The comparisons of mycobacterial genomes have identified several Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific genomic regions that are absent in other mycobacteria and are known as regions of differences. Due to M. tuberculosis-specificity, the peptides encoded by these regions could be useful in the specific diagnosis of tuberculosis. To explore this possibility, overlapping synthetic peptides corresponding to 39 proteins predicted to be encoded by genes present in regions of differences were tested for antibody-reactivity with sera from tuberculosis patients and healthy subjects. The results identified four immunodominant peptides corresponding to four different proteins, with three of the peptides showing significantly stronger antibody reactivity and rate of positivity with sera from tuberculosis patients than healthy subjects. The fourth peptide was recognized equally well by the sera of tuberculosis patients as well as healthy subjects. Predication of antibody epitopes by bioinformatics analyses using ABCpred server predicted multiple linear epitopes in each peptide. Furthermore, peptide sequence analysis for sequence identity using BLAST suggested M. tuberculosis-specificity for the three peptides that had preferential reactivity with sera from tuberculosis patients, but the peptide with equal reactivity with sera of TB patients and healthy subjects showed significant identity with sequences present in nobtuberculous mycobacteria. The three identified M. tuberculosisspecific immunodominant peptides may be useful in the serological diagnosis of tuberculosis. Keywords—Genomic regions of differences, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, peptides, serodiagnosis.


How important is spatial identity in shifting preferences for redistribution? This
paper takes advantage of within-country variability in the adoption of a single
currency as an instrument to examine the impact of the rescaling of spatial identity in
Europe. We draw upon data from the last three decades of waves of the European
Values Survey and we examine the impact of joining the single currency on
preferences for redistribution. Our instrumentation strategy relies on using the
exogenous effect of joining a common currency, alongside a battery of robustness
checks and alternative instruments. Our findings suggest that joining the euro has a
boosting effect on European identity; an opposite and comparable effect is found for
national pride. We find that European identity increases preferences for
redistribution, and that national pride exerts an equivalent reduction in preferences
for redistribution.


Vito and the Others (1991), Death of a Neapolitan Mathematician (1992) and Libera (1993), the debuts of three young Neapolitan filmmakers, stood out dramatically from the landscape of Italian cinema in the early 1990s. On the back of their critical success, over the next decade and a half, Naples became a thriving centre for film production.In this first study in English of one of the most vital and stimulating currents in contemporary European Cinema, Alex Marlow-Mann provides a detailed, multi-faceted and provocative study of this distinct regional tradition. In tracing the movement's relationship with the popular musical melodramas previously produced in Naples, he reveals how contemporary Neapolitan filmmakers have interrogated, subverted and reconfigured cinematic convention as part of a through-going re-examination of Neapolitan identity.


BACKGROUND: Although coiling of intracranial aneurysms is thought to rely on obstruction of blood flow into the aneurysm and induction of intra-aneurysmal thrombosis, little data exist regarding the effect of coil deployment on hemodynamics. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of simulated coiling of a model aneurysm on flow and wall shear stress in the dome and neck regions using computational fluid dynamic analysis. METHODS: A spherical sidewall aneurysm on a curved parent vessel underwent simulated embolization with 1 or more computer-designed helical coils. The coils' axes had parallel, orthogonal, or transverse orientation with respect to blood flow. Pulsatile laminar flow computational fluid dynamic analysis was performed on high-resolution conformal meshes of the aneurysm-coil complex using realistic non-Newtonian blood viscosity. RESULTS: Intra-aneurysmal flow and energy flux into the dome were significantly reduced by coil insertion, with little effect on pressure distribution. Coiling increased viscosity in the distal dome with progressive spread toward the neck with greater coil packing. Coiling also decreased wall shear stress and its gradient both in the inflow zone and the downstream parent vessel. These alterations were dependent on coil orientation, with effectiveness rank order of parallel > transverse > orthogonal. CONCLUSION: We successfully modeled the hemodynamic effects of aneurysm coil embolization and uncovered a framing coil orientation dependence of dome and parent vessel hemodynamics. In addition to suggesting a pathophysiological link among coil configuration, protection from rupture, and aneurysm regrowth, these results pave the way for the analysis of aneurysm-coil complex interactions on a patient lesion-specific basis.


We develop a minimalist compartmental model to analyze policies on mobility restriction in Italy during the Covid-19 outbreak. Our findings show that a early lockdowns barely shift the epidemic in time: moreover, beyond a critical value of the lockdown strength, an epidemic that seems to be quelled fully recovers after lifting the restrictions. We investigate the effects on lockdown scenarios and exit mechanisms by introducing heterogeneities in the model. In particular, we consider Italian regions as separate administrative entities in which social interactions through different age classes occur. We find that, due to the sparsity of the mobility matrix, epidemics developed independently in different regions once the outbreak starts. Moreover, after the epidemics ha started, the influence of contacts with other regions becomes soon irrelevant. Sparsity accounts for the observed delays across different regions. Analogous arguments would apply to the international borders. We also show how disregarding the structure of social contacts could lead to severe underestimation of the post-lockdown effects. Nevertheless, age class based mechanisms can help to mitigate rebound effects with milder strategies. Finally, we point out that our results can be generalized beyond this particular model by providing a description of the effects of key parameters on non-medical mitigation strategies for epidemics.


Although communications emerging in therapy are ascribed to the mind's unconscious, dark side, they are habitually translated in clinical dialogue into the supposedly therapeutic language of reason and consciousness. But, Dr. Watzlawick argues, it is precisely this bizarre language of the unconscious which holds the key to those realms where alone therapeutic change can take place. Dr. Watzlawick suggests that rather than following the usual procedure of interpreting the patient's communications and thereby translating them into the language of a given psychotherapeutic theory, the therapist must learn the patient's language and make his or her interventions in terms that are congenial to the patient's manner of conceptualizing reality. Only in that way, he shows, can the therapist effectively bring about genuine changes and problem resolutions. Drawing on the work of Milton H. Erickson, he supports his findings with many (and often amusing) examples. This book, then, is a virtual introductory course to the grammar and language of the unconscious.


The strength of Java is no longer in the language itself; it's in the Java Platform (the JVM, JDK, and rich frameworks and libraries). But recently, the industry has turned to dynamic languages for increased productivity and speed to market. Groovy is one of a new breed of dynamic languages that run on the Java platform. You can use these new languages on the JVM and intermix them with your existing Java code. You can leverage your Java investments while benefiting from advanced features including true Closures, Meta Programming, the ability to create internal DSLs, and a higher level of abstraction. If you're an experienced Java developer, Programming Groovy will help you learn the necessary fundamentals of programming in Groovy. You'll see how to use Groovy to do advanced programming including using Meta Programming, Builders, Unit Testing with Mock objects, processing XML, working with Databases and creating your own Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs).


The main purpose of this state-of-the-art paper is to make a synthesis analysis oncollaboration in supply chain by literature review of all relevant articles, conceptualizingcollaboration in supply chain and providing implications for future research. Based ondesigned material collection standard, up to year 2014, a total of 1250 papers are usedfor descriptive analysis and a total of 509 papers are carefully reviewed for furtherclassification, conceptualization and comparison analysis. Research in this field is in anincreasing trend in general but most of collaboration in supply chain is still in a low levelin research. Another interesting finding is that logistics seems to be the most promisingsupply chain stage for research about collaboration in supply chain.


VP16 (also called Vmw65 and alpha TIF) is a structural protein of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) that trans-induces HSV-1 immediate-early gene transcription. This report describes an HSV-1 VP16 deletion mutant that was constructed and propagated in a cell line transformed with a VP16 expression vector. The VP16 deletion mutant replicated like wild-type HSV-1 during infection of the VP16-expressing cell line. Deletion mutant virions propagated in this cell line contained wild-type, cell-derived VP16 protein that was recruited during virion assembly and was functional for immediate-early gene trans-induction. The mutant failed to replicate during subsequent infection of cells that do not express VP16, as determined in plaque assays and single-step replication assays. The deletion mutant induced nearly normal levels of viral DNA synthesis and capsid production during these infections, but it induced slightly lower levels of viral DNA encapsidation and appeared by transmission electron microscopy to be defective in further steps of virion maturation. A genetic revertant of the deletion mutant that was restored for VP16-coding sequences exhibited fully wild-type replication properties in both VP16-expressing and nonexpressing cells. The absence of VP16 protein synthesis at late times of HSV-1 infection prevents the production of infectious progeny virus and correlates with a profound defect in HSV-1 particle assembly.


