The average saving rate for the typical American household before the recession started in 2007 was 2.9 percent; since then it has risen to 5 percent. Uncertainty about the future was the primary driver for the increase. More saving is a good thing, right? Well, some economists argue it might be detrimental to the overall economy. Given the benefits to individuals, how could this be? This month's Page One explores this "paradox of thrift."


Vibration compaction is the most effective way of compacting coarse-grained materials. The effects of vibration frequency and amplitude on the compaction density of different backfill materials commonly used by INDOT (No. 4 natural sand, No. 24 stone sand, and No. 5, No. 8, No. 43 aggregates) were studied in this research. The test materials were characterized based on the particle sizes and morphology parameters using digital image analysis technique. Small-scale laboratory compaction tests were carried out with variable frequency and amplitude of vibrations using vibratory hammer and vibratory table. The results show an increase in density with the increase in amplitude and frequency of vibration. However, the increase in density with the increase in amplitude of vibration is more pronounced for the coarse aggregates than for the sands. A comparison of the maximum dry densities of different test materials shows that the dry densities obtained after compaction using the vibratory hammer are greater than those obtained after compaction using the vibratory table when both tools were used at the highest amplitude and frequency of vibration available. Large-scale vibratory roller compaction tests were performed in the field for No. 30 backfill soil to observe the effect of vibration frequency and number of passes on the compaction density. Accelerometer sensors were attached to the roller drum (Caterpillar, model CS56B) to measure the frequency of vibration for the two different vibration settings available to the roller. For this roller and soil tested, the results show that the higher vibration setting is more effective. Direct shear tests and direct interface shear tests were performed to study the impact of particle characteristics of the coarse-grained backfill materials on interface shear resistance. The more angular the particles, the greater the shear resistance measured in the direct shear tests. A unique relationship was found between the normalized surface roughness and the ratio of critical-state interface friction angle between sand-gravel mixture with steel to the internal critical-state friction angle of the sand-gravel mixture.


The fourth ASPED-ESPE school was held between 14-17/12/ 2017 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The school was run by a combined ASPED- ESPE faculty and sponsored by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk, UAE. It was advertised in ASPED and ESPE websites and candidates were selected through open competitive applications based on strict enrollment criteria by the steering committee. Of the 89 applicants, 61 candidates from 15 Arab countries were selected. The curriculum covered major paediatric endocrine topics and was delivered in a mixture of didictic/case based plenary lectures, debate, and interactive group discussion. In addition, small group discussions were run in 4 parallel groups, in which over 50 cases and research projects were presented. The social program included Gala dinner and visiting the impressive Louvre Abu Dhabi museum. The feedback evaluation by candidates showed a satisfactory response to organization, scientific value and opportunity for networking and future collaboration.


In this essay we use the example of Stepan Bandera to demonstrate the effectiveness of web-scraping methods as a tool to explore how people interact with memory content online. Using data from Wikipedia, Twitter and YouTube, we analyse the traces left by users interested in Stepan Bandera and assess how these differ between Ukraine, Russia and Poland. Applying data mining and content analysis to data traditionally analysed from a purely qualitative perspective, we show how Polish content about Bandera follows completely different patterns in comparison to Ukrainian and Russian debates. Our tools, made available online, also include attempts at analysing video content.


The nature writing of Swedish author/biologist Stefan Edman (1946-) is shaped by a mainstream political agenda. Simultaneously it gives voice to aesthetic and spiritual reflections on nature's processes and on environmental change. This paper focuses on how Edman's texts function, through rhetoric, scientific clarification and ethical positioning, as both an integral part of an established political context, and as a reflective and critical instance, addressing environmental issues.Edman has for several years upheld a position at the center of Swedish politics; apart from being one of the major nature writers of this and the last century, he is the author of governmental investigations, and closely associated to the Social Democratic Party and one of the originators behind "the green welfare state" during Prime Minister Goran Persson's reign (1996-2006). In this paper analyses are made of Edman's nature writing and his work is contextualized with the intent to demonstrate the specific political significance of the texts' different modes, with particular attention taken to the key concepts 'limited resources' and 'sustainable development'.It is interesting to note that the Social Democrats are the political platform Edman have chosen to forward his message. The effects of this is that the public areas in which he acts as a writer are closely associated with a political power that eagerly supported (e.g.) the industrial exploitation of forests. This complex relationship is based on a merging of, rather than a collision of, two discourses â€" the ethical stance of nature writing, and a political discourse that calls for change of the existing social structures. To some extent, this merging of discourses is uniquely Swedish due to the fact that the Social Democratic Party during much of the 1900s and the first years of the 2000s were basically monopolistic in their exercise of power. For the environmental writer Edman this meant he had to work inside of the given power structures, and utter his criticism of the prevailing environmental agenda within the (then) governing party.Stefan Edman is also active in 'the Fraternity Movement', a Christian formation closely connected to the Social Democrats. His Christian faith finds its way into his texts as a spiritual feeling and awareness. The awareness relies on the Christian idea of a certain human responsibility for the earth, but also in the Reformed churches often radical political agenda in the Northern European secular societies. The type of nature writing created in connection to these religious and political manifestations is challenging 'recognizing the need to transform society's way of life' but yet not so challenging or questioning that they may be perceived as problematic in relation to political power.The texts of Edman that I will pay attention to in this paper are drawn from his later work and provide examples of how he is using rhetoric and multimodal effects to combine environmental expertise with political activism and spiritual experience. 'Glantor'[Glades] of 1997 takes as its starting point the Swede as a forest dweller and the importance of the forest glade as a natural room for contemplation and of being a place where ecological richness is given space to thrive. 'Vasterut' [Westbound] (2000) has a similar theme, while 'Solvarv' [Solar Cycle] (1993) is based on seasonal wanderings and thus contemplates nature's circular processes. I will further explore into texts which more explicitly describe the spiritual experiences made by the protagonist on nature walks, such as 'Forundran' [Amazement] (2006), 'Darwin och Var Herre' [Darwin and our Lord] (2009) 'Jorden och sjalens overlevnad' [The Earth and the Survival of the Soul] (2008) and the essay 'Guds hjartslag i skapelsen' [God's heartbeat heard in the creation] in the anthology 'Ga med Gud' (1999).The theoretical basis of my paper includes Ursula Heise' 'Sense of Place and Sense of Planet' and Satterfield and Slovic (eds.) 'What is Nature Worth', as well as models of discursive analysis.


Dysfunctional emotional processing has a negative impact on human behavior. In children and adolescents, deviant perception and understanding of emotional stimulation and reduced empathic functioning impair the development of important social skills. The present thesis aimed to better understand dysfunctional emotional processing in subgroups of children and adolescents with aggressive and antisocial behavior. We investigated dysfunctions in specific neurocognitive components and their influence on reactive and proactive forms of aggression. Further, characteristics defining subgroups of aggressive and antisocial children and adolescents with distinct dysfunctions in emotional processing were examined. Article 1 addresses the question if cognitive control is more susceptible to the deleterious influence of distressing emotional stimulation in patients with conduct disorder than in healthy controls. In an experimental paradigm we measured performance on a color-word Stroop test under the influence of distressing emotional stimulation. Results indicated that unlike in healthy controls, cognitive control is impaired in reactive aggressive adolescents when subjected to distressing emotional stimulation. In Article 2 we investigated the interrelation of empathy and behavior. In a sample of high-risk adolescent girls and boys we addressed the question whether cognitive and affective facets of empathy are involved in the inhibition of reactive and proactive forms of aggression and the motivation of prosocial behavior. Our data indicated that empathy is only involved in the inhibition of proactive aggression, but not in the inhibition of reactive aggression. Further, results showed that both facets of empathy contribute positively to motivate prosocial behavior. With Article 3, we aimed to identify characteristics which define subgroups of aggressive children and adolescents with specific patterns of dysfunctional emotional processing. Using model-based cluster analysis, we disaggregated variants of adolescents with conduct disorder based on anxiety symptoms and callous-unemotional traits. Variants differed in comorbid psychopathologies and personality development. We also found a gender-specific affiliation to identified variants that supports the assumption of the gender paradox in children and adolescents with conduct disorder. In conclusion, the research presented in this dissertation indicates that reactive and proactive forms of aggression are associated with distinct dysfunctions in emotional processing and supports a better understanding of factors involved in specific phenotypes of aggressive behavior. Based on the results it can be assumed that (1) impaired cognitive control in situations of emotional distress provokes reactive aggression and (2) insufficient understanding of others' emotions enhances the risk for proactive aggression. Variants of aggressive and antisocial adolescents may by identified based on characteristics associated with these neurocognitive deficits. Findings emphasize the importance of specific treatment approaches tailored to subgroups of aggressive and antisocial children and adolescents with unique characteristics.


