[https://www.flickr.com/photos/57221817@N07/22668632947/in/dateposted-public/] Tracing Information Society  is the new project of the Technopolitics Working Group. [1] This informal group began  in February 2010 and comprises about 10 core members and about 30 contributors. Most of us work as artists, theoreticians, curators or journalists inside and outside major institutions. What brings us together is an interest in the impossible project of analyzing the Information Society as an open totality , that is, an integrated network of actors and events with dimensions that change depending on the perspective taken. The aim is to produce cultural criticism and art works that engage with the deeper structures of the present as a contribution to the globally distributed efforts of transforming them. The concept of the Information Society, after being over-hyped in the 1980s and 1990s and used as a pretense for many dubious political projects (for example, by Newt Gringrich or Tony Blair) at the time, has fallen out of use lately. This offers us the freedom to re-purpose it as an umbrella term to connect multiple strands that drive complex societal transformations. One strand is the emergence of a distinct techno-economic paradigm, usually called post-fordism, following  the economic crisis of the 1970s . Since the 1990s, processes of financialization have become ever more important.  Another strand concerns the political transformation that brought about a system of governance which privileges market-structures in all areas of life––what is usually called neo-liberalism. A third strand is the social transformations and pluralizations of subjectivity, of gender and of what has become known as the non-human that challenge the dominant models of Western universalism and of patriarchy. A fourth strand has been created by environmental movements which have begun to transform the human relationship to nature, a task made all the more urgent by the increasingly pressing reality of climate change. Using the concept of the Information Society  as an umbrella – like the group's own title Technopolitics––emphasizes the role of the technological infrastructures that underpin, though do not determine, all of these developments. Culture, society, nature and our own agency cannot be conceived of independently of these technological capacities. The conceptual and technological foundations of the Information Society were laid in the first half of the 20th century . As a social formation  it became dominant in the USA and Europe in the 1970s and globally after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. There is a considerable debate whether the contemporary economic and political transformation  following the economic crisis, which started in 2008, necessitates a new umbrella term or not. The goal of this impossibly large project is not to produce a new master narrative but to provide a framework for inquiry that is, at the same time, internally coherent and open to heterogeneous inputs and outputs. Even more, this project also provides complementary and competing pathways through an expansive and still shifting terrain. The coherence is provided by the emphasis on the simultaneous presence of all of these strands in all fields of inquiry while the openness is provided by an extreme variety of methods of research and formats of output. Thus, the projects cannot be contained within the knowledge practices provided by academia or the art system alone. The main method of operation of the working group are regular, convivial face-to-face meetings, often with a potlatch of drinks and food, in which one member or invited guest presents his or her current research/artistic project as work in progress, which is then subjected to sympathetic but rigorous criticism from the point of view of the overall framework. These meetings, while not formally closed, are not aimed at a general public and are not recorded. After a series of public talks we decided to engage together in a material project that couples artistic as well as theoretical research and practice and initiated Tracing Information Society – A Timeline . The timeline provides a format that is both clearly structured––everything is organized according to its datum––and open to multiple perspectives as of what constitutes a relevant event. The value of a timeline is not to signal the return to a simple linear chronological model of historical development but to show the parallelism of heterogeneous events .  So, for example, the year 1962 brings, among others, two entries next to each other: one is Beat the Dealer – probability theory and computation meet casino-gambling  the other is the publication of Fritz Machlup's groundbreaking empirical study of the "knowledge economy." It is the claim of the project that these events, while usually not considered together, are nevertheless directly related to one another. The timeline––in its current manifestation in print measures 2.8 x 7 meters––shows data on six main layers, color-encoded, and annotated with keywords that are considered relevant for the coming into being of this social formation. As heterogeneous as both the entries and the group are––there is no binding theory––they all come from a critical angle and hence articulate struggles and contradictions as well as turning points (such as major political events and natural disasters) via individual entries in a single but multilayered timeline. The idea was to bring things into a relation that is not necessarily a causal one. By showing things together, new associations arise. The Timeline is a work-in-progress with a participatory angle: the visitors of the exhibition are invited to make suggestions of their own and insert them in box placed next to the Timeline print.  The Timeline can serve several functions: it serves as a heuristic device; by exploring new cross-connections such as in the example given above, it gives new insights into the process of self-instituting of information society; the printed Timeline can be shown in exhibitions and allow visitors to explore associations, memories and inspirations of their own; it can also be used as a teaching device, in workshops, and in particular in an extra-university and activist context. The aim is to produce further versions of the timeline and to incorporate more diverse viewpoints as to which are the defining events in the historical development of the Information Society . Future versions of the work will include a digital version and an exhibition which transposes the 2D timeline into 3D exhibition space and electronic space. To discuss the conceptual outreach, the potentials, and the implications of the project, a round table discussion will be held on November 19th, 7 pm. Tracing Information Society  so far carries the shared input of: John Barker, Sylvia Eckermann, Doron Goldfarb, Armin Medosch, Gerald Nestler, Felix Stalder, Axel Stockburger, Matthias Tarasiewicz, Thomas Thaler and Ina Zwerger. Graphic Design: Fatih Aydogdu. The first version is on view at the exhibition SOCIAL GLITCH. Radical Aesthetics and the Consequences of Extreme Events  from September 25 - December 5, 2015. [2] REFERENCES [1] http://www.thenextlayer.org/technopolitics_group  | http://www.thenextlayer.org/Technopolitics [2] http://www.theoriesinmind.net | http://www.kunstraum.net/de/programm/217-social-glitch


The paper studies determinants of Russian adult mortality controlling for individual and household heterogeneity. We utilize twelve rounds of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey spanning the period of 14 years to study determinants of adult mortality. Survival analysis is the main methodology employed. The results are original in several respects. We find empirical support to the importance of relative status measured in non-income terms in shaping mortality hazards while income-measured relative position is confirmed to be statistically insignificant. We find evidence on the influence of labor market behavior, and sectoral and occupational mobility in particular, on longevity. The health detrimental role of smoking is found to be comparable to the role of excess alcohol consumption which is novel in the Russian context where the influence of smoking is downplayed in comparison to the alcoholism. Finally, we find no micro evidence in support to the regional data result underlying Treisman (2008) political economy story.


Thinking About Teaching and Learning: Developing Habits of Learning with First Year College and University Students by Robert Leamnson, PhD, Sterling, VA: Stylus Press, 1999; 256 pages, $22.50 As anyone who teaches first-year college students can attest, there are challenges and victories alike in the classroom. Robert Leamnson, a professor of biology and director of multidisciplinary studies at the University of Massachusetts, has written a thoughtful, compassionate, and practical primer for the purpose of improving the classroom experience for faculty and students. A teacher for many years, his fondness for students echoes clearly from passages such the following: "It's easy to like the young because they are young. They have no faults, except the very ones which they are asking you to eradicate: ignorance, shallowness, and inexperience" (p. 1). While this book is essentially a study of pedagogy, it is not in the least dry or intimidating. It flows wonderfully and is written with humor and compassion. The first six of the book's eight chapters are devoted to the classroom and teaching techniques; the final two are reflections on writing, technology, and the nature of teaching. Two sample assignments are included, and a wide-ranging annotated bibliography offers information on classic works on pedagogy. Leamnson's descriptions of the new college student, his beliefs about teaching, and his definition of learning reminded this reviewer of Jim Zull's The Art of Changing the Brain. Both authors take a biological approach to learning. They describe learning as brain change as opposed to brain use, as a process that "stabilizes, through repeated use, certain appropriate and desirable synapses in the brain" (p. 5). In Chapter 2, which describes in detail and depth the area of brain biology, Leamnson asserts that while education is a social activity, learning itself is solely found within the individual: "If learning is indeed a matter of brain development - synapses stabilized through use - it becomes equally clear that it cannot be effected by anyone but the learner" (p. 18). In Chapter 3, the author makes his case for language. He states that it is through language alone - spoken, written, or signed - that we can detect thought. He stresses that one of the most important roles of the teacher is to support and assist students in learning how to express ideas and explains that for the typical new college student, the art of articulation does not come naturally. …


This study aims at comparing the hydration characteristics between two kinds of cements, the Portland slag cement (PSC) containing 50 wt.% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and the supersulfated cement (SSC) containing 85 wt.% GGBFS. The reason caused the different hydration properties with the same type raw materials were analyzed by determining the compressive strength of the pastes, the hydration heat release and the hydration products at different curing ages. The results show that in PSC system, alkali activation was predominating and it mainly generated hydrated calcium silicate (C-S-H gels) and calcium hydroxide (CH). While in SSC system, the hydration mechanism was the combination of sulfate and alkali excitation, it mainly generated C-S-H gels and ettringite. The compressive strength of PSC was higher than that of SSC at every curing age. However, the difference of the compressive strength between PSC and SSC narrowed gradually as curing age went on. The early compressive strength of PSC was high while at late hydration age it increased slowly. The early compressive strength of SSC was low, while the later compressive strength increased quikly. Compared with PSC, the hydration heat evolution rate of SSC was slower and the hydration heat of SSC was relatively less low. Moreover, the second exothermic peak of SSC delayed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.4.17746


The advent of networked digital technologies, in enabling language learners to collaborate and create content online, has given rise to new ways in which learners are able to express their autonomy. Learner Autonomy and Web 2.0 explores tensions between the "classical" definitions of learner autonomy and the learning dynamics observed in specific online contexts. Some of the contributions argue for the emergence of actual new forms of autonomy, others consider that this is merely a case of "old wine in new bottles". In this volume, autonomy is seen as emerging and developing in a complex relationship with L2 proficiency and other competencies. The volume takes an expansive view of what is meant by Web 2.0 and, as a result, a wide diversity of environments is featured, ranging from adaptive learning systems, through mobile apps, to social networking sites and – almost inevitably – MOOCs. Paradoxically, autonomy is seen to flourish in some quite restricted contexts, while in less constrained environments learners experience difficulty in dealing with a requirement to self-regulate.

