Prediction of violent recidivism is an essential component of forensic in-patient assessment and treatment. The significant impact of violent recidivism upon individual victims, families and our wider society is clear. In addition, high numbers of re-admission, coupled with potential for prolonged periods of detention following revision of the Mental Health Act, present high financial costs to already limited High Secure services.
With unacceptable levels of post discharge violent crime reported, increasing demand is seen for the identification of valid and reliable violence risk markers. However, recent violence risk research appears to have moved towards community follow-up studies, which hold limited utility for improvement of in-patient assessment and treatment. As such, this study set out to conduct violence risk marker research with males with Major Mental Illness in a High Secure hospital. Consideration of the existing violence risk marker research revealed positive yet inconsistent findings with regard to anger and neglect surrounding the study of frontal lobe deficits.
The utility of two measures of frontal lobe ability, specifically related to reasoning and decision-making, in addition to anger expression and control, were investigated as violence risk markers for patients with Major Mental Illness. 39 male adult in-patients were assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the second edition of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2). Finally, participants' scores on the Violence Risk Scale (VRS) were used to quantify predicted risk of violent recidivism. It was hypothesised that poorer performance on the frontal lobe measures, higher anger expression index scores and lower anger control scores, would be associated with higher violence risk scores. In addition, it was hypothesised that poorer performance on the frontal lobe measures would be associated with poorer outward anger control. Finally, it was hypothesised that these frontal lobe and anger variables would be found to be significant predictors of violence risk score.
Correlational analysis revealed that the Anger Control-Out and Anger Expression indices from the STAXI-2, as well as WCST total score, significantly correlated with Violence Risk Scale score in the hypothesised directions. Following linear multiple regression, WCST total score and the Anger Control-Out index score were found to significantly and independently contribute to the subsequent Violence Risk Scale predictive model [F(2, 36)=8.175, p <.01].
Discussion embeds these findings within the context of previous literature. Strengths and limitations of this study are discussed, as well as suggestions made for future research directions. Recommendations are made for new frontal lobe screening procedures, as well as the modification or refinement of existent treatments.
Finally, an extended paper is presented in complement to the journal paper. This contains additional information relating to the research context which was beyond the scope of the journal paper. Extended methodological factors are addressed, with additional findings provided. This extended paper concludes with further discussion offered and a reflective commentary drawing focus upon the research process. Examples of materials used within the study and evidence of ethical approval can be found within the appendices of this portfolio.


'With passion and vision, he used his skill as a journalist to expose the horrors of the Abyss to the world ! Poverty is war, and it rages on with no end in sight, and the management is still guilty of mismanaging the wealth. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the People of the Abyss are among us today.' Tarnel Abbott, Great-granddaughter of Jack London 'With this reprinting of London's incredibly important and readable book, Pluto Press and London remind us of how economic exploitation must always be fought, that we must always be educated in the lives of the unfortunate.' James Williams, editor and publisher of the Jack London Journal 'This book helped shatter the smug composure of Edwardian England, as well as providing a transatlantic best seller.' Professor William J. Fishman, Queen Mary and Westfield College The People of the Abyss is a classic work about poverty and recounts the time the author spent in London. Jack London (1876-1916), at his peak, was the most popular of all living writers. Born in San Francisco, he became a political activist and socialist at an early age. Written after posing as an American sailor stranded in the East End of London during 1902 -- sleeping in doss houses, living with the destitute and starving -- this is perhaps Jack London's most important work. As well as being a literary masterpiece, The People of the Abyss stands as a major sociological study. While other American writers were blindly celebrating the glories of the British Empire at its peak, Jack London was asking why such misery was to be found in the heart of a capital city of immense wealth. This is a work of reportage rather than propaganda -- London lets his observations speak for themselves. Published to coincide with the centenary of his visit to the East End, this important book is an incredible precursor to the writings of George Orwell, and remains a standard-bearer critique of capitalism, as powerful today as it was then. This edition includes a new introduction that contextualises London's social writings and shows their contemporary relevance.


The prevalence of unruptured cerebral aneurysms (UCAs) in elderly patients is increasing in our aging population. UCA management in elderly patients has some difficulties, such as reduced life expectancy, increased comorbidities and treatment risks, and poor prognosis in case of rupture. In this review article, we summarize the most recent findings on the natural history, therapeutic options and treatment results for UCAs exclusively in elderly patients, and describe possible medical treatments for patients with UCAs.


Interactive storytelling, emerging with virtual reality technology, has attracted a lot of research interests in recent years. In order to bridge the gap between story generation and story presentation, some hybrid narrative models are raised. In this paper, we propose a new hybrid interactive storytelling architecture S-MADE. It combines the story plot generation and character performance through goal execution and decomposition mechanism. Fuzzy Cognitive Goal Net (FCGN) is a goal modeling tool for modeling the story scenario and character behaviors. The goal decomposition algorithm enables for director agent to dispatch acts to characters easily. With this system, dynamic storylines as well as character behaviors are created in real time simultaneously, which is hard to be achieved in traditional approaches. Audiences are able to experience different perspectives through interactions with director and characters.


Composed vibration pulses are developed to generate ultrasound radiation force for stimulating vibrations in a tissue region with preferred spectral distributions and increasing specific vibration harmonics when the peak radiation power is limited. The new vibration sequence has multiple pulses in one fundamental period of the vibration. The pulses are sparsely sampled from an orthogonal frequency wave composed of several sinusoidal signals. The phase and amplitude of each sinusoidal signal are adjusted to control the shape of the orthogonal frequency wave. Amplitude of the sinusoidal signal is increased as its frequency increases to compensate for higher loss at higher frequency in the tissue region. The new vibration pulses and detection pulses can be interleaved for array transducer applications. The new method is evaluated by studying the shear wave propagation in a chicken liver, in vitro. The experimental results show that the new vibration pulses significantly increase induced tissue vibration with the same peak ultrasound intensity, compared with the binary vibration pulses. The experimental results also show that both pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) and width modulation (PWM) can be implemented in applications.


Since the early 1980's educational institutions around the globe have invested large amounts of both time and money into the exploration and implementation of a vast range of technological programs. This study focused on the recent and rapidly proliferating phenomenon, the 1:1 iPad program. These programs are characterised by each learner and teacher in a classroom using an iPad as part of daily routine. Since Apple released the first iPad in 2010 there have been studies and trials of this technology in classrooms in a variety of configurations. An investigation into the experiences of educators during these trials has been missing from the discussion and as such this study focused on the experiences of the teacher within the initial stages of a 1:1 iPad trial. It aimed to gain a better understanding of teachers' attitudes towards the use of iPads in their classrooms and their experiences working in a 1:1 environment. The investigation occurred at the Country campus of Castle College, a multi-campus independent school found in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It focused on the experiences of six middle school (Years 5 – 8) teachers from this campus. In 2012, Castle College implemented a 1:1 iPad trial with all Years 5 – 11 students and teachers at the Country campus. This decision represented a significant change in approach for the college and potentially steep learning curve for the teachers involved. In conducting this qualitative case study, data was collected during the initial six months of the iPad trial through observations, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Taking this approach created an opportunity to explore the participants' experiences when integrating iPads into their classes for the first time. This study found that implementing a 1:1 iPad trial, perhaps unsurprisingly, increased the workload of the teachers involved. The participants generally felt that the teaching in a 1:1 iPad environment allowed them to move their students through the curriculum with greater depth and speed. This was achieved through students accessing online resources, creating content and an increase in communication (created by students having easy access to their email). In what could be considered a surprise, these benefits created a situation where an increased workload was generally deemed acceptable by the participants. This study also confirmed the findings of other studies; in that the importance of professional learning when implementing a new technological initiative into a school cannot be overstated. The study does, however, bring a new slant to the discussion in the form of introducing technological domestication theory and the potential to use this to sculpt and target individual professional learning experiences for educators. This however was not the main focus of this study, and further investigation into this area, including developing a matrix of behaviour and a skills checklist, would be beneficial.


We propose a grid-based GSM positioning algorithm that can be deployed entirely on mobile devices. The algorithm uses Gaussian distributions to model signal intensity variations within each grid cell. Position estimates are calculated by combining a probabilistic centroid algorithm with particle filtering. In addition to presenting the positioning algorithm, we describe methods that can be used to create, update and maintain radio maps on a mobile device. We have implemented the positioning algorithm on Nokia S60 and Nokia N900 devices and we evaluate the algorithm using a combination of offline and real world tests. The results indicate that the accuracy of our method is comparable to state-of-the-art methods, while at the same time having significantly smaller storage requirements.


Low sensitivity and highly energetic materials (LSHEMs), with both high energy and sufficient safety, are highly desired in practical applications. With respect to energy and safety, as the two most important and hottest concerns in the field of energetic materials (EMs), it is extensively deemed that there is an inevitable and inherent contradiction between them: a higher energy goes with a lower safety. This is the so-called energy and safety (E&S) contradiction. This article highlights this contradiction and finds that this contradiction is structure-level dependent. That is, it appears most necessarily and remarkably as an inherent one only at the molecular level, while at the crystal level and other higher ones, it can be largely alleviated. Moreover, we think that the energy and safety originate from the thermodynamics and kinetics of the decomposition reactions of EMs, respectively, and accordingly the contradiction becomes a thermodynamic–kinetic one. We thereby propose a strategy for developing LSHEMs, i.e., increasing the energy by increasing the chemical energy stored in molecules and by enhancing the molecular packing compactness, while, enhancing safety by making external stimuli more and more insufficient to ignite the EMs, through crystal engineering and mixing technologies. As an intrinsic structure of EMs, the crystal packing with face-to-face π–π stacking supported by strong interlayered intermolecular interactions favors the formation of LSHEMs or it is proposed to enhance intermolecular interactions and the anisotropy of these interactions to build low impact sensitivity energetic crystals.