African nutmeg, a possible local substitute for a commercial food flavourant, remains largely underutilized in Nigeria. Its application potential in cookie production was investigated in this study. African nutmeg ( Monodora myristica )  seed flour (ANM) was produced using standard method. The flour was substituted for vanilla flavour (VFL) in ratio of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 3.5 g and functional properties of the flour blends (water absorption capacity (WAC), oil absorption capacity (OAC), and bulk density) were determined, using standard methods. Cookies were developed and characterized chemically, physically (colour) and organoleptically using the AO A C method, a colourimeter and sen s o r y panellists r e spect i v e l y . Data were analysed using ANOVA at p< 0.05 .  Replacement of vanilla with African nutmeg had no significant effect on bulk density (0.62g/cm 3 – 0.68 g/cm 3 ), but significantly affected WAC (133-142%) and OAC (147-156%) of flour blends. Crude protein (9.44-15.49%), crude fat (3.17-6.50%), total ash (2-2.73%) and crude fibre (0.12-0.23%) contents of the cookie increased, whilst metabolizable energy (385.33-367kcal) decreased. There were reductions in pH (6.83-6.53) and TSS (5.80-1.20). Brown index of the snack increased with addition of nutmeg. Antioxidant indicators (flavonoids, DPPH and phenol) varied among cookie samples. Antinutrients, saponin, tannin and oxalate, were within tolerable limits. All cookie samples were judged a cc ep tab l e b y the p a n ellists , with SLZ being the most acceptable. An acceptable and nutritious snack was produced at 100% replacement. M. myristica seed could serve as substitute for vanilla in the production of cookies and other related snacks.


All minerals in the mineralogical system can be projected onto a plane using four pairs of functions: each pair consists of the InfEnt function and one of four Qual functions. InfEnt is the information entropy (a function of the stoichiometry of a mineral formula), and Qual _1 … Qual _4 are different but related functions of the atomic numbers of the elements present. The InfEnt vs. Qual plots for mineral groups or for the whole system offer a new insight into the behavior of chemical elements in minerals. They also permit plotting of scalar physical properties as a third dimension. The InfEnt and Qual data for 4872 mineral end-members are stored in a file that can be searched and used to identify unidentified or new mineral phases.


Download a CSV file containing contact information for Councillor Mark Flewitt. CSV files can be inported to databases and spreadsheets


Textbook selection presents a conundrum for history as a school subject. On one hand it is desirable that the best textbooks are available to be used in classrooms, on the other selection appears to imply control over what can be studied, or even bias and state interference. This is a case study of the textbook screening of Grade 12 history textbooks conducted by the Department of Education in January 2007, in which the author was a participant. It is based upon the criteria and evaluation report forms for the 10 books that were submitted for approval. The article is in three parts: a description of the selection criteria employed by the department and a discussion of the issues that they raise in terms of selected literature on textbook assessment in history; an analysis of the way in which the selection criteria were used in the textbook screening process followed by a discussion of what it concerns; and, in conclusion, a consideration of the place and importance of textbook selection to history education.


Virtual environment research has focused on interactive image generation and has largely ignored acoustic modeling for spatialization of sound. Yet, realistic auditory cues can complement and enhance visual cues to aid navigation, comprehension, and sense of presence in virtual environments. A primary challenge in acoustic modeling is computation of reverberation paths from sound sources fast enough for real-time auralization. We have developed a system that uses precomputed spatial subdivision and "beam tree" data structures to enable real-time acoustic modeling and auralization in interactive virtual environments. The spatial subdivision is a partition of 3D space into convex polyhedral regions (cells) represented as a cell adjacency graph. A beam tracing algorithm recursively traces pyramidal beams through the spatial subdivision to construct a beam tree data structure representing the regions of space reachable by each potential sequence of transmission and specular reflection events at cell boundaries. From these precomputed data structures, we can generate high-order specular reflection and transmission paths at interactive rates to spatialize fixed sound sources in real-time as the user moves through a virtual environment. Unlike previous acoustic modeling work, our beam tracing method: 1) supports evaluation of reverberation paths at interactive rates, 2) scales to compute highorder reflections and large environments, and 3) extends naturally to compute paths of diffraction and diffuse reflection efficiently. We are using this system to develop interactive applications in which a user experiences a virtual environment immersively via simultaneous auralization and visualization.


We study the Landau model of the class of incommensurate systems with a scalar order parameter where the modulated phase is driven by a gradient-squared term with negative coefficient. For example, theoretical studies of cholesteric liquid crystals in a field ~electric or magnetic! suggest that such an modulated phase should exist at high chirality. The bulk phase diagram in the presence of a bulk external field which couples linearly to the order parameter exhibits a modulated phase inside a loop in the temperature-field plane, and a homogeneous phase outside. On analyzing the same model for a semi-infinite system, we find a surprising result; the system exhibits surface states in a region where the bulk phase is homogeneous ~but close to the modulated region!. These states are very different from the well-known surface states induced either by a surface field or by enhanced interactions at the surface, for they exist and are energetically favored even when the sole effect of the surface is to terminate the bulk, as expressed by free boundary conditions taken at the surface. Near the surface, the surface-state order parameter is very different from the bulk value ~in fact, it has the opposite sign!. When the temperature or the bulk field are varied to move away from the modulated state, we find a surface phase transition at which the surface states become energetically unfavorable, though they continue to exist as metastable states. We then study how a surface field changes the surface phase diagram.


Cities are thought to be associated with most of humanity's consumption of natural resources and impacts on the environment. Cities not only constitute major centers of economic activity, knowledge, innovation, and governance—they are also said to be linked to approximately 70% to 80% of global carbon dioxide emissions. This makes cities primary agents of change in a resource‐ and carbon‐constraint world. In order to set meaningful targets, design successful policies, and implement effective mitigation strategies, it is important that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting for cities is accurate, comparable, comprehensive, and complete. Despite recent developments in the standardization of city GHG accounting, there is still a lack of consistent guidelines regarding out‐of‐boundary emissions, thus hampering efforts to identify mitigation priorities and responsibilities. We introduce a new conceptual framework—based on environmental input‐output analysis—that allows for a consistent and complete reconciliation of direct and indirect GHG emissions from a city. The "city carbon map" shows local, regional, national, and global origins and destinations of flows of embodied emissions. We test the carbon map concept by applying it to the greater metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia. We discuss the results and limitations of the approach in the light of possible mitigation strategies and policies by different urban stakeholders.


In a social network, epidemic spread could be a spread of an infection, opinions, trends, fads, diseases or worm propagation in network. Epidemic spread computation on such huge and ever growing social networks is incredibly challenging. High-performance computing using GPUs has become an important tool to solve computationally intensive problems. This paper presents a GPU based implementation(GPU OPT) of Susceptible-InfectedRecovered (SIR) model. GPU OPT performs 1.8x-3.9x faster than an existing CUDA SIR implementation across various types of networks studied. CUDA SIR is 10x faster than FastSIR(a single core CPU implementation) in the worst and so GPU OPT is effectively about 30x faster when compared to FastSIR on an average case. This implementation was tested on social networks of varied types like Condense Matter Physics collaboration network, friendship network, who-trust-whom relationship network and a Email communication network.


Learning disentangled representations of textual data is essential for many natural language tasks such as fair classification, style transfer and sentence generation, among others. The existent dominant approaches in the context of text data either rely on training an adversary (discriminator) that aims at making attribute values difficult to be inferred from the latent code or rely on minimising variational bounds of the mutual information between latent code and the value attribute. However, the available methods suffer of the impossibility to provide a fine-grained control of the degree (or force) of disentanglement. In contrast to adversarial methods, which are remarkably simple, although the adversary seems to be performing perfectly well during the training phase, after it is completed a fair amount of information about the undesired attribute still remains. This paper introduces a novel variational upper bound to the mutual information between an attribute and the latent code of an encoder. Our bound aims at controlling the approximation error via the Renyi's divergence, leading to both better disentangled representations and in particular, a precise control of the desirable degree of disentanglement than state-of-the-art methods proposed for textual data. Furthermore, it does not suffer from the degeneracy of other losses in multi-class scenarios. We show the superiority of this method on fair classification and on textual style transfer tasks. Additionally, we provide new insights illustrating various trade-offs in style transfer when attempting to learn disentangled representations and quality of the generated sentence.


The convergence of Van Cittert's iterative method of deconvolution is studied from an algebraic point of view without any special prior condition with respect to the system matrix. The convergence criteria are expressed in terms of system eigenvalues. We choose bounds for the general relaxation coefficient μ of Van Cittert's additional term so as to ensure convergence. We show that the bounds can be estimated from the system matrix. Many powerful nonlinear deconvolution techniques are derived from Van Cittert's method, even though it appears outmoded. As an example, we demonstrate that Gold's iterative algorithm is a special Van Cittert's algorithm with a variable relaxation factor μ


Coatings for thermal solar energy conversion have to be abrasion-resistant, stable at elevated temperatures, and often have to protect the substrate against corrosion. Due to the conditions of refractive index matching between the substrate and the ambient air, low refractive index materials are desired regarding a large variety of optical applications. Novel nanocomposite thin films based on the elements Mg, F, Si and O have been deposited by a sol-gel dip-coating process starting from trifluoroacetic acid, magnesium acetate and alcoxide precursors. Optical properties of this new material have been characterised by spectrophotometry and spectral ellipsometry, and show surprisingly low refractive index values. The experimental data obtained for varying chemical composition have been compared to the optical properties as predicted by Bruggeman and Ping-Sheng effective medium theories. Strong deviations from both theories are reported, suggesting modifications of the involved crystalline phases and/or formation of nanopores. Evidence for embedded crystalline nanoparticles has been found by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Compared to well known existing low refractive index materials such as porous SiO2 and MgF2, the quaternary Mg:F:Si:O thin films can be expected to show higher hardness and improved aging stability with respect to pore filling by hydrocarbons. The novel thin film material opens promising perspectives for new solar and protective coatings.


