Due to the ever-changing technological landscape and the global integration of the Internet in schools, libraries, homes, and businesses, the content of this second edition changed significantly. Since many computer users are connected at both home and work, the Web has transformed communication; consumption patterns; and access to business, politicians, and neighbors halfway around the world. With numerous books on user-friendly Web sites, the editor's challenge was to deliver a volume with a radically different snapshot of the research being conducted at the beginning of the 21st century. The chapters in this book provide many answers to critical questions and propose thought-provoking research ideas for the future. Corporate and academic practitioners, as well as their doctoral fellows and graduate students from around the globe contributed their time, expertise, and unique research practices. Together, they collectively provide another comprehensive resource that the growing community of human factors and Web development experts can share. The editor's hope is that this book will inspire leading-edge research on accessible Web applications or other topics in the coming years.


We investigate the optimal model size and number of tokens for training a transformer language model under a given compute budget. We find that current large language models are significantly undertrained, a consequence of the recent focus on scaling language models whilst keeping the amount of training data constant. By training over 400 language models ranging from 70 million to over 16 billion parameters on 5 to 500 billion tokens, we find that for compute-optimal training, the model size and the number of training tokens should be scaled equally: for every doubling of model size the number of training tokens should also be doubled. We test this hypothesis by training a predicted compute-optimal model, Chinchilla, that uses the same compute budget as Gopher but with 70B parameters and 4$\times$ more more data. Chinchilla uniformly and significantly outperforms Gopher (280B), GPT-3 (175B), Jurassic-1 (178B), and Megatron-Turing NLG (530B) on a large range of downstream evaluation tasks. This also means that Chinchilla uses substantially less compute for fine-tuning and inference, greatly facilitating downstream usage. As a highlight, Chinchilla reaches a state-of-the-art average accuracy of 67.5% on the MMLU benchmark, greater than a 7% improvement over Gopher.


This study investigates various hydrological and redox conditions controlling phase transformation, removal and remobilization of Cd in three different estuaries in Taiwan. It was found that Cd mixing patterns in estuarine waters are controlled mainly by redox conditions and salinity. In a highly urbanized estuary segment low oxygen conditions caused sulfide production and the formation of stable Cd sulfide minerals. In oxygen-replete waters [dissolved oxygen (DO) > 200 μM], high concentrations of Mn(II), likely from exchange with bottom sediments were oxidized into Mn oxides, on which Cd is adsorbed. However, in the lower estuary regions elevated chloride concentrations are likely able to compete for Cd, with large proportions of Cd becoming complexed with chloride. The stable Cd sulfide minerals, resistant to oxidation in estuaries having short flushing time, are likely settling out and depositing into bottom sediments. Reversible Cd adsorption onto Mn oxides can enhance Cd mobility in lower estuary and coastal regions where Cd chloro-complexes form, resulting in greater Cd transport fluxes into the ocean.


ABSTRACT Large multidrug resistance plasmids of the A/C incompatibility complex (IncA/C) have been found in a diverse group of Gram-negative commensal and pathogenic bacteria. We present three completed sequences from IncA/C plasmids that originated from Escherichia coli (cattle) and Salmonella enterica serovar Newport (human) and that carry the cephamycinase gene blaCMY-2. These large plasmids (148 to 166 kbp) share extensive sequence identity and synteny. The most divergent plasmid, peH4H, has lost several conjugation-related genes and has gained a kanamycin resistance region. Two of the plasmids (pAM04528 and peH4H) harbor two copies of blaCMY-2, while the third plasmid (pAR060302) harbors a single copy of the gene. The majority of single-nucleotide polymorphisms comprise nonsynonymous mutations in floR. A comparative analysis of these plasmids with five other published IncA/C plasmids showed that the blaCMY-2 plasmids from E. coli and S. enterica are genetically distinct from those originating from Yersinia pestis and Photobacterium damselae and distal to one originating from Yersinia ruckeri. While the overall similarity of these plasmids supports the likelihood of recent movements among E. coli and S. enterica hosts, their greater divergence from Y. pestis or Y. ruckeri suggests less recent plasmid transfer among these pathogen groups.


The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVC) presents an emerging legal issue that straddles the line between political science and law. The NPVC is an interstate compact in which member states will allocate all of their electoral votes to the winner of the national vote, as opposed to the traditional state vote. The bill would not be effective until states possessing a majority of the nation's electoral votes (270) have become members. If enacted by enough states, the NPVC would all but put an end to the Electoral College, and the United States would essentially move to a direct national vote for president, without a constitutional amendment. The most hotly contested legal issue surrounding the NPVC will likely be whether Congressional consent is required for the NPVC's member states to validly enter into the compact.This article ultimately concludes that Congressional consent would not be required for the NPVC to be effective, because member states would not be encroaching on the powers of non-member states. Additionally, I offer an alternative argument about "faithless electors" that breaks new ground in NPVC literature. The Supreme Court has said that one of the most relevant inquiries into the Congressional consent requirement is whether compacting states can unilaterally withdraw from the compact. I conclude that even though member states cannot withdraw from the NPVC after July 20 of a presidential election year, the individual electors can withdraw on behalf of the states. The Constitution does not bind electors to vote for a particular candidate, but only mandates that state legislatures commit to a method of allocation. Thus, compacting states can still compel their pledged electors to change their vote.


Material and methods: Under observation there were 118 children with LTBI and 129 diseased children with local forms of lung tuberculosis. The concentration of key cytokines IFNr, IL4, IL10, IL18 in blood serum was identified with immunoferment method.

Results: To comparatively study the correlation of functioning of Th1 and Th2 cells in the immune response, we introduced the notion of "Cytokine index". Accordingly, the secretorious activity of T-helpers of the 1 and 2 type we determined by quantitative correlation of the key cytokines IFNr/IL4 and IL18/IL10. It was determined that in comparison with a control group (30 noninfectious children) average values of IFNr content increased in diseased children in 2,4 times, in healthy with LTBI – in 3,6 times. By analogy, the values of IL18 increased in the diseased in 2,9 and in healthy children with LTBI – in 4,5 times. The obtained results underline the oneway direction of the immune response to TBC infection, appeared in organism. In diseased children the quantitative index of correlation of the key cytokines IFNr/IL4 lessened to 1,4 times (in a control group – to 2,3). In infectious children this index was equal to 1,9. The correlation of the other two nonetheless important cytokines IL18/IL10 in the differentiating of T-lymphocites in very indicative: in both groups the cytokine index appeared to be lowered to 1,4 and 1,9, which was caused by the increase of IL10 almost in 5 times as compared with the control group (2,3).

Conclusion: The IL18/IL10 obtained results allow of IL18/IL10 introducing into clinical practice quantitative evaluation of correlation of Th1 and Th2 hence to diagnose the LTBI progress.


Different academic disciplines have deployed a diversity of approaches to European identity, Europeanism and Europeanisation, with often a strong emphasis on their material-structural components. This article uses a discursive-material analysis, that acknowledges the importance of the material, but places it in a non-hierarchical relation with the discursive. Grounded in an extensive literature review on European identity, Europeanism and Europeanisation, the article first highlights the discursive nature of these concepts, how they engage in struggles with other place-based identities and discourses, and how the articulations of these concepts themselves are deeply contingent, with a long history of essentialist articulations. In the second part, the material components of these three concepts (and in particular Europeanisation) are analysed, then allowing for a plea to understand Europe as an assemblage, where Europe is seen to be performed in always unique and contingent articulations of the discursive and the material.


Abstract We acquired three geo-slicer cores along a longitudinal profile on the subaqueous portion of the Hii River delta built since the 1630s in Lake Shinji, western Japan. Grading patterns of 26 individual sand beds in the cores vary spatially. We interpret these sand beds as subaqueous flood deposits from their sedimentary structures, the geomorphology of the delta lobe, and the absence of hydrodynamic influences other than river floods entering the lake. Most sand beds at shallow depths (< 4 m below the water surface) display triple stacks of inverse-to-normal grading. Single inverse-to-normal grading appears between 4 and 5 m depth, and normal grading dominates in deeper beds. Inverse and normal grading could reflect the waxing and waning of the parent flow, respectively. We explain the occurrence of triple stacks of inverse-to-normal grading in shallower horizons and single inverse-to-normal grading in deeper horizons as consequences of lateral movement of the plunge point of flood plumes during the course of flood events. Spatially decelerating sediment-laden river plumes steeply increase their velocity after they plunge beneath the water surface. In depth-limited proximal areas of a subaqueous delta, back-and-forth translation of the plunge point over a fixed point due to the waxing and waning of river discharge leads to three cycles of waxing and waning of flow velocity, and the resulting deposits at the fixed point would have triple stacks of inverse-to-normal grading. In the distal parts of the delta, velocity of fully plunged hyperpycnal flow increases and then decreases, reflecting directly the waxing and waning of river discharge, and the resulting deposits would be composed of single inversely-to-normally graded beds. In the most distal parts, the slower initial part of the hyperpycnal flow may be overtaken by the succeeding faster part to yield a monotonically waning flow at a fixed point. This process may have resulted in sand beds with uniformly normal grading in lower (distal) horizons. Assuming that flood hydrographs for the Hii River have not changed since the 17th century, these findings mean that the momentum of river flow during floods propagates to the outflow differently at different distances from the river mouth. Our results show that in parts of the delta-front slope, the outflow of river floods accounts for the inverse-to-normal grading considered to be an important basis for identifying hyperpycnal flow turbidites. However, in other parts of this environment, grading patterns of flood deposits do not necessary reflect the flood hydrograph. Overdependence on inverse-to-normal grading in identifying hyperpycnal flow deposits may lead to inaccurate estimations of their frequency in the sedimentary record. On the other hand, special care is needed for the reconstruction of paleo-flood hydrographs using sedimentary records.


