Ivantsova, E. A., N. V. Tyutyuma, N. V. Onistratenko and A. V. Kholodenko, 2017. Ecological and faunistic arthropods complexes of mustard agrobiocenoses in Lower Volga region. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 23 (2): 227–231 Results of long-term ecological and faunal researches of complexes of the arthropods living in the in agrocenoses of Brassica juncea (Sarepta mustard) in Lower Volga area are presented in article, the specifi c structure of insects – phytophages and entomophages is established, the structure of dominance and ecological structure of entomcenosis is defi ned. Researches of fauna of arthropods carried out during 1996-2015 systematically throughout all vegetation of Sarepta mustard with use of the standard methods. In mustard agrocenosis of Lower Volga area as a result of our researches 108 species of insects – phytophages are revealed. The dominating specie in crops of mustard is Plutella maculipennis Curt. – 44.93% of the total number, subdominating – Phyllotreta sp. (14.10%), Meligethes aeneus L. (13.50%), Euridema sp. (12.92%) and Colaphellus hofti Men. (11.01%). Athalia colibri Christ. is least small – 3.53%. In mustard agrocenosis the Coleoptera group prevails by quantity of species of phytophages. It is established that in the conditions of Lower Volga area the greatest harm to Brassica juncea by Phyllotreta sp., Euridema festiva L., Colaphellus hofti Men., Plutella maculipennis Curt. And Athalia colibri Christ is done. The complex of mustard pests caused decrease in productivity of culture on average for years of researches for 31.6-56.2%. Leaf damages decreased the content of aliphatic oil in seeds for 4.3%. The greatest number of species of entomophages (84) falls into to Hymenoptera ordo; the Coleoptera includes 78 species, Diptera – 21 species, Hemiptera – 11. Several species presented ordos Neuroptera (3), Mantoptera (2), Orthoptera (2). As a part of entomocenosis of Sarepta mustard the entomophages from Hymenoptera ordo making 41.79% of all species of entomophages prevail. They are presented by 84 species from 13 families. Phytophages and entomophages are most richly presented in the entomofaunistic communities – 314 species, or 82.4% of total of species are presented. The share of phytophages in mustard agrocenosis makes 27.03% of the common structure of entomocomplex. 55.38% of the revealed types in communities of insects – inhabitants of mustard agrocenosis belong to entomophages. Most variously as a part of the useful biota predatory insects – 130 species (34.12%) are presented.


The border search exception to the Fourth Amendment has historically given the United States government the right to conduct suspicionless searches of the belongings of any individual crossing the U.S. border. The federal government relies on the border search exception to search and detain travelers' electronic devices at the border without a warrant or individualized suspicion.

The government's justification for suspicionless searches of electronic devices under the traditional border search exception for travelers' property has recently been called into question in a series of federal court decisions. In March 2013, the Ninth Circuit in United States v. Cotterman became the first federal circuit court to rule that a border search of an electronic device may require reasonable suspicion that its owner committed a crime due to the privacy impact of such a search.

The following year, in Riley v. California (a non-border search case), the U.S. Supreme Court explicitly endorsed the view that searches of cell phones implicate privacy concerns far beyond those implicated by searches of other physical items. Most recently, two divergent circuit court decisions, United States v. Kolsuz and United States v. Touset, lay bare the conflict in the federal circuit courts between a view that border searches of electronic devices are no different than those of other personal property — and an emerging sense that digital border searches merit additional scrutiny due to their increased likelihood to harm travelers' Fourth Amendment privacy interests.

This Note proposes that courts should extend the logic of Riley to the border by treating searches of travelers' electronic devices as distinctly more harmful to Fourth Amendment interests than searches of other types of property. This Note argues that border searches of electronic devices should be justified by a standard of at least reasonable suspicion in order to balance the necessity of border searches with the adverse Fourth Amendment impact caused by extensive searches of travelers' digital devices.


Abstract The characteristics of large-scale parallel applications are multi-paradigm and multi-grain parallel in essence. The key factor in improving the performance of parallel application systems is to determine suitable parallel paradigms and grains according to the nature of the practical problem. Therefore, it is necessary to provide multi-paradigm and multi-grain parallel programming interface for development of large-scale parallel application systems. This paper proposes a multi-paradigm and multi-grain parallel execution model integrated coarse-grain parallelism (paralleled by macro tasks), mid-grain parallelism (paralleled by basic program blocks), and fine-grain parallelism (paralleled in repetition blocks). This model also supports the task parallel, data parallel, and sequential executing. In this paper we also discuss the programming mechanism of this model by extended OpenMP specification. The extensions include computing resource partition, defining different grain task groups, mapping from task groups to the respective processor groups, out-of-core computing, asynchronous parallel I/O , and definition of sequential relationship of tasks. We compare the performance of different implementations of benchmark, using the same numerical algorithm but employing different programming approaches, including MPI, MPI+OpenMP, and our extended OpenMP. We also discuss a case based on SMP-Cluster and network storage architecture.


In this paper, we propose and evaluate fast, scalable approaches for solving the linear complementarity problems (LCP) arising from the fluid pressure equations with separating solid boundary conditions. Specifically, we present a policy iteration method, a penalty method, and a modified multigrid method, and demonstrate that each is able to properly handle the desired boundary conditions. Moreover, we compare our proposed methods against existing approaches and show that our solvers are more efficient and exhibit better scaling behavior; that is, the number of iterations required for convergence is essentially independent of grid resolution, and thus they are faster at larger grid resolutions. For example, on a 2563 grid our multigrid method was 30 times faster than the prior multigrid method in the literature.


The digitalization of media content and the development of new communication and distribution channels change the media sector and the business environment worldwide. Over the last ten years, technical advances have enabled the consumers to digitize, store, share and modify the content quickly and cheaply on a mass scale. Presently there are lots of file sharing tools and peer-to-peer networks with which the consumers can illegally copy and share content for free. Consequently, companies have implemented internet-based business models for digital content. At the moment, only a limited number of these e-business models are really successful and realize profits. In this context, the following core questions arise: What kind of e-business models are suitable to manage digital media content? What are the key requirements for companies to be successful in the economical utilization of copyrighted media content, especially in the internet? How do the present e-business models fulfil these requirements? The target of this paper is the analysis of e-business models for digital content. In this context the authors examine different aspects with regard to the management of rights on digital content, the consumption of digital content, and the organization of internal processes and structures. The analysis is focussed on e-business models for digital media content in the German music market. The results of this analysis will show that the presented e-business models do not fulfil all requirements. Hence, the attractiveness of these e-business models is lower than peer-to-peer networks and the illegal download because of the restricted usage of digital media content.


ABSTRACT Bonino's article casts light on the realities and perceptions of ethno-religious discrimination among Muslims in Scotland, with particular reference to those living in Edinburgh, during both everyday social interaction with the indigenous Scottish community, and contact with police and security officers. Discrimination against ethnic minorities in Scotland can be traced back in history; however, it is its post-9/11 multifaceted form that has particularly targeted Muslims qua Muslims in a global climate of distrust and stigmatization. While publicly available statistics show a decrease in racist incidents in Scotland, findings from other studies illustrate a more complex situation in which prejudice and discrimination intermingle in ways that make it hard to quantify the precise extent of anti-Muslim sentiment. Qualitative data collected specifically in Edinburgh suggest that Muslims' hyper-visibility has triggered ethno-religious discrimination by some members of the non-Muslim majority. However, the daily experiences of life in Scotland, and the social relations with non-Muslims, are more heterogeneous and nuanced; they include overall positive views of, and a certain engagement with, many non-Muslims in a context of relative harmony. Contact with police and security officers at airports constitutes the main area of concern for Scottish Muslims, whose confidence, sense of equality and feelings of belonging to society are severely undermined by the securitization of their ethno-religious difference. The path towards a pluralistic Scottishness rests on sociopolitical and institutional efforts to reduce the discrimination against visible diversity, especially at loci of security, and to include the symbolic and physical distinctiveness of Muslimness within the porous Scottish cultural boundaries.


Osteoclastic bone resorption requires cell-matrix contact, an event mediated by the αvβ3 integrin. The structural components of the integrin that mediate osteoclast function are, however, not in hand. To address this issue, we generated mice lacking the β3 integrin gene, which have dysfunctional osteoclasts. Here, we show the full rescue of β3–/– osteoclast function following expression of a full-length β3 integrin. In contrast, truncated β3, lacking a cytoplasmic domain (hβ3Δc), is completely ineffective in restoring function to β3–/– osteoclasts. To identify the components of the β3 cytoplasmic domain regulating osteoclast function, we generated six point mutants known, in other circumstances, to mediate β integrin signaling. Of the six, only the S752P substitution, which also characterizes a form of the human bleeding disorder Glanzmann's thrombasthenia, fails to rescue β3–/– osteoclasts or restore ligand-activated signaling in the form of c-src activation. Interestingly, the double mutation Y747F/Y759F, which disrupts platelet function, does not affect the osteoclast. Thus similarities and distinctions exist in the mechanisms by which the β3 integrin regulates platelets and osteoclasts.


In spring semester 2009, two of the authors taught LIB 5020—Information Sources & Services to graduate library science students at Appalachian State University. The course covers information seeking patterns and provides an overview of reference services. The course is also designed to examine and evaluate library reference materials and other information sources (print, audiovisual and electronic) used in support of informational and recreational needs of youth and adults. This paper discusses one class assignment, in which the students were paired together to role play the reference interaction between a librarian and student in a 3D virtual learning community. This paper reports the assignment's evolution, learning objectives, discusses the students' reactions to working as a virtual librarian, and includes ways to improve the assignment in the future.