This work presents a new algorithm, called Heuristically Accelerated Minimax-Q (HAMMQ), that allows the use of heuristics to speed up the well-known Multiagent Reinforcement Learning algorithm Minimax-Q. A heuristic function H that influences the choice of the actions characterises the HAMMQ algorithm. This function is associated with a preference policy that indicates that a certain action must be taken instead of another. A set of empirical evaluations were conducted for the proposed algorithm in a simplified simulator for the robot soccer domain, and experimental results show that even very simple heuristics enhances significantly the performance of the multiagent reinforcement learning algorithm.


Monte Carlo rendering systems can produce important visual effects such as depth of field, motion blur, and area lighting, but the rendered images suffer from objectionable noise at low sampling rates. Although years of research in image processing has produced powerful denoising algorithms, most of them assume that the noise is spatially‐invariant over the entire image and cannot be directly applied to denoise Monte Carlo rendering. In this paper, we propose a new approach that enables the use of any spatially‐invariant image denoising technique to remove the noise in Monte Carlo renderings. Our key insight is to use a noise estimation metric to locally identify the amount of noise in different parts of the image, coupled with a multilevel algorithm that denoises the image in a spatially‐varying manner using a standard denoising technique. We also propose a new way to perform adaptive sampling that uses the noise estimation metric to identify the noisy regions in which to place more samples. We show that our framework runs in a few seconds with modern denoising algorithms and produces results that outperform state‐of‐the‐art techniques in Monte Carlo rendering.


There is currently much talk of the role of the 'rising powers' in Africa, and whether their engagements represent a 'new paradigm' in development cooperation. This article introduces this IDS Bulletin and examines Brazilian and Chinese agricultural development cooperation in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. A wide variety of forms of support are seen, involving different financial modalities, including aid, concessional loans, trade deals and commercial investment. Our focus is on the 'encounters' that occur during negotiations and the intersection of wider framing discourses with practices on the ground in particular projects. Brazilian and Chinese domestic political dynamics, competing social imaginaries and histories of agrarian change all shape development cooperation. Meanwhile, African governments are not just passive recipients; they exert agency in negotiations, trading off different players. Outcomes depend on the particular context, and the new aid and investment scene in African agriculture is highly varied, presenting opportunities as well as challenges for the future.


Developing conffidence in the quality of software is an increasingly difficult problem. As the complexity and integration of software systems increases, the tools and techniques used to perform quality assurance (QA) tasks must evolve with them. To date, several quality assurance tools have been developed to help ensure of quality in modern software, but there are still several limitations to be overcome. Among the challenges faced by current QA tools are (1) increased use of distributed software solutions, (2) limited test resources and constrained time schedules and (3) difficult to replicate and possibly rarely occurring failures. While existing distributed continuous quality assurance (DCQA) tools and techniques, including our own Skoll project, begin to address these issues, new and novel approaches are needed to address these challenges. This dissertation explores three strategies to do this.
First, I present an improved version of our Skoll distributed quality assurance system. Skoll provides a platform for executing sophisticated, long-running QA processes across a large number of distributed, heterogeneous computing nodes. This dissertation details changes to Skoll resulting in a more robust, configurable, and user-friendly implementation for both the client and server components. Additionally, this dissertation details infrastructure development done to support the evaluation of DCQA processes using Skoll – specifically the design and deployment of a dedicated 120-node computing cluster for evaluating DCQA practices. The techniques and case studies presented in the latter parts of this work leveraged the improvements to Skoll as their testbed.
Second, I present techniques for automatically classifying test execution out- comes based on an adaptive-sampling classification technique along with a case study on the Java Architecture for Bytecode Analysis (JABA) system. One common need for these techniques is the ability to distinguish test execution outcomes (e.g., to collect only data corresponding to some behavior or to determine how often and under which conditions a specific behavior occurs). Most current approaches, however, do not perform any kind of classification of remote executions and either focus on easily observable behaviors (e.g., crashes) or assume that outcomes' classifications are externally provided (e.g., by the users). In this work, I present an empirical study on JABA where we automatically classified execution data into passing and failing behaviors using adaptive association trees.
Finally, I present a long-term case study of the highly-configurable MySQL open-source project. Exhaustive testing of real-world software systems can involve configuration spaces that are too large to test exhaustively, but that nonetheless contain subtle interactions that lead to failure-inducing system faults. In the literature covering arrays, in combination with classification techniques, have been used to effectively sample these large configuration spaces and to detect problematic configuration dependencies. Applying this approach in practice, however, is tricky because testing time and resource availability are unpredictable. Therefore we developed and evaluated an alternative approach that incrementally builds covering array schedules. This approach begins at a low strength, and then iteratively increases strength as resources allow reusing previous test results to avoid duplicated effort. The results are test schedules that allow for successful classification with fewer test executions and that require less test-subject specific information to develop.


The Patient Is Our Priority. In 1991, I said the following in answer to a question from an interviewer: "In a hospital, the sick person may be taken aback when confronted with all those machines and with an organization which seems so impersonal; but this organization is conceived to serve the patient, functions for the patient, and is manned by caring people. (106) am not sure I would repeat this statement now, having watched the developments in American health care and the daily workings of several hospitals. I recently spent a month, every day including weekends, in a large hospital in the Boston area, watching the proceedings. At some specialties' outpatient clinics all patients had to wait at least forty-five minutes, and often up to two hours past the scheduled time of their appointment; and this was not an exception, due to some emergency, but the rule. Lack of realistic planning? Certainly, but the underlying cause was a lack of concern for the patients. In the wards, the intercom operators immediately answered a patients' bell, but actually getting to see a nurse, or a nursing assistant, could take anywhere from twenty minutes to twelve hours, especially if the patient was known for making frequent requests. One night, an elderly patient with a grave ailment felt terribly sick, was afraid of dying, and begged a nursing assistant to stay with her for a while. This was refused, and the patient was given the usual lecture: "There are many patients on the floor, most of them sicker than you, and we have our priorities." Whatever their priorities, which I respect, there were behind the nurses' station, at all times, several nurses and nursing assistants engaged in lively conversation. Procedures for which the patient must fast after midnight were scheduled for the next day's afternoon and then further delayed till late in the evening. The patient was given no explanation, and was kept waiting, hungry, thirsty, and exasperated. In two instances which I witnessed, even after the procedure the patient was denied food and drink, because the order "nothing by mouth" had not been cancelled. A procedure involving some risk of infection was supposed to be done "under the cover of an oral antibiotic," but "nothing by mouth" had also been ordered, thus, the antibiotic was not given to the patient. Another time, an antibiotic, augmentin, was ordered, and was to be given twice daily by mouth. The nurse scheduled it for 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. It was already 9 a.m., therefore, the patient was left without the antibiotic for the whole day. Facing omissions and mistakes, the frightened patient begins to distrust the staff, the organization, and everything that is being done, and demands to see the attending physician. Such requests are seldom granted. Spending Money on Palaces, Not on Nurses. Fund-raising activities and the pressure to cut costs have produced bizarre results. Wicked tongues say that brass plates with sponsors' names can only be put on buildings, not on nurses. Therefore, millions are spent on new, huge, magnificent buildings in which people get lost and transporting a patient to a lab becomes a long and difficult journey. Meanwhile, the nursing staff, found to be too expensive, is reduced to a skeleton. Nurses are replaced by semi-qualified and unqualified employees. The change is not only unsafe for the patients, it also is terribly aggravating. Nursing, a Job Just Like Any Other? Nursing is understaffed and many nurses are no longer the conscientious, dedicated care-givers they used to be. But there are exceptions. A distinct generational divide has appeared. There still are, in the large hospital which I have closely watched, several nurses in Florence Nightingale's tradition, scrupulous, never tiring, unswervingly protective of the patients. They are now in supervising positions. Even among the younger hospital nurses there are exceptions to the general rule, for example, Miss Estelle d'Arcy, R. …


The NE Atlantic margin plays host to numerous basins, developed in phases from the Devono-Carboniferous through to the Cenozoic, which record the build up to plate separation and formation of the North Atlantic Ocean. Existing models for this invoke broadly NW-SE extension within the basins, which are segmented by regional-scale NW-SE trending strike-slip lineaments, which are commonly termed 'transfer zones'. However, there is a general paucity of information concerning the true kinematics of the so-called transfer zones. In this study, the Palaeogene and later structural evolution of the NE Atlantic margin is investigated using abundant field data collected on the Faroe Islands, and systematic observations that characterise the related deformation structures developed in the Faroe Islands Basalt Group (FIBG).

Structures in the Faroe Islands provide evidence for a 6-stage tectonic evolution, here split into 3 broad phases: (1a) E-W to NE-SW extension, accommodated by dip-slip N-S and NW-SE trending faults. Continued NE-SW extension (1b) was then accommodated by the emplacement of a regionally significant NW-SE- and NNE-SSW-oriented dyke swarm. Event 1 affects the majority of the FIBG stratigraphy, resulting in thickness variations, most notably across the Judd, Brynhild and Westray ('transfer') fault-zones. Continued magmatism and anticlockwise rotation of the extension vector led to (2a) the emplacement of ENE-WSW and ESE-WNW conjugate dykes, followed by intrusion of the large, saucer-shaped sills on the islands. Their intrusion heralded the onset of N-S crustal extension and was followed by (2b) crustal extrusion involving both E-W shortening and further N-S extension facilitated primarily by slip on ENE-WSW (dextral) and ESE-WNW (sinistral) conjugate strike-slip faults, interlinked with minor NE and SW dipping thrust faults. During the final stages of this event (2c), the regional extension vector rotated into a NW-SE orientation that was accommodated predominantly by slip along NE-SW oriented dextral-oblique-slip faults. Event 2 began towards the end of magmatism associated with the FIBG, and most likely continued through to the onset of oceanic-spreading on the Aegir ridge (ca. 55 Ma). Finally, (3) Event 1 and 2 structures were reactivated as extension and extensional-hybrid features, characterised best by the entrainment of clastic material along fault planes. Relative timings of Event 3 structures suggest they formed during a period of compression and uplift following the formation of a through-going mid-ocean ridge system (i.e. on the Reykjanes, Kolbeinsey and Mohns ridges).