Critical Events in Psychotherapy Supervision helps supervisors understand the dilemmas they most frequently encounter when supervising psychotherapist trainees. Such dilemmas may include ambiguity about roles, misunderstandings related to cultural background and gender, problematic attitudes and behavior, skill deficits, countertransference, and sexual attraction to clients. Resolving these difficulties effectively is particularly important in the supervisor-supervisee relationship, because doing so models positive ways of handling interactions with clients. Drawing on their extensive supervisory experience, the authors propose a model for turning problems into opportunities for growth. By closely analyzing transcripts of dialogs between trainees and supervisors, they show how dilemmas can be identified, mutually explored, and overcome. The dialogs make for fascinating reading and illustrate a range of situations commonly encountered during the supervision of mental health professionals. This book offers solutions for academic and clinical supervisors in fields such as counseling and guidance, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing.


The vote for Brexit is not an isolated event, but part of a wave of populist, anti-elite revolts: a new 'anti-system' politics Western democracies are experiencing, shaking the existing consensus around economic integration, free markets and liberal values. This wave takes a variety of forms, but has in common a robust, even violent, rejection of the mainstream political elites and their values, and a demand for governments to act on the sources of social and economic distress and inequality. This article views Brexit as a part of this new anti-system politics, a reaction to the decline in ideological competition in democracies and the increasing impotence of politicians to address the upheavals wrought by global free market capitalism. This reaction has become particularly acute after the financial crisis of the late 2000s, which affected Britain disproportionately, and the failure of austerity policies to revive growth, crystallising the ineffectiveness of existing policies to deal with economic stagnation and cultural change. This policy failure is compounded by a perceived refusal of politicians to engage with the broader public and a lack of real choice between the mainstream political parties. The article will present evidence that a failed policy consensus, a rise in inequality and a decline in the representativeness of political elites, rather than a resurgence of intolerance or xenophobia, are the principal causes of the Brexit vote.


Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with omega-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) as host modulating agent, given at varying interval, in patients with chronic periodontitis.Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Periodontology and Implantology of Mahatma Gandhi Vidyamandir's K.B.H. Dental College and Hospital, Nashik, Maharashtra, India. Forty-five patients with chronic periodontitis were selected. The patients were randomly allotted into one of the following groups: Group A (15 patients): Scaling and root planning (SRP) + ω-3 FAs for 1 month, Group B (15 patients): SRP + ω-3 FAs for 2 months, Group C (15 patients): SRP + ω-3 FAs for 3 months. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were assessed pre-SRP (baseline), 1 month, and 3 months, respectively, after the treatment. Results: In the present study, in the intra-group comparison; PI, GI, PPD, and CAL were significantly reduced in all three groups (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in PI, GI, PPD, and CAL in Group A, B, and C (P > 0.05) after 1 month, 2 months, and after 3 months, respectively. Conclusion:ω-3 FAs are equally effective as far as periodontal therapy is concerned when given for short duration of 1 month.


During World War II Irish artists who had been living and working on the Continent and in Britain came home to neutral Ireland and began to react against the Royal Hibernian Academy and Nationalist Realism. This survey begins here and goes on to trace a half-century of political and cultural development - from the Irish Exhibition of Living Art through the creation of the Arts Council, the Rosc exhibitions and the advent of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, while looking at the artists themselves. The author focuses on the visual arts in Ireland, but she does not neglect the emigres: refusing to establish criteria for "Irishness", she chooses to talk about the art itself, identifying a distinct Celtic element in Sean Scully's abstract paintings and suggesting possible origins of Francis Bacon's artistic sensibility in his childhood on the Curragh of Kildare. She also gives an account of the works and influence in Ireland of artists who are not Irish, such as Joseph Beuys, who came to Ireland after being sacked from his teaching post in Germany, and the array of modernists and postmodernists whose works appeared in the early Rosc exhibition.


FOOD INSECURITY IS BOTH A CONSEQUENCE AND A CAUSE OF CONFLICT, MAKING IT INEXORABLY LINKED WITH POLITICAL STABILITY AT REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS. Lack of access to affordable food has proven to trigger revolutions and spark unrest across the world. The first signs of the Arab Spring were riots in Algeria and Tunisia in 2011 over dramatic increases in the prices of dietary staples such as sugar, oil, and flour. The food-price crisis of 2007–2008 caused dozens of protests across the globe, serving as a wakeup call to the international community and the United States that investments in sustainable agricultural development are critical to political stability and national security. Food Insecurity, Conflict, and Stability


Step-scan transient Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) difference spectra are often measured in an ac-coupled configuration. The resulting differential intensity spectra contain both positive and negative bands. This condition poses problems for direct phase correction by the standard Mertz and Forman methods. Restricting the calculated phase angle to the range [–π/2, π/2] was previously shown to fix some of these problems, but we show that the use of a reduced-resolution phase spectrum can produce other artifacts. The effect of reduced resolution is analyzed for a simulated noise-free spectrum and for a measured transient spectrum of a real photochemical system, bacteriorhodopsin. Examination of these results reveals that the Mertz and Mertz Signed methods can produce spectral bands of reduced magnitude and unusual band shape, with considerable amounts of intensity remaining along the imaginary axis after phase correction. However, these errors can be eliminated by self-convolution of the measured interferogram, which doubles all phase angles, prior to smoothing. This procedure removes the potential discontinuities in the phase angle due to sign changes in the differential spectrum. With bacteriorhodopsin, this doubled-angle method for direct phase correction is able to produce a transient spectrum which closely matches that produced by using a separately measured dc interferogram to calculate the phase angle.


This study examines the on-going work of New Hampshire Listens, a convener of deliberative conversations, specific to their work with police-community relationships. Attending particularly to the facilitators and planners of New Hampshire "Blue and You" in a small city, the study found systemic practices of early stakeholder involvement in the planning, holding space for disparate views, promoting storytelling, and creating intimate physical spaces addressed the vulnerability felt by participants. These practices distributed power among stakeholders, aided in preparing participants for the conversation, and fostered neutrality in the forum. They provide several ideas for how deliberation practitioners and scholars might respond to the present polarizing political context.


This monograph presents an experimental and theoretical inquiry into the role of sentential form and variation in the prosodic structure of Catalan. The empirical section examines intonational phrasing across sentence forms, including SVO structures with either nominal or sentential objects and structures involving clitic left- and right-dislocations. The results show variation in phrasing that depends on syntactic factors and non-syntactic factors such as topic-hood and prosodic binarity. The theoretical section uses Stochastic Optimality Theory to model the variation and frequency distributions associated with the observed prosodic patterns. Various syntactic and non-syntactic factors are represented by alignment constraints, which play a major role in Catalan, and by constraints that limit size and those that limit the overall amount of prosodic structure. This study represents a combined approach to prosody and syntax and is of particular relevance for theoretical and empirical linguists interested in the relationship between these domains both in Catalan and other languages.


We present new Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) images of the central region of the W49A star-forming region at 3.6 cm and at 7 mm at resolutions of 015 (1650 au) and 004 (440 au), respectively. The 3.6 cm data reveal new morphological detail in the ultracompact H ii region population, as well as several previously unknown and unresolved sources. In particular, source A shows elongated, edge-brightened bipolar lobes, indicative of a collimated outflow, and source E is resolved into three spherical components. We also present VLA observations of radio recombination lines at 3.6 cm and 7 mm, and IRAM Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) observations at 1.2 mm. Three of the smallest ultracompact H ii regions (sources A, B2, and G2) all show broad kinematic linewidths, with ΔV FWHM ≳ 40 km s−1. A multi-line analysis indicates that broad linewidths remain after correcting for pressure broadening effects, suggesting the presence of supersonic flows. Substantial changes in linewidth over the 21 yr time baseline at both 3.6 cm and 7 mm are found for source G2. At 3.6 cm, the linewidth of G2 changed from 31.7 ± 1.8 km s−1 to 55.6 ± 2.7 km s−1, an increase of +23.9 ± 3.4 km s−1. The G2 source was previously reported to have shown a 3.6 cm continuum flux density decrease of 40% between 1994 and 2015. This source sits near the center of a very young bipolar outflow whose variability may have produced these changes.


Results on the growth of highly organized, periodic microstructures on a copper substrate utilizing a nanosecond pulsed Nd:YVO4 laser at 532 nm are reported. At the laser energy fluence of ~2.5 J/cm2 (intensity of ~0.21 GW/cm2) arrays of microstructures with average periods ranging from ~40 μm to ~80 μm, depending on the distance between the consecutive laser scans, are generated. The employed technique for irradiating copper and the mechanism for formation of the highly organized microstructures are discussed.