The transfusion reactions represents one of the major risks of transfusion therapy, regardless of the blood product used, whole blood, erythro-concentrate or frozen plasma. This paper presents the evolution of transfusion reactions and treatment of 60 dogs during the period 2014-2016 monitored in the Clinics of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest. The clinical signs, CBC, biochemistry were observed for all dogs as the animals came to the clinics. The treatment provided has a base content of glucocorticoid mixture of drugs and complementary symptomatic therapy. The glucocorticoid therapy refers to the usage of hemi-succinate hydrocortisone at the beginning of each transfusion and at the administration of Prednisolone at the end. The glucocorticoid combo therapy was used in all transfusions, regardless of the product or sub-product of blood being used. For 70% of the cases was used whole blood, for 20% erythro-concentrate and for 10% plasma. The data processed using the parameters above shows a decreased number of transfusion reactions when used the glucocorticoid drug combo on the 50% of the case load in comparison to the other 50% which did not receive the glucocorticoid therapy prior to transfusion. This study shows that the glucocorticoid combo therapy might be helpful in a variety of cases in which the pathology presented allows the usage of glucocorticoid therapy.


The notion of pricing as being of vital importance to firms is supported by a long line of publications that outline recommendations on how price should be managed in order to maximize long-term profits. This implies that pricing, or firm level pricing capability, should constitute an important area of research in the field of strategic management, a field which has as its prime objective to develop explanations of firm performance. Yet, research on pricing capability in strategic management has remained sparse. Rather than addressing this area directly, firm pricing capability has been treated as a non-strategic issue. This is done either by assuming that prices are automatically set at levels reflecting competitive market prices and the product's value to customers, or by viewing price as an easily manageable part of the firm's overall competitive strategy.

This empirical study of pricing capability in five cases in the corrugated packaging industry illustrates the problems firms face when pricing their products. The study showed, not only that pricing was difficult to manage, but also that in order to handle the information and control-related uncertainties inherent in pricing decisions, the studied business units committed themselves to complex configurations of assets, routines, activities, and pricing policies. This thesis sets out to uncover the structure and strategic relevance of these configurations, and by doing so, to point out some fundamental problems in mainstream strategic management theory. As it turns out, the failure in addressing the strategic dimensions of pricing capability is not arbitrary, but reflects a theoretical gap that leaves established explanations of firm performance unable to account for important phenomena, such as pricing capability.


The idea of concentrating solar energy to increase the output of photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors is an area that has received significant attention. However, the use of solar concentrators that form part of a building's fabric is an area that has received little attention to date. In this study, the design of a novel building integrated photovoltaic/thermal solar concentrator (BIPVTC) is discussed. The design is theoretically analysed and the model validated with experimental data. The results show that BIPVTC offers improved electrical yields from both concentrating radiation onto the photovoltaic cells and also by actively cooling them. Also, it was shown that the BIPVT could be made of a durable (long life) stainless steel, rather than the more reflective aluminium, while still offering a noticeable increase in annual output.


Focusing on helicopter aerodynamics, it is known that the aerodynamic performance of the retreating side of a rotor disk is mainly dictated by the stall characteristics of the blade. Stall under dynamic conditions (Dynamic Stall) is the dominant phenomenon encountered on heavily loaded fast-flying rotors, resulting in an extra lift and excessive pitching moments. Dynamic stall (DS) can be idealised as the pitching motion of a finite wing and this is the focus of the present work which includes three main stages.

At first, comparisons between available experimental data with CFD simulations were performed for 3D DS cases. This work is the first detailed CFD study of 3D Dynamic Stall and has produced results indicating that DS can be predicted and analysed using CFD. The CFD results were validated against all known experimental investigations. In addition, a comprehensive set of CFD results was generated and used to enhance our understanding of 3D DS. Straight, tapered and swept-tip wings of various aspect ratios were used at a range of Reynolds and Mach numbers and flow conditions. For all cases where experimental data were available effort was put to obtain the original data and process these in exactly the same ways as the CFD results. Special care was put to represent exactly the motion of the lifting surfaces, its geometry and the boundary conditions of the problem.

Secondly, the evolution of the Ω-shaped DS vortex observed in experimental works as well as its interaction with the tip vortices were investigated. Both pitching and pitching/rotating blade conditions were considered.

Finally, the potential of training a Neural network as a model for DS was assessed in an attempt to reduce the required CPU time for modelling 3D DS. Neural networks have a proven track record in applications involving pattern recognition but so far have seen little application in unsteady aerodynamics. In this work, two different NN models were developed and assessed in a variety of conditions involving DS. Both experimental and CFD data were used during these investigations. The dependence of the quality of the predictions of the NN on the choice of the training data was then assessed and thoughts towards the correct strategy behind this choice were laid out.


Noncellular differentiation effects have emerged as important mechanisms mediating therapeutic effects of stem or progenitor cell transplantation. Here, we investigated the expression patterns and sources of humoral factors and their regional and systemic biological effects after bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) transplantation into ischemic myocardium. Although most of the transplanted EPCs disappeared within a week, up-regulation of multiple humoral factors was sustained for longer than two weeks, which correlated well with the recovery of cardiac function. To determine the source of the humoral factors, we injected human EPCs into immunodeficient mice. Whereas the expression of human EPC (donor)-derived cytokines rapidly decreased to a nondetectable level within a week, up-regulation of mouse (recipient)-derived cytokines, including factors that could mobilize BM cells, was sustained. Histologically, we observed higher capillary density, a higher proliferation of myocardial cells, a lower cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and reduced infarct size. Furthermore, after EPC transplantation, BM-derived stem or progenitor cells were increased in the peripheral circulation and incorporated into the site of neovascularization and myocardial repair. These data indicate that myocardial EPC transplantation induces humoral effects, which are sustained by host tissues and play a crucial role in repairing myocardial injury.


Two forum types have featured prominently in deliberative practice: (1) forums involving partisans (such as key 'stakeholders') and (2) forums involving non-partisans (such as 'lay citizens'). Drawing on deliberative theory and cases from Germany, we explore the relative merits of these forum types in terms of deliberative capacity, legitimacy and political impact. The two types offer deliberative governance something different. Non-partisan forums such as citizens' juries or consensus conferences rate favorably in deliberative capacity, but can fall short when it comes to external legitimacy and policy impact. Contrary to expectations, partisan forums can also encounter substantial legitimation and impact problems. How can designed forums contribute to deliberative democratization, given that partisanship is an inevitable fact of politics? We offer some suggestions about how deliberative theory and practice might better accommodate the reality of partisanship, while securing benefits revealed in non-partisan forums.


What motivates substantive presumptions about how to interpret statutes? Are they like statistical heuristics that aim to predict Congress's most likely behavior, or are they meant to protect certain underenforced values against inadvertent legislative encroachment? These two rationales, fact-based and value-based, are the extremes of a continuum. This Note uses the presumption against extraterritoriality to demonstrate this continuum and how a presumption can shift along it. The presumption operates to diminish the likelihood that a federal statute will be read to extend beyond the borders of the United States. The presumption has been remarkably stable for decades despite watershed changes in the principles — customary international law and conflict of laws — that once supported it. As the presumption's normative justifications have diminished, a new justification has grown in importance. Today, the presumption is often justified as a stand-in for how Congress typically legislates. This Note argues that this change makes the presumption less defensible but even harder to overcome in individual cases.


Optical micromanipulation allows the movement and patterning of discrete micro-particles within a liquid environment. However, for manufacturing applications it is desirable to remove the liquid, leaving the patterned particles in place. In this work, we have demonstrated the use of optoelectronic tweezers (OET) to manipulate and accurately assemble Sn62Pb36Ag2 solder microspheres into tailored patterns. A technique based on freeze-drying technology was then developed that allows the assembled patterns to be well preserved and fixed in place after the liquid medium in the OET device is removed. After removing the liquid from the OET device and subsequently heating the assembled pattern and melting the solder microspheres, electrical connections between the microspheres were formed, creating a permanent conductive bridge between two isolated metal electrodes. Although this method is demonstrated with 40 µm diameter solder beads arranged with OET, it could be applied to a great range of discrete components from nanowires to optoelectronic devices, thus overcoming one of the basic hurdles in using optical micromanipulation techniques in a manufacturing micro-assembly setting.