Belonging to an esoteric corpus of Buddhist texts known as the teachings of secret mantra (Skt. guhyamantra), the tantras of Vajrakīla have been carefully guarded through the centuries and handed down from teacher to disciple under a strictly ethical code of conduct. Although the texts themselves often seem to advocate a violent and unrestrained lifestyle, under the skillful guidance of a suitably qualified guru, who must be seen by the disciple as none other than the Buddha himself, one who seriously engages in the systematic practice of their profound series of meditations becomes quickly and thoroughly purified in body, speech, and mind.
 The wrathful deity Vajrakīla is described in all the tantras that bear his name as the manifestation of heroic power for the overthrow of Māra. During times of peace he manifests as Vajrasattva, and his mind abides in tranquility. During times of activity he manifests as "Vajra of Total Destruction" (Skt. *Ativināśanavajra) and, when manifesting as a bodhisattva, he is Vajrapāṇi, "the One with a Vajra in his Hand."
 With regard to his name "Vajrakīla": vajra as a prefix is found everywhere within the Buddhist tantras. Originally meaning "the hard or mighty one" and referring in particular to the thunderbolt as a weapon of Indra, it subsequently became so intimately associated with the development of tantric ideas in Buddhism that the entire system of practice came to be known as the Vajrayāna or Vajra Vehicle. Indeed, as a symbol within the Buddhist tantras it is as pregnant with meaning as the very texts themselves. Characterized as abhedya, "unbreakable," and acchedya, "indivisible," the term may be said to represent nothing less than the full enlightenment of the samyaksaṃbuddha, who himself came to be referred to as Vajradhara, "Holder of the Vajra." The Sanskrit word kīla means "nail," "peg," or "spike," and thus Vajrakīla may be taken to mean "the unassailable spike" or, on a higher level, "(He who is) the nail of supreme enlightenment."
 Introduced to Tibet during the 8th century ce, the Buddhist tantras of Vajrakīla were received with great enthusiasm and quickly became established as a vital element in the religious life of the Tibetan empire. Said to encompass every aspect of the ground, path, and goal, the Vajrakīla tantras present a coherent and complete system of spiritual practice that culminates in the attainment of perfect liberation from the round of rebirth.
 The roots of Kīla mythology, however, may lie buried deep within the pre-Buddhist religion of ancient India where, in the Ṛgveda, the story is told of the god Indra who slew the demon Vṛtra. It is said that, at that time, Indra stabilized the earth and propped up the heavens with a kīla and thus, at the outset, we have clearly discernible indications of a path along which a simple wooden stake might travel so as eventually to become deified as a terrifying god of awesome power, one by whom all demons are vanquished and enlightenment realized for the benefit of the world.


"Beyond musical works: new perspectives on music ontology and performance What are musical works? How are they constructed in our minds? Which material things allow us to speak about them in the first place? Does a specific way of conceiving musical works limit their performative potentials? Which alternative, more productive images of musical work can be devised? Virtual Works – Actual Things addresses contemporary music ontological discourses, challenging dominant musicological accounts, questioning their authoritative foundation and moving towards dynamic perspectives devised by music practitioners and artist researchers. Specific attention is given to the relationship between the virtual multiplicities that enable the construction of an image of a musical work and the actual, concrete materials that make such a construction possible. With contributions by prominent scholars, this book is a wide-ranging and fascinating collection of essays, which will be of great interest for artistic research, contemporary musicology, music philosophy, performance studies and music pedagogy alike. Contributors: David Davies (McGill University, Montreal), Andreas Dorschel (University of the Arts Graz), Lydia Goehr (Columbia University, New York), Kathy Kiloh (OCAD University, Toronto), Jake McNulty (Columbia University, New York), Gunnar Hindrichs (University of Basel), John Rink (University of Cambridge)"


Protein complexes often contain multiple subunits, and it is these complexes that are at the core of biological function in the cell. Inherently low quantities of protein complexes in eukaryotes can prohibit the extraction of these essential cellular machines from native source material, posing a considerable challenge for functional analysis at the molecular level. The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is particularly useful for recombinantly producing eukaryotic proteins in the quality and quantity required for deciphering their structure and function. Recent efforts have focused on improving reagents and streamlining protocols to routinely express protein complexes by recombinant baculoviruses. The challenge of integration of baculovirus expression in high-throughput production pipelines for proteins and their complexes is being addressed.

Key Concepts:

Protein complexes are a cornerstone of biological function in the cell.

Recombinant production is essential to study many multiprotein complexes.

Ongoing development of expression systems for producing multiprotein complexes.

BEVS as a method of choice for large-scale production of complexes requires integration of all genes in a single multigene baculovirus rather than coinfecting insect cell cultures with many baculoviruses.

Creation of new reagents and streamlined protocols to address the challenge of generating multigene baculoviruses for routine laboratory use.

Engineering baculoviruses and new host cell lines to further enhance protein production by BEVS.

Multigene vector generation incorporated into automation pipelines to increase the throughput of protein complex expression by BEVS.

Keywords:

multiprotein complexes;
interactome;
eukaryotic expression;
BEVS;
MultiBac system;
BAC;
insect cell culture;
automation;
structural biology


Web mashups are Web applications developed using contents and services available online. Despite rapidly increasing interest in mashups, comprehensive development tools and frameworks are lacking, and in most cases mashing up a new application implies a significant manual programming effort. This article overviews current tools, frameworks, and trends that aim to facilitate mashup development. The authors use a set of characteristic dimensions to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of some representative approaches.


The present study aims to elucidate the effects of different carbohydrates on the early stages of calcium carbonate mineralization by following a systematic potentiometric titration-based approach. Distinct mono-, oligo- and polysaccharides were evaluated with respect to their influence on the formation of solute pre-nucleation clusters, the nucleation process itself, and the solubility of the initially precipitated phase. By assaying 29 carbohydrates, we show that sugar stereochemistry, polarity, presence of Ca 2+ binding sites, as well as the nature of glycosidic linkages can play an important role in the interactions between the additives and the mineral species occurring in the course of CaCO 3 crystallization from solution.


This paper proposes a method for constructing a simulator of pinching a 3-D object by a pair of robot fingers under the gravity effect, holonomic constraints, and a differential equation of non-holonomic constraints expressing rotational motion of the pinched object. A noteworthy difference of modeling of motion of a 3-D object from that of a 2-D object is that the instantaneous axis of rotation of the object is fixed in the 2-D case but that is time-varying in the 3-D case. This difference appears as non-holonomic constraints. A further difficulty 3-D physical interactions between two robot fingers and a rigid object is that spinning motion may arise around the opposing axis connecting the two contact points between fingertip's and the pinched object. The proposed simulation method deals with the case after such spinning motion ceases. Non-occurrence of such spinning motion induces a further non-holonomic constraint. It is shown that Lagrange's equation of motion of the overall system can be derived without violating the causality that governs such non-holonomic constraints. In the mathematical model, holonomic constraints and Euler-Lagrange equations are mutually related. Therefore, this paper aims at ordering these conditions and proposing the algorithm to carry out numerical simulation of the overall system motion without violating the principle of causality of time. Then, results of the simulation are shown to verify the validity of the proposed control input called"blind grasping"based on opposable forces between the thumb and another finger (index or middle finger) without use of any object kinematics or any external sensing.


Background: Pediatric inguinal hernia is one of the frequent causes of childhood morbidity. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the incidence of metachronous contralateral inguinal hernia in pediatric patients aged ≤ 12 months, in Northern Saudi Arabia. Methodology: In the present study, records of a series of 90 pediatric patients (aged ≤ 12 months) were presented with inguinal hernia and have subsequently undergone inguinal hernia repair. Results: About 2/30 (6.6%) with left side hernia were found with subsequent right side metachronous contralateral inguinal hernia (MCIH) occurrence. One out of the two 1/2 (50%) was found at the age of 2 months, the other one 1/2 (50%) was at the age of 6 months. The 3/54 (5.5%) with right inguinal hernia developed a contralateral hernia, of whom 2/3 (66.6%) were found at the age of 12 months, and one 1/3 (33.3%) was at the age of 2 months. Conclusion: The findings of the present study suggest that there is a relatively higher incidence of contralateral inguinal hernia if the initial presentation was on the left side, which necessitates a close follow up for those patients; however, there is not enough evidence to support routine exploration of the contralateral groin surgically.


Changes to the taxpayer substantial understatement penalty lay at the heart of the protracted controversy over practice standards in the 1980s. Practitioners objected to Treasury Department efforts to align professional standards with reporting requirements for taxpayers. Proposed amendments to Circular 230, released in 1986, would have prohibited practitioners from advising or recommending a reporting position or preparing or signing a tax return unless they could determine that the section 6661 substantial understatement penalty would not apply. Practitioners recoiled. Prevailing ethical guidelines of the major professional organizations merely required tax practitioners to render advice in good faith evidenced by a realistic possibility of success if litigated; prevailing guidelines did not require them to insure against potential tax liabilities. This article examines the love-hate relationship between the substantial understatement penalty and practitioners in the mid to late 1980s.


Treatment of toad rods with phosphodiesterase inhibitors (3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, caffeine, theophylline, papaverine, and RO 20-1724) modifies the properties of the intracellular voltage responses to dim flashes of light. 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine at 1-20 microM causes an increase in flash sensitivity and a slowing down of the kinetics of the photoresponses. When the drug concentration is greater than 20 microM, rods also show supralinear behavior, whereby doubling the intensity of a dim flash may increase the response by greater than 2-fold. Sensitivity, kinetics, and supralinear behavior can be restored to normal by steady background illumination while still in the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. However, the intensity of the steady light needed to restore the sensitivity to control levels is not sufficient to accelerate the kinetics back to control values. The antagonism between the effects of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and the effects of background illumination is explained by assuming that: (i) the length of time to peak voltage responses to dim flashes of light is inversely proportional to the rate of a chemical reaction; (ii) the rate of this reaction is controlled by an enzyme that is inhibited competitively by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine with a Ki of 3 x 10(-6) M; and (iii) the concentration of a cofactor of this reaction increases proportionally with the intensity of the background illumination.