A biomonitoring protocol, using blood cholinesterase (ChE) activity in livestock as a monitor of potential organophosphate nerve agent exposure during the planned destruction of US unitary chemical warfare agent stockpiles, is described. The experimental design included analysis of blood ChE activity in individual healthy sheep, horses, and dairy and beef cattle during a 10- to 12-month period. Castrated and sexually intact males, pregnant and lactating females, and adult and immature animals were examined through at least one reproductive cycle. The same animals were used throughout the period of observation and were not exposed to ChE-inhibiting organophosphate or carbamate compounds. A framework for an effective biomonitoring protocol within a monitoring area includes establishing individual baseline blood ChE activity for a sentinel group of 6 animals on the bases of blood samples collected over a 6-month period, monthly collection of blood samples for ChE-activity determination during monitoring, and selection of adult animals as sentinels. Exposure to ChE-inhibiting compounds would be suspected when all blood ChE activity of all animals within the sentinel group are decreased greater than 20% from their own baseline value. Sentinel species selection is primarily a logistical and operational concern; however, sheep appear to be the species of choice because within-individual baseline ChE activity and among age and gender group ChE activity in sheep had the least variability, compared with data from other species. This protocol provides an effective and efficient means for detecting abnormal depressions in blood ChE activity in livestock and can serve as a valuable indicator of the extent of actual plume movement and/or deposition in the event of organophosphate nerve agent release.


Mutations in genes encoding either components of the phototransduction cascade or proteins presumably involved in signaling from photoreceptors to adjacent second-order neurons have been shown to cause congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB). Sequence alterations in CACNA1F lead to the incomplete type of CSNB (CSNB2), which can be distinguished by standard electroretinography (ERG). CSNB2 is associated with a reduced rod b-wave, a substantially reduced cone a-wave, and a reduced 30-Hz flicker ERG response. CACNA1F encodes the alpha 1-subunit of an L-type Ca2+ channel (Cav1.4 alpha ), which is specific to photoreceptors and is present at high density in the synaptic terminals. Ten of our patients with CSNB2 showed no mutation in CACNA1F. To identify the disease-causing mutations, we used a candidate-gene approach. CABP4, a member of the calcium-binding protein (CABP) family, is located in photoreceptor synaptic terminals and is directly associated with the C-terminal domain of the Cav1.4 alpha . Mice lacking either Cabp4 or Cav1.4 alpha display a CSNB2-like phenotype. Here, we report for the first time that mutations in CABP4 lead to autosomal recessive CSNB. Our studies revealed homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in two families. We also show that these mutations reduce the transcript levels to 30%-40% of those in controls. This suggests that the reduced amount of CABP4 is the reason for the signaling defect in these patients.


Various types of cerebrovascular diseases can result in epilepsy in any age, especially in the elderly. Besides well-known cause of epilepsy as large cerebral infarction involving cerebral cortex and intracerebral hemorrhage, there are growing evidences of roles of subcortical infarction, chronic subdural hematoma, and superficial siderosis of the central nervous system in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. We review here the epidemiology and possible predictors of epilepsy in each type of cerebrovascular lesions and summarize the characteristics of semiology and electroencephalography findings in order to take early treatment strategy. Additionally, relevance of acute-symptomatic seizures and status epilepticus to epilepsy is discussed.


We study how upgrading the skills of the personnel affects a firms performance. Two different strategies are examined : 1) providing formal training and 2) strategic recruitment and separation policy. The use of register-based longitudinal employer-employee data supplemented with a survey on vocational training provides an opportunity to shed fresh light on the issue and allows us to address the usual econometric problems. We find that internally (but not externally) organized training stimulates subsequent growth of performance but only when combined with the implementation of new process or product technology. Hiring highly skilled workers is initially costly to firms but is productivity-enhancing in the long run.


ABSTRACT FROM: Kung S, Palmer BA, Lapid MI, et al . Screening for bipolar disorders: clinical utilization of the Mood Disorders Questionnaire on an inpatient mood disorders unit. J Affect Disord 2015;188:97–100.

When presenting for treatment, patients with bipolar disorder are more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety than symptoms of mania or hypomania. Bipolar disorder is therefore prone to being overlooked because its diagnosis is more often based on retrospective report than cross-sectional assessment. Recommendations for improving the detection of bipolar disorder include the use of screening questionnaires. Most studies on the performance of bipolar disorder screening scales rely on structured diagnostic interviews to assess bipolar disorder, and few studies have been of psychiatric inpatients. A previous meta-analysis of studies of the Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ),1 the most frequently studied bipolar disorders screening measure, reported an overall sensitivity of 66%.2

In clinical practice, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder from a …


Any application of lasers in medicine is based on a compromise between the efficiency with which the laser radiation interacts with biological tissue and the concomitant collateral effects. Correspondingly, parameters minimizing undesirable damage to tissue must be determined. The development of a new generation of solid-state lasers tunable over a wide range in the mid-IR range of the spectrum with parametric generation of light and a combination of high radiation intensity and relatively low pulse energy at high repetition frequency opens up new possibilities for less-invasive, high-precision, laser surgery, first and foremost, in ophthamology and neuro- and cardiosurgery.


A graphical method is presented for displaying how binding proteins and other macromolecules interact with individual bases of nucleotide sequences. Characters representing the sequence are either oriented normally and placed above a line indicating favorable contact, or upside-down and placed below the line indicating unfavorable contact. The positive or negative height of each letter shows the contribution of that base to the average sequence conservation of the binding site, as represented by a sequence logo. These sequence 'walkers' can be stepped along raw sequence data to visually search for binding sites. Many walkers, for the same or different proteins, can be simultaneously placed next to a sequence to create a quantitative map of a complex genetic region. One can alter the sequence to quantitatively engineer binding sites. Database anomalies can be visualized by placing a walker at the recorded positions of a binding molecule and by comparing this to locations found by scanning the nearby sequences. The sequence can also be altered to predict whether a change is a polymorphism or a mutation for the recognizer being modeled.


This paper describes experiments on the ageing of a monolayer model for the air–water interface of marine aerosols composed of a typical glycolipid, galactocerebroside (GCB). Lipopolysaccharides have been observed in marine aerosols, and GCB is used as a proxy for these more complex lipopolysaccharides. GCB monolayers are investigated as pure films, as mixed films with palmitic acid, which is abundant in marine aerosols and forms a stable attractively mixed film with GCB, particularly with divalent salts present in the subphase, and as mixed films with palmitoleic acid, an unsaturated analogue of palmitic acid. Such mixed films are more realistic models of atmospheric aerosols than simpler single-component systems. Neutron reflectometry (NR) has been combined in situ with Fourier transform infra-red reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) in a pioneering analysis and reaction setup designed by us specifically to study mixed organic monolayers at the air–water interface. The two techniques in combination allow for more sophisticated observation of multi-component monolayers than has previously been possible. The structure at the air–water interface was also investigated by complementary Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). This study looks specifically at the oxidation of the organic films by nitrate radicals (NO3•), the key atmospheric oxidant present at night. We conclude that NO3• oxidation cannot fully remove a cerebroside monolayer from the surface on atmospherically relevant timescales, leaving its saturated tail at the interface. This is true for pure and salt water subphases, as well as for single- and two-component films. The behaviour of the unsaturated tail section of the molecule is more variable and is affected by interactions with co-deposited species. Most surprisingly, we found that the presence of CaCl2 in the subphase extends the lifetime of the unsaturated tail substantially—a new explanation for longer residence times of materials in the atmosphere compared to lifetimes based on laboratory studies of simplified model systems. It is thus likely that aerosols produced from the sea-surface microlayer at night will remain covered in surfactant molecules on atmospherically relevant timescales with impact on the droplet's surface tension and on the transport of chemical species across the air–water interface.


Most juvenile risk assessment tools heavily rely on a risk-focused approach. Less attention has been devoted to protective factors. This study examines the predictive validity of protective factors in addition to risk factors, and developmental differences in psychometric properties of juvenile risk assessment. For a national Dutch sample of 354 juvenile and young adult offenders (16-26 years) risk and protective factors were retrospectively assessed at discharge from seven juvenile justice institutions, using the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and Structured Assessment of Protective Factors for violence risk – Youth Version (SAPROF-YV). Results show moderate validity for both tools predicting general, violent, and nonviolent offending at different follow-up times. The SAPROF-YV provided incremental predictive validity over the SAVRY, and predictive validity was stronger for younger offenders. Evidently both the SAVRY and SAPROF-YV seem valid tools for the assessment of recidivism risk in juvenile and young adult offenders. Results highlight the importance of protective factors, especially in juvenile offenders, emphasizing the need for a balanced risk assessment.


This study focuses on the price formation mechanisms and was conceived due to the crucial nature of the Adriatic small pelagic fish market. It covers several aspects of the market, although those specifically connected with supply and demand were the primary focus. The issue of price formation mechanism is unique in the fish and seafood production sector as fishing companies, unlike many other industrial sectors, cannot plan production. Fishing boats head out to sea without any certainty that the market will absorb the entire catch and that the price obtained will be profitable. This implies that, in practice, variable costs are not easily adjustable as they are paid in advance. In more general terms, this leads to a degree of asymmetry in the management of fishing companies. The daily price series and associated volumes for the year 2009 were analyzed for anchovies (Engraulis Encrasicolus) and pilchards (Sardina Pilchardus) in the main Adriatic fishing areas. The analysis shows that a uniform approach to managing the average price of small pelagic fish for the entire Adriatic Sea would not be effective, as this would negatively impact local niche markets. Specifically, the average annual prices for anchovies (Engraulis Encrasicolus) vary greatly at the different markets and there is little competition within the various fish and seafood markets. The study also focused on determining "no-fishing days" to control the supply of product on the markets, incorporating economic/income data from companies operating in the Adriatic small pelagic fish sector.