Individual chapters run the gamut of age groups, learning activities and online environments. The stage for all of them is set by an exchange in which David Little and Steve Thorne discuss the evolution of the concept of language learner autonomy, from its origins in the era of self-access resource centres to its more recent instantiations in online (and offline) learning communities. Subsequent contributors include an exploration how autonomy can be exercised even within the constraints of adaptive learning systems, a discussion of the metacognitive operations engaged in by autonomous adult learners in a French/Australian teletandem exchange, a look at an ecological paradigm of autonomy to conceptualise its emergence in relation to the use of mobile apps by primary- and secondary-level language learners in Canada, a study of how learner autonomy with a markedly social and empathic dimension drives collaboration in a Facebook-based collaborative writing project, a study of the autonomy stances adopted by different groups of learners using the Busuu online language exchange platform, an analysis of the difficulties encountered by a group of trainee language teachers in engaging with a range of language MOOCs and finally a study of how autonomy is experienced by advanced learners of English with a preference for online informal learning based on gaming and streamed video.


Tourism in Iceland has been growing incredibly fast during the past years; for example, the cruise industry has grown at a rapid rate, as Iceland continues to gain popularity as a cruise destination. Although a certain amount of research has been conducted in this sphere, it does not cover all of the important issues, including a better insight into clustering of cruise ship passengers, who differ from other tourists in a number of ways, and marketing communication towards them regarding product and services offered at the point of destination. The main objective of this research is to examine factors that have an impact on potential segmentation of cruise ship passengers coming to Iceland and learn about marketing communication practices used by local companies offering them products and services. Qualitative research was used as an approach and personal interviews chosen as a means of collecting information. Interviews were taken with 10 people from different companies who interact with cruise passengers on a regular basis at their workplace. The main findings reveal that participants note the strongest difference between cruise passengers of different nationalities, passengers coming on different ships (size and type), and passengers arriving at different times of the year. Concerning marketing communication towards cruise passengers, the results indicate that it is almost exclusively carried out through the Internet; a reliable website, search engine optimization and word-of-mouth. This research provides a contribution by deepening understanding of approaches that may be effective in market segmentation in this particular section of the tourism industry and identifying effective ways to reach potential customers. This research thus provides a significant addition to marketing knowledge for an increasingly important sector of the tourist industry.


Labeling bias refers to subjects judging normal individuals as mentally ill as a function of diagnostically irrelevant stimuli (e.g., suggestions of mental illness made by a prestige figure). Three studies investigating the generality of the labeling bias effect are reported. Experiment 1 failed to find the effect with undergraduates, but demonstrated that these subjects can discriminate an audio tape recording of a psychiatric patient from a tape of a normal person. Experiment 2 demonstrated labeling bias in mental health service workers. Experiment 3 produced labeling bias in undergraduates by manipulating the "relevance" of the prestige figure. The data from the three studies were interpreted as indicating that, contrary to previous interpretation, professional identity is not a necessary condition for producing labeling bias. Reanalysis of the data of previous research supported the hypothesis that labeling bias is extremely general, and probably related to attractiveness of the communicator who gives the suggestion of mental illness, setting, ambiguity of desired response, and other similar variables well documented in the social psychology literature.


The brain is one of the most complex organs, responsible for the advanced intellectual and cognitive ability of humans. Although primates are to some extent capable of performing cognitive tasks, their abilities are less evolved. One of the reasons for this is the vast differences in the brain of humans compared to other mammals, in terms of shape, size and complexity. Such differences make the study of human brain development fascinating. Interestingly, the cerebral cortex is by far the most complex brain region resulting from its selective evolution within mammals over millions of years. Unraveling the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating brain development, as well as the evolutionary differences seen across species and the need to understand human brain disorders, are some of the reasons why scientists are interested in improving their current knowledge on human corticogenesis. Toward this end, several animal models including primates have been used, however, these models are limited in their extent to recapitulate human‐specific features. Recent technological achievements in the field of stem cell research, which have enabled the generation of human models of corticogenesis, called brain or cerebral organoids, are of great importance. This review focuses on the main cellular and molecular features of human corticogenesis and the use of brain organoids to study it. We will discuss the key differences between cortical development in human and nonhuman mammals, the technological applications of brain organoids and the different aspects of cortical development in normal and pathological conditions, which can be modeled using brain organoids.


Abstract Gasteranthus (Gesneriaceae; Beslerieae) includes 38 species restricted to the New World tropics. The genus has a limited distribution in Central and South America, with a center of diversity in western Ecuador. This study investigates cladistic relationships among species of Gasteranthus using floral and vegetative morphological data. Corolla shape in Gasteranthus ranges from funnelform to urceolate and ventricose, with additional variation in corolla spur and corolla ventral pouch morphology. Our analysis revealed that there were likely single primary innovations of the three major corolla types, although only one of the three types forms a monophyletic group. Apparently, ventricose corollas were derived from funnelform corollas and urceolate corollas were derived from ventricose corollas, making the funnelform and ventricose corolla groups both paraphyletic. Spurs have been lost twice in Gasteranthus. Conspicuousness of stomatal clusters is quite homoplastic given the phylogenetic hypothesis. Communicating Editor: Thomas G. Lammers


Abstract Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of three computerized neurocognitive assessment tools (CNTs; i.e., ANAM, DANA, and ImPACT) for assessing mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in patients recruited through a level I trauma center emergency department (ED). Methods: mTBI (n=94) and matched trauma control (n=80) subjects recruited from a level I trauma center emergency department completed symptom and neurocognitive assessments within 72 hr of injury and at 15 and 45 days post-injury. Concussion symptoms were also assessed via phone at 8 days post-injury. Results: CNTs did not differentiate between groups at any time point (e.g., M 72-hr Cohen's d=−.16, .02, and .00 for ANAM, DANA, and ImPACT, respectively; negative values reflect greater impairment in the mTBI group). Roughly a quarter of stability coefficients were over .70 across measures and test–retest intervals in controls. In contrast, concussion symptom score differentiated mTBI vs. control groups acutely), with this effect size diminished over time (72-hr and day 8, 15, and 45 Cohen's d=−.78, −.60, −.49, and −.35, respectively). Conclusions: The CNTs evaluated, developed and widely used to assess sport-related concussion, did not yield significant differences between patients with mTBI versus other injuries. Symptom scores better differentiated groups than CNTs, with effect sizes weaker than those reported in sport-related concussion studies. Nonspecific injury factors, and other characteristics common in ED settings, likely affect CNT performance across trauma patients as a whole and thereby diminish the validity of CNTs for assessing mTBI in this patient population. (JINS, 2017, 23, 293–303)


Planners and landscape architects have long recognized the critical role of green space in urban environments. This cross-sectional field study of 68 adolescents determined the association between percent neighbourhood park area and perceived stress among adolescents, while controlling for physical activity. This study is the first to examine this association using objective measures of park area and adolescents' physical activity. A multivariate regression model indicated that percentage of park area ( 1⁄4 62.573, p< 0.03) predicts perceived stress among adolescents. Access to neighbourhood parks buffers adolescents against perceived stress after controlling for socio-economic status and physical activity. Policy recommendations for incorporating parks into neighbourhood design are given.


Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a model plant of the Solanaceae family. Various biological aspects of tomato have been investigated with molecular biological approaches, and a significant amount of DNA and protein sequencing data on tomato has been accumulated. Recently, the number of tomato genome sequences in the International Nucleotide Sequence Databases has been rapidly increasing due to the progress of the international tomato genome sequencing project. Here, we summarize the current status of tomato genetic and genomic databases currently available in the public domain. The wealth of tomato genetic and genomic information facilitates elucidation of gene functions and metabolic pathways that will lead to the understanding of genetic diversity in the Solanaceae family.


Objective: There are concerns that structured electronic documentation systems can limit expressivity and encourage long and unreadable notes. We assessed the impact of an electronic clinical documentation system on the quality of admission notes for patients admitted to a general medical unit. Methods: This was a prospective randomized crossover study comparing handwritten paper notes to electronic notes on different patients by the same author, generated using a semistructured electronic admission documentation system over a 2-month period in 2014. The setting was a 4-team, 80-bed general internal medicine clinical teaching unit at a large urban academic hospital. The quality of clinical documentation was assessed using the QNOTE instrument (best possible score = 100), and word counts were assessed for free-text sections of notes. Results: Twenty-one electronic-paper note pairs (42 notes) written by 21 authors were randomly drawn from a pool of 303 eligible notes. Overall note quality was significantly higher in electronic vs paper notes (mean 90 vs 69, P < .0001). The quality of free-text subsections (History of Present Illness and Impression and Plan) was significantly higher in the electronic vs paper notes (mean 93 vs 78, P < .0001; and 89 vs 77, P = .001, respectively). The History of Present Illness subsection was significantly longer in electronic vs paper notes (mean 172.4 vs 92.4 words, P = .0001). Conclusions: An electronic admission documentation system improved both the quality of free-text content and the overall quality of admission notes. Authors wrote more in the free-text sections of electronic documents as compared to paper versions.