The federal government lags behind in progressive civil rights policies in regard to universal workplace antidiscrimination laws for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. The slow progress matters to inclusionary workplace practices and the theory and practice of public administration generally, as recognition of LGBT rights and protection are constitutive of representative bureaucracy and promoting social equity. This study examines the turnover intention rates of self-identified LGBT employees in the U.S. federal government. Using the Office of Personnel Management's inclusion quotient (IQ), and 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), we identify links in the relationships between workplace inclusion and turnover outcomes among LGBT individuals. We also examine the impact of agency type on LGBT turnover rates based on Lowi's agency classification type. Key findings suggest that LGBT employees express higher turnover intentions than those that identify as heterosexuals/straight, and LGBT employees who perceive their agencies as redistributive or communal are less likely to experience turnover intentions. However, an open and supportive workplace environment had a positive impact on turnover, suggesting that to implement effective structural change in an organization's culture of inclusion, public sector managers must do more than merely "talk the talk." This finding is also suggestive of LGBT employees' desire to avoid the stigma of being LGBT and hide their identities. Institutions must heed the invisible and visible identities of their employees to be truly inclusive. Workplace practices that acknowledge the invisible and visible identities of their employees are a positive step toward real workplace inclusion.


Poem or song is one of literary works that interest people to analyze its message, figurative language, etc. The message of the song is the heart of the song lyric that need to be understood so that the reader can enjoy the song more. This study is aimed at analyzing detailed and general
meaning, and message of Kelly Clarkson's song lyric "Breakaway".
This study used a descriptive qualitative design to conduct a procedure of solving problem by describing the current condition of research object based on the facts existing. The writer also used an objective approach in which the writer only focused on the work. Then the writer employed research objects, where the objects are Kelly Clarkson's song lyric "Breakaway", it containing detailed and general meaning, and message of the song.
From this analysis, the writer found out the detailed and general meaning, and the message of Kelly Cralkson's song lyric "Breakaway". Firstly, the deatailed meaning of the song is that the poet tells to the readers about her childhood in her hometown and dreams that she wants to
achieve to make her life happier and meaningful. The poet tries to work hard to reach her dream, but she has to meet obstructions from her surroundings that make her finally feel uncomfortable to stay in her hometown. And with strong motivation to reach her goal, the poet assures herself
to move to another place, but when she is able to reach her dream, she will not forget her past and people she loves. Secondly, the general meaning of the song concerns about the poet's strong willingness to reach her purpose of life by using all her strength to face many difficulties
and obstructions in front of her and the poet of this song wants to ensure all people that by having strong motivation and courage to take risks, people will be able to create something extraordinary and surprisingly. Thirdly, the first message of the song is that people should have
dreams to make their lives colourful and meaningful. Second message is that people should be able to realize that reaching goals or purposes is not easy. The last message is that people should try to keep humble and "down to eart" if they are able to reach success. Families and hometowns
should not be forgotten for they are "the root", a place where people come from and belong to.


The diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is made using a combination of serological, virologic, biochemical, and histologic markers. The natural history of HBV infection can be divided into four phases: immune tolerance, immune clearance (HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B), inactive HBsAg carrier, and reactivation (HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B). Patients in the immune clearance and reactivation phases, with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and HBV DNA levels, are candidates for antiviral therapy. The primary goal of therapy for chronic hepatitis B is suppression of viral replication, which has been shown to reduce hepatic necroinflammation and retard progression of hepatic fibrosis. Long-term suppression of serum HBV DNA is likely to reduce progression to cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation and decrease the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Current antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B includes interferon alfa, peginterferon alfa-2a, lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir, and telbivudine. In patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B, antiviral treatment is indicated when the serum HBV DNA level is = or > 10(5) copies/mL (20,000 IU/mL) and the ALT level is elevated. For HBeAg-negative patients, the threshold for initiation of therapy is lower, i.e., a serum HBV DNA level = or > 10(4) copies/mL (2,000 IU/mL) in association with an elevated ALT level. The presence of at least moderate necroinflammation and the presence of fibrosis on liver biopsy, which is optional and not mandatory before therapy, may be useful in supporting the decision to initiate therapy, particularly in patients with normal ALT levels. While undergoing therapy, patients require monitoring every 3 to 6 months to ensure compliance and to test for the development of resistance if an oral agent is used. Issues that remain controversial or need to be studied further are the necessity of a baseline liver biopsy, the HBV DNA and ALT thresholds for initiation of therapy, the optimal duration of antiviral therapy, selection of one agent over another, and the role of combination therapy.


One of the key challenges of coaching is facilitating internal motivation in clients. The Life Code Matrix model (LCM) was designed to overcome this challenge. The research discussed in this paper aimed to evaluate the LCM process and its impact on the lives of working adults. Data suggested that LCM was effective in supporting internal motivation for the majority of research participants. The method can also improve worker confidence and capacity to learn and help develop positive work-place relationships. Finally, it may be useful to support work-place engagement.


According to the standard narrative, economics is an objective and scientific study of universal laws applicable to economic affairs of modern societies. After a brief introduction, the second section of the paper presents a counter-narrative which disputes this claim, and provides an alternative point of view which situates modern economics within its European historical, political, and social context. We briefly discuss why the conventional methodology of modern economics makes false claims to objectivity and universality. The third section provides an alternative methodology, which is based on the recognition that human behavior is inherently and unavoidably normative, and any study of human beings and societies must take this into account. The fourth section of the paper brings out the norms concealed within the foundations of modern economics, since the avowed methodology does not permit explicit and open expression of these norms. The fifth section describes Islamic views which describe the normative ideals for our personal and social lives. In particular, Islam aims at the development of the potential for excellence that every human being is born with. It does not aim at accumulation of wealth and material possessions, nor does it aim at achievement of happiness through the maximization of pleasure achieved by consumption. The sixth section describes the transformational strategies required for spiritual progress in different dimensions of our human existence. The seventh section describes some of the institutional structures required in the economic realm to assist in the achievement of the transformation towards the normative ideals. The final section explains how we should use our unique and precious lives to aim for higher goals than mere consumption of goods and acquisition of wealth.


Lower frequency, feedback, activity in the alpha and beta range is thought to predominantly originate from infragranular cortical layers, whereas feedforward signals in the gamma range stem largely from supragranular layers. Distinct anatomical and spectral channels may therefore play specialized roles in communication within hierarchical cortical networks; however, empirical evidence for this organization in humans is limited. We leverage high precision MEG to test this proposal, directly and non-invasively, in human participants during visually guided actions. Visual alpha activity mapped onto deep cortical laminae, whereas visual gamma activity predominantly arose from superficial laminae. This laminar-specificity was echoed in sensorimotor beta and gamma activity. Visual gamma activity scaled with task demands in a way compatible with feedforward signaling. For sensorimotor activity, we observed a more complex relationship with feedback and feedforward processes. Distinct frequency channels thus operate in a laminar-specific manner, but with dissociable functional roles across sensory and motor cortices.


Adjustable-stator turbines are applied to turbojet engines and probable performance is compared with conventional engines with and without variable-area exhaust nozzles. Variation in stator-exit angle and exhaust area was not excessive for wide ranges of engine output. Variation in turbine efficiency for contemporary turbines equipped with adjustable stators was small. Improvements from 4.5 to 17 percent in over-all engine specific fuel consumption over conventional engines and from 2 to 8.5 percent over engines equipped with only adjustable-area exhaust nozzles were obtained at 60-percent rated power with adjustable-stator turbines and variable-area exhaust nozzles. The improvements depend on design parameters.


Distinctions in the biological features of human herpesvirus-6A (HHV-6A) and -6B (HHV-6B) have recently led to their reclassification from variants to distinct viral species. Unique for
human herpesviruses, these viruses also exist in an endogenous form in ~1% of the human population, resulting from germ-line chromosomal integration. Chromosomally integrated
human herpesvirus-6A (CI-HHV-6A) and -6B (CI-HHV-6B) genomes are inherited in a Mendelian manner, leading to the potential for viral gene expression and/or reactivation in
every cell of the body. As yet, the effects of these integrated viral genomes on health and their relationship to circulating viral strains remain unclear. To address this, next generation sequencing (NGS) methods were established, to define a readily utilisable
pipeline for genomic sequencing of these herpesviruses directly from cell or tissue samples. This was first tested to derive the complete genome sequence of a third HHV-6A strain, AJ. This showed close conservation with a recent North American isolate despite distinct geographic origins, which may reflect highly evolved viral status or recent emergence. Subsequently, using this defined NGS methodology, supplemented by Sanger
sequencing, integrated viral genomes were characterised. Integration site analyses revealed a high prevalence of integration on chromosome 17, all with a shared junctional architecture, indicative of a single ancestral germ-line integration event at this
chromosome. Genomic analyses revealed CI-HHV-6A retains the full HHV-6A gene complement, with no interrupted open reading frames, and important cis acting signals likely required for any viral replication/reactivation mechanism. Deep sequencing with
minority variant analysis suggested a potential reactivation mechanism, resulting from superinfection with circulating viral strains. CI-HHV-6A was also found to diverge at a set of
genes which have been used as markers of speciation amongst roseoloviruses, while retaining many of the features of HHV-6A. One of the key viral immunomodulatory genes, the chemokine receptor U51, was investigated further. This showed specific coding
changes and a panel of viral-human chimeric and viral mutant receptor expression vectors were generated to investigate this. Initial structural modelling and functional characterisations were made showing distinctions. Overall, the results identify unique
characteristics of the integrated genomes compared to known circulating viral strains.