Double-gate field-emission characteristics of metallic field-emitter-array (FEA) cathodes fabricated by molding with stacked collimation gate electrodes with planar end plane are reported. The collimation of field-emission electron beam with minimal reduction of emission current is demonstrated when a negative bias is applied to the collimation gate, whereas when the two electrodes are at the same potential, the emission characteristic of the double-gate device is the same as that of the single-gate device that shows an emission current of ~1 mA from 40 × 40 tip arrays. Results indicate that the device structure of the fabricated double-gate FEAs is promising for high-brilliance cathode applications.


Abstract. Bituminous shales are associated to worldwide geological events, such as mass extinction, anoxia and climatic changes, mainly when preserved in carbonate ramps, and constitute reliable records of this dynamics. However, a minority of data still exist that measure the Permian, especially in the Southern Hemisphere associated to Panthalassic Ocean as compared to numerous studies of Oceanic Anoxic Events in the Cretaceous or associated to Tethys. The Late Permian extinction was the most severe extinction of the past 500 million years, which wiped out over 90 % of marine species. Before the Permian-Triassic boundary (e.g. Early-Middle Permian successions) geochemical and geological anomalous aspects has received more attention due the information about the Late Paleozoic icehouse-greenhous transitions, which is one of the triggers for the catastrophic ectinction. Therefore the Irati Formation, Permian interval of Paraná Basin in southern Brazil, is suitable for the study of these intricate processes due to the presence of Permian bituminous shales and carbonates. Based on core descriptions, spectral gamma ray data and organic geochemistry, a stratigraphic scheme is here proposed to support paleoenvironmental inferences. We identified three depositional sequences formed internally by T-R cycles of highest frequency. The sedimentary facies analysis indicates a carbonate ramp subdivided into outer, middle and inner. Climatic and sea level changes are defined, and also oscillations in the salinity, oxygenation and organic matter source. Bituminous shales record normal salinity, with anoxia levels and even euxinia, associated to the increase in bioproductivity. Carbonate facies register periods of hypersalinity under oxic environment and semi-arid conditions. The accumulation of Mesosaurus skeletal remains results from the action of reworking fluxes, creating an endemic facies in this region. Climatic versus eustatic influence were differentiated, and also the controlling hierarchies. These results are evidence for the environmental dynamics from the Permian, that generated extreme global events, mainly in Gondwana.


This paper provides a methodology to encode video objects in a scalable manner with regard to both content and quality. Content scalability and quality scalability have been identified as required features in order to support video coding across different environments. Following the object-based approach to coding video, we extend our previous work on motion-based segmentation by using a time recursive approach to segmenting image sequences and decomposing a video "shot" into its constituent objects. Our formulation of the segmentation problem enables us to design a codec in which the information (shape, texture and motion) pertaining to each video object is encoded independent of the other. The multiresolution wavelet decomposition used in encoding texture information is shown to be helpful in providing spatial scalability. Our codec design is also shown to be temporally scalable.


Natural language negation is persistently negative in the pragmatic sense, and emphatic and attenuating negative polarity items modulate this effect in systematic ways. I use large corpora of informal texts with meta-data approximating features of the context to characterize this pragmatic negativity, and I attempt to explain it in terms of the ways in which negative sentences engage the questions under discussion. The discussion highlights some of the ways in which quantitative corpus methods can be used to achieve novel results in linguistic pragmatics.


Thiazolidinediones (TZD) have been shown to down-regulate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in prostate cancer cell lines and decrease PSA velocity among prostate cancer patients; however, the effect of TZDs on serum PSA levels among men with diabetes at risk for prostate cancer is unknown. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of veterans receiving care for diabetes between 1999 and 2005 to determine if TZD use affects PSA levels in veterans at risk for prostate cancer. Eligible patients were male, ≥45 years old, taking at least one oral antidiabetic medication, and with two or more recorded PSA values. Patients with a prior history of prostate cancer or prostatectomy were excluded. Of the 13,791 patients included in the adjusted analysis, 2,016 (14.6%) were prescribed a TZD. No effect of cumulative TZD dose on change in PSA was detected (P = 0.26). Increased TZD exposure was not associated with a change in PSA, suggesting that TZD treatment for diabetes is unlikely to affect prostate cancer detection. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(6):1937–8)


Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of creative activity and storytelling in assisting development of students' reflective ability and critical thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

– Eight biomedical science students undertaking year-long work-based placements took part in this action research study. A coding scheme was designed to assess students' reflections initially and at each stage of the study. Intervention activities involved students using mood boards, images and storytelling to assist development of creative learning spaces with a thematic approach employed to analyse both personal and collective reflections. Post-intervention evaluation considered possible long-term impact on students' reflective ability.

Findings

– Students' pre-intervention reports showed little reflection focusing mainly on competence demonstration and descriptive situation summaries. During the intervention workshops, all students demonstrated both identification of self as a practitioner and a critically reflective approach. However, this was not maintained long term as initial post-intervention reports tended to revert to a more descriptive style of writing suggesting longer-term support is required.

Research limitations/implications

– The importance of further research into the long-term usefulness of creative collaborative learning spaces in work-based programmes is suggested.

Originality/value

– This is the first study investigating the approach to supporting critical reflection during work placement in biomedical scientists. It is suggested that the current competence-based training programme provides limited opportunities for developing and embedding critical reflection. Where opportunities are provided, such as creative learning spaces, students' critical reflection was greatly enhanced. However, it appears essential that this approach is maintained throughout training as critically reflective skills developed during collaborative learning have limited transferability to subsequent reflective report writing.


We present a comprehensive computational and experimental examination of the Cr1-xVxO2 (0 <= x <= 0.5) system. The entire series crystallizes in the rutile structure, but the compounds exhibit significantly different magnetic properties depending on x. Lattice parameter a increases linearly with x, but the c parameter is slightly reduced due to vanadium-vanadium bonding. The V-for-Cr substitution creates Cr3+-V5+ pairs; this leads to competition between ferromagnetic (Cr4+-Cr4+) and antiferromagnetic (Cr3+-Cr3+) interactions such that the materials change from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic with increasing x. Weak ferromagnetic interactions arising from Cr4+ are observed even in the seemingly antiferromagnetic phases with the exception of x = 0.5, which contains only Cr3+. Density functional theory calculations are performed, but they incorrectly predict the x = 0.5 phase to be a half-metal. This is caused by an incorrect prediction of the oxidation states of chromium and vanadium.


Economic developments in the four Visegrad countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – will be viewed against the background of secular trends of population ageing and, in some cases, outright population decline. Under plausible assumptions, these trends will persist over the next few decades, as low birth rates and rising mortality rates – reinforced by outward net migration in the case of Poland – will result in the working-age populations shrinking further. So far, the economic effects of the reduced labour supply in the Visegrad countries have been largely positive it has been a major factor behind the dramatic decline in unemployment over the past few years. However, growing labour shortages – unless offset by increased automation – might become a constraint on the economic growth of the Visegrad countries in the near future. It was only after a considerable time lag that the decline in labour supply started to translate into an improvement in the bargaining power of workers and a corresponding sustained real wage growth. Until about 2013, these were largely offset by institutional factors, namely labour market liberalisation and fiscal austerity measures implemented in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, resulting in the stagnation of real wages over a protracted period of time. It was not until 2013 that real wage growth in the Visegrad countries finally gained momentum, crucially helped by a profound turnaround in economic policies under the newly formed 'populist' governments which revoked some of the liberal economic reforms initiated by their predecessors (especially in Hungary and Poland). The marked growth in real wages observed over the past few years has hardly eroded the competitiveness of the Visegrad countries' economies which all possess a strong export sector and continue recording solid trade surpluses. At the same time, it has been the main factor behind the growth of private consumption – and ultimately GDP growth. The implications of these developments for Austria are likely to be two-fold. On the one hand, the above-average economic growth in the Visegrad countries is welcome news for Austria as it will offer more trade and investment opportunities for Austrian companies. The track record of increased economic cooperation with these countries so far has been, by and large, positive for Austria. On the other hand, the shrinking working-age population in the Visegrad countries and their ongoing catching-up, inter alia in terms of wages and social benefits, imply that labour migration flows from these countries to Austria, which has been sizeable up to now, will likely subside, aggravating the problem of labour and skills shortages in Austria. Measures offsetting the rising labour and skill shortages in Austria could include, for instance, training programs and apprenticeships, supported by fiscal measures such as tax benefits and targeted subsidies. In the longer term, mitigating labour force shortages in Austria would require policies such as improving training in technical and craft occupations as well as subsidising investments in labour-saving technologies which could offset the effects of a shrinking working-age population on economic growth.


This paper deals with the optimal allocation of MPEG-2 encoding and media-independent forward error correction (FEC) rates under a total given bandwidth. The optimality is defined in terms of minimum perceptual distortion given a set of video and network parameters. We first derive the set of equations leading to the residual loss process parameters. That is, the packet loss ratio (PLR) and the average burst length after FEC decoding. We then show that the perceptual source distortion decreases exponentially with the increasing MPEG-2 source rate. We also demonstrate that the perceptual distortion due to data loss is directly proportional to the number of lost macroblocks, and therefore decreases with the amount of channel protection. Finally, we derive the global set of equations that lead to the optimal dynamic rate allocation. The optimal distribution is shown to outperform classical FEC scheme, thanks to its adaptivity to the scene complexity, the available bandwidth and to the network performance. Furthermore, our approach holds for any standard video compression algorithms (i.e., MPEG-x, H.26x).