This paper investigates the determinants of economic growth in two different periods, 2002-2008 and 2008-2013. As national output can be determined by the functions of production and consumption, the explanatory variables consist of growth rates of investment, labor, household consumption, government spending and exports. Analyzing the data of 129 countries, this paper has four main findings: (i) Investment and exports have positive impacts on economic growth; (ii) labor has significant positive impact if we investigate the period from 2002 to 2013 as a whole. The effect is only positive in the first period with low statistically significance while remains unclear in the second period; (iii) household consumption has ambiguous impact on economic growth. There exists some evidences (with 90% confidence level) that household consumption might produce a minor adverse effect on economic growth; (iv) the relationship between economic growth and government spending is positive in the first period and negative in the second.


This paper investigates the effects of Hall currents and radiation on free-convective steady laminar boundary-layer flow past a semi-infinite vertical plate for large temperature differences. A uniform magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the plate. The fluid density is assumed to vary exponentially and the thermal conducting linearly with temperature. The fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a reciprocal of a linear function of temperature. The usual Boussinesq approximation is neglected. The nonlinear boundary layer equations governing the problem under consideration are solved numerically by applying an efficient numerical technique based on the shooting method. The effects of the magnetic parameter , the Hall parameter m, the density/temperature parameter n, the radiation parameter N , the thermal conductivity parameter S, the viscosity temperature , and the temperature ratio parameter are examined on the velocity and temperature distribution as well as the coefficient of heat flux and shearing stress at the plate.


The objective of this thesis is to analyse the relationship between international taxation
and developing countries. The main idea is to examine this relationship through
arguments that challenge the current legal debate that has described their interest as
capital importers of foreign direct investment.
Globalisation has changed the economic relations between developed and developing
countries. The evolution of the economic aspects as well as tax policies implemented
during the process of globalisation provides the background necessary to understand the
increased importance of international taxation and the participation of developing
countries in the global economy.
The hypothesis tested here addresses the question whether the dichotomy between
developing and developed countries and their characterisation as capital importers and
capital exporters still provides an appropriate basis for the legal debate on international
taxation in the context of globalisation. To approach this question, the behaviour of
international flow of capital will be assessed in order to provide an overview of the
economic relations among these countries.
To perform this study, initially the meaning of globalisation and international taxation
are explained in order to build up the framework of this thesis; secondly, the current
debate on harmful tax competition is examined to put in evidence the problem addressed
in this thesis; thirdly, an analysis of the international flow of capital is performed to
identify new premises that could update the legal debate; fourthly, based on the profile
of the international flow of capital, the phenomenon of capital flight is addressed.
Fifthly, having in mind the difficulty in taxing capital flight, taxation of portfolio
investment is examined. Based on the arguments raised, the legal debate is updated
demonstrating the higher importance of double taxation over tax avoidance and evasion
in the recent past. Finally, considering the increased relevance of international tax
avoidance and evasion, instruments available for exchange of information are analysed,
and their effectiveness to curb capital flight from developing countries.


Recent studies have attempted to correlate take-off height (TOH or Glide Avalanche) of rigid disks to their topography. Roughness average, mean peak height, and waviness have been emphasized, but no model has been proposed that takes into account the dynamic response of the glide slider to the spatial frequency of the disk topography. In this paper, we calculate the frequency response of glide sliders to disk inputs of various wavelengths, using an air-bearing solver. This calculated transfer function is then used to filter the one-dimensional disk topography, obtained with a conventional stylus profiler, using its complex Fourier transform. From the filtered profile, a mean peak height R/sub pm/ can be obtained which correlates well with actual TOH values. The slope is close to unity as expected from a first-principle model. Schemes to break down the wavelength range of interest into short (roughness) and long (waviness) parts will be demonstrated, as well as the practical use of optical profilers.


An experimental investigation of the thermal properties of a variable cavity wall has been conducted with the aid of a Guarded Hot Box (GHB). The main objective of the investigation was to determine the thermal trends of that exist in such a wall at different aspect ratios and internal configurations. In the course of this research effort, attention had initially focused on the suitability of the GHB as a tool for measuring building components of low thermal transmittance. Following the initial evaluation that included computational modelling of the GHB, a series of modifications were employed, which included a series of baffie plates in the Guard box area. Experimental trials have shown that these modifications culminated in a reduced thermal gradient distribution within the box and along the test wall. As a result, the test wall was subjected to a more uniform heat flux and lower peripheral heat loss. A variable cavity wall measuring 1.2m by 1.2m and 0.41m deep was the main 'focus of this study. By means of a moveable brick leaf, the aspect ratio of the cavity wall could be remotely altered during the experiment, thereby allowing immediate comparison of thermal trends without the errors that are associated with building and testing a series of individual walls of different geometric proportions. In particular, this set-up enabled an accurate comparative analysis of cavity aspect ratios over a range of 15 to 30. Lazer Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and thermal measurement on the four surfaces of the cavity wall leafs were the prime means for collating experimental data. Extensive computational modelling complemented the research, which provided important insights both prior to and following the experimental stage. The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), while not intended for precise solutions to models of the GHB and cavity wall, was never the less instrumental in establishing trends and expanding the experimental range, once corroboration of experimental results had been achieved.
The experimental and computational results show that with successive cavity closure an optimum aspect ratio is reached, where thermal resistance peaks and velocity of the convective flow is minimal. At this aspect ratio, the flow regime was found to be conductive. The main implication of this result is that decreasing aspect ratio beyond this aspect ratio, by widening the cavity, will result in increasing heat losses due to the circulation of convective currents in the cavity. Thus, it was concluded that when convection diminishes, the thermal resistance of the air cavity would rise. Further computational and experimental work on the same wall with an internal partition, corroborated the trends found during the clear cavity experiment. It was found that a centrally placed vertical partition will double the thermal resistance of the wall. Furthermore, the thermal resistance of the partition was found to equal that of one partitioned cavity, raising the possibility of eliminating cavities from wall construction The effect of mortar joints upon cavity walls, at various aspect ratios, was also investigated. Results show that a vertically sinusoidal flow pattern exists in such cavities due to the thermal bridging effect of the mortar joints. The results of this study were used for several recommendations, which deal both with design of cavity walls and Guarded Hot Box design and operation.


Spectroscopic characterizations of the stereochemistry of complexes of ammonia (NH3) have strongly confirmed some long-held ideas about the weak interactions of NH3 while casting doubt on others. As expected, NH3 is observed to be a nearly universal proton acceptor, accepting hydrogen bonds from even some of the weakest proton donors. Surprisingly, no evidence has been found to support the view that NH3 acts as a proton donor through hydrogen bonding. A critical evaluation of the work that has been done to gather such evidence, as well as of earlier work involving condensed-phase observations, suggests that NH3 might well be best described as a powerful hydrogen-bond acceptor with little propensity to donate hydrogen bonds.


Tarsal coalition (TC) is defined as an abnormal fusion of two or more tarsal bones. The fusion may be fibrous, cartilaginous or osseous and can be congenital or acquired in response to infection, articular disorders, trauma, neoplasm or surgery. We report a case of a talocalcaneal (TCC) type of tarsal coalition in a medieval skeleton from Northwest Germany dating to ca. 1050 AD. The fusion is of osseous type. Plain AP radiographs and computed tomography confirmed the macroscopic diagnosis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A simple illustration of different potential causes for leakage of toxic waste containers in a depository illustrates how knowledge of a leakage event can be used to update the probability that one basic cause is more likely than another. The method invoked for this analysis is that of Bayesian probability. The point of doing the work is to show how one can come to grips with the most likely reasons for such a leakage. In turn, such improved knowledge, gleaned from the actual leakage events that occur, allows one to better design options for remediating the depository site based on using the potential causes of leakage and their improved likelihood of being correct. The example shows how one can decide between different leakage causes based on measurement of particular leakage events.


When I came first to the Launceston Museum I
found very many paintings by a convict named
Gould. Very soon visitors were asking me questions
about him and I proceeded to read what had been
written. It seemed very little. In fact, it amounted
to the notes that had been put together by Mr.
Henry Allport for an exhibition of Tasmanian art
held in Hobart in 1931. These notes were published
in the " Mercury " newspaper and then put together
in pamphlet form. Every subsequent writer on
Gould has used them.
When people said, however," when was he born?
When did he die? Was he married? Did he leave
any family? Did he paint only in oil?", I had to
reply, "I do not know." I am still not certain when
he was born, but I know when he died.
When people asked, "Where did Gould live?",
I said, vaguely, "Hobart . Then, one day, looking
through some records in the Museum, I found that
William Buelow Gould was before R. C. Gunn,
Magistrate, here in Launceston, for being drunk.
So he wasn't only in Hobart. He was also in Launceston and, I found later, at Macquarie Harbour, at
Port Arthur, at Bridgewater, and at Jericho.
Then-was he married? Did he have a family?
Yes. Did he paint only in oil? No, he used
watercolour too, much more effectively than he
did oil.
So I got together gradually some kind of picture
of this early artist.
Of Gould's early life very little is still known.
Actually his name was Holland, not Gould.