Two investigations are reported. The first is a comparison of average prices for two cattle types within pairs of some major auction centres in Australia. Significant price differences existed in three of the four cases studied. The second is a study of the main determinants of price differences between auction selling centres through a case study of a large and small auction centre. The major factor explaining the price differences between the two auction centres was lot size. This factor also influenced price variation within auctions. The number of buyers purchasing cattle did not affect price levels.


La-related protein 1 (LARP1) is a conserved RNA-binding protein and is known to regulate 5'-terminal oligopyrimidine tract (TOP) mRNA translation. Dysregulated LARP1 has been reported to be related to the development of several cancers. However, the exact function and mechanism of LARP1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is largely unknown. In the present study, we found that the mRNA levels of LARP1 were increased in NSCLC cells compared to those in normal control cells. Knockdown of LARP1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in NSCLC cells and tumourigenicity in H520 cells. Both in vitro and in vivo analyses confirmed that STAT3 signalling was inactivated by the knockdown of LARP1. Moreover, LARP1 was identified as a direct target of miR-374a. Overexpression of miR-374a attenuated the promotor effects of LARP1 by inhibiting proliferation, metastasis and STAT3 signalling. Clinically, LARP1 was markedly overexpressed in NSCLC tissues, and upregulated LARP1 was correlated with tumour progression and poor survival. The expression of miR-374a was negatively correlated with the expression of LARP1 in NSCLC tissues. Furthermore, we found that XIST functioned as a competing endogenous RNA to suppress miR-374a, which regulated its downstream target LARP1. In summary, we suggest that the dysfunction of the XIST/miR-374a/LARP1 axis contributes to NSCLC and may serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment.


Although Tocqueville's comments on economic crisis are hardly known, they constitute an important part of his thought because he treats this phenomenon as an inevitable factor of the economic, social, and political reality of a modern democratic society. This article examines the nature, reasons, and consequences of both short-term economic crises and permanent crises, which are essentially rooted in the deep principles of some socioeconomic systems. One of the crucial questions in this respect is how Tocqueville understands the laws that govern the economy. In the last section, the article focuses on the remedies that he proposes to mitigate the problem, including widespread private ownership, freedom, virtue, and the activity of the state with its proper limits. Marek Tracz-Triniecki, "Tocqueville on Crisis," Journal of Markets & Morality 15, no. 1 (Spring 2012): 65-88


The Story of the Jamaican People is the first general history of Jamaica to be written in almost 40 years. It differs significantly from earlier oimperialo histories which have been written from the perspective of the coloniser and which have relegated Jamaicans to an inferior and passive role. In this book, the authors offer a new interpretation of JamaicaAEs history. The central theme is the long struggle of the African-Jamaican against subjugation, injustice, economic deprivation and the fight for full freedom. Sherlock and Bennett recount the epic resistance to slavery; from the acts of sabotage on the estates, the legendary exploits of Maroon heroes Cudjoe, Nanny and Tacky, to the final blow delivered by Sam Sharpe which ended slavery in Jamaica. An underlying theme throughout the book is the centrality of Africa, the original homeland of the African-Jamaican. The memory of AfricaAEs ancient civilisations, its diverse tribes, languages, cultures and religions, sustained the African-Jamaican throughout slavery and remains a positive influence on modern-day Jamaican culture. Although the focus of the story is on African-Jamaican, the authors recognise the significant role played by other ethnic groups u East Indians, Chinese, Lebanese, Syrians and Jews u in the development of modern Jamaica. The Story of the Jamaican People is told in a powerfully evocative and poetic style in which the images of creative writers and artists are blended with extensive quotations from anthropological, sociological and historical sources. The book is copiously illustrated and has an extensive bibliographical and reference section as well as a useful index.


Human beings are at a continuous learning process at various levels and with different motivations during their whole lifetime. Puzzle solving may beneficially be applied to increase the motivation, enhance the mastering apprehension, promote the creative processes, expand the ability to engage and solve miscellaneous challenges from various viewpoints, and hence lead to an improved learning process and problem solving capability. That is, the application of puzzles may lead to better learning and increased knowledge in general, stimulating the reasoning process and the apprehension of the need for both creativity and hard work. Thus, teachers of both students and teachers may find it beneficial to utilize the art of puzzle solving. Typically, the puzzles are very suitable for and mostly used in mathematics and natural science classes. Nevertheless, the puzzles are in general also applicable for any type of class. The aim of this study is to examine and discuss the learning process through applying creative puzzle solving as a teaching tool. These aspects are illustrated through a review of several selected puzzle examples.


In order to accurately predict the lubricant film thickness and generated friction in any tribological contact, it is important to determine appropriate boundary conditions, taking into account the oil availability and extent of starvation. This paper presents a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model of a piston ring pack for prediction of lubricant film thickness, friction and total power loss. The model takes into account starvation caused by reverse flow at the conjunctional inlet wedge, and applied to a ring pack, comprising a compression and scraper ring. Inlet boundaries are calculated for an engine cycle of a four-cylinder, four-stroke gasoline engine operating at 1500 r/min with conditions pertaining to the New European Drive Cycle. The analysis shows the two main sources of starvation: first, due to a physical lack of inlet meniscus and second, due to reverse flow at the inlet wedge significantly affecting the prevailing conditions from the generally assumed idealised boundary conditions. Such an approach has not hitherto been reported in literature.


Mould is a common contamination in cereals. The growth of mould can stimulate mycotoxins production andsome of which at critical concentrations cause health problems in humans and animals. Fusarium is one of thefungus species that has been found in crops and can cause major problems for farmers such as reduced harvestand economic losses. A group of Fusarium species, Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium poae and Fusariumtricinctum express a mycotoxin, enniatin. The limited information available today about enniatin-forming fungiis that they grow out on fields of wheat in colder climates. This project aims at developing methods for detection,quantification and identification of known and unknown fungi present in Swedish cereals during 2009-2011. Theproject was carried out using two previously published methods, TMAV and MGB, which both use TaqManprobes with realtime-PCR detection. The methods were evaluated for robustness, efficiency, accuracy, inclusionand exclusion. The results showed that both methods, TMAV and MGB, could be used to detect Fusariumavenaceum. The results for the TMAV method were that it could be used with custom annealing temperatureand chemical concentrations for the best detection. The MGB method can be used to detect Fusarium avenaceumwith Fusarium tricinctum in the same analysis. Both methods can be included in future mapping projects when itis of interest to quantify enniatin producing moulds.


Abstract. The oceanographic campaign CARPET2014 (Characterizing Adriatic Region Preconditionig EvenTs), (30 January–4 February 2014) collected the very first turbulence data in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) under moderate wind (average wind speed 10 m s−1) and heat flux (net negative heat flux ranging from 150 to 400 W m−2). Observations consisted of 38 CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) casts and 478 microstructure profiles (grouped into 145 ensembles) with three sets of yoyo casts, each lasting for about 12 consecutive hours. Averaging closely repeated casts, such as the ensembles, can lead to a smearing effect when in the presence of a vertical density structure with strong interfaces that can move up or down between subsequent casts under the influence of tides and internal waves. In order to minimize the smearing effect of such displacements on mean quantities, we developed an algorithm to realign successive microstructure profiles to produce sharper and more meaningful mean profiles of measured turbulence parameters. During the campaign, the water column in the gulf evolved from well-mixed to stratified conditions due to Adriatic waters intruding at the bottom along the gulf's south-eastern coast. We show that during the warm and relatively dry winter, the water column in the Gulf of Trieste, even under moderate wind forcing, was not completely mixed due to the influence of bottom waters intruding from the open sea. Inside the gulf, two types of water intrusions were found during yoyo casts: one coming from the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea (i.e. cooler, fresher and more turbid) and one coming from the open sea in front of the Po Delta (i.e. warmer, saltier and less turbid). The two intrusions had different impacts on turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rate profiles. The former, with high turbidity, acted as a barrier to wind-driven turbulence, while the latter, with low sediment concentrations and a smaller vertical density gradient, was not able to suppress downward penetration of turbulence from the surface.


Background and Aims: Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that causes a liver inflammation. The prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) in hemodialysis patients is more than the general population. Periodic screening of HCV in dialysis centers is necessary to control this viral disease. The aim of this study is the evaluation of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients living in Yazd province of Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, two milliliters blood sample has been taken from each of 188 hemodialysis patients. Third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RT-PCR methods were carried out for detecting HCV antibody and viral genome in patient sera. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients were collected and data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test and Mann–Whitney U test in SPSS software v.19. Results: HCV-Ab was positive in 12 hemodialysis patients. Eight cases had a history of blood transfusion and four patients had a history of kidney transplantation. Anyone didn't have a history of skin tattooing or intravenous drug usage. HCV-RNA was positive in 4 cases and was negative in 8 patients with positive HCV-Ab. Conclusion: HCV prevalence using ELISA and RT-PCR tests among hemodialysis patients living in Yazd provenance of Iran is 6.3% and 2.1%, respectively. Risk factors are the hemodialysis duration (p<0.001) and kidney transplantation (p=0.005).


