events as a chance to stand in the world's spotlight. Circus Maximus traces the path of the Olympic Games and the World Cup from noble sporting events to exhibits of excess. It exposes the hollowness of the claims made by their private industry boosters and government supporters, all illustrated through a series of case studies ripping open the experiences of Barcelona, Sochi, Rio, and London. Zimbalist finds no net economic gains for the countries that have played host to the Olympics or the World Cup. While the wealthy may profit, those in the middle and lower income brackets do not, and Zimbalist predicts more outbursts of political anger like that seen in Brazil surrounding the 2014 World Cup.


9G4 + IgG Abs expand in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a disease-specific fashion and react with different lupus Ags including B cell Ags and apoptotic cells. Their shared use of VH4-34 represents a unique system to understand the molecular basis of lupus autoreactivity. In this study, a large panel of recombinant 9G4 + mAbs from single naive and memory cells was generated and tested against B cells, apoptotic cells, and other Ags. Mutagenesis eliminated the framework-1 hydrophobic patch (HP) responsible for the 9G4 idiotype. The expression of the HP in unselected VH4-34 cells was assessed by deep sequencing. We found that 9G4 Abs recognize several Ags following two distinct structural patterns. B cell binding is dependent on the HP, whereas anti-nuclear Abs, apoptotic cells, and dsDNA binding are HP independent and correlate with positively charged H chain third CDR. The majority of mutated VH4-34 memory cells retain the HP, thereby suggesting selection by Ags that require this germline structure. Our findings show that the germline-encoded HP is compulsory for the anti–B cell reactivity largely associated with 9G4 Abs in SLE but is not required for reactivity against apoptotic cells, dsDNA, chromatin, anti-nuclear Abs, or cardiolipin. Given that the lupus memory compartment contains a majority of HP + VH4-34 cells but decreased B cell reactivity, additional HP-dependent Ags must participate in the selection of this compartment. This study represents the first analysis, to our knowl-edge,


The relationship between genetics and phenotype is a complex one that remains poorly understood. Many factors contribute to the relationship between genetic variations and differences in phenotype. An improved understanding of the genetic underpinnings of various phenotypes can help us make important advances in testing for, preventing, treating, and curing a number of diseases and disorders. The recent popularization of direct-to-consumer sequencing services, coupled with consumers releasing their genetic information for public use, has led to an unprecedented level of access to genetic information. Crowd-sourcing the problem of developing robust genome-wide association techniques for ever larger amounts of data is a promising trend. This thesis explores likely methods to data mine one such public genetic data repository, openSNP, for correlated genotypes and phenotypes. Particular care is given to data clean-up and the steps required to preprocess public data for machine learning. The preprocessing methods are detailed in such a way that they may be applied to other genetic data repositories that already exist, for example the Personal Genome Project, as well as genetic data repositories that may become available in the future. Following data clean-up, a number of machine learning techniques are investigated, applied, and assessed for their utility in such a big-data problem. No single machine learning approach was found to be sufficient; the combination of imbalanced phenotype response classes and an underdetermined system led to a difficult machine learning challenge. Additional techniques must be explored or developed in order to make such genome-wide association studies possible and meaningful.


In 1945, U.S. Americans liberated the Nazi concentration camp complex of Mittelbau-Dora, and retrieved tons of intact rocket technology from the nearby Mittelwerke factory. Today, an astounding mix of first-hand memoirs, biographies and false survivor tales, novels and theater plays, Hollywood movies and newsreel footage testify to the role the U.S.A. have played with regard to Mittelbau-Dora, and vice versa. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of these textual and visual representations, and juxtaposes them to publications by German eyewitnesses, local researchers and academic historians, and experts in cultural memory.


We employed a novel parametric spider picture set in the context of a parametric fMRI anxiety provocation study, designed to tease apart brain regions involved in threat monitoring from regions representing an exaggerated anxiety response in spider phobics. For the stimulus set, we systematically manipulated perceived proximity of threat by varying a depicted spider's context, size, and posture. All stimuli were validated in a behavioral rating study (phobics n = 20; controls n = 20; all female). An independent group participated in a subsequent fMRI anxiety provocation study (phobics n = 7; controls n = 7; all female), in which we compared a whole‐brain categorical to a whole‐brain parametric analysis. Results demonstrated that the parametric analysis provided a richer characterization of the functional role of the involved brain networks. In three brain regions—the mid insula, the dorsal anterior cingulate, and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex—activation was linearly modulated by perceived proximity specifically in the spider phobia group, indicating a quantitative representation of an exaggerated anxiety response. In other regions (e.g., the amygdala), activation was linearly modulated in both groups, suggesting a functional role in threat monitoring. Prefrontal regions, such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, were activated during anxiety provocation but did not show a stimulus‐dependent linear modulation in either group. The results confirm that brain regions involved in anxiety processing hold a quantitative representation of a pathological anxiety response and more generally suggest that parametric fMRI designs may be a very powerful tool for clinical research in the future, particularly when developing novel brain‐based interventions (e.g., neurofeedback training). Hum Brain Mapp 38:3025–3038, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The SCOTT AND FETZER CO., a major diversified conglomerate, began in 1914 when George H. Scott and Carl S. Fetzer organized the George H. Scott Machine Co. located at 118 Nob, tCt. The firm incorporated on 30 Nov. 1917 as the Scott & Fetzer Machine Co. and then moved to the corner of Locust Ave. and W. 114th St. Two years later, it shortened the name to Scott & Fetzer Co. By 1922 the company had begun to manufacture the vacuum cleaner designed in 1918 by Cleveland inventor James B. Kirby. Scott & Fetzer grew steadily and by 1951 had moved to 1920 W. 114th St. Its Kirby vacuum cleaners were sold door-to-door by 4,000 salespeople in 1956. The company began to expand and diversify in 1964, acquiring numerous companies, among them Cleveland's PLM Products, the Adalet Co., the Halex Die Casting Co., and the Cleveland Wood Products Co. Scott & Fetzer bought World Book-Childcraft Intl. Co. in 1978, boosting sales to $697 million in 1979. The company pared down its operations in 1982 after earnings declined 6.8%. Three product groups were established: Education, Information & Trainingproducing encyclopedias, reference books, and software; Household Products & Servicesmanufacturing Kirby vacuum cleaners and floor maintenance equipments; and Commercial Industriesmaking connectors, fittings, medical regulators, and flow meters. In 1984 Scott & Fetzer had sales of $695 million and a net income of $40.6 million from 12 subsidiaries, operating 42 plants that employed more than 16,000 people in the U.S. and Canada. In 1986 the company was taken over by Berkshire Hathaway of Omaha, NE, an insurance holding company.