Objective: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery is one of the commonly performed neurosurgical procedures. Complications due to shunt failure are associated with high morbidity and mortality. We report an analysis of risk factors for shunt failure in pediatric patients from a single institution in Nepal. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analytical study with prospective data was designed. All children younger than 15 years, with first time VP shunting, at a tertiary government hospital in Kathmandu during 2014-2017 were followed up. Association of independent variables with the primary outcome variable (complication of VP shunt) was analyzed using Chi-square test. Bivariate logistic regression was performed to identify unadjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Multivariate logistic regression model was designed to calculate adjusted OR with 95% CI. Results: Of 120 patients, more than half (55.8%) of the patients were male. Mean age was 62.97 months. Maximum duration of follow-up was 30 months. Most common cause of hydrocephalus was congenital aqueductal stenosis (40.8%) followed by tumors (29.2%). Overall shunt complication was found in 26.7% (95% CI 19.0%–35.5%). Shunt infection was seen in 5% while malfunction without infection was found in 21.7%. Bivariate logistic regression showed duration of surgery more than 1 h (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.11–6.42, P = 0.028) compared to 1 h or less, experienced surgeon (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.16–0.89, P = 0.026) compared to residents, and emergency surgery (OR 3.97, 95% CI 1.69–9.29, P = 0.001) compared to elective surgery as significant risk factors, while emergency surgery was the only significant variable for shunt failure on multivariate regression analysis (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.16–9.35, P = 0.025). Conclusion: Longer duration of surgery, less experience of the surgeon, and the priority of the case (emergency) were independent risk factors for shunt complications.


Introduction. Women attain numerous benefits from physical activity during pregnancy. However, because of physical changes that occur during pregnancy, special precautions are also needed. This review summarizes current guidelines for physical activity among pregnant women worldwide. Methods. We searched PubMed (MedLINE) for country-specific governmental and clinical guidelines on physical activity during pregnancy through the year 2012. We cross-referenced with articles referring to guidelines, with only the most recent included. An abstraction form was used to extract key details and summarize. Results. In total, 11 guidelines were identified from 9 countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom, United States). Most guidelines supported moderate-intensity physical activity during pregnancy (10/11) and indicated specific frequency (9/11) and duration/time (9/11) recommendations. Most guidelines provided advice on initiating an exercise program during pregnancy (10/11). Six guidelines included absolute and relative contraindications to exercise. All guidelines generally ruled-out sports with risks of falls, trauma, or collisions. Six guidelines included indications for stopping exercise during pregnancy. Conclusion. This review contrasted pregnancy-related physical activity guidelines from around the world, and can help inform new guidelines as they are created or updated and facilitate the development of a worldwide guideline.


Transcription underlies all cellular processes and responses to internal and external cues. Deregulation of transcription has implications for the fitness of the cell or organism. During my PhD I have investigated the importance of proper TATA-binding protein (TBP) regulation as a mechanism to ensure transcription fidelity in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
 Gene transcription in eukaryotes is performed by three nuclear multi-subunit DNA-dependent RNA polymerases, pol I, pol II and pol III, which synthesize RNA from a DNA template. The three RNA polymerases transcribe distinct sets of genes. Pol II produces messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and deserves the largest diversity of gene promoters.
The transcription cycle starts with assembly of the pre-initiation complex (PIC) on promoters of genes. The PIC consists of pol II and six basal transcription factors. PIC nucleation starts with binding of TBP to TATA-like sequence in the core promoter. Transcription initiation by pol II is restricted to nucleosome-depleted regions (NDRs) of the yeast genome, which are accessible for PIC components like TBP and TFIID. Transcriptional output of coding genes is determined by balancing TBP recruitment by the Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) or TFIID complexes with TBP displacement by the Swi2/Snf2-like ATPase Mot1p and the negative cofactor 2 (NC2) complex consisting of NC2a and NC2b
 I studied genome-wide regulation of gene expression by Mot1p and NC2. I observed differential expression responses on the two gene classes of pol II, by Mot1p and NC2 action. Mot1p establishes a dynamic pool of TBP by removing TBP from intrinsically preferred TATA-containing binding sites by the use of energy derived from ATP hydrolysis and redistributes TBP to low affinity TATA-less (or TATA-like) sites. TFIID-dependent TATA-less genes are activated and SAGA-dependent TATA-containing genes are repressed. This explains how Mot1p and NC2 repress SAGA-dependent TATA-containing genes and activate TFIID-dependent TATA-less genes.
 I discovered a novel function for Mot1p and NC2 and showed that these factors play "hidden" roles in ensuring transcription fidelity by restricting ncRNA synthesis.They operate to counteract TBP binding and PIC formation at spurious sites and to prevent intragenic and anti-sense ncRNA expression. The negative TBP regulators cooperate of with specific chromatin regulators to suppress intragenic transcription and they restrict antisense ncRNA production by inhibiting TBP binding and PIC formation in gene bodies and at the 3'-end of genes. Together, these results provide novel mechanistic insight in the regulatory mechanisms that limit the accumulation of non-coding RNAs in the yeast genome. Overall, the picture appears that Mot1p and NC2 have a global role in surveilling the genome. My research adds nvel knowledge of mechanisms that ensure transcription fidelity.


Abstract. Sea ice is a key component of the climate system, since it modifies the surface albedo, the radiation balance, as well as the exchange of heat, moisture and gases between the ocean and the overlying atmosphere. Hence, the reconstruction of sea ice cover before the instrumental era and the industrial times is crucial to understand the evolution of Arctic climate in the last millennium and better predict its future evolution. However, identifying relevant paleo proxies in climate archives related to sea ice cover is not straightforward. Ice cores from polar regions offer great potential to provide high-resolution records of Arctic sea ice variability from chemical impurities such as Bromine species, which were recently proposed as indicators of sea ice extent, although their variability might be modulated by regional influences. We here use Bromine and Bromine enrichment of two ice cores form North Greenland (B17 & B26) and investigate its potential as proxy to reconstruct sea ice extent over the period 1363–1993 AD. Across the instrumental period, a good correlation is observed with the Baffin Bay and the Greenland Sea for B26 and B17 respectively, with both record showing minima corresponding to known Artic warming events such as the 1420 AD (for B17) and 1920–1940 (Early century warming, B17 & B26), together with a strong decline starting in the late 19th century. We simultaneously derived a chemical classification of sea ice-related contributors of ionic species (i.e. blowing snow, frost flowers, open water) utilizing the depletion of SO42− compare to Ca2+, K+ and Mg2+ characterizing sea ice brines and blowing snow as well the excess of Br− and Cl−, characterizing frost flowers, to elucidate the evolution of the different sources. In both B17 and B26 records we observe a strong contribution of blowing snow in the earliest part of the datasets, gradually declining in recent years in favour of open water sources.


Introduction and purpose: One of the major health problems in old age is chronic pain. There are some evidences showing that elderlys chronic pain is not assessed and relieved adequately. Hence, it is essential to access accurate and sufficient information about chronic pain status to effectively manage the situation. Therefore, this study aimed to assess chronic pain prevalence and its characteristics among elderly. Materials and Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted among 205 elderly patients with chronic pain using multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected during a period of 6 months in Ahwaz health care centers. Short version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire was used for chronic pain measurement. The internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach alpha. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 21) via Independent sample T test. Findings: Findings from this study showed that the most prevalent chronic pain was knee pain (80%) while, the least one was abdominal pain (13%). Majority of our participants (85%) reported having pain in multiple locations and 15% suffering from pain in a single location. Regarding type of pain, we found that cramping pain (80%) was the most prevalent type and sickening pain (22%) was the least prevalent. In addition, the most intense pain was discomforting pain (33%) and the least one was intolerable pain (19%). Pain was significantly (P less-than 0.05) higher in women, older than 65 years old, singles and under diploma education. There was no significant (P greater-than 0.05) association between pain and home ownership as well as income. Conclusion: This study revealed that prevalence of chronic pain is high among old people. Attention to chronic pain features among elderly is essential for identifying vulnerable groups and delivering better treatments. The findings of this study can be used by researchers and policy makers to plan effective pain management interventions.


Students at every stage of their learning need props to help them achieve their learning goals. Part-time students are no exception. Support services are essential for part-time adult students since they often have to combine their learning with work, maintenance of a home and social activities. This study looks at support services available to students at the family, work and institutional levels; likewise peer support, financial support and support from friends. Using descriptive statistics and narrative analytical methods, the study found that there was inadequate support for part-time students at the family, employment and institutional levels. Generally, part-time students are self directed learners but need a few props to enhance learning. Findings of this study also reveal implications for distance learning. Keywords: support services, part-time students, adult learners, distance learning


In this paper, we investigate the performance of the belief propagation (BP) algorithm for decoding low-density parity-check codes over the additive white Gaussian noise channel when there is an incorrect estimate of the channel signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (referred to as "SNR mismatch") at the decoder. At the extremes for over- and underestimation of SNR, the performance of BP tends to that of min-sum algorithm and the channel bit-error rate, respectively. Our results for regular codes indicate that the sensitivity to mismatch increases by increasing the variable-node degree and by decreasing the check-node degree. The effect of variable-node degree, however, appears to be more profound, such that at a given rate, the codes with the smallest variable and check degrees are more robust against SNR mismatch. For irregular codes, by comparing the thresholds of a few ensembles, we demonstrate that the ensemble which performs better in the absence of mismatch can perform worse in the presence of it. To obtain our asymptotic results, we propose a computationally efficient method based on the Gaussian approximation of density evolution in the presence of SNR mismatch. We also show that the asymptotic results are consistent with simulation results for codes with finite block lengths


The common kilka (Clupeonella cultriventris caspia), and the oil extracted from it, presented a good nutritional profile because of their rich chemical composition containing essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. The objective of this study was to evaluate how the extract of Arthrospira platensis affected kilka oil oxidation in comparison with the effects of BHT and βcarotene. Kilka oil samples were stored at 60 °C for 15 days and chemical indicators of lipid oxidation were measured every three days. As a result, kilka oil samples treated with Spirulina extract exhibited a significantly lower Totox value and likewise lower amounts of peroxide and p-anisidine were observed when compared to the control group during storage. Spirulina extract and BHT increased the induction period of kilka oil by 38.94% and 35.54%, respectively. Comparatively, βcarotene was less effective in reducing kilka oil oxidation, with an induction period extension of 18.30%. The antioxidant powers of Spirulina extract, β-carotene, and BHT were 31.43, 19.47, and 29.71, respectively. Generally, the Spirulina extract was introduced as a powerful natural antioxidant that could effectively reduce the oxidation rate of kilka oil.