This thesis explores how suburbs during the British Industrialisation (1780-1850) were
represented. 'Industrialisation' is well researched in many disciplines. In history of art,
the landscape imageries produced during this period are usually categorised and
approached as rural/natural landscape painting and (urban) topographic views.
However, the categorisation could overlook the representation of the place in between:
the suburb. This thesis therefore views the suburb in terms of the impact of
industrialisation on the form and the extent of the city, and thus regards the suburb not
only as a modern, middle-class and residential district we are familiar with today, but
also as the developing edge not only of a built environment but also of a linked set of
social and economic changes.
The main case study is Birmingham. Birmingham developed from a small
provincial settlement into the manufacturing centre of the country between 1780 and
1850. How to perceive, recognise, and represent the suburb made as a result of this
rapid urban growth and industrialisation posed a challenge for local artists. This thesis
focuses on nearly a hundred topographic views they produced, and argue that these
pictures represent the idea of suburb.
I will analyse the pictures in a semiotics way. Chapter one begins with the
imagery of the town and explores the difficulty of representing the (industrial) suburb.
Chapter two continues to investigate the representation of suburb through imageries
of Nature. Chapter three focuses on the topographic view tradition of the town.
Chapter four argues that the imagery of the suburb represents a modern life in it.
Chapter five explores how the periphery of the town was developed for residential
purposes and how this process might be represented in pictures.


The work of Henri Lefebvre - the only major French intellectual of the post-war period to give extensive consideration to the city and urban life - received considerable attention among both academics and practitioners of the built environment following the publication in English of The Production of Space. This new collection brings together, for the first time in English, Lefebvre's reflections on the city and urban life written over a span of some twenty years.The selection of writings is contextualized by an introduction - itself a significant contribution to the interpretation of Henri Lefebvre's work - which places the material within the context of Lefebvre's intellectual and political life and times and raises pertinent issues as to their relevance for contemporary debates over such questions as the nature of urban reality, the production of space and modernity.


Offshore jacket-type towers are steel structures designed and constructed in marine environments for various purposes such as oil exploration and exploitation units, oceanographic research, and undersea testing. In this paper a newly developed metaheuristic algorithm, namely Cyclical Parthenogenesis Algorithm (CPA), is utilized for sizing optimization of a jacket-type offshore structure. The algorithm is based on some key aspects of the lives of aphids as one of the highly successful organisms, especially their ability to reproduce with and without mating. The optimal design procedure aims to obtain a minimum weight jacket-type structure subjected to API-RP 2A-WSD specifications. SAP2000 and its Open Application Programming Interface (OAPI) feature are utilized to model the jacket-type structure and the corresponding loading. The results of the optimization process are then compared with those of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and its democratic version (DPSO).


Due to the nature of the symptoms experienced by dyslexic individuals (e.g. defective visual processing, short term memory deficit and motor control problems) an investigation into support strategies to aid persons suffering from the condition seems strongly justifiable.

As such, an extensive review of existing support techniques for dyslexic computer users are explored leading to the formulation of four central research models; dyslexia symptoms, symptom alleviating interface strategies, adjustable interface components and a dynamically adaptable interface preference elicitation mechanism. These models provide the foundation for the design of the Dyslexic User's Interface Support Tool (DUIST) framework.

Using a user centred design approach, the support framework is developed, tested and subsequently evaluated with positive results. Performance gains for dyslexic subjects in reading speed and reading accuracy exemplify the apparent benefits of framework utilisation (e.g. dyslexic mean reading speed increased by 4.98 wpm vs. control gains of 0.18 wpm; dyslexic mean reading errors reduced by 0.64 per 100 words vs. control reductions of 0.06 fewer errors per 100 words).

Subsequent research into the long-term impact of framework utilisation; the perceived benefits of applying research formulated models to interfaces designed for dyslexics; and alternative strategies to portability all now seem justified. That said, the findings presented thus far warrants investigation by any reader actively interested in dyslexia; strategies for dyslexia symptom relief support environments for dyslexic computer users; applications of adaptive interfaces; and all potential system designers who may be considering developing any type of graphical interface for a dyslexic user group


Bangladesh is densely populated and it is expected that the population increases significantly in the coming decade, up to 60% more by 2050 according to IIASA (2013). Demand for drinking water will increase accordingly. These developments may cause significant changes in the hydrological system, e.g. leading to a drop of groundwater pressures. Moreover, climate change and a sea level rise are predicted by the scenarios drawn by the International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC, 2013). This leads to, among others, an increase of salt water intrusion, in surface water as well as in groundwater. The goal of the BRAC WASH II programme is to contribute to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals by providing integrated water services, sanitation and hygiene promotion expanding to hard-to-reach areas and to under-served populations, in collaboration with government and other stakeholders. As part of the programme, innovative research is addressed in six relevant themes, one of which is the theme salt water intrusion. This project, SWIBANGLA – Managing salt water intrusion impacts in Bangladesh, contributes to the theme salt water intrusion. In this project, the focus is on salt water intrusion in coastal groundwater systems, as groundwater is the main resource of drinking water. So, intrusion of sea water into the coastal surface water courses that are under the influence of tidal effect and storm surges are not studied here. When the salt water intrusion processes and dynamics in groundwater systems are understood, adequate water management measures are feasible. Otherwise, a shortage of sufficient, clean fresh water at the right moment for domestic water supply as well as for agricultural use will occur. Currently, a blue print for accurate policy measures on the issue of salt water intrusion does not exist. In current water safety planning practices in Bangladesh, the issue of salt water intrusion in groundwater systems is underexposed. The Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) is the main authority in developing and improving Water Safety Plans for water supply technologies in Bangladesh. The outputs of SWIBANGLA are mainly meant for DPHE, which has been the main stakeholder during the project, but they are also meant for all governmental agencies, NGOs, universities and others that study, manage or have to deal with salt water intrusion impacts in Bangladesh. SWIBANLGA has two main general objectives which contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals: increasing WASH sector stakeholders' awareness of the salinization of drinking water resources and the threats posed by this process; increasing WASH sector stakeholders' knowledge and skills necessary to anticipate on the salinization of drinking water resources. The specific additional objectives leading to the main ones are: -Create a better understanding of the process of salinization of drinking water resources in Bangladesh -Provide recommendations for monitoring -Provide recommendations for adaptation and mitigation -Achieve an effective, tailored knowledge transfer between the Netherlands and Bangladesh -Advise on the integration of the salinization issue in Water Safety Planning


INTRODUCTION The U.K. library community has implemented collaborative strategies in key scholarly communication areas such as open access mandate compliance, and U.S. librarians could benefit from learning in greater detail about the practices and experiences of U.K. libraries with respect to how they have organized scholarly communication services. METHODS In order to better understand the scholarly communication activities in U.K. academic and research libraries, and how U.S. libraries could apply that experience in the context of their own priorities, an environmental scan via a survey of U.K. research libraries and in-person interviews were conducted. RESULTS U.K. libraries concentrate their scholarly communication services on supporting compliance with open access mandates and in the development of new services that reflect libraries' shifting role from information consumer to information producer.  DISCUSSION  Due to the difference in the requirements of open access mandates in the U.K. as compared to the U.S., scholarly communication services in the U.K. are more focused on supporting compliance efforts. U.S. libraries engage more actively in providing copyright education and consultation than U.K. libraries. Both U.K. and U.S. libraries have developed new services in the areas of research data management and library publishing.  CONCLUSION  There are three primary takeaways from the experience of U.K. scholarly communication practitioners for U.S. librarians: increase collaboration with offices of research, reconsider current organization and delegation of scholarly communication services, and increase involvement in legislative and policy-making activity in the U.S. with respect to access to research.


3D scenes are dominated by a large number of background points, which is redundant for the detection task that mainly needs to focus on foreground objects. In this paper, we analyze major components of existing sparse 3D CNNs and find that 3D CNNs ignore the redundancy of data and further amplify it in the down-sampling process, which brings a huge amount of extra and unnecessary computational overhead. Inspired by this, we propose a new convolution operator named spatial pruned sparse convolution (SPS-Conv), which includes two variants, spatial pruned submanifold sparse convolution (SPSS-Conv) and spatial pruned regular sparse convolution (SPRS-Conv), both of which are based on the idea of dynamically determining crucial areas for redundancy reduction. We validate that the magnitude can serve as important cues to determine crucial areas which get rid of the extra computations of learning-based methods. The proposed modules can easily be incorporated into existing sparse 3D CNNs without extra architectural modifications. Extensive experiments on the KITTI, Waymo and nuScenes datasets demonstrate that our method can achieve more than 50% reduction in GFLOPs without compromising the performance.


Symbolic Automata extend classical automata by using symbolic alphabets instead of finite ones. Most of the classical automata algorithms rely on the alphabet being finite, and generalizing them to the symbolic setting is not a trivial task. In this paper we study the problem of minimizing symbolic automata. We formally define and prove the basic properties of minimality in the symbolic setting, and lift classical minimization algorithms (Huffman-Moore's and Hopcroft's algorithms) to symbolic automata. While Hopcroft's algorithm is the fastest known algorithm for DFA minimization, we show how, in the presence of symbolic alphabets, it can incur an exponential blowup. To address this issue, we introduce a new algorithm that fully benefits from the symbolic representation of the alphabet and does not suffer from the exponential blowup. We provide comprehensive performance evaluation of all the algorithms over large benchmarks and against existing state-of-the-art implementations. The experiments show how the new symbolic algorithm is faster than previous implementations.


