Background The purpose of this study is to correlate lupus antibodies with clinical features of Jamaican SLE patients and assess their predictive value. Materials and methods The study was guided by two research questions. To answer these questions, an ex-post facto research design was used. This design was used because the subjects already had Lupus before treatment, which paved the way for a retrospective study of possible relationships and effects of the treatments to be conducted. The sample size used was (n = 136). Between May 2009 and December 2010, 136 SLE patients were tested for auto-antibodies. Results Fifty five percent were positive for anti-ssDNA, 35% positive for anti-dsDNA, 46% for anti-Sm, 83% for anti-RNP/Sm, 76% for anti-Ro, 31% for anti-La, 30% for anti-histone and 65% for anti-chromatin. After a mean follow up of 4.5 years, the findings showed that elevated ssDNA and dsDNA in the initial samples were predictive of proteinuria, while elevated anti-Sm levels were predictive of proteinuria, low haemoglobin, lymphopenia and increased heart rate. The results of the Pearson Product Moment Correlation showed a weak to moderation relationships between ssDNA and Creartinine (r = 0.209, p < 0.05); DMARD use (r = 0.226, p < 0.05); Proteinuria (r = 0.286, p < 0.01); and Average Prednisone Dose (APD) (r = 0.363, p < 0.01). A weak to moderation relationships were also observed between dsDNA and Hb (r = -0.218, p < 0.05); Proteinuria (r = 0.399, p < 0.01); and APD (r = 0.457, p < 0.01). Anti SM correlated with Proteinuria (r = 0.374, p < 0.05) while anti RNP/SM correlated with Hb (r = 0.304, p < 0.05), and anti-Histone correlated with Proteinuria (r = 0.461, p < 0.05). The simple regression analysis conducted to examine if SM be used to predict heart rate, Hb, and Lymphocytes. The results were significant: Hb (R2 = 0.217, F = 23.843, p < 0.01); Hb and APD (R2 = 0.262, F = 15.070, p < 0.01); and Hb, APD and organ involvement (R2 = 0.305, F = 12.311, p < 0.01). Conclusions This retrospective study showed that elevated ssDNA and dsDNA in the initial samples were predictive of ?proteinuria, while elevated anti-Sm levels were predictive of proteinuria, low haemoglobin, lymphopenia and increased heart rate.


Marine snow aggregates are colonized by copepods, and encounter rates inferred from observed abundances of colonizers are high. We examined the potential for hydromechanical and chemical remote detection. The fluid disturbance generated by a sinking aggregate was described by solving the Navier-Stokes' equation for a sinking sphere at Reynolds numbers typical of marine snow (up to 20). Fluid deformation rate, the component of the flow that can be perceived by copepods, attenuates rapidly, and detection distances estimated from knowledge of the hydromechanical sensi- tivity in copepods are insufficient to account for the observed abundances of colonizers. We next solved the advection-diffusion equation to describe the chemical trail left by a leaking and sinking aggregate. The plume is long and slender and may be detected by a horizontally cruising copepod. From the model of the plume and literature-based estimates of size-dependent aggregate leakage rates of amino acids, we estimate that a threshold sensitivity to amino acids of 0.4 〈 10 -7 M is required to account for observed abundances of colonizers. This is consistent with knowledge of the amino acid concentrations needed to elicit behavioral responses in copepods.


Welded structures are frequently used in today's metal industry. Since fatigue is still one major reason of failures, investigation in this field is of interest to engineers. In this study experimental methods are employed to perform a fatigue evaluation concerning local weld geometry. The emphasis was on quantifying the weld toe radius as a feature in quantification of weld quality. Three different welding positions which have been led to different toe radii were analyzed. Each batch contained 12 specimens manufactured in cruciform joint and has been tested in non-load carrying status. Finally, the results of tests were compiled in Wöhler (S-N) curve and compared to reference curves introduced by IIW (International Institute of Welding). Results of this study show that local weld geometry has remarkable influence on strength of welded structures. It can be concluded that specimens with larger toe radii had more fatigue strength – as it was expected from the theory.


We build a stylized model of a network of business angel investors and start-up entrepreneurs. Investors provide capital for entrepreneurs who invest it in the business and return part of the profit to the investors. Investors exchange information about returns from entrepreneurs. The initial level of trust between an investor and an entrepreneur is determined by a distance measure. Then, trust grows through better-than-average returns. If an investor is disappointed, trust decreases. If trust is below a certain threshold, a link is cut. The questions that can be addressed with the model are: How does the investors' trusting behavior influence market outcomes, such as their own return and the probability of successful exit for the entrepreneurs? Is there an optimal trusting behavior trom the investors' perspective, both collectively and individually? What is the best behavioral strategy from an entrepreneur's perspective? The model can easily be generalized to other settings. Once the basic mechanisms are well understood, more complex versions could be derived to study e.g. banking networks.


From the Publisher:
Knowledge Discovery in Databases brings together current research on the exciting problem of discovering useful and interesting knowledge in databases. It spans many different approaches to discovery, including inductive learning, bayesian statistics, semantic query optimization, knowledge acquisition for expert systems, information theory, and fuzzy 1 sets.
The rapid growth in the number and size of databases creates a need for tools and techniques for intelligent data understanding. Relationships and patterns in data may enable a manufacturer to discover the cause of a persistent disk failure or the reason for consumer complaints. But today's databases hide their secrets beneath a cover of overwhelming detail. The task of uncovering these secrets is called "discovery in databases." This loosely defined subfield of machine learning is concerned with discovery from large amounts of possible uncertain data. Its techniques range from statistics to the use of domain knowledge to control search.
Following an overview of knowledge discovery in databases, thirty technical chapters are grouped in seven parts which cover discovery of quantitative laws, discovery of qualitative laws, using knowledge in discovery, data summarization, domain specific discovery methods, integrated and multi-paradigm systems, and methodology and application issues. An important thread running through the collection is reliance on domain knowledge, starting with general methods and progressing to specialized methods where domain knowledge is built in.
Gregory Piatetski-Shapiro is Senior Member of Technical Staff and Principal Investigator of the Knowledge Discovery Project at GTELaboratories. William Frawley is Principal Member of Technical Staff at GTE and Principal Investigator of the Learning in Expert Domains Project.


Abstract:Partly autobiographical, partly comparative, partly theoretical, this essay uses the idea of the footprint to explore the concept of xenophilia. The author first describes how the field of European medieval history has changed since the 1960s, when the period 500 –1500 in Western Europe seemed to graduate students to represent a kind of "other." Recently the European Middle Ages has come to seem familiar, and medievalists, still in search of the unfamiliar, have reached beyond the borders of Western Europe and the type of documents traditionally studied to research new regions and to study objects as well as texts. This curiosity has led the author herself to draw comparisons between Indian culture, especially Hinduism, and European Christianity, thereby raising questions about what constitutes good comparative study. Interrogating the nature of comparison, especially through an exploration of religious objects, Bynum explores recent work on the devotional significance of the footprint, using as her detailed example the footprint of Christ supposedly left on the Mount of Olives and revered by Christians and Muslims. She discusses how the power of this footprint was transported to Europe both in relics acquired from the site and in measurements of its length. The footprint, which is both part and whole, both the presence and the absence of the one who leaves it, provides insight into and elaboration of what trace or vestige means to cultural theorists. It therefore sums up the acute awareness of presence and absence that xenophilia requires.


Financial knowledge and adroitness in money management have become imperatives for consumers in all segments of society. As consumers, college students face financial challenges that are unique to them as well as many of the same challenges facing the wider population. Some students are entering college with pressing financial responsibilities, but in particular, previous researchers found that students were impacted by mounting credit card and student loan debt. Researchers point to a lack of basic financial knowledge on the part of college students and posit that this deficiency may be a result of a systematic lack of personal financial education. While there is no widespread sense of urgency to promote students' financial literacy, some colleges have instituted campus-based programs to address the issue. Most studies on college financial education focus on programs at research-based universities. This dissertation, through the case study method, investigates the approaches taken by state colleges and universities to address students' financial education needs. Second, through the focus groups on three campuses at University of North Georgia (UNG), it examines the financial educational needs from the students' standpoint. Seven diverse cases provide holistic pictures of how universities develop, sustain and grow financial education programs. This study found that the nature and impact of programs are contingent on several factors including the reasons for program initiation, the institutional clout of program champions, the institutional units from which programs emerge, program marketing, connectivity of programs and available resources. A four-fold typology of organizational models for campus-based programs is developed to facilitate analysis. These are the Academic Model, the Full-Fledged Money Management Center Model, the Branch Model and the Seed Program. The focus groups revealed that parents are discussing issues of frugality, budgeting and credit card usage with students. Students report not being overwhelmed by credit card debt at this time. There are significant differences in the levels of financial satisfaction among various ethnic and other groups at UNG. Overwhelmingly, students wanted financial education from UNG and preferred the classroom delivery method over other methods. Students wanted to learn about budgeting, investing, credit cards, student loans, and savings. INDEX WORDS: Case study, focus group, financial education, financial literacy, personal finance, consumer economics, consumer finance, state colleges, state universities, University of North Georgia, college students FINANCIAL EDUCATION IN STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE US: A STUDY OF PROGRAM OFFERINGS AND STUDENTS' NEEDS


