This work shows the application of metal ion-implantation to realize an efficient second-generation TiO2 photocatalyst. High fluence Fe+ ions were implanted into thin TiO2 films and subsequently annealed up to 550 °C. The ion-implantation process modified the TiO2 pure film, locally lowering its band-gap energy from 3.2 eV to 1.6–1.9 eV, making the material sensitive to visible light. The measured optical band-gap of 1.6–1.9 eV was associated with the presence of effective energy levels in the energy band structure of the titanium dioxide, due to implantation-induced defects. An accurate structural characterization was performed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV/VIS spectroscopy. The synthesized materials revealed a remarkable photocatalytic efficiency in the degradation of organic compounds in water under visible light irradiation, without the help of any thermal treatments. The photocatalytic activity has been corre...


We, the ongoing Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities, present a spatiotemporal clustering model for the Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3), with the goal being to represent aftershocks, induced seismicity, and otherwise triggered events as a potential basis for operational earthquake forecasting (OEF). Specifically, we add an epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) component to the previously published time‐independent and long‐term time‐dependent forecasts. This combined model, referred to as UCERF3‐ETAS, collectively represents a relaxation of segmentation assumptions, the inclusion of multifault ruptures, an elastic‐rebound model for fault‐based ruptures, and a state‐of‐the‐art spatiotemporal clustering component. It also represents an attempt to merge fault‐based forecasts with statistical seismology models, such that information on fault proximity, activity rate, and time since last event are considered in OEF. We describe several unanticipated challenges that were encountered, including a need for elastic rebound and characteristic magnitude–frequency distributions (MFDs) on faults, both of which are required to get realistic triggering behavior. UCERF3‐ETAS produces synthetic catalogs of M ≥2.5 events, conditioned on any prior M ≥2.5 events that are input to the model. We evaluate results with respect to both long‐term (1000 year) simulations as well as for 10‐year time periods following a variety of hypothetical scenario mainshocks. Although the results are very plausible, they are not always consistent with the simple notion that triggering probabilities should be greater if a mainshock is located near a fault. Important factors include whether the MFD near faults includes a significant characteristic earthquake component, as well as whether large triggered events can nucleate from within the rupture zone of the mainshock. Because UCERF3‐ETAS has many sources of uncertainty, as will any subsequent version or competing model, potential usefulness needs to be considered in the context of actual applications.

[Electronic Supplement:][1] Figures showing discretization, verification of the DistanceDecayCubeSampler , average simulated participation rate, and average cumulative magnitude–frequency distributions (MFDs).

 [1]: http://www.bssaonline.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1785/0120160173/-/DC1


Abstract A major challenge in the post-genomics era will be to integrate molecular sequence data from extant organisms with morphological data from fossil and extant taxa into a single, coherent picture of phylogenetic relationships; only then will these phylogenetic hypotheses be effectively applied to the study of morphological character evolution. At least two analytical approaches to solving this problem have been utilized: (1) simultaneous analysis of molecular sequence and morphological data with fossil taxa included as terminals in the analysis, and (2) the molecular scaffold approach, in which morphological data are analyzed over a molecular backbone (with constraints that force extant taxa into positions suggested by sequence data). The perceived obstacles to including fossil taxa directly in simultaneous analyses of morphological and molecular sequence data with extant taxa include: (1) that fossil taxa are missing the molecular sequence portion of the character data; (2) that morphological characters might be misleading due to convergence; and (3) character weighting, specifically how and whether to weight characters in the morphological partition relative to characters in the molecular sequence data partition. The molecular scaffold has been put forward as a potential solution to at least some of these problems. Using examples of simultaneous analyses from the literature, as well as new analyses of previously published morphological and molecular sequence data matrices for extant and fossil Chiroptera (bats), we argue that the simultaneous analysis approach is superior to the molecular scaffold approach, specifically addressing the problems to which the molecular scaffold has been suggested as a solution. Finally, the application of phylogenetic hypotheses including fossil taxa (whatever their derivation) to the study of morphological character evolution is discussed, with special emphasis on scenarios in which fossil taxa are likely to be most enlightening: (1) in determining the sequence of character evolution; (2) in determining the timing of character evolution; and (3) in making inferences about the presence or absence of characteristics in fossil taxa that may not be directly observable in the fossil record.


The industrial quality of grain is an important parameter to determine the commercial value of rice and can be influenced by water availability and type of cultivar. The present study aimed to evaluate the milling yield as well as the protein and nutrient contents of polished grains originated from two upland rice cultivars grown under rainfed and sprinkler-irrigated conditions. A randomized block design was used in a split-plot arrangement with eight replicates. Plots consisted of two cropping systems (rainfed and sprinkler-irrigated) with subplots consisting of two cultivars recommended for upland ecosystems (IAC 201 and Carajas). The sprinkler irrigation system increased upland rice milling (8.0%) and head rice yield (23.7%), for years with hot and dry weather spells occurring during the reproductive and maturation stages. Under conditions of lower water availability, the Carajas cultivar showed a milled yield value 5.1% higher than that of cultivar IAC 201. Lower water availability provided increases in protein, N, P, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn contents but reductions in S and Cu in the polished grains. Cultivars IAC 201 and Carajas had similar nutrient contents in the polished grains.


This Thesis brings together complementary research from higher-order computational logic and workflow systems to investigate software and theoretical frameworks for profiling and matching heterogeneous data. A motivating use case is submission sifting, which matches submitted conference or journal papers to potential peer reviewers based on the similarity between the paper's abstract and the reviewer's publications as found in online bibliographic databases. Inspired by e-Science workflows, we introduce the SubSift submission sifting framework for developing webbased research intelligence applications that profile and match heterogeneous textual content from web pages and documents. Abstracting SubSift we define a formal higher-order dataflow framework that ranges over a class of higher-order relations that are sufficiently expressive to represent a wide variety data types and structures. This dataflow model is shown to be embarrassingly parallel. JSONMatch, our proof of concept serial implementation, is used to demonstrate that the combination of this model and higher-order representation provides a flexible approach to analysing heterogeneous data. Finally we propose a theoretical framework for querying structured data, elevating Codd's relational algebra to a higher-order algebra defined on the basic terms of a higher-order logic. An extension incorporates approximate joins on structured data and is demonstrated to be feasible and have promise for future work.


Political polarization is traditionally analyzed through the ideological stances of groups and parties, but it also has a behavioral component that manifests in the interactions between individuals. We present an empirical analysis of the digital traces of politicians in politnetz.ch, a Swiss online platform focused on political activity, in which politicians interact by creating support links, comments, and likes. We analyze network polarization as the level of intraparty cohesion with respect to inter-party connectivity, finding that supports show a very strongly polarized structure with respect to party alignment. The analysis of this multiplex network shows that each layer of interaction contains relevant information, where comment groups follow topics related to Swiss politics. Our analysis reveals that polarization in the layer of likes evolves in time, increasing close to the federal elections of 2011. Furthermore, we analyze the internal social network of each party through metrics related to hierarchical structures, information efficiency, and social resilience. Our results suggest that the online social structure of a party is related to its ideology, and reveal that the degree of connectivity across two parties increases when they are close in the ideological space of a multi-party system.


The Victorian Baby in Print: Infancy, Infant Care, and Nineteenth-Century Popular Culture explores the representation of babyhood in Victorian Britain. The first study to focus exclusively on the baby in nineteenth-century literature and culture, this critical analysis discusses the changing roles of an iconic figure. A close look at the wide-ranging portrayal of infants and infant care not only reveals how divergent and often contradictory Victorian attitudes to infancy really were, but also prompts us to revise persistent clichés surrounding the literary baby that emerged or were consolidated at the time, and which are largely still with us. Drawing on a variety of texts, including novels by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Mrs Henry Wood, and Charlotte Yonge, as well as parenting magazines of the time, childrearing manuals, and advertisements, this study analyses how their representations of infancy and infant care utilised and shaped an iconography that has become definitional of the Victorian age itself. The familiar clichés surrounding the Victorian baby have had a lasting impact on the way we see both the Victorians and babies, and a close analysis might also prompt a self-critical reconsideration of the still burgeoning market for infant care advice today.


Selective agonists for D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors can interact synergistically to enhance each other's actions on locomotion and behavior in experimental animals. Clinically, the combination of the D2 agonist bromocriptine with L-dopa (which has pronounced D1 effects) is a highly effective treatment for Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms underlying this important receptor interaction are poorly understood and are the subject of intense study in vitro. In rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway, D1-selective (but not D2-selective) dopamine agonists produce a marked increase in expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos in the striatum ipsilateral to the 6-OHDA lesion. In the experiments reported here, we have used this in vivo model to explore the possibility that combinations of D1-selective and D2-selective agonists might have effects on c-fos transcription that are different from those exhibited by D1 or D2 agonists administered alone. We examined the effects of the D1-selective agonist SKF-38393 and the D2-selective agonist quinpirole (LY 171555) on the expression of Fos-like protein and c-fos mRNA in the caudoputamen and made parallel behavioral observations in the same animals. A low dose of SKF-38393 produced little contraversive rotation and little induction of Fos-like immunoreactivity in the striatum. A low dose of quinpirole elicited contralateral rotation but little or no induction of Fos-like immunoreactivity in the caudoputamen; there was, however, induction of Fos in the globus pallidus ipsilateral to the 6-OHDA lesion. Combination of the low dose of SKF-38393 and quinpirole produced a synergistic effect on rotation and elicited, in the dopamine-depleted caudoputamen, a striking pattern of Fos-like protein expression in which Fos-positive neurons were concentrated in striosomes and in the dorsolateral caudoputamen. Northern blot analysis showed that c-fos mRNA was expressed following combined agonist treatment but was not detectable after the single-agonist treatments. Both the contraversive rotation and the induction of Fos-like immunoreactivity were blocked by the preadministration of the D1-preferring antagonist SCH-23390 and the D2-selective antagonist raclopride in combination. Pretreatment with the glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 also blocked the induction of Fos-like immunoreactivity, and it reversed the rotation. These findings suggest a D1/D2 synergistic mechanism that involves the participation of D1-responsive striatonigral and D2-responsive striatopallidal output pathways, and that is sensitive to glutamatergic modulation.