The progressive anticlockwise rotation of the extension vector identified here is broadly consistent with the most recent NE Atlantic continental break-up reconstructions. Importantly, this model does not require basin-scale transfer zones during the Palaeogene, suggesting instead that these NW-SE faults formed as normal faults during a pre-cursor margin-parallel extension episode (Event 1) prior to the onset of oceanic spreading in the Faroe-Iceland sector. This study emphasises the importance of carrying out detailed field studies in addition to the more usual regional-scale modelling studies, in order to validate and add further detail to basin kinematic histories.

Mineralised syn- to post-magmatic fault sets display a recurring zeolite-calcite-zeolite trend in mineralisation products, which precipitate during successive phases of fault development during each individual event. Fault style and damage zone width appear to be related to the stage of fault development, with early fault/vein meshes linking to form through-going structures with associated damage zones. Dykes and sills are found to form their own fractures, rather than exploiting pre-existing sets. Dyke propagation appears to be buoyancy-driven, with magmatic pressure overcoming the minimum compressive stress. Sills, however, most likely seeded at an interface in the stratigraphy between a weak, more ductile material (i.e. a sedimentary horizon), and a rigid material (i.e. basalt lavas) above. Following this initial development, sill growth and propagation would likely be controlled by viscous dissipation, leading to the complex ramp and flat architecture, with rapid intrusion resulting in upward ramping of the sill. The alternation from fault events, to dyke events and back again corresponds to a switch from faulting with mineralisation along extensional hybrid veins, to magmatic intrusions into extension fractures followed by extensional hybrids (conjugates), and back to extensional and shear hybrid faults (again as conjugates). This alternation reflects variations in the differential regional stress, as well as the magmatic evolution of the margin, and most likely relates to the migration of lithospheric thinning northwestwards across the area, towards the eventual axis of break-up.

We find that, in particular, faults in basalts are in many ways comparable to faults formed at shallow crustal depths in carbonate rocks and crystalline basement, most likely reflecting the similarities in their mechanical properties under near-surface pressures and temperatures. The nature and style of the post-magmatic fault infills provides compelling evidence to suggest that subterranean cavities associated with faults were persistent open features within the FIBG. Structures equivalent to these late, clastic-filled faults of the Faroes may occur in other parts of the NE Atlantic margin, particularly along the axes of gentle regional-scale folds that are widely developed in the region. The late fault displacements observed are all well below seismic resolution, and such structures may be more widespread across the region than previously anticipated. Importantly, the probable unsealed nature of the clastic infills makes them potential fluid-migration pathways, both up- and across-faults within the Cenozoic volcanic sequences of the NE Atlantic region.


A few months ago, I received feedback via email from our patient experience office. Among other concerns, the parent of a patient I had cared for felt as if her child left the emergency department (ED) no better than how she had arrived, that she needed more help than I provided, and that I seemed 'overwhelmed' by her child's issues.

As I read the complaint, I could feel my heart rate start to quicken, my jaw set, the butterflies in my stomach wake up; this was my body sensing a threat, readying to fight. In his book Emotional Intelligence , Dan Goleman calls this an 'amygdala hijack.'1 The purpose of the amygdala is to sound the alarm and prepare us to fight or flee. Research using functional MRI demonstrates that the strong negative emotions produced by criticism activate the amygdala, shutting down the neural pathway to our prefrontal cortex and invoking 'cognitive, emotional, and perceptual impairment.'2 Complex decision-making disappears, along with our ability to consider others' perspectives.

In my amygdala fog, I thought this mother didn't understand the complexity of caring for her daughter's problem; that the resources I offered were the only ones we had available; that I called multiple people to help her; that she was just ungrateful .

This was immediately followed by the arrival of my critical inner voice (whom I've named Reese Witherspoon): 'Another physician would have handled this better'; 'You should have spent more time with her'; 'You don't have the kind of empathy you need for this job.' Even when my heart finally slowed, and I got blood back to the rational parts of my brain, this voice stayed with me for days, keeping me up at night, spinning and respinning the comments around in my head.

Most physicians I speak …


The cause-and-effect relationship between the c. 201 Ma eruption of the Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP) and the end-Triassic abrupt climate change and mass extinction is at present based on controversial temporal correlations. Upper Triassic sedimentary strata underlying CAMP basalts in Morocco illustrate a clear mineralogical and geochemical fingerprint of early CAMP basaltic eruptions, namely unusually high contents of MgO (10–32 wt%) and of mafic clay minerals (11–84%). In the same rocks a coincident negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) is present, equivalent to the so-called 'initial negative CIE' recorded worldwide shortly before the Triassic–Jurassic boundary. The new data show that the onset of CAMP activity preceded the end-Triassic carbon cycle disruption and that the initial negative CIE is unequivocally synchronous with CAMP volcanism. The results of this study strongly support the hypothesis that the culmination of pollution of atmosphere and seawater by CAMP-derived volcanic gases was the proximate cause of the end-Triassic mass extinction. Supplementary material: The stratigraphic position of analysed samples, and the C-isotope, bulk-rock mineralogy, element analysis, Mg–Al–Si ternary diagram and trace-element analysis data are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18707.


Abstract This paper describes some of the results from a 3D seismic-based analysis of the mechanics of igneous sill emplacement in sedimentary basins. Detailed 3D interpretation of igneous intrusions flanking the Corona Ridge in the Faroe-Shetland Basin has led to the discovery of a sill (the Corona Sill) with a previously unrecognized morphology. Two potential feeder sources have been interpreted for the broadly rectangular intrusion, of which the surveyed portion measures approximately 15 by 4 km. The Corona Sill has a linear NW margin and two lobate protuberances along the SE side. Arcuate ridges that radiate from a central point at the intersection of the lobes cover the imaged surface of the sill. The ridges have wavelengths of 220-350m and amplitudes in the range 25-50m. The ridged morphology on the surface of the Corona Sill has not previously been described from any seismic or outcrop-based study of igneous sills. The ridges are interpreted to have formed as a direct result of the propagation mechanism, and are thought to have been influenced by the viscosity of the magma, host sediment and the depth of intrusion, which is likely to have been within 400 m of the sediment-water interface. It is suggested that during very shallow intrusion of viscous magma into soft, waterlogged sediments, magma is able to spread, creating a geometry similar to that expected for a high viscosity lava flow. Ridges were formed by compression of a more rigid outer layer of magma in the sill, retarded by the solidifying sill front. Forward movement of the surface layer is likely to be caused by viscous drag from within the sill body. The ridges on the sill top surface are a kinematic indicator for the flow direction of the magma, enabling identification of the feeder zone, which displays a clear link to an underlying sill. It is demonstrated that 3D seismic data has significant untapped potential for the study of magma transport and intrusive processes in the upper crust


Abstract. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development or also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the new global paradigm and blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. To collectively achieve the SDGs, the global community agreed on 17 Goals as a baseline framework to measure and monitor its growth. How to measure and monitor development progress by countries has been a long-standing debate since the era of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the 2000s but with the establishment of Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), the SDGs have a clearer framework on how to monitor progress and the global community are grappling on how to effectively collect, analyse, visualise and report their successes.Within the United Nations, there is the desire to elaborate collectively principles and tools on how best to report the SDGs at country and local level as its success lies in the ownership and accountability at all levels. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is looking into how technologies can accelerate the SDGs and to facilitate the alignments with the values enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the norms and standards of International Laws.In this paradigm, what should be the role of cartographers and geospatial information management experts to ensure how maps and geospatial information can be effectively used by the global community to communicate their challenges and successes from planning to implementing, monitoring, analysing, visualising and reporting on sustainable development? This paper argues the importance of understanding the challenges, asking questions to the policy makers, sharing best practices and building a consensus on the issues surrounding the SDGs before demonstrating the diverse cartographic skills available to design and communicate the intended message better. Hence, the importance of context has never changed and provides the cartographic and geospatial information management community an opportunity to demonstrate the potential and to provide effective support through cartography for the accomplishment of the sustainable development agenda.