The Chicago School of urban sociology has been criticized for its over‐reliance on organic and ecological metaphors. We propose that a useful updated integration of urban sociology and ecology could be achieved with the aid of complementary concepts, such as patch dynamics and assemblage, from both fields. In this exploratory article, we draw on more than 50 qualitative interviews conducted with residents of three different Detroit neighborhoods, together with field observations, photographs and documentary evidence, to examine both actual and metaphorical references to the natural world. We consider allusions to 'drug infestation' as well as other references to territorialization processes and associations with plants and animals that emerged out of our interviews and interactions with neighborhood residents. In conclusion, we maintain that social science may have much to learn from contemporary ecological research, and that a resituated ecological paradigm would challenge and benefit contemporary urban research.


This project was carried out in school of agriculture teaching/research farm, in Delta State Polytechnic Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta state in Nigeria. Beans required some amount of sugar for proper development. The need to evaluate the best sugar concentration for cultivation of beans necessitated this study. Bean seeds bought from the local market were planted into Complete Randomized block design replicated three times. One hundred and sixty seeds were planted, at seedling emergence forty seedling were dressed with 10ml, another sixty were dressed were dressed with with 20ml, another sixty were 30ml while the remaining sixty seedling served as control The growth parameter that were measured were numbered of leaves, plant height and number of pods at harvest.. The result in table (1) shows that beans dressed with 10ml had more number of leaves of 12.5, 23.5 and 22.67 as against 12.2, 22.3, 19.83 and 11.8, 20.5 and 19.0 for 20ml and 30ml respectively while control had 12.1, 20.7 and 21.65. Table (2) shows that beans dressed with 10ml had better plant height of 83.85, 425.18 and 213.8 as against 63.73, 183.52, 208.62 and 51.57, 160.58 and 116.88 for 20ml and 30ml respectively. For the control it had 57.18, 165.28 and 208.5. Table (3) shows that beans dressed with 10ml sugar concentration had better number of pod at harvest of 5.11 and 8.17 as against 4.17 and 7.5 and 3.0 and 6.0 for 20ml and 30ml respectively. The control had 4.07 and 6.33. in conclusion, although beans required sugar, beans dressed with 10ml performed better in terms of number of leaves, plant height and number of pods at harvest. However there was significant difference among the treatment at (p>0.05). It is therefore recommended that beans should be dressed with 10ml sugar concentration for better growth and yield.


Abstract. Recent field studies have found large discrepancies in the measured vs. modeled SOA mass loadings in both urban and regional polluted atmospheres. The reasons for these large differences are unclear. Here we revisit a case study of SOA formation in Mexico City described by Volkamer et al. (2006), during a photochemically active period when the impact of regional biomass burning is minor or negligible, and show that the observed increase in OA/ΔCO is consistent with results from several groups during MILAGRO 2006. Then we use the case study to evaluate three new SOA models: 1) the update of aromatic SOA yields from recent chamber experiments (Ng et al., 2007); 2) the formation of SOA from glyoxal (Volkamer et al., 2007a); and 3) the formation of SOA from primary semivolatile and intermediate volatility species (P-S/IVOC) (Robinson et al., 2007). We also evaluate the effect of reduced partitioning of SOA into POA (Song et al., 2007). Traditional SOA precursors (mainly aromatics) by themselves still fail to produce enough SOA to match the observations by a factor of ~7. The new low-NOx aromatic pathways with very high SOA yields make a very small contribution in this high-NOx urban environment as the RO2·+NO reaction dominates the fate of the RO2· radicals. Glyoxal contributes several μg m−3 to SOA formation, with similar timing as the measurements. P-S/IVOC are estimated from equilibrium with emitted POA, and introduce a large amount of gas-phase oxidizable carbon that was not in models before. With the formulation in Robinson et al. (2007) these species have a high SOA yield, and this mechanism can close the gap in SOA mass between measurements and models in our case study. However the volatility of SOA produced in the model is too high and the O/C ratio is somewhat lower than observations. Glyoxal SOA helps to bring the O/C ratio of predicted and observed SOA into better agreement. The sensitivities of the model to some key uncertain parameters are evaluated.


Simple stochastic games are two-player zero-sum stochastic games with turn-based moves, perfect information, and reachability winning conditions. We present two new algorithms computing the values of simple stochastic games. Both of them rely on the existence of optimal permutation strategies, a class of positional strategies derived from permutations of the random vertices. The "permutation-enumeration" algorithm performs an exhaustive search among these strategies, while the "permutation-improvement'' algorithm is based on successive improvements, a la Hoffman-Karp. Our algorithms improve previously known algorithms in several aspects. First they run in polynomial time when the number of random vertices is fixed, so the problem of solving simple stochastic games is fixed-parameter tractable when the parameter is the number of random vertices. Furthermore, our algorithms do not require the input game to be transformed into a stopping game. Finally, the permutation-enumeration algorithm does not use linear programming, while the permutation-improvement algorithm may run in polynomial time.


The Viral Activation Transfusion Study (VATS) was a randomized trial that compared leukocyte-reduced transfusions with unfiltered red blood cell transfusions in HIV and cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody-positive patients with anemia who were undergoing their first blood transfusion. The relations of the baseline qualitative and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) measures of plasma CMV viremia, HIV RNA, CD4 + cell counts, and quality of life in these study subjects were examined. The 511 study subjects had a median CD4 + cell count equal to 15 cells/mm 3 , and 110 (21.5%) had CMV viremia by qualitative assay. In multivariate models, frequency of positive qualitative CMV increased with decreasing CD4 + cell counts (p =.04 trend), higher HIV RNA (p <.001), and a history of CMV disease (p <.001). Quantitative CMV PCR were performed on the 110 qualitative assay-positive study subjects. Median CMV viral load was 1780 copies/ml. In multivariate regression models, lower CD4 + cell count (p =.03), and a history of CMV disease (p <.001) correlated with the level of CMV load. HIV RNA load and CMV load were not correlated. A lower Karnofsky score was associated with both the presence and quantity of CMV DNA.


The results of investigation of kinetics and mechanism of sorption of chrome(VI) by nanoparticles of synthetic magnetite in a model solution are presented. The model solution contained 400 mg/l of Na2SO4 and 50 mg/l of Cr(VI) (in the form of potassium chromate). Investigations were carried out at different temperatures and pH of the model solution. Particles of magnetite had the average diameter 32 nm and the specific surface area 36.3 m2/g evaluated by BET method. It was found that at sorption of chrome(VI) by magnetite two processes simultaneously proceed: (1) Simple physical adsorption and (2) Chemical reaction of interaction of Cr(VI) with magnetite (the chemisorption). The parameters of these processes at different temperatures and initial pH of the model solution were defined. The chemical reaction of interaction of chrome(VI) with magnetite was described by equation of reaction of the first order related to concentration of Cr(VI) in solution. Established relations allow evaluating the amount of magnetite for removal of chrome(VI) from polluted natural waters and sewage. For verification of the established relations additional experiments for cleaning sewage of some enterprise of Sverdlovsk region (Russia) from Cr(VI) by magnetite were carried out. As a result satisfactory coincidence of experimental and theoretical data was found.


Sanford Grossman and Oliver Hart used the theory of incomplete contracts to develop answers to the question "What is a firm, and what determines its boundaries?" in their path-breaking paper on "The Costs and Benefits of Ownership: A Theory of Vertical and Lateral Integration" ( Journal of Political Economy , 1986, vol. 94, no. 4). Perhaps the central issue is that economic actors are only boundedly rational and cannot anticipate all possible contingencies. It might well be that certain states of nature or actions cannot be verified by third parties after they arise, like certain qualities of a good to be traded in the future, and thus cannot be written into an enforceable contract. When contracts are incomplete, and consequently not all uses of an asset can be specified in advance, any contract negotiated in advance must leave some discretion over the use of the assets; and the "owner" of the firm is the party to whom the residual rights of control have been allocated at the contracting stage. The optimal allocation of property rights—or governance structure—is one that minimizes efficiency losses. This produces a theory of ownership and vertical integration as well as a theory of the firm. First we spell out Grossman and Hart's argument using a simple numerical example. Then we show how the incomplete contracts approach can be used to analyze the firms' internal organization; the firms' financial decisions; the costs and benefits from privatization; and the organization of international trade between inter- and intrafirm trade. We discuss several criticisms of the incomplete contracts/property rights methodology and review recent developments of the incomplete contracts approach.


Tax planning is generally criticized by scholars as inefficient; that is, imposing welfare-reducing costs by incentivizing transactions with few non-tax economic benefits. This Article argues that this view is unacceptably narrow, and makes the original claim that tax planning by lower-income taxpayers is often welfare-enhancing and should, as a normative matter, be encouraged. As such, various parties, including the IRS, law school clinics, legal academics, and tax practitioners should actively strategize to reduce the transaction costs currently hindering lower-income tax planning. This Article then applies that mandate to a specific cohort of lower-income taxpayers — drivers working in the sharing economy — and proposes a strategy through which these taxpayers can take advantage of both existing tax laws and the §199A qualified business income deduction of the recently enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. By judiciously operating their rideshare activities through S-corporations, rather than as sole proprietors, rideshare drivers can obtain significant tax savings.