The twentieth century appeared to close much as it had opened - with sprees of violence directed against "the Other." The murder of Matthew Shepard, the lynching of James Byrd, the murderous rampage of Benjamin Smith, and post-9/11 anti-Muslim violence all stand as reminders that the bigotry that kills is much more than an unfortunate chapter in U.S. history. Racial, gender, ethnic and religious violence persist. This riveting new set focused on hate crimes comes at a time when such acts are still not uncommon. The topic, then, remains relevant despite outcries for an end to such violence. It covers a wide variety of hate crimes, the consequences for both victims and perpetrators and their communities, efforts to combat hate crime, and other aspects of these ugly offenses that affect everyone. Rather than an "individual" crime, hate crime is, in fact, an assault against all members of stigmatized and marginalized communities. With respect to hate crime, at least, history does repeat itself as similar patterns of motivation, sentiment and victimization recur over time. Just as immigrants in the 1890s were subject to institutional and public forms of discrimination and violence, so too were those of the 1990s; likewise, former black slaves risked the wrath of the KKK when they exercised their newfound rights after the Civil War, just as their descendants risked violent reprisal for their efforts to win and exercise additional rights and freedoms in the civil rights era. While the politics of difference that underlie these periods of animosity may lie latent for short periods of time, they nonetheless seem to remain on the simmer, ready to resurface whenever a new threat is perceived - when immigration levels increase, or when relationships between groups shift for other political, economic, or cultural reasons, or in the aftermath of attacks like those on 9/11. Yet, understanding the scope of hate crimes is impossible without examining the victims, the offenders, the consequences and harms of hate crimes, and the actual definitions of just what hate crime is. This comprehensive five-volume set addresses these areas in careful analyses that take into account the variety and incidence of hate crimes and the impact they have on the broader realm of crime, punishment, communities, society, and the security of a pluralistic society that seeks to remain peaceful even in the face of change. This set includes attention to cutting edge topics such as hate crime in the internet age, hate rock, anti-Latino hostilities, Islamaphobia, hate crimes in the War on Terror, school-based anti-hate initiatives, victim services and counseling, and more.


Abstract. Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry GC-MS) are commonly used methods for automated in situ measurements of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. In order to investigate the reliability of such measurements, we operated four automated analyzers using their normal field measurement protocol side by side at a boreal forest site. We measured methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, benzene and toluene by two PTR-MS and two GC-MS instruments. The measurements were conducted in southern Finland between 13 April and 14 May 2012. This paper presents correlations and biases between the concentrations measured using the four instruments. A very good correlation was found for benzene and acetone measurements between all instruments (the mean R value was 0.88 for both compounds), while for acetaldehyde and toluene the correlation was weaker (with a mean R value of 0.50 and 0.62, respectively). For some compounds, notably for methanol, there were considerable systematic differences in the mixing ratios measured by the different instruments, despite the very good correlation between the instruments (mean R = 0.90). The systematic difference manifests as a difference in the linear regression slope between measurements conducted between instruments, rather than as an offset. This mismatch indicates that the systematic uncertainty in the sensitivity of a given instrument can lead to an uncertainty of 50–100 % in the methanol emissions measured by commonly used methods.


This paper describes the NTNU ASR system participating in the Interspeech 2020 Non-Native Children's Speech ASR Challenge supported by the SIG-CHILD group of ISCA. This ASR shared task is made much more challenging due to the coexisting diversity of non-native and children speaking characteristics. In the setting of closed-track evaluation, all participants were restricted to develop their systems merely based on the speech and text corpora provided by the organizer. To work around this under-resourced issue, we built our ASR system on top of CNN-TDNNF-based acoustic models, meanwhile harnessing the synergistic power of various data augmentation strategies, including both utterance- and word-level speed perturbation and spectrogram augmentation, alongside a simple yet effective data-cleansing approach. All variants of our ASR system employed an RNN-based language model to rescore the first-pass recognition hypotheses, which was trained solely on the text dataset released by the organizer. Our system with the best configuration came out in second place, resulting in a word error rate (WER) of 17.59 %, while those of the top-performing, second runner-up and official baseline systems are 15.67%, 18.71%, 35.09%, respectively.


The volume of water stored within a catchment, and its partitioning among groundwater, soil moisture, snowpack, vegetation, and surface water are the variables that ultimately characterize the state of the hydrologic system. Accordingly, storage may provide useful metrics for catchment comparison. Unfortunately, measuring and predicting the amount of water present in a catchment is seldom done; tracking the dynamics of these stores is even rarer. Storage moderates fluxes and exerts critical controls on a wide range of hydrologic and biologic functions of a catchment. While understanding runoff generation and other processes by which catchments release water will always be central to hydrologic science, it is equally essential to understand how catchments retain water. We have initiated a catchment comparison exercise to begin assessing the value of viewing catchments from the storage perspective. The exercise is based on existing data from five watersheds, no common experimental design, and no integrated modelling efforts. Rather, storage was estimated independently for each site. This briefing presents some initial results of the exercise, poses questions about the definitions and importance of storage and the storage perspective, and suggests future directions for ongoing activities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The archaeological discovery of the Acqualadrone rostrum (an offensive naval weapon mounted on the prow at the waterline), off the Italian coast near Messina in 2008, has led to the need for scientific research in order to plan the conservation treatment of this artefact. The discovery is exceptional because of the presence of a wooden section from the original ship. This paper describes the physico-chemical characterization of a metallic and two wooden samples by inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 13 C{ 1 H} cross-polarization magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, gas chromatography – mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. The results reveal the use of leaded bronze (Cu, 70%; Pb, 20%; Sn, 10%) in the manufacturing process of the alloy and the use of lead whose isotopic composition is referable to either Spanish or Cypriot mines. The analysis of the results relating to the wooden samples indicates their different state of preservation and, at least in some places, the spreading of caulking on the wood, probably using a vegetable resin.


A currency war is being waged against the dollar-based international economic system established in Bretton Woods after World War II. Much attention has been paid to the use of force and threats to the peace in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. But there is little law scholarship that examines threats to the dollar and the dollar-based system. And yet, challenging a country's currency means challenging it on multiple fundamental fronts. Stocks, bonds, commodities, derivatives and other investments are all priced in a nation's currency. If the dollar is undermined, the American economy itself and the existing international economic system are also undermined. The U.S. dollar has unquestionably been the world's international reserve currency for decades. But its supremacy is being contested. Dollar hegemony has been part and parcel of American economic and military power. It has given the U.S. government and U.S. consumers enormous benefits. Americans traveling abroad can be assured that dollars will be accepted and welcomed, often without having to convert dollars into local currency. Most international trade is set in dollars, even if the exports are not destined for the U.S. Oil is priced in dollars so oil-consuming countries must accumulate dollars, mostly by exporting their goods and services to receive dollars needed to pay for oil. The world's central banks hold trillions of dollars of U.S. treasury bonds. The dollar is "as good as gold," although it has not been backed by gold since 1971 when the U.S. stopped redeeming dollars for gold at a fixed rate of $35 dollars an ounce.Still, the demand for dollars and dollar securities has remained high. Consequently, the interest rate the U.S. has to pay on these securities is relatively low. This allows Americans to have easy access to credit – live beyond their means and borrow at lower interest rates for homes and automobiles. The U.S. government can finance larger deficits longer and at lower interest rates even during the 2008 financial crisis. For reasons discussed in the Article, including Quantitative Easing ("QE") pursued by the U.S. Federal Reserve as a response to the financial crisis in 2008, dissatisfaction with the dollar-based system has deepened. Frenetic dollar printing via QE, resulting in U.S. export of inflation abroad, has spawned food riots and revolutions in the Middle East and exacerbated preexisting cracks in the system. In the past, many countries have resented the dollar's "exorbitant privilege" but have obediently lined up to support the system. Things are different today. U.S. allies are less dependent on the U.S., and there are serious economic rivals (Russia and China) acting in concert with countries such as Brazil, India, and South Africa (BRICS) to pose a serious challenge to the dollar-based system. This Article examines various events that might seem unconnected and disparate but which together, once the dots are connected, reveal not only fractures in the system but also concerted efforts to undermine the dollar. Russia, China and other countries have begun establishing alternative non-dollar-based systems. Bilateral and multilateral trade is being conducted by various countries in a currency other than the dollar. But more threatening to the dollar's supremacy is the decision by many to sever the dollar-oil link, which would decrease global demand for dollars. BRICS countries have established a new development bank to rival the World Bank and the IMF, using their own currencies rather than the dollar. China has been accumulating gold and even Western European allies are repatriating gold stored in the U.S. back to their territories. The dollar and other rival currencies may be up one moment and down the next. The purpose of this Article is to look at long-term trends and warn about fundamental fault lines and global headwinds that are not immediately obvious – all the more necessary when the economic snapshot of American markets, and relatedly of the dollar, appears more rosy than it really is.