Significance Neuronal plasticity peaks early in life during critical periods and normally declines with age, but the molecular changes that underlie this decline are not fully understood. Using the mouse visual cortex as a model, we found that activity-dependent expression of the neuronal protein Arc peaks early in life, and that loss of activity-dependent Arc expression parallels loss of synaptic plasticity in the visual cortex. Genetic overexpression of Arc prolongs the critical period of visual cortex plasticity, and acute viral expression of Arc in adult mice can restore juvenile-like plasticity. These findings provide a mechanism for the loss of excitatory plasticity with age, and suggest that Arc may be an exciting therapeutic target for modulation of the malleability of neuronal circuits. The molecular basis for the decline in experience-dependent neural plasticity over age remains poorly understood. In visual cortex, the robust plasticity induced in juvenile mice by brief monocular deprivation during the critical period is abrogated by genetic deletion of Arc, an activity-dependent regulator of excitatory synaptic modification. Here, we report that augmenting Arc expression in adult mice prolongs juvenile-like plasticity in visual cortex, as assessed by recordings of ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in vivo. A distinguishing characteristic of juvenile OD plasticity is the weakening of deprived-eye responses, believed to be accounted for by the mechanisms of homosynaptic long-term depression (LTD). Accordingly, we also found increased LTD in visual cortex of adult mice with augmented Arc expression and impaired LTD in visual cortex of juvenile mice that lack Arc or have been treated in vivo with a protein synthesis inhibitor. Further, we found that although activity-dependent expression of Arc mRNA does not change with age, expression of Arc protein is maximal during the critical period and declines in adulthood. Finally, we show that acute augmentation of Arc expression in wild-type adult mouse visual cortex is sufficient to restore juvenile-like plasticity. Together, our findings suggest a unifying molecular explanation for the age- and activity-dependent modulation of synaptic sensitivity to deprivation.


[1] The single scanner footprint (SSF) data product produced by the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument on board the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite is used to diagnose 68 deep convective cloud objects observed in March 1998. The probability density functions (PDFs) of several observed and retrieved fields from the CERES SSF data product are used to evaluate two sets of simulations produced by a cloud-resolving model. The simulations that use an improved microphysics scheme are found to produce more realistic distributions of albedo, outgoing longwave radiation, cloud top temperature, and cloud height than the control simulations, using an objective measure of the differences between the simulated and observed PDFs. The distribution of cloud optical depth produced by the new simulations is further from that observed than the control simulations. Using a bootstrapping technique, these differences are found to be statistically significant. The reflectivities and precipitation rates associated with the cloud objects observed with the TRMM precipitation radar and TRMM microwave imager are also used to evaluate the two sets of simulations. Both sets are found to produce similar distributions of the precipitation rate. The simulated radar reflectivities produced by the new simulations are somewhat more realistic than those of the control simulations, although both sets produce reflectivities that are too high at altitudes above the freezing level.


The World Wide Web (WWW) is a successful hypermedia information space used by millions of people, yet it suffers from many deficiencies and problems in support for navigation around its vast information space. In this paper we identify the origins of these navigation problems, namely WWW browser design, WWW page design, and WWW page description languages. Regardless of their origins, these problems are eventually represented to the user at the browser's user interface. To help overcome these problems, many tools are being developed which allow users to visualise WWW subspaces. We identify five key issues in the design and functionality of these visualisation systems: characteristics of the visual representation, the scope of the subspace representation, the mechanisms for generating the visualisation, the degree of browser independence, and the navigation support facilities. We provide a critical review of the diverse range of WWW visualisation tools with respect to these issues.


The last few years have seen a remarkable surge of popular interest in the topic of atheism. Books about atheism by writers like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have figured prominently in bestseller lists and have attracted widespread discussion in the media. The ubiquity of public debates about atheism, especially in conscious opposition to the perceived social threat posed by faith and religion, has been startling. However, as Gavin Hyman points out, despite their prevalence and popularity, what often characterises these debates is a lack of nuance and sophistication. They can be shrill, ignorant of the historical complexity of debates about belief, and tend to lapse into caricature. What is needed is a clear and well informed presentation of how atheistic ideas originated and developed, in order to illuminate their contemporary relevance and application. That task is what the author undertakes here. Exploring the rise of atheism as an explicit philosophical position (notably in the work of Denis Diderot), Hyman traces its development in the later ideas of Descartes, Locke and Berkeley. Drawing also on the work of contemporary scholars like Amos Funkenstein and Michael J Buckley, the author shows that, since in recent theology the concept of God which atheists negate is changing, the triumph of its advocates may not be quite as unequivocal as Hitchens and Dawkins would have us believe.


Rather than treating redistribution as an undifferentiated economic function, scholars currently recognize that multiple forms may occur simultaneously. In this Forum Article, I focus on one such form in detail, specifically, the redistributive system that financed the production of prestige goods at the Palace of Nestor at Pylos. I employ the manufacture of chariots, perfumed oils, and textiles as case studies. The three industries had a number of features in common. They required raw materials that were dispersed. Their managers collected dispersed raw materials and allocated them to specialists, who added value to them through skilled labor and who produced composite artifacts that were then redistributed by palatial authorities to an exclusive group of recipients. While similarities in the management of the industries reflect an overall policy of resource mobilization through which palace authorities garnered the loyalty of an emergent class of secondary elites, the inconsistencies in the manner in which the industries were run also suggest that redistribution was not fully standardized. Join the discussion on AJA Online.


The commercialization of Marconi's radio transmission and reception, along with the development of integrated circuits in the 1960's have facilitated many new consumer products for wireless communication, where the mobile phones or handsets are one. These handsets started out as a portable phone, mounted in cars, and have with time added additional services as Short Message Service, and have today become a media center with global positioning, and high-speed internet connection. This has been possible with the use of multistandard radios, that can receive and transmit information using many different wireless communication standards. Many of these handsets have one dedicated integrated radio chain for each communication standard used, which results in a large and expensive integrated circuit for these modern handsets. The challenge of today is to make modern handsets cheaper, smaller, and lower in power consumption. The power consumption is an issue of particular importance since the capacity of the available power sources do not increase with the demands of the handsets. One proposed method to do this is to move towards Software Defined Radio, where software of the handset control a single reconfigurable radio, and set which communication standard that the handset is to use. In this way, the handset can be reconfigured to communicate in the most power or data efficient way, depending on the choice of the user. The area of the Software Defined Radio receiver is also smaller than the parallel chains that are implemented today, which reduces the cost of production. The Software Defined Radio receiver is very challenging to design, since there is a large number of wireless communication standards, sometimes even within the same frequency bands. This make the reception of a weak desired signal difficult, when there may be a strong interferer in the same frequency band. A key component in the Software Defined Radio receiver is the Analog to Digital Converter. The development of new wireless communication standards requires higher performance of the Analog to Digital Converter in the receiver. This performance is hard to achieve, when the power consumption should be low, and the area should be small, especially in the modern integrated circuit technologies. This thesis put the development of the communication industry into a historical perspective, and gives a review of the fundamental development of wireless communication applications. The fundamental concepts and implementations of Analog to Digital Converters for multistandard wireless receiver chains are also covered. Finally two case studies on the design of multistandard Analog to Digital Converters for Software Defined Radio applications are presented. These Analog to Digital Converters implement different methods of reconfiguration in order to comply with the requirements of the standards. The first case study is to the knowledge of the author the first reported reconfigurable Analog to Digital Converter for Wireless Personal Area Networks, that can be reconfigured from Bluetooth to the UWB communication standard. This is done by changing the architecture of the Analog to Digital Converter from Sigma Delta type to flash type. This reconfigurable Analog to Digital Converter is implemented at transistor level. The second case study investigates the limits of circuit level reconfigurability in an algorithmic Analog to Digital Converter. It is found that the requirements of two wireless communication standards can be covered with the use of smart circuit design techniques. The performance of this Analog to Digital Converter has been validated with experimental measurements.


In this paper the reaction kinetics of dimethyl phosphoramidate with hydroxyl radical was investigated with Density Functional Theory. Geometry optimization and energy calculations of the reactants, the pre-reactive complexes, the transition states and the products were performed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) basis set. The water effect was computed by using CPCM as the solvation model. Rate constants of all the possible reaction paths were calculated via Transition State Theory. The branching ratio for each of the reaction paths was calculated. The most probable reaction path was found the hydrogen abstraction from methyl group of dimethyl phosphoramidate.


This report is a brief critique of the report commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS; May-Chahal, Measham, Brannock, Amos, & Dagnall, 2004) to examine adolescent gambling in Britain. This brief critique is split into three main sections that cover general comments followed by more specific comments in relation to the executive summary and the rest of the report. The report also includes our own executive summary and an appendix of comments from other people in the field of youth gambling relating to the DCMS report. The reason for writing this critique is that the conclusions made in the DCMS report are the ones most likely to be heard at Ministerial level. Given that the report is selective in the use of the literature and the executive summary is written in such a way as to seriously minimize the problem and issue of adolescent gambling, we present a similar picture but with a different emphasis.