In this paper, we propose a design paradigm for energy efficient and variation-aware operation of next-generation multicore heterogeneous platforms. The main idea behind the proposed approach lies on the observation that not all operations are equally important in shaping the output quality of various applications and of the overall system. Based on such an observation, we suggest that all levels of the software design stack, including the programming model, compiler, operating system (OS) and run-time system should identify the critical tasks and ensure correct operation of such tasks by assigning them to dynamically adjusted reliable cores/units. Specifically, based on error rates and operating conditions identified by a sense-and-adapt (SeA) unit, the OS selects and sets the right mode of operation of the overall system. The run-time system identifies the critical/less-critical tasks based on special directives and schedules them to the appropriate units that are dynamically adjusted for highly-accurate/approximate operation by tuning their voltage/frequency. Units that execute less significant operations can operate at voltages less than what is required for correct operation and consume less power, if required, since such tasks do not need to be always exact as opposed to the critical ones. Such scheme can lead to energy efficient and reliable operation, while reducing the design cost and overheads of conventional circuit/micro-architecture level techniques.


In 2012, California first used a nonpartisan "top-two" primary. Early academic studies of the effects statewide have produced mixed results on the key question: does the new law make it possible for more moderate candidates to win? This study focuses on one particular California State Assembly race, District 5, from 2012 to assess the operation of the new law in detail in one same-party runoff. Republicans Frank Bigelow and Rico Oller competed against each other in both rounds; Bigelow, the more moderate Republican, won the general election. This study uses the internal Bigelow campaign polling data (three surveys of 400 voters each) to assess the dynamics of the race, revealing not just voter attitudes towards the candidates but the reasons for Bigelow campaign choices. The results suggest that although little strategic behavior took place in the first round, voters, including Democrats, tended to support the spatially logical candidate in the general election – with the advantage to Bigelow, the candidate closer to the median voter of the district.


Introduction: Uncaria tomentosa is used in Central and South American folk medicine to treat a variety of diseases. It is particularly well known for treating cancer and studies have confirmed its activity against some carcinoma cell lines. However, to date, U. tomentosa extracts have only been screened against a limited panel of cancer cells. Methods: Solvent extracts were prepared from U. tomentosa inner bark and their antiproliferative activities against Caco2 and HeLa cancer cells were determined by an MTS based cell proliferation assay. Toxicity was determined using the Artemia franciscana nauplii bioassay. Results: Methanolic and aqueous U. tomentosa extracts were strong inhibitors of Caco2 and HeLa cell proliferation, with IC50 values generally below 1500 μg/mL. The methanolic extract was particularly effective, with IC50 values of 881 and 763 μg/mL against Caco2 and HeLa cells respectively. In contrast, the mid to lower polarity solvent extractions (ethyl acetate, chloroform and hexane) were less potent inhibitors of cell proliferation. Indeed, exposure of the Caco2 cells to the chloroform and hexane extracts produced proliferation levels equivalent to those of the untreated control. Cell imaging studies detected morphological features consistent with apoptosis in Caco2 cells exposed to the methanolic and aqueous U. tomentosa extracts, indicating that these extracts are functioning by cytotoxic mechanisms. All U. tomentosa extracts were nontoxic in the Artemia franciscana bioassay, with LC50 values substantially >1000 μg/mL. Conclusions: The antiproliferative activity of the U. tomentosa inner bark extracts against HeLa and Caco2 cancer cell lines indicates their potential in the treatment and prevention of some cancers.


In this work, the Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) is used as the main tool to analyze the mechanics of thin-walled beams. After an introduction to the subject and a quick review of some of the most well-known approaches to describe the behaviour of thin-walled beams, a novel formulation of the GBT is presented. This formulation contains the classic shear-deformable GBT available in the literature and contributes an additional description of cross-section warping that is variable along the wall thickness besides along the wall midline. Shear deformation is introduced in such a way that the classical shear strain components of the Timoshenko beam theory are recovered exactly. According to the new kinematics proposed, a reviewed form of the cross-section analysis procedure is devised, based on a unique modal decomposition. Later, a procedure for a posteriori reconstruction of all the three-dimensional stress components in the finite element analysis of thin-walled beams using the GBT is presented. The reconstruction is simple and based on the use of three-dimensional equilibrium equations and of the RCP procedure. Finally, once the stress reconstruction procedure is presented, a study of several existing issues on the constitutive relations in the GBT is carried out. Specifically, a constitutive law based on mirroring the kinematic constraints of the GBT model into a specific stress field assumption is proposed. It is shown that this method is equally valid for isotropic and orthotropic beams and coincides with the conventional GBT approach available in the literature. Later on, an analogous procedure is presented for the case of laminated beams. Lastly, as a way to improve an inherently poor description of shear deformability in the GBT, the introduction of shear correction factors is proposed. Throughout this work, numerous examples are provided to determine the validity of all the proposed contributions to the field.


We propose a novel scheduling scheme that determines the instant operation modes of multiple tasks. The tasks have probabilistic execution times and are executed on discrete operation modes providing different utilities with different energy consumptions. We first design an optimal offline scheduling scheme that stochastically maximizes the cumulative utility of the tasks under energy constraints, at the cost of heavy computational overhead. Next, the optimal offline scheme is modified to an approximate online scheduling scheme. The online scheme has little runtime overhead and yields almost the maximum utility, with an energy budget that is given at runtime. The difference between the maximum utility and the output utility of the online scheme is bounded by a controllable input value. Extensive evaluation shows that the output utility of the online scheme approaches the maximum utility in most cases, and is much higher than that of existing methods by up to 50% of the largest utility difference among available operation modes.