This technical brief presents findings and lessons learned from small-scale interventions implemented by the Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) with first-time parents (FTPs) in three diverse settings. This presentation of cross-country learning is intended to help program implementers design effective interventions for FTPs and to inform future research and learning agendas. This document first describes the three intervention approaches and the data sources from which findings and lessons are drawn. Crosscountry findings comprise deepened insights into FTPs and their needs, including the diverse profiles of FTPs and the FTP life course, and factors shaping health care use and non-use, including social norms and health systems factors. Cross-cutting implementation lessons include approaches and challenges in engagement of first-time mothers and their male partners through group-based and home visit approaches, and engagement of community and family. We conclude with recommendations for future program and research investments and also share additional resources for further information.


Many disabled persons in the world are unable to communicate verbally with those around them. This may be because they have motor-control difficulties and so cannot operate the muscles which actually produce the speech. Conversely, it may be a neurophysiological problem, either congenital or as a result of trauma, resulting in an inability of the brain to create the speech in the first place. Either way the difficulties inherent with such problems are immense, and anything which can be used to help the situation can bring welcome relief. Many people have no verbal communication skills at all and as such need some form of prosthetic aid known as an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device. There are many forms of device from very basic pointing boards to complex computer systems and a device will be chosen to suit the needs and abilities of an individual. However, people with such difficulties often have their problems compounded by not being able to use the rest of their bodies properly either. If one cannot use one''s voice box because of motor-control difficulties then it is very likely that one will not be able to co-ordinate limbs properly. As such, using a complex device can be very difficult, and needless to say time consuming. For instance, typing on a keyboard can become an almost impossible task. The most common method of operating an AAC device is with a single switch, selecting the letters one-by-one as the system scans through them on a screen or lightboard. This produces prohibitively slow communication rates and as a consequence, even using an ordinary AAC device, users cannot join in with a normal conversation. A method is required which will improve the rate at which users can participate in a conversation using an AAC device. Prediction systems are amongst methods used to facilitate such improvements. They attempt to predict the user''s intended next word using various methods of computation. Many methodologies employ statistical modelling of the mode of usage of words within the user''s language, bearing no weight of choice upon the grammatical status of the sentence. Thus many of the predictions they produce are grammatically incorrect and as such wasteful to the user. Using grammar modelling a system can first narrow down the range of words which could follow the current one to those which are grammatically correct. When the more normal statistical methods are overlaid on this method then the hit rate (the rate at which the system predicts a word correctly) will be higher.


One of the nurses' main responsibilities is to give support and information to her patients. Breast milk is the best nutrition for an infant and it is an old tradition and exists in all countries. In South Africa dies a fifth part of the new born children who are not breastfed during the first three months and only tenth part of these are exclusively breastfed. The mother spends many hours each day feeding her child. This is one of the reasons why she should be supported in the feeding method of her choice and enabled to accomplish it with skills, knowledge, confidence and pleasure. The study's aim was to explore nurse´s experience of giving support and information around breastfeeding to newly delivered mothers in rural districts, South Africa. The study was conducted through a qualitative empirical study and the result was based on group interviews with nurses. The result showed the nurses starts to educate the mothers in antenatal-care with different approaches to reach out with their information and knowledge. Many of the difficulties they struggle with within their daily work also appeared in the result. The conclusion of the study was that the nurses understood the benefits of breastfeeding and tried spreading the significance by educating the mothers. The nurse made efforts of being available.


PURPOSE
This study aims to identify differentially expressed genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) through the use of a membrane-based cDNA array.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Two newly established human ESCC cell lines (HKESC-1 and HKESC-2) and one corresponding to a morphologically normal, esophageal epithelium tissue specimen, prospectively collected from the HKESC-2-related patient, were screened in parallel using a cDNA expression array containing gene-specific fragments for 588 human genes spotted onto nylon membranes.

RESULTS
The results of cDNA expression array showed that 53 genes were up-regulated 2-fold or higher and 8 genes were down-regulated 2-fold or higher in both ESCC cell lines at the mRNA level. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis of a subset of these differentially expressed genes gave results consistent with cDNA array findings. Four of the differentially expressed genes that belong to the categories of oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes (Fra-1 and Neogenin) and cell cycle-related genes (Id-1 and CDC25B) were studied more extensively for their protein expression by immunohistochemistry. The two ESCC cell lines and their corresponding primary tissues, 61 primary ESCC resected specimens and 16 matching, morphologically normal, esophageal epithelium tissues were analyzed. The immunostaining results showed that Fra-1, Neogenin, Id-1, and CDC25B were overexpressed in both ESCC cell lines and their corresponding primary tumors at the protein level, validating the microarray findings. The results of the clinical specimens showed that the Fra-1 gene was overexpressed in ESCC compared with normal esophageal epithelium in 53 of 61 cases (87%), Neogenin in 57 of 61 cases (93%), Id-1 in 57 of 61 cases (93%), and CDC25B in 48 of 61 cases (79%). Furthermore, the expression of Fra-1, Neogenin, and Id-1 in ESCC correlated with tumor differentiation.

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, this study demonstrates that multiple genes are differentially expressed in ESCC and provides the first evidence that oncogenes Fra-1 and Neogenin and cell cycle-related genes Id-1 and CDC25B are overexpressed in ESCC.


Commercial cellular networks emerged from the wired public switched telephone networks (PSTN) in an evolutionary manner. Market pressures fueled upgrades in bandwidth and functionality. Four decades later, these networks maintain historical artifacts from PSTN networks, and the artifacts work against the fundamental needs of today's wireless systems. Noncellular wireless networks are used beneficially within geographically limited domains (enterprise, at home), but such networks lack the architecture to scale geographically. In this paper, we step back and re-evaluate existing wireless network architectures, identifying inherent limitations and offering a new set of architectural principles that, we contend, will lead to significantly improved overall system performance and scalability. Based on these principles, we propose the CROSSMobileSM architecture that is enabled by controlled cross-layer information exchange between radio, network, and application layers (both on-device and in-cloud), coupled with information-owner-based privacy and security controls. We discuss how this architecture can provide increased value to equipment and device manufacturers, application and network service providers, and end users. We close by outlining a number of open research questions.


After the decommission of TRMM, GPM continues to provide a global rainfall estimate on a higher spatial and temporal resolution. The continuity of the gridded satellite rainfall product is then verified at 0.25◦ spatial resolution. GPM products were upscaled from 0.1◦ to 0.25◦ resolution. The half- hourly and three-hourly satellite products were then aggregated to daily measurements. Afterwhich, the TRMM and GPM datasets were compared with daily and monthly synoptic rainfall measurements for the period 2014 to 2017. It was found out that the TRMM near-realtime product tend to underestimate daily rainfall over the country. Moreover, the post-realtime daily and monthly rainfall of GPM and TRMM agrees well with each other. It was also found out that these satellite products are strongly correlated to individual synoptic measurements with scattered varying deviations and errors across the Philippines.


Pennsylvanian tropical rain forests flourished during an icehouse climate mode. Although it is well established that Milankovitch-band glacial-interglacial rhythms caused marked synchronous changes in Pennsylvanian tropical climate and sea level, little is known of vegetation response to orbital forcing. This knowledge gap has now been addressed through sequence- stratigraphic analysis of megafloral and palynofloral assemblages within the Westphalian D–Cantabrian Sydney Mines Formation of eastern Canada. This succession was deposited in a low- accommodation setting where sequences can be attributed confidently to glacio-eustasy. Results show that long-lived, low-diversity peat mires dominated by lycopsids were initiated during deglaciation events, but were mostly drowned by rising sea level at maximum interglacial conditions. Only upland coniferopsid forests survived flooding without significant disturbance. Mid- to late interglacial phases witnessed delta-plain progradation and establishment of high-diversity, mineral-substrate rain forests containing lycopsids, sphenopsids, pteridosperms, cordaites, and tree ferns. Renewed glaciation resulted in sea-level fall, paleovalley incision, and the onset of climatic aridity. Glacial vegetation was dominated by cordaites, pteridosperms, and tree ferns; hydrophilic lycopsids and sphenopsids survived in paleovalley refugia. Findings clearly demonstrate the dynamic nature of Pennsylvanian tropical ecosystems and are timely given current debates about the impact of Quaternary glacial-interglacial rhythms on the biogeography of tropical rain forest.