Previous research has questioned the use of mosques as points of entry for research about Muslims in Europe. Part of the background has been a new emphasis on lived religion and a critique of a one-sided focus on religious institutions. We argue that some of this criticism is theoretically ill-founded and we also point out that some trends may make mosques more important in research about Muslims. In section 1, we go through the most important literature addressing the methodological problems posed by using mosques in research about Muslims in the West. In section 2, we look at some of the fundamental problems of definitions in some of this critical methodological literature. In section 3, we discuss how the choice of methods, not least sampling modes, will be of significance for meaningful discussion about the appropriateness of using mosques in research, and in section 4, we present what we see as important advantages of using mosques as a point of entry to study Muslims. In section 5, we conclude with a brief summary and discussion.


§ 144-1. State flag. The flag of North Carolina shall consist of a blue union, containing in the center thereof a white star with the letter "N" in gilt on the left and the letter "C" in gilt on the right of said star, the circle containing the same to be one third the width of said union. The fly of the flag shall consist of two equally proportioned bars, the upper bar to be red, the lower bar to be white; the length of the bars horizontally shall be equal to the perpendicular length of the union, and the total length of the flag shall be one half more than its width. Above the star in the center of the union there shall be a gilt scroll in semicircular form, containing in black letters this inscription: "May 20th 1775" and below the star there shall be a similar scroll containing in black letters the inscription: "April 12th 1776". (1885, c. 291; Rev., s. 5321; C.S., s. 7535; 1991, c. 361, s. 1.)


Until now there is still some doubt in formulating a professional identity of counselors in Indonesia, There are those who want education for counselors candidate in Indonesia leads to specialization of school counseling, career counseling, or personal counseling; and is focused on development, prevention rather than medical/clinical models. Aggrement that has not been set up yet among counselor education providers has made the identity of professional counselors increasingly not clear. This paper seeks to review current issues related to the identity of professional counselors. Based on conceptual studies, it can be asserted that the identity of professional counselors is prominent and unique is the key to the profession in order to develop and not be marginalized, and parallel to other mental health professions. the adoption of SK Kemenristekdikti number 257/M/KPT/2017 about the name of the study program at the college, which contains the name of counselor profession education (Counselor profession Education) with a degree Kons. very influential on the development of the identity of professional counselors in Indonesia.


What factors determine stimulus-driven responses in patients with utilization behaviour? We examined this question by assessing the influence of an irrelevant cue on visual search in a patient showing evidence of utilization behaviour (F.K.), following bilateral damage to the medial frontal and temporal lobes. Despite being able to repeat the instructions, F.K. often responded to an item in the search display that matched the cue rather than the target. This effect was reduced under certain conditions: (a) when the cue–search interval increased, (b) when F.K. paid less attention to the cue, and (c) when the target discrimination task was made more difficult. On the other hand, the effect arose even when the cue was always invalid. We suggest that information from the cue competed with the top-down set to determine search. F.K.'s lesion makes it difficult for him to impose top-down knowledge rapidly, leading to responses automatically being based on attended, but irrelevant, cues under short cue–display intervals.


More than three quarters of the United States tangible capital stock represents structures. Tax policies potentially have a major impact on both the level and composition of investment in structures and equipment. This point is explicitly recognized in most discussions of the effects of capital income taxation. Two aspects of the taxation of structures --the relative burden placed on structures as opposed to equipment investment and the non-taxation of owner occupied housing under the income tax -- have attracted substantial attention in recent years. This paper explores these two aspects of the taxation of structures investments. While the tax system may well have a potent impact on the level and composition of structures investment, this paper argues that conventional analyses of these effects are very misleading. We reach two main conclusions. First,under current tax law, certain types of structures investment are very highly tax favored. Structures can be transferred and therefore depreciated more than once, and structures may be readily financed with tax-favored debt. Overall, itis unlikely that a significant bias towards equipment and against structures exists under current law. Second, the conventional view that the tax system is biased in favor of homeownership is wrong. Because of the possibility of "tax arbitrage" between high bracket landlords and low bracket tenants, the tax system has long favored rental over ownership for most households. The 1981 reforms by reducing the top marginal tax rate reduced this bias somewhat.


The Special Collections and Rare Book Department at Western Michigan University collaborated with a student worker to develop a system to improve security and employee performance. The student was taking a course in psychology that required him to develop a workplace behavioral intervention with a client and modify an important behavior for employee performance. The article explains both the timer system developed to remind student workers to monitor users and discusses the benefits to the student and the department in working with the curriculum. The project employed techniques of behavioral psychology. It increased attentiveness to patrons and improved monitoring of item handling. The project illustrated the role libraries can play in student instruction through non-traditional approaches to internships and practical experience.


Reducing Burglary Initiative EvaluationThe Reducing Burglary InitiativeIn 1998 the Home Office announced the Crime Reduction Programme. The programme wasintended to develop and implement an integrated approach to reducing crime and makingcommunities safer. The Reducing Burglary Initiative (RBI), launched in 1999, was one of thefirst parts of this programme to commence.The aims of the RBI are to: reduce burglary nationally by targeting areas with the worst domestic burglary problems; evaluate the cost effectiveness of the different approaches and; find out what works best where.Two hundred and forty seven burglary reduction projects have been funded, covering over2.1million households that suffered around 110,000 burglaries a year. Three distractionburglary projects have also been funded.The EvaluationThree consortia of universities have intensively evaluated the first round of 63 RBI projects.A further five projects from subsequent rounds of the RBI (rounds two and three) are alsobeing evaluated.This report is part of a series of studies examining burglary reduction practice beingpublished during 2003. Also to be published are a summary and full report on the overallimpact and cost-effectiveness of Round 1 of the RBI. Other themes to be covered in thisseries are: the delivery of burglary reduction projects; police detection strategies; publicity and awareness of burglary reduction schemes; and the use of alley-gates as a means to reduce burglary.


The effects of two grazing heights and three different grazing intervals on yields of Pangola grass were determined under actual grazing management over a 1-year period. Yields of forage actually consumed by the grazing cattle were determined by sampling small fenced plots before and after each grazing round and determining by difference the forage consumed. Higher yields of forage were obtained when the grass was grazed to within about 6 inches of the ground than with close grazing (an average of 13,096 vs 9,677 pounds of dry forage per acre yearly). Yields of forage decreased with increasing length of grazing interval averaging 12,640, 11,568 and 9,951 pounds of dry forage per acre yearly, with grazing intervals of 14, 21 and 28 days, respectively. There was no significant interaction between grazing height and frequency of grazing. It appears best to graze heavily fertilized Pangola grass pastures to about 6 inches from the ground about every 2 weeks during seasons of fast growth and every 3 weeks during seasons of slow growth.


The idea of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement goes beyond the traditional concept of trade liberalization and, apart from the elimination of tariffs in trade of goods, it also includes the reduction/ removal of non-tariff barriers, the liberalization of the investment regime, the liberalization of trade in services, and the far-reaching harmonization/ mutual recognition of various trade and investment-related regulations and institutions. The economic literature, CGE modeling exercises and the practical experience of "deep" trade integration suggest a substantial potential for the future EU-Ukraine DCFTA in promoting trade and investments, creating additional welfare and employment, regulatory and institutional harmonization with EU's acquis, and modernizing Ukraine's economy. While beneficial for both sides, the potential gains (but also potential adjustment costs) are greater for Ukraine as it is the smaller partner with higher initial trade barriers. However, the DCFTA does not include an automatic guarantee of success. Very much depends on the political will and administrative capacity to implement all of its provisions in a timely and accurate manner. This is a serious challenge for Ukraine, which has a mixed record in reforming its economy and state and which is still struggling to fulfill all of its commitments undertaken during the WTO accession process.


The fan activity rhythm of Sabella spallanzanii (Gmelin, 1791) and its entrainment capability to light were studied. Animals were tested under constant darkness (DD) followed by two consecutive 24 h light-darkness regimes: a first 11 h light period (LD) and a second 9 h light period, with its phase inverted (DL). An infrared analogical video-camera took shots each 30 s. A number of pictures with open fan were counted every 15 min. In DD a weak free-running periodicity in the circadian range was found, thus reinforcing the matching of the 24 h period under study in both photoperiod regimes. A nocturnal activity was characterised with a consistent anticipation to lightOFF (i.e. entrainment). Moreover, this phase of entrainment differed between DL and LD. The presence of endogenous activity rhythm with a variable phase angle of entrainment is a distinctive feature of circadian pacemakers.


Achieving a high quality of waste plastic materials and recycling processes is a key challenge in closing the resource loops for plastics. This report reviews the status and trends for plastic waste flows and treatment in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Furthermore, it gives an overview of existing policy instruments and the main challenges for designing policy instruments for improved recycling of plastic waste in these Nordic countries. The report identifies potential market failures associated with closing the resource loops for plastics. It reviews the economics research literature on policy instrument design for achieving optimal recycling rates and makes policy recommendations from the Nordic perspective. Finally, it presents results from a survey on market conditions to managers in the recycling and plastic manufacturing industry in Sweden.