We study 379 central and 159 satellite early-type galaxies with two-dimensional kinematics from the integral-field survey Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) to determine how their angular momentum content depends on stellar and halo mass. Using the Yang et al. group catalog, we identify central and satellite galaxies in groups with halo masses in the range . As in previous work, we see a sharp dependence on stellar mass, in the sense that ∼70% of galaxies with stellar mass tend to have very little rotation, while nearly all galaxies at lower mass show some net rotation. The ∼30% of high-mass galaxies that have significant rotation do not stand out in other galaxy properties, except for a higher incidence of ionized gas emission. Our data are consistent with recent simulation results suggesting that major merging and gas accretion have more impact on the rotational support of lower-mass galaxies. When carefully matching the stellar mass distributions, we find no residual differences in angular momentum content between satellite and central galaxies at the 20% level. Similarly, at fixed mass, galaxies have consistent rotation properties across a wide range of halo mass. However, we find that errors in classification of central and satellite galaxies with group finders systematically lower differences between satellite and central galaxies at a level that is comparable to current measurement uncertainties. To improve constraints, the impact of group-finding methods will have to be forward-modeled via mock catalogs.


Abstract. The condensation and evaporation rates predicted by bin and bulk microphysics schemes in the same model framework are compared in a statistical way using simulations of non-precipitating shallow cumulus clouds. Despite other fundamental disparities between the bin and bulk condensation parameterizations, the differences in condensation rates are predominantly explained by accounting for the width of the cloud droplet size distributions simulated by the bin scheme. While the bin scheme does not always predict a cloud droplet size distribution that is well represented by a gamma distribution function (which is assumed by bulk schemes), this fact appears to be of secondary importance for explaining why the two schemes predict different condensation and evaporation rates. The width of the cloud droplet size is not well constrained by observations, and thus it is difficult to know how to appropriately specify it in bulk microphysics schemes. However, this study shows that enhancing our observations of this width and its behavior in clouds is important for accurately predicting condensation and evaporation rates.


Over the last 20 years, since the introduction and elaboration of the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) within the medical profession, we have seen its broad scale acceptance and rise to universal prominence. Educators, legislators, insurance providers, professional associations, healthcare practitioners of various modalities, lawyers, journalists and other commentators – all appear to be driven by a mania for 'evidence' in medicine. However, EBM is a deeply flawed system and under the pervasive influence of the pharmaceutical industry these flaws have become more entrenched rather than identified and corrected. Moreover, the motive of 'medicine for profit' has given rise to a situation that not only resists correction, but also tends to amplify and expand the scope of bad science and poor evidence in medicine. This paper does not argue against the idea that medical practice should be based on the best available evidence. The examination here pertains to the kinds of evidence that have become acceptable, and those which are now devalued, many of which are just as - if not more - relevant to a holistic clinical practice. The main tenet here is that, in terms of medical epistemology, the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of empiricism - an untenable position with respect to clinical knowledge - and that it is time for it to swing back to the sensible middle ground between quantitative and qualitative research. Additionally, it is crucial that we understand the multifarious ways in which this newly developing system may be perverted to serve other agendas. These considerations are all the more important for the complementary medicine profession, which appears to be in the process of wholeheartedly embracing the current paradigm of EBM, 'warts and all'.


The essays in "The Gift of Good Land" are as true today as when they were first published in 1981; the problems addressed here are still with us and the solutions no nearer to hand. One of the insistent themes of this book is the interdependence, the wholeness, the oneness of people, the land, weather, animals, and family. To touch one is to tamper with them all. We live in one functioning organism whose separate parts are artificially isolated by our culture. The twenty-four essays in this collection cover a variety of subjects; the author's journeys to the Peruvian Andes, to the desert of southern Arizona, and to Amish country to study the evolution of ancient native agricultural practices. In "Solving for Pattern," Mr. Berry lists fourteen critical standards for solving agricultural problems that can just as easily be used as standards for solving personal and family problems. In the title essay, the author examines our Judeo-Christian heritage to discover parallels with the Buddhist doctrine of "right livelihood" or "right occupation." He develops the compelling argument that the "gift" of good land has strings attached. We have it only on loan and only for as long as we practice good stewardship.


The thesis deals with the development of the secondary school teaching professionduring the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. The emphasisof the study is on the concurrence of three structural processes in this profession:feminization, professionalization and governmental bureaucratization.The "teachers of the people" found themselves deeply affected by radical economicand social structural changes during the transition from classical industrialcapitalism to organized capitalism at the end of the 19th century. These strucuralchanges aggravated the conflicts between the classes and the sexes in society, andthe elementary school became an important institution for social and ideologicalcontrol. But the teachers were not content to be the mindless instruments of thepredominant ideology. At an early stage the elementary school and the teachersthemselves began to live "a life of their own". Both male and female teachers beganto develop strategies in the struggle for power and control over their profession. Inother words, a process of professionalization began.At the same time as the teachers were organized collectively the women's share ofthe profession increased. The teaching of the lower classes was considered verysuitable for unmarried middle-class women, and the cheap female labour wasattractive to the politicians. There were risks of clashes between male and femaleinterests, since the profession also attracted young men from the farming andworking classes, who saw possibilities of social advancement in this sector of theschool system.The men developed different strategies against their female colleagues. Duringthe whole of the 19th century women were integrated into the professional project.At the turn of the century the men developed a strategy of social closure againstwomen, which meant that these were relegated to a lower level. At the same timethe government introduced regulations which were intended to impede women'sfast access to the profession. This triggered off an open conflict between the sexes inthe profession, since the changes were initiated by male elementary school teacherswho were leaders of the professional program as well as leading politicians in thegovernment and the Riksdag.


RHAMM is an oncogene that regulates signaling through ras and controls mitogen-activated protein kinase [extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)] expression in embryonic murine fibroblasts. ERK is a dual-specificity kinase that controls expression of proteins relevant to tumorigenesis, proliferation, and motility. To assess whether RHAMM and ERK are involved in human breast tumor progression, we examined RHAMM, ras, and ERK expression in two cohorts of breast cancer patients using reverse transcription-PCR and immunocytochemistry. We show that overexpression of RHAMM in primary tumors of two patient cohorts was significantly prognostic of poor outcome in breast cancer progression. Furthermore, RHAMM overexpression occurred within subsets of tumor cells in the primary tumor, and this staining pattern was associated with lymph node metastases. The metastases exhibited a significantly higher level of staining for RHAMM than did the primary tumor. RHAMM expression strongly correlated with overexpression of both ras and ERK, although overexpression of either of these two signaling molecules was not by itself a prognostic indicator. These results identify a new parameter that is involved in lymph node metastasis of primary breast cancers and suggest that quantification of RHAMM overexpression may be a useful prognostic indicator for breast carcinoma progression.


Abstract: This paper compares and contrasts the use of tenses in Vergil's Aeneid and Ab Urbe Condita (AUC), Livy's history of Rome. The tense usage in these works is analysed by means of two parameters: discourse mode and base. Discourse modes that occur in the Aeneid and AUC are the narrative mode, the reporting mode, the description mode and the registering mode. These modes are, both in the Aeneid and in AUC, used from a base in the time of narration, and from a shifted base, the reference time of the story. All interpretations of Latin (narrative) tenses found in this corpus are arranged according to discourse mode and base, resulting in seven 'sets' of interpretations of tenses. These sets each represent a specific way of presentation and are, so to speak, Vergil's and Livy's 'building blocks'. The way in which they use these building blocks, and, thus, the Latin narrative tenses, differs. As such, the analysis of the use of tense by means of discourse modes and bases turns out to be a fruitful tool to describe differences between texts of different genres on a text linguistic level.


This paper examines the impacts of changes in the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured loan limit in response to the Economic Stimulus Act (ESA) of 2008. We use difference-in-difference approaches to compare the number of transactions and average loan-to-value ratios for properties located in high-cost areas and low-cost areas, before and after the ESA policy change. We find that the increase in loan limits does results larger demand for FHA loans, both in quantity and quality. However, the behavior is not driven by incentives to buy more housing or by wealth constraints. We find evidence of increased moral hazard in the sense that increased loan limits induced riskier borrowers (allowed "cherry-picking" against FHA), and that much of the increased demand for FHA loans came at the expense of other loans. For instance, newly qualified borrowers, especially via cash-out refinance loans, are more likely to take advantage of increased loan limit policy, and adjust their LTVs. Also, newly qualified loans had higher default rates and higher loss given default rate.


Industry 4.0-based human-in-the-loop cyber-physical production systems are transforming the industrial workforce to accommodate the ever-increasing variability of production. Real-time operator support and performance monitoring require accurate information on the activities of operators. The problem with tracing hundreds of activity times is critical due to the enormous variability and complexity of products. To handle this problem a software-sensor-based activity-time and performance measurement system is proposed. To ensure a real-time connection between operator performance and varying product complexity, fixture sensors and an indoor positioning system (IPS) were designed and this multi sensor data merged with product-relevant information. The proposed model-based performance monitoring system tracks the recursively estimated parameters of the activity-time estimation model. As the estimation problem can be ill-conditioned and poor raw sensor data can result in unrealistic parameter estimates, constraints were introduced into the parameter-estimation algorithm to increase the robustness of the software sensor. The applicability of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on a well-documented benchmark problem of a wire harness manufacturing process. The fully reproducible and realistic simulation study confirms that the indoor positioning system-based integration of primary sensor signals and product-relevant information can be efficiently utilized in terms of the constrained recursive estimation of the operator activity.