This study was conducted to examine field cases of mycotoxicosis (A flatoxicosis and ochratoxicosis) and their effects on calcium during the preproduction period of 1SA brown pullets. Birds were 12-15 weeks of age. The feed was subjected to analysis for mycotoxin and blood samples were laboratory diagnosed for infectious bronchitis and infectious bursal viruses antibody titer and for determination calcium level. Clinical signs of affected birds were rubbery bone, ruffled feather, paleness and high mortality. Necropsy findings of sick birds were characterized by muscle dehydration, enlarged livers yellowished, kidney enlargement and urate deposition. Histopathological features of liver consisted of capsular thickening hepatocellular necrosis, subcapsular infiltration with inflammatory kidneys cells showed swelling of tubular cells, deposition of calcium between kidney tubules with infiltration of inflammatory cells. ELISA test revealed the presence of 800 ppb aflatoxin and 100 ppb ochratoxin. Normal titers of infectious bronchitis virus and infectious bursal diseases antibodies were recorded. Low blood calcium level of 8.2 mg/dl was registered in the tested blood samples.


The population of Americans aged 65 and older is expected to double between 2010 and 2050,1 and by midcentury the proportion of the human population made up of people over age 80 is projected to have quadrupled since 2000.2 So factors that affect this aging population are of increasing importance. Of particular concern are the neurological diseases and disorders typically associated with advanced age, among them Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, dementia, and reduced cognitive function. Investigators are studying the effects of not just present-day exposures and environmental influences such as physical and mental exercise, but also exposures that occurred much earlier in life, whose effects may only become apparent in old age.

A growing body of evidence suggests that neurological function in the elderly can be affected by exposures from years earlier.

It was long assumed that "once the brain received its allotted quota of nerve cells, its destiny was frozen. After that, the passage of time eroded our allotment steadily and irrevocably," as professor emeritus Bernard Weiss of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry wrote in 2007.3 Now, however, there is increasing evidence that the brain is capable of generating new neurons and other functional brain cells even during advanced age. There is also evidence that the older brain can respond quickly and positively to external influences such as physical exercise and intellectual stimulation. This is prompting considerable interest in developing strategies for protecting and enhancing neurological function in the elderly.

The two most vulnerable periods for the brain, Weiss says, are early in life, when the organ is first developing, and later in life, when the body's defenses and compensatory mechanisms begin to falter. There is a large and growing body of evidence indicating these two vulnerable life stages can be linked when damage incurred during early development contributes to health disorders that may not become apparent until later in life.4

Weiss also notes that declining defense mechanisms may magnify vulnerability to contemporary environmental exposures. He says that when older adults experience cognitive problems, diagnoses rarely consider the possibility that environmental chemical exposure may be involved, simply because questions about such exposures are typically not asked as part of clinical intake. Over the past 30 years, Weiss says, research attention has focused primarily on environmental influences on early developmental stages. Far less extensively researched, but a subject of increasing interest, are environmental chemical exposures that can affect the health of the aging brain.


Conventional wisdom is that quantum effects will tend to disappear as the number of quanta in a system increases, and the evolution of a system will become closer to that described by mean-field classical equations. In this Letter we combine newly developed theoretical and experimental techniques to propose and analyze an experiment using a Bose-Hubbard trimer where the opposite is the case. We find that differences in the preparation of a centrally evacuated trimer can lead to readily observable differences in the subsequent dynamics which increase with system size. Importantly, these differences can be detected by the simple measurements of atomic number.


Collective memory transforms historical events into political myths. In this book, Tamir Sorek considers the development of collective memory and national commemoration among the Palestinian citizens of Israel. He charts the popular politicization of four key events-the Nakba, the 1956 Kafr Qasim Massacre, the 1976 Land Day, and the October 2000 killing of twelve Palestinian citizens in Israel-and investigates a range of commemorative sites, including memorial rallies, monuments, poetry, the education system, political summer camps, and individual historical remembrance. These sites have become battlefields between diverse social forces and actors-including Arab political parties, the Israeli government and security services, local authorities, grassroots organizations, journalists, and artists-over representations of the past. Palestinian commemorations are uniquely tied to Palestinian encounters with the Israeli state apparatus, with Jewish Israeli citizens of Israel, and by their position as Israeli citizens themselves. Reflecting longstanding tensions between Palestinian citizens and the Israeli state, as well as growing pressures across Palestinian societies within and beyond Israel, these moments of commemoration distinguish Palestinian citizens not only from Jewish citizens, but from Palestinians elsewhere. Ultimately, Sorek shows that Palestinian citizens have developed commemorations and a collective memory that offers both moments of protest and points of dialogue, that is both cautious and circuitous.


Most of the observable natural phenomena exhibit a mixed discrete-continuous behavior characterized by laws changing according to a phase cycle. Such behaviors can be modeled in a very natural way by a class of automata called hybrid automata. In this class the evolution of measurable quantities, such as concentrations, is represented according to both dynamical system evolutions - on dense domains - and rules phases through a discrete transition structure. Once the real systems are modeled in such a framework, one may want to analyze them by applying automatic techniques, such as model checking or abstract interpretation. Unfortunately, the interleaving of dense and discrete evolutions soon leads to undecidability results on hybrid automata. This paper addresses questions regarding the decidability of reachability problem for hybrid automata (i.e., ldquocan the systems reach a state a from a state b?rdquo) by proposing a more ldquonaturerdquo-oriented semantics. In particular, after observing that dense domains are abstractions of real world, we suggest that, for any biological system, there should be a value isin such that if the distance of two objects are less than isin, we cannot distinguish them. Using the above considerations, we propose a new semantics for hybrid automata which guarantees the decidability of reachability. Moreover, we provide a biological example showing that the new semantics mimics the real world behaviors better than the ldquoclassicalrdquo one.


Greek and Roman pharmacopias included a heavily symbolic and highly effective substance: human milk. In early Greek sources, human milk, sometimes specifically from "a woman who has borne a male child," is recommended almost exclusively in treating women. The Greek use was adapted from an Egyptian ritual calling for the "milk of one who has borne a male child" to be poured from an anthropomorphic vase of Isis nursing Horus; the Egyptian application was not, however, gender specific. Similar vases were found in Greece in Geometric/Orientalizing contexts. These factors, together with evidence for Isis worship in Greece, suggest Greek knowledge of Egyptian ritual. Human milk therapies also appear in medical works arising in the Roman context, where they are not gender specific. Owing to Etruscan influence, Roman society was less polarized sexually than Greek, and it was more accepting of the female body. The Etruscans' and Romans' rich tradition of depicting nursing mothers sharply contrasts with Greek charines about the female breast. Thus, we see that medical ideas and practices, as they were transmitted cross-culturally, were affected variously by each culture's concepts of sexual gender.


A balanced network leads to contradictory constraints on memory models, as exemplified in previous work on accommodation of synfire chains. Here we show that these constraints can be overcome by introducing a 'shadow' inhibitory pattern for each excitatory pattern of the model. This is interpreted as a double-balance principle, whereby there exists both global balance between average excitatory and inhibitory currents and local balance between the currents carrying coherent activity at any given time frame. This principle can be applied to networks with Hebbian cell assemblies, leading to a high capacity of the associative memory. The number of possible patterns is limited by a combinatorial constraint that turns out to be P=0.06N within the specific model that we employ. This limit is reached by the Hebbian cell assembly network. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that such high memory capacities are demonstrated in the asynchronous state of models of spiking neurons.


Relicensing applications are due at the end of 1991 on some 170 hydro plants across the U.S., a large percentage of the more than 400 plants that will go through the process by 2010. Conditions are radically different from when the plants' original licenses were granted 50 years ago. Engineering and efficiency standards have been upgraded, but the most profound change is the vastly increased awareness of and importance placed on environmental factors. Resource agencies and environmental groups say this simply rights an old balance that leaned too far toward power values, but many hydro owners and industry experts view it as shortsighted and harmful to the U.S.'s energy interests, as well as an unreasonable economic burden on them.


Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes a febrile disease associated with chronic arthralgia, which may progress to neurological impairment. Chikungunya fever (CF) is an ongoing public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where control of the CHIKV vector, Aedes mosquitos, has failed. ABSTRACT Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes a febrile disease associated with chronic arthralgia, which may progress to neurological impairment. Chikungunya fever (CF) is an ongoing public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where control of the CHIKV vector, Aedes mosquitos, has failed. As there is no vaccine or specific treatment for CHIKV, patients receive only palliative care to alleviate pain and arthralgia. Thus, drug repurposing is necessary to identify antivirals against CHIKV. CHIKV RNA polymerase is similar to the orthologue enzyme of other positive-sense RNA viruses, such as members of the Flaviviridae family. Among the Flaviviridae, not only is hepatitis C virus RNA polymerase susceptible to sofosbuvir, a clinically approved nucleotide analogue, but so is dengue, Zika, and yellow fever virus replication. Here, we found that sofosbuvir was three times more selective in inhibiting CHIKV production in human hepatoma cells than ribavirin, a pan-antiviral drug. Although CHIKV replication in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived astrocytes was less susceptible to sofosbuvir than were hepatoma cells, sofosbuvir nevertheless impaired virus production and cell death in a multiplicity of infection-dependent manner. Sofosbuvir also exhibited antiviral activity in vivo by preventing CHIKV-induced paw edema in adult mice at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body weight/day and prevented mortality in a neonate mouse model at 40- and 80-mg/kg/day doses. Our data demonstrate that a prototypic alphavirus, CHIKV, is also susceptible to sofosbuvir. As sofosbuvir is a clinically approved drug, our findings could pave the way to it becoming a therapeutic option against CF.