Many decades of exploration and documentation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) have shown dynamic and pristine ecosystems that have been a source of cultural, economic and scientific wealth. Recent calls for large-scale and archipelagic-wide ecosystem management build upon this history, emphasizing holistic and integrated science and institutional collaboration. Given the successful experiences of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM), the Hawaiian Islands serve as a commendable example of the value of scientific exploration in support of resource management. Past activities ranging from exploration, voyaging, monitoring and protection are all essential to these initiatives, contributing to an improved global understanding of ocean systems and environmental changes. This article draws on local knowledge, histories and scientific expeditions to reflect on past exploration and its importance to what we now know about the NWHI. The integration of previous expeditions and science initiatives is demonstrated through the increasingly successful ecosystem-based management of PMNM and support for archipelagic-wide marine managed areas. Reflections on how these histories influence present day research questions and future management directions are also discussed.


Gaming and immersive virtual environments provide a new way to engage stakeholders during early stages of Systems Engineering lifecycle to help them reach a common mental model of the concept of operations. A weak link in the Systems Engineering lifecycle is often the connection between what the users need and what the system developers think the users need, together with a shared understanding of the operational environment and associated constraints and dependencies. The current system development environment calls for user needs to be specified in a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) document, which provides a foundation of future system capabilities and describes typical scenarios that it will encounter. Given the size and complexity of today's systems, CONOPS development can take considerable time and effort, which can cause its production to be incomplete and insufficient. This introduces misunderstanding and miscommunication early in the Systems Engineering lifecycle. This paper describes a method allowing stakeholders to express their needs through a model-based approach to create a graphical CONOPS leveraging gaming technology. The resulting CONOPS would provide system developers with direct access to the needs of stakeholders, and would enable the creation of Model-Based System Engineering artifacts early in the development lifecycle. Current research and development efforts, interim findings, initial impressions gained from user feedback and recommendations will be described. The presentation proposes to demonstrate our Integrated Concept Engineering System, while reflecting on its developer's experiences.


Abstract Wholesale prices for electricity vary significantly due to high fluctuations and low elasticity of short-run demand. End-use customers have typically paid flat retail rates for their electricity consumption, and time-varying prices (TVPs) have been proposed to help reduce peak consumption and lower the overall cost of servicing demand. Unfortunately, the general practice is an opt-in system: a default rule in favor of TVPs would be far better. A behaviorally informed analysis also shows that when transaction costs and decision biases are taken into account, the most cost-reflective policies are not necessarily the most efficient. On reasonable assumptions, real-time prices can result in less peak conservation of manually controlled devices than time-of-use or critical-peak prices. For that reason, the trade-offs between engaging automated and manually controlled loads must be carefully considered in time-varying rate design. The rate type and accompanying program details should be designed with the behavioral biases of consumers in mind, while minimizing price distortions for automated devices.


This virtual platform study enhances the building of stronger social communities. It researches the influence of end-user motives on social relationship dimensions by highlighting the mediating pathways of social connectivities. Developers and businesses can enlist the findings to customise their virtual end-user-targeted solutions and then deliver value-added virtual services and products.

The relationship between end-user motives and the formation of social capital remains critical in understanding casual influences; however, there has been no previous research looking at this relationship by considering social connectivities. Previous research on end-user motives and social capital within one type of online gaming environment indicated some driving factors behind the development and formation of social capital in virtual worlds.

This study focuses on active end-users participating in one of three substantive virtual world platforms to examine whether end-user motives influence their social capital dimensions.

Three basic theories—gratification, social relationship and social capital—underpin this study's social capital motives model. In this model, end-user motive antecedents— achievement, control, escapism and friendship—are linked to social connectivities through bridging and bonding, which, in turn, are linked to the social capital's cognitive, relational and structural dimensions.

An online global survey in English provided 274 valid and usable cases from three different virtual worlds.

A quantitative approach is used to test the proposed research framework model. The resulting empirically tested social capital motives model was bootstrap-validated using AMOS 22. The model delivered a high-quality fit across all relevant fit indices.

The social capital motives model verified 12 hypothesised paths as significant and theoretically justified. Here, achievement and escapism show a significant positive effect on bridging social connectivities, whereas control, escapism and friendship show a significant positive effect on bonding social connectivities.

Next, bridging social connectivities shows a strong positive effect on bonding social connectivities. Bridging social connectivities also offers a positive influence on cognitive social capital. Bonding social connectivities positively affects cognitive, relational and structural social capital dimensions. Finally, both the cognitive and structural dimensions are found to have a significant effect on the resulting relational social capital dimension.

The social capital motives model contributes to research within international business (particularly virtual world businesses and social media) and information technology platforms. Theoretically, this study's two-stage Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) path model integrates three theories and redefines bonding and bridging as social connectivities.

This study shows end-user motives can indirectly influence social capital dimensions through social connectivities. Thus, researchers investigating the formulation of social capital in virtual worlds can apply the social capital motives model as a starting point when developing their more advance social capital research models.

Businesses can engage the social capital motives model to further motivate their end-users to generate greater social capital, which, in turn, will strengthen interactions among existing end-users and, consequently, attract new end-users.


The hypocenter location of the 13 March 1992, M = 6.9 Erzincan earthquake (Turkey) and its rupture kinematics have been studied using local and regional seismic records to understand its relationship with the tectonic activity of the Erzincan basin and of the North Anatolian fault (NAF). Regional records of the mainshock and the largest aftershocks were used to locate the respective epicenters. The mainshock S-P travel time delay and the P-wave polarization of the near-source accelerogram record in Erzincan (ERZ), calibrated by the aftershock records, constrain the mainshock hypocenter to be located about 10 km to the east-southeast of Erzincan, 39°42.3 N, 39°35.2 E, and at a best-fit depth of about 9 km. The activated fault is a major branch of the NAF along the eastern edge of the basin. Hypocentral depths greater than about 16 km are not supported by the data. The ground velocity record at ERZ has been synthesized for constraining the northwestward rupture, assuming a kinematic model with constant slip and rupture velocity, and a strike 125°, for a large number of models. The latter were constructed by varying the rupture parameters in a discrete domain. The best-fit fault models are located within 1 km of the epicenter above and have all their northwestern end within 5 km of ERZ. The up-dip limit of the rupture in the vicinity of ERZ ranges from 5 to 2 km in depth, in agreement with the absence of surface breakage. The estimated rupture velocity is 3 km/sec; the rise time is 0.35 sec; and the mean slip of about 1 m is poorly resolved, with a standard uncertainty of 0.5 m, being strongly sensitive to the rupture velocity and to the fault location. Combining these results with the seismic moment and the source duration provided by other studies leads to a total rupture length ranging between 20 and 35 km. The rupture thus propagated bilaterally on the NAF and was confined within the limits of the basin, stopping to the southeast near the intersection of the NAF with the Ovaçik fault.


In this paper linguistic traces of the Enets' migration to the Taimyr Peninsula are addressed. Special attention is paid to Forest Enets–Ket contacts and a tentative etymology for the (Forest) Enets' ethnonym for Kets and Selkups is offered. Of special importance is a likely Enets place name in Northern Evenkija, an area from which no Enets place names have been reported earlier. As the same area is inhabited by speakers of the northern dialect of Ket, this area should be seen as a possible contact area for the unusual case of pronoun borrowing in Forest Enets as discussed in Siegl (2008).


Using a miniaturized near infrared spectrometer associated to chemometrics we developed a rapid and non destructive procedure to characterise paper and investigate its aging with the aim of solving dating problems. Two sets of paper were considered in this study (books and sheets) in order to ensure the results are not dependent of the storage conditions. The MicroNIR has the ability to distinguish paper according to the chemical composition of the surface as a function of the period of manufacturing. The optimized analytical platform is fast and simple, avoiding sample pre-treatment procedures. As a consequence, the approach may be considered as the optimal technology to carry out analysis of ancient paper or other similar materials for diagnostic or forensic purposes as it is entirely portable and non-destructive.


OF DISSERTATION LIFE ON THE BIG SLAB: IDENTITY AND MOBILITY IN THE UNITED STATES TRUCKING INDUSTRY Many changes have occurred in the United States trucking industry over the last thirty years. This study examines the effects of these changes by looking at three related themes: life on the road and life at home, body image and bodily health, and the experiences of women and sexual minorities in the industry. This research is based on a discourse analysis of interviews conducted with truck drivers and trucking industry leaders. Most truck drivers say that they value the independent nature of their workplace. Yet the independence that is a part of the trucker mystique is challenged by increased surveillance and the availability of more invasive surveillance technologies to motor carriers and the United States government. At the same time drivers face long periods of time away from home and they experience disconnection from their families. Families must learn to adapt to the absence of their trucking loved ones which is a difficult task. However, sometimes these adaptations can result in positive changes for partners at home, such as increased independence and more authority in the home. The bodies of truck drivers are also examined. Many drivers believe that their image as workers has taken a turn for the worst and the bodily presentation plays an important role in image. Drivers seek to set themselves apart from drivers who they think perpetuate negative images of their industry through sloppy dress and a lack of professionalism. At the same time, there is increasing evidence that the working conditions of this industry lead to unhealthy bodies that are diseased and worn out. Finally, very little has been written about women or gays and lesbians in this workplace. Women represent only five percent of this industry and they face significant barriers to surviving in this occupation because many male workers seek to marginalize them through exclusionary practices like sexual harassment. Members of the LGBT community are represented in the industry and find both comfort and exclusion in trucking. This work also examines the sexual subcultures in trucking such as sex workers and truck chasers.