This study examines the factors influencing chronic poverty in Uganda. The findings are based on participatory poverty assessments conducted in 23 peri-urban / urban and 57 rural sites in 21 districts. It examines definitions of chronic poverty, the types of people who are chronically poor and why; opportunities and constraints for moving out of poverty; the effects of government policies; and suggestions for improvements. Chronic poverty was described as a state of perpetual need" "due to a lack of the basic necessities" and the "means of production"; social support; and feelings of frustration and powerlessness. For many, it was inter-generationally transmitted and of long duration. Multiple compounding factors, such as attitude, access to productive resources, weather conditions, HIV/AIDS, physical infirmity and gender, worsened the severity of poverty. The major categories of the chronically poor included the disabled, widows, chronic poor married women, street kids and orphans, the elderly, the landless, casual labourers, refugees and the internally displaced and youth. Factors that maintain the poor in poverty included the lack of productive assets, exploitation and discrimination, lack of opportunities, low education and lack of skills, ignorance, weather, disability or illness, and disempowerment. For the chronically poor, GOU policies and practices taxation, land tenure, market liberalisation, civil service reform and privatisation were reported to maintain them in poverty. Aspects of local governance, such as corruption, poor information flow, lack of consultation, and high taxation were also maintainers of ignorance and poverty. The chronically poor do not participate in development opportunities, because they lack confidence, prerequisite assets or capital, and therefore they remain poor. Women may be doubly or triply disadvantaged. Examination of the impact on government policies on the chronically poor revealed that even when these policies are pro-poor they either do not reach those living in chronic poverty or the chronically poor cannot benefit from these policies. Careful targeting may be required. Poor implementation of "good policies" was also show to contribute to the chronically poor "missing out" on development. Efforts to relieve corruption and to heighten information flow to the poor would greatly assist. Enhancing opportunities, the chronically poor's capabilities and their ability to access these, as well as facilitating empowerment of them were recommended as key in moving people out of chronic poverty. Lastly, insecurity has devastated the lives of people, especially in northern Uganda. The poor here requested the government to uphold the second pillar of the Poverty Eradication Action Plan and secure their future.


O of the things that we pride ourselves on at BioTechniques is providing simple methods developments that can be implemented in the lab immediately. Maybe this makes us throwbacks—"old school" so to speak. But it seems that life science research is becoming so complex at the moment that it is now difficult to reproduce major scientific results between labs. At least this is better than the alternative explanation, that fabricating or "massaging" data have become common practices amoung researchers. Either way, the lack of reproducibility is a serious problem at the moment that needs to be addressed by life scientists. The troubling trend of irreproducibility, which has been brewing for some time now, came to a head for many with the publication of a commentary in the journal Nature by Begley and Ellis finding that the results of 47 out of 53 studies could not be replicated. These preclinical studies formed the basis for other research studies and in some instances were the starting points for costly drug studies. Begley and Ellis are not alone in their findings— other reports have surfaced in recent months highlighting the problem of irreproducible studies. Recently, a group called the Global Biological Standards Institute (GBSI) presented a report making a case for biological standards. In interviews with 60 key figures in the life science community, nearly 75% of those interviewed described having to deal with irreproducible data and/or results. The conclusion of the GBSI was that there is a need for more well-defined and consistently used standards, both material (reference reagents and chemicals) and written (optimal practices and methodologies). The Begley and Ellis commentary also brings to light another fundamental problem in life science today: researchers tackling projects beyond their fields of expertise. Preclinical and translational research have become the buzzwords of the moment, leading many investigators to search out ways in which to focus their grants on these types of studies. But what is the impact of this trend? Are these researchers sufficiently trained and equipped to perform the necessary experiments and analyze their findings in a meaningful way when it comes to clinical significance? Or are attempts to include the "right" buzzwords in grant applications in order to obtain funding dictating experimental design? The impact of irreproducible studies is particularly troubling for me as the editor of a methods-oriented journal. The manner in which methods are reported and detailed is critical to reproducing the findings of an article— researchers need to be able to replicate experiments 1, 10, or even 20 years after an article has been published. While it is a great to be able to go to another lab or exchange reagents to verify an experiment or study in the short-term, what happens over time? Researchers need to understand the methods they are using and document the manner in which they are being performed so that future generations can build upon the work that is being done today. In the end, science continues to grow more complex and more interdisciplinary. This is an exciting development, but it creates the need to modify traditional ways of thinking about grants, peer review, publishing, and experimental design. Specific steps, chemicals, and processes need to be documented. At BioTechniques, we will be taking additional steps during the peer review process to ensure that all of the information needed to replicate a method is presented in every report. In addition, we encourage authors to submit articles identifying "challenging" reagents—including the robust characterization of antibodies and or cell lines— as well as other potential roadblocks standing in the way of reproducibility. The creation of new standards in life science research is an important endeavor that requires care and thought. Researchers need to be cautious in designing their experiments and also report full experimental procedures and results. Journals should require complete methods descriptions, even if they appear as online Supplementary Materials, as this will provide a great first step towards reproducibility. It is interesting to note that at this moment of greater irreproducibility in life science, journals continue to minimize the space given to Materials and Methods sections in articles. Reporting the way in which experiments are performed should not be an afterthought. While the goal is simple—eliminating irreproducibility—getting on the right path could prove tough.


A company that is "built to last" is no flash in the pan, but one that will continue to grow and have a long-term influence on its environment. Vision and dynamism are determinative in order to achieve this. The combination of innovation and conservatism is striking. The core values and the core objective form the immutable, guiding values, principles, and preconditions. This paper describes the Baan Company as a visionary company, and discusses in particular the timeless aspects. Baan's immutable values, principles, and preconditions relate to the work ethic, stewardship, pioneering, the industrial approach, entering into strategic cooperative relationships, client-orientation, an open, informal organisation and serving leadership. Stability in this area has allowed Baan to be a great innovator in other areas.


The development of affordable virtual reality (VR) hardware represents a keystone of progress in modern software development and human-computer interaction. Despite the ready availability of robust hardware tools, there is presently a lack of video games or software in VR that demonstrates the gamut of unique and novel interfaces a virtual environment can provide. In this paper, we present a virtual reality video game which introduces unique user interface elements that can only be achieved in a 3D virtual environment. The video game, titled Wolf Hunt, provides users with a menu system that innovates on traditional interfaces with a virtual representation of a common item people interact with daily: a mobile phone. Wolf Hunt throws users into a procedurally generated world where they take the role of an individual escaping a wolf assailant. Deviating from traditional locomotion options in VR interfaces, such as teleportation, Wolf Hunt measures the displacement of hand-held VR controllers with the VR headset to simulate the natural action of running. Wolf Hunt provides an alternate interfacing solution for VR systems without having to conform to common 2D interface design schemes.


One of the challenges to present Western welfare states is worldwide population mobility as part of the wider globalization process. Despite having reached unprecedented levels of prosperity, Western welfare states are pervaded by a sense of unease, if not crisis. Many observers fear that globalization is undermining the state as an effective agency for ensuring the economic and social security of its inhabitants. An important factor in these fears is the incapacity of modern states to manage international migration. Social scientists have become aware of an increasing discrepancy between policies toward migration and what is really happening. This book resulted from a conference on the subject held in Amsterdam in 2002 at the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies in collaboration with the Department of Geography and Planning of the University of Amsterdam. Migration experts from different countries and disciplines contributed to this volume, which is relevant for all social scientists and policy makers in the field of migration.


Since the discoveries of a putative AIDS virus in 1984 and of millions of asymptomatic carriers in subsequent years, no general AIDS epidemic has occurred by 2011. In 2008, however, it has been proposed that between 2000 and 2005 the new AIDS virus, now called HIV, had killed 1.8 million South Africans at a steady rate of 300,000 per year and that anti-HIV drugs could have saved 330,000 of those. Here we investigate these claims in view of the paradoxes that HIV would cause a general epidemic in Africa but not in other continents, and a steady rather than a classical bell-shaped epidemic like all other new pathogenic viruses. Surprisingly, we found that South Africa attributed only about 10,000 deaths per year to HIV between 2000 and 2005 and that the South African population had increased by 3 million between 2000 and 2005 at a steady rate of 500,000 per year. This gain was part of a monotonic growth trajectory spanning from 29 million in 1980 to 49 million in 2008. During the same time Uganda increased from 12 to 31 million, and Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole doubled from 400 to 800 million, despite high prevalence HIV. We deduce from this demographic evidence that HIV is not a new killer virus. Based on a review of the known toxicities of antiretroviral drugs we like to draw the attention of scientists, who work in basic and clinical medical fields, including embryologists, to the need of rethinking the risk-and-benefit balance of antiretroviral drugs for pregnant women, newborn babies and all others who carry antibodies against HIV.


Introduction Part I: Basic Legal Stuff Chapter 1: All About Our Legal System Chapter 2: Do It Yourself: Solving Your Own Legal Problems Chapter 3: Solving Legal Problems with an Attorney Part II: Laws That Affect Your Daily Life Chapter 4: Relationships, Marriage, and Divorce Chapter 5: Parenting and Child Care Chapter 6: The Law and Your Job Chapter 7: Driving and the Law Chapter 8: Privacy: Do You Really Have Any? Part III: The Law and Your Money Chapter 9: So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur! Chapter 10: Credit: Getting It, Using It, Losing It, Rebuilding It Chapter 11: Smart Spending Chapter 12: Buying and Selling a Home Part IV: Tough Stuff: Being Sick, Getting Older, Dying Chapter 13: Your Health Care Rights Chapter 14: Getting Older: We All Do It Chapter 15: Estate Planning Chapter 16: Death and Dying: Doing It Gracefully Part V: Crime and Punishment Chapter 17: Do the Crime, Do the Time Chapter 18: Juvenile Law: The Times Are Changing Part VI: The Part of Tens Chapter 19: More Than Ten Ways to Avoid Legal Problems Chapter 20: Ten Common Mistakes Consumers Make When Hiring an Attorney Index


While most natural language understanding systems rely on a pipeline-based architecture, certain human text interpretation methods are based on a cyclic process between the whole text and its parts: the hermeneutic circle. In the task of automatically identifying characters and their narrative roles, we propose a feedback-loop-based approach where the output of later modules of the pipeline is fed back to earlier ones. We analyze this approach using a corpus of 21 Russian folktales. Initial results show that feeding back high-level narrative information improves the performance of some NLP tasks.