This thesis examines the perceptual acquisition of the Norwegian close rounded vowel inventory by six Mandarin Chinese learners of Norwegian. While Mandarin Chinese only has the close rounded contrast /y/ - /u/, Norwegian has the close rounded contrasts /y/ - /ʉ/ and /ʉ/- /u/. Through perception tests of native Norwegian and native Mandarin Chinese informants, problematic areas in this acoustic space are uncovered. The six Mandarin Chinese learners show that acquisition of both contrasts is problematic. The results are discussed within the framework of Optimality Theory, following the basic mechanisms of the Gradual Learning Algorithm (Boersma et al. 2003) and the concept behind Escudero's (2005) L2LP model. What is found is that the Mandarin Chinese learners show tendencies of what may be argued to be conscious knowledge overriding phonological knowledge in the acquisition process. Knowledge about the Mandarin Chinese's tendency to overcompensate when faced with the new category /ʉ/ in Norwegian can aid learners and teachers in the acquisition process.


The aim of this study is to develop, using neural networks, a model to aid the performance monitoring of operational diesel engines in industrial settings. Feed-forward and modular neural network-based models are created for the prediction of the specific fuel consumption on any normally aspirated direct injection four-stroke diesel engine. The predictive capability of each model is compared to that of a published quadratic method. Since engine performance maps are difficult and time consuming to develop, there is a general scarcity of these maps, thereby limiting the effectiveness of any engine monitoring program that aims to manage the fuel consumption of an operational engine. Current methods applied for engine consumption prediction are either too complex or fail to account for specific engine characteristics that could make engine fuel consumption monitoring simple and general in application. This study addresses these issues by providing a neural network-based predictive model that requires two measured operational parameters: the engine speed and torque, and five known engine parameters. The five parameters are: rated power, rated and minimum specific fuel consumption bore and stroke. The neural networks are trained using the performance maps of eight commercially available diesel engines, with one entire map being held out of sample for assessment of model generalisation performance and application validation. The model inputs are defined using the domain expertise approach to neural network input specification. This approach requires a thorough review of the operational and design parameters affecting engine fuel consumption performance and the development of specific parameters that both scale and normalize engine performance for comparative purposes. Network architecture and learning rate parameters are optimized using a genetic algorithm-based global search method together with a locally adaptive learning algorithm for weight optimization. Network training errors are statistically verified and the neural network test responses are validation tested using both white and black box validation principles. The validation tests are constructed to enable assessment of the confidence that can be associated with the model for its intended purpose. Comparison of the modular network with the feed-forward network indicates that they learn the underlying function differently, with the modular network displaying improved generalisation on the test data set. Both networks demonstrate improved predictive performance over the published quadratic method. The modular network is the only model accepted as verified and validated for application implementation. The significance of this work is that fuel consumption monitoring can be effectively applied to operational diesel engines using a neural network-based model, the consequence of which is improved long term energy efficiency. Further, a methodology is demonstrated for the development and validation testing of modular neural networks for diesel engine performance prediction.


Cardiac involvement contributes to the severity of SSc and should carefully be investigated and managed in SSc patients. Although it is commonly sub-clinical, once symptomatic it has a poor prognosis. Several complementary tools (circulating biomarkers, electrocardiography, echocardiography, scintigraphy or MRI) allow the assessment of all the various cardiac structures (endocardium, myocardium and pericardium) and heart function. Treatment remains empirical but cardiac trials in SSc can add data to the treatment of this complication.


A selective and validated spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of some 1,4- dihydropyridines (1,4-DHPs) nifedipine, nicardipine , and nimodipine in pure form and pharmaceutical preparations. The proposed method is based on the c ondensation reaction of 1,4-DHP with p-anisaldehyde in acidic medium and measuring the absorbance at 460 nm. The absorbance- concentration plot was rectilinear over the concentration range of 5-60 μ g/mL with a minimum de tection limit of 0.72-2.08 μ g/mL. The factors affec ting the absorbance of the formed products were carefully st udied and optimized. The proposed method was applie d for the determination of these 1,4-DHPs in their pharmaceut ical preparations and spiked human plasma. The resu lts obtained were compared with those obtained using th e reported methods. Also proposal of the reaction p athway was postulated.


The problem of seismic danger estimate in Japan after Tohoku mega-earthquake 11 March of 2011 is considered. The estimates are based on processing low-frequency seismic noise wave-forms from broadband network F-net. A new method of dynamic estimate of seismic danger is used for this problem. The method is based on calculating multi-fractal properties and minimum entropy of squared orthogonal wavelet coefficients for seismic noise. The analysis of the data using notion of "spots of seismic danger" shows that the seismic danger in Japan remains at high level after 2011. 03. 11 within north-east part of Philippine plate—at the region of Nankai Though which traditionally is regarded as the place of strongest earthquakes. It is well known that estimate of time moment of future shock is the most difficult problem in earthquake prediction. In this paper we try to find some peculiarities of the seismic noise data which could extract future danger time interval by analogy with the behavior before Tohoku earthquake. Two possible precursors of this type were found. They are the results of estimates within 1-year moving time window: based on correlation between 2 mean multi-fractal parameters of the noise and based on cluster analysis of annual clouds of 4 mean noise parameters. Both peculiarities of the noise data extract time interval 2013-2014 as the danger.


This study aims to: (1) Identifying the causes of workplace stress occurring entrepreneurs in the batik industry Laweyan Surakarta Central Java. (2) Identify the effect or impact stress businessman working in the batik industry Laweyan Surakarta Central Java. (3) Develop a model of handling work stress entrepreneurs in the batik industry Laweyan Surakarta Central Java. This research uses descriptive method with a "Case Study". The case study is an in-depth study of the individual, a group, an organization, a program of activities, and so within a specified time. In this study aim to obtain a complete and profound description of a job stress entrepreneur. This case study produced data for further analyzed to produce a workable theory for batik entrepreneurs in solving the problems of job stress entrepreneur. The study concluded there are two characteristics of job stress, organizational dynamics work stress and group dynamics work stress. While handling through two approaches, namely causation and development analysis. The analytical approach development through: (1) analysis of the role, (2) create a culture of superior organization, and (3) establishment or consultation center changes, (4) institutional program and (5) a spiritual program


Identifying species and the relationships among them remains important for assess- ing biodiversity trends and is a critical focus for reversing global biodiversity loss. The saw-shelled turtles of Australia, in the genus Myuchelys, show cryptic diversity and include species that range from Endangered (M. bellii), through those that are locally abundant but extremely limited in dis- tribution (M. georgesi and M. purvisi) to those that are common and widespread (M. latisternum). The Endangered M. bellii is restricted to 3 small isolated populations in the headwaters of the Murray-Darling basin, in the Border, Gwydir and Namoi tributaries. There is no evidence of strong differentiation among these 3 populations based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diver- gences; rather there is only a shallow genetic structure ranging from 0.1 to 0.3% divergence. The 3 restricted and small populations of the Endangered M. bellii face a number of threatening pro- cesses and require conservation management across state boundaries as a single biological spe- cies. The mtDNA phylogeny supports previous phylogenetic findings of a deep phylogenetic divergence between M. purvisi and M. georgesi (13.5% mtDNA) and the sister taxa relationship of M. latisternum and M. bellii. A notable exception was our finding that Emydura macquarii and M. georgesi are sister taxa inside the Myuchelys radiation.


Purpose The RAS association domain family protein 1 (RASSF1) has been implicated in a tumor-suppressive function through the induction of acetylated α-tubulin and modulation of cell migration. However, the mechanisms of how RASSF1A is associated with acetylation of α-tubulin for controlling cell migration have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we found that RASSF1A regulated cell migration through the regulation of histon deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), which functions as a tubulin deacetylase. Materials and Methods The cell migration was assessed using wound-healing and transwell assays. The role of RASSF1A on cell migration was examined by immunofluorescence staining, HDAC activity assay and western blot analysis. Results Cell migration was inhibited and cell morphology was changed in RASSF1A-transfected H1299 cells, compared with controls, whereas HDAC6 protein expression was not changed by RASSF1A transfection in these cells. However, RASSF1A inhibited deacetylating activity of HDAC6 protein and induced acetylated α-tubulin expression. Furthermore, acetylated α-tubulin and HDAC6 protein were co-localized in the cytoplasm in RASSF1A-transfected H1299 cells. Conversely, when the endogenous RASSF1A expression in HeLa cells was blocked with RASSF1A siRNA treatment, acetylated α-tubulin was co-localized with HDAC6 protein throughout the whole cells, including the nucleus, compared with scramble siRNA-treated HeLa cells. The restoration of RASSF1A by 5-Aza-dC treatment also induced acetylated α-tubulin through inhibition of HDAC6 activity that finally resulted in suppressing cell migration in H1299 cells. To further confirm the role of HDAC6 in RASSF1A-mediated cell migration, the HDAC6 expression in H1299 cells was suppressed by using HDAC6 siRNA, and cell motility was found to be decreased through enhanced acetylated α-tubulin. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the inactivation of HDAC6 by RASSF1A regulates cell migration through increased acetylated α-tubulin protein.