This chapter presents the design and development of an energy management system (EMS), which guarantees a secure operation of an islanded microgrid under possible imbalances between generation capacity and loads demand. The EMS performs an optimal calculation of low priority loads to be shed, as well as charging and discharging cycles of batteries within the microgrid. A nonlinear model-predictive control (NMPC) algorithm is selected for implementing the EMS, which processes a data set composed of loads measurements, generation capacity, batteries state of charge (SOC), and a set of operation constraints. The EMS is designed under the assumption of having an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) installed in the microgrid. The EMS is tested in a simulation platform that integrates models of the microgrid components, as well as their distributed controllers (DCs). Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach, since critical variables as the microgrid's frequency and voltage magnitude operate within a secured interval even under the presence of faults in one of the DCs.


A statistical model of spatial context is described and procedures for classifying remote sensing data using a context classifier are outlined. Experimental results are presented. Because the computational requirements of the context classifier are very large, its implementation on multiprocessor systems is investigated. Some of the special considerations necessary for such implementations are described, with particular reference to implementation on an array of Control Data Corporation Flexible Processors.


In a standard pose-graph formulation of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), due to the continuously increasing numbers of nodes (states) and edges (measurements), the graph may grow prohibitively too large for long-term navigation. This motivates us to systematically reduce the pose graph amenable to available processing and memory resources. In particular, in this paper we introduce a consistent graph sparsification scheme: (i) sparsifying nodes via marginalization of old nodes, while retaining all the information (consistent relative constraints) - which is conveyed in the discarded measurements - about the remaining nodes after marginalization; and (ii) sparsifying edges by formulating and solving a consistent ℓ1-regularized minimization problem, which automatically promotes the sparsity of the graph. The proposed approach is validated on both synthetic and real data.


Understanding the sources of chemical components in roof runoff can help to prevent water quality problems in rooftop rainwater harvesting. To identify the contribution of wet deposition to the mass of components in roof runoff, the samples from air, rainwater, dust buildup and roof runoff were collected from an urban site in Shenzhen of China in 2011–2012. The results indicate that: (1) wet deposition has a dominant contribution to the mass of total organic carbon (TOC), NH4+, NO3–, Cl– and organic acids in the roof runoff, while the mass of NH4+, acetic acid and formic acid in the roof runoff may be greatly reduced by the neutralization between the components with alkaline dust buildup on the rooftop; and (2) wet deposition partially contributes to the mass of Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, F– and SO42– in the roof runoff, while other factors like dust buildup on the rooftop and chemical reactions also have a non-negligible impact. Furthermore, TOC, NH4+, NO3– and organic acids in the wet deposition are mainly influenced by the atmospheric pollution due to fast increase in fossil fuel consumption (e.g. vehicle emissions). Therefore, the effects of wet deposition should be carefully considered for rooftop rainwater harvesting in urbanized areas.


In recent years, Malawi has received global attention as a global hotspot for human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity since the arrest of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza for holding a wedding ceremony in 2009. The violations are a result of negative attitudes against 'homosexuality', and the application of anti-gay provisions of the Penal Code and the Marriages Divorce and Family Relations Act, which outlaw consensual adult same-sex relationships and non-conforming gender identities. Malawi's failure to protect queer persons amounts to the violation of its domestic and international human rights obligations. Paradoxically, the Malawian Constitution and international human rights obligations (to which Malawi subscribes), guarantee equal and effective protection against discrimination, which I have argued that it includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

This interdisciplinary study explores the life stories of 44 queer Malawians examining how the lack of human rights protection affects their daily lives. I have found that the majority of queer Malawians are unlikely to come out due to fear of stigma and discrimination. As a result, they are unable to claim the full status necessary to enable them to formally assert their identity, citizenship and relationship rights.

Drawing from social construction theories, this study will show that local meanings regarding human rights and sexuality include a misinterpretation of SOGI-based human rights as 'the right to conduct mathanyula', which is locally (mis)understood to imply permission to engage in sexual activities between men and young boys. I have recommended a radical shift in the articulation of SOGI-based human rights so that it is understood as the equal entitlement to protections in accordance with Malawi's domestic and international human rights obligations. If understood as the latter, Malawians are likely to endorse human rights protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity.


Vice chancellors of public universities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region face a myriad of challenges that require research- and data-driven decision-making. This paper presents a decision-making model for college and university leadership - The Two-Way Practitioner-Researcher Loop. This scholarship of practice has the twin goals of developing a knowledge base for college and university leadership and improving leadership practice in the university. The scholarship of practice comprises two "loops". In the practitioner-to-researcher loop, vice chancellors develop practitioner-defined research agenda to be researched internally by Departments of Institutional Research and externally by members of Higher Education research communities. In the researcher-to-practitioner loop, research findings are communicated back to vice chancellors for immediate application to institutional planning, policy formulation, and decision making. This scholarship of practice develops a knowledge base comprised of both "knowledge for practice" and "knowledge in practice" at the level of university leadership. To build capacity for vice chancellors to craft research agenda and questions emanating from their "knowledge in practice", we identify internal mechanisms and external associations, training programmes and other forums that provide leadership development and support for these university executives.


In contemporary times, women can choose freely to enter any professional field. Along the way they come across stumbling blocks that make their progress difficult. Most of these difficulties are not gender-specific, yet women encounter them more consistently than do men. It is remarkably true for the areas of Science and Technology. However, it is not straightforward to evaluate and to obtain an accurate measure of the effects of gender bias. The factors and consequences associated with the phenomena are multiple, with many shades of regionalism as we look at different countries. Despite of the absence of detailed studies regarding the situation in Brazil, it seems unlikely we would be an exception to a world pattern. In this article, some causes as well as current actions around the world to fight gender bias are presented.


We report on Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) continuum observations of the black hole X-ray binary A0620–00 at an X-ray luminosity nine orders of magnitude sub-Eddington. The system was significantly detected at 98 GHz (at 44 ± 7 $\mu$Jy) and only marginally at 233 GHz (20 ± 8 $\mu$Jy), about 40 d later. These results suggest either an optically thin sub-mm synchrotron spectrum, or highly variable sub-mm jet emission on month time-scales. Although the latter appears more likely, we note that, at the time of the ALMA observations, A0620–00 was in a somewhat less active optical-IR state than during all published multiwavelength campaigns when a flat-spectrum, partially self-absorbed jet has been suggested to extend from the radio to the mid-IR regime. Either interpretation is viable in the context of an internal shock model, where the jet's spectral shape and variability are set by the power density spectrum of the shells' Lorentz factor fluctuations. While strictly simultaneous radio–mm-IR observations are necessary to draw definitive conclusions for A0620–00, the data presented here, in combination with recent radio and sub-mm results from higher luminosity systems, demonstrate that jets from black hole X-ray binaries exhibit a high level of variability – either in flux density or intrinsic spectral shape, or both – across a wide spectrum of Eddington ratios. This is not in contrast with expectations from an internal shock model, where lower jet power systems can be expected to exhibit larger fractional variability owing to an overall decrease in synchrotron absorption.


Yoon, Salina. Who Do I See? New York: Random House, 2011. Print. Identifying five adorable animals and remembering five eye-catching colours are the challenges for toddlers and preschool children in Yoon's book, Who Do I See? . The colourful illustrations are simple two dimensional cartoon drawings of familiar creatures including a fish, a tiger, a turtle, a ladybug, and a parrot. The illustrations of the animals are framed, and partially hidden, by cleverly placed cut out windows. The cut out windows allow readers to feel the shiny foil on the animal illustration such as scales on a fish, and, because the rest of the animal is hidden until the reader flips the page, children can try identifying the animal by thinking about common animal colours and shapes such as the black spots and red wings found on a ladybug. The text does not rhyme but playful repetition of the question and of the typical colours found on these animals will keep children engaged. The thick cardboard pages ensure that the book is not easily damaged. This interactive, guessing-game book will assist children in learning about different animals and different colours. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Tami Oliphant Tami works as a research librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries and for the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. She earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta and her doctorate from the University of Western Ontario. She has worked in academic libraries, public libraries, communications and planning, and as a sessional lecturer and researcher at the University of Alberta and the University of Western Ontario.