"Complex-event processing is simple in principle but hard to do well in practice. This guide presents the principles and motivations for those new to the subject. More importantly, it details the entire thought-landscape of a complete implementation, using TIBCO products as the background. Well worth the read for anyone who is thinking of implementing a complex-event solution. Those who have already implemented one should read it as well, both for another perspective and for a view of the capabilities of the TIBCO products. Lloyd Fischer, Senior Software Architect, WellCare Health Plans This complete guide drives you through the specifics of complex-event processing (CEP) design concepts. The book covers all the fundamental aspects and design phases relevant for any TIBCO CEP project implementation, from design through performance-tuning and deployment. I would highly recommend this book to any reader interested in CEP concepts, although a small amount of TIBCO technology knowledge will let you appreciate it more. Antonio Bruno, Infrastructure Account Manager, UBS AG The architecture series from TIBCO Press comprises a coordinated set of titles for software architects and developers, showing how to combine TIBCO components to design and build real-world solutions. Complex-event processing is required when multiple events occurring throughout an organization must be sensed, analyzed, prioritized, and acted on in real time. Architecting Complex-Event Processing Solutions with TIBCO shows how to design and architect complex-event processing systems, addressing all their complexities and achieving maximum efficiency and effectiveness, while delivering superior business value. After reading this book, you will be able to Identify opportunities for competitive differentiation through complex-event processing Describe differences between complex-event processing and traditional systems Understand relevant capabilities of the TIBCO BusinessEvents product suite Select building-block design patterns for constructing complex-event processing solutions with TIBCO BusinessEvents Address architectural aspects of moving solutions into production Implement proven approaches to designing fault tolerance and high availability Architecting Complex-Event Processing Solutions with TIBCO is intended for working architects, designers, and developers who want to apply TIBCO products in complex-event processing applications. It is also required reading for anyone seeking TIBCO Certified Architect status.


OBJECTIVE This multicenter, open-label, parallel-arm study compared the efficacy and safety of exenatide once weekly (EQW) with titrated insulin detemir in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with metformin (with or without sulfonylureas). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients were randomized to EQW (2 mg) or detemir (once or twice daily, titrated to achieve fasting plasma glucose ≤5.5 mmol/L) for 26 weeks. The primary outcome was proportion of patients achieving A1C ≤7.0% and weight loss ≥1.0 kg at end point, analyzed by means of logistic regression. Secondary outcomes included measures of glycemic control, cardiovascular risk factors, and safety and tolerability. RESULTS Of 216 patients (intent-to-treat population), 111 received EQW and 105 received detemir. Overall, 44.1% (95% CI, 34.7–53.9) of EQW-treated patients compared with 11.4% (6.0–19.1) of detemir-treated patients achieved the primary outcome (P < 0.0001). Treatment with EQW resulted in significantly greater reductions than detemir in A1C (least-square mean ± SE, −1.30 ± 0.08% vs. −0.88 ± 0.08%; P < 0.0001) and weight (−2.7 ± 0.3 kg vs. +0.8 ± 0.4 kg; P < 0.0001). Gastrointestinal-related and injection site–related adverse events occurred more frequently with EQW than with detemir. There was no major hypoglycemia in either group. Five (6%) patients in the EQW group and six (7%) patients in the detemir group experienced minor hypoglycemia; only one event occurred without concomitant sulfonylureas (detemir group). CONCLUSIONS Treatment with EQW resulted in a significantly greater proportion of patients achieving target A1C and weight loss than treatment with detemir, with a low risk of hypoglycemia. These results suggest that EQW is a viable alternative to insulin detemir treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes with inadequate glycemic control using oral antidiabetes drugs.


Abstract Epidemiological studies suggest that father's smoking might influence their future children's health, but few studies have addressed whether paternal line effects might be related to altered DNA methylation patterns in the offspring. To investigate a potential association between fathers' smoking exposures and offspring DNA methylation using epigenome-wide association studies. We used data from 195 males and females (11–54 years) participating in two population-based cohorts. DNA methylation was quantified in whole blood using Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip. Comb-p was used to analyse differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Robust multivariate linear models, adjusted for personal/maternal smoking and cell-type proportion, were used to analyse offspring differentially associated probes (DMPs) related to paternal smoking. In sensitivity analyses, we adjusted for socio-economic position and clustering by family. Adjustment for inflation was based on estimation of the empirical null distribution in BACON. Enrichment and pathway analyses were performed on genes annotated to cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites using the gometh function in missMethyl. We identified six significant DMRs (Sidak-corrected P values: 0.0006–0.0173), associated with paternal smoking, annotated to genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity, fatty acid synthesis, development and function of neuronal systems and cellular processes. DMP analysis identified 33 CpGs [false discovery rate (FDR)  < 0.05]. Following adjustment for genomic control (λ = 1.462), no DMPs remained epigenome-wide significant (FDR < 0.05). This hypothesis-generating study found that fathers' smoking was associated with differential methylation in their adolescent and adult offspring. Future studies are needed to explore the intriguing hypothesis that fathers' exposures might persistently modify their future offspring's epigenome.


The main goal of the SWAP project is that of designing, implementing and ultimately testing a new breed of wireless sensor nodes with energy scavenging capabilities. Our design will include novel energy scavenging hardware as well as network protocols and algorithms. In this paper, we summarize the outcomes of the first year of the project as well as the way forward to the further phases. In particular, we analyze the state of the art in the main research areas: energy efficient communication protocol design, ultra-low-power hardware design and most advanced harvesting techniques. For what concerns the future phases of the project we elaborate on the adoption of statistical predictive models for the energy description, we account for game theoretic approaches for distributed optimization and we apply our considerations on the most modern standards for wireless sensor networks communication. We review the state of the art on hardware components, to provide a shortlist of the most efficient building blocks of the SWAP platforms as well as a draft version of the schematics of the module. Finally, we provide a brief overview on the latest energy harvester for miniature scale devices and we argue on the feasibility of a hybrid solar-electromagnetic harvesting module.


Objective: to review the dietary patterns, nutrient intakes, and nutritional and physical activity status of older adults living in Saudi Arabia, to examine geographical differences in such patterns and to identify research gaps in respect of nutrition and physical activity for this population group. Design: Databases and websites (including Pubmed, Scopus, Proquest, Google Scholar and Arab Center for Nutrition) were searched in English and Arabic languages using the following key words: nutritional status, dietary pattern, food pattern, dietary habits, micronutrient intake and status, macronutrients intake, obesity, malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia, vitamin D, physical activity, exercise, Saudi older adults and Saudi elderly. All relevant and available data for both free-living and institutionalized Saudi older adults (> 50 years old or with mean age > 50 years) published in the last 20 years were included in this review. Results: We found that free-living females consumed fewer meals, and less fruits and vegetables, but their reported energy intake was higher than for males. Low intake of vitamins C and D were common in both genders and in those who lived in western and northern regions while low intake of folate and fiber were common in institutionalized people. Omega-3 fatty acids and fish were more highly consumed by older adults living in the coastal region compared with residents in the internal region. Obesity, overweight, vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency and physical inactivity were prevalent in free living older adults throughout the country while underweight and iron deficiency anemia were prevalent in institutionalized persons. Conclusion: Information on dietary patterns, nutrient intakes, and nutritional and physical activity status of older adults living in Saudi Arabia is fragmentary and interpretation of the findings is hampered by the lack of population-representative sampling frames and the use of heterogeneous data collection tools. More systematic studies are essential to facilitate objective assessment of these important lifestyle-related factors and to inform public health policies.


Observation is a key skill in performing analysis and evaluation activities during development and maintenance of an information system. This paper looks at how this skill can be learnt by investigating the research question: "Can observation learning be improved by introducing a meta-observer?". This research consists of using a simulation of a real life situation of an observation scenario embracing three different roles: a user, an observer and a meta-observer. The user, while performing a task, is encouraged to 'think aloud' by the observer. The meta-observer's task is to observe the observer and to provide feedback. Findings in terms of strengths and problems concerning the role of the meta-observer are presented.


Critical analyses of public involvement in conservation projects in developing countries commonly point toward imbalances of power between project agencies and communities and the persistence of top-down patterns of decision-making. Taking an actor-oriented research approach, this paper probes beneath the surface patterns to analyse the complex socio-political mechanisms at work in the negotiating arena represented by public participation in project planning. The discussion is based on a case study of community involvement in the planning of protected areas in Belize. Detailed analysis of the power relations and tactical interactions between different actors in the negotiating arenas revealed that planner/community relations in the case study were dominated by a process identified as 'containment'. Containment refers to a strategic management of public involvement by the planning agencies, and it hinged on three fundamental social actions: avoidance of conflict; exclusion of dissent; and control over knowledge and procedure. Actions by local stakeholders that served to undermine containment constitute 'counter-containment'. The paper discusses these mechanisms in depth, before developing a comparative analytical framework of containment and counter-containment to help explain disparities in planning progress between different sites.


Three perceptual experiments were conducted to test the relative importance of vowels vs. consonants to recognition of fluent speech. Sentences were selected from the TIMIT corpus to obtain approximately equal numbers of vowels and consonants within each sentence and equal durations across the set of sentences. In experiments 1 and 2, subjects listened to (a) unaltered TIMIT sentences; (b) sentences in which all of the vowels were replaced by noise; or (c) sentences in which all of the consonants were replaced by noise. The subjects listened to each sentence five times, and attempted to transcribe what they heard. The results of these experiments show that recognition of words depends more upon vowels than consonants-about twice as many words are recognized when vowels are retained in the speech. The effect was observed when occurrences of [1], [r], [w], [y] [m], [n], were included in the sentences (experiment 1) or replaced by noise (experiment 2). Experiment 3 tested the hypothesis that vowel boundaries contain more information about the neighboring consonants than vice versa.