While childhood malnutrition is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, less well understood is how early childhood growth influences height and body composition later in life. We revisited 152 Peruvian children who participated in a birth cohort study between 1995 and 1998, and obtained anthropometric and bioimpedance measurements 11-14 years later. We used multivariable regression models to study the effects of childhood anthropometric indices on height and body composition in early adolescence. Each standard deviation decrease in length-for-age at birth was associated with a decrease in adolescent height-for-age of 0.7 SD in both boys and girls (all P < 0.001) and 9.7 greater odds of stunting (95% CI 3.3-28.6). Each SD decrease in length-for-age in the first 30 months of life was associated with a decrease in adolescent height-for-age of 0.4 in boys and 0.6 standard deviation in girls (all P < 0.001) and with 5.8 greater odds of stunting (95% CI 2.6-13.5). The effect of weight gain during early childhood on weight in early adolescence was more complex to understand. Weight-for-length at birth and rate of change in weight-for-length in early childhood were positively associated with age- and sex-adjusted body mass index and a greater risk of being overweight in early adolescence. Linear growth retardation in early childhood is a strong determinant of adolescent stature, indicating that, in developing countries, growth failure in height during early childhood persists through early adolescence. Interventions addressing linear growth retardation in childhood are likely to improve adolescent stature and related-health outcomes in adulthood.


This is the first study to examine the influence of gender-sex congruence (match or mismatch between grammatical gender markers and participant sex) on the embodied processing of first-person sentences and images with either an internal or an external perspective in a picture-sentence verification task in Bulgarian modeled on Brunye et al.'s (2009) experimental paradigm. Participants were shown not to discriminate between perspectives when the grammatical gender was congruent with their own sex, thus allowing for an agentive interpretation by the reader. However, in the gender-sex incongruent condition, a significant 83 ms effect of image perspective was observed indicating large processing costs for attempting to adopt an internal perspective when the participant's sex was incompatible with the first -person gender marking, hence with action simulation from an egocentric perspective. These results are discussed in terms of embodiment specificity accounts and the experiential basis of grammar processing.


That Men Would Praise the Lord: The Triumph of Protestantism in Nimes, 1530-1570. By Allan A.Tulchin. (New York: Oxford University Press. 2010. Pp. xxii, 297. $74.00. ISBN 978-0-199-73652-2.) Because the southern French city of Nimes was one of the success stories of French Protestantism, it has been the subject of many scholarly works iAllan Tulchin's contribution is one of the best. It is more than a history of how Nimes became Protestant; it becomes, for Tulchin, a test study of how religious conversion takes place in a hostile society. After a short but essential introduction to the social, political, and economic structures of Nimes at the mid-sixteenth century, in which he shows that law professionals were the most powerful group in the city (a valuable appendix further explicates his methodology),Tulchin examines the religious atmosphere of that era, concluding that although there were as yet no Protestants among the elite, they clearly were dissatisfied with the Catholic Church and its clergy. In setting the scene for the rise of Protestantism, he provides an excellent summary of the interpretations of Eucharist and its importance for the people of that time. He gives due attention to the arrival of humanism in Nimes but identifies the problem of poverty and the inability of the Catholic clergy to remedy it as more crucial in allowing Protestants to gain a toehold in the town, especially as bad harvests and other economic problems drastically increased the number of poor in the 1 55Os. More seriously the 1557 flood put severe pressure on the city's ability to cope while serving as a portent of God's wrath. Compounding the problems were the monarchy's tax demands as it waged war on the Habsburgs, which caused loyalty to it and its institutions, including the Catholic Church, to fray. Tulchin does not assume that these circumstances explain the rise of Protestantism in Nimes; he provides a highly detailed analysis of the process of conversion. One valuable opportunity for the Protestants came when the king convoked the Estates general in 1560, which required the drawing up of cahiers des doleances to petition the monarchy. The author shows how Protestants on the city council used the third Estate's cahier to formulate the grievances of the vast majority of townspeople, thus identifying themselves with popular resentments and desires. It was "powerfully seductive" (p. 119). Tulchin turns to anthropology for the concept of betweenness-a way to measure social networking, for which he draws from the vast number of surviving notarial contracts (and provides a valuable discussion of how he used them in a lengthy appendix). Protestants among the city's elites, he demonstrates, showed a substantially higher connectedness than those who remained Catholic; conversions most often occurred within a family or a social network, and converts with a broad social network were most likely to bring in larger numbers of additional converts. …


Simulation is a widely used technique for analyzing and managing supply chains. Simulation software packages offer standard libraries for selected functions and application areas. However, no commercial or freeware simulation tool proposes building blocks specific to semiconductor manufacturing. Thus, we propose in the present paper a library with a collection of simulation objects that can be used to model supply chain activities of various scales in the semiconductor industry. The library denoted by SCSC-SIMLIB strives for reducing modeling effort. It also enables standardization and benchmarking. We first describe the requirements for such a library and we suggest an architecture. Then, selected objects of the library are presented in more detail. Finally, we demonstrate the benefits of SCSC-SIMLIB, which is implemented by means of the simulation software AnyLogic, with a use case based on a simple example.


Austrian insights on the limits of central planning, the pervasiveness of knowledge problems, and the importance of the entrepreneur in coordinating social change have yielded substantive contributions to the literature on how individuals and communities respond to both natural and unnatural, or manmade, disasters. Austrian economists have examined the political economy of natural disasters, disaster relief and recovery efforts, the economic effects of extended wars, post-conflict societal reconstitution, and the effectiveness of humanitarian aid. This literature advances two main findings: (1) that centralized governments are likely to be ineffective at providing the goods and services that are necessary for community recovery and (2) that decentralized efforts are better suited to address the needs of society, to discover the best course of action for producing and distributing these goods and services, and to adapt to changing needs, circumstances, and technology. This paper examines the Austrian theories utilized to examine disasters, provides a summary of the recent research on both natural and unnatural disasters, and proposes areas for future research.


This article takes a cultural economy approach to the analysis of housing markets as spaces in which class cultures are performed. The design and marketing of real estate projects are understood as the outcome of the interplay of different narratives, practices and materials involving cultural and economic calculations. I explore one particular type of cultural knowledge used during the production and sale of houses: the meanings of class and social mobility. I argue that housing markets and housing production involve the interrelation of several cultural calculations on class and social mobility. In other words, meanings of class and social mobility are instrumentally produced and used in the design, production and marketing of real estate. I describe how cultural calculations about class are inscribed into house location, house design and real estate advertising and marketing devices. Indeed, it is argued that in designing 'real estate' projects, agents and executives work as 'sociologists at large': they create and perform new meanings of class and social mobility.


Papposphaera sarion was first described from West Greenland waters and has not since then been reported from other sites. We present here additional material of P. sarion from the type locality, transmission electron images of P. sarion from the NEW polynya (NE Greenland) and scanning electron images from Svalbard. Study of a vastly extended source of images provides new morphological data, particularly on the variability of coccolith central area calcification in this species. Combination coccospheres involving a Turrisphaera sp. were frequently observed in samples from the NEW polynya as was also the holococcolithophore Turrisphaera phase of this species. Papposphaera sarion has in its life-cycle previously been associated with Turrisphaera arctica.However, a careful re-examination of the micrographs accompanying the description of T. arctica and unpublished material available to us clearly reveals that T. arctica combines with a different, but as yet undescribed species of Papposphaera. Astriking similarity is pointed out between P. sarion HET and species of Stradnerlithus, e.g. Stradnerlithus fragilis from the middle Jurassic.


How does financialization of the economy impact public governance of natural resources? One way includes a shift in how savings and cash accumulation are understood and practiced within public agencies. This article proffers that in the second half of the twentieth century, it became a taken-for-granted understanding that long-term savings should be held in financial investment accounts instead of traditional savings accounts. As a result of this, municipal organizations act as fiscally independent investors, marshaling economic resources to pursue strategic objectives that align with financialized institutional logics. Using a case study of the largest supplier of drinking water in the US, this article examines how the use of financial investments by a major public resource agency, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, evolved since first establishing an investment policy in the 1940s. Today, this organization maintains investments worth over one billion dollars. Analysis of archival documents suggests that financial activities, even if yielding dwindling returns over time, are counted upon as a source of revenue, deployed to obtain favorable bond ratings, used for access to earmarked funds, and leveraged to acquire land in water-strategic locations. Considering the ubiquity of these financial practices among medium to large-sized municipal governing bodies, the results of this study are suggestive and generalizable across substantive governing fields and in other locations. Ultimately, this study shows that public governance agencies are intertwined with private capital flows, problematizing the oft-assumed distance between public and private actors. The article also interrogates the influence that financial markets have over of public policy, showing that elected governance officials engage in the commodification of money, encouraging the further commodification of environmental resources.


Nominal rigidities due to menu costs have become a standard element in closed economy macroeconomic modeling. The ''New Open Economy Macroeconomics'' literature has investigated the implications of nominal rigidities in an open economy context and found that the currency in which prices are set has significant implications for exchange rate pass-through to import prices, the level of trade and net capital flows, and optimal monetary and exchange rate policy. While the literature has exogenously assumed in which currencies goods are priced, in this paper we solve for the equilibrium optimal pricing strategies of firms. We find that the higher the market share of an exporting country in an industry, and the more differentiated its goods, the more likely its exporters will price in the exporter's currency. Country size and the cyclicality of real wages play a role as well, but are empirically less important. We also show that when a set of countries forms a monetary union, the new currency is likely to be used more extensively in trade than the sum of the currencies it replaces.