The retail industry globally is in the early stages of an era of profound, perhaps unprecedented, change. This book is intended to serve as a robust and practical guide to leaders of enterprises tasked with both understanding and delivering success in the new landscape of retailing. The book firstly describes the major directions and drivers of change that define the new global landscape of retailing (Part 1). Accelerating technology change, the rise to prominence globally of internet enabled shoppers and the rapid emergence of entirely new retail enterprises and business models are combining to re-shape the very fundamentals of the retail industry. No longer are shops needed to be in the business of retailing. No longer is choice for the shopper limited to the neighbourhood, town or even country in which they live. No longer is the act of retailing solely the preserve of traditional retail enterprises as internet-enabled businesses, technology, logistics, suppliers and financial services enterprises all seek direct relationships with the shopper. The new landscape of retailing is an unforgiving one. Success can be achieved more quickly than has ever been possible before but failure is equally rapid. The opportunities in the new landscape of retailing are profound, but so too are the challenges. Part 2 of this book discusses the structures, skills and capabilities retail enterprises will need if they are to be successful in this new landscape and the skills and perspectives that will be required of the leaders of retail enterprises. Case studies of innovative and successful enterprises are presented throughout the book to illustrate the themes discussed. Frameworks are presented to provide practical guidance for enterprise leaders to understand and contextualise the nature of change that is re-shaping retail landscapes globally. Clear guidance is given of the capabilities, skills and perspectives that will be needed at both an enterprise and a personal leadership level to deliver success in the new landscape of retailing.


Gorgeous George Sisler, a left-handed first baseman, began his major-league baseball career in 1915 with the St. Louis Browns. During his sixteen years in the majors, he played with such baseball luminaries as Ty Cobb (who once called Sisler the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer ), Babe Ruth, and Rogers Hornsby. He was considered by these stars of the sport to be their equal, and Branch Rickey, one of baseball s foremost innovators and talent scouts, once said that in 1922 Sisler was the greatest player that ever lived. During his illustrious career he was a .340 hitter, twice achieving the rare feat of hitting more than .400. His 257 hits in 1920 is still the record for the modern era. Considered by many to be one of the game s most skillful first basemen, he was the first at his position to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Yet unlike many of his peers who became household names, Sisler has faded from baseball s collective consciousness.Now in "The Sizzler, "this legendary player without a legend gets the treatment he deserves. Rick Huhn presents the story of one of baseball s least appreciated players and studies why his status became so diminished. Huhn argues that the answer lies somewhere amid the tenor of Sisler s times, his own character and demeanor, the kinds of individuals who are chosen as our sports heroes, and the complex definition of fame itself.In a society obsessed with exposing the underbellies of its heroes, Sisler s lack of a dark side may explain why less has been written about him than others. Although Sisler was a shy, serious sort who often shunned publicity, his story is filled with its own share of controversy and drama, from a lengthy struggle among major-league moguls for his contractual rights a battle that helped change the structure of organized baseball forever to a job-threatening eye disorder he developed during the peak of his career and popularity.By including excerpts from Sisler s unpublished memoir, as well as references to the national and international events that took place during his heyday, Huhn reveals the full picture of this family man who overcame great obstacles, stood on high principles, and left his mark on a game he affected in a positive way for fifty-eight years."


Elections constitute the bedrock of a democratically governed society. Due to the long time it has historically taken to ensure equal social participation, the integrity of elections needs to be particularly protected to make every vote count. The democratic process itself has been subject to manipulation through widespread illegal practices in many municipal areas like New York or Chicago that have earned in the past a notoriety for ballot stuffing or stealing votes through impersonation. In the current American social climate of the 2020 presidential election, the same concerns come up to the forefront, compounded by threats of cybersecurity. Our research gauged types and extent of concernment among two age groups of voters: college students and senior citizens. We explored the correlations using the baseline survey and re-examined them after applying information frames through a paired comparison. We found that opinions about voter ID laws and cybersecurity have a strong association to age. Our original hypothesis was that seniors will unchangeably perceive voter identification as essential to election safety while young people will emphasize cybersecurity but will be open-minded. Contrary to that hypothesis, seniors expressed an equal concern over voter ID and cybersecurity and seemed to be more susceptible to the influence of new information. Comparably, college students overwhelmingly confirmed their preoccupation with cybersecurity, marginalizing voter ID, but unexpectedly did not show inclination to easily change their views. The age of voters plays a role in how they perceive the concerns and how they react to information about them.


Search engines receive queries with a broad range of different search intents. However, they do not perform equally well for all queries. Understanding where search engines perform poorly is critical for improving their performance. In this paper, we present a method for automatically identifying poorly-performing query groups where a search engine may not meet searcher needs. This allows us to create coherent query clusters that help system design-ers generate actionable insights about necessary changes and helps learning-to-rank algorithms better learn relevance signals via spe-cialized rankers. The result is a framework capable of estimating dissatisfaction from Web search logs and learning to improve per-formance for dissatisfied queries. Through experimentation, we show that our method yields good quality groups that align with established retrieval performance metrics. We also show that we can significantly improve retrieval effectiveness via specialized rankers, and that coherent grouping of underperforming queries generated by our method is important in improving each group.


Objective : The main goal of this research was to develop a simple, rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/ MS) method for the simultaneous quantification of mycophenolate mofetil and mycophenolic acid. Methods: Sample extraction was carried out using a simple solid phase extraction (SPE) technique. The extracted samples were chromatographed on a C 18 column using an isocratic mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid buffer (80:20, v/v) pumped at a flow rate of 1.00 mL/min. Results : Method linearity was established in the concentration range of 0.10–20.0 ng/mL for mycophenolate mofetil and 101–19955 ng/mL for mycophenolic acid. Intra–day and inter–day precision and accuracy results of mycophenolate mofetil and mycophenolic acid were well within the acceptance criteria specified in the US FDA and EMEA guidelines. Conclusion: The projected LC–MS/MS assay method is simple, rapid and sensitive for the simultaneous determination of mycophenolate mofetil and mycophenolic acid in human plasma. This method was successfully used to quantitate the in–vivo plasma concentrations obtained from a pharmacokinetic study. Key words: Mycophenolate mofetil, Mycophenolic acid, Human plasma, Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), Method validation, Pharmacokinetics.


ABSTRACT

Background: Daily hassles (DH) correlate positively with physical and psychological outcomes. Hemispheric lateralization (HL) is the tendency to activate or utilize functions associated with one hemisphere versus parallel regions in the other side. Right-HL is related to longer stress responses and left-HL was found to moderate relationships between DH and mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether coping styles can explain the protective role of Left HL.

Methods: In this study, 76 participants completed a daily stressor scale, a physical symptoms scale (PHQ-15), anxiety and depression scales (HADS) and brief scales of coping. HL was measured by the neuropsychological line bisection task, previously validated by electroencephalography.

Results: DH was positively correlated with anxiety and physical outcomes in the full sample, and with anxiety only among right-HL people. Furthermore, while in the right HL group, emotion focused coping correlated with both DH and anxiety, in the left HL group, problem focused coping correlated with DH and anxiety. A formal mediation-moderation analysis confirmed this pattern only for denial, which was associated with both DH and anxiety, only in right-HL people

Conclusions: The different coping correlates of right and left HL people may be the mechanism which explains the protective role of left HL in the association between DH and mental health. Limitations and additional neurophysiological mechanisms are discussed.


Interpretive approaches to Black women's insurgency can stifle as much as they reveal. Harriet Tubman is deservedly remembered for her sustained resistance to multiple forms of oppression. Yet, she is often made visible in ways that distort, rendering her invisible. Scholars often warp Tubman's contributions by presenting her as an exceptional but lone figure, by animating stereotypes of Black women's unparalleled strength, or by fragmenting her activism via single-issue lenses. Critics also draw on maternal or salvific frames to soften Tubman's militancy or enfold her into the nation's triumphal narrative (misrepresenting Tubman and erasing how systems of oppression she challenged continue today). Unfortunately, such forms of "checking" Tubman go relatively "unchecked" in feminist scholarship, where Tubman's work is often not viewed as relevant to core feminist theories, concepts, methods, or curricula. However, Tubman's contributions should be understood as pertinent to women's studies, particularly from within women of color theoretical traditions.