Molecular markers are tools used to improve genetic gains. The objective of this study was to analyze the security of alleles of molecular marker genes for characteristics of economic interest in a pure population of pigs. After the extraction of DNA from the hair of 272 Large White matrices, the allele and genotype frequency of single nucleotide polymorphism was performed using the ARMS-PCR Multiplex technique in the DGAT1, LEPR, H-FABP, MC4R, and SREBF1 genes using RFLP-PCR for the GH gene. After capillary electrophoresis in an automated DNA sequencing of the DGAT1, LEPR, H-FABP, and SREBF1 genes, no polymorphisms were found. Only the MC4R marker presented 100% heterozygosity. For the GH gene, 209 of the initial population samples were genotyped. The PCR product (605 bp) was digested with the restriction enzyme DdeI, with fragments being of 335, 148, and 122 bp for the D1 allele and 457 and 148 bp for the D2 allele. The genotypic frequency obtained of D1D2 was 88% and of D2D2 was 22%. The D1 allele presented a frequency of 11% and the D2 allele of 89%. The high intensity of selection for commercial breeds justifies the absence or the low number of polymorphisms for the genes studied.


Objective : The principle objective of this study was to establish a profile and perception of men in nursing in Western Australia. This paper will discuss one sub-objective which sort to explore responses to the question: "Would you recommend a nursing as a career to males that you know?" Design: Main study was a quantitative, descriptive survey design, however the question under review was significantly qualitative in nature and analysed as such. Setting : The study took place across Western Australian public and private sector health care facilities, nurse education institutions and non- government providers across rural, remote and metropolitan locations. Main outcome measures: Data was collected through responses to one question (within a larger survey) that related to recommending nursing as a career to males. An online survey instrument was used. Results: 70.5 %( n= 377) said they would recommend nursing to males. Of the respondents that selected "yes" 19.6% were male and 80.4 % were female. Of the 29.5 %( n= 158) respondents that selected "no" 24.7% were male and 75.3% female. Qualitative data reported supports the perceptions in the current workforce. Conclusion : Whilst the majority of respondents in the study would recommend a career in nursing to men, a quarter of respondents felt that a career in nursing was not suited to men. Reasons identified included; poor pay, a difficult job, men's values were incompatible with care, or that they were using nursing as a spring board to other careers. Identifying the perceptions of men in nursing and if current nurses would promote nursing to males they knew assists in the potential recruitment of a much needed future workforce.


Cerebral Aneurysm (CA) is a pathological distension of cerebral arteries. Ruptured CA is devastating and causes subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) which may even lead to death. This paper proposes one simple but efficient methodology to detect CA from medical images. It comprises of thresholding and morphological filtering in an elegant way. Proposed method has been corroborated on various digital subtraction angiography (DSA) images and results in an accuracy of about 99% for different sizes of cerebral aneurysm.


ABSTRACT Nucleotide sequence analysis of the Streptococcus salivarius clpP locus revealed potential binding sites for both the CtsR and HrcA repressors. Dual regulation by HrcA and CtsR was demonstrated by using Bacillus subtilis as a heterologous host, and CtsR was shown to bind directly to the clpP promoter sequence. This is the first example of a clpP gene under the control of HrcA.


In multi-radio wireless mesh networks, one node is eligible to transmit packets over multiple channels to different destination nodes simultaneously. This feature of multi-radio wireless mesh network makes high throughput for the network and increase the chance for multi path routing. This is because the multiple channel availability for transmission decreases the probability of the most elegant problem called as interference problem which is either of interflow and intraflow type. For avoiding the problem like interference and maintaining the constant network performance or increasing the performance the WMN need to consider the packet aggregation and packet forwarding. Packet aggregation is process of collecting several packets ready for transmission and sending them to the intended recipient through the channel, while the packet forwarding holds the hop-by-hop routing. But choosing the correct path among different available multiple paths is most the important factor in the both case for a routing algorithm. Hence the most challenging factor is to determine a forwarding strategy which will provide the schedule for each node for transmission within the channel. In this research work we have tried to implement two forwarding strategies for the multi path multi radio WMN as the approximate solution for the above said problem. We have implemented Global State Routing (GSR) which will consider the packet forwarding concept and Aggregation Aware Layer 2 Routing (AAL2R) which considers the both concept i.e. both packet forwarding and packet aggregation. After the successful implementation the network performance has been measured by means of simulation study.


BACKGROUND
Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery is associated with mortality and major adverse postoperative cardiovascular events. The effect of postoperative troponin concentrations on patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is unknown.

OBJECTIVE
The study examined the association between immediate postoperative troponin concentrations and self-reported HRQoL 1 year after surgery.

DESIGN
Prospective cohort study.

SETTING
Single-centre tertiary care hospital in the Netherlands between July 2012 and 2015.

PATIENTS
Patients aged at least 60 years undergoing moderate and major noncardiac surgery.

INTERVENTION
None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
HRQoL total score was assessed with the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire. Tobit regression analysis was used to determine the association between postoperative troponin concentrations and 1-year HRQoL. Peak high-sensitivity troponin T values were divided into four categories: less than 14, 14 to 49, 50 to 149 and at least 150 ng l.

RESULTS
A total of 3085 patients with troponin measurements were included. 2634 (85.4%) patients were alive at 1-year follow-up of whom 1297 (49.2%) returned a completed questionnaire. The median score for HRQoL was 0.82 (0.85, 0.81, 0.77 and 0.71 per increasing troponin category). Multivariable analysis revealed betas of -0.06 [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.09 to -0.02], -0.11 (95% CI -0.18 to -0.04) and -0.18 (95% CI -0.29 to -0.07) for troponin levels of 14 to 49, 50 to 149 and at least 150 ng l when compared with values less than 14 ng l. Other independent predictors for lower HRQoL were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, female sex, peripheral arterial disease and increasing age.

CONCLUSION
Higher levels of postoperative troponin measured immediately after surgery were independently associated with lower self-reported HRQoL total score at 1-year follow-up.


Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease of unknown origin affecting up to 1% of the population. Audiovestibular impairment has been observed in ankylosing spondylitis and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is the most common form. The cause of SNHL is still unknown but the possible causes are as follows: vascular inflammation (obliterative vasculitis) of small vessels, ossification of the articular tissue of the middle ear, and use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. This is a case report of a patient with ankylosing spondylitis and SNHL along with a discussion of the literature regarding cochleovestibular impairment in ankylosing spondylitis.


ACETALDEHYDE DEHYDROGENASE 2 (ALDH2) ACTIVATION PROTECTS HEPATOCYTES FROM MITOCHONDRIAL DAMAGE AND DEATH CAUSED BY 4-HYDROXYNONENAL Keegan J. Baldauf August6,2012 Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) ranks among the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the world and effects millions of patients each year. Progression of ALD is well characterized and is actually a spectrum of liver diseases, which progresses from steatosis, to inflammation and necrosis, to finally fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, the underlying mechanism(s) of ALD are not as well understood, and as a result there is no FDA-approved therapy to prevent or reverse the disease. With a better understanding of the mechanism(s) and risk factors that mediate the initiation and progression of ALD, a targeted therapy can be developed to treat or prevent it. The regenerative capacity of the liver is inhibited in fibrosis and cirrhosis. By enhancing the regenerative ability of the liver we may be able to reverse the effects of ALD. Indeed, recent in vivo studies by this group indicate that activating Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) with Alda1 (a novel ALDH2 activator) or Ethanol (EtOH) protects against oxidative stress and damage to the liver, as result enhancing regeneration. Because ALDH2 can protect mitochondria from oxidative stress that results from partial hepatectomy, oxidative stress from other sources should be protected against as well. To test this hypothesis, primary hepatocytes were isolated from mice and plated on 96-well plates for analysis via Cellomics High Content Screening. Some mice were administered EtOH for 3 days prior to hepatocyte isolation or exposed to Alda-1 to activate ALDH2. Cells were exposed to 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE; 0-1000 j.JM) for 0-24 H. Activation of ALDH2, by pretreatment with EtOH or Alda-1 preexposure, clearly protected isolated hepatocytes from 4-HNE toxicity. Mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly increased in cells with


This article explores the interplay between individual decisions and wider collective pressures over return migration among Zimbabweans in the UK. What was perceived as a transitional moment in Zimbabwe opened up the possibility of return after exile, and has been characterized not only by hope but also uncertainty, fear and ambivalence about return. As such, it is a particularly interesting time to study return considerations, which are not simply personal, but are influenced by moral obligations and collective pressures, both within the diaspora and transnationally. The article analyses the intersection between the personal and communal domains in matters of return in relation to three aspects of the anticipated transition; economic change and uncertainty in Zimbabwe, the politics of asylum, and identity politics. I argue that emotions and decisions about settlement and return are complicated by collective influences on personal considerations and that questions of return are partly questions of identity.


The predicament of political reform that China faces today is that while people are increasingly aware of its importance, they lack a basic consensus on what to reform and how. This article argues that political reform cannot be achieved by utopianism but must be based on Chinese political practice. The practice in Chinese politics in the era of reform and opening demonstrates that political reform has three main dimensions, namely, open party, meritocratic competition and public participation. First, the ruling party, the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), tends to become increasingly open, which is leading to an open political system. Second, an open political system is gradually leading to limited political competition among political elites, based on the traditional notion of meritocracy. And third, with political competition, social participation is gradually being materialised. Overall, openness, competition and participation are the essential characteristics of the so-called Chinese political model. This article also argues that while China's political system is developing these characteristics, there are enormous challenges ahead for the realisation of these political values. But, if the intra-Party democracy cannot be substantiated, the future of the CPC is uncertain.