Bob Bury, the editor of Clinical Radiology, has kindly written an accompanying editorial for this issue of the South African Journal of Radiology. To place his piece in context, one has to at least have paged through the special June 2010 edition of Clinical Radiology on molecular imaging (MI). The introductory article explains the role of small molecules in the form of peptides or antibodies that are linked to an imaging label and are destined to attach to a tumour antigen. In the case of PET and SPECT, the labels are radioactive substances. RSSA President Clive Sperryn's thoughts on MI appear in this SAJR's Radioactive News section.


In recent years, winds were recognized as an important
ingredient in the AGN picture. Outflows of photoionized gas,
which produce blueshifted absorption features
detectable in the X-ray and in the UV band,
are present in about 50% of Seyfert 1 galaxies.
Combining observations at high spectral
resolution with photoionization modeling
techniques, the kinetics, and the ionization conditions
of the outflowing gas can be diagnosed with high accuracy.
In this thesis, we applied these methods
to three cases of study, obtaining a variety of results.
In the X-ray spectrum of the
Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577,
we detected the absorption lines from
a galactic scale outflow already observed in the UV.
In the case of the prototypical type 1 AGN NGC 5548,
we discovered a lowly-ionized, patchy wind located
in the nuclear region. We show that
the emergence of this obscuring wind
have drastically changed the
spectral appearance of the source
in the soft X-ray and in the UV band.
Finally, we characterized
a photoionized gas outflow in 4C +74.26,
which is one of the few radio-loud AGN in which
signatures of photoionized gas could be detected.


A plethora of investigations demonstrated that vitamin D (VitD) has a broad immuno‐ modulatory potential. It induces tolerogenic dendritic cells in vitro leading to the development of regulatory T cells that have a key role in immunomodulation of autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). Studies showed that many MS patients present lower serum levels of VitD than healthy subjects. In addition, VitD supplementation has been associated with a reduced relative risk of developing MS. Considering the alterations in VitD levels in patients and also the immunomodulatory properties of VitD, it would be interesting to evaluate VitD potential as a tolerogenic adjuvant in experimental models of MS. In this context, our research team has been investigating strategies employing VitD to establish an in vivo tolerance state toward central nervous system antigens in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We observed that the association between a myelin peptide and VitD determined both therapeutic and prophylactic effects on EAE development.


There is little empirical evidence concerning the effects of intellectual property rights (IPR) on a technologically advanced developing country. Complete enumeration of the Mexican maize breeding industry showed that, contrary to the hypothesis that IPR would provide, in a technologically advanced developing country, incentives for R&D and innovation, IPR play no role for the industry in general, but that they are important for certain breeders' categories. The paper presents the theory on IPR and a short background on the Mexican maize breeding industry. The analysis of the interviews with maize breeders leads to the conclusion that the theory on IPR should be revised and take into account the characteristics of developing countries critical for the good functioning of IPR, especially the quality of the institutional environment and the judiciary system, and the importance of transaction costs related to IPR protection. The level of technological development also determines the extent to which actors can benefit from IPR protection. Given the relatively good score of Mexico on these two critical factors, IPR are likely to play an even smaller role for other developing countries.


The template method was used for preparing Zn1-xCoxO nanowires with x ranging from 0.01 to 0.05. Thus, electrochemical deposition was employed for filling up the pores of polycarbonate ion track nanoporous membranes with the desired material. The method allows a good control over the morphology and composition of the deposited nanowires, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X ray analysis (EDX). Measurements of the magnetic properties showed a paramagnetic behavior of the nanowire arrays for the whole set of temperatures and Co concentrations.


We consider a monetary growth model in which banks arise to provide liquidity. In addition, there is a government that issues not only money, but interest-bearing bonds; these bonds compete with capital in private portfolios. When the government fixes a constant growth rate for the money stock, we show that there can exist multiple nontrivial monetary steady states. One of these steady states is a saddle, while the other can be a sink. Paths approaching these steady states can display damped endogenous fluctuations, and development trap phenomena are common. Across different steady states, low capital stocks are associated with high nominal interest rates; the latter signal the comparative inefficiency of the financial system. Also, increases in the steady state inflation rate can easily reduce the steady state capital stock.


The U.S. Supreme Court's primary role in the history of the United States, especially in constitutional cases (and cases hovering in the universe of the Constitution), has been to limit Congress's ability to redefine and redistribute rights in a direction most people would characterize as liberal. In other words, the Supreme Court, for most of the history of the United States since the adoption of the Constitution, has been a conservative force against change and redistribution. The Court has used five distinct devices to advance its control over the law. First, it has construed rights-creating constitutional provisions narrowly when those provisions are advanced by minorities and other disadvantaged groups. Second, it has construed Congress's power to create rights narrowly, holding unconstitutional many efforts by Congress to either expand the rights of minorities and other disadvantaged groups, or to create new rights for such people. Third, the Court has construed civil rights statutes narrowly, often provoking legislative responses by Congress. Fourth, the Court has construed some constitutional provisions broadly in order to take control of areas of the law that had been thought of as within the control of the states. Fifth, the Court has expanded the scope of federal preemption of state law which results in reducing the sphere governed by state common law. While these devices do not all necessarily result in taking the law in a conservative direction, by and large that has been the use to which the Court has put them.One way in which the Court has advanced its agenda is by seizing power that, under federalism traditions, belong to state courts and state legislature. In several senses, the Supreme Court has begun to function like a Supreme Common Law Court of the United States. First, despite all of its federalism rhetoric, the Court seizes control of areas of the law that have traditionally been the domain of the states and imposes federal norms that is has created for the purpose. Second, the Court applies interpretive methods, in both constitutional and non-constitutional cases, that draw from traditional common law methodology and allow for a high degree of creativity.