John S. Saul. The Next Liberation Struggle: Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy in Southern Africa. Toronto: Between the Lines/Scottsville: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press/New York: Monthly Review Press/London: The Merlin Press, 2005; 341 pp. Index. $21.95. Paper. In The Next Liberation Struggle John S. Saul brings together essays written over the last forty years (some were co-written) to show that a new liberation struggle is developing in Southern Africa. The first part, "Continental Considerations," traces Africa's insertion into the global capitalist economy as a producer of raw materials. Saul shows that rather than being the solution, capitalism is part of the reason for Africa's underdevelopment. In chapter 1 (co-written with Colin Leys) the authors ask: Is Africa a victim of exploitation or of marginalization? The short answer must be that it is both. In the popular meaning of exploitation, Africa suffers acutely from exploitation: every packet of cheap Kenyan tea sold in New York, every overpriced tractor exported to Nigeria, every dollar of interest on ill-conceived and negligently supervised loans to African governments (interest that accrues to Western banks)-not to mention every diamond illegally purchased from warlords in Sierra Leone or Angola-benefits people in the West at the expense of Africa's impoverished populations. (20-21) According to Saul, in the short run three developments might occur. First, the AIDS crisis, mercenaries, and hunting grounds in Africa will present dangers to the rest of the world. Second, in the countries of the North, more people oppose "The Washington Consensus." Finally, global capitalism is reaching limits of growth because "within a few decades continued broad-based growth will be increasingly impossible and market logic will be in question on all sides" (28). Why did socialism fail? Saul notes that Mozambique's leadership succumbed to Marxist-Leninism and became a "leftist developmental dictatorship" while it faced various challenges in the economy. Socialism also failed because of lack of resources. External pressures added to its woes. In Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere's economic development attempts failed to materialize because of both poor implementation and lack of resources. Saul seems very disappointed and surprised by the African National Congress's adoption of neoliberalism; for him, South Africa's industrialized economy made it a good candidate for socialism. However, Saul overestimates the ANC's ability to control the economy. He does not ask why capitalism believed the ANC was a good partner-it had done the same throughout the continent (except in Algeria and the socialist states). Saul's subtitle, "Stigmatizing Socialism: The Market as Common Sense," is interesting. Nobody needed to "stigmatize" socialism. …


Morphological adaptations of the tongue of Desmodus rotundus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) related with their feeding habits. An analysis of the exter- nal morphology and histomorphology of the tongue, as well as an histochemical analysis of the glands of Desmodus rotundus, are here presented with the purpose of establishing a correlation between these structures and the feeding habits of this species. In the lingual surface they have the typical filiform papillae modified to different degrees of keratinization, and there are fungiform-like papillae in less amount. The intrinsic musculature and the presence of lynphocitary infiltration are described; the presence of important nervous pack- ages was observed.


My initial reaction in returning to 1 John 2:15-17 after investigating attitudes towards sexuality in the New Testament and early Judaism was to see here a reflection of the view expressed in Mark 12:25 and, I believe, presupposed by Paul, that in the age to come there would be no place for sexual desire and sexual relations, for "the world and its desire are passing away" (1 John 2: 17). This need not imply a negative stance towards sexual desire in itself as part of God's creation. It is just that in the age to come it will cease to be. I determined then to test this assumption and in the process not only modified it, but found my focus falling on other important aspects of the text and asking what its significance may be for understanding ethics in 1 John.


We used an optimization modeling framework to devise spatially explicit habitat acquisition and restoration strategies for 19 remnant-dependent butterflies in a rapidly urbanizing county in the Chicago area. We first identified the smallest sets of protected sites that would contain at least one population of each species, and two populations for species present in multiple sites. We then identified undeveloped properties contiguous with these sites whose acquisition would further enhance conditions for focal species. Next, we considered parcels in the surrounding landscape that could potentially be acquired and restored to provide additional habitat. Assuming that the conservation value of additional habitats would increase with their proximity to protected sites, we examined tradeoffs between distance to sites and the cost of acquisition and restoration. The tradeoff curves generated by the model represented choices among


The interaction of ionizing and far-ultraviolet radiation with the interstellar medium is of great importance. It results in the formation of regions in which the gas is ionized, beyond which are photodissociation regions (PDRs) in which the gas transitions to its atomic and molecular form. Several numerical codes have been implemented to study these two main phases of the interstellar medium either dynamically or chemically. In this paper we present TORUS-3DPDR, a new self-consistent code for treating the chemistry of three-dimensional photoionization and photodissociation regions. It is an integrated code coupling the two codes TORUS, a hydrodynamics and Monte Carlo radiation transport code, and 3D-PDR, a PDRs code. The new code uses a Monte Carlo radiative transfer scheme to account for the propagation of the ionizing radiation including the diffusive component as well as a ray-tracing scheme based on the HEALPIX package in order to account for the escape probability and column density calculations. Here, we present the numerical techniques we followed and we show the capabilities of the new code in modelling three-dimensional objects including single or multiple sources. We discuss the effects introduced by the diffusive component of the ultraviolet field in determining the thermal balance of PDRs as well as the effects introduced by a multiple sources treatment of the radiation field. With this new code, three-dimensional synthetic observations for the major cooling lines are possible, for making feasible a detailed comparison between hydrodynamical simulations and observations.


In Without Criteria, Steven Shaviro proposes and explores a philosophical fantasy: imagine a world in which Alfred North Whitehead takes the place of Martin Heidegger. What if Whitehead, instead of Heidegger, had set the agenda for postmodern thought? Heidegger asks, "Why is there something, rather than nothing?" Whitehead asks, "How is it that there is always something new?" In a world where everything from popular music to DNA is being sampled and recombined, argues Shaviro, Whitehead's question is the truly urgent one. Without Criteria is Shaviro's experiment in rethinking postmodern theory, especially the theory of aesthetics, from a point of view that hearkens back to Whitehead rather than Heidegger. In working through the ideas of Whitehead and Deleuze, Shaviro also appeals to Kant, arguing that certain aspects of Kant's thought pave the way for the philosophical "constructivism" embraced by both Whitehead and Deleuze. Kant, Whitehead, and Deleuze are not commonly grouped together, but the juxtaposition of them in Without Criteria helps to shed light on a variety of issues that are of concern to contemporary art and media practices.


We report the physical properties and structure of a new class of low phonon-energy chalcohalide glasses in the system of Ga2S3,-La2S3-CsCl suitable for making optical fibres. The physical properties investigated include refractive index, UV/visible absorption edge, density, thermal expansion coefficient, viscosity and thermal characteristic temperatures, ie. glass transition and crystallization etc. The glasses studied have the formulas, 65GaS(1.5) (35-X)LaS(1.5) XCsCl, where X =0.5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30. All of the properties measured show a similar trend having a minimum or a maximum at around X=25 when CsCl is introduced. The structural change with increasing CsCl content is best illustrated in the viscosity measurement. Initially, the glass melt becomes fragile in terms of the viscosity characteristics, as the CsCl is added to the system. Gradually, it becomes much less fragile when the CsCl introduced increases to 20 mol% and becomes the least fragile at 25 mol%. Structurally, this indicates the formation of non-bridging structural units, -S-Ga-Cl, that disconnect the original network and, therefore, the met becomes fragile. When increasing the CsCl content to about 20 mol%, the chlorine starts to form bridging structural units, -S-Ga-Cl-Ga-S-, whch enhance the connectivity of the glass forming network. Thus, the melt becomes less fragile. This structural behaviour as the CsCl is introduced, clearly explains all the physical properties measured. This is particularly true in terms of the thermal stability of the glasses we investigated. As a result, we have achieved some extremely stable glass compositions from this system suitable for making optical fibres. These glasses show excellent chemical and mechanical durabilities. Plus, they have low-phonon energy, good UV/visible transmission and excellent rare-earth solubility, making them ideal materials for future generation of fibres for optical applications.


Hybrid neural network hardware and several algorithms that use optical processing at various stages for image processing and pattern recognition are described. The implementations of the algorithms in associative processors, optimization neural networks, symbolic correlator neural networks, production system neural networks, and adaptive neural networks are discussed. Some of the optical processing concepts used in the networks are presented.<<ETX>>


Optimal foraging and habitat selection theories predict that heterogeneous environments should favour the coexistence of competitors, especially when the dominant competitor is a specialist and the sub-ordinate is a generalist. In this paper, we analysed differential habitat use as a potential mechanism for the coexistence of two competing riparian mammals, the specialist and dominant Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) and the generalist and sub-ordinate American mink (Mustela vison). We tested three hypotheses: H1: mink coexist with otters for longer in areas with abundance of habitats hosting terrestrial prey because, by not relying on aquatic prey, mink can segregate from its competitor. H2: the characteristics of the habitat closer to the riverbank will affect the length of time the two species coexist, because mink are still tied to the water even in the presence of otters. H3: denser vegetative cover along the bank increases the duration of coexistence of mink and otters because it reduces the frequency of their encounters. The first hypothesis was supported by the data and we found that in areas where terrestrial prey was abundant mink coexisted for longer with otters. The second hypothesis was also supported by the data and the characteristics of the habitat closer to the riverbank were the most important in determining coexistence time. Finally, we did not find supporting evidence for the third hypothesis. This study provides strong evidence that habitat heterogeneity plays an important role in determining the likelihood of coexistence of American mink with Eurasian otters. This result is particularly important from a conservation standpoint. Mink are invasive and a threat to endangered species in parts of their range. The knowledge that mink have a higher chance to persist in the presence of otters when terrestrial prey is abundant should be used to target areas for preferential mink management.


The aim of this study is to point out the reasons of and the critics about revised taxonomy which has been used since 1956 and was revised in 2001. Scanning method is used in this study. In the light of analysis of data collection, these results are obtained: 1. Reasons behind the revision of Bloom's taxonomy are; being unable to respond with a one-dimensional form to the developments in educational psychology and learning approaches, having difficulty in evaluating owing to the cumulative hierarchical framework of original taxonomy, and being insufficient of one-dimensional form of Bloom's taxonomy within the scope of cognitive processes. 2. Here are the main critics of the revised taxonomy; revised taxonomy brings terminological and structural innovations for the process of instructional planning, increased number of sub-categories contributes to phase of reading objectives, revised taxonomy makes it possible to use new concepts, such as performance and authentic assessment, there are different opinions about the two steps that are accepted as the most difficult and located at the top. The knowledge dimension and cognitive process dimension are understandable enough and there are difficulties regarding the use of the classification.