We have discovered unexpected similarities between a novel and characteristic wing organ in an extinct biting midge from Baltic amber, Eohelea petrunkevitchi, and the surface of a dipteran's compound eye. Scanning electron microscope images now reveal vestigial mechanoreceptors between the facets of the organ. We interpret Eohelea's wing organ as the blending of these two developmental systems: the formation and patterning of the cuticle in the eye and of the wing. Typically, only females in the genus carry this distinctive, highly organized structure. Two species were studied (E. petrunkevitchi and E. sinuosa), and the structure differs in form between them. We examine Eohelea's wing structures for modes of fabrication, material properties and biological functions, and the effective ecological environment in which these midges lived. We argue that the current view of the wing organ's function in stridulation has been misconstrued since it was described half a century ago.


We have investigated the bimetallic Sn/Rh(111) system formed by vapor deposition of Sn on a Rh(111) single-crystal surface by applying two powerful structural probes: alkali-ion scattering spectroscopy (ALISS) and x-ray photoelectron diffraction. For initial submonolayer exposures, the surface structure responsible for the observed $(\sqrt{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\sqrt{3})R30\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{n}/\mathrm{R}\mathrm{h}(111)$ low-energy electron diffraction pattern is explored and its alloy nature is established. The ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ ALISS results indicate that the formation of this surface alloy is produced by the replacement of top-layer Rh atoms by Sn atoms. The resultant alloy surface can be strictly two dimensional if the annealing temperature is high enough $(g~1300\mathrm{K}).$ This surface alloy is buckled with the Sn atoms displaced upward from the Rh surface plane by $0.29\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05\AA{}.$ In addition, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy core-level measurements have been performed on this surface alloy at grazing exit angles and these are compared with results on the analogous Sn/Pt(111) surface alloy. Binding energy shifts of $\ensuremath{-}0.4$ and -0.6 eV for the Rh $3d$ and Sn $3d$ core levels, respectively, were observed for the Rh-Sn alloy compared to the pure elements. A shift of $\ensuremath{-}0.3\mathrm{eV}$ was also seen for the valence-band centroid upon alloying. From temperature-programmed desorption studies it was determined that CO adsorption is decreased on the Sn/Rh surface alloy, but with only a small (4 kcal/mol) decrease in the adsorption energy. The growth mechanism of the Sn film in the Sn/Rh(111) bimetallic system was also probed. The vapor deposition of Sn on Rh(111) at 300 K does not form epitaxial clean Sn films or pure Sn clusters but rather forms a random alloy of increasing thickness.


Abstract The Kawasaki and Dobuyama bentonite deposits in northeastern Japan show contrasting properties even though they are only 5 km apart in a sequence of Neogene sedimentary and pyroclastic rocks. The Kawasaki deposit consists of stratiform bentonite layers up to >50 m thick, and its wall rocks are unaltered shallow marine sedimentary rocks. In contrast, the Dobuyama deposit consists of a funnel-shaped ore body 200 m across, and its wall rocks are hydrothermally altered terrestrial rhyolitic pyroclastic rocks. The Kawasaki and Dobuyama bentonites mainly consist of Na-Ca smectite and Ca smectite, respectively, with subordinate opal-CT, quartz and zeolite. The geological occurrences of the deposits and wall-rock properties suggest that the Kawasaki and Dobuyama deposits were probably formed by diagenesis and low-temperature hydrothermal alteration, respectively. The difference in exchangeable cation ratios of the smectite between the two deposits is attributable to the difference in their sedimentary environments and/or burial depth.


Although turbulence is thought to be a key variable in the performance and survivability of Marine Hydrokinetic turbines, it has not been fully characterized at sites where they will be deployed. In particular, the conventional metrics of turbulence intensity and turbulent kinetic energy spectra only describe the turbulence at a point. Spatial information is required to estimate the loading across a rotor, for example, and to understand the short-term evolution of turbulence in the vicinity of a device (for potential use in feed-forward control algorithms). Here, we describe a method to collect and analyze data for determining the spatial coherence of turbulence at marine hydrokinetic turbine deployment sites. The approach uses multiple compliant moorings equipped with acoustic Doppler velocimeters and inertial motion units. Analysis of data from previous deployments of a single mooring is used to demonstrate the method, and future deployments are discussed. It is expected that coherence will be highly dependent on scale, with high coherence for large-scale eddies, and low coherence for the smaller, inertial-scale eddies.


Introduction
The three card game, sometimes called find the queen, is a classic confidence trick, typically taking place on an impromptu table top, set up on pavement or street corner. The tricksters usually operate in teams, pulling in punters and 'losing' games with their fellows to persuade prospective speculators the game is winnable. For our titular purposes the three card trick serves as a metaphor for broader deceits. We are concerned with how well-meaning mental health nurses can enter into a set of apparently rational practices, insisted upon by policy and protocol, seemingly motivated by ideals of care and protection from harm, yet functioning to destroy the very essence of what it might mean to be a caring, progressive practitioner by contributing to a mutuality of alienation that, at the relational level, is the opposite of what services intend to achieve. This may prove to be the case because an external confidence trickster (neoliberalism) is actually in charge, and the real function of the game serves other ends.

The whole point of the game is that genuine players can never win, and for the trickster to triumph it is necessary that these punters are willing, gullible and in most circumstances accept losses without too much fuss. When the losers do not go quietly this is referred to in the argot of the con as 'squawking', and personnel are deployed on the periphery to ensure any squawk is minimised. Various strategies can be used to 'cool out the mark', and are analogous to the means by which people are assisted to adjust to life's disappointments in other contexts, including encounters with priests or sundry psy-professionals (Goffman 1952; McKeown et al. 2013).

This commentary paper seeks to provoke nursing out of its state of gullibility and self-deception even if this involves painful reflection on the losses inherent in our collective game of mental health care. If we are to defend the importance of mental health nursing we must think more critically about our complicity within oppressive systems of control and do something about it. There is a lengthy critical tradition to draw on. We urge mental health nurses to squawk, asserting a more recalcitrant and rebellious standpoint, preferably in alliance with service users, refusers and survivors. Acknowledging the constraints upon nursing's agency, deficits of power, and structural disadvantage need not default to impotence and inaction: collective resistance is always possible, however difficult the circumstances.


Living benthic foraminifera of Flensburg Fjord were surveyed in June 2006. The muddy and organic-rich sediments of the inner fjord were dominated by Elphidium incertum. E. incertum and E. excavatum were frequent in muds and sandy muds of the fjord loop around Holnis Peninsula and in the outer part. Gelting Bay yielded a different biofacies, indicating a brackish and sandy habitat, poor in food supply and with microfauna dominated by Ammonia beccarii and E. albiumbilicatum. The central fjord and nearshore zones of the loop were characterized by sandy muds, relatively poor in food and occupied by A. beccarii, E. incertum and E. excavatum subspecies. High abundances of E. excavatum were encountered in the innermost fjord, with fine-grained and organic-rich muddy sediments. A comparison with previous studies revealed the profound changes in species composition in the outer Flensburg Fjord since the 1970s. A decline in numbers of Ammotium cassis and flourishing of Ammonia beccarii in Gelting Bay were recognized. These changes are most likely associated with decreased intensity and frequency of salt-water inflows into the Baltic Sea since the 1960s. It is inferred that the decline of A. cassis is similar to that of Eggerelloides scaber, which currently is found only in depressions of Kiel Bight with higher salinity.


This thesis investigates the reliability of the D - σ and D - Mg(_2) distance indicators for elliptical galaxies. In particular, we test whether these empirical correlations are affected by differences in the stellar populations of elliptical galaxies associated with their environment. Our final goal is to assess the reality of the large peculiar velocities measured in the local universe as derived using these relations. Our galaxy sample includes ellipticals located in high and low galaxian density regions. The cluster sample is mainly based on new observations of ellipticals in Coma, Abell 2199 and Abell 2634, while the field sample is selected from the literature. For each galaxy we list measurements of the effective radius, effective surface brightness, photometric diameter, velocity dispersion and magnesium index. We first develop a phenomenological framework of galaxy properties that describes all empirical correlations for spheroidal systems, including both giant and dwarf ellipticals. Despite the wide variety of observed correlations, we show that only three provide independent information on the overall structure and metal abundamce of these systems. These three 'fundamental relations' can be expressed in terms of physical variables assuming that both the galaxy mass-to-light ratio (M/L) and the ratio between the effective radii of the dark and luminous matter distributions (R/R(_e)) depend on the mass of the galaxy. The structure of elliptical galaxies is then determined by both the virial theorem and aa intrinsic mass-radius relation. The metallicity of their stellar populations in turn is a function of the galaxy velocity dispersion alone. We compare this framework with a theoretical scenario of galaxy formation that combines the hierarchical clustering and the galactic wind models. This picture provides a consistent explanation of the fundamental relations of all elliptical galaxies assuming R/R(_e) ~ constant for dwarf ellipticals while, for giant ellipticals, we find that R/R(_e) must be a decreasing function of galaxy mass. Our framework strongly suggests that this dependence of R/Re on galaxy mass is the only difference between the two galaxy families. We then study the effect of the environment on the D - σ and D - Mg(_2) distance indicators by comparing ellipticals that reside in the core of the Coma cluster with those in the cluster halo. By studying the variations within one cluster, we avoid the difficulty of decoupling effects induced by distance errors from those due to real environmental differences. We find that ellipticals located in the outer, low-density areas of the Coma cluster have D diameters that are, on average at a given σ or Mg(_2), 10% or 30% larger than their counterparts in the cluster core. Using galaxy evolution models we demonstrate that this effect is consistent with the presence of an intermediate age stellar component in some halo ellipticals. We use the framework of galaxy properties in combination with galaxy evolution models to design a new age-independent distance indicator for ellipticals. This relation allows distances to be estimated with an uncertainty of ~20% and is independent of age/environmental effects. We also offer a simple explanation of the trends observed in the D - σ versus D -Mg(_2) residuals plot. Finally, we use our new distance indicator to readdress previous measurements of peculiar velocities in both the cluster and field environments. For Abell 2199 and Abell 2634 ellipticals, we show that the new distance estimates are in good agreement with those derived using the D - σ and D - Mg(_2) relations. Both clusters are found to have peculiar velocities which are not significantly different from zero. However, when the new distance indicator is applied to field ellipticals we find that the age/environmental effect translates into a spurious positive component of the local peculiar velocity field as derived from D - σ and D - Mg(_2). This effect may provide a simple explanation of the large positive peculiar motions observed towards the Great Attractor.