The role of school psychologists has been debated and contested nationally and internationally for many decades, with an emphasis on the need for a paradigm shift in professional roles. Psychologists may be employed in the private sector, in nongovernmental organisations, in higher education institutions, and by the state. Those employed by the state within the Department of Basic Education are referred to as school psychologists, and are tasked with providing psychological services to public schools. In the Western Cape, the context of this study, school psychologists are assigned to circuit teams, where they are expected to work collaboratively with other professionals to provide support to schools. This paper is focused on school psychologists' perceptions of the challenges that emerge when working with other sectors to facilitate school development. Eight focus group discussions were conducted with 47 school psychologists. The data collected resulted in the generation of five categories of challenges facing school psychologists when they collaborate with other sectors to facilitate school development. These were: diverse discourses and worldviews; roles and boundaries; personal and interpersonal factors; training needs; and organisational challenges. This research contributes towards the deepening of school psychology practice, and to providing important insights towards the enhancement of intersectoral collaboration and school development as aspects of the provision of support to schools in South Africa. Key words : collaboration; educational psychologists; inter-professional; intersectoral collaboration; school development; school psychologists; school psychology


Recently, M. Boi, H. Ogmen, J. Krummenacher, T. U. Otto, & M. H. Herzog (2009) reported a fascinating visual effect, where the direction of apparent motion was disambiguated by cues along the path of apparent motion, the Ternus-Pikler group motion, even though no actual movement occurs in this stimulus. They referred to their study as a "litmus test" to distinguish "non-retinotopic" (motion-based) from "retinotopic" (retina-based) image processing. We adapted the test to one with simple grating stimuli that could be more readily modeled and replicated their psychophysical results quantitatively with this stimulus. We then modeled our experiments in 3D (x, y, t) Fourier space and demonstrated that the observed perceptual effects are readily accounted for by integration of information within a detector that is oriented in space and time, in a similar way to previous explanations of other motion illusions. This demonstration brings the study of Boi et al. into the more general context of perception of moving objects.


Time-integrated fluorescence experiments on native bacteriorhodopsin and on its non-isomerizing form bR5.12 are reported. The experimental set-up was designed such as to observe emission exclusively from the excited state intermediate I-460. We obtain the first systematic investigation of the fluorescence spectra as a function of the excitation wavelength tuned throughout the entire absorption band of bR. An important finding is that the position of the fluorescence maximum does not show a systematic shift when the excitation wavelength is shortened. For excitation with high excess energy, we observe a broadening of the blue wing of the bR fluorescence, indicating incomplete vibrational energy relaxation on the time scale of the lifetime of I-460. Due to a much longer excited state lifetime, vibrational energy relaxation is more effective in bR5.12 and the fluorescence spectra are much less dependent on excitation wavelength. The results are placed in the general framework of thermalization between the retinal chromophore and the protein environment, and are compared with information obtained by femtosecond experiments.


THE CREATION OF HEAVEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES William M. Storm, B.A., M.A. Marquette University, 2014 My dissertation focuses on the intersection of the discourses of space and place, art, religion, and politics in poetical accounts of heaven. My study investigates how authors deploy these various traditions to create a heaven that accommodates the needs of a particular audience. Heaven is, according to Yi-Fu Tuan, a "mythical place," which cannot be located. To avoid the problems of a "mythical place," we represent that location with slightly-blurred experiential knowledge or communally-sanctioned practices. The creation of heaven, I argue, does not occur ex nihilo but through a refashioning of knowledge and practices to engage audiences with descriptions of heaven. To examine this concept, I primarily analyze the descriptions of place in Pearl and Piers Plowman, while providing discussion of Paradiso, The Vision of Tnugdal, and episodes from the writings of Hadewijch that offer competing and complementing visions. This study offers an opportunity to view heaven not as simply a consistent and monolithic feature of society but as a created site. Rather than examining heaven solely as art, or only through doctrinal concerns, heaven must be considered in terms of a variety of discourses. The layering of art, politics, religion, and space and place remind readers of the medieval religious project. God, for the medieval, was not an abstract ideal but an ever-present quality of their daily existences; as God could be seen in all facets of life, so too can heaven be seen through aspects of life that seem mundane and removed from ethereal experience. The first chapter of The Creation of Heaven in the Middle Ages outlines the problem of considering heaven as a monolithic entity. By tracing the history of heaven, the chapter demonstrates that we cannot view heaven as outside of time and place; heaven responds to the needs of particular audiences. As such, heaven cannot be considered only a religious place; heaven is a place that depends upon the engagement of multiple ideas, including theories of space and place, art history, and politics. The second chapter investigates the places of the afterlife in Pearl and Piers Plowman. While similarities exist between the two, each text offers a striking vision of the afterlife; and while a cityscape, and a besieged church and tower evoke distinct impressions of heaven, the chapter examines how each of these visions forces the reader to wonder if heaven might be a viable end. The third chapter engages in how the aesthetic choices of heaven work to create meaning within the mind of the reader. The larger goals of medieval aesthetics, embodied in stained-glass windows, reflect the projects of Pearl and Piers Plowman, namely to teach through a series of highly colored and instructive scenes. The final chapter offers a view of heaven through the political atmospheres of Ricardian England, reflecting the various choices of that monarch that impacts not only earth but also the heavenly retinue. A brief postscript closes out the dissertation that asks how these medieval visions might allow us to view the current interest of heaven, which can be seen in the popularity and success of life after death accounts


The advancement of cognitive radio (CR) has uncovered new dynamics in multi-hop, wireless networking. Given the increased agility of a transceiver's frequency assignment, the network topology can be optimized to address end-to-end networking goals. We propose a channel assignment scheme for cognitive radio networks (CRNs) that balances the need for topology adaptation focusing on flow rate maximization and the need for a stable baseline topology that supports network connectivity. We focus on CRNs in which nodes are equipped with multiple radios or transceivers, each of which can be assigned to a channel. First, our approach assigns channels independently of traffic, to achieve basic network connectivity and support light loads such as control traffic, and second, it dynamically assigns channels to the remaining transceivers in response to traffic demand. In this paper, we focus on the traffic-independent (TI) channel assignment with the goal of dedicating as few transceivers as possible to achieving baseline connectivity. By conserving transceivers in the TI assignment, the network is more able to adapt to any traffic demands in a subsequent traffic-driven (TD) assignment. We formulate the problem as a two-stage mixed integer linear program (MILP), with a TI stage and a TD stage. We propose a centralized greedy approach to TI assignment which performs nearly identically to the optimum obtained from the two-stage MILP in terms of the number of transceivers assigned and flow rate in the evaluated scenarios. Subsequently, we propose a distributed greedy TI approach that performs within 9% of the optimum in terms of the number of transceivers assigned and within 1.5% of the optimum in terms of flow rate.


A 100% monoallyl ring-type Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica (PMO) is prepared as a novel, versatile and exceptionally stable catalytic support with a high internal surface area and 5.0 nm pores. Thiol–ene 'click' chemistry allows straightforward attachment of bifunctional thiols (–NH2, –OH, –SH) which, exploiting the thioether functionality formed, give rise to 'solid' bidentate ligands. [Ru(acac)2(CH3CN)2]PF6 is attached and complex formation on the solid is studied via density functional theory. All resulting solid catalysts show high activity and selectivity in alcohol oxidation reactions performed in green conditions (25 °C/water). The PMO catalysts do not leach Ru during reaction and are thus easily recuperated and re-used for several runs. Furthermore, oxidation of poorly water-soluble (±)-menthol illustrates the benefits of using hydrophobic PMOs as catalytic supports.


The-mobility of wearable computers makes usability-testing; difficult. In order to fully understand how a user interacts with the wearable, the researcher must examine, both the user's direct interactions, with the, computer, as well as the external context the user perceives during their interaction. We present, a tool that augments a wearable computer with additional hardware and software to capture the information needed to perform a usability study in the field under realistic conditions. We examine the challenges in doing the capture and present our implementation. We also describe VizWear a tool for examining the captured data. Finally, we present our experiences using the system for a sample user study.