Equations are derived to govern the motion of vehicles which move on rolling wheels. A relation between the centers of curvature of the trajectories of the wheels and the center of rotation of the vehicle is established. From this relation the general kinematic laws of motion are derived. Applications to questions of offtracking (the difference between the trajectories of the front and back wheels of the vehicle) and optimal steering (how to steer around a tight corner) are considered.


Container-based virtualization offers a very feasible alternative to heavyweights like KVM or XEN. Containers are lightweight and offer near-native performance. They are also easy to deploy because of continuous integration/development tools and environments. This paper offers a brief introduction to containers, defines its properties and provides use-cases in the context of those properties. Secondly, we look at the live migration of stateful applications via containers. Live migration is a promising technique at the network edge to unload computing to other nodes to expand the use of fog computing / mobile-edge computing. Our experiment shows that live migration of stateful applications can result in three different types of errors, namely, resend, reprocessed and wrong-order errors.


Introduction to the interview: In an era when democracy is claimed to be in crisis, citizens are portrayed as increasingly distrustful of politicians and political institutions, and change, if any, is expected to be coming from extra-institutional spaces, Albert Dzur invites us to seek and fi nd the seeds of democratic change within the existing institutions of representative democracy. Dzur's work captures the difference democratic professionals can make i n these spaces and tells us about the fresh approach they bring to their everyday routines in schools, community centers, government agencies, and even prisons. What links democratic professionals in different institutions is their aspiration to create power-sharing arrangements and collaborative thinking skills in places that are usually characterized as hierarchical and non-participatory. Dzur explains how democratic professionals transform the way institutions function and fi nd solutions to collective problems. Yet such transformative practices often elude the attention of democratic theorists as they fall outside of the established notions of democracy and democratic change. The following interview focuses on the relationship between democratic theory and practice, the difference between social movement actors and democratic professionals, and the challenges of bringing democratic change and sustaining it in existing institutions, organizations and work places.


A study was made of the effects of fluoride (F) on the antioxidant defense systems of postmenopausal women residing in a fluorotic and a nonfluorotic village in Chitoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Twenty-five postmenopausal women (approximately 10 years postmenopause, mean age 57 years) residing in endemic fluorotic Adharam and nonfluorotic Rajanagaram (water F >2.0 ppm and <0.35 ppm, respectively) were studied for their dietary calcium (Ca), urinary F, serum levels of F, Ca, phosphorus, intact parathormone (PTH), 25-hydroxy vitamin D, and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as the activities of serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and catalase (CAT). Dietary Ca was far below the recommended daily allowance. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and PTH levels were comparable in the two villages. Antioxidant and lipid peroxidation levels were significantly lower in the postmenopausal women residing in the Adharam fluorotic village. The postmenopausal women in the nonfluorotic Rajanagaram village showed a strong positive correlation between CAT and PTH (r = 0.54; p<0.01) and a negative correlation between CAT and SAP (r = –0.52; p<0.008). In the fluorotic village, MDA showed an inverse negative correlation with serum F (r = –0.6; p<0.001) and a positive correlation with dietary Ca (r = 0.43; p<0.03). GST showed a negative correlation with PTH (r = –0.42; p<0.04). For the women of comparable age, duration of menopause, and vitamin D status, those residing in the fluorotic village showed a weaker antioxidant defense system and lower lipid peroxidation than the women residing in the nonfluorotic village. The weakened antioxidant system among women in the fluorotic village is correlated with their high serum F levels and appears to have a detrimental effect on their bone mineral metabolism and mineralization.


Label propagation is a popular graph-based semi-supervised learning framework. So as to obtain the optimal labeling scores, the label propagation algorithm requires an inverse matrix which incurs the high computational cost of O(n3+cn2), where n and c are the numbers of data points and labels, respectively. This paper proposes an efficient label propagation algorithm that guarantees exactly the same labeling results as those yielded by optimal labeling scores. The key to our approach is to iteratively compute lower and upper bounds of labeling scores to prune unnecessary score computations. This idea significantly reduces the computational cost to O(cnt) where t is the average number of iterations for each label and t ≪ n in practice. Experiments demonstrate the significant superiority of our algorithm over existing label propagation methods.


Numerous developing countries are currently planning or executing projects that introduce technology into their educational systems. This article asserts that such projects will have limited long-term success or impact until they are reconceptualized to incorporate three transformative concepts: teachers play the key role in determining the success or failure of such projects; change is a years-long process and not a one-time event; and teachers need ongoing support to adopt the technology and should be treated as stakeholders in the innovation-adoption process. In the Macedonian nationwide computers-in-schools project herein described, teachers received extremely comprehensive advance training in both computer use and methods of actively incorporating technology into their curriculum and teaching. Still, the majority of teachers were not successfully employing technology in the classroom three years after the training and deployment were carried out. This article applies the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (or CBAM, which describes how individuals' concerns evolve as they undergo the process of change and how these concerns may be addressed over time) to Macedonia's experience. CBAM serves as a lens through which to examine ICT-in-education efforts and determine whether they effectively match up with how teachers experience change and where there is room for improvement in such efforts.


Intravitreal injections of medications have become routine in recent years. One of the most feared sight and even eye-threatening complication of any intraocular procedure is endophthalmitis. This study was designed to investigate whether it is possible for microorganisms to infiltrate the scleral track created by a 30-gauge needle.


Nanotechnology and its promises for clinical translation to targeted drug delivery with limited accompanying toxicity provide exciting research opportunities that demands multidisciplinary approaches. The colloidal metallic systems have been recently investigated in the area of nanomedicine. Gold nanoparticles have found themselves useful for diagnostics and drug delivery applications. In this study, we have reported a novel method for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using natural, biocompatible and biodegradable chitosan which came from deacetylating chitin from Portunus Pelagicus. It serves many purposes, as a reducing agent, stabilizer and absorption and penetration enhancer. Erythropoietin would have high loading efficiency with chitosan reduced gold nanoparticles; the binding is predominantly through hydrogen bonding. Chitosan reduced gold nanoparticles improve the pharmacodynamics and cellular uptake of Erythropoietin across mucosal sites and have immunoadjuvant properties. There is almost 50 % shell waste in crustacean industry. It is resourceful if it would be bioconverted. The process of bioconversion is deproteination, demineralization and deacetylation to obtain chitosan. In synthesizing gold nanoparticles, 1.48 × 10−2 M chloroauric acid will be reduced by heating for 15 minutes in 100mL chitosan solution prepared in 1% acetic acid to yield a ruby-red solution. Erythropoietin would be loaded into it and will undergo 13,000rpm of centrifuge followed by calculating the loading efficiency.


This thesis describes a novel connectionist machine utilizing induction by a Hilbert hypercube representation. This representation offers a number of distinct advantages which are described. We construct a theoretical and practical learning machine which lies in an area of overlap between three disciplines - neural nets, machine learning and knowledge acquisition - hence it is refered to as a "coalesced" machine. To this unifying aspect is added the various advantages of its orthogonal lattice structure as against less structured nets. We discuss the case for such a fundamental and low level empirical learning tool and the assumptions behind the machine are clearly outlined. Our theory of an orthogonal lattice structure the Hilbert hypercube of an n-dimensional space using a complemented distributed lattice as a basis for supervised learning is derived from first principles on clearly laid out scientific principles. The resulting "subhypercube theory" was implemented in a development machine which was then used to test the theoretical predictions again under strict scientific guidelines. The scope, advantages and limitations of this machine were tested in a series of experiments. Novel and seminal properties of the machine include: the "metrical", deterministic and global nature of its search; complete convergence invariably producing minimum polynomial solutions for both disjuncts and conjuncts even with moderate levels of noise present; a learning engine which is mathematically analysable in depth based upon the "complexity range" of the function concerned; a strong bias towards the simplest possible globally (rather than locally) derived "balanced" explanation of the data; the ability to cope with variables in the network; and new ways of reducing the exponential explosion. Performance issues were addressed and comparative studies with other learning machines indicates that our novel approach has definite value and should be further researched.


Suaeda maritima (L) Dumort is a polymorphic annual species of the family Chenopodiaceae that in the UK occurs exclusively in coastal salt marshes. The main aim of this study has been to examine the phenotypic variations within and between its populations in the heterogeneous microenvironments of a salt marsh.
Detailed field characterizations of the growth, seed production and seed heteromorphism of four Suaeda maritima populations at Stiffkey salt marsh were conducted over three consecutive years, revealing considerable consistent phenotypic variation between populations on the high marsh, high-marsh creek bank, upper low marsh, and low marsh.
Field environmental heterogeneity was assessed by taking measurements of sediment salinity, water content, organic content, redox potential, elevation in the tidal frame and annual number of tidal inundations. They demonstrated that different Suaeda maritima populations do indeed experience divergences between their environments that could both affect the phenotypic responses of developing plants and constitute selection pressures for the evolution of genetically differentiated populations.
Experiments involving seedling reciprocal transplantation in the field and seedling transplantation to uniform laboratory conditions revealed significant differences among populations in terms of survival, growth and fecundity parameters.
Detailed experiments examining the effect of salinity, temperature, light and storage conditions on seed germination and dormancy also revealed seed dimorphism and significant variation in the germination behaviour among populations.
Suaeda maritima populations exhibited substantial evidence of genetic differentiation (reflecting the complex heterogeneity in their natural microhabitats) and, therefore, it can be suggested that this differentiation reflects adaptive ability to colonize wider range of habitats along the environmental gradients.
Key words: Suaeda maritima, Salt marsh, Microhabitat, Population differentiation, Phenotypic plasticity, Fecundity, Seed heteromorphism, Dormancy, Germination, Survival, Reciprocal transplantation, Spatial heterogeneity


The recent yellow fever epidemic in Brazil has raised the concern of outbreaks in neighboring countries, particularly in the Caribbean region where the vector Aedes aegypti is predominant. This threat comes from the past when in the Americas, this disease caused devastating urban epidemics. We report the vector competence of Ae. aegypti from Guadeloupe for yellow fever virus by determining different parameters describing virus infection, dissemination, and transmission. The results indicate that Ae. aegypti Guadeloupe are susceptible to yellow fever virus with viral particles detected in mosquito saliva at 14 and 21 days post-infection. Local authorities and more broadly, international organizations should maintain the active surveillance of Aedes mosquitoes and the spreading of human cases from South America.