From 2002 to 2009, the United States Supreme Court decided three cases directly bearing on one of the most notable, or perhaps notorious, examples of American exceptionalism — state judicial elections. First, the Court held, 5-4, in Republican Party of Minnesota v White, that a state canon prohibiting judicial candidates from announcing their views on issues "likely to come before them" failed First Amendment strict-scrutiny analysis. The juxtaposition of that holding with the White majority's express caveat that it "neither assert[ed] nor impl[ied] that the First Amendment requires campaigns for judicial office to sound the same as those for legislative office," continues to spawn challenges to state judicial canons across the country, with many trial and appellate courts reaching diametrically different results. Six years later, the Court upheld New York's uniquely byzantine system of trial-court elections, emphasizing legislative deference and party associational rights over ballot access and voter and candidate interests. And most recently, the Court found a due process violation where a West Virginia Supreme Court Justice refused to recuse himself from the appeal of a company whose CEO spent $3 million supporting the Justice's campaign for the bench. The Court's decisions occurred against the backdrop of a decade in which judicial campaign costs, campaign rhetoric, and tensions surrounding the judicial role escalated dramatically. This Article examines the developing dialogue in response to the decisions in the lower federal courts, state courts, and state legislatures as to the questions of whether elected judges really are different from constituent officials, and if so, in what ways the law can — and cannot — protect and reinforce those differences.


Among dendritic architectures, polyanionic dendritic polymers have emerged as novel versatile platforms for applications in nanomedicine. Their appealing properties, such as high functional surface, low polydispersity, hydrophilicity, enhanced circulation time in the blood stream, and superior biocompatibility compared to their cationic counterparts, make anionic dendritic polymers ideal candidates for the biomedical field. In this book chapter, the biomedical applications of anionic dendritic polymers are discussed, with a focus on recent examples ranging from drug delivery to anti‐viral and anti‐inflammatory drugs.


Background: Tobacco product warning labels are a key health communication medium with plain packaging noted as the next step in the evolution of tobacco packaging. We assessed the self-reported impact of text versus pictorial health warnings and the determinants of support for plain packaging of tobacco products in the European Union (EU). Methods: The Special Eurobarometer 385 survey was analyzed for 26,566 adults from 27 EU countries in 2012. The self-reported impact of warning labels (text or pictorial) and determinants of EU-wide support for plain packaging were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Current smokers in countries where cigarette pictorial warnings were implemented had higher odds of reporting that health warning labels had any effect on their smoking behavior (making a quit attempt or reducing number of cigarettes smoked per day) compared to respondents in countries with text-only warning labels (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI: 1.10-1.56). Population support for plain packaging of tobacco packs was higher in countries where cigarette pictorial warnings already existed (aOR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.07-1.28). Conclusions: These findings indicate that the implementation of pictorial warnings at an EU level may have a positive behavioral impact among smokers and pave the way for population support for plain packaging in the EU.


As the medical education community celebrates the 100th anniversary of the seminal Flexner Report, medical education is once again experiencing significant pressure to transform. Multiple reports from many of medicine's specialties and external stakeholders highlight the inadequacies of current training models to prepare a physician workforce to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and aging population. This transformation, driven by competency-based medical education (CBME) principles that emphasize the outcomes, will require more effective evaluation and feedback by faculty.Substantial evidence suggests, however, that current faculty are insufficiently prepared for this task across both the traditional competencies of medical knowledge, clinical skills, and professionalism and the newer competencies of evidence-based practice, quality improvement, interdisciplinary teamwork, and systems. The implication of these observations is that the medical education enterprise urgently needs an international initiative of faculty development around CBME and assessment. In this article, the authors outline the current challenges and provide suggestions on where faculty development efforts should be focused and how such an initiative might be accomplished. The public, patients, and trainees need the medical education enterprise to improve training and outcomes now.


: In this paper, free vibration of carbon nanotube-reinforced functionally graded circular plates with hole has been investigated. Distribution of carbon nanotubes are continuous and the gradual and graded changes of materials through the plate thickness are considered as volume fraction. Considering the linear and non-linear variation of circular plates through the radial direction and also considering the proposed function for the thickness, the plate thickness can be convex or concave. Moreover, the motion equations of plate were obtained based on the third-order shear deformation theory. These equations are coupled differential equations which can convert Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE) using the Trigonometric series expansion of displacement fields such that they satisfy the axial symmetry condition. Solving the converted ODE equations is too difficult. For this reason, the differential quadrature method is employed to solve these equations. The obtained results are compared with the results reported by other researchers and an excellent agreement is observed between them. Finally, the effects of different geometric parameters as well as different volume fracture of nanotubes on natural frequency have been studied.


ABSTRACT Contextualized in the recent territorial dispute between Japan and China, this research examines consumer animosity from the perspective of transnational Chinese consumers. This study provides a multidimensional model of animosity and tests an integrative model that links cultural identification, antecedents (i.e., patriotism, nationalism, and internationalism), and moderators of consumer animosity (i.e., perceived symbolism and perceived threat). Transnational Chinese consumers' cultural identification was found to significantly influence the mechanisms underlying their animosity against Japanese products.


This paper argues that a new class of geographically distributed network services is emerging, and that the most effective way to design, evaluate, and deploy these services is by using an overlay-based testbed. Unlike conventional network testbeds, however, we advocate an approach that supports both researchers that want to develop new services, and clients that want to use them. This dual use, in turn, suggests four design principles that are not widely supported in existing testbeds: services should be able to run continuously and access a slice of the overlay's resources, control over resources should be distributed, overlay management services should be unbundled and run in their own slices, and APIs should be designed to promote application development. We believe a testbed that supports these design principles will facilitate the emergence of a new service-oriented network architecture. Towards this end, the paper also briefly describes PlanetLab, an overlay network being designed with these four principles in mind.


Leaves of Abrus precatorius are sweet and traditionally used to treat cough, malaria, snake bites and boils. This study evaluates the proximate and mineral composition of A. precatorius, and establishes the best solvent for the extraction of the sweet component of the leaves, by performing organoleptic test on the extract of different solvents, under different temperature conditions. The proximate composition of A. precatorius shows that it contains carbohydrate (65.50 ± 3.12%) as its largest component, crude fibre (2.00 ± 0.00%) as its lowest component. Moisture is 11.00 ± 0.00%, Ash is 7.00 ±1.41%, crude protein is 8.00 ± 0.00% and lipid is 6.50 ± 2.12%. Mineral analysis reveals that the leaves contains Na 94.10 ± 0.145 mg/100 g, Cu 00.07 ± 0.004 mg/100 g, Fe 24.14 ± 0.002 mg/100 g, Zn 6.09 ± 0.020 mg/100 g, K 246.94 ± 0.0252 mg/100 g, Ca 231.84 ± 0.204 mg/100 g, and Mg 25.66 ± 0.012 mg/100 g of sample. The best solvent and method of extraction of the sweet component of the leaves is hot (soxhlet) methanolic extraction.


This study was conducted to evaluate physical, microbiological, and organoleptic quality of layer eggs marketed around IPB campus Darmaga, Bogor. Egg samples were obtained from three market groups (supermarket, retailer, and traditional market). Each group includes three markets determined purposively, namely SM-1, SM-2, and SM-3 for supermarkets; BR-1, BR-2, and BR-3 for retailers; and TM-1, TM-2, and TM-3 for traditional markets. Physical qualities measured were egg weight, yolk index, albumen index, air sac height, pH and Aw. Microbiological quality was expressed as colony forming unit with Total Plate Count (TPC) method and the number of Escherichia coli colony formed. Organoleptic properties evaluated were hedonic and hedonic ranking test. All physical and microbiological qualities of eggs showed no significant differences among markets origin. This study confirmed that eggs excluded from SNI 3926-2008 (Indonesia National Standard for consumption egg) and other scientific findings. However, the low physical and microbiological qualities did not cause any refusing on the acceptability of sensorial properties by panelists.