DANIE BEAULIEU, PH.D: Eye Movement Integration Therapy: The Comprehensive Clinical Guide. Norwalk, CT: Crown House Publishing, 2003, 400 pp., $59.95. ISBN 1904424155 Dr. Beaulieu has written an excellent description of Eye Movement Integration (EMI) therapy, its rationale, how it is different from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and how one might use EMI for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related conditions. The book is "intended both as a primer for those who are interested in EMI training and a reference for those who have already completed training (p. 225)." It is written clearly, and should be persuasive for clinicians open to EMFs differences from most cognitively oriented and traditional, verbally based psychotherapies. The author's enthusiasm for this form of treatment leads her to make claims which sometimes seem excessive to someone, such as myself, trained in psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy, and also medically trained in neurobiology and neurophysiology. For example, in her introduction Dr. Beaulieu says of EMI that "I felt that this therapy to be every bit as important as the advent of penicillin (p.x)." In the context of her introductory chapter, this claim refers to the well-known fact that penicillin was found to be effective long before its mechanism of action was worked out. The author believes that EMI is similarly effective for treating psychological trauma, even though we still lack a definitive scientific understanding of its mechanism of action. I was put off by the grand sweep of that particular analogy and so I delayed reading beyond the book's introduction for quite some time. However, my subsequent careful reading of the body of the text revealed a well-informed, serious and thoughtful presentation of the evidence and rationale for EMFs utilization. The author is clearly a skilled clinician and thoughtful professional. If one discounts the occasional hyperbole, the book offers many useful ideas and suggestions for clinicians interested in learning about this novel approach to the difficult task of helping traumatized individuals. The author explains that the fundamental difference between EMI and traditional verbal psychotherapies is based upon the pioneering clinical observations of the technique's originators, namely that asking patients to make certain eye movements seem to have therapeutic value for traumatized patients. EMDR utilizes specific eye movements which are different from those employed in EMI, but both types of eye movements reportedly have ameliorative effects on the processing of traumatic memories. Although the basic clinical utility of eye movements remains controversial in some professional circles, for those who accept the evidence for its therapeutic value, specialized techniques and training modalities have been developed, including those clearly described in this book. The reasonable, but still unproven, explanation for why inducing such eye movements might be useful therapeutically is bolstered by the author's excellent citations from the scientific literature about eye movement abnormalities found in schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions. Recent neuroanatomical and brain imaging findings that emphasize the role of the amygdala and hippocampus in the processing of memories are also persuasively cited, although the fact that these findings are still more suggestive than conclusive in their implications for clinicians could have been, in my view, emphasized a bit more. …


ii I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. iii Abstract Superior parietal cortex has been implicated in visuomotor guidance and is proposed to be specialised for action in the lower visual field and peripersonal space. Two patients, one with a right superior parietal lesion leading to optic ataxia (ME), and one with a lesion affecting right inferior parietal cortex (LH), were compared to elderly controls (n=8) and young controls (n=8) on a reciprocal pointing task with movements made in the near-far direction (i.e., sagittal plane) or right-left direction (i.e., fronto-parallel plane). In contrast to both control groups, who demonstrated a speed-accuracy trade-off in movement time and peak velocity, neither of the patients did. When the time spent post-peak velocity (represented as a percentage of total movement time) was examined, both patients demonstrated larger times post-peak velocity than controls for all movement directions. Furthermore, while rightward movements of the right hand had higher times post-peak velocity than leftward movements there were no directional patterns for near-far movements which contrasted with controls who had larger times post-peak velocity for near movements. The patient with the more superior lesion (ME) had the greatest difficulty with movements made back toward the body, suggestive of a role for superior parietal cortex in the fine tuning of movements made in this region of space (i.e., personal or peripersonal space). In contrast, all directions of movement seemed to be equally affected in the patient with a more inferior lesion. These results are discussed in terms of the different roles played by inferior and superior parietal cortex in the control of visually guided movements. iv Acknowledgements


A novel approach for the nowcasting of clouds and direct normal irradiance (DNI) based on the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) aboard the geostationary Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite is presented for a forecast horizon up to 120 min. The basis of the algorithm is an optical flow method to derive cloud motion vectors for all cloudy pixels. To facilitate forecasts over a relevant time period, a classification of clouds into objects and a weighted triangular interpolation of clear-sky regions are used. Low and high level clouds are forecasted separately because they show different velocities and motion directions. Additionally a distinction in advective and convective clouds together with an intensity correction for quickly thinning convective clouds is integrated. The DNI is calculated from the forecasted optical thickness of the low and high level clouds. In order to quantitatively assess the performance of the algorithm, a forecast validation against MSG/SEVIRI observations is performed for a period of 2 months. Error rates and Hanssen-Kuiper skill scores are derived for forecasted cloud masks. For a forecast of 5 min for most cloud situations more than 95% of all pixels are predicted correctly cloudy or clear. This number decreases to 80-95% for a forecast of 2 h depending on cloud type and vertical cloud level. Hanssen-Kuiper skill scores for cloud mask go down to 0.6-0.7 for a 2 h forecast. Compared to persistence an improvement of forecast horizon by a factor of 2 is reached for all forecasts up to 2 h. A comparison of forecasted optical thickness distributions and DNI against observations yields correlation coefficients larger than 0.9 for 15 min forecasts and around 0.65 for 2 h forecasts.


Logistic regression has been used as a supervised method for extracting EEG components predictive of binary perceptual decisions. However, often perceptual decisions require a choice between more than just two alternatives. In this paper we present results using multinomial logistic regression (MLR) for learning EEG components in a 3-way visual discrimination task. Subjects were required to decide between three object classes (faces, houses, and cars) for images which were embedded with varying amounts of noise. We recorded the subjects' EEG while they were performing the task and then used MLR to predict the stimulus category, on a single-trial basis, for correct behavioral responses. We found an early component (at 170ms) that was consistent across all subjects and with previous binary discrimination paradigms. However a later component (at 300-400ms), previously reported in the binary discrimination paradigms, was more variable across subjects in this three-way discrimination task. We also computed forward models for the EEG components, with these showing a difference in the spatial distribution of component activity for the different categorical decisions. In summary, we find that logistic regression, generalized to the arbitrary N-class case, can be a useful approach for learning and analyzing EEG components underlying multi-class perceptual decisions.


During the last half century, Albert O. Hirschman has single-handedly redefined the scope and limits of political economy, in theory and in practice. His contributions as both a scholar and an economic advisor have definitively shaped an innovative program for social change and economic development. Gathered here for the first time in one volume are recent writings of interdisciplinary range, erudite sophistication, and limitless curiosity.In two essays on commensality and the "invention" of democracy in classical Greece, and on the workings and making of the Marshall Plan, Hirschman shows how his personal and political experience allow him to forge new connections between the past and the present, between intellectual life and lived experience. The third piece, "Trespassing," is an interview Hirschman gave in Italian in 1993, which he has translated and edited for this volume. Although in the past Hirschman has resisted autobiographical meditation, here he recounts--with frankness, humor, and insight--some of the most compelling and formative moments of his life divided between the "European" and the "American" years. Not only does he discuss how his personal experiences have shaped and influenced his thinking about economic and social development, democracy and capitalism, he also reveals the "key terms" of his scholarship--concepts he is constantly rethinking, subverting, and reinventing.


INTRODUCTION
The association between infections and autoimmune diseases (AID) has been well described in the medical literature. Several infectious agents have been implicated as inducers of autoimmune responses, such as Parvovirus B19, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis viruses.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We examined 1,173 sera from patients with 14 different AID and 238 sera from geographically matched healthy controls, for evidence of prior infection with rubella. All samples were tested for the presence of serum antibodies against rubella using the Bio-Rad BioPlex 2200 system.

RESULTS
As a group, patients with AID had a higher prevalence of IgM anti-rubella antibodies as compared to healthy controls (11.7% versus 5.4%; P = 0.001). The prevalence of IgM anti-rubella antibodies was significantly higher in 5/14 AID, namely in patients with giant cell arteritis (33.3%), primary biliary cirrhosis (24%), antiphospholipid syndrome (20.6%), polymyositis (16%), and inflammatory bowel disease (16%). A similar prevalence of IgM anti-rubella antibodies was detected among controls from different countries. A high prevalence of IgG anti-rubella antibodies was detected among patients with AID (89.9%) and controls.

CONCLUSION
The increased prevalence of IgM anti-rubella antibodies in AID suggests a possible role for rubella in the etiopathogenesis of several AID.


In February 2015, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-Standards Association (IEEE-SA) -- one of the largest Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) -- adopted highly controversial changes to its intellectual property rights (IPR) policy. Specifically, the IEEE-SA introduced a specific definition of Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms. The updated policy rules and the position of the Department of Justice (DoJ) -- stated in a Business Review Letter (BRL) -- have attracted much discussion from academic scholars and industry practitioners.
The aim of this paper is to explore how the new patent policy has impacted different aspects of standards development within IEEE. Particularly, our analysis focuses on the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee (IEEE 802 LMSC), whose Working Groups (WGs) have been responsible for the design and development of widely used wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and Ethernet. The first part of the analysis examines the submission pattern of Letters of Assurances (LoA), i.e., documents outlining the declaration of patents potentially essential to the standard (commonly referred to as Standard Essential Patents (SEPs)) and terms under which the submitter is willing to license its SEPs. We examine LoA submissions before and after the implementation of the new policy within the 802.11 WG, which covers the Wi-Fi technology. Next, we analyze how the comment resolution process (CRP), that is, the process of resolving comments made by 802.11 voters has changed after the policy update. More specifically, we investigate whether there is a delay in the approval process of 802.11 standards. Finally, we examine how the number of submitted Project Authorization Requests (PARs), or documents that trigger the development or revision of a standard by defining the scope and requirements for a new technical project across all IEEE 802 WGs, has changed after the policy update. PARs can be used as a proxy of new activity related to the development of standards.
The empirical findings suggest a decline in LoAs with several SEP holders reluctant to license under the new IPR policy terms. More importantly, uncertainty on implementers' side has increased, as new standards have been approved under the presence of negative and/or missing LoAs, and other standards are being developed under this "mixed bag" of LoAs. The CRP analysis reveals that the first two rounds of the process last on average longer after the policy change. Such a finding implies that the 802.11 balloting process has become more time consuming, which in turn results in a (potential) delay of approval/publication of standards. We also find that the number of new projects initiated (or PARs) in the IP-intensive IEEE standards (namely the 802 WGs) have decreased, suggesting a potential slowdon of the growth rate of innovation after the policy change.