The Cape Fold Belt has been a topic of investigation for over 100 years, and with each renewed surge of interest, new ideas on the origin of the fold belt as a whole have come to the fore. During the last two decades researchers who have focused on the structural geology of the Cape Supergroup, in particular, have provided greater insight into local characteristics of the fold belt, but a broader understanding of the tectonic development of the fold belt is not without controversy. Research focus has been on documentation and interpretation of mainly thin skinned structural characteristics in the central and eastern part of the main "arm" of the fold belt. Identification of thrust sheets, particularly in lower units of the Cape Supergroup coincident with the thickest accumulations of sediment, led researchers to propose a thrust stacking mechanism to account for the abnormal thickness of quartzitic units, rather than previously accepted models. The significance of thrust stacking and the disruptive effect it has had on sediments of the entire Cape Supergroup is emphasized. The stratigraphic order of Cape Supergroup rocks, as currently accepted, is therefore called into question, especially in areas of pervasive thrusting, and needs revision. Some tectonic models proposed to date account only for local characteristics of the fold belt, whereas other models do take into account the entire fold belt. Examples of the latter include the Andean type model which adequately explains the general northward vergence of structures, but thickness estimates of stratigraphic packages of Cape and Karoo Supergroup cover rocks revealed through recent seismic surveys across the central part of the fold belt do not corroborate this model. Proponents of the Transpression model, on the other hand, advocate that right-lateral strike-slip motion produced en-echelon folds and flower structures in some parts of the fold belt. The latter model lacks refinement in that it does not explain the presence of structures interpreted to have formed through left-lateral movement, especially in the western part of the fold belt. This paper outlines unanswered questions relating to the stratigraphy, structural geology and proposed tectonic models that remain enigmas, and these need resolving before the tectono-thermal history of the fold belt can be fully understood.


One-Step Coverage Controllable formation of thin films often requires slow deposition conditions or multiple rounds of coating. Ejima et al. (p. 154; see the Perspective by Bentley and Payne) report a simple and versatile method for coating surfaces with thin biocompatible films made from the condensation of Fe3+ ions and a natural polyphenol, tannic acid, from aqueous solutions. Flat surfaces, colloidal particles, and even bacterial cells could be coated, and the coats could subsequently be degraded by changing the pH. Thin adherent films formed from ferric ions and a natural polyphenol, tannic acid, can coat a wide variety of surfaces. [Also see Perspective by Bentley and Payne] The development of facile and versatile strategies for thin-film and particle engineering is of immense scientific interest. However, few methods can conformally coat substrates of different composition, size, shape, and structure. We report the one-step coating of various interfaces using coordination complexes of natural polyphenols and Fe(III) ions. Film formation is initiated by the adsorption of the polyphenol and directed by pH-dependent, multivalent coordination bonding. Aqueous deposition is performed on a range of planar as well as inorganic, organic, and biological particle templates, demonstrating an extremely rapid technique for producing structurally diverse, thin films and capsules that can disassemble. The ease, low cost, and scalability of the assembly process, combined with pH responsiveness and negligible cytotoxicity, makes these films potential candidates for biomedical and environmental applications.


Classrooms across the United States are becoming and will continue to be more linguistically diverse. Changing demographics require teacher education programs to more effectively prepare teacher candidates to work with linguistically diverse students. In this article, two teacher education professors share the changes they are making to a required literacy methods and field experience course to better prepare their candidates. Including a focus on explicit mini-lessons with an alignment to the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) provides a manageable way for future mainstream teachers to consciously include sheltered instruction techniques.  As a result of the course teacher candidates demonstrated a greater understanding of the explicit mini-lesson framework and some increase in the range of language learner support strategies they incorporated into their planning. Candidates' increased sense of efficacy for supporting language learners suggests coursework revision as a workable approach to preparing future teachers for the changing demographics in our schools.


Next-generation sequencing plays a central role in the characterization and quantification of transcriptomes. Although numerous metrics are purported to quantify the quality of RNA, there have been no large-scale empirical evaluations of the major determinants of sequencing success. We used a combination of existing and newly developed methods to isolate total RNA from 1115 samples from 695 plant species in 324 families, which represents >900 million years of phylogenetic diversity from green algae through flowering plants, including many plants of economic importance. We then sequenced 629 of these samples on Illumina GAIIx and HiSeq platforms and performed a large comparative analysis to identify predictors of RNA quality and the diversity of putative genes (scaffolds) expressed within samples. Tissue types (e.g., leaf vs. flower) varied in RNA quality, sequencing depth and the number of scaffolds. Tissue age also influenced RNA quality but not the number of scaffolds ≥1000 bp. Overall, 36% of the variation in the number of scaffolds was explained by metrics of RNA integrity (RIN score), RNA purity (OD 260/230), sequencing platform (GAIIx vs HiSeq) and the amount of total RNA used for sequencing. However, our results show that the most commonly used measures of RNA quality (e.g., RIN) are weak predictors of the number of scaffolds because Illumina sequencing is robust to variation in RNA quality. These results provide novel insight into the methods that are most important in isolating high quality RNA for sequencing and assembling plant transcriptomes. The methods and recommendations provided here could increase the efficiency and decrease the cost of RNA sequencing for individual labs and genome centers.


International studies of disasters indicate the risk for developing posttraumatic stress reactions among survivors is high. Modern life implicates increased traveling. During the last decades a large number of Swedish citizens were confronted with disasters taking place outside of their country. The prevalence of trauma reactions in a population that does not normally experience natural disasters, but are able to return to a community unaffected by the catastrophe, is not well studied. In addition, the effects of bereavement after traumatic circumstances have not been satisfactorily explored. Longitudinal studies on the effects of natural disasters are underrepresented and there are few studies investigating the course of recovery after traumatic exposure. The aim for this thesis was to examine long-term post-traumatic stress reactions, mental health, and complicated grief after disaster exposure and traumatic bereavement. Data from returned questionnaires were analysed from bereaved Italian and Swedish relatives 18 months after the Linate airplane disaster 2001, and at 14 months and three years from Swedish travelers returning from Southeast Asia after the 2004 tsunami disaster, and from home staying bereaved relatives within the second year after the tsunami disaster. The main outcome measures were GHQ-12, IES-R and Inventory of Complicated Grief. The findings indicated many survivors were resilient and had ability to recover, but severe exposure to a disaster had considerable impact on psychological distress. Life threat was associated with higher levels of post-traumatic stress reactions, and increased the risk for affected mental health and suicidal ideation. Loss in combination with severe life threat exposure indicated a further increased risk of posttraumatic stress reactions and for complicated grief; this should be considered a substantial risk factor for general mental health. Loss of close relatives, especially loss of children, was associated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress and created a greater risk for complicated grief. Many survivors recovered over time; however, severe exposure and traumatic loss appeared to slow the recovery process. The findings have implications for government and health agencies, regarding the importance of knowledge and awareness of these risks for health, and for organizational structure, training, and accessibility of support and adequate treatment.


Writing implements featured in Campanian painting fall into two categories: the detailed and very realistic (as determined by comparison to their real-life counterparts) and the vague and fanciful. The former category appears in the instrumentum scriptorium still lifes and one tomb painting and helps to convey a sense of the world of negotium (the sober, and, especially legal and financial, business of the family); the latter appears in many other types of painting, including mythological paintings, paintings of Muses, and "portrait" paintings of women, and is here identified as associated with the world of otium (that of leisure, literary pursuits, and imagination). The famous "portraits" of women holding wooden tablets, such as the so-called Sappho and the Baker and His Wife, are therefore likely to depict Muses, and thus imaginary roleplaying, rather than the real activities of real women.


Winner of the Wolfson Prize for history, Diarmaid MacCulloch's "Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490-1700" charts a seismic shift in European culture that marked the beginning of the modern world. At a time when men and women were prepared to kill - and be killed - for their faith, the Reformation tore the western world apart. Acclaimed as the definitive account of these epochal events, Diarmaid MacCulloch's history brilliantly re-creates the religious battles of priests, monarchs, scholars and politicians, from the zealous Martin Luther nailing his Theses to the door of a Wittenburg church to the radical Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order; from Thomas Cranmer, martyred for his reforms, to the ambitious Philip II, unwavering in his campaign against Europe's 'heretics'. Weaving together the many strands of Reformation and Counter-Reformation, ranging widely across Europe and even to the new world, MacCulloch also reveals as never before how these upheavals affected everyday lives - overturning ideas of love, sex, death and the supernatural, and shaping the modern age. "Magisterial and eloquent". (David Starkey). "A triumph of human sympathy". (Blair Worden, "Sunday Telegraph"). "From politics to witchcraft, from the liturgy to sex; the sweep of European history covered here is breathtakingly panoramic. This is a model work of history". (Noel Malcolm, "Sunday Telegraph" Books of the Year). "A masterpiece of readable scholarship...In its field it is the best book ever written". (David Edwards, "Guardian"). "Monumental..."Reformation" is set to become a landmark". (Lisa Jardine, "Observer"). Diarmaid MacCulloch is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. His "Thomas Cranmer" won the Whitbread Biography Prize, the James Tait Black Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. He is also the author of "A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years".