At present, typical approaches employed to repair fractures and other bone lesions tend to use matrix grafts to promote tissue regeneration. These grafts act as templates, which promote cellular adhesion, growth and proliferation, osteoconduction, and even osteoinduction, which commonly results in de novo osteogenesis. The present work aimed to study the bone-repairing ability of hybrid matrixes (HM) prepared with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and bioactive glass in an experimental rabbit model. The HM were prepared by combining 30% bioactive glass (nominal composition of 58% SiO2 -33 % CaO - 9% P2O5) and 70% PVA. New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into the control group (C group) and two groups with bone lesions, in which one received a matrix implant HM (Implant group), while the other did not (no Implant group). Clinical monitoring showed no altered parameters from either the Implant or the no Implant groups as compared to the control group, for the variables of diet grades, day and night temperatures and hemograms. In the Implant group, radiologic and tomographic studies showed implanted areas with clean edges in femoral non-articular direction, and radio-dense images that suggest incipient integration. Minimum signs of phlogosis could be observed, whereas no signs of rejection at this imaging level could be identified. Histological analysis showed evidence of osteo-integration, with the formation of a trabecular bone within the implant. Together, these results show that implants of hybrid matrixes of bioactive glass are capable of promoting bone regeneration.


A long-term global atmospheric reanalysis, named "Japanese 25-year Reanalysis (JRA-25)" was completed using the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) numerical assimilation and forecast system. The analysis covers the period from 1979 to 2004. This is the first long-term reanalysis undertaken in Asia. JMA's latest numerical assimilation system, and specially collected observational data, were used to generate a consistent and high-quality reanalysis dataset designed for climate research and operational monitoring and forecasts. One of the many purposes of JRA-25 is to enhance the analysis to a high quality in the Asian region.Six-hourly data assimilation cycles were performed, producing 6-hourly atmospheric analysis and forecast fields of various physical variables. The global model used in JRA-25 has a spectral resolution of T106 (equivalent to a horizontal grid size of around 120 km) and 40 vertical layers with the top level at 0.4 hPa. In addition to conventional surface and upper air observations, atmospheric motion vector (AMV) wind retrieved from geostationary satellites, brightness temperature from TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS), precipitable water retrieved from orbital satellite microwave radiometer radiance and other satellite data are assimilated with three-dimensional variational method (3D-Var). JMA produced daily sea surface temperature (SST), sea ice and three-dimensional ozone profiles for JRA-25. A new quality control method for TOVS data was developed and applied in advance.Many advantages have been found in the JRA-25 reanalysis. Predicted 6-hour global total precipitation distribution and amount are well reproduced both in space and time. The performance of the long time series of the global precipitation is the best among the other reanalyses, with few unrealistic variations from degraded satellite data contaminated by volcanic eruptions. Secondly, JRA-25 is the first reanalysis to assimilate wind profiles around tropical cyclones reconstructed from historical best track information; tropical cyclones were analyzed properly in all the global regions. Additionally, low-level cloud along the subtropical western coast of continents is well simulated and snow depth analysis is also of a good quality. The article also covers material which requires attention when using JRA-25.


This book could not have come into my experience at a better time. My patients are growing up, and lo and behold, they are still disabled!

Hanging by a Twig is the way one disabled adult described her life, i.e., just hanging on and always precariously. Mary's story is told in chapter 2, intermingled with information on the historical context of our current understanding of learning disabilities, learning styles, cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Each chapter in this book is built around the story of an adult with specific learning issues. Carol Wren moves us through the stated purpose of the chapter while Jay Einhorn gives us a psychotherapeutic commentary on the issues described. Together they take us through development of self, coherence of self, adult skill set, self-esteem, addiction, and other co-morbidities, looking at the issue and its impact on the individual.

The pervasive nature of these impairments of cognition on the overall functioning of the individual becomes very evident as we read these real life stories. In addition, the challenges for doing therapy with these people, who are intrinsically at heightened risk for personality distortions, jumps from the pages. The authors make clear the need to help these adults understand their own strengths and limitations. Then they are better able to make informed choices in regard to further education and career, to seek appropriate supports for themselves, and to begin to consider the impact their disabilities might make on personal relationships.

As a group involved with children and adolescents, I believe that we also have an obligation to attempt to help our adult colleagues understand that these individuals suffer.

This book is a resource that we can recommend with enthusiasm. It is well written and provides clear descriptions of a number of possible scenarios as well as suggestions for management. I will be encouraging those I know who counsel adults with residual developmental concerns to read and learn from Hanging by a Twig. I have already recommended it to our local chapter of the Learning Disabilities Association. It is an excellent resource and an enjoyable reading experience.


This article analyzes how the fundamental challenge of decolonization has resonated in history textbooks published in France since the 1960s. It therefore contextualizes textbook knowledge within different areas of society and focuses on predominant discourses which influenced history textbooks' (post)colonial representations in the period examined. These discourses encompass the crisis of western civilization, modernization, republican integration, and the postcolonial politics of memory. The author argues that history textbooks have thus become media as well as objects of an emerging postcolonial politics of memory which involves intense conflicts over immigration and national identity and challenges France's (post)colonial legacy in general.


Multimodal signal processing analyzes a physical phenomenon through several types of measures, or modalities. This leads to the extraction of higher-quality and more reliable information than that obtained from single-modality signals. The advantage is two-fold. First, as the modalities are usually complementary, the end-result of multimodal processing is more informative than for each of the modalities individually, which represents the first advantage. This is true in all application domains: human-machine interaction, multimodal identification or multimodal image processing. The second advantage is that, as modalities are not always reliable, it is possible, when one modality becomes corrupted, to extract the missing information from the other one. There are two essential challenges in multimodal signal processing. First, the features used from each modality need to be as relevant and as few as possible. The fact that multimodal systems have to process more than just one modality means that they can run into errors caused by the curse of dimensionality much more easily than mono-modal ones. The curse of dimensionality is a term used essentially to say that the number of equally-distributed samples required to cover a region of space grows exponentially with the dimensionality of the space. This has important implications in the classification domain, since accurate models can only be obtained if an adequate number of samples is available, and obviously this required number of samples grows with the dimensionality of the features. Dimensionality reduction is thus a necessary step in any application dealing with complex signals, and this is achieved through selection, transforms or the combination of the two. The second essential challenge is multimodal integration. Since the signals involved do not necessarily have the same data rate, range or even dimensionality, combining information coming from such different sources is not straightforward. This can be done at different levels, starting from the basic signal level by combining the signals themselves, if they are compatible, up to the highest decision level, where only the individual decisions taken based on the signals are combined. Ideally, the fusion method should allow temporal variations in the relative importance of the two streams, to account for possible changes in their quality. However, this can only be done with methods operating at a high decision level. The aim of this thesis is to offer solutions to both these challenges, in the context of audio-visual speech recognition and speaker localization. Both these applications are from the field of human-machine interaction. Audio-visual speech recognition aims to improve the accuracy of speech recognizers by augmenting the audio with information extracted from the video, more particularly, the movement of the speaker's lips. This works well especially when the audio is corrupted, leading in this case to significant gains in accuracy. Speaker localization means detecting who is the active speaker in a audio-video sequence containing several persons, something that is useful for videoconferencing and the automated annotation of meetings. These two applications are the context in which we present our solutions to both feature selection and multimodal integration. First, we show how informative features can be extracted from the visual modality, using an information-theoretic framework which gives us a quantitative measure of the relevance of individual features. We also prove that reducing redundancy between these features is important for avoiding the curse of dimensionality and improving recognition results. The methods that we present are novel in the field of audio-visual speech recognition and we found that their use leads to significant improvements compared to the state of the art. Second, we present a method of multimodal fusion at the level of intermediate decisions using a weight for each of the streams. The weights are adaptive, changing according to the estimated reliability of each stream. This makes the system tolerant to changes in the quality of either stream, and even to the temporary interruption of one of the streams. The reliability estimate is based on the entropy of the posterior probability distributions of each stream at the intermediate decision level. Our results are superior to those obtained with a state of the art method based on maximizing the same posteriors. Moreover, we analyze the effect of a constraint typically imposed on stream weights in the literature, the constraint that they should sum to one. Our results show that removing this constraint can lead to improvements in recognition accuracy. Finally, we develop a method for audio-visual speaker localization, based on the correlation between audio energy and the movement of the speaker's lips. Our method is based on a joint probability model of the audio and video which is used to build a likelihood map showing the likely positions of the speaker's mouth. We show that our novel method performs better than a similar method from the literature. In conclusion, we analyze two different challenges of multimodal signal processing for two audio-visual problems, and offer innovative approaches for solving them.


Background
In Health Examination Surveys interview information is complemented with objective information, providing more accurate indicators than self-reported data. We report the study design, planning and implementation of the first Portuguese Health Examination Survey (INSEF).

Methods
INSEF was a cross-sectional population-based study representative at regional and national level. Individuals aged between 25 and 74 years old, residing in Portugal were selected from the national health users' registry through multi-stage stratified probabilistic sampling. Sample size was set at 4200 individuals. Data was collected in primary care units and included blood pressure, height, weight, hip and waist measurements, blood collection for lipid profile, HbA1c and blood count and a general health questionnaire. European HES procedures were followed.

Results
A total of 4911 individuals agreed to participate (43.9% participation rate). Participation rate varied by region, sex and age group, being lower in Lisbon and Tagus Valley (32.8%), for men (41.8%) and for those aged 25-34 years old (36%).

Conclusions
INSEF has set up an experienced national and regional structure for HES implementation. Nationally representative quality epidemiological data is now available for public health monitoring, planning and research.