Seasonally-resolved upper tropospheric profiles of formaldehyde (HCHO) observed by the ACE Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE-FTS) on a near-global scale are presented for the time period from March 2004 to Novem-ber 2006. Large upper tropospheric HCHO mixing ratios (>150 pptv) are observed during the growing season of the terrestrial biosphere in the Northern Hemisphere and during the biomass burning season in the Southern Hemisphere. The total errors estimated for the retrieved mixing ratios range from 30 to 40% in the upper troposphere and increase in the lower stratosphere. The sampled HCHO concentrations are in satisfactory agreement with previous aircraft and satellite observations with a negative bias (<25%) within observation errors. An overview of the seasonal cycle of the upper tropospheric HCHO is given for different latitudes, with a particular focus on mid-to-high latitudes that are well sampled by the observations. A maximum is observed during summer, i.e. during the growing season, in the northern mid-and high latitudes. The influence of biomass burning is visible in HCHO upper tropospheric concentrations during the September-to-October period in the southern tropics and subtropics. Comparisons with two state-of-the-art models (GEOS-Chem and LMDz-INCA) show that the models capture well the seasonal variations observed in the Northern Hemisphere (correlation >0.9). Both models underestimate the summer maximum over Europe and Russia and differences in the emissions used for North America result in a good reproduction of the summer maximum by GEOS-Chem but in an underestimate by LMDz-INCA. Globally, GEOS-Chem reproduces well the observations on average over one year but has some difficulties in reproducing the spatial variability of the observations. LMDz-INCA shows significant bias in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps related to an underestimation of methane, but better reproduces the temporal and spatial variations. The differences between the models underline the large uncertainties that remain in the emissions of HCHO precursors.


Antibiotic resistance represents a growing health crisis that necessitates the immediate discovery of novel treatment strategies. One such strategy is the identification of sequences of drugs exhibiting collateral sensitivity, wherein the evolution of resistance to a first drug renders a population more susceptible to a second. Here, we demonstrate that sequential multi– drug therapies derived from in vitro evolution experiments can, in some cases, have overstated therapeutic benefit – potentially suggesting a collaterally sensitive response where cross resistance ultimately occurs. The evolution of drug resistance need not be genetically or phenotypically convergent, and where resistance arises through divergent mechanisms, the efficacy of a second drug can vary substantially. We first quantify the likelihood of this occurring by use of a mathematical model parametrised by a set of small combinatorially complete fitness landscapes for Escherichia coli. We then verify, through in vitro experimental evolution, that a second–line drug can indeed stochastically exhibit either increased susceptibility or increased resistance when following a first. Genetic divergence is confirmed as the driver of this differential response through targeted and whole genome sequencing. These results indicate that the present methodology of designing drug regimens through experimental collateral sensitivity analysis may be flawed under certain ecological conditions. Further, these results suggest the need for a more rigorous probabilistic understanding of the contingencies that can arise during the evolution of drug resistance.


Micro-entrepreneurs often lack the financial literacy required for the complex financial decisions they face. We conduct a randomized control trial with a bank in the Dominican Republic to compare the impact of two distinct programs: a standard accounting training versus a simplified, rule-of-thumb training that teaches basic financial heuristics. Only the latter produced significant improvements in firms' financial practices, objective reporting quality and revenues. Looking at treatment heterogeneity, the impact is especially pronounced for microentrepreneurs with lower skills or poor initial financial practices. These results suggest that reducing the complexity of training programs might improve their effectiveness, especially for less sophisticated clients. JEL: C93, D12, I21, J24, O12


One of the major problems in obstetrics and neonatology till today is the occurrence of preterm births in spite of best possible antenatal care. Many
preterm labour are due to PPROM (Prelabour Preterm Rupture of Membranes) where infection plays a major role. The neonatal morbidity and
mortality is directly related to maternal infection and early-onset neonatal sepsis. Laboratory evaluation of various inflammatory markers such as
TLC (total leucocyte count), ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate), CRP (C-Reactive Protein) predict events such as maternal chorioamnionitis,
neonatal sepsis with reasonable accuracy and hence are valuable tools in high dependency obstetric (HDU) and neonatal intensive care units
(NICU). The following treatise mainly focusses on aetiopathogenesis, clinical features, haematological and biochemical parameters of maternal
PPROM and neonatal sepsis. Understanding these factors will definitely prevent adverse maternal outcomes such as postpartum infections and
puerperal sepsis and perinatal events such as stillbirth due to intrauterine foetal infection, preterm birth, neonatal sepsis, long term sequele of
chronic lung disease and brain injury leading to cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.


Abstract. Oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) are contemporaneous with 11 of the 18 largest Phanerozoic extinction events, but the magnitude and selectivity of their paleoecological impact remains disputed. OAEs are associated with abrupt, rapid warming and increased CO2 flux to the atmosphere; thus, insights from this study may clarify the impact of current anthropogenic climate change on the biosphere. We investigated the influence of the Late Cretaceous Bonarelli event (OAE2; Cenomanian/Turonian stage boundary; ∼94 Ma) on generic- and species-level molluscan diversity, extinction rates, and ecological turnover. Cenomanian/Turonian results were compared with changes across all Cretaceous stage boundaries, some of which are coincident with less severe OAEs. We found increased generic turnover, but not species-level turnover, associated with several Cretaceous OAEs. The absence of a species-level pattern may reflect species occurrence data that are too temporally coarse to robustly detect patterns. Five hypotheses of ecological selectivity relating anoxia to survivorship were tested across stage boundaries with respect to faunality, mobility, and diet using generalized linear models. Interestingly, benthic taxa were consistently selected against throughout the Cretaceous regardless of the presence or absence of OAEs. These results suggest that: (1) the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary (OAE2) was associated with a decline in molluscan diversity and increase in extinction rate that were significantly more severe than Cretaceous background levels; and (2) no differential ecological selectivity was associated with OAE-related diversity declines among the variables tested here.


This paper describes the conversion of an introductory computing course to the blended learning model at a small, public liberal arts college. Blended learning significantly reduces face-to-face instruction by incorporating rich, online learning experiences. To assess the impact of blended learning on students, survey data was collected at the midpoint and end of semester, and student performance on the final exam was compared in traditional and blended learning sections. To capture faculty perspectives on teaching blended learning courses, written reflections and discussions from faculty teaching blended learning sections were analyzed. Results indicate that student performance in the traditional and blended learning sections of the course were comparable and that students reported high levels of interaction with their instructor. Faculty teaching the course share insights on transitioning to the blended learning format.


Leader member exchange (LMX) theory focuses to the dyadic relations between leader and each member. Members are classified into two groups as in-group and out-group members. As out-group members try to fulfill their predefined tasks, in-group members' roles and responsibilities are negotiated and expanded. LMX process can be identified as reciprocal sacrifice. In-group members do more than expected for their leaders and in exchange they get more concern, understanding, help and support from their leaders. Members align with the leaders for several reasons as they like their leaders, they believe in the capabilities or wisdom of their leaders, they identify themselves with the leader or sometimes they are just willing to achieve their own goals or satisfy their own needs in a quicker way. The expectations, needs, values and personalities of the members are assumed to be important as being a member of the in-group. Although emotional intelligence level of the leader is investigated as an antecedent for LMX, researches analyzing the emotional intelligence dimensions of the members are relatively few. This research focus to the emotional intelligence dimensions of the members and investigates the impact of these dimensions on being a member of in-group or out-group.


My expertise is in developing patentable user centred design solutions and this investigation focussed on solving how to improve the loading and securing of the barbell weights for users during aerobic exercise routines. The inability to load and lock the free weights is caused by disc rotation, which disrupts the users exercise routines and can cause health and safety issues through tripping and falling over. This disruptive problem frequently occurs for users who participate in multiple person exercise routines that involve barbell and dumbbell activities in fitness centres and gyms.

This systematic user centred investigation, supported by patent evaluations and ergonomic product testing, has generated an entirely new anti-roll barbell design and locking system. Through ethnographic research and user testing a D-shape disc and bar locking system was developed that addressed the limitations of existing solutions, eliminating all disc rotation. This means that a user can locate, load and reload disks without requiring rotation. The D-shape bar, which introduces a flat bearing surface and cam locking mechanism also address the limitations of existing solutions by improving the locking performance. It has also resulted in an entirely new visual identity within this category of product. The inventiveness of these features have been rigorously scrutinised via 13-month patent assessment procedure. This has lead to successful granting of a UK patent.

The systematic research leading to the anti-roll design informed the development of an anti-roll dumbbell for Reebok Europe.


The goal of marketing is simple: attract customers who will purchase your product. Getting there, though, isn't so easy. Real marketing success involves a strong foundation in everything from planning, advertising, and publicity to Internet strategies, database management,and more. Enter Marketing DeMystified. Addressing every step of the process in plain English, it helps youmaster all the tools at your disposal to cultivate strong brand awareness, maximize profits, and build lasting customer loyalty. Featuring realworld examples, end-of-chapter quizzes, and a final exam, Marketing DeMystified is the fuel you need to power up your marketing machine and start producing results. This fast and easy guide covers: Marketing's four Ps ...plus three-planning, positioning, and people Tactics for organizing a research-driven campaign Strategies for leading a marketing team Techniques for branding from the inside out Case studies of marketing successes and failures Simple enough for a novice or student, but challenging enough for a veteran marketing manager, Marketing DeMystified is the most thorough and simple shortcut todecoding key marketing concepts and principles.