Tbx5 is a key transcription factor for vertebrate heart and forelimb development that causes Holt-Oram syndrome when mutated in humans. The classic zebrafish mutant for tbx5a named heartstrings (hst) features recessive absence of pectoral fins and a spectrum of heart defects, most-prominently featuring the name-giving stretched heart tube. The mutation of the hst allele is a stop codon that is predicted to result in a truncated Tbx5a protein that might feature residual activity. Here, using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis, we generated zebrafish strains for two new tbx5a frameshift alleles in the first coding exon: tbx5a c.21_25del and tbx5a c.22_31del, abbreviated as tbx5aΔ5 and tbx5aΔ10. Homozygous and trans-heterozygous combinations of these new tbx5a alleles cause fully penetrant loss of pectoral fins and heart defects including changes in cardiac marker expression akin to hst mutants. Nonetheless, distinct from hst mutants, homozygous and trans-heterozygous combinations of these tbx5a frameshift mutants do not readily manifest the stretched hst heart phenotype. Our observation points out the importance and value of comparing phenotypes from different classes of mutant alleles per gene.


From postcards and paintings to photography and film, tourism and visual culture have a long-standing history of mutual entanglement. For centuries art has inspired many an intrepid traveller, and tourism provides an insatiable market for indigenous art, authentic or otherwise. This book explores the complex association between tourism and visual culture throughout history and across cultures. How has tourism been linked to images of colonial expansion? Why are we so intrigued by lost places, such as Tutankhamun's tomb or Machu Picchu, South Americas lost city of the Incas? What is the relationship between art, tourism and landscape preference? What role did commercial tourist photographers play in the imagination of Victorian Britain? Drawing upon examples from across the globe, this exciting new contribution to a popular subject illustrates how tourism and visual culture intersect with one another and in the process become contested ground. - summary from Copac record


Abstract: Nowadays, the offshore is very extensive and of great economic value for gross development. Typically all kinds of offshore structure will experience storm loading and need to consider the influence of cyclic loading. When cyclic loading is applied, the soil failure mechanism and strength of soil should be changed, which means the cyclic analysis need to perform in the way different from static analysis. If designer ignore the effect of cyclic load, the failure or large plastic deformation will occur with increasing the number of cyclic loading. I have studied the lateral displacement of conductor under influence of cyclic loading, and the numble of cyclic loading is 10, 100, 1000 and 10000 in the calculation, respectively. Moreover the soil modulus will be calculated from Matlab with the elastic pile theory (Lars Grande, Phd thesis 1976). During the cyclic loading, the soil degradation should be considered, therefore, the modified P-y curve for influence of cyclic loading is included which describes the change of soil. In terms of calculation, there are two types of BOP, 450 tons and 250 tons, meanwhile the horizontal cyclic loading equal to 2000 kN which is performed on BOP. Then the natural frequency analysis is performed in last chapter. The natural frequencies of the conductor, BOP, wellhead and soil system have a significant influence on the system stability. The frequencies that correspond to the maxima magnification factor M which means the vibration could be magnified. Without the damping impact, when a frequency of cyclic loads equal to the natural frequencies of the system, the magnification factor will be infinite, while the damping is included, the factor will also meet a peak value when the two kinds of frequencies meet each other. Consequently the analysis will be operated for both two types BOP in this calculation. And The multiple-degree-of freedom model is operated in this case, therefore, the conductor is considered as an elastic pile which is divided into several elements and that conductor only connect soil with springs is included in this chapter. Further work in connection to soil plasticity theory, can be developing more accuracy deflection calculation. When cyclic loading is considered, the plastic zone is developing around conductor, therefore the new soil model need to use for practical project.


Gender equity ideology has broad implications, not just for women's status and opportunities, but for the political and social stability of nations as well. The causes of individual differences in gender equity ideology have received significant attention, although many studies have been limited to affluent and industrialized established democracies, rather than developing and nondemocratic nations, where gender ideology is often the least egalitarian. This article uses hierarchical linear modeling to examine indicators of support for gender equality in the public sphere across thirty-six nations, diverse in terms of sociopolitical environment, culture, and historical experiences. The findings show that individuals living in nations with recent colonial history hold less egalitarian gender ideology than those who do not, controlling for level of development, level of democracy, and Muslim presence. Living in a society with a Muslim presence also has a negative effect on individual gender ideology, but this appears to be mitigated by a democratic society.


Ekkehard Fehling, Michael Schmidt, Joost Walraven, Torsten Leutbecher, Susanne Frohlich Ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) is a milestone in concrete technology and application. It permits the construction of both more slender and more durable concrete structures with a prolonged service life and thus improved sustainability. This book is a comprehensive overview of UHPC – from the principles behind its production and its mechanical properties to design and detailing aspects. The focus is on the material behaviour of steel fibre-reinforced UHPC. Numerical modelling and detailing of the connections with reinforced concrete elements are featured as well. Numerous examples worldwide – bridges, columns, facades and roofs – are the basis for additional explanations about the benefits of UHPC and how it helps to realise several architectural requirements. The authors are extensively involved in the testing, design, construction and monitoring of UHPC structures. What they provide here is therefore a unique synopsis of the state of the art with a view to practical applications.


Using administrative panel data on the entire population of new labour immigrants to The Netherlands, we estimate the causal effects of labour dynamics on their return decisions. Specifically, the roles of unemployment and re-employment spells on immigration durations are examined. The endogeneity of labour market outcomes and the return migration decision, if ignored, confounds the causal effect. This empirical challenge is addressed using the "timing-of-events" method. We estimate the model separately for distinct immigrant groups, and find that, overall, unemployment spells shorten immigration durations, while re-employment spells delay returns for all but one group. The magnitude of the causal effect differs across groups.


Deep networks realize complex mappings that are often understood by their locally linear behavior at or around points of interest. For example, we use the derivative of the mapping with respect to its inputs for sensitivity analysis, or to explain (obtain coordinate relevance for) a prediction. One key challenge is that such derivatives are themselves inherently unstable. In this paper, we propose a new learning problem to encourage deep networks to have stable derivatives over larger regions. While the problem is challenging in general, we focus on networks with piecewise linear activation functions. Our algorithm consists of an inference step that identifies a region around a point where linear approximation is provably stable, and an optimization step to expand such regions. We propose a novel relaxation to scale the algorithm to realistic models. We illustrate our method with residual and recurrent networks on image and sequence datasets.


Normal functioning of mitochondria is crucial for cardiac performance. Mitochondria undergo mitophagy (mitochondrial autophagy) and biogenesis, and mitochondrial proteins are subject to extensive post-translational modifications (PTMs). The state of mitochondrial homeostasis reflects overall cellular fitness and longevity. Perturbed mito chondria produce less adenosine triphosphate (ATP), release greater amounts of reac - tive molecules, and are more prone to apoptosis. Therefore mitochondrial turnover is an integral aspect of quality control in which dysfunctional mitochondria are selectively eliminated through mitophagy. Currently, the progressive deterioration of physiological functions is seen as accumulation of modified/damaged proteins with limiting regen - erative ability throughout aging in myocardial cells. Mitochondrial stress response to reactive species was evaluated as electron transport chain (ETC) complexes, redox-active molecules, and their possible communication. Protein-protein interactions revealed a strong linkage between age and ETC protein subunits. Redox state was strongly affected in senescent mitochondria with shift in favor of more pro-oxidizing condition within cardiomyocytes. Assume all together, dysfunctional proteostasis can play a causative role in aging and restoration of protein homeostasis machinery is protective against aging and possibly age-related disorders.


Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) plays a pivotal role in oxidative stress-induced cell death. Reactive oxygen species disrupt the interaction of ASK1 with its cellular inhibitor thioredoxin and thereby activates ASK1. However, the precise mechanism by which ASK1 freed from thioredoxin undergoes oligomerization-dependent activation has not been fully elucidated. Here we show that endogenous ASK1 constitutively forms a high molecular mass complex including Trx (∼1,500-2,000 kDa), which we designate ASK1 signalosome. Upon H2O2 treatment, the ASK1 signalosome forms a higher molecular mass complex at least in part because of the recruitment of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) and TRAF6. Consistent with our previous findings that TRAF2 and TRAF6 activate ASK1, H2O2-induced ASK1 activation and cell death were strongly reduced in the cells derived from Traf2-/- and Traf6-/- mice. A novel signaling complex including TRAF2, TRAF6, and ASK1 may thus be the key component in oxidative stress-induced cell death.


The experiences of racial minority teacher candidates are often unheard in teacher education programs considering that the student population is increasingly diversifying and the teaching population does not reflect this dynamic. In a country that is internationally known for its multicultural practices, it is important to examine the experiences of racial minority teacher candidates in order to gain a better understanding of the ways in which issues of race and power persist in our education system. This qualitative study documents the experiences of a small group of racial minority teacher candidates who recently completed post baccalaureate teacher education programs at universities in Ontario, Canada. With a particular focus on their practicum placements, the five participants were interviewed in order to bring to light their experiences of working and living in an education system that sustains, what has been called by critics, "a culture of whiteness." Over the course of the interviews, the five racial minority teacher candidates reveal that the often covert and overt forms of racism are systemic to the education system. It became obvious that in many cases, the participants did not consciously recognize the racism they encountered while working, living, and learning within the education system. Considering a culture of whiteness that is endemic in schools, power relations were further jeopardized and imbalanced by their race. Despite this, the participants also exhibited forms of resistance to the Eurocentric culture that is so deeply entrenched in the education system. Through an investigation of these themes, this thesis offers implications for future racial minority teacher candidates and anti-racist educators.