This work aims to predict downturns in real economic activity, by exploring a welldescribed theoretical linkage between the yield spread and a coming recession. Since the Israeli data are of short span and do not provide convincing evidence of forward looking yield spread, I introduce the "standardized" yield spread, adjusted for monetary shocks, which are not found to be connected directly to real output. This prior adjustment factor is captured as a latent variable, which can be identified by a regime of conditional volatility. For this purpose, the tworegime Markov chain with switching mean and variance is applied. Downturns are evaluated in respect of their onsets, but not their deepness or duration. The ex ante probability of decline, calculated six months ahead, is kept conditional on the current economic growth. To account for the serial correlation effect, a dynamic ordered method has been applied. The parameters are estimated via the Gibbs sampler. The suggested approach seems to overcome the lack of linearity between the yield spread and subsequent real output. The main recessionary episodes of 1996, 1998 and late 2000 could be anticipated, by simulation results. Since the model parameters are self updating upon the new sample data, this method can apparently be used in a current projection. In the upward direction, only two rightly predicted upturns have been accepted. Because of a short sample, one cannot conclude whether the well-known asymmetry of yield-spread predictive power (in favor of recessionary signals) really holds.


Combined federal, state, and local taxes on wireless services are about twice as high as the average retail sales tax. While the normative justification for above-average taxation of wireless service is weak, there is a compelling public-choice explanation: The mobile service tax base appears to suffer from a tragedy of the anticommons. That is, multiple parties have the power to block or partially block access to a resource, resulting in underutilization of the resource. In our context, numerous overlapping tax authorities seek to obtain revenues through wireless-service taxation, and this may lead to overexploitation of the tax base. The anticommons problem has two dimensions. First, the mobile-service tax base funds numerous distinct projects at each level of government. Second, the base is taxed by numerous overlapping levels of government. We use state-level data from three years to examine the possible economic, demographic, and political factors that might explain the variation in these rates. We find that wireless tax rates increase with the number of overlapping tax bases.


Although New Zealand has traditionally relied on 'progressive realisation' of economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) through public policy decision-making, recently there has been a small number of cases relying on international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to support the legal argument. This article reviews the implementation of the ICESCR in New Zealand through an analysis of this case law. The article argues that although there has been an increase in the number of cases relying of ESCR, the courts have been reluctant to grant a remedy without ESCR being explicitly incorporated into the domestic law. The article further argues that the attempt to provide a remedy for ESCR through the declaration of inconsistency under the Human Rights Amendment Act 2001 has highlighted the need for the inclusion of ESCR into the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.


The Salt Caves Hydroelectric Project, as proposed by the City of Klamath Falls, Oregon, is a prime example of a project where the design has been based on elimination and minimization of environmental impacts and incorporation of significant mitigation measures to offset any potential impacts and enhance the resources of the area. This paper describe the major changes made in the project design to minimize environmental impact, and describes the project as it is presently conceived with specific considerations to environmental constraints. This paper also provides an update on the licensing and permitting process.


Over the past decade or so, the wealth produced by Qatar's oil and gas exports has generated a construction development boom in its capital city of Doha and the surrounding vicinity. Since the late 1990s, the number of inhabitants has grown from less than 400,000 to more than 1.7 million today. In many respects, Doha is portrayed as an important emerging global capital in the Gulf region, which has been positioning and re-inventing itself on the map of international architecture and urbanism, with a global image of building clusters of glass office towers, as well as cultural and educational facilities. While focusing on the architectural and planning aspects of Doha's intensive urbanization, this first comprehensive examination of the city sets this within the socio-political and economic context of the wider Arabian Peninsula. 'Demystifying Doha - On Architecture and Urbanism in an Emerging City' features a comprehensive discussion on contemporary architecture and urbanism of Doha as an emerging regional metropolis. It provides a critical analysis of the evolution of architecture and urbanism as products of the contemporary global condition. Issues that pertain to emerging service hubs, decentralised urban governance, integrated urban development strategies, image-making practices, urban identity, the dialectic relations between the city and its society and sustainable urbanism are all examined to elucidate the urban evolution and the contemporary condition of Doha. 'Demystifying Doha - On Architecture and Urbanism in an Emerging City' concludes by suggesting a framework for future studies of the city as well as for investigating the future of similar cities, setting out an agenda for sustainable urban growth, while invigorating the multiple roles urban planners and architects can play in shaping this future.


A constructed wetland (0.08 ha) receiving drainage water from a small agricultural catchment (22 ha) with clay soil, was investigated with respect to phosphorus dynamics and retention. The aim was to evaluate the function of the wetland with respect to phosphorus retention, and relate that to gross sedimentation as measured with sediment traps. Hydraulic load and phosphorus retention were estimated for 2003-2010 based on monitoring data. Furthermore, water quality dynamics was studied during three intensive sampling periods of 3-5 days during 2010. For each period, phosphorus retention was calculated and the relationship between flow and phosphorus concentrations analysed. Additionally, the gross sedimentation rate was estimated using sediment traps, and the phosphorus, carbon and nitrogen content analysed. The results suggested that there was no net retention of phosphorus during 2003-2010, except for 04/05. During the intensive sampling periods, release of phosphorus from the wetland mainly occurred during high flow. Sediment analyses showed that settling of inflow particles mostly occurred in the inlet pond, while the sediment found in a shallow vegetated area and outlet pond likely originated from internal processes rather than from the catchment. In fact, the gross sedimentation of phosphorus during April-July and July-August, respectively, exceeded the measured phosphorus inflow. The results showed that short periods with rapid flow increases were crucial for the wetlands function and thus high frequency sampling must be done during these periods. Furthermore, it seems that the particles lost from the catchment during high flows are too small to settle in the wetland.


Background: A formal evaluation of the Postgraduate (PG) training program has not been previously carried out at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences. An evidence-based participatory approach was considered important to identify activities and to improve the training program. Population: Important stake holders to the PG training program including PG students, faculty in the Department of General Medicine, Faculty of Specialty Training the PGs, PG program administrator, and representative from the educational unit of the institution participated in the program evaluation (PE). Methods: The strategic planning (SP) exercise consisted of three activities. (1) A rapid assessment of present status by an anonymous cross-sectional survey of all identified stake holders (2) presentation of the results of the survey and discussion on different dimensions of PG training (3) a situational analysis of strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to develop an evidence-based recommendations on the definite steps to be under taken to improve the program. Results: There were 25/28 (89%) identified stake holders participated in the exercise. Through the exercise, consensus was obtained to broaden the training objectives to include seven competencies necessary for PG student. The overall satisfaction with training was 80.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 74.3–86.7). However, there were five responders (20% 95% CI: 9–39) who scored <80% for overall score. It identified 15 definite steps to strengthen the program in the dimensions of (1) educational resources and inputs, (2) educational interactions and postings, and (3) student evaluation. Conclusions: Participatory research, including PE and SWOT analysis are valid tools, which can be used to understand the present status and identify activities as for evidence-based SP in academic medical institutions.


Information regarding the practice of athletic injury tracking within Canadian intercollegiate institutions has been relatively deficient. The study aimed to assess the current status of athletic injury tracking systems (AITS) in Canadian universities within the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Association (CIS). A secondary purpose was to obtain data from therapists within Canadian Universities, to identify and analyze issues, benefits, barriers and obtain information regarding how athletic injury tracking methods are conducted. This was achieved by obtaining data regarding the current state of AITS in CIS institutions, clinical demographics, athletic therapists and/or physiotherapists' opinions regarding the pro's and con's of athletic injury tracking and AITS protocol implemented within each institution across the CIS. The study had a sample of 45 athletic therapists and/or physiotherapists, representing 38 universities that are members of the CIS. Results of this study suggest that there is no standard in place for athletic injury tracking in Canadian universities. Nine universities are currently tracking athletic injuries, while twenty-nine universities are not tracking athletic injuries through a formalized athletic injury tracking program. The majority of therapists recognized benefits of injury tracking and believed that injury prevention and injury management can be achieved though understanding trends that occur within athletic injuries. The three primary barriers reported as to why universities are not tracking athletic injuries were: time, funding, and resources. The results of the study indicated that although there are recognized barriers, the majority of responding therapists were interested in tracking athletic injuries within their respective institutions through a more formalized system.


This paper explores the social profile of the regional elite that has emerged in Spain since the democratization and federalization of the country. For the first time, researchers present data about crucial variables like gender, place of birth, age, education, and profession. They make interregional comparisons, put their data on an international perspective, and try to explain some unexpected findings, such as the behavior of political elites in Catalonia and Castile-La Mancha. The authors compare also the social profile of MPs of the two largest parties and show that the gap between society and political elite has been reduced over the years. The paper offers a research agenda.