Dental implants have evolved dramatically over the last decade, and so have our expectations from them in terms of functional and esthetic criteria. The maintenance and augmentation of the soft tissue has emerged as an area of concern and focus. The triad of anatomical peri-implant characteristics, soft tissue response to the implant material, and clinical skill form the fundamental principles in augmenting soft tissue. However, as clinicians, where are we with regards to the ability to augment and maintain soft tissue around dental implants, about 40 years after the first implants were placed? We now understand that peri-implant soft tissue management begins with extraction management. Our treatment modalities have evolved from socket compression post-extraction, to socket preservation with an aim to enhance the eventual peri-implant soft tissue. This short communication will assess the evolution of our thought regarding peri-implant soft tissue management, augmentation of keratinized mucosa around implants, and also look at some recent techniques including the rotated pedicle connective tissue graft for enhancing inter-implant papilla architecture. With newer research modalities, such as cyto-detachment technology, and cutting-edge bioengineering solutions (possibly a soft-tissue-implant construct) which might be available in the near future for enhancing soft tissue, we are certainly in an exciting era in dentistry.


This memo describes the Intrusion Detection Exchange Protocol (IDXP),
an application-level protocol for exchanging data between intrusion
detection entities. IDXP supports mutual-authentication, integrity,
and confidentiality over a connection-oriented protocol. The protocol
provides for the exchange of IDMEF messages, unstructured text, and
binary data. The IDMEF message elements are described in RFC 4765,
"The Intrusion Detection Message Exchange Format (IDMEF)", a companion
document of the Intrusion Detection Exchange Format Working Group
(IDWG) of the IETF. This memo defines an Experimental Protocol for the
Internet community.


Although percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty is a widely accepted form of therapy for coronary artery disease, there is a 30% restenosis rate associated with it. The pathobiological processes that are triggered following coronary angioplasty are related to platelet-vessel wall interactions, coagulation, endothelial injury and smooth muscle cell modulation and proliferation. These events are reviewed with respect to the role of platelets and the products they release at the site of endothelial injury. Various families of antiplatelet drugs are discussed with regard to the rationale for their use and the results reported in patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. The major conclusion is that a variety of processes are likely to be responsible for restenosis. Acetylsalicylic acid has been shown to be effective in reducing cardiovascular disease conditions associated with thrombosis and may effect reductions in restenosis through its inhibition of this process. Current pharmacologic regimens do not significantly reduce the incidence of smooth muscle cell proliferation, an important feature of long term stenosis. The role of new, more specific antiplatelet drugs as well as innovations in instrumental technology may hold future promise in reducing rates of restenosis.


Despite the wide usage of animals as models in forensic studies, the investigations of fundamental legal questions involving domesticated and nondomesticated animals were always given marginal attention compared to "human forensic," and only recently the interest in the discipline is increasing. Our research focuses on the effect of the fur coat on the activity and development of microbial decomposers. In order to test this variable never assessed before, rabbit carcasses were used and results show that: (i) distinct and significant temporal changes in terms of metabolic activity and taxa distribution can be tracked over the decomposition process; (ii) the richness and the diversity of the bacterial communities does not significantly vary over time, but it does not mean that the species Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) do not change; (iii) the presence/absence of the fur on the carcasses does not significantly affect either the bacterial communities' functional activity or the diversity intra‐ and intercommunity, neither at phylum nor at family resolution; (iv) the functional activity and the ecological diversity of the bacterial communities are significantly affected by the body region, while the relative abundance is not. Obtained data confirm previous observations and provide new insight in the Forensic Veterinary field in terms of equally using them in order to derive a statistical model for the PMI estimation. As a future perspective, a contribution to the Forensic Entomology approach will be given in legal investigations when domestic or wild animals are involved, regardless of the presence of a hair layer.


First, an introductory review of deposition dependent microstructural peculiarities of real optical thin films is presented. Then, some physical and chemical properties of particular interest for the user of coated optical elements are surveyed. Of the optical properties, the refractive index is discussed in detail, and reflectivity, light scattering and surface plasmon excitation are also included. Of the mechanical properties, adhesion, hardness, abrasion as well as some aspects of intrinsic stress are illustrated with practical examples. The importance of the thermal stability of optical coatings is emphasized, and some examples of severe alterations of coating properties after thermal treatment are given. The discussion of diffusion processes within some coatings and in the surface region of substrates leads to a survey of selected chemical reactions between the substrate and the coating, within the coating itself and between the coating and the environment. Finally, the degradation of coatings as a result of radiation impact is discussed shortly.


The 'death of evidence' issue in Canada raises the spectre of politicized science, and thus the question of what role social values may have in science and how this meshes with objectivity and evidence. I first criticize philosophical accounts that have to separate different steps of research to restrict the influence of social and other non-epistemic values. A prominent account that social values may play a role even in the context of theory acceptance is the argument from inductive risk. It maintains that the more severe the social consequences of erroneously accepting a theory would be, the more evidence is needed before the theory may be accepted. However, an implication of this position is that increasing evidence makes the impact of social values converge to zero; and I argue for a stronger role for social values. On this position, social values (together with epistemic values and other empirical considerations) may determine a theory's conditions of adequacy, which among other things can include considerations about what makes a scientific account unbiased and complete. I illustrate this based on recent theories of human evolution and the social behaviour of non-human primates, where some of the social values implicated are feminist values. While many philosophical accounts (both arguments from inductive risk and from underdetermination) conceptualize the relevance of social values in terms of making inferences from evidence, I argue for the need for a broader philosophical framework, which is also motivated by issues pertaining to scientific explanation.


The focus of this PhD research is on the theory of topological and differentiable stacks. There are two main themes of this research. The first, is the creation of the theory of compactly generated stacks, which solve many categorical shortcomings of the theory of classical topological stacks. In particular, they are Cartesian closed. Secondly, this thesis develops the theory of small sheaves and stacks over etale topological and differentiable stacks, and explores in particular, the connection between gerbes and ineffective isotropy data. In the first part of the thesis, a convenient 2-category of topological stacks is constructed which is both complete and Cartesian closed. This 2-category, called the 2-category of compactly generated stacks, is the analogue of classical topological stacks, but for a different Grothendieck topology. In fact, there is an equivalence of 2-categories between compactly generated stacks and those classical topological stacks which admit locally compact atlases. Compactly generated stacks are also equivalent to a bicategory of topological groupoids and principal bundles, just as in the classical case. If a classical topological stack and a compactly generated stack have a presentation by the same topological groupoid, then they restrict to the same stack over locally compact Hausdorff spaces and are homotopy equivalent. In the second part of the thesis, we generalize the notion of a small sheaf of sets over a topological space or manifold to define the notion of a small stack of groupoids over an etale topological or differentiable stack. We then provide a construction analogous to the etale space construction in this context, establishing an equivalence of 2-categories between small stacks over an etale stack and local homeomorphisms over it. We go on to characterize small sheaves and gerbes. We show that ineffective data of etale stacks is completely described by the theory of small gerbes. In particular, it is shown that etale stacks (and in particular orbifolds) induce a small gerbe over their effective part, and all gerbes arise in this way. For nice enough classes of maps, for instance submersions, we show that etale stacks are equivalent to a 2-category of gerbed effective etale stacks. Along the way, we also prove that the 2-category of topoi is a full reflective sub-2-category of localic stacks.


Immigration policy has always been and continues to be a subject of intense political and public debate. This book examines the ideas, interests, institutions, and rhetoric that have shaped Canada's immigration history.Beginning their study in the pre-Confederation period, the authors tell of the dramatic transformations that have characterized our attitudes towards immigrants. While, at first, few obstacles were placed in the way of newcomers to Canada, the turn of the century brought policies of increasing selectivity. The massive deportations of the First World War and Depression eras were exceeded in harshness only by the tactics implemented during the Second World War, when nearly all of the Japanese-Canadian population was incarcerated and when Jewish refugees fleeing from mass extermination abroad were turned away from our shores.Bringing us up to date with an analysis of the more expansionary policies of the 1990s, the authors clarify the central issues and attitudes underlying each phase and juncture of policy decision-making. Their thoughtful study reveals a set of core normative and ethical values that have been fundamental in the making of the Canadian mosaic.


Abstract Since the Three Mile Island accident, an important focus of pressurized water reactor (PWR) transient analyses has been a small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA). In 2002, the discovery of thinning of the vessel head wall at the Davis Besse nuclear power plant reactor indicated the possibility of an SBLOCA in the upper head of the reactor vessel as a result of circumferential cracking of a control rod drive mechanism penetration nozzle—which has cast even greater importance on the study of SBLOCAs. Several experimental tests have been performed at the Large Scale Test Facility to simulate the behavior of a PWR during an upper-head SBLOCA. The last of these tests, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency Rig of Safety Assessment (OECD/NEA ROSA) Test 6.1, was performed in 2005. This test was simulated with the TRACE 5.0 code, and good agreement with the experimental results was obtained. Additionally, a broad analysis of an upper-head SBLOCA with high-pressure safety injection failed in a Westinghouse PWR was performed taking into account different accident management actions and conditions in order to check their suitability. This issue has been analyzed also in the framework of the OECD/NEA ROSA project and the Code Applications and Maintenance Program (CAMP). The main conclusion is that the current emergency operating procedures for Westinghouse reactor design are adequate for these kinds of sequences, and they do not need to be modified.