Contemporary philosophy of the social sciences is dominated by methodological individualism. Intentional agency is assumed to be conceptually and explanatorily prior to social facts and social practices. In particular, it is generally thought that denials of methodological individualism are bound to include ontologically unnatural and, thereby, unacceptable views. This dissertation provides a comprehensive criticism of this orthodoxy. Part I argues that social facts do not have to be understood as aggregates of actions and attitudes of essentially asocial individuals. Rather, the construction of social facts requires that acting as a member of a group rather than as a disparate individual is a fundamental building block of social reality and social facts. This idea is explicated in the anti-individualistic terms of the theory of collective intentionality. Part II tackles the accusation that the theory of collective intentionality is indefensibly anti-naturalistic in the sense that its picture of humans is essentially incompatible with evolutionary biology. This accusation is answered in terms of detailed analyses of evolutionary models of human sociality and empirical studies of the nature of social action. Part II concludes that it is actually the methodologically individualistic picture of social action as strategic individual action that is unacceptable. The theory of collective intentionality is compatible with and supported by scientific naturalism. Part III, then, defends full-blown methodological holism. It is argued that intentional action and agency as we know them actually require that individual agents (qua agents and not qua physical objects) are essentially constituted by social practices. Intentional action must be explained and understood in terms of social practices. However, this view is argued to be perfectly naturalistic both in the sense of not assuming any ontologically suspect entities and in the sense of being supported by the natural sciences. Indeed, it is the individualistic orthodoxy that has to apply unnatural notions.


While it could seem logical for subjects of identifiable British and French West African states to intermingle freely, at least, on the bases of their respective; shared colonial experiences, the established pre-colonial mode of interaction has ostensibly outwitted such contemporary cleavages in most instances. This study essentially examines the effects of prevalent crossborder networking practices on Ejigbo-Yoruba migrants in Cote d'Ivoire; in measures of identity integration. The specific relevance of trans-border ethnic network in constructing a tenable identity for Ejigbo-Yoruba migrants within Ivorian social space is explored. The study's specificities are situated within the confines of 'social network' and 'social action' postulates, while the research design routinely engaged the exploratory tradition. In all, the study surmises that identity positioning amongst Ejigbo-Yoruba migrants in Cote d'Ivoire is usually a product of ongoing interaction between 'social space' and 'extant interest', especially within the 'host society'.


Background: The preferred treatment for ischemic mitral insufficiency is mitral valve repair with a prosthetic ring, because it does not deteriorate left ventricular function, allowing better immediate and long-term results. Aim: To assess long-term results of mitral annuloplasty with a prosthetic ring for ischemic mitral insufficiency. Patients and Methods: One hundred patients (68 men), with a mean age of 65.7 ± 8.6 years were included. They underwent a mitral annuloplasty with a prosthetic ring to treat ischemic mitral insufficiency, between February 1992 and May 2009. Fortyfour had a history of prior myocardial infarction and 46 had an evolving acute coronary syndrome. The inferior left ventricular wall was involved, exclusively or associated with an adjacent wall, in 72 cases. Coronary artery bypass grafts were performed in 92 patients and 32 required intra-aortic balloon pumping at some time during the peri-operative period. Results: Operative mortality was 10% (10 patients). During follow-up 30 patients died, at an average of 39 months after surgery (range: 3-142 months). Actuarial long-term survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 79%, 72% and 64.5%, respectively. Trans esophageal echocardiogram performed in the operating room showed none or minimal residual mitral insufficiency in 96% of the cases. Echocardiographic follow-up was completed in 80% of the survivors; 79% of them had no or minimal mitral insufficiency. Only one patient was re-operated on due to severe mitral insufficiency and 4 required a permanent pacemaker. Conclusions: Considering the critical illness of these patients, good long-term results were observed after treatment of ischemic mitral regurgitation performing a mitral annuloplasty with a prosthetic ring.


Introduction Warfarin has frequently been underused in older people for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) entered the UK market from 2008 and have been recommended as an alternative to warfarin. This study aimed to describe any changes in the prescribing of oral anticoagulants (OACs) to people aged ≥75 years in UK general practice before and after the introduction of DOACs, to examine differences in patient characteristics which may influence prescribers' decisions regarding anticoagulation, to evaluate the time people stay on OACs and switching between OACs. Methods and analysis A retrospective cohort study design will be used. Patients with a diagnosis of AF will be identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The study period will run from 1 January 2003 to 27 December 2017. Patients enter the cohort at the latest date of the start of the study period, first AF diagnosis, 75th birthday or a year from when they started to contribute research standard data. Follow-up continues until they leave the practice, death, the date the practice stops contributing research standard data or the end of the study period (27 December 2017). Exposure to OACs will be defined as ≥1 prescription issued for an OAC of interest during the study period. Patients issued an OAC in the year preceding study entry will be defined as 'prevalent users'. Patients starting on an OAC during the study period will be defined as 'incident users'. Incidence and prevalence of OAC prescribing, patient demographics and characteristics will be described during three time periods: 2003–2007, 2008–2012 and 2013–2017. Persistence (defined as the time from initiation to discontinuation of medication) with and switching between different OACs will be described. Ethics and dissemination The protocol for this study was approved by the CPRD Independent Scientific Advisory Committee. The results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal and at conferences. Trial registration number EUPAS29923.


This is a PhD by publication consisting of a published work and accompanying critical reflection. The published work is my memoir, Maggie & Me (2013), which depicts my chaotic and traumatic childhood in a post-industrial village outside Glasgow in the 1980s. The memoir juxtaposes the personal and political – 'Maggie' is Margaret Thatcher whose policies and persona were indelibly imposed on my community, my family and me. The critical reflection aims to contextualise Maggie & Me in the genre of memoir, to interrogate memoir as a genre and to deconstruct my process and practice in four chapters, each arranged around a single question. I draw on the work of Buckley (1974), Couser (2012) and Gornick (2002; 2009), with reference to specific memoirs, chiefly Galloway (2008; 2011), Sanghera (2009) and Winterson (2011). In Chapter 1 I ask Why not a novel? considering Maggie & Me as a bildungsroman while examining the origins, expectations and, ultimately, limitations of the coming-of-age novel. In Chapter 2 I ask Why write a memoir? while outlining expectations and tropes of the genre and reassessing my decision to write Maggie & Me as a memoir rather than as an autobiography or work of fiction or autofiction. In Chapter 3 I ask Is it all true? establishing the distinctive ethical and legal considerations involved in writing memoir, and the pact this genre forges between writer and reader. Chapter 4 concludes by investigating the nature of memoir as trauma relived and performed and considers the possibility of catharsis before finally asking Do I feel better now? – the answer to which may lie with the reader as a shared act of meaning making.