Abstract. The collision between Gondwana and Laurussia that formed the latest supercontinent, Pangea, occurred during Devonian to early Permian times and resulted in a large-scale orogeny that today transects Europe, northwest Africa, and eastern North America. This orogen is characterized by an "S" shaped corrugated geometry in Iberia. The northern curve of the corrugation is the well-known and studied Cantabrian (or Ibero–Armorican) Orocline and is convex to the east and towards the hinterland. Largely ignored for decades, the geometry and kinematics of the southern curvature, known as the Central Iberian curve, are still ambiguous and hotly debated. Despite the paucity of data, the enigmatic Central Iberian curvature has inspired a variety of kinematic models that attempt to explain its formation but with little consensus. This paper presents the advances and milestones in our understanding of the geometry and kinematics of the Central Iberian curve from the last decade with particular attention to structural and paleomagnetic studies. When combined, the currently available datasets suggest that the Central Iberian curve did not undergo regional differential vertical-axis rotations during or after the latest stages of the Variscan orogeny and did not form as the consequence of a single process. Instead, its core is likely a primary curve (i.e., inherited from previous physiographic features of the Iberian crust), whereas the curvature in areas outside the core is dominated by folding interference from the Variscan orogeny or more recent Cenozoic (Alpine) tectonic events.


We find anomalously high gadolinium (Gd) concentrations in the femoral head bones of patients exposed to chelated Gd, commonly used as a contrast agent for medical imaging. Gd is introduced in chelated form to protect patients from exposure to toxic free Gd(3+), a calcium antagonist which disrupts cellular processes. Recent studies suggest Gd chelates break down in vivo, and Gd accumulation in tissue is linked to medical conditions such as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), acute kidney failure, and in some cases death. We measure Gd and other rare earth element (REE) concentrations in 35 femoral heads by solution based ICP-MS. Gd concentrations in patients with documented exposure to Gd-based contrast agents (n = 13: Gd DTPA-BMA (Omniscan) n = 6; Gd HP-DO3A (Prohance) n = 5; unknown type n = 4) are significantly higher (p < 0.001) than the control group (n = 17). We use our control group to establish the 'natural' background level of Gd in human bone (cortical 95% CI: 0.023, 0.041 nmol/g; trabecular 95% CI: 0.054, 0.107 nmol/g). A control group outlier reveals the occurrence of individuals with high concentrations of all REEs, including Gd. Because of this, we calculate Gd anomalies from the concentrations of adjacent REEs and normalize to the control group mean to isolate Gd input from contrast agents. Normalized Gd anomalies, (Gd/Gd*)(N), for exposed patients range up to >800 times the 'natural' level (95% CI: 124, 460). Our data confirm that Gd, introduced in chelated form, incorporates into bone and is retained for more than 8 years. No difference was observed in bone Gd concentrations and anomalies between patients dosed with Gd DTPA-BMA (Omniscan; n = 6) and Gd HP-DO3A (Prohance; n = 5). Osteoporotic fracture patients exposed to Gd have significantly lower Gd concentrations than osteoarthritis patients (p < 0.001). This indicates different mechanisms of metal incorporation and/or retention in osteoporotic bone tissues, and may signal an increased risk of endogenous Gd release for patients with increased rates of bone resorption (e.g. osteoporosis patients and menopausal, pregnant, and lactating women) who are exposed to Gd-based contrast agents.


Ecological versatility, the degree to which organisms fully exploit the available resources, is an important component of ecological and evolutionary theory. However, patterns and consequences of versatility in coral reef fish have received little attention. Using a comparative approach, this study tested the consequences of ecological versatility on the distribution and abundance of juvenile wrasses (family: Labridae) in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Resource use was examined along 4 different resource axes (horizontal distribution or reef zone, vertical distribution or depth, microhabitat and diet). Stepwise multiple regressions were used to test for relationships between niche breadth and patterns of abundance and distribution. Most exhibited a degree of apparent specialisation on at least one resource, but none were specialised along all resource axes. In terms of juvenile diet, the majority of species exhibited a high reliance on harpacticoid copepods. Microhabitat specialisation was associated with low local abundance and narrow distribution among depth zones. However, diet and macrohabitat specialisation were poor predictors of local abundance, and no relationships between local abundance, and local and regional distribution were observed. We conclude that the relationship between versatility and abundance/distribution is dependent on the resource in question. A greater understanding of the degree of ecological versatility in relation to different resources is necessary to predict how reef fishes will respond to escalating human impacts on coral reefs.


In 2015, more than one million refugees made their way through Europe. For many, the remote area of the Austrian-Bavarian border became a compulsory stop of initial registration, where they were requested to stay in camps. This region of Germany, located between Austria and the Czech Republic, is deeply shaped by its own local history of migration, refuge and national population engineering. Based on its geographical location, residents have developed their own ways of interacting with 'their' borders. These behaviours were disrupted by the re-introduction of border controls in 2015. The example of my native town, Landau, shows how a local community changed with the arrival of thousands of refugees, a right-wing shift of national and local politics and a changing assessment of the region's own past. These different dynamics took place simultaneously and were shaped by and in reaction to each other. The interplay of local, national and international politics, supporters and opponents, and activists and volunteers shaped the 'summer of refuge' not only for the refugees, but also for the local community in my hometown. In this article, I will discuss the implications of these transformations.


The thesis discusses the widely held view in social work that practice should be based on intuitive and empathic understanding and that standard scientific procedures are inapplicable. I argue that this anti-science attitude is misguided and that social workers can and should use scientific methods to test theories and develop more effective ways of helping. There are practical and philosophical reasons for reexamining this dismissal of science. Social workers' statutory powers and duties have increased rapidly but there is also growing concern about their professional competence. Moreover developments in the philosophy of science challenge social workers' assumptions about science. The first two chapters discuss the importance of overcoming the hostility to science, examining social workers' duties, training, and practice methods. The first objection to science examined is the claim that science studies only observable behaviour not mental phenomena. I argue that this is based on a false idea of science and suggest instead that there is great similarity in the way scientists and social workers theorise. The next chapter discusses the claim that the scientific search for causal explanations conflicts with a belief in free will; I argue that in fact there is no conflict. The following chapter questions the reliability and scope of fieldworkers' intuitive and empathic judgements and sets out some reasons why they should be supplemented with scientific methods of testing. What counts as empirical evidence and how theories are appraised are the topics of the next two chapters. I argue that the traditional social work view of empiricism is unduly narrow and has hampered social work research. I also address the comparatively new objection to science in social work, namely the relativists' claim that science is not empirical and therefore should not be held up as a model to social workers. The final chapter considers how scientific methods can be incorporated into practice.


This paper documents implications and opportunities for the design profession offered by the rise of the knowledge society and digital economies. Within this we show the value of applied design thinking in the creation and delivery of business development and facilitation. Two case studies document the design and delivery of contrasting consultancy projects where the design of problem-solving frameworks (rather than conventional facilitation of events) resulted in new understanding and business development. These approaches were underpinned by a common conceptual model that describes our philosophical underpinning for the application of design thinking across disciplines both within and beyond traditional areas of professional design engagement. Finally, we discuss the implication for design practice of using design thinking as a mode of interdisciplinary interaction and cocreation of problem-solving approaches between designers and others (rather than an activity just for designers) which represents a step beyond conventional participatory design approaches.


We develop a plume tracking algorithm for a swarm of mobile sensing agents in turbulent flow. Inspired by blue crabs, we propose a stochastic model for plume spikes based on the Poisson counting process, which captures the turbulent characteristic of plumes. We then propose an approach to estimate the parameters of the spike model, and transform the turbulent plume field detected by sensing agents into a smoother scalar field that shares the same source with the plume field. This transformation allows us to design path planning algorithms for mobile sensing agents in the smoother field instead of in the turbulent plume field. Inspired by the source seeking behaviors of fish schools, we design a velocity controller for each mobile agent by decomposing the velocities into two perpendicular parts: the forward velocity incorporates feedback from the estimated spike parameters, and the side velocity keeps the swarm together. The combined velocity is then used to plan the path for each agent in the swarm. Theoretical justifications are provided for convergence of the agent group to the plume source. The algorithms are also demonstrated through simulations.


AIMS
Evidence regarding the optimal treatment of non-culprit lesions detected during primary PCI is lacking. Our aim was to investigate whether early invasive treatment improves left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and prevents major adverse cardiac events (MACE).

METHODS AND RESULTS
Of 121 patients with at least one non-culprit lesion, 80 were randomised to early FFRguided PCI (invasive group), and 41 to medical treatment (conservative group). Primary endpoint was EF at six months, secondary endpoints included MACE. In the invasive group, early angiography was performed 7.5 days (5-20) after primary PCI. Forty percent of the non-culprit lesions did not show haemodynamic significance (FFR > 0.75). Subsequent PCI of at least one non-culprit lesion was performed in 52%, PCI without preceding FFR was performed in 8% and elective CABG was done in 4%. No in-hospital events occurred in the conservative group. After six months, EF was comparable (59+/-9% vs. 57+/-9%, p=0.362), and there was no difference in MACE between invasively and conservatively treated patients (21 vs. 22%, p=0.929).

CONCLUSIONS
An invasive strategy towards non-culprit lesions does not lead to an increase in EF or a reduction in MACE. The functional stenosis severity of non-culprit lesions is frequently overestimated.