The paper has the aim of describing a particular framework for implementing the concept of critical thinking through serious games. In a world where thinking is based on distorted and uninformed judgements, we sketch a critique to the philosophical approaches of reasoning and thinking, concluding that the Paulian framework is one of the most performant approach proposed thus far. We started this paper form the new characteristic of critical thinking which R. Paul identified it: metacognition. The researcher is arguing that through metacognition the subject is constantly improving the quality of its proper thinking by controlling the inner structures of thinking. By embracing this definition, we were able to blueprint the fact that there is a possibility to amplify and to enhance critical thinking through serious games. Being given this opportunity, we conducted an experiment in order to see if critical thinking can really be better taught by means of serious games. In particular manner, we tracked the constantly improvement of thinking and the overcoming of the thinking errors. The results of this experiment were very nourishing to the idea that the Internet of Things (IOT) could be a nursery for the development of critical thinking. In a particularly manner the military educational system has to be by definition the driving stimulus for achieving critical thinking in the military system. Over all, this paper wants to be an advocacy for the systematically cultivated excellence in thinking in the military educational system as a milestone in training the forces for the new battlefield necessities.


Abstract. Over the past few decades, air pollution has caused serious damage on public health, thus making accurate predictions of PM2.5 crucial. Due to the transportation of air pollutants among areas, the PM2.5 concentration is strongly spatiotemporal correlated. However, the distribution of air pollution monitoring sites is not even, making the spatiotemporal correlation between the central site and surrounding sites varies with different density of sites, and this was neglected by most existing methods. To tackle this problem, this study proposed a weighted long short-term memory neural network extended model (WLSTME), which addressed the issue that how to consider the effect of the density of sites and wind condition on the spatiotemporal correlation of air pollution concentration. First, several the nearest surrounding sites were chosen as the neighbour sites to the central station, and their distance as well as their air pollution concentration and wind condition were input to multi-layer perception (MLP) to generate weighted historical PM2.5 time series data. Second, historical PM2.5 concentration of the central site and weighted PM2.5 series data of neighbour sites were input into LSTM to address spatiotemporal dependency simultaneously and extract spatiotemporal features. Finally, another MLP was utilized to integrate spatiotemporal features extracted above with the meteorological data of central site to generate the forecasts future PM_2.5 concentration of the central site. Daily PM_2.5 concentration and meteorological data on Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei from 2015 to 2017 were collected to train models and evaluate the performance. Experimental results with 3 other methods showed that the proposed WLSTME model has the lowest RMSE (40.67) and MAE (26.10) and the highest p (0.59). This finding confirms that WLSTME can significantly improve the PM2.5 prediction accuracy.


The politics of nation-building has always been a central issue in Malaysia.Whilst the country has been able to sustain a relatively stable politics since the 1969 tragedy, and hence generate a rapid economic development (at least until the 1997 Asian economic crisis and later in the post 2008 General Election), the project of nation-building remains a basic national agenda yet to be fully resolved. The book explores the delicate process of nation-building in Malaysia in the post 1970s, especially in the context of the vision constructing the Bangsa Malaysia or 'a united Malaysian nation' enshrined in Mahathir's Vision 2020 project which was introduced in 1991.It discusses the underlying socio-political parameters that shape and influence the politics of nation-building in the country and the construction of Bangsa Malaysia.As such, the book provides an alternative perspective in the analysis of ethnic relations and nation-building in Malaysia, thus broadens the understanding of Malaysian politics and society.


The doel (Doenat Tiwoel) is a Tiwul processed products innovation in the form of donuts with different flavors at a price of Rp2000.00. Tiwul was chosen as the raw material because it has a higher carbohydrate content than rice, and safe for people with diabetes (Verawati and friends, 2011). Unfortunately Tiwul still not well liked by the society, where Tiwul is currently hard to find. Therefore, the Doel will introduce back Tiwul to the society. Si Doel production process consists of three phases: preparation, sales, and evaluation of the certification. The Doel products is packaged in plastic wrap and also attached a gold laced and a paper filled with the brand, Tiwul facts, and the number of calories in order to attract Doel and can educate consumers. The distribution of Doel is small shops, campus cafeteria, and special ordering from students and public consumers.This business will continue, for proof, in August , Doel has made an agreement with the owner of food carts and food shops. Keywords : Donut, Tiwul, Packaging, Distribution


In this thesis is described the identification and characterisation of two morphogenesis mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana. One, vertically challenged (vch1) exhibits much reduced cellular elongation. The second, altered suspensor fate (asf1) is embryonic- lethal. A thorough phenotypic analysis of both mutants is presented, as are the results of genetic analysis. Vch1 exhibits a severe reduction in cellular elongation throughout the plant, resulting in a dwarfed phenotype. Despite its stunted morphology, vch1 exhibits normal cellular patterning, demonstrating that cell morphogenesis can be uncoupled from correct cellular pattern formation, vch1 follows a normal life history by all parameters examined demonstrating that the timing of developmental events can be uncoupled from correct morphogenesis. The phenotype of vch1 cannot be rescued by the exogenous supply of a range of hormones, signalling inhibitors or growth conditions, although it can respond to each, in a proportionately similar manner to wild type seedlings. No defects in cell wall architecture nor in cytoskeletal organisation were detected during this study. Speculative models for the role of the VCH gene are proposed. In asf1, the embryo proper arrests at the transition stage of embryogenesis. The wild type suspensor is a single file of cells which serves to anchor the embryo proper to the maternal tissue and acts as a conduit for, and source of, nutrients to the developing embryo. In asf1, suspensor cells undergo inappropriate proliferation following the arrest of the embryo proper. Evidence is presented from cytological and ultrastructural examination, and expression of spatially restricted gus-fusion marker genes, that the ectopically divided suspensor cells take on aspects of embryo proper-like character. Models for the role of the ASF1 gene are proposed. It is likely that the mutant phenotype results from disruption of intercellular communication between the embryo proper and suspensor.


Abstract. The automated reconstruction of Building Information Modeling (BIM) objects from point cloud data is still ongoing research. A key aspect is the creation of accurate wall geometry as it forms the basis for further reconstruction of objects in a BIM. After segmenting and classifying the initial point cloud, the labelled segments are processed and the wall topology is reconstructed. However, the preocedure is challenging due to noise, occlusions and the complexity of the input data.In this work, a method is presented to automatically reconstruct consistent wall geometry from point clouds. More specifically, the use of room information is proposed to aid the wall topology creation. First, a set of partial walls is constructed based on classified planar primitives. Next, the rooms are identified using the retrieved wall information along with the floors and ceilings. The wall topology is computed by the intersection of the partial walls conditioned on the room information. The final wall geometry is defined by creating IfcWallStandardCase objects conform the IFC4 standard. The result is a set of walls according to the as-built conditions of a building. The experiments prove that the used method is a reliable framework for wall reconstruction from unstructured point cloud data. Also, the implementation of room information reduces the rate of false positives for the wall topology. Given the walls, ceilings and floors, 94% of the rooms is correctly identified. A key advantage of the proposed method is that it deals with complex rooms and is not bound to single storeys.


We developed a simple, ultrasensitive, and quantitative detection method for the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), based on carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFETs). Following the injection of NADH at different concentrations, we obtained different electrical signals from a semiconductor characterization system mimicking biological catalysis of NADH dehydrogenase (CoI). Here, FET was fabricated via photolithography, attaching silicon wells, as the detection chamber, on the channel area of the single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT). SWCNTs were functionalized with phenazine derivant, a counterpart of the key functional prosthetic group of CoI enzyme. In the presence of NADH, electrons transferred to phenazine derivant through SWCNT, by analogous means of the electron transport chain formed by a series of iron-sulfur (FeS) clusters in CoI. Using this method, the limit of detection was as low as 1 pM, and the range of linear response was 10 pM to 500 nM. Significantly, this approach possesses great potential for applications in real-time detection of NADH at extremely low concentrations, and rigorous analysis for NADH in electrochemical fields.


Accurate perception of the risks associated with different types of road by drivers has the potential to improve driver safety and decrease the number of crashes and serious injuries on New Zealand roads. This research used multiple methods to investigate driversr perceptions of risk across a range of rural New Zealand roads. One group of participants were shown videos of rural roads (filmed from the driversr perspective in a vehicle driven at a safe speed) and provided risk ratings at points of interest. A second group drove the same set of roads (accompanied by a research assistant) and provided verbal risk ratings when prompted. The third group provided ratings at the same points when travelling as a passenger in the vehicle (driven at a safe speed). Overall, participants who drove the road rated the risk as significantly lower compared to those travelling as a passenger or viewing video footage of the same roads. These findings suggest that the degree of control of the vehicle plays a significant role in how perceptions of driving risk are formed and the degree of risk experienced. Whether this is related to being able to control the speed of the vehicle or a more general confidence in oners own driving ability is, as yet, unclear. It does suggest, however, that when drivers get behind the wheel they may significantly underestimate the risks associated with rural New Zealand roads.