Problems associated with invasiveness of non-native tree species used in forestry are increasing rapidly worldwide and are most severe in areas with a long history of plantings. Lessons learnt in areas with long histories of plantings and invasions may be applicable to areas with shorter planting histories. Most research towards understanding such tree invasions has focused on Pinus species, though all groups of trees that have been widely used in forestry are invasive to some extent. This paper explores the experience of Australian Acacia species (wattles). Unlike some other groups of trees, no particular set of traits clearly separates highly invasive from less- or non-invasive wattles. All species that have been widely planted over a long period have become invasive; the extent of invasions is largely a function of human usage. These findings imply that propagule pressure in concert with residence times are the main drivers of invasiveness in wattles (many factors mediate these drivers, including fire, forest clearance and soil disturbance). The massive extent of recent plantings of Australian Acacia species in South-east Asia is therefore likely to result in large-scale invasions unless proactive management is implemented. The history of wattles in South Africa highlights the need for such proactive management. Wattles were of considerable net value to the South African economy immediately after introduction. However, the costs of wattle invasions increased over time to such an extent that (certainly over the last few decades) these costs exceed the benefits derived from the forestry industry. Wattles now dominate many natural ecosystems. We recommend several interventions to prevent a similar pattern in South-east Asia and to ensure the sustainability of plantation forestry based on wattles in the region. A spatially explicit assessment of invasion risk is required, and a monitoring system should be implemented. Cost–benefit analyses (that consider the full suite of perspectives relating to costs and benefits) need to be applied to determine the need for sustainable mitigation methods. Options for reducing potential invasiveness should be implemented; these include biological control targeting seed production (very good success has been achieved in South Africa) and the use of sterile cultivars.


In order to identify the treatment methods used in different sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the Mpumalanga Province and to determine the efficiency of wastewater treatment by these plants, municipal STPs were surveyed, and raw and treated wastewater samples collected. A total of 14 STPs were visited and the collected samples were analysed for physicochemical and microbiological parameters using standard methods. The treatment methods identified included ponds, activated sludge and trickling filters. The reduction of turbidity by the plants varied between 6.2 and 99.6% while conductivity, pH and temperature varied slightly between the influent and the effluent wastewater. Thirteen (92.8%) of the plants used chlorine for disinfection of the final effluent, however only 2 (14.2%) of the plants managed to produce effluent with 0 (zero) faecal coliforms per 100 m. Common pathogenic bacteria isolated from the final effluent included Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Vibrio spp. and Enterococcus spp. The final effluent was used for irrigation and recycling purposes in 4 plants, all the other treatment plants discharged the effluent into the river or to the environment. The present study indicated that there is a move toward the renovation of wastewater treatment by the municipalities in the Mpumalanga Province with the adoption of biological treatment. All the STPs reduced the turbidity of wastewater as well as the different microbial indicators counts; however, several pathogenic bacterial organisms could still be detected in the final effluent. Further studies are needed to confirm the role of the treatment procedures on nutrient reduction and elimination of other viral and parasitic pathogens by the sewage treatment plants.


The current study examines forgiveness from the perspective of the transgressor, an often overlooked aspect of interpersonal forgiveness and a model of forgiveness seeking is proposed. Using a 2-wave longitudinal design, 166 participants completed measures of the characteristics of their transgressions, their feelings of guilt and shame, and their forgiveness-seeking behaviors. Cross-lagged correlational analysis indicated that guilt at time 1 was related to forgiveness seeking at time 2, but the opposite was not true. Path analyses revealed that guilt mediated the impact of transgression and relationship factors (i.e., transgression severity, responsibility, rumination, and relationship commitment) on forgiveness-seeking behavior over time. Shame, however, did not demonstrate any unique relationship with forgiveness-seeking behaviors. These findings suggest that guilt serves as a primary motivator for forgiveness seeking, indicating that it is a particularly important element to consider when working with transgressors. Overall, this study provides a conceptual model of the antecedents of forgiveness-seeking behaviors by transgressors, similar to those available for the antecedents of forgiveness seeking by victims.


WikiTrust is a reputation system for Wikipedia authors and content. WikiTrust computes three main quantities: edit quality, author reputation, and content reputation. The edit quality measures how well each edit, that is, each change introduced in a revision, is preserved in subsequent revisions. Authors who perform good quality edits gain reputation, and text which is revised by several high-reputation authors gains reputation. Since vandalism on the Wikipedia is usually performed by anonymous or new users (not least because long-time vandals end up banned), and is usually reverted in a reasonably short span of time, edit quality, author reputation, and content reputation are obvious candidates as features to identify vandalism on the Wikipedia. Indeed, using the full set of features computed by WikiTrust, we have been able to construct classifiers that identify vandalism with a recall of 83.5%, a precision of 48.5%, and a false positive rate of 8%, for an area under the ROC curve of 93.4%. If we limit ourselves to the set of features available at the time an edit is made (when the edit quality is still unknown), the classifier achieves a recall of 77.1%, a precision of 36.9%, and a false positive rate of 12.2%, for an area under the ROC curve of 90.4%. Using these classifiers, we have implemented a simple Web API that provides the vandalism estimate for every revision of the English Wikipedia. The API can be used both to identify vandalism that needs to be reverted, and to select highquality, non-vandalized recent revisions of any given Wikipedia article. These recent high-quality revisions can be included in static snapshots of the Wikipedia, or they can be used whenever tolerance to vandalism is low (as in a school setting, or whenever the material is widely disseminated).


The general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPUs) are increasingly used to accelerate parallel applications. This makes reliability a growing concern in GPUs as they are originally designed for graphics processing with relaxed requirements for execution correctness. With CMOS processing technologies continuously scaling down to the nano-scale, on-chip soft error rate (SER) has been predicted to increase exponentially. GPGPUs with hundreds of cores integrated into a single chip are prone to manifest high SER. This paper aims to enhance the GPGPU reliability in light of soft errors. We leverage the GPGPU microarchitecture characteristics, and propose energy-efficient protection mechanisms for two typical SRAM-based structures (i.e. instruction buffer and registers) which suffer high susceptibility. We develop Similarity-AWare Protection (SAWP) scheme that leverages the instruction similarity to provide the near-full ECC protection to the instruction buffer with quite little area and power overhead. Based on the observation that shared memory usually exhibits low utilization, we propose SHAred memory to Register Protection (SHARP) scheme, it intelligently leverages shared memory to hold the ECCs of registers. Experimental results show that our techniques have the strong capability of substantially improving the structure vulnerability, and significantly reducing the power consumption compared to the full ECC protection mechanism.


Objective: This study evaluated the leakage volume of 1% Rhodamine B which received or not an internal waterproofing material. The hypothesis is that the waterproofing reduces microleakage. Material and Methods: Forty-two human teeth were selected for this study. After access, preparation, and filling of root canals, the teeth were divided into 3 groups: GI – sealed with Cimpat Blanc®, without intraradicular post/core preparation; GII - sealed with Cimpat Blanc®, with intraradicular post/core preparation, and GIII – sealed with Cimpat Blanc®, with intraradicular post/core preparation and internal waterproofing material with ethyl cyanoacrylate. T-test was used to analyze difference between initial and final weight and there was difference (p < 0.05). To analyze infiltration of the colorant, the volume was the comparison variable. Results: Shapiro Wilk- test was applied and showed normal distribution of the variables. ANOVA (p = 0.0013 / p<5%) applied and determined a statistical difference between the groups. When comparing the groups together, GIII show the smallest leakage rate when compared with the other groups, being statistically different (Tukey test - p < 0.5). Conclusion : In endodontically treated teeth receiving temporary restoration, the use of ethyl cyanoacrylate as internal waterproofing material is effective in preventing microleakage. Keywords Dental leakage; Endodontics; Dental restoration, temporary; Coloring agents.


In this MSc thesis, possible/probable supernova remnants associated with possible/probable historical supernovae are discussed and advancements in knowledge surrounding possible remnants associated with historical supernovae older than about a thousand years are presented. Supernovas in 1006, 1054, 1181, 1572 and 1604 are all discussed for completeness, although these supernovae have been extensively researched and there is little reason to doubt previous work. The historical supernovae of 185, 386, 393 and 837 are all discussed in more detail. In the opinion of the author, supernova of 185 is linked with the remnant 315.3-2.3 in the light of recent research. The supernova of 386 is linked with G11.2-0.3 and a possible record linking G11.2-0.3 with a supernova in 45BC is dismissed. An association of a remnant supernova of 393 remains unsatisfactorily resolved, with CTB37A and CTB37B remaining candidates, and the author has suggested the remnants G343.1-0.7 and G351.7+0.8 as alternatives given a new I-D relation. The age and suitability of GRO/RX J0852 for historical association is discussed, and political reasons for the lack of historical records for an apparent supernova in -1200AD suggested. G292.0+1.8 is discussed as a candidate for a historical supernova and dismissed due to its invisibility in China. The supernova of 837AD is discussed and the link between this and the remnant IC443 remains unconfirmed due to conflicting astrophysical evidence.


Corrective maintenance includes the unscheduled repairs required to return a structure from a failed state to an operating or available state. Corrective maintenance is determined by the reliability of the structure. Preventive maintenance includes scheduled action to retain a structure in an operational or available state by preventing failures from occurring. Preventive maintenance directly affects reliability. The trade-offs between the costs for corrective and preventive maintenance are shown. An economic objective to determine the optimum level of maintenance would be to determine the total minimum cost. This objective is discussed in the paper, along with other aspects of the subject.


This paper considers an overlapping generations model in which capitalinvestment is financed in a credit market with adverse selection. Lenders´inability to commit ex-ante not to bailout ex-post, together with a wealthyposition of entrepreneurs gives rise to the soft budget constraint syndrome,i.e. the absence of liquidation of poor performing firms on a regular basis.This problem arises endogenously as a result of the interaction betweenthe economic behavior of agents, without relying on political economy ex-planations. We found the problem more binding along the business cycle,providing an explanation to creditors leniency during booms in some Latin-American countries in the late seventies and early nineties.