Two infrabony defects (i.e. defects in tooth supporting bone that extend into the body of the bone) in different sites in the same individual were treated surgically. Tissue regeneration was incorporated into the surg-ical procedures using a different material in each site (oxidized cellulose mesh and bioglass). The post surgical radiographic appearance showed increasing calcification in both sites that was not complete even at 15 months after placement. The radiographic appearance of both sites was similar but calcification was observed above the crest of alveolar bone in the oxidized cellulose mesh site that was not present with bioglass site. As calcification did not appear to be complete by 15 months after place-ment and it did not resemble true bone in either site, it would appear that the regenerative process was not yet complete by this time. Bone regeneration may therefore progress slowly over a protracted period of time after placement. Some evidence is present that oxidized cellulose mesh may have enhanced regenerative capacity by comparison to other synthetic bone regeneration materials such as hydroxyapatite and bioglass. No conclusions could be drawn from this single case study and further work is necessary to confirm and investigate these observations more fully.


This fine novel sets in opposition two of Thomas Hardy's most unforgettable creations: his heroine, the sensuous, free-spirited Eustacia Vye, and the solemn, majestic stretch of upland in Dorsetshire he called Egdon Heath. The famous opening reveals the haunting power of that dark, forbidding moon where proud Eustacia fervently awaits a clandestine meeting with her lover, Damon Wildeve. But Eustacia's dreams of escape are not to be realized--neither Wildeve nor the retuming native Clym Yeobright can bring her salvation. Injured by forces beyond their control, Hardy's characters struggle vainly in the net of destiny. In the end, only the face of the lonely heath remains untouched by fate in this masterpiece of tragic passion, a tale that perfectly epitomizes the author's own unique and melancholy genius.


Writing is a process of expressing feelings, thoughts, and ideas in the form of graphic language and it is one of English skills that should be mastered by the English language learners (Harmer, 2004; Meyers, 2005). To develop and improve students' writing skill,  diary can be used as one of teaching media (Ningrum, Rita & Hastini, 2013). The paper presents a pleliminary study on developing the writing skill of the students by diary writing habit. The participants in the research are the 4th semester students, Teacher Training and Education Faculty, English Education Program, Bandar Lampung University. It is found that the habit is useful to develop the students' writing skill.


Physicians working in the world of competitive sports face unique ethical challenges, many of which center around conflicts of interest. Team-employed physicians have obligations to act in the club's best interest while caring for the individual athlete. As such, they must balance issues like protecting versus sharing health information, as well as issues regarding autonomous informed consent versus paternalistic decision making in determining whether an athlete may compete safely. Moreover, the physician has to deal with an athlete's decisions about performance enhancement and return to play, pursuit of which may not be in the athlete's long-term best interests but may benefit the athlete and team in the short term. These difficult tasks are complicated by the lack of evidence-based standards in a field influenced by the lure of financial gains for multiple parties involved. In this article, we review ethical issues in sports medicine with specific attention paid to American professional football.


Analysis of the regulators of the LacI family was performed in order to identify those potentially involved in pathogenicity of Erwinia chrysanthemi (Dickeya dadantii). Among the 18 members of the LacI family, the function of 11 members is either known or predicted and only 7 members have, as yet, no proposed function. Inactivation of these seven genes, called lfaR, lfbR, lfcR, lfdR, lfeR, lffR, and lfgR, demonstrated that four of them are important for plant infection. The lfaR and lfcR mutants showed a reduced virulence on chicory, Saintpaulia sp., and Arabidopsis. The lfeR mutant showed a reduced virulence on Arabidopsis. The lfdR mutant was more efficient than the wild-type strain in initiating maceration on Saintpaulia sp. The genetic environment of each regulator was examined to detect adjacent genes potentially involved in a common function. Construction of transcriptional fusions in these neighboring genes demonstrated that five regulators, LfaR, LfcR, LfeR, LffR, and LfgR, act as repressors of adjacent genes. Analysis of these fusions also indicated that the genes controlled by LfaR, LfcR, LfgR, and LffR are expressed during plant infection. Moreover, addition of crude plant extracts to culture medium demonstrated that the expression of the LfaR- and LfgR-controlled genes is specifically induced by plant components.


Unilateral second-best carbon taxes are analysed in a two-period, two-country model with international trade in final goods, oil and bonds. Acceleration of global warming resulting from a future carbon tax is large if the price elasticities of oil demand are large and that of oil supply is small. The fall in the world interest rate weakens this weak Green Paradox effect, especially if intertemporal substitution is weak. Still, green welfare rises if the fall in oil supply and cumulative emissions is strong enough. If the current carbon tax is too low, the second-best future carbon tax is set below the first best to mitigate adverse Green Paradox effects. Unilateral second-best optimal carbon taxes exceed the first-best taxes due to an import tariff component. The intertemporal terms of trade effects of the future carbon tax increase current and future tariffs and those of the current tax lower the current tariff. Finally, carbon leakage and globally altruistic and unilateral second-best optimal carbon taxes if non-Kyoto oil importers do not price carbon or price it too low are analysed in a three-country model of the global economy.


Background Although education in Africa is expanding, little is being done to support learners' literacy outside the school. Rural people have little access to books and so cannot develop their reading skills. Purpose of Study The project described here has both an educational and a research purpose: to complement formal schooling by making reading material available to students and others, and to document the development of new literacy practices by investigating and recording readers' preferences. Setting The site is near the trading center of Kitengesa in Masaka District in Uganda. It is a rural area where most people depend on subsistence farming and the sale of food and cash crops. Many have been to school, however, and basic literacy is widespread. Intervention The project has consisted of the establishment and development of a community library, in cooperation with a local private secondary school. It is supported by funds that the author and other supporters raise in the United States and Canada. Research Design The research is a case study that follows an action research model. The intervention was initially based on observational research together with consultation with representatives of the community; it was carefully documented from the outset and the findings used to inform the project's further development. Data Collection and Analysis The data consist primarily of the library's records of members joining, books borrowed, and users' declared purposes in coming to the building. The written records are supplemented by observations of behavior in the library and interviews with users. Results Local responses indicate that there is considerable potential for developing a reading culture in the area. Story books have proved to be most popular, but school textbooks and newspapers are also much in demand. The project has attracted interest from foreign visitors, who have used the library as a base for initiating other development projects. Conclusions The Kitengesa experience demonstrates that a community library is a cost-effective way of supporting literacy development and enabling research on literacy practices. It also provides a base for other grassroots development projects. The suggested way forward is to build on this experience by encouraging the growth of similar libraries throughout Uganda.


A relay-based mechanism is proposed in a multi-channel cognitive radio network, while the multiple primary users (PUs) are considered in each channel. This mechanism guarantees that PUs achieve rates increment due to the assistance of the secondary users (SUs) in their transmission, while the SUs acquire reserved leasing timeslot to access the spectrum. We carefully investigate the issue on how to assign SUs to assist PUs during primary timeslot, which can be formed as a binary combinatorial optimization problem. Furthermore, we propose a matching algorithm to solve this problem. Simulation results show that, the proposed matching algorithm can solve this problem efficiently. Besides, the proposed relay-based mechanism performs significantly better than the traditional underlay-based mechanism.


"We all love a lie in, but the alarm clock is definitely ringing. The time has finally come to throw back the duvet and leap into this playfully unhinged show about finding the hero under the covers. It's a sincere and heartfelt invitation to defy indifference and experience a new, tender love story for our long-neglected earth, one in which we are the ones we've been waiting for.

In a never seen before mix of climate science, psychology, philosophy and surrealist dance, our unlikely heroes strive to remake themselves in preparation for an overdue remaking of the world. These quirky 'Clark Kents' of climate change will shake your inner snooze button awake, so come see a performance that stretches what's possible in an hour but will be a lifetime in the living."


As the EU enters an increasingly uncertain phase after the 2016 Brexit referendum, Euroscepticism continues to become an increasingly embedded phenomenon within party systems, non-party groups and within the media. Yet, academic literature has paid little attention to the emergence of, and increased development of, transnational and pan-European networks of EU opposition. As the 'gap' between Europe's mainstream political elites and an increasingly sceptical public has widened, pan-European spheres of opposition towards the EU have developed and evolved. The volume sets out to explain how such an innately contradictory phenomenon as transnational Euroscepticism has emerged. It draws on a variety of perspectives and case studies in a number of spheres - the European Parliament, political parties, the media, civil society and public opinion. Examining to what extent the pan-European dimension of Euroscepticism is becoming increasingly influential, it argues that opposition to European integration has for too long been viewed somewhat narrowly, through the paradigm of national party politics. This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and professionals in EU politics, European studies, political parties, and more broadly to comparative politics and international relations.


The financial crisis and economic recession, and policymakers' responses to these events, have raised sovereign risk concerns in a number of advanced economies. This has increased the cost and reduced the stability of funding for banks. It has also meant that decisions about the maturity of government debt have become important to the dynamics of systemic financial distress. This article looks at the financial stability issues involved, drawing from two recent studies by the Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS). A return to sustainable government finances over the medium term is fundamental to managing current difficulties. Banks improving their funding and asset risk management, lengthening of government debt maturities and sound banking regulation are also important. And the different policy agencies involved need to ensure that they are aware of each other's objectives and operational plans, while maintaining clear lines of accountability.