Recent advances in cancer research have identified critical angiogenic signaling pathways and the influence of the extracellular matrix on endothelial cell migration. These findings provide us with insight into the process of angiogenesis that can facilitate the development of effective computational models of sprouting angiogenesis. In this work, we present the first three-dimensional model of sprouting angiogenesis that considers explicitly the effect of the extracellular matrix and of the soluble as well as matrix-bound growth factors on capillary growth. The computational model relies on a hybrid particle-mesh representation of the blood vessels and it introduces an implicit representation of the vasculature that can accommodate detailed descriptions of nutrient transport. Extensive parametric studies reveal the role of the extracellular matrix structure and the distribution of the different vascular endothelial growth factors isoforms on the dynamics and the morphology of the generated vascular networks.


Changes in the frequency of stone tool raw materials are observed in stone age records across the world and throughout time. These are normally interpreted as showing important changes in human behavior. Brantingham (2003) proposed a neutral model to explain observed data on stone tool raw material procurement as an alternative to behavioral interpretations of raw material changes, but his model used unrealistic distributions of raw material across a landscape. Brantingham (2003) pointed out that a valid criticism of the neutral model approach is that random walk in the environment can be considered an unrealistic foraging behavior; that a forager would never ignore the difference between raw material types. Additionally, he stated that future evaluations of the neutral model should be conducted using a real landscape with real source locations. This model partly addresses both by looking at the effect that spatial clustering or raw material sources have on the neutral model outcome. Spatial clustering of raw material sources simulates a more realistic scenario because raw material sources are located on the landscape according to geological structures and geophysical processes, which often results in same type raw material sources clustering together on the landscape. One key measure that is collected in the model to evaluate the effect that spatial clustering has is time without raw material in toolkit. Another limitation of the original neutral model that is addressed is the unrealistic assumption that there are 5000 unique raw material types distributed across the landscape. It is more realistic that 1-25 raw material types are distributed among 5000 sources, which in turn are distributed across the landscape according to geological structures and geophysical processes.


With perceptions of government overload, fiscal stress, and maladministration pandemic worldwide, proponents of administrative reform have embraced the privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as a major component of the New Public Management (Peters 1996). These efforts are viewed by proponents as among the best ways to diminish the inefficiencies and bureaupathologies they associate with public ownership of key industries (Ingraham 1997), especially when these industries must compete within the global economy (for instance, the telecommunication, airline, and oil and gas industries). These pathologies include monopoly, hierarchy, permanence of structure, and constraints on administrative action (Zahariadis 1995; Bernier, Bedard, and Petit 1996; Peters 1996; Durant, Legge, and Moussios 1998). Importantly, the movement toward denationalization of SOEs is not the exclusive domain of conservatives bent on cutting the size of the public sector or unfettering multinational corporations. Even political parties associated in the past with nationalizing industry (such as the Socialists in France, the "old" Labour Party in Great Britain, and the Partido Revolucionario Institucional in Mexico) are increasingly forced to embrace government "load shedding" in some form (Perotti 1995; Benz and Goetz 1996; Gabel 1998; Kaufman and Zuckermann 1998). All do so in response to the globalization of markets, the terms of political or economic integration of regions (cutting deficits to acceptable levels for entrance into the European Union under the Maastricht Treaty, and becoming competitive under the North American Free Trade Agreement in the Western Hemisphere), and pressures from international lending institutions to invigorate their economies (such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund). While the allure of privatization can be substantial, so too are the anxieties that the denationalization of SOEs can occasion. Formerly symbols of national pride and grandeur, privatizing SOEs can evoke nostalgia among citizens for bygone eras. Moreover, the threats and realities of lost jobs through downsizing and relocation can be chilling to many citizens. In these instances, the burdens and benefits of privatization often are perceived as falling disproportionately on different segments of society. At the same time, former SOEs can fall under the control of nationals unsympathetic to the aims of the government in power. Even worse as a blow to national pride, former SOEs and private firms may fall under the influence of foreign nationals, capitals, or money markets when sold or exposed to international market forces of globalization. Nor has it yet been demonstrated compellingly that such risks are worth taking. Some researchers find little difference between the performance of public and private enterprises operating in the same economic sector (Eckel and Vining 1982, 1985; Borins and Boothman 1985). Others find the gains in profitability that devotees of privatization expect (Boardman and Vining 1991; Bhattacharyya, Parker, and Raffiee 1994; Martin and Parker 1995), but others attribute similar gains less to ownership or market exposure than to overall economic performance (Dunsire, Hartley, and Parker 1991). Still other scholars assign greater importance to the level of competition involved (public or private), the stringency of environmental regulations encountered, and differences in managerial quality and entrepreneurship (Borins and Boothman 1985; Vickers and Yarrow 1988; Roberts 1992). Finally, other work indicates that nonmarket values (such as service quality) can suffer appreciably before true competition arises and while price controls are put in place. This tends to occur unless performance measures on these dimensions are reported publicly (Durant, Legge, and Moussios 1998). In light of these findings, how do citizens feel about privatizing SOEs in their countries, how do they arrive at these judgments, and do these opinions vary among different segments of the public? …


Background:Despite a previous meta-analysis that concluded that central venous pressure should not be used to make clinical decisions regarding fluid management, central venous pressure continues to be recommended for this purpose. Aim:To perform an updated meta-analysis incorporating recent studies that investigated indices predictive of fluid responsiveness. A priori subgroup analysis was planned according to the location where the study was performed (ICU or operating room). Data Sources:MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, and citation review of relevant primary and review articles. Study Selection:Clinical trials that reported the correlation coefficient or area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) between the central venous pressure and change in cardiac performance following an intervention that altered cardiac preload. From 191 articles screened, 43 studies met our inclusion criteria and were included for data extraction. The studies included human adult subjects, and included healthy controls (n = 1) and ICU (n = 22) and operating room (n = 20) patients. Data Extraction:Data were abstracted on study characteristics, patient population, baseline central venous pressure, the correlation coefficient, and/or the AUC between central venous pressure and change in stroke volume index/cardiac index and the percentage of fluid responders. Meta-analytic techniques were used to summarize the data. Data Synthesis:Overall 57% ± 13% of patients were fluid responders. The summary AUC was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.54–0.58) with no heterogenicity between studies. The summary AUC was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.52–0.60) for those studies done in the ICU and 0.56 (95% CI, 0.54–0.58) for those done in the operating room. The summary correlation coefficient between the baseline central venous pressure and change in stroke volume index/cardiac index was 0.18 (95% CI, 0.1–0.25), being 0.28 (95% CI, 0.16–0.40) in the ICU patients, and 0.11 (95% CI, 0.02–0.21) in the operating room patients. Conclusions:There are no data to support the widespread practice of using central venous pressure to guide fluid therapy. This approach to fluid resuscitation should be abandoned.


Disease marker detection plays an important role in clinical practice; however, rapid, low-cost and simultaneous detection of multiple trace disease markers remain a challenge because of low abundance of related strategies. Herein, we report a G-quadruplex DNAzyme and nicking enzyme-assisted multiplex chemiluminescence (CL) signal amplification (EMCSA) strategy based on a microchip electrophoresis (MCE) platform for simultaneous detection of two trace target molecules. In this study, two target molecules coupled with their hairpin aptamer probes (H-probes), and the open H-probes hybridized with two different hairpin DNAs containing the G-quadruplex sequence (HG4) to form two different DNA duplexes. These DNA duplexes are then selectively cleaved by the nicking enzyme Nb.BbvCI, which forms the target–H-probe complexes and G-rich DNA segments. The obtained target–H-probe complexes hybridize again with another HG4 to form more DNA duplexes, which initiate continuous enzyme cleavage reaction to form more G-rich DNA segments. Free G-rich DNA segments combine with hemin and K+ to form G-quadruplex DNAzymes, which catalyze the CL reaction between hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and luminol. Finally, G-quadruplex DNAzyme and streptavidin (SA)-functionalised G-quadruplex DNAzyme are quickly separated and detected by the MCE–CL platform. The proposed EMCSA-based MCE–CL method has been applied for simultaneous detection of two significant biomarkers, namely, thrombin (Tb) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), in quantities as low as 2.4 pM and 0.11 ng mL−1 (0.62 pM), respectively. This method for simultaneous detection of two trace disease markers holds great potential in early clinical diagnosis of diseases.


A cancer vaccine containing xenogenic DNA from rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) that encodes prostate specific antigen (PSA) with potential immunostimulating and antineoplastic activities. Upon repeated intradermal administration via electroporation, pVAXrcPSAv53l vaccine may induce a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response against PSA-expressing prostate cancer cells. Rhesus PSA is 89% homologous to human PSA.