The classical myth of Medea, a migrant and mother who kills her children after having been left by her husband, is one of the most challenging stories in literary history. Over 2500 years, the myth has travelled from southern Europe to the north and inspired many writers. This contribution focuses on three versions: the original Greek tragedy by Euripides (431 B.C.E.), Christa Wolf's German novel Medea: Stimmen (1996) and Sara Stridsberg's Swedish play Medealand (2011). What are the similarities and differences in these versions? What role do formal devices play in interpreting the myth? In Euripides' play, Medea is betrayed, desperate and cruel. She kills her sons because she wants revenge, a motive which is commented on by other female actors and the chorus in the play. Christa Wolf depicts Medea as a strong and loyal character, but as such she is perceived as a threat to patriarchal society. When her sons are killed, the murder is blamed on her. Readers of Wolf's novel learn this through the use of formal devices such as interior monologues. In the latest text on the myth, produced by Stridsberg, Medea kills her sons as the result of a psychic breakdown. Finding herself in the situation of a refugee with no rights and in a country where she has nobody to talk to or ask for help, she feels she has no other choice. Her situation is explicitly commented on by other characters in the play, which is due to the dramatic text's epic structure.


This book contains scholarly contributions to several current debates in the philosophy of medicine and health care regarding the nature of health and health promotion, concepts and measurements of mental illness, phenomenological conceptions of health and illness, allocation of health care resources, criteria for proper medical science, the clinical meeting, and ethical constraints in such a meeting.With one exception, the authors in this book are or have been teachers or graduate students at the interdisciplinary Department of Health and Society (Tema H) at Linkoping University, Sweden. While all the texts have a philosophical focus, many other disciplines have influenced the choice of specific perspectives. The university backgrounds of the authors range from medicine, psychology, sociology, and religion to philosophy. What binds the authors together is their deep interest in the theory of medicine and in the pursuit of a philosophy of humanistic medicine and health care.


After a multitude of studies across more than a century, researchers have failed to consistently identify characteristics or patterns that distinguish dyslexia from other decoding challenges. Many researchers and educators argue the construct is too vague and contradictory to be useful for educators. Nevertheless, attention to dyslexia in policy and practice has increased at a rapid rate; 37 states now have dyslexia laws, and national legislation was passed in 2016. Employing Bakhtin's concept of authoritative discourse (AD) as a theoretical lens, we examined the emergence and current state of dyslexia legislation and policy in Texas, Indiana, and Florida, three states that represent various histories of legislation and stages of policy implementation. Our analysis found similarities among the states' legislation, particularly regarding how the policies emerged and the AD embedded within them. The International Dyslexia Society's recommendations for a specific intervention approach that is "multisensory, systematic, and structured" appear in each state's laws. This approach is not well supported by research, but it is officially sanctioned through legislation in many states and has had a profound effect on policy and practice. By not engaging in the discourse or using the word "dyslexia," literacy researchers and educators place themselves outside of a closed discourse circle that influences policy and practice and deeply affects students. We encourage active participation in the conversation and in policy decisions that are currently taking place without the input of literacy educators and researchers.


Acute heart failure is a life-threatening medical condition. Improving acute heart failure care is important. Early diagnosis and evaluating the etiology are important in acute heart failure. Patients with suspected acute heart failure should have a diagnostic workup, and appropriate pharmacological and nonpharmacological management should be started promptly and in parallel. Diagnosis of acute heart failure should be based on history and symptoms. The physical examination typically presents with some combination of increased congestion and decreased peripheral perfusion, further confirmed by electrocar - diogram, chest radiograph, biomarkers, and echocardiogram. The first step in the manage ment of a patient is to address life-threatening issues. Patients with respiratory failure or cardiogenic shock should be treated soon. The next step is the identification of precipitants that needs urgent management. Evidence-based medication to reduce morbidity and mor- tality for patients with heart failure includes an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor; a beta blocker; and a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. During an acute heart failure episode, management of these agents depends upon whether the patient has contraindications to therapy such as hemodynamic instability or acute kidney injury. Once the patient is stable, therapies are carefully initiated, reinitiated, or titrated with appropriate follow-up.


Preface. 1. Setting the Stage L. Hyman. Part I: Theoretical Challenges in Real-Time Operation. 2. Power Systems Operation: Old vs. New M. Ilic, F. Galiana. 3. Framework and Methods for the Analysis of Bilateral Transmissions F. Galiana, M. Ilic. Part II: Industry Experiences and Challenges. 4. The Political Economy of the Pool R. Green. 5. Practical Requirements for ISO Systems R. Masiello. Part III: Markets of the Future. 6. Agent Based Economics G. Sheble. 7. One-Part Markets for Electric Power: Ensuring the Benefits of Competition F.C. Graves, et al. Part IV: Planning in the New Industry. 8. System Planning under Competition R. Coxe, M. Ilic. 9. Transmission Networks and Market Power Z. Younes, M. Ilic. 10. Competitive Electric Services and Efficiency S.R. Connors. Part V: Power Systems Control in the New Industry. 11. New Control Paradigms for Deregulation L.H. Fink. 12. The Control and Operation of Distributed Generation in a Competitive Electric Market J. Cardell, M. Ilic. 13. Application of Dynamic Generation Control for Predatory Competitive Advantage in Electric Power Markets T. Gorski, C. DeMarco. Index.


This introduction situates the special double issue 'Canonizing Q1 Hamlet' in the context of the early publication history of Shakespeare's tragedy and the recent
critical and editorial interest in the first edition. The first edition of Hamlet – often called 'Q1', shorthand for 'first quarto' – was published in 1603, in what we might regard as the early modern equivalent of a cheap paperback. Q1 Hamlet is becoming increasingly canonical not because there is universal agreement about what it is or what it means, but because more and more Shakespearians agree
that it is worth arguing about. If we read or perform it, rather than simply dismissing it (as was done for most of the twentieth century), Q1 makes us think: about performance, book history, Shakespeare's relationships with his contemporaries, and the shape of his whole career.


Telegram is a popular instant messaging service, a selfdescribed fast and secure solution. It introduces its own home-made cryptographic protocol MTProto instead of using already known solutions, which was criticised by a significant part of the cryptographic community [2, 8]. In this article we will briefly introduce the protocol to provide context to the reader and then present two major findings we discovered as part of our security analysis performed in late 2016. First, the undocumented obfuscation method Telegram uses, and second, a replay attack vulnerability we discovered. The analysis was mainly focused on the MTProto protocol and the Telegram's official client for Android.


The Hellmann gauges have been widely used as the official precipitation measurement instruments in 30 countries. From 1986 to 1993, the accuracy and performance of the Hellmann gauges were evaluated during the WMO Solid Precipitation Measurement Intercomparison at 4 stations in Finland, Russia, Germany, and Croatia. The double fence intercomparison reference (DFIR) was the reference standard used at all the Intercomparison stations. The data for the Hellmann gauges were compiled from measurements made at the 4 WMO intercomparison sites. These data represent a variety of climates, terrains and exposures. The effects of meteorological factors, such as wind speed, type of precipitation and temperature, on gauge catch efficiency were investigated. For snow and mixed precipitation, wind speed was found to be the most important factor determining the gauge catch and air temperature had a secondary effect. The relations of gauge catch ratio versus wind speed and temperature on a daily time scale were derived and presented for snow and mixed precipitation. Independent tests of the relations have been conducted at the WMO intercomparison stations and reasonable agreement between the corrected precipitation and the DFIR observation has been obtained. These relations are therefore recommended to be used for test correction of gauge measured data. It is expected that implementation of these correction procedures to the current and archived records will significantly improve the accuracy and homogeneity of precipitation data.


OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of war-related, protracted stress on glycemic control in type II diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We examined 35 patients with type II diabetes as part of their routine control in October 1990. We reexamined them in October 1991, 3 mo after the war in Croatia began. We also administered a questionnaire to assess the patients' exposure to stress and changes in diet and exercise. RESULTS The patients were exposed to considerable stressors. The wartime diet differed from the prewar diet. We found significant changes in total serum cholesterol and TG values (P < 0.01), but we observed no significant changes in body weight, FBG, postprandial blood glucose, and HbA1c values. Insulin and glibenclamide dosages did not change. CONCLUSIONS We detected no significant impact of stress on glycemic control, probably because of differences in individual stress responsiveness. Changes in the lipid status probably were attributable to changes in dietary habits caused by specific circumstances.