This paper addresses the Target-Value Search (TVS) problem, which is the problem of finding a path between two nodes in a graph whose cost is as close as possible to a given target value T. This problem has been previously addressed only for directed acyclic graphs. In this work we develop the theory required to solve this problem optimally for any type of graphs. We modify traditional heuristic search algorithms for this setting, and propose a novel bidirectional search algorithm that is specifically suited for TVS. The benefits of this bidirectional search algorithm are discussed both theoretically and experimentally on several domains. A longer version of this work was accepted to IJCAI-2013 (Linares Lopez et al. 2013)


of a thesis at the University of Miami. Organic field effect transistors (OFETs) have several advantages over the conventional inorganic field effect transistor such as easy fabrication process, low-cost mass production capability and low temperature process that enables flexible substrate based device. Many applications using polymer based transistor devices are demonstrated. Successful demonstrations of Logic-gate operation, visible-IR detection and various sensor operations and the advantages discussed above show its great potential as a next generation device technology and attract many researchers to delve to improve the device properties. However, there are several disadvantages on the organic materials such as short lifetime, disability to operate under severe conditions and low carrier mobility. Among those the low carrier mobility is a critical hurdle to develop high performance device operation. Its low mobility limits the operation speed of the device, efficient amplification and carrier transport in a detector device. In this thesis, hybrid organic transistors using Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)(P3HT) and metal nanostructure are introduced. The metal nanostructure has a unique localized surface plasmon resonance property that can be tailored by adjusting the shape and size of the metal structures. Therefore, the hybridization using polymer semiconducting materials and metal nanoparticles can provide plasmon based optical response and improved mobility due to the free electron concentration in the metal nanostructure. We fabricated organic thin film transistor on a highly doped silicon substrate and characterized its electrical properties as a transistor operation and optical detection properties as a field effect transistor based detector. Then, metal nanoparticles have been deposited by vacuum evaporation of small molecules on the surface of the OFETs. The electrical and optical properties have been investigated to compare with a device without plasmonic nanostructure. We successfully demonstrated the improved optical properties of the OFETs are due to surface plasmon resonance of the metal nanoparticles. The metal nanoparticles incorporated in organic transistor shows improved drain current due to the increased conductivity assisted by the free electrons in the metal nanoparticles. In addition, we observed enhanced photo responsivity (A/W) in its optical detector operation. A slight change of the spectral response was observed and we believe that this is originated from the contribution of the plasmon induced hot electrons in the metal nanoparticles. Further studies to have better understandings on metal nanoparticle incorporated in organic transistor were discussed in this thesis.


Abstract. This study reports measurements of deposition-mode ice-nucleating particle (INP) concentrations at ground level during the period July–December 2014 in Cordoba, Argentina. Ambient air was sampled into a cloud chamber where the INP concentration was measured at a temperature of −25 °C and a 15 % supersaturation over ice. Measurements were performed on days with different thermodynamic conditions, including rainy days. The effect of the relative humidity at ground level (RHamb) on the INP concentration was analyzed. The number of INPs activated varied from 1 L−1 at RHamb of 25 % to 30 L−1 at RHamb of 90 %. In general, a linear trend between the INP concentration and the RHamb was found, suggesting that this variability must be related to the effectiveness of the aerosols acting as INPs. From the backward trajectories analysis, it was found that the link between INP concentration and RHamb is independent of the origin of the air masses. The role of biological INPs and nucleation occurring in pores and cavities was discussed as a possible mechanism to explain the increase of the INP concentration during high ambient relative humidity events. This work provides valuable measurements of deposition-mode INP concentrations from the Southern Hemisphere where INP data are sparse so far.


Concussion legislation has established education as the cornerstone of prevention. Georgia legislation requires guardian completion and acknowledgement of concussion education via a standardized concussion information sheet. However, the effectiveness of this standardized form has not been examined. PURPOSE: Examine the knowledge and understanding in guardians of Georgia High School Association (GHSA) student-athletes that completed the GHSA concussion awareness form versus additional concussion education. METHODS: 102 GHSA guardians completed a 34 item paper-based survey that included demographic questions, concussion knowledge questions, and scenario questions to assess concussion understanding. Participants were divided into groups based upon concussion education (GHSA form only: n=54; Additional education: n=48). Independent sample t-tests were calculated to evaluate differences in concussion knowledge, understanding, and overall score. A Pearson correlation examined the correlation between knowledge and understanding score. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 23.0. Significance levels were set a priori at p < 0.05. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found between groups on knowledge (t(100) =1.74, p=.085), understanding (t(100)=.83, p=.41), and total scores (t(100)=1.88, p=.06).The Pearson correlation revealed a non-significant weak correlation between concussion knowledge and understanding (r = .03; p = .76). CONCLUSIONS: Guardians of high school studentathletes displayed moderate knowledge and understanding of concussion regardless of additional educational experiences. Despite a clinicians' desire for more comprehensive educational tools, the results of this study indicate that the state issued standardized form provides guardians with sufficient knowledge. This knowledge and understanding will help guardians in the recognition and management of a student-athlete with a concussion. Further, a multifaceted approach to concussion education could be utilized in order to most effectively reach every guardian regardless of education level.


Microfinance International Corporation was founded in 2003, with the intention to work to develop a could work to develop a solution to overcome the limitations of MFIs with the goal of providing sustainable financial assistance to families in developing regions and offering an attractive business opportunity for socially conscious investors. The Microfinance International system reproduces the internal treasury operations of an international bank for the benefit of the participating MFIs and hence bundling the strength of many small institutions. Microfinance International Corporation?s presents a Solution An Electronic Settlement System for MFIs, a remittance-backed Lending Program making remittances work for development and Mi Pueblo Financial Service Centers for Latin Immigrants in the US.


Isabelle/jEdit is the main application of the Prover IDE (PIDE) framework and the default user-interface of Isabelle, but it is not limited to theorem proving. This paper explores possibilities to use it as a general IDE for formal languages that are defined in user-space, and embedded into informal text documents. It covers overall document structure with auxiliary files and document antiquotations, formal text delimiters and markers for interpretation (via control symbols). The ultimate question behind this: How far can we stretch a plain text editor like jEdit in order to support semantic text processing, with support by the underlying PIDE framework?


The aim of this research enquiry has been to explore the relationship between teaching methods and styles and the creation of a convergent curriculum, merging the Turkish National Education Programme (TNEP) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) within the Koc School, Istanbul, Turkey. The methodology used is a case study, involving the same teachers teaching both the TNEP and the IBDP sections of the same class levels during similar lessons. Teachers from two different departments (Mathematics and Languages) were chosen as the sample group in order to explore whether subject area variation was linked to the pedagogical behaviour of teachers, while trying to discern whether the IBDP and TNEP each imply specific teaching methods and thus influence the teaching style of the teachers. Bringing together data from observations and interviews that required the teachers in both groups to reflect on their own practice, and provide reasons for similarities and differences in their teaching, was helpful in considering the feasibility of the creation of a convergent curriculum from a synthesis of the national and the international, the TNEP and the IBDP. Advantages, such as the dynamic atmosphere emerging from the confluence of the two programs, the academic and cultural enrichment and the deepening of understanding that encourages further learning are discussed, as well as the limitations and difficulties imposed by the clashing regulations and requirements of the two different curricula. Observations suggest that transferability of teacher skills between the IBDP and TNEP sections leads to common benefits for students of both groups, and benefits school curriculum development, implying the need for professional development arising from the creation of a convergent curriculum.


This paper assesses the use of listed or significant buildings by retailers in creating a sense of place, and specifically the opportunities for local places to market themselves through reuse and regeneration of existing buildings. It addresses the issues identified in the New Economics Foundation's Clone Town Britain Survey that 'a home town is a place that retains its individual character' and, by comparison with the bland and undistinctive clone town, 'is instantly recognisable and distinctive to the people who live there, as well as to those who visit'. Much of the distinctiveness, or lack of it, is unfortunately caused by retail outlets. Consequently, the focus of this paper is to explore the causes of undistinctive building design and examine both more recent contextualised approaches to retail use and reuse of buildings and spaces. The authors draw on research into the visual role of buildings in creating identity and shared history, as well commercial and social purposes. Distinctive buildings should engage with the local community as well as attracting a wider population, and retail sites should combine communication and design as well as commercial functions. Such buildings often have a size and scale to support distinctive opportunities for retailers to interact with consumers. The paper proposes four categories of retail reuse: individual buildings; larger developments; new build on brownfield sites; and the reuse of design concepts in new projects. It concludes with an overview of the implications of distinctive commercial buildings for place management and the making of better places.