The objective of this study was to identify a pathogen observed in wheat in the Texcoco area (Mexico). The symptoms induced by this pathogen are consistent with those caused by a virus. Identification was based on host range, symptoms, mode of transmission, and on serological and morphological characterization. The pathogen was mechanically transmitted to Triticum aestivum, T. durum, Secale cereale, × Triticosecale, Avena sativa, and Hordeum vulgare. The virus particles were flexuous rods, 700 nm long that produced cylindrical inclusions seen as pinwheel inclusions under the electron microscope. The pathogen reacted with Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) antibodies in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. An eriophyoid mite associated with this virus was identified as Aceria tosichella and found to transmit the virus efficiently. Based on its characteristics, the pathogen was identified as WSMV. During this study, the virus appeared sporadically in test plots without causing significant yield losses.


Why do so few institutions in the legal sector have professional records managers or archivists on their staff?

This book is the culmination of a three year project by experienced archivist and records managers on private sector legal records at risk in England at Wales. It summarises the work of the Legal Records at Risk (LRAR) project and its predecessors, diagnoses the problems of preservation of archives in the legal sector in England and Wales and outlines a national strategy for such records.


With its huge amount of information, the World Wide Web mirrors all aspects of our everyday life. During the last years, various efforts have been undertaken to refine all the unstructured information into a structured form. In particular, this would enable relational database systems to process the information available on theWeb in a well-proven fashion, thus enabling database users to use this information efficiently. Particularly challenging is the discovery of so-called perceptual concepts. In contrast to "hard" facts, which currently are extracted mostly by analyzing textual information, perceptual concepts primarily concern the common perception of people. This perception is characterized primarily by the fact that many properties of real-world objects cannot be described easily in explicit form. Examples of perceptual concepts are the "sportiness" of a car, the "suspense" of a movie, and the "creativity" of a restaurant. This cumulative doctoral thesis develops one of the first approaches to extracting an entity's perceptional properties by using the Social Web's data. The focus of this thesis are ratings of the type "user X rates item Y a Z out of 10," which meanwhile can be found on a variety of Web sites. By performing an extensive analysis of the rating behavior of users, the doctoral thesis demonstrates that those groups of objects can automatically be identified that are perceived by users as being similar regarding one or more perceptual properties. When linking the so-created perceptual spaces (an abstract model to describe perceptual similarity) with external reference information, detailed structured descriptions of objects can automatically be derived and then used in database systems. This work performs a detailed investigation of the proposed methods for analyzing rating data and creates innovative application scenarios from them. Particularly important is a combination of the methods developed and a novel technique from the area of crowdsourcing. Among other things, it is shown that crowd-enabled databases, which have been invented recently, can massively benefit from the approach developed in this thesis: The application of crowdsourcing gets easier, data quality increases, and costs are reduced significantly. In total, this cumulative doctoral thesis is based on eight peer-reviewed publications.


Gender identity would seem to be more settled in the world of traditional Korean music and dance than in any other corner of the world of performing arts. Classical gagok songs are divided into female and male repertoires, and women and men both dress in the gendered costumes of the Joseon Dynasty (hanbok) as they perform ultimate expressions of Korean moral rectitude—the story of the faithful wife, the filial daughter, the benevolent brother, the loyal minister. But a closer look reveals that gender roles in the old forms are not quite so fixed. This is particularly true, and increasingly so, in Korea's traditional folk genres. Internationally renowned crossdressing Geonggi Folksong (minyo) singer Lee Hee-moon, with his various ensembles, including SsingSsing, is but one of many Korean artists playing with the eum (yin) and yang of gender in their performances of traditional arts today. Among Lee's mentors and collaborators, the traditional/avant-garde Korean dancer and choreographer Ahn Eun-Me is composing, choreographing, and performing irreverent and transporting works that, through movement, makeup, and continuous exchange of costumes, seek to redefine Korean gender ideals. Both Lee and Ahn point to Korea's roots in shamanic ritual, in which shamans channel and embody both male and female gods and spirits, as a source of inspiration for their work. This article looks at modern performances by Lee Hee-Moon, SsingSsing, and Ahn Eun-me, exploring the ways these artists are breaking down old notions of gender while carrying forward into a digital space dominated by the popular genres of the Korean Wave their updated renderings of traditional Korean music and dance. ARTICLE HISTORY Received March 23, 2019 Revised May 18, 2019 Accepted May 25, 2019


BACKGROUND
Total shoulder arthroplasty is increasingly used in the treatment of arthritis. However, the effect of total shoulder arthroplasty on health-related quality of life has not been fully established. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to characterize the change in generic and shoulder-specific health-related quality-of-life measures resulting from total shoulder arthroplasty.

METHODS
We identified published studies reporting preoperative and postoperative health-related quality-of-life outcomes for patients receiving total shoulder arthroplasty. Health-related quality-of-life measures were identified, and meta-analysis was used to calculate standardized mean differences (SMDs, reflective of the effect size) and 95% confidence intervals for each scale.

RESULTS
Twenty studies (1576 total shoulder replacements) met the inclusion criteria. Outcome measures were analyzed after an average postoperative follow-up duration of 3.7 ± 2.2 years. The Short Form-36 demonstrated significant improvement in physical component summary scores (SMD = 0.7, p < 0.001) but not in mental component summary scores (SMD = 0.2, p = 0.37). Significant improvements were observed in the visual analog scale score for pain (SMD = -2.5, p < 0.001) and scores on three shoulder-specific measures: the Constant score (SMD = 2.7, p < 0.001), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score (SMD = 2.9, p < 0.001), and Simple Shoulder Test (SMD = 2.3, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Total shoulder arthroplasty leads to significant improvements in scores for function and pain. Shoulder-specific measures of function consistently showed the greatest degree of improvement, with large effect sizes. Total shoulder arthroplasty also leads to significant improvements in overall physical well-being, with a moderate-to-large effect size.


In contrast to typical magnetic energy generators that use electromagnetic induction, which are bulky and have low generation efficiency under small magnetic fields at low frequency, magneto-mechano-electric (MME) generators utilizing the magnetoelectric (ME) coupling effect and magnetic interactions are considered promising candidates. MME generators will serve as a ubiquitous autonomous energy source converting stray magnetic noise to useful electric energy for applications in wireless sensor networks (WSN) for the Internet of Things (IoT) and low-power-consuming electronics. The key component in a MME generator is the ME composite consisting of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive materials, which elastically couples the electric and magnetic behaviour of the respective constituent. Here, we report a MME generator consisting of a crystallographically oriented Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 piezoelectric single crystal macro-fibre composite and a highly textured magnetostrictive Fe–Ga alloy, which exhibits an exceptionally high rectified DC output power density of 3.22 mW cm−3. The large energy generation in this structure is ascribed to the coupling between the strong anisotropic properties of the piezoelectric single crystal fibres and textured Fe–Ga magnetostrictive alloy. A smart watch with IoT sensors was driven by the MME generator under a 700 μT magnetic field.


The study of the origin and evolution of the Solar System is based on laboratory analysis of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials, and on astronomical observations of star-forming regions today. A virtual consensus holds that the Solar System formed from the collapse of interstellar cloud material under its own gravity about 4.56 Ga ago. This process led initially to a dusty disc forming around the newly formed Sun. The material in the disc accreted into small planetary bodies, called planetesimals, which in turn made up the building blocks of planets. Some planetesimals survived as asteroids. Fragments of these bodies make up the majority of meteorites that fall to Earth. The most common type of meteorite are chondrites. These formed from accretion of material from the dusty disc. Most chondrites were heated, probably by radioactive decay, and became metamorphosed. Other meteorite types include those made from basalts and iron metal alloys; these testify to extensive heating to produce melting on some planetesimals. Impacts of large (>100 km bodies) were responsible for forming much of the diversity seen among planets. Indeed, impact of a Mars-sized body into the early Earth is believed to have caused the formation of the terrestrial Moon.