Biologists working in fields as diverse as mammalian behavior, plant ecology, microbial genetics, quantitative genetics, and insect ecology have shown that environmentally induced parental effects can be found in most kingdoms of living organisms. Such effects are diverse, have multiple causes, and can be transmitted via multiple pathways. Historically, and understandably, these effects have been studied by biologists who have focused on a particular group of organisms, such as insects or plants, or who have approached the phenomenon from a particular point of view, such as quantitative genetics, ecology, or behavior. The consequence has been the development of multiple terminologies that are not used consistently across disciplines or kingdoms. I believe these inconsistencies hinder the communication among biologists studying these effects, the development of generalized models of parental effects, and the empirical testing of adaptedness of these effects.


This paper presents a novel architecture for Smart Metering systems which enables their seamless, secure and efficient integration in wider SmartGrid software structures. Smart metering solutions represent one of the fastest evolving areas in the field of power distribution systems. There is an extensive interest of leading software vendors in the field, for development of architectures that can efficiently manage transmission, processing and storing of tremendous amount of data produced by such metering devices deployed at the end-end side. The integration of these systems into existing power system software architectures (outage management, workforce management, etc.) represents a major challenge for research community. In such an environment it is of fundamental importance to adopt standardized data exchange mechanisms. The proposed architecture is conceived as modular and scalable structure so that it can support implementation of novel power distribution concepts as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs). The proposed architecture has been successfully tested and verified in real life operation as one of modules of Smart Metering system named Meter Data Management (MDM).


We have built a reliable and robust system that takes as input an astronomical image, and returns as output the pointing, scale, and orientation of that image (the astrometric calibration or World Coordinate System information). The system requires no first guess, and works with the information in the image pixels alone; that is, the problem is a generalization of the "lost in space" problem in which nothing—not even the image scale—is known. After robust source detection is performed in the input image, asterisms (sets of four or five stars) are geometrically hashed and compared to pre-indexed hashes to generate hypotheses about the astrometric calibration. A hypothesis is only accepted as true if it passes a Bayesian decision theory test against a null hypothesis. With indices built from the USNO-B catalog and designed for uniformity of coverage and redundancy, the success rate is >99.9% for contemporary near-ultraviolet and visual imaging survey data, with no false positives. The failure rate is consistent with the incompleteness of the USNO-B catalog; augmentation with indices built from the Two Micron All Sky Survey catalog brings the completeness to 100% with no false positives. We are using this system to generate consistent and standards-compliant meta-data for digital and digitized imaging from plate repositories, automated observatories, individual scientific investigators, and hobbyists. This is the first step in a program of making it possible to trust calibration meta-data for astronomical data of arbitrary provenance.


Summary
Leptospira agglutination tests of 29,317 human sera submitted to the Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory for brucella serology during 1958–1959 revealed 0.5 percent positive for leptospirosis at titers of 1:20 or higher. Field investigation of suspect acute and recent cases resulted in confirmation of 82 leptospiral infections. A total of 42 sporadic infections was identified among live-stock farmers, packing-plant workers and veterinarians; a local epidemic of 40 cases was confirmed among individuals exposed to contaminated streams. Serologic surveillance of patients revealed initial heterologous serotype response in many instances; however, the homologous serotype immune reaction eventually predominated and persisted. Leptospira pomona was incriminated as the infecting leptospira serotype in all but two cases; one patient was infected with L. icterohaemorrhagiae following contamination of lacerations with mud polluted with rat dejecta, and one case defied specific serotype definition. L. pomona was isolated from the urine of 2 of 52 human cases and 5 of 88 bovine contacts.
Laboratory procedures, field investigational methods and clinical characteristics are described. Factors which may be responsible for the under-recognition of human leptospirosis are suggested.


Sunday observance in the Christian West was an important religious issue from late Antiquity until at least the early twentieth century. In England the subject was debated in Parliament for six centuries. During the reign of Charles I disagreements about Sunday observance were a factor in the Puritan flight from England. In America the Sunday question loomed large in the nation's newspapers. In the nineteenth century, it was the lengthiest of our national debates - outlasting those of temperance and slavery. In a more secular age, many writers have been haunted by the afterlife of Sunday. Wallace Stevens speaks of the "peculiar life of Sundays." For Kris Kristofferson "there's something in a Sunday, / Makes a body feel alone."From Augustine to Caesarius, through the Reformation and the Puritan flight from England, down through the ages to contemporary debates about Sunday worship, Stephen Miller explores the fascinating history of the Sabbath. He pays particular attention to the Sunday lives of a number of prominent British and American writers - and what they have had to say about Sunday. Miller examines such observant Christians as George Herbert, Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Hannah More, and Jonathan Edwards. He also looks at the Sunday lives of non-practicing Christians, including Oliver Goldsmith, Joshua Reynolds, John Ruskin, and Robert Lowell, as well as a group of lapsed Christians, among them Edmund Gosse, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Thoreau, and Wallace Stevens. Finally, he examines Walt Whitman's complex relationship to Christianity. The result is a compelling study of the changing role of religion in Western culture.


The management philosophy, namely, Customer relationship management (CRM) has been widely accepted and successfully applied across a range of sectors. However, there has been very little research efforts in the field of CRM in the construction industry. This paper provides a review of the CRM philosophy and technology, and considers the implications; benefits and challenges to construction organizations at a strategic business and operational level. Given the generally unstable economic and highly competitive marketplace, implementation of CRM throughout the lifecycle of assets may provide for more effective management of existing and prospective clients. The CRM approach would seem to be compatible with general trends in the construction industry towards more collaborative working and the paper provides that both the philosophy and technologies can be integrated with current initiatives such as building information modeling (BIM). Construction clients in the public and private sector are diverse in nature, complex in their buying processes and at varying levels of knowledge of the Industry. In addition to seeking value for money from their projects and assets, they have become more concerned about sustainability and environmental impact. It has been recognized that management of a broader range of business and project level stakeholders is necessary.


As high-throughput sequencing technologies are becoming more widely adopted for analysing pathogens in disease outbreaks there needs to be assurance that the different sequencing technologies and approaches to data analysis will yield reliable and comparable results. Conversely, understanding where agreement cannot be achieved provides insight into the limitations of these approaches and also allows efforts to be focused on areas of the process that need improvement. This manuscript describes the next-generation sequencing of three closely related viruses, each analysed using different sequencing strategies, sequencing instruments and data processing pipelines. In order to determine the comparability of consensus sequences and minority (sub-consensus) single nucleotide variant (mSNV) identification, the biological samples, the sequence data from 3 sequencing platforms and the *.bam quality-trimmed alignment files of raw data of 3 influenza A/H5N8 viruses were shared. This analysis demonstrated that variation in the final result could be attributed to all stages in the process, but the most critical were the well-known homopolymer errors introduced by 454 sequencing, and the alignment processes in the different data processing pipelines which affected the consistency of mSNV detection. However, homopolymer errors aside, there was generally a good agreement between consensus sequences that were obtained for all combinations of sequencing platforms and data processing pipelines. Nevertheless, minority variant analysis will need a different level of careful standardization and awareness about the possible limitations, as shown in this study.


Load calculations of nutrients and suspended solids (SS) transported by rivers are usually based on discrete water samples. Water quality changes in cold climate regions often occur very rapidly and therefore discrete samples are unrepresentative of the range of water quality occurring. This leads to errors of varying magnitude in load calculation. High-resolution turbidity data were used to determine the SS and total phosphorus (TP), and paired with discharge to determine loads from two small catchments in southern Finland. The effect of sampling frequency was investigated by artificially sub-sampling the high frequency concentrations. Regardless of the sampling frequency, the TP load was more likely underestimated while using discrete samples. To achieve ±20% accuracy compared with the reference load, daily sampling should be performed. Hysteresis was detected to have an impact on TP load. Hysteresis analysis also revealed the main source of the TP to be in the fields of the catchment. Continuous measuring proved to be a valuable method for defining loads and short-term fluctuations in water quality in small clayey watercourses in a boreal cold climate, where the climate change will increase the frequency of winter floods.


Innovation is of continuing interest to professional service firms PSFs and the scholars who study them. Nevertheless, innovation in PSFs remains underresearched within the wider canon of literature on service innovation, and existing studies typically take a firm-centric perspective on innovation, even though such approaches have been challenged extensively. Our study addresses the shortcomings related to service innovation research, particularly in the context of PSFs, by utilizing the service-dominant logic SDL---a framework considered particularly appropriate for understanding innovation in service from a customer-centric standpoint. We apply the SDL to a case of innovation in an engineering consulting firm, and we find that innovation in PSFs is, to a certain degree, unique. Specifically, this work contributes to the literature by identifying multiple beneficiary roles, termed "customer as payer" and "customer as end user," with often competing and changing values in use. The notion of operant resources is extended to include social capital, and we show how social capital can enable innovation in PSFs. A preliminary model and five propositions that can guide future empirical research on innovation in PSFs, together with managerial implications, are delineated.