Abstract—The use of biomass to produce renewable energy is one of the forms that can be used to reduce the impact of energy production. Like any other energy resource, there are limitations for biomass use, and it must compete not only with fossil fuels but also with other renewable energy sources such as solar or wind energy. Combustion is currently the most efficient and widely used waste-toenergy process, in the areas where direct use of biomass is possible, without the need to make large transfers of raw material. Many industrial facilities can use agricultural or forestry waste, straw, chips, bagasse, etc. in their thermal systems without making major transformations or adjustments in the feeding to the ovens, making this waste an attractive and cost-effective option in terms of availability, access, and costs. In spite of the facilities and benefits, the environmental reasons (emission of gases and particulate material) are decisive for its use for energy purpose. This paper describes a valorization of residues from forest industry to generate energy, using a case study.


These artefacts form part of the ongoing research with Gant (Sole Searching), that explores differing methodologies for the re-valuation of waste materials and the application, enhancement and exploitation of waste material narratives and meanings. The methodology tests industrial and public interest and engagement in the evaluation of meaningful and valued materials. The method(s) also function to promote the work of NGOs and charitable agencies who engage with and promote awareness of material ethics and sustainability – illustrating the communicative power of the materials.

As artefacts, the 'Breast Milk bootees' distinctively explore material cultural taboos and deliberately exploit our natural empathy towards children, whilst simultaneously exposing our common aversion to human 'waste' materials. The bootees were used as a visual aid and 'meaningful material prop' in the mediation and promotion of the NHS and UK Breast Milk Bank and their campaign to recruit new donor mothers. The UK Milk Bank collect and use otherwise wasted breast milk from donor mothers to provide life saving sustenance to premature or very sick babies. The bootees are made from breast milk (caesin protein) provided and formed into moulds to represent the size of feet of very premature babies - for whom the UK Milk Bank collect breast Milk.The process required potential new donors to sign up and as a reward, they are offered a pair of the bootees made from their own milk and boots were also auctioned as a means to monitor their monetary value.

The bootees were used by The NHS and the UK Milk bank to promote the International Breast Milk Donor Day and prompted numerous press and media features. The bootees also featured in a forecasting report for the world's largest trend forecasting agency, WGSN and the 'Meaning Making' exhibition at PUMA HQ, The WasteZone at Eco-build and they were exhibited and presented as part of a paper the 'Praxis and Poetics' and 'making Futures' Conference.


This paper undertakes to examine one aspect of the worldview of John Maynard Keynes - his alleged anti-Semitism. Keynes' anti-Semitic utterances long attracted the attention of his biographers: some suspected anti-Semitism to be a permanent feature of Keynes' worldview, others refuted such claims and underlined the element of reproduction of anti-Semitic cliches that already permeated Keynes own milieu. The aim of this article is to reveal multiple layers that moulded the nature of Keynes' anti-Semitism within the context of his own socio-political milieu. When put in a dialogue with his political gestures, Keynes' problematic utterances become to be seen in a different light.


Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) describe how a collection of genes governs the processes within a cell. Understanding how GRNs manage to consistently perform a particular function constitutes a key question in cell biology. GRNs are frequently modeled as Boolean networks, which are intuitive, simple to describe, and can yield qualitative results even when data is sparse.
We generate an expandable database of published, expert-curated Boolean GRN models, and extracted the rules governing these networks. A meta-analysis of this diverse set of models enables us to identify fundamental design principles of GRNs.
The biological term canalization reflects a cell's ability to maintain a stable phenotype despite ongoing environmental perturbations. Accordingly, Boolean canalizing functions are functions where the output is already determined if a specific variable takes on its canalizing input, regardless of all other inputs. We provide a detailed analysis of the prevalence of canalization and show that most rules describing the regulatory logic are highly canalizing. Independent from this, we also find that most rules exhibit a high level of redundancy. An analysis of the prevalence of small network motifs, e.g. feed-forward loops or feedback loops, in the wiring diagram of the identified models reveals several highly abundant types of motifs, as well as a surprisingly high overabundance of negative regulations in complex feedback loops. Lastly, we provide the strongest evidence thus far in favor of the hypothesis that GRNs operate at the critical edge between order and chaos.


Ni nanoparticles with a size distribution from 2 to 6 nm, embedded in various organic matrices, were fabricated in ultrahigh vacuum. For this purpose metal free and Ni phthalocyanine, fullerene C(60), and pentacene were coevaporated with Ni. When coevaporated, Ni and H(2)Pc react, leading to the formation of NiPc and Ni nanoparticles. The molecular structure of the matrix was found to have negligible effect on the size of the nanoparticles but to influence the magnetic anisotropy of the nanoparticles: Ni nanoparticles formed in the buckyball matrix have a cubic symmetry, while nanoparticles formed in matrices consisting of planar molecules exhibit a uniaxial symmetry. After exposure to atmosphere, photoelectron spectroscopy investigations demonstrate the presence of metallic Ni nanoparticles accompanied by Ni oxide and the existence of a charge transfer from the organic matrix to the particles in all investigated systems. The oxidized Ni nanoparticles exhibit a larger magnetic anisotropy compared to the freshly prepared particles which show superparamagnetic properties above 17 K. Moreover, photoelectron spectroscopy was used to probe the oxidation process of the Ni nanoparticles in different organic matrices. It could thus be shown that a matrix consisting of spherical molecules like C(60) prevent the particles much better from oxidation compared to matrices of flat molecules.


In 1954, Ben Hogan stated in the serialized lessons he wrote for "Life" magazine that he had a secret. He challenged the world to find it by stating "It is easy to see if I tell you where to look." He then wrote his legendary instructional book, "Five Lessons," and created a remarkable golf swing puzzle, but somehow one important piece of information was missing. Golf expert after golf expert have attempted to define this secret over the years, serving to compile a rather lengthy list of what they think the secret is but never quite explaining how it's done. Enter "Ben Hogan's Magical Device," a revealing book which intends to finally explain, in universally understandable terms, that long-lost secret to Hogan's swing. As a lifelong golfer with 50+ years of experience, two degrees in Physical Education and a Doctorate in History, author Ted Hunt became determined to track down Hogan s secret himself. He reviewed most of the literature concerning Hogan and interviewed many professionals (including Jack Nicklaus) and the result of his research produced a clearer understanding of the source of the confusion concerning Hogan s secret. An hypothesis was conceived and tested, and Hunt was pleased to discover that his analysis stood up to critical examination. But perhaps more importantly, his golf responded with more accuracy and lower scores, which included shooting his age (79) several times within weeks of embracing the secret. Complete with 100 photos/illustrations and a foreword by movie star Sean Connery, "Ben Hogan's Magical Device" gives an easy-to-follow explanation of Hogan s secret, where it comes from, and the foundations which support its successful execution. Interspersed throughout the text are stories from professional acquaintances who spoke with Hunt about their times with Mr. Hogan."


Great Britain and the Holy see: The Diplomatic Relations Question, 1846-1852. By James P Flint, O.S.B. (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press. 2003. Pp xvii, 301. $39.95.) This is a delightful treatment, excellently researched, into a most interesting phase of the relations between the see of Rome and the Protestant government of Britain. It sheds new light on the leading statesmen, like Lord John Russell and Clarendon and Palmerston, none of whom was likely to be able to understand any inner qualities about Catholicism. It allows us the inner tensions and on occasion the tortuousness underlying those on the Vatican side who wished to persuade the successive Popes and sometimes wished to cajole a Pope to do what he was most unlikely to wish to do. The author used the necessary archives, from the Vatican and Propaganda as the two most important in Rome, to the Public Record Office and the private papers of various statesmen. The opposite viewpoints are fairly easily defined. The Acts of Parliament after the exile of King James II banned the British government from holding any relations with the see of Rome. Since those days the English grew more anti-Catholic rather than less, as the problem of Ireland began to hurt them. To the contrary, social intolerance was diminished among the gentry by horror of the savagery inflicted on the French clergy by the terror of 1792-1794 and by the consequent sympathy and personal experience of refugees and respect for them, for England was a principal asylum for priests and aristocrats who fled the guillotine or a lingering death in Cayenne. The Papacy liked to have states sending their ambassadors or charges to Rome, for they were a symbol that the Pope mattered in the politics of Europe. But even if the British government overcame the legal difficulty and sent a diplomat to Rome, this -was not acceptable to a formidable body of Catholicsnamely, most of the Irish, who were the people who mattered above all others in papal dealing with Britain. To leading Catholics in Dublin an Italian diplomat/ nuncio in London would be suspect. They were afraid, not without reason, that a British and Protestant government would use him to bring papal influence to bear on the troubled politics of Ireland, or the choice of persons for Irish sees, or the way in which education might be improved. Since Roman Catholic Emancipation of 1829 there was an Irish Catholic group in the Westminster Parliament. They were more radical in instinct than the Whig party but must generally vote with them as the only left-leaning party with any chance of power. That did not silence radical speeches which Whig leaders disliked. The state of Ireland had forced the passing of Roman Catholic Emancipation. all through the succeeding years British politicians struggled to discover sane ways to govern Ireland, prevent murder or local anarchy, try to content a people suffering destitution. Perhaps a Pope could even persuade Irish bishops to accept state grants to relieve the poverty of their clergy-an offer which the Irish bishops without the Pope would regard as a blatant plan for Protestant interference. In 1846, the year when this book opens, two things happened which made possible the events which are here described. The Tory government of Sir Robert Peel fell over the Corn Laws and was succeeded by the Whig government of Lord John Russell, rather more to the left in its instincts than the Whigs who preceded Peel. It inherited an Ireland in a bad way and must do something about it. secondly, Pope Gregory XVI died and Pius IX was elected. all Europe assumed this to be the first liberal Pope, who would help to make Italy less undemocratic or archaic in its modes of government; and in his first months Pius IX enjoyed a vast popularity and did nothing to discourage a belief in what was to prove a fantasy. If a British diplomat was sent to Rome, what would be his terms of reference? …


Partitioning has been shown to be an effective method for synthesis of low power finite state machines. In this approach, an FSM is partitioned into two or more coupled sub-machines such that most of the time only one of the sub-machines is active. In this paper, we present a GA based approach for simultaneous partitioning and state assignment of finite state machines with power reduction as the objective. Experimental results obtained compare favorably with previous works on FSM partitioning, low power state assignment as well as using GA for partitioning alone.