A powerful new understanding of global currency trends, including the rise of the Chinese yuan

 At first glance, the modern history of the global economic system seems to support the long-held view that the leading world power's currency—the British pound, the U.S. dollar, and perhaps someday the Chinese yuan—invariably dominates international trade and finance. In How Global Currencies Work, three noted economists provide a reassessment of this history and the theories behind the conventional wisdom.

 Offering a new history of global finance over the past two centuries, and marshaling extensive new data to test established theories of how global currencies work, Barry Eichengreen, Arnaud Mehl, and Livia Chit¸u argue for a new view, in which several national monies can share international currency status, and their importance can change rapidly. They demonstrate how changes in technology and in the structure of international trade and finance have reshaped the landscape of international currencies so that several international financial standards can coexist. They show that multiple international and reserve currencies have in fact coexisted in the pastupending the traditional view of the British pound's dominance prior to 1945 and the U.S. dollar's dominance more recently.

 Looking forward, the book tackles the implications of this new framework for major questions facing the future of the international monetary system, from whether the euro and the Chinese yuan might address their respective challenges and perhaps rival the dollar, to how increased currency competition might affect global financial stability.


Objective The paper investigates the effects of phone use (talking, texting, and listening to music) on the street-crossing behaviours of pedestrians and their inattentional blindness in Taiwan. Background Recent handsets with touchscreens, as well as more advanced features including multimedia, and mobile applications (apps), exacerbate problems relating to cognitive distraction and reduced situation awareness. Method A controlled field study using video cameras was conducted for observing pedestrians crossing behaviours (e.g., crossing time, sudden stops, looking both ways before crossing, disobeying traffic signals). Pedestrians were classified into two groups: experimental group (talking, texting, listening to music) and control group (no phone use). Pedestrians' inattentional blindness was examined by evaluating whether they saw an unusual object (i.e., a clown) nearby. Results The results indicate that the proportions of unsafe crossing behaviours (e.g., sudden stops, disobeying traffic signals, not looking both ways before crossing) were higher among distracted individuals and more pronounced among those using instant-messaging apps. These instant-message app users were the least likely to see the clown, and music listeners were the least likely to hear the horn that the clown was honking. Contributing factors to unsafe behaviours include being a student, having a phone screen of 5 in. or larger, and having un-limited 3G Internet access. Conclusions Texting message via apps was the leading factor on unsafe crossing behaviours of pedestrians and their inattentional blindness.


Microscope-AOtools is a software package which allows for a simple, robust and generalised implementation of adaptive optics (AO) elements. It contains all the necessary methods for set-up, calibration, and aberration correction which are simple to use and function in a robust manner. Aberrations arising from sources such as sample hetero-geneity and refractive index mismatches are constant problems in biological imaging. These aberrations reduce image quality and the achievable depth of imaging, particularly in super-resolution microscopy techniques. AO technology has been proven to be effective in correcting for these aberrations and thereby improving the image quality. However, it has not been widely adopted by the biological imaging community due, in part, to difficulty in set-up and operation of AO, particularly by non-specialist users. Microscope-AOtools offers a robust, easy-to-use implementation of the essential methods for set-up and use of AO techniques. These methods are constructed in a generalised manner that can utilise a range of adaptive optics elements, wavefront sensing techniques and sensorless AO correction methods. Furthermore, the methods are designed to be easily extensible as new techniques arise, leading to a streamlined pipeline for new AO technology and techniques to be adopted by the wider microscopy community.


A multigrid numerical solution algorithm has been developed for the laminar (Stokes) flow of a compressible medium in a thin film. The solver has been applied to two model problems each representative of lubrication problems in a specific way. For both problems the solutions of the Stokes equations are compared with the solutions of the Reynolds equation. The configurations of both model problems were chosen such that based on the ratio film thickness to contact length (H/L) the difference between the Reynolds and the Stokes solutions will be very small, so the geometry of the gap itself does not lead to a significant cross film dependence of the pressure. It is shown that in this situation the compressibility can still lead to a cross-film pressure dependence which is predicted by the Stokes solution and not by the Reynolds solution. The results demonstrate that limitations exist to the validity of the Reynolds equation related to the compressibility of the medium.


A substantial body of academic literature continues to investigate whether M&A deals create or destroy shareholder value and what are the main determinants of M&A performance, but the results are still inconclusive. In this paper, we investigate the impact of corporate life cycle on M&A performance from the perspective of acquiring firms.

We shed additional light on the performance of M&A deals from the perspective of bidders' life cycle stages and the deal size . We single out mega deals, where activity remains upbeat, and compare their effects on M&A performance with the effect of non-mega transactions. In contrast to previous studies in the area, we identify four life cycle stages (introduction, growth, maturity and decline), whereas the existing literature mostly focuses on three life cycle stages.

Our sample includes 2413 US domestic M&A deals from 2003 to 2017, and consists of 386 mega deals and 2027 non-mega transactions. The data for analysis were obtained from Capital IQ, Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters Eikon databases.

Based on the event study method and regression analysis, we find that stock market reaction is positive for M&A deals in the US and this reaction is more favorable for non-mega acquisitions than for mega M&A deals. We show that non-mega deals outperform mega transactions for acquirers at the introduction and growth stages of the business life cycle. Our results also indicate that benefits for shareholders from acquiring firms decrease on average with the life-cycle of an organisation, but the returns for shareholders are positive in both cases. By contrast, in mega deals, shareholders receive negative returns when the acquiring firm is at introductory life cycle stage.