We consider a model where given an uncorrupted input an adversary can corrupt it to one out of m corrupted inputs. We model the classification and inference problems as a zero-sum game between a learner, minimizing the expected error, and an adversary, maximizing the expected error. The value of this game is the optimal error rate achievable. For learning using a limited hypothesis class H over corrupted inputs, we give an efficient algorithm that given an uncorrupted sample returns a hypothesis h ∈ H whose error on adversarially corrupted inputs is near optimal. Our algorithm uses as a blackbox an oracle that solves the ERM problem for the hypothesis class H. We provide a generalization bound for our setting, showing that for a sufficiently large sample, the performance on the sample and on future unseen corrupted inputs will be similar. This gives an efficient learning algorithm for our adversarial setting, based on an ERM oracle. We also consider an inference related setting of the problem, where given a corrupted input, the learner queries the target function on various uncorrupted inputs and generates a prediction regarding the given corrupted input. There is no limitation on the prediction function the learner may generate, so implicitly the hypothesis class includes all possible hypotheses. In this setting we characterize the optimal learner policy as a minimum vertex cover in a given bipartite graph, and the optimal adversary policy as a maximum matching in the same bipartite graph. We design efficient local algorithms for approximating minimum vertex cover in bipartite graphs, which implies an efficient near optimal algorithm for the learner.


It has recently been shown that laser fibre deterioration leads to a significant decrease of power output during 80 W potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser vaporisation (LV) of the prostate. This decrease results in inefficient vaporisation especially towards the end of the procedure. For the new 120 W lithium-triborate (LBO) High Performance System (HPS) laser not only higher power but also changes in beam characteristics and improved fibre quality have been advertised. However, high laser power has been identified as a risk factor for laser fibre degradation. Between July and September 2008 25 laser fibres were investigated during routine 120 W LBO-LV in 20 consecutive patients. Laser beam power was measured at baseline and after the application of every 25 kJ during the LV procedure. Postoperatively, the surgeon subjectively rated the performance of the respective fibre on a scale from 1 to 4 (1 indicating perfect and 4 insufficient performance). Additionally, microscopic examination of the fibre tip was performed. Median energy applied was 212 kJ. Changes of power output were similar for all fibres. Typically, a steep decrease of power output within the first 50 kJ was followed by a continuous mild decrease until the end of the procedure. After the application of 50 kJ the median power output was 63% (58-73% interquartile range) of the baseline value. The median power output at the end of the 275 kJ-lifespan of the fibres was 42% (40-47%). The median surgeons' rating of the overall performance of the laser fibres was 2 and the median estimated final decrease of power output 60%. Some degree of degradation at the emission window was microscopically detectable in all cases after the procedure. However, even after the application of 275 kJ, these structural changes were only moderate. Minor degradation of the laser fibre was associated with a significant decrease of power output during 120 W LBO-LV. However, following an early, steep decrease, power output remained relatively constant on a medium level for the rest of the fibre's lifespan. The subjective rating by the surgeons is in accordance with these findings. Improved properties of the LBO laser and enhanced fibre quality resulted in an only moderate decrease of power output which allowed for a consistently effective performance.


At the United Nations climate change conference in 2011, parties decided to launch the "Durban Platform" to work towards a new long-term climate agreement. The decision was notable for the absence of any reference to "equity," a prominent principle in all previous major climate agreements. Wealthy countries resisted the inclusion of equity on the grounds that the term had become too closely yoked to developing countries' favored conception of equity. This conception, according to wealthy countries, exempts developing countries from making commitments that are stringent enough for the collective effort needed to avoid dangerous climate change. In circumstances where even mentioning the term equity has become problematic, a critical question is whether the possibility for a fair agreement is being squeezed out of negotiations. To address this question we set out a conceptual framework for normative theorizing about fairness in international negotiations, accompanied by a set of minimal standards of fairness and plausible feasibility constraints for sharing the global climate change mitigation effort. We argue that a fair and feasible agreement may be reached by (1) reforming the current binary approach to differentiating developed and developing country groups, in tandem with (2) introducing a more principled approach to differentiating the mitigation commitments of individual countries. These two priorities may provide the basis for a principled bargain between developed and developing countries that safeguards the opportunity to avoid dangerous climate change without sacrificing widely acceptable conceptions of equity.


The dynamic response of a machine-foundation system depends on several factors, such as (1) the soil dynamic properties, (2) geometric properties of the foundation, (3) amplitude of the applied dynamic loads, and (4) frequency of the dynamic excitation force. The main goal in machine foundation design is to keep the foundation response within a specific limit to enable the satisfactory operation of the machine. If the foundation response exceeds this limit, the foundation will adversely affect the performance of the machine and may damage the machine internals or cause it to function improperly. Furthermore, the excessive vibrations impose additional stresses on the machine resulting in increased unbalanced loading, and thus, to increased dynamic loads on the soil-foundation system. This paper presents the results of the dynamic analysis of a four-cylinder compressor foundation. The original design of the foundation was performed in the early 1960s and ignored the effect of the soil on the response of the foundation system; therefore, the foundation has been suffering from excessive loading. The foundation block supported a four-cylinder compressor, suction and discharge bottles, and a crank and driving motor with a total weight of approximately 974 kN (219 kips). The results of a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element model of a soil-foundation system was used to determine the dynamic response of the soil-foundation system and to assess the foundation response under applied dynamic loading resulting from the compressor crank. The dynamic analysis was performed by performing (1) eigenvalue analysis of the foundation block, considering the effect of the soil-foundation interaction, to determine the soil-foundation natural frequencies and modal participation factors and (2) a forced response of the foundation under an unbalanced crankshaft load applied to determine the forced response amplitude of the soil-foundation system. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)SC.1943-5576.0000380. © 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers. Author keywords: Compressor foundation; Soil-structure interaction; Finite-element method; Dynamic loading; Machine foundation; Stiffness; Damping.


After alluding to certain observations of Cameron, Livingstone, and Stanley on the changes of level of Lake Tanganyika, the writer states that the most interesting point in connexion with the rise and fall of the lake is the question:—How is it possible for a great lake to rise 30 feet above its normal level by the blocking up of its outlet? This is to a large extent accounted for by Cameron. He says: "On going down the river [Lukuga] we found that it was blocked by vegetation similar to that on which we had crossed the Sindi, and also to that over which we had had to pass to reach the shore from our boats at the southern end of Lake Tanganyika, and which I afterwards found existed on Lakes Kassali and Mohrya. The presence of this mass of vegetation is easily accounted for. Every day that there is a gale of wind, and the consequent sea on the lake, blocks of this peculiar growth are detached, and such as survive the passage to the outlet getting jammed together commence to grow, and form a sort of porous stopper in the neck of the outlet." He then quotes Sir Samuel Baker's experience on the Nile when the whole channel "was blocked up and the expedition to Gondokoro impeded for a year, the country above the stoppage having been converted into a series of swamps and shallow lakes, while Egypt was suffering from all the evils of a low Nile." Only


This article makes the case for the value – and the feasibility, under current accreditation and related rules governing law schools - of a clinical rotation for law students, modeled on the rotations that are a key part of medical school education. The "clinical year," which would engage students in almost full-time practice/study for their third year of law school, could be a significant step in building the complete apprenticeship that the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has urged. It would also rely to a large extent on the supervision, and teaching, that adjunct law school faculty – supervisors at the rotation settings – would provide. In that respect, the "clinical year" differs from in-house clinical education. The article addresses the differences in students' experience that this approach to bridging the gap between theory and practice would generate, and argues that this model is worth exploring, despite – and in some respects because of – these features.


Natural disturbances are the dominant form of forest regeneration and dynamics in unmanaged tropical forests. Monitoring the size distribution of treefall gaps is important to better understand and predict the carbon budget in response to land use and other global changes. In this study, we model the size frequency distribution of natural canopy gaps with a discrete power law distribution. We use a Bayesian framework to introduce and test, using Monte Carlo Markov chain and Kuo–Mallick algorithms, the effect of local physical environment on gap size distribution. We apply our methodological framework to an original light detecting and ranging dataset in which natural forest gaps were delineated over 30 000 ha of unmanaged forest. We highlight strong links between gap size distribution and environment, primarily hydrological conditions and topography, with large gaps being more frequent on floodplains and in wind-exposed areas. In the future, we plan to apply our methodological framework on a larger scale using satellite data. Additionally , although gap size distribution variation is clearly under environmental control, variation in gap size distribution in time should be tested against climate variability.


A cascade virtual impactor was developed and utilized for sampling and measurement of ambient aerosols in size classes demarcated by particle aerodynamic diameters of 10 m, 2.5 m and 1 m. Virtual impaction diminishes the flow of ambient air through the collected sample by 90%, consequently reducing the chance of sampling artifacts, such as extensive evaporation of semi-volatile compounds, or chemical cross-reactions after sample deposition. An omni-directional sampling head with an adjustable upper particle cut-off size was designed and numerically investigated for its suitability for PM sampling. The total flow rate through the instrument was 12.5 lpm; thus, with about five hours sampling, a total mass on the order of a few hundred micrograms in urban areas can be collected for air pollution determination purposes. Measurements were performed in Bangkok, Thailand to obtain mass concentrations, PAHs and carbon content of the sampled material. They show the feasibility of utilizing cascade virtual impaction for simultaneous sampling of various PM fractions and subsequent chemical analysis in air quality research and also give insight into the air pollution burden of this city.


Hypertension in pregnancy (HIP) is defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥140 or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg or both. It could be described as chronic, gestational, preeclampsia or eclampsia depending on the gestational period, tendency for postpartum resolution, presence of proteinuria or convulsion. Hypertension in pregnancy affects about 5-22% of pregnancies especially in developing countries. Though preeclampsia and eclampsia seems to create more concern than others, evidence abound that any form of hypertension in pregnancy places women at increased risk of adverse outcomes.