Several studies describe evoked EEG potentials elicited when a subject is aware of an erroneous decision either taken by him or by an external interface. This paper try to detect Error-related potentials (ErrP) elicited when a human user want to monitors an external system upon which he has no control whatsoever. To this end we use a Bayesian filter to classify erroneous or correct events. On average over three subjects, the proposed probabilistic classifier achieves single-trial classification of 85% for correct trials and 71% for erroneous trials.


This experimental research is part of an overall ongomg research program on domestic fire hazards, conducted at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, by the Civil Engineering Department (Fire Engineering). The research program aimed to predict the behaviour of upholstered furniture in fires and the hazards produced during their burning. Experiments were conducted on six identical style chairs inside the standard ISO-Room. The six chairs had the same size, shape, timber frame, and fabric, but a different type of foam was used for each chair. Experimental measurements for each chair included: Heat-release rate, heat-flux on the floor of the fire-test room, mass-loss of the burning chairs, and temperature history inside the fire-test room, also the mole fractions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and oxygen inside the exhaust duct. Data is presented in graphs and tables. From the experiments it was found that each type of foam presented different fire hazards. But each of them had a rapid-fire growth. It was also found that some of the chairs produced more than one type of fire hazards and others relatively had a better performance. Data obtained from ISO Room experiments were compared with those obtained from the furniture calorimeter tests for identical chairs. Studies and analysis carried out and focused on the fire performance for different foam types and the impact of the surrounding environment on the fire hazards produced by each foam type. It was clear from the comparison between both the ISO Room experiments and the Furniture Calorimeter tests that the larger space produced less hazardous effects than a small compartment. The foam performance in the large space was better than its performance inside the small room. Full-Scale Compartment Fire Experiments ii


I. INTRODUCTION Three major challenges confront German federalism today. The first is the strong and growing dispute among German Lander over their present fiscal federalism arrangements. In essence, the wealthier Lander are pushing hard for less horizontal redistribution of tax revenue from the wealthy to poor Lander, as well as more fiscal decentralization. Disputes over fiscal federalism have been an enduring feature of postwar German federalism and thus, in one sense, are nothing new. Yet the current dispute appears to be more serious than past ones because never before has there been such a vast disparity in fiscal strength among Lander as in post-reunification Germany. The intensity of the current struggle also reflects the desire by wealthier Lander to have more autonomy in meeting the challenges of the global economy. More broadly, the wealthy Lander are pushing for a shift from the traditional "cooperative federalism" of the postwar era to a more "competitive federalism" similar to that of the United States. (1) While this is an unlikely outcome, it would represent a fundamental paradigmatic shift in the nature of German federalism. The second challenge is the loss of legislative and policy autonomy to the European Union. The transfer of policy-making authority to the supranational institutions of the European Union has been more or less strong and steady since the implementation of the Single European Act of 1986. (2) Subsequently, many of the German policy competencies accorded to the Lander have been passed upward to, or are now shared with, the European Union. The Lander have not been successful in regaining these competencies. They have, however, positioned themselves to have a stronger collective voice in determining Germany's policies toward the European Union. Indeed, in many instances the Lander are direct participants in the international negotiations undertaken among member states, and any revision of EU Treaties requires, albeit indirectly, the collective assent of the German Lander. The expansion of EU legislation and policy scope is further counterbalanced by the European Union's subsidiarity principle and the commitment to fostering subnational autonomy. Thus, the impact of European political integration on German federalism has been, and will continue to be, profound. But rather than eroding German federalism through centralization tendencies, European integration has largely reinforced the defining structural and normative elements of German federalism. The third challenge is European and global market integration, that is, the process of opening national markets to foreign economic actors and the subsequent cross-border activities of these actors. Market integration, like the other two challenges, generates incentives for both centralization and decentralization within the German federal system. Economically less competitive, and therefore fiscally weaker, Lander press for greater federal support to maintain living standards and subsidize economic development. In so doing, they foster greater political centralization. On the other side, the competitive Lander press for decentralization so that they can capture--through increased tax revenue, jobs, and the like--the benefits of their global economic competitiveness. Together these challenges create what this paper calls the "German conundrum." Germany's cooperative federalism, indeed its constitution, imposes a high level of vertical and horizontal intergovernmental coordination and resource transfer, yet integration and globalization exacerbate the wealth disparities and policy preference divergences among Lander. This, in turn, undermines the solidarity needed to sustain the system of cooperative federalism. But the strong preference of weaker Lander, the federal constitution, and the Federal Constitutional Court inhibit a movement away from cooperative federalism. Thus, the "marriage" among the Lander has turned sour, but they can neither divorce nor separate. …


Objective Stroma-rich tumours represent a poor prognostic subtype in stage II/III colon cancer (CC), with high relapse rates and limited response to standard adjuvant chemotherapy. Design To address the lack of efficacious therapeutic options for patients with stroma-rich CC, we stratified our human tumour cohorts according to stromal content, enabling identification of the biology underpinning relapse and potential therapeutic vulnerabilities specifically within stroma-rich tumours that could be exploited clinically. Following human tumour-based discovery and independent clinical validation, we use a series of in vitro and stroma-rich in vivo models to test and validate the therapeutic potential of elevating the biology associated with reduced relapse in human tumours. Results By performing our analyses specifically within the stroma-rich/high-fibroblast (HiFi) subtype of CC, we identify and validate the clinical value of a HiFi-specific prognostic signature (HPS), which stratifies tumours based on STAT1-related signalling (High-HPS v Low-HPS=HR 0.093, CI 0.019 to 0.466). Using in silico, in vitro and in vivo models, we demonstrate that the HPS is associated with antigen processing and presentation within discrete immune lineages in stroma-rich CC, downstream of double-stranded RNA and viral response signalling. Treatment with the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) elevated the HPS signalling and antigen processing phenotype across in vitro and in vivo models. In an in vivo model of stroma-rich CC, poly(I:C) treatment significantly increased systemic cytotoxic T cell activity (p<0.05) and reduced liver metastases (p<0.0002). Conclusion This study reveals new biological insight that offers a novel therapeutic option to reduce relapse rates in patients with the worst prognosis CC.


The scarcity of wireless spectrum reflects a costly failure of regulation. In practice, large swaths of spectrum are vastly underused or used for low value activities, but the regulatory system prevents innovative users from gaining access to such spectrum through marketplace transactions. In calling for the propertyzing of swaths of spectrum as a replacement for the current command-and-control system, many scholars have wrongfully assumed the simplicity of how such a regime would work in practice. In short, many scholars suggest that spectrum property rights can easily borrow key principles from trespass law, reasoning that since property rights work well for land, they can work well for spectrum rights as well. But as we explain, spectrum is not the same as land, and a poorly designed property rights regime for spectrum might even be worse than the legacy model of spectrum regulation. This Article addresses three central questions that confront the design and implementation of property rights in spectrum. First, it suggests how policymakers must develop a set of rights and remedies around spectrum property rights that reflect the fact that radio signals defy boundaries and can propagate in unpredictable ways. In particular, if policymakers simply created rights in spectrum and enforced them like rights in land (i.e., with injunctions for trespass), they would invite strategic behavior: spectrum speculators would buy licenses for the sole purpose of suing other licensees when their transmission systems created interference outside the permissible boundary (i.e., act as spectrum trolls). Second, it rejects the suggestion that policymakers establish a unitary property right for spectrum, arguing that policymakers should zone the spectrum by establishing different levels of protection against interference (i.e., an ability to transmit signals with more latitude) in different frequency bands. Finally, this Article discusses what institutional strategy will best facilitate the development of the property right and its enforcement, concluding that an administrative agency - be it a new one or a reformed FCC - is better positioned than a court to develop and enforce the rules governing the use of spectrum so as to facilitate technological progress and prevent parties with antiquated equipment from objecting to more efficient uses of spectrum.


Network equipment is difficult to configure correctly. To minimize configuration errors, network administrators typically build a smaller scale test lab replicating the production network and test out their configuration changes before rolling out the changes to production. Unfortunately, building a test lab is expensive and the test equipment is rarely utilized. In this paper, we present Remote Network Labs, which is aimed at leveraging the expensive network equipment more efficiently and reducing the cost of building a test lab. Similar to a server cloud such as Amazon EC2, a user could request network equipment remotely and connect them through a GUI or web services interface. The network equipment is geographically distributed, allowing us to reuse test equipment anywhere. Beyond saving costs, Remote Network Labs brings about many additional benefits, including the ability to fully automate network configuration testing.


When optimizing corrugated flexure (CF) joints, most approaches for calculating the maximum stress on the CF beam depend on finite element analysis (FEA). The current paper introduces the design optimization for joints using CF units under stress constraints. The stress state is solved; based on that, the maximum displacement under stress constraints is deduced. The natural frequency formula of the translational joint is further derived from the results of the stiffness matrix. The stage configurations corresponding to the maximum displacement are optimized by restricting the off-axis/axial stiffness ratio and natural frequency of the joint. The optimal results of different types are validated by FEA and experiments.