The scientific novelty of this paper is reflected in our contribution and expansion of the scope of research in this field. There is a relative scarcity of analysis examining M&A deals from the perspective of life cycle stage, and our addition of a fourth category of analysis in this area, along with a focus on the value of the deal, expands the range of methodology for future research. This research is open to further expansion in different markets and our methodology is readily adaptable for the addition of further analytical variables. Importantly, with the validation of our research hypotheses and the confirmation of significant results, we provide a useful new tool for managers and professionals engaged in M&A deals to actively gauge and forecast practical implications of their deals.


Mal de debarquement (MdD), the "sickness of disembarkment," occurs when habituation to background rhythmic movement becomes resistant to readaption to stable conditions and results in a phantom perception of self motion typically described as rocking, bobbing, or swaying. Although several studies have shown that brief periods of MdD are common in healthy individuals, this otherwise natural phenomenon can become persistent in some individuals and lead to severe balance problems. Increased recognition of MdD in a persistent pathological form occurred after the publication of a case series of six patients by Brown and Baloh in 1987. Over 20 years later, although more is known about the clinical syndrome of persistent MdD, little is known about what leads to this persistence. This review addresses the clinical features of MdD, the associated symptoms in the persistent form, theories on pathogenesis, experience with treatment, and future directions for research.


Has the time not come for untrammelled rights of appearance? When the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (which established the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA)) was conceived it had, inter alia, as an objective, the speedy resolution of labour matters which under the previous labour regime had dragged on for a long time. The aim was to halt the delays which invariably had as their consequence the suffering of the workers awaiting resolution of their matters by the industrial courts and Labour Appeal Court


Recent studies predict a future decrease in precipitation across the tropics, particularly the Amazon, likely causing significant droughts that have negative consequences for Amazonian freshwater biomes, especially lakes. Furthermore, immediate consequences of global warming for terrestrial fauna associated with tropical lakes are poorly understood as the vast majority of studies come from temperate regions. Here, we assess the seasonal importance of lakes for the conservation of aerial insectivorous bats in the Central Amazon using passive bat recorders. We compared richness, general bat activity and foraging activity between lakes and adjacent forest. Of a total of 21 species/sonotypes recorded in both habitats, all were detected over lakes, and 18 were significantly more active over lakes than in forest. Only two species had significantly higher activity levels in the forest than at the lakes. Species richness and general bat activity over the lakes were higher in the dry than in the rainy season. Foraging activity was also greater over the lakes than within the forest in both seasons. Moreover, both variables were positively correlated with lake size, although the effect on activity was species‐specific. Climate change‐driven shrinking of lakes may have detrimental consequences for aerial insectivorous bats, especially for the most water‐dependent species. Compared to permanent water bodies of other regions, the value of tropical lakes for functionally important taxa, such as bats, has been understudied. Higher bat activity levels over lakes than in forest in both seasons and comprising the whole ensemble of aerial insectivorous bats of the study region, indicate that lakes embedded in Amazonian terra firme forests deserve special attention for future bat conservation.


Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a widespread chronic, debilitating and difficult to treat psychiatric disorder that is often resistant to treatment with standard approaches. Despite an enormous amount of research effort, much still remains unknown about the underpinnings of persistent treatment non-response. Neuroimaging studies have linked a number of structural brain abnormalities, in particular volume reductions of medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures the hippocampus and amygdala to inferior treatment response. Preclinical evidence, however, has shown hippocampal and amygdalar neurogenesis following successful antidepressant treatment, highlighting the importance of these structures in modulating treatment outcomes. The role of related structures such as the entorhinal cortex and the impact of MTL abnormalities on neurocognitive function has not been systematically investigated. However, improvements in MTL dependent episodic memory deficits have been consistently found upon symptomatic remission. Taken together, these findings suggest that MTL structural abnormalities and episodic memory deficits are potentially reversible with successful response to antidepressant treatment, providing a strong impetus for further investigation. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an innovative brain stimulation technique that has proven antidepressant efficacy in treatment resistant MDD (TRD) populations. Whether structural abnormalities and neurocognitive deficits resolve upon antidepressant response to rTMS treatment is yet to be conclusively investigated. Recent evidence, however, suggests that rTMS may hold similar potential as antidepressant pharmacotherapy in promoting neurogenesis in the hippocampus and surrounding structures. Thereby, investigation of structural and functional changes during an acute major depressive episode and following treatment response/non-response may provide critical insights into the neural circuitry of treatment resistance and may aid in the identification of unique markers of differential response outcomes to treatment.

The current thesis therefore aimed to further our understanding of the pathophysiology of MDD by investigating the structural and neurocognitive correlates depressive illness in a more homogeneous patient group characterised by severe TRD before and after treatment with rTMS. To that end, a series of studies were undertaken that focussed on MTL structures as well as related deficits in MTL dependent episodic memory processes in order to a) determine the neurobiological correlates of TRD and whether these could be used to predict treatment response and b) prospectively investigate the differential changes in structure and neurocognitive function as a consequence of antidepressant response or non-response. Specifically, the investigations focussed on the pathophysiological correlates of antidepressant response to rTMS, which also allowed exploration of whether rTMS holds similar neuroplastic potential as other antidepressant treatment modalities.

The aims of the current thesis were partially achieved. The investigations were able to elucidate a specific pattern of neurocognitive impairment in TRD characterised by deficits in attention, processing speed and aspects of executive function. A relationship between structural pre-treatment MTL volumes and antidepressant response to rTMS treatment was also identified but of insufficient strength to have statistical value as a predictor of favourable treatment outcome. Finally, successful attainment of antidepressant response to rTMS several months post treatment was found to hold neuroprotective potential in preventing further cell loss in MTL volumes. The main findings of this thesis, however, were limited by a small sample size and subsequently inadequate study power. Therefore although preliminary, the findings have contributed towards our understanding of the pathophysiological underpinnings of treatment resistance and indicate that TRD is a disorder within which neuronal plasticity is possible following successful response to antidepressant therapy. It is hoped that these findings will provide the impetus for future research, which may in time lead to more effective and targeted treatments for this devastating mental illness.