Translational medicine is a medical practice based on interventional epidemiology. It is regarded by its proponents as a natural progression from Evidence-Based Medicine. It integrates research from the basic sciences, social sciences and political sciences with the aim of optimizing patient care and preventive measures which may extend beyond healthcare services. In short, it is the process of turning appropriate biological discoveries into drugs and medical devices that can be used in the treatment of patients.[ 1 ] Scientific research and the development of modern powerful techniques are crucial for improving patient care in a society that is increasingly demanding the highest quality health services.[ 2 ] Indeed, effective patient care requires the continuous improvement of knowledge on the pathophysiology of the diseases, diagnostic procedures and therapeutic tools available. To this end, development of both clinical and basic research in health sciences is required. However, what is most effective in improving medical knowledge, and hence patient care, is the cross-fertilization between basic and clinical science. This has been specifically highlighted in recent years with the coining of the term "translational research".[ 3 ] Translational research is of great importance in all medical specialties. Translational Research is the basis for Translational Medicine. It is the process which leads from evidence based medicine to sustainable solutions for public health problems.[ 4 ] It aims to improve the health and longevity of the world's populations and depends on developing broad-based teams of scientists and scholars who are able to focus their efforts to link basic scientific discoveries with the arena of clinical investigation, and translating the results of clinical trials into changes in clinical practice, informed by evidence from the social and political sciences. Clinical science and ecological support from effective policies can't continue to be regarded as independent disciplines. Integrated training in translational research methods is needed for clinicians, guideline writers, grant awarding bodies, and policy makers, in order to redress current biases in funding and research publications, in order to reflect better the balance of research efforts which are necessary for better assessment of complex evidence-bases, to integrate effective and sensitive interventions with supporting environmental changes, and to encourage continuous improvement of evidence based public policies.[ 5 ] There are three major obstacles to effective translational medicine. The first is the challenge of translating basic science discoveries into clinical studies. The second hurdle is the translation of clinical studies into medical practice and health care policy.[ 6 ] A third obstacle to effective translational medicine is also philosophical. It is a fact that the available standard therapies for most common diseases are less efficacious than they are believed by the Public to be and significant funds are allocated to maintain this "placebo" effect through standard care. Proportionately, very little is spent to identify truly effective therapies. Finally, it may be a mistake to think that basic science, without observations from the clinic and without epidemiological findings of possible associations between different noxes and disease, will efficiently produce the novel therapies that we are eager to test. To pursue the promotion of translational research, the Editorial Board strongly supports basic scientific work and such that is a combination of basic research and clinical praxis.


The Hospital and the Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Medicine is one of the specialized hospitals within Baghdad city, with 165 beds and up to 213 staff work, located in an abundance of health centers area and transportation links. The current study concentrated on the most important means that followed by the hospital administration in the solid medical waste disposal that generated within the various facilities of the health center, by design information form for this purpose, included 28 questions about the manage and handling of solid waste inside the hospital. It also contained the information that was provided to us by the administrative department at the hospital. Through study, which found a weakness in separating, labeling and documentation in the solid medical waste system, hazardous solid waste volume reached 10.6%, while the domestic solid waste amount 89.44%, depending on cleaners and unskilled workers in the collection, sorting, transport and treatment of hazardous medical waste with lack of a dedicated staff to manage this process , burning temperature does not reach more than 550 degrees, causing gases emission have serious problem on health and the environment


Housing is a centre for many socio-economic activities and often provides a mark of prosperity, social acceptance,
and an element of urban development and growth in a country. However, it is suspected that the significance of
housing to people in the Niger Delta of Nigeria is lacking because of poor post-construction management practice
that is currently in place. At the same time, there are housing shortages, uncompleted, vandalized and abandoned
social housing stock in the Nigeria Delta. This has been a continuing challenge facing people in this region as
reported in previous studies. Therefore, the overall aim of the study is to develop a framework for the sustainable
management of social (public) housing estates in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. This paper aims to set out the context
for the research, identify its overall aim and objectives and thereafter considers issues related to the determination
of an appropriate scope for the study. It argues that the management of social housing estates in a sustainable
manner needs to adopt the principles of sustainability in combination with effective people-centred management
and building maintenance practices. It further asserts that the development of such a framework would be a panacea
approach in meeting the social housing challenges faced in the Niger Delta and in Nigeria at large.


This paper proposes an approach for the semantic segmentation and structural parsing of modular furniture items, such as cabinets, wardrobes, and bookshelves, into so called interaction elements. Such a segmentation into functional units is challenging not only due to the visual similarity of the different elements but also because of their often uniformly colored and low-texture appearance. Our method addresses these challenges by merging structural and appearance likelihoods of each element and jointly optimizing over shape, relative location, and class labels using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling. We propose a novel concept called rectangle coverings which provides a tight bound on the number of structural elements and hence narrows down the search space. We evaluate our approach's performance on a novel dataset of furniture items and demonstrate its applicability in practice.


Nitrogen fertilization of agricultural crops increases nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils. The data used in this study were obtained from a long-term field experiment for corn, winter wheat and rapeseed cultivated on loam and sandy loam soils, and fertilized with the recommended nitrogen doses (kg N ha1) of 150, 120 and 150, respectively. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between yield-scaled N2O emissions (Eys) and nitrogen yield (Yn), as well as nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and nitrogen surplus (Ns). It was found that the provisionally determined desired yield values (Yn>80 kg N ha-1), NUE (50-90%) and N surplus (Ns<80 kg N ha-1) can be considered as nitrogen utilization efficiency characteristics, reducing yield-scaled N2O emissions. Our study showed that these emissions for desired parameters Yn, NUE and Ns were ≤25.6, 28.3-18.6 and ≤30.9 g N2O_N kg Yn-1, respectively. Estimated Eys were 1.5-2.6 time higher than the minimum emission and 2.2-3.6 times lower than the maximum emission recorded in the analyzed data series. In conclusion, the reduction of nitrogen surplus in our field experiment, significant for environmental protection, did not result in loss of crop yields; on the contrary, it led to their growth.


The South African Cabinet has recently given approval for the introduction into Parliament of a Bill that will provide a new system to deal with child offenders. This article suggests that the context of political transition in South Africa made it easier to promote restorative justice as a fundamental principle of juvenile justice reform. The theme of reconciliation that characterized the transition is linked to the African philosophy of humanity and community, 'ubuntu'. The acceptance of 'a different kind of justice', familiar from African traditional justice, community courts and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission provided fertile ground for debates about the modern international trend towards restorative justice approaches, and this has had a notable impact on juvenile justice reform. The article moves on to describe selected aspects of the Child Justice Bill, examining the extent to which these clauses reflect a restorative justice approach. Finally there is a discussion about some of the challenges to promoting restorative justice in an environment of public concern about crime.


The EU's FTA network is steadily expanding. All recently concluded FTAs adopt a WTO-like dispute settlement mechanism, and incorporate to varying degrees WTO provisions. Even more remarkably, EU FTAs explicitly restrain the direct effect of their provisions. This comes in contrast to the case law of the ECJ so far, which invariably granted direct effect to provisions of EU's bilateral agreements. The article aims to analyse this shift, which is observed across the spectrum of EU's trade agreements, from development instruments and neighbourhood agreements to pure Global Europe FTAs. It employs their two common features, namely the WTO-like dispute settlement mechanism and WTO incorporation, in order to determine which of the two led decisively to the restriction of their domestic effects. It contends that it is the inextricable FTA/WTO intertwinement that hardly leaves any margin for the EU FTAs to have more far-reaching legal effects than those already accepted for the WTO agreements in the ECJ case law.


Objective: To study retention in care (RIC) trajectories and associated factors in patients eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a universal test-and-treat setting (TasP trial, South Africa, 2012–2016). Design: A cluster-randomized trial whereby individuals identified HIV positive after home-based testing were invited to initiate ART immediately (intervention) or following national guidelines (control). Methods: Exiting care was defined as ≥3 months late for a clinic appointment, transferring elsewhere, or death. Group-based trajectory modeling was performed to estimate RIC trajectories over 18 months and associated factors in 777 ART-eligible patients. Results: Four RIC trajectory groups were identified: (1) group 1 "remained" in care (reference, n = 554, 71.3%), (2) group 2 exited care then "returned" after [median (interquartile range)] 4 (3–9) months (n = 40, 5.2%), (3) group 3 "exited care rapidly" [after 4 (4–6) months, n = 98, 12.6%], and (4) group 4 "exited care later" [after 11 (9–13) months, n = 85, 10.9%]. Group 2 patients were less likely to have initiated ART within 1 month and more likely to be male, young (<29 years), without a regular partner, and to have a CD4 count >350 cells/mm3. Group 3 patients were more likely to be women without social support, newly diagnosed, young, and less likely to have initiated ART within 1 month. Group 4 patients were more likely to be newly diagnosed and aged 39 years or younger. Conclusions: High CD4 counts at care initiation were not associated with a higher risk of exiting care. Prompt ART initiation and special support for young and newly diagnosed patients with HIV are needed to maximize RIC.


Modern Britain is a nation shaped by wars. The boundaries of its separate parts are the outcome of conquest and resistance. The essence of its identity are the warrior heroes, both real and imagined, who still capture the national imagination; from Boudicca to King Arthur, William Wallace to Henry V, the Duke of Wellington to Winston Churchill. In WARRIOR RACE, Lawrence James investigates the role played by war in the making of Britain. Drawing on the latest historical and archaeological research, as well as numerous unfamiliar and untapped resources, he charts the full reach of British military history: the physical and psychological impact of Roman military occupation; the monarchy's struggle for mastery of the British Isles; the civil wars of the seventeenth century; the 'total war' experience of twentieth century conflict. WARRIOR RACE is popular history at its very best: immaculately researched and hugely readable. Balancing the broad sweep of history with an acute attention to detail, Lawrence James never loses sight of this most fascinating and enduring of subjects: the question of British national identity and character.