Fuelled by compelling evidence that computerised provider order entry (CPOE) improves medication safety and the infusion of tens of billions of federal electronic medical record (EMR) stimulus dollars, electronic medication prescribing in the USA has gone from 70% of prescriptions being written electronically in just the past six years.1–4 Most medications are now ordered electronically both inside and outside the hospital, and they are being sent in electronically to pharmacies. Although many of the initial obstacles to the widespread adoption of CPOE such as physician resistance, lack of standards for electronically transmitting prescriptions to pharmacies and lack of standards for drug databases (leading some organisations to resort to 'home-grown' solutions) have been largely overcome, CPOE remains a work in progress. A series of studies by the U.S. Institute of Medicine and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (HIT) have recently spotlighted a number of potential safety risks.5–7

To better understand these risks and the opportunities for improvement, particularly as they relate to drug names and drug ordering, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Division of Medication Error Prevention and Analysis contracted the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice to study CPOE and risks that could potentially lead to medication errors.

The findings from this 2-year investigation have recently been compiled into a White Paper entitled Computerized Prescriber Order Entry Medication Safety (CPOEMS): Uncovering and Learning from Issues and Errors .8 It documents issues about which policy and patient safety leaders, along with clinicians, pharmacists and patients, need to be aware to minimise the risk of CPOE-related errors. Here, we share the main findings and our own perspectives based on this review of 10 CPOE systems (four inpatient, six outpatient) at six …


Betel quid (BQ)-chewing oral cancer is a prevalent disease in many countries of Southeast Asia. Yet, the precise disease mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we show that BQ extract-induced cell motility in three oral cancer cells (Ca9-22, SAS, and SCC9) presumably involves the Src family kinases (SFKs). Besides, BQ extract can markedly induce cell migration of wild type mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) but not MEFs lacking three SFK members, namely, Src, Yes, and Fyn, indicating the requirement of SFKs for BQ-induced cell motility. Betel quid extract can also elevate cellular SFK activities because phosphorylation of tyrosine 416 at the catalytic domain is increased, which in turn promotes phosphorylation of an in vitro substrate, enolase. Furthermore, we identified that areca nut, a major component of BQ, is the key factor accounting for BQ-induced cell migration and invasion through SFKs-mediated signaling pathways. Immunohistochemistry revealed that, particularly in BQ-chewing cases, the activity of SFKs was significantly higher in tumor-adjacent mucosa than that in solid tumor areas (P < .01). These results suggest a possible role of SFKs in tumor-host interface and thus in early tumor invasion in vivo. Consistent with this is the observation that activation of SFKs is colocalized with invasive tumor fronts in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Together, we conclude that SFKs may represent a potential biomarker of invasion and therapeutic target in BQ-induced oral cancer.


In the recent years, we have witnessed major advances in mobile computing. Modern devices are equipped with a variety of sensors and network interfaces that make them quite versatile. In order to take advantage of all the hardware capabilities and provide a better user experience, software has to be context aware, i.e. it has to monitor the events and information coming from its environment and react accordingly. At the same time, we notice that an important number of such mobile applications share several characteristics regarding its architecture, communication, storage and interfaces. This leads us to consider that context-aware systems can also benefit from the Software Product Line (SPL) paradigm. SPLs were defined to take advantage of commonalities through the definition of reusable artifacts, in order to automate the derivation of multiple products. Nevertheless, SPLs are limited regarding the runtime modifications implied by context awareness. This dissertation investigates on Dynamic Software Product Lines (DSPL). A DSPL extends a classic SPLs by providing mechanisms to adapt products at runtime to cope with dynamic changes imposed by context awareness. Our main goal is to unify design and runtime adaptations under the same definition through high-level artifacts. Such artifacts can then be used to implement DSPLs by defining the processes required to map them into concrete products at design time and at runtime. Concretely, as the first contribution of this dissertation, we introduce both: a simple - yet complete - variability model, and a composition model that realizes variability. With the variability model we aim at defining a family of products and at identifying commonalities and variabilities along those products using variants. The composition model on the other side, is based on ideas from Aspect Oriented Software Development (AOSD). We use the model to divide the products in several modules called aspect models that are used to construct platform independent representations of variability. Each aspect model is formed by three parts: the architecture model which represents parts of a system to be added, the advice that contains a set of changes to the core application and finally, the pointcut that identifies the places where the modifications are performed. As a second contribution, we propose two processes of product derivation: design weaving and runtime weaving. Design weaving aims at building a single product. Runtime weaving aims at adapting a product being executed. Both processes use the same variability and aspect models. We thus allow developers to reuse the same artifacts used for building a software product to adapt it dynamically among various configurations. For the design weaving, we base ourselves on a model driven approach where transformations and code generation are employed to obtain source code from a set of models. For the runtime weaving, we use FraSCAti, a service and component based platform with dynamic properties, to execute reconfigurations during the execution of products. We also use a context manager to process events coming from the environment and make decisions about the adaptation. To validate our approach we define and implement a DSPL. Concretely, this research is part of the FUI CAPPUCINO project, which aims at building mobile applications for ubiquitous environments. We have implemented a DSPL for a retail case study. We successfully cover the whole cycle of design derivation and adaptation of software products. The scenario demonstrates the versatility of our approach and in particular the unification achieved through the aspect models used at design time as well as at runtime.


This study aimed to describe the location and intensity of free-living physical activity in New Zealand adolescents during weekdays and weekend days using Global Positioning Systems (GPS), accelerometry, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Participants (n = 79) aged 12-17 years (M = 14.5, SD 1.6) recruited from two large metropolitan high schools each wore a GPS watch and an accelerometer for four consecutive days. GPS and accelerometer data were integrated with GIS software to map the main locations of each participant's episodes of moderate-vigorous physical activity. On average participants performed 74 (SD 36) minutes of moderate and 7.5 (SD 8) minutes of vigorous activity per day, which on weekdays was most likely to occur within a 1 km radius of their school or 150 meters of their home environment. On weekends physical activity patterns were more disparate and took place outside of the home environment. Example maps were generated to display the location of moderate to vigorous activity for weekdays and weekends.


Genetic programming (GP) has been found to be effective in finding a model that fits the given data points without making any assumptions about the model structure. This makes GP a reasonable choice for software reliability growth modeling. This paper discusses the suitability of using GP for software reliability growth modeling and highlights the mechanisms that enable GP to progressively search for fitter solutions.


To what extent does household inequality affect the response of aggregate consumption to aggregate real shocks? We first review two state-of-the-art papers with household heterogeneity and aggregate uncertainty. They teach us that having a larger fraction of poor and borrowing constrained households, who have a high marginal propensity to consume, amplifies the drop in aggregate consumption in response to a negative aggregate real shock. We then move on to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and Equifax data to quantify the fraction of people that are constrained in their consumption choices and to study how that fraction has changed before and after the Great Recession. We argue that the role of constraints cannot be adequately captured by only having a large share of households with no wealth before a recession. We find that, for all of the measures that we consider, the fraction of households that are borrowing constrained has drastically increased since the onset of the Great Recession and that it has remained high, or even increased, all the way through 2012, the last year for which we currently have PSID data. Thus, it is not surprising that aggregate consumption has experienced such a large drop and remained depressed for a long time.


Regarding sedimentation associated with rivers, nearly all terrigenous material reaches the continental shelf and becomes deposited close to the coast, including organic carbon. While major rivers on passive margins have been studied in the past as to their effects offshore, relatively little is known about small, active margin rivers such as the Waipaoa in New Zealand. This research study examines the marine sedimentary record of the Waipaoa River through grain size distribution, ? 13C and C/N analysis, 210Pb activity, and sub-bottom profiles at various sites on the continental shelf. More importantly, the geological effects of European colonization and deforestation were also investigated. Results showed that grain size has generally decreased through time and with decreasing proximity to the mouth of the river. Organic carbon analysis showed more terrestrial carbon closer to shore as well as in the past 100-150 years, suggesting carbon burial varies temporally and spatially. Accumulation rates derived from 210Pb activity were lower than expected and sub-bottom profiles suggested contrasting depositional environments for Waipaoa sediments. Such findings provide more general knowledge as to the nature of these highly eroding rivers which can have dramatic biogeochemical and other environmental effects.


Database of Piano Chords: An Engineering View of Harmony includes a unique database of piano chords developed exclusively for music research purposes, and outlines the key advantages to using this dataset to further ones research. The book also describes the physical bases of the occidental music chords and the influence used in the detection and transcription of the music, enabling researchers to intimately understand the construction of each occidental chord. The online database contains more than 275,000 chords with different degrees of polyphony and with different playing styles. Together, the database and the book are an invaluable tool for researchers in this field.


Involved for over thirty years in the politics of Iraq, Ali A. Allawi was a long-time opposition leader against the Baathist regime. In the post-Saddam years he has held important government positions and participated in crucial national decisions and events. In this book, the former Minister of Defense and Finance draws on his unique personal experience, extensive relationships with members of the main political groups and parties in Iraq, and deep understanding of the history and society of his country to answer the baffling questions that persist about its current crises. What really led the United States to invade Iraq, and why have events failed to unfold as planned? The Occupation of Iraq examines what the United States did and didn't know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused and contradictory policies that were enacted, and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the difficult transition process. The book tracks the growth of the insurgency and illuminates the complex relationships among Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. Bringing the discussion forward to the reconfiguration of political forces in 2006, Allawi provides in these pages the clearest view to date of the modern history of Iraq and the invasion that changed its course in unpredicted ways.