Abstract. The near future of our planet under climate change is predicted to be characterized by increasingly frequent and severe natural hazards of all kinds. Understanding the potential spatial extent and impacts of these hazards is a critical component of creating effective emergency management plans, not just on the part of emergency managers and relief organizations, but also for those who may reside in areas vulnerable to disaster. Often, information about disaster risk is communicated using maps, such as in the case of storm surge maps, evacuation zone maps or wildfire extent maps. While generally helpful, these maps are of limited use to those with low vision or blindness, and the information is rarely, if ever, distributed in accessible formats. Furthermore, in contrast to wayfinding maps, this type of information does not lend itself to being translated into a set of instructions to be read aloud by a test-to-speech device. Instead, risk maps are useful because they allow users to identify and assess spatial relationships between many features on the maps- a key process that would be muddled if the maps were to be verbally described, and thus a process that is currently inaccessible to those who cannot see the maps. As people with visual impairments are especially vulnerable in disaster scenarios, working towards the universal accessibility of spatial information is imperative for inclusive disaster preparedness and hazard mitigation.Many challenges exist in creating maps for people with visual impairments. The most obvious is the fact that a visual medium cannot be used by someone who is unable to see. It is important to note that "visual impairment" covers a broad spectrum of conditions from pronounced myopia to complete blindness. Here, I will be limiting my topical scope to people with total or near-total blindness. Tactile maps are the tool of choice for this population. However, it is generally harder to distinguish between similar patterns using touch than using sight, so features on a tactile map need to be unique and unambiguous. This makes it more challenging to communicate information typically represented using color gradients or transparency. Additionally, distributing spatial information in tactile form poses another layer of complications. There are several options for creating tactile maps, from embossed paper to 3D printing, and each come with their own advantages and drawbacks. Cost, speed and detail all vary among these media, and thus each potentially impact the user's perception of risk. In my talk, I will be examining these challenges as they intersect with research on cartographic risk visualization, emergency management, and tactile maps in general. First, I will briefly discuss the state of risk visualization in the context of emergency management, focusing on preparedness. Then, I will give a general overview of the extant research on tactile maps with particular attention paid to their influence on spatial cognition. Next, I will examine how the considerations particular to risk map creation are affected by the potentials and limitations of tactile maps. Finally, I will outline a research agenda for creating and distributing accessible maps for emergency management. Using visual impairment and tactile maps as starting points, I will identify further aspects of emergency management that urgently require greater attention to accessibility, and how cartographic research and technology can help bridge those gaps. Planning for natural hazards is an essential step in mitigating their impacts on communities, and that process includes individual citizens making their own plans for evacuation, finding shelter or securing food, water or medicine. This is especially important for people with disabilities, as resources deployed after a disaster may fail to accommodate their particular needs, and processes such as evacuating a building or house can take substantially longer than average. Planning for these scenarios is made all the more difficult for people with visual impairments, as conventional maps are unhelpful, and environmental awareness is limited. Thus, empowering people with visual impairments to make emergency plans for themselves and contribute to planning for their community as a whole can help build autonomy and self-confidence and ultimately ensure that disaster plans truly account for everyone.


The history of psychology is characterized by unparalleled complexity of its methodology and uniquely ambiguous subject matter closely entangled with issues of power, social justice, and ethics. This complexity requires inordinate levels of reflexivity and conceptual sophistication. In effect, a historian of psychology needs to explicate no less than one's worldview—a broad position as to how people are situated in the world, relate to, change, and get to know it, and how knowledge develops through time—all coupled with one's broad sociopolitical ethos. Traditional histories of psychology have operated with an astonishing lack of reflection about these issues. One of many deplorable results is that psychology still grapples with its racist and sexist legacies and lacks awareness of social injustices in existence today. The recently emerging approaches have begun to remedy this situation by focusing on situated practices of knowledge production. This article addresses how human agency can be integrated into these approaches, while focusing on knowledge production as not only situated in context but also, and critically, as a world-forming and history-making process. In tackling the shortcomings of relational approaches including social constructionism, the transformative activist stance approach draws on Marxist philosophy and epistemology—infused with insights from Vygotsky's psychology and other critical theories of resistance. The core point is that knowledge is achieved in and through collaborative community practices realized by individually unique contributions as these come to embody and enact, in an inseparable blend, both cultural-historical contexts and unique commitments and agency of community members. The acts of being-doing-knowing are non-neutral, transformative processes that produce the world, its history and also people themselves, all realized in the process of taking up the world, rather than passively copying it or coping with it. And since reality is in-the-making by people themselves, knowing is about creating the world and knowing it in the very act of bringing about transformative and creative change. Thus, the historicity and situativity of knowledge are ascertained alongside a focus on its ineluctable fusion with an activist, future-oriented, political-ethical stance. Therefore, the critical challenge for the history of psychology is to understand producers of knowledge in their role of actors in the drama of life (rather than only of ideas), that is, as agents of history- and world-making, while also engaging in self-reflection on the historians' own role in these processes, in order to practice history in responsive and responsible, that is, activist ways.


This article examines local contestations over Ramadan moon sightings among Muslims in twentieth century Natal, South Africa, as a window to debates about authority, identity and Muslim unification. The issue was the question of whether – in terms of the rulings in the Qur'an and the practices established by the Prophet Muhammad – the basis for determining the beginning of the lunar month should be vested in local physical sighting of the moon crescent or in astronomical calculations. While sighting the moon with the naked eye has historically been the practice of most Muslims, some have considered the project of Muslim unity served by knowledge derived from astronomy. The "moon controversy" provides a lens through which to examine the broader debate in Islamic societies around the role of science and technology in Islam, "traditionalism" versus "modernity", authority in Islam, and Muslim unity.