Introduction: Participation in ultra-endurance events has increased exponentially in recent years. Despite this, performance in such demanding events has been stagnant. Numerous studies have observed that ultra-endurance athletes consistently fail to meet the extensive energy demands and the current carbohydrate (CHO) recommendations, which may in part explain this plateau in performance. To date, little is known about the causes of suboptimal energy and CHO intake or the most effective strategies to address these inadequacies. Therefore, the aims of this thesis were to (i) explore the challenges to optimal nutritional intake, (ii) establish whether a gut-training programme could enable ultra-endurance athletes to meet the CHO recommendations and (iii) determine whether a short term high fat, low CHO diet (HFLC) or a low fat, high CHO (LFHC) diet prior to competition is more effective for ultra-endurance performance, when fuel availability is likely to be compromised.
Methods: One hundred and seventy participants took part in the studies involved in this thesis, including 118 ultra-endurance athletes. The remaining participants consisted of three population groups with different levels of nutrition knowledge and experienced distance athletes, who were involved in the developmental phase of the first two studies. Both studies employed a two-phase approach to (i) adapt and evaluate a questionnaire for use with ultra-endurance athletes; and (ii) subsequently implement the questionnaire with these athletes (n = 101). The first questionnaire was completed alongside a series of 24 hr food diaries to explore the relationship between nutrition knowledge and food intake. The second explored the main factors that influence food choices during training and competition. The penultimate study required ultra-runners (n = 17) to follow a multicomponent dietary intervention (gut training + HFLC compared with gut training + LFHC diet), which was designed to overcome identified challenges to optimal nutritional intake and to optimise fuel
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availability in preparation for a 56 km ultra-endurance foot race. The final study explored the experiences of a subsample of ultra-endurance runners (n = 14) as they made their food choices during the race, using a series of face-to-face interviews.
Results and discussion: The nutrition knowledge of ultra-endurance athletes was superior to the general population, however there was no relationship between knowledge and the adequacy of the ultra-endurance athletes diet. The most important factors that influenced the food choices of these ultra-endurance athletes were the avoidance of gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) and the provision of adequate energy. These factors were followed closely by the desire for nutritious products and those that were easy to consume during training and competition. The multicomponent intervention successfully manipulated the CHO and fat composition of the 17 ultra-endurance athletes, however this did not affect their race performance. Furthermore, despite a period of gut training designed to improve the ultra-runners tolerance of high volumes of CHO, ultra-runners failed to meet the recommended rate of CHO intake and the severity of their GIS did not improve. Subsequent analysis of the interviews indicated that the processes involved in making food choices during the race were complex and dynamic. All ultra-runners altered their food choices during the race in response to triggers, such as hunger and taste fatigue. This resulted in the consumption of lower CHO density products, which may partially explain the suboptimal CHO intake.
Conclusion: Advances in ultra-endurance performance appear to be restricted in part by the adequacy of the athlete's nutritional intake. At present, strategies to address the multiple challenges to optimal nutritional intake have had limited success. However, practicing competition nutrition during training is likely to simplify
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the decision-making process during events, allowing ultra-endurance athletes to focus on their performance.


Approach/Avoidance Model: A theoretical framework for understanding the onset of maternal behavior in species that avoid infants prior to giving birth to their own. The model was developed based on data from rats and posits that care giving behavior occurs when the tendency to approach infants is greater than the tendency to avoid them. Thus, the model indicates that two distinct processes regulate the onset of maternal care. Mother-infant bonding at birth results not only from an increase in attraction to infant cues but also from a reduction of aversion to them.


Microwave Imaging (MWI) is one of the most promising imaging modalities to emerge in recent years. It has been used in a range of applications, and one of the most notable application is medical imaging. Microwave medical imaging is based on the contrast between the dielectric properties of healthy and cancerous tissue. Compared to the existing imaging modalities including the widely used X-ray mammography, MWI is non-ionising, non-invasive and cost effective. Among other medical imaging applications, MWI has been investigated to detect small tumours in breast at relatively early stage, and it has shown promising results in the detection of malignancies in moderately dense human breast. The heterogeneity of healthy breast tissue, high computational cost of the MWI algorithms, and sensitivity of the microwaves to tissue boundaries are the major challenges in development of a microwave based breast imaging system. This thesis focusses on the major challenges in MWI and proposes: (1) a novel pre-filtering technique to compensate for phase variations and frequency dependent loss that arise due to the dispersive nature of the biological tissue, (2) a massively parallel execution framework for microwave tomography to reduce the image reconstruction time, and (3) a multistage ultra wideband microwave tomography algorithm for quantitative breast imaging. Results indicate that the proposed pre-filtering improves the performance of conventional beamformers, enabling detection and accurate localization of multiple tumours in dense human breast. The proposed multi-stage microwave tomography algorithm has been applied to quantitative imaging of the breast, and the performance of the proposed algorithm has been validated on anatomically and dielectrically realistic breast phantoms. In order to minimise the image reconstruction time, a single-instruction multiple-data based parallel execution framework has been developed, and a gain factor of more than 50 in the computational throughput has been achieved.


Significance The pathophysiology underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) remains unclear, leading to major challenges in the treatment of OCD patients. Here, we defined a projection from the basolateral amygdala glutamate neurons to the medial prefrontal cortex glutamate and GABA neurons and described the putative importance of this circuit in manifesting the checking symptoms of OCD in mice. In addition, the above major findings were further verified in an fMRI mouse study. These findings raise the possibility of developing optimal treatments for OCD that involve the use of nondrug approaches, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, that target the converging pathways. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects ∼1 to 3% of the world's population. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the excessive checking symptoms in OCD are not fully understood. Using viral neuronal tracing in mice, we found that glutamatergic neurons from the basolateral amygdala (BLAGlu) project onto both medial prefrontal cortex glutamate (mPFCGlu) and GABA (mPFCGABA) neurons that locally innervate mPFCGlu neurons. Next, we developed an OCD checking mouse model with quinpirole-induced repetitive checking behaviors. This model demonstrated decreased glutamatergic mPFC microcircuit activity regulated by enhanced BLAGlu inputs. Optical or chemogenetic manipulations of this maladaptive circuitry restored the behavioral response. These findings were verified in a mouse functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, in which the BLA–mPFC functional connectivity was increased in OCD mice. Together, these findings define a unique BLAGlu→mPFCGABA→Glu circuit that controls the checking symptoms of OCD.


Natural language interfaces (NLIs) have become a prevalent medium for conducting visual data analysis, enabling people with varying levels of analytic experience to ask questions of and interact with their data. While there have been notable improvements with respect to language understanding capabilities in these systems, fundamental user experience and interaction challenges including the lack of analytic guidance (i.e., knowing what aspects of the data to consider) and discoverability of natural language input (i.e., knowing how to phrase input utterances) persist. To address these challenges, we investigate utterance recommendations that contextually provide analytic guidance by suggesting data features (e.g., attributes, values, trends) while implicitly making users aware of the types of phrasings that an NLI supports. We present Snowy, a prototype system that generates and recommends utterances for visual analysis based on a combination of data interestingness metrics and language pragmatics. Through a preliminary user study, we found that utterance recommendations in Snowy support conversational visual analysis by guiding the participants' analytic workflows and making them aware of the system's language interpretation capabilities. Based on the feedback and observations from the study, we discuss potential implications and considerations for incorporating recommendations in future NLIs for visual analysis.


With firms spending $60 billion on sponsorship annually, it has become an integral part of the marketing mix and is necessary for the survival of many sport organizations. Despite the importance of these partnerships, conditions that may jeopardize what can be a long-term relationship for both sides are underresearched. Utilizing survival analysis modeling to examine a longitudinal dataset of 69 global sponsorships, the purpose of this research is to isolate factors that predict the dissolution of such partnerships and test a dynamic, integrated model of sponsorship decision-making. From the perspective of the sponsoring firm, congruence and high levels of brand equity were found to reduce the hazard of dissolution. Results indicate that economic conditions, such as an inflationary economy, are a statistically significant predictor of sponsorship dissolution. Increased clutter was also detrimental, with every one sponsor added increasing the hazard of dissolution, demonstrating the importance of exclusivi...


The computational fluid dynamics of the heart represents a challenging task both in terms of mathematical and numerical modeling; this is mainly due to the pulsatile nature of the blood flow, to its complex interaction with the valves, and, more in general, to the reciprocal action of the components responsible for the heart functioning. Even if one focuses on the study of the left ventricle, the blood flow patterns result to be significantly dependent on the mechanical contraction and relaxation of the muscle, on the conformation of the chamber, and on the interaction with the valves, which define a complex fluid-structure interaction problem. In this respect, also the blood flow in the aorta, and hence in the downstream circulation, is strongly affected by the aortic valve, whose behavior should be suitably mathematically and numerically modeled. In this work, we firstly focus on the study of the fluid dynamics inside the left ventricle in idealized configurations, for which we propose a mathematical model based on the Navier-Stokes equations endowed with mixed, time-dependent boundary conditions, which allow a simplified treatment of the aortic and mitral valves' behavior. In this idealized setting, we perform numerical simulations which highlight the role and influence of modeling the valves to study and characterize the blood flow patterns inside the ventricle, as well as other parameters of clinical relevance. In addition, we consider a reduced, patient-specific fluid-structure-interaction model for the simulation of the blood flow through the aortic valve. Specifically, we propose an efficient coupled model which represents the valve dynamics by means of a zero-dimensional (0D) equation with the opening angle as primitive variable, while the blood flow by means of the full 3D Navier-Stokes equations. In this coupled model, the valve's leaflets, which are reconstructed from MRI data of the open and closed configurations for a specific patient, influence the Navier-Stokes equations by means of resistive immersed surfaces, whose position depends on the opening angle of the valve. Moreover, the dynamics of the valve described by the 0D model is dependent on the velocity and pressure variables, specifically on the pressure jump and the flow rate through the valve itself. We per form patient-specific numerical simulations of the aortic valve based on this reduced 3D-0D model, for which we highlight its ability to correctly capture the fluid dynamics indicators expected for the patient.


Despite the paucity of research on the death penalty and gender discrimination, it is widely supposed that women murderers are chivalrously spared the death sentence. This supposition is fueled by the relatively small number of women who are condemned. This article argues that women are represented on contemporary U.S. death rows in numbers commensurate with the infrequency of female commission of those crimes which our society labels sufficiently reprehensible to merit capital punishment. Additionally, preliminary investigation suggests that death-sentenced women are more likely than death-sentenced men to have killed intimates, although the explanation for this disparity is not yet at hand. It is further argued, on the basis of a content analysis of state capital statutes, that there is a form of gender bias inimical to the interests of women in our capital punishment law: The death penalty is a dramatic symbol of the imputation of greater seriousness to economic and other predatory murder as compared with domestic murder.