This thesis describes the application of microrheology to characterize the mechanical properties of three soft matter systems: an entangled biopolymer solution, a suspension of actively swimming bacteria, and a gelforming carbon nanotube network. We demonstrate using these distinct model systems that it is possible to employ microrheology to extract both local and bulk information using a combination of oneand twopoint measurements and theoretical modeling. In the first set of experiments, we use microrheology to probe the rheological properties of semi-dilute polymer solutions of $\lambda$-DNA. In these solutions, the depletion interaction leads to a layer of reduced DNA density near the particle's surface. We demonstrate a method for deducing the local microstructure of these layers along with the bulk rheology of the polymer solution. This work was one of the first to systematically demonstrate that tracer-based microrheological methods could be used to deduce both local and bulk rheology in a well-characterized model soft matter system. In the second set of experiments, we use microrheology to probe the dynamics of a model active soft matter system: a suspension of swimming bacteria. By comparing measurements of the fluctuations of passive tracer particles with the response of a driven, optically trapped tracer in the bacterial bath, we demonstrate a breakdown of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem in bacterial baths. These measurements enable us to extract the power spectrum of the active stress fluctuations. We develop a theoretical model incorporating coupled stress, orientation, and concentration fluctuations of the bacteria to explain the observed scaling of the power spectrum. In the final set of experiments, we report measurements of gelling rigid rod networks, comprised of a semidilute dispersion of surfactant stabilized carbon nanotubes. Microrheology is employed to follow the rheological evolution of the suspension from a semidilute solution of unbonded tubes to a bonded gel network. A theoretical model based on the crossing probability of rods confined to finite volumes is developed to account for network elasticity. Model predictions compare well with computer simulations and experiments as a function of nanotube volume fraction and cure time. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Physics & Astronomy First Advisor Arjun G. Yodh


1. Two proposed hypotheses about energy allocation were tested to explain the patterns of seasonal reproduction found in temperate mammals. The two hypotheses predict either that total demand for energy is greater during reproduction than during winter (when thermoregulatory costs are high) (Increased Demand Hypothesis) or that total costs during winter are greater than or equal to total costs during reproduction (Reallocation Hypothesis).

2. Data were compiled from the literature on summer (non-reproducing) and winter metabolic rates of temperate mammals, and were used on litter sizes and a published equation to predict metabolic rates during lactation.

3. All three measures of metabolic rate scaled to body mass with slopes significantly less than one. Metabolic rates during winter averaged ≈ 2 times greater than those of non-reproducing mammals during summer. On average, predicted metabolic rates during lactation were not significantly greater than during winter, but for some individual species they clearly were.

4. It is suggested that neither the Reallocation nor the Increased Demand Hypothesis can fully explain seasonal reproductive patterns in temperate mammals.


Road safety education in schools offers many opportunities for improving road safety. This is a rare opportunity to present a coherent, developing message across years to children and adolescents as their understanding evolves, consistent with best practice early prevention principles. However, in many instances road safety education has suffered from a number of limitations: unsystematic content development, ad hoc delivery, delivery by (well-meaning) presenters with little education experience or understanding of students" learning needs, and content which is distinctly old paradigm, focussed only on changing the behaviour of the student audience as road users. The present paper draws on evidence of successful learning of road safety messages (as shown in school leaver quizzes) and safe system principles, to recommend features of road safety education which increase its chances of success. Safe system principles herald a new road safety paradigm in which the system operators hold the major responsibility for road safety, with an onus to accept that people will make mistakes, and thus that crashes will occur; and an onus to provide a system in which people are not exposed to physical forces beyond those which the human body can withstand, in a crash. Road safety education has not yet adopted this paradigm. Evidence based practice supports the following features of road safety education: it is part of the school curriculum, rather than irregular events; it includes content for every year of school; it does not include driver training; it is taught by professional school teachers with extra training in road safety so as not to perpetuate the social myths and risk misjudgements which pervade road safety; it includes teaching safe system principles as well as personal responsibility, in order to create understanding and demand for a safer system, the ultimate solution to the road safety problem.


Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a term that reflects lack of immunostaining for oestrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. It is a relatively uncommon subgroup of breast cancers, accounting for approximately 15% of all types, and overlaps substantially with basal tumours (defined by gene expression pattern) that are the predominant tumour that develops in BRCA1 mutation carriers.1 TNBCs usually have a worse prognosis and no clear options for receptor targeted treatment.2 The recent development of drugs that target the homologous recombination repair deficiency typical of BRCA-null cancer cells has led to an increased referral of women who have developed TNBC to genetic services for (rapid) genetic testing.3 We have tested 63 isolated cases of TNBC <41 years and only eight (12.7%) had a BRCA1 mutation.

The decision to test women affected with breast cancer for BRCA mutations has traditionally been based on clinical utility (clarifying the future risks of contralateral breast cancer/ovarian cancer for the index case). Equally importantly the result may help develop a genetic test for the wider family facilitating their risk assessment and management. However, recently the utility of testing to the oncologist treating the cancer in the index case has come sharply into focus with the advent of treatments such as the PARP (poly ADP ribose polymerase) inhibitors.3 Despite the fact that treatment with PARP inhibitors is still only available through research trials, our experience in the genetic clinic is of unrealistically high expectations about the likelihood of an underlying BRCA1 mutation …


Summary. Young grapevine plants with decline and wood necrosis symptoms were collected from vineyards and nurseries in the Apulia and Molise regions, Italy, from 2013 to 2015. Isolations of fungi were prepared from 45 diseased grapevine plants, and the cultures were identified. Several species commonly associated with Petri disease, Botryosphaeria dieback, and black foot disease were isolated. A detailed study was carried out, and 182 isolates resembling Cylindrocarpon -like asexual forms were identified through morphological characterisation and DNA analysis of internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 of the rRNA gene and the partial β-tubulin gene. Dactylonectria torrensensis and Ilyonectria liriodendri were identified based on morphological features and the partial histone 3 gene, so these fungi can be defined as the causal agents of black foot on grapevine for the first time in Italy. Thelonectria blackeriella is also described as a new species, through morphological characterisation and multigenic analysis using sequence data for five loci (large subunit RNA, internal transcribed spacers, β-tubulin, actin, RNA polymerase II subunit 1). This new species was associated with black foot symptoms according to preliminary pathogenicity tests, with representative isolates of each of the three species. Pathogenicity tests showed that these species can cause black streaking in the wood of 1-year-old grapevine rootstock shoots. The identification of D. torresensis , I. liriodendri and T. blackeriella from young grapevine plants and rooted rootstock highlights the importance of black foot disease in Italy, which has previously been overlooked.