The Union of South Africa's military involvement in the Korean War was an exercise in political maneuvering as opposed to one of any great military significance. 1 South Africa's new right wing Nationalist Afrikaner government had, from 1948, embarked on a policy of legislating its racial policies, soon to be known as Apartheid. This new government primarily represented a people who were still deeply scarred by the Anglo Boer War. Many Afrikaners consequently wanted no part in any external conflicts that they viewed as Britain's wars. South Africa's foreign policy therefore became subject to an obvious and decisive shift away from that of the previous government under Jan Smuts, which had been broadly in line with that of Britain and the other Commonwealth dominions. 2 The Korean War therefore presented the Nationalists with something of a dilemma. They did want to actively promote a stronger relationship with the United States but did not want to become involved in any military ventures with the British Commonwealth. Compounding this problem was the fact that the Nationalist government had identified the growing discontent of South Africa's disenfranchised Black majority as her major security threat. The initial unwillingness of the South African government to commit anything tangible to the United Nations effort in Korea was therefore explicable. Geographically, Korea fell far outside of South Africa's sphere of influence; furthermore this was a conflict which the Union could ill afford. 3 South Africa had made massive financial sacrifices during the Second World War with contributions to the British war machine that were far beyond her actual reach and was very much still in the grip of post war austerity. Despite these factors combining to mitigate against South African involvement in Korea and the early isolationist stance of the Nationalist government regarding the Korean crisis, a noticeable and abrupt shift in subsequent policy some two months later bears witness to the theory that the Nationalist government underwent some sort of epiphany with a belated realization as to the potential benefits of military involvement for South Africa. These benefits included the desire of the South African government to be associated with the United States and be included in a formal regional treaty comparable to NATO together with the requirement for the acquisition of certain military hardware. These three aims have been postulated as the principle reason for this rather abrupt foreign policy deviation. This discussion will focus on providing some insight into how the South African government attempted to use the Korean War as a lever in order to attain these foreign policy objectives Keywords: SALO, Cold War, African Defence Organisation, United Nations, South African Air Force


SUMMARY
Thromboembolic occlusion of the SMA is an uncommon
cause of acute intestinal ischemia that carries a high
mortality. We report 2 cases of SMA embolism, treated with
slow-bolus infusion of r-tPA. Angiography showed a
partially occluded ileiocolic artery in the first patient and
a total proximal occlusion of the SMA in the second patient.
Thrombolytic drugs were selectively injected in both
patients. The clot lysis was complete and the symptoms
disappeared in the first patient. In the second patient clot
lysis was incomplete and thus an extensive enterectomy was
inevitable. Slow-bolus infusion of thrombolytic drugs is an
effective method in carefully selected patients with SMA
embolism.
Key words: Mesenteric ischemia, local fibrinolysis,
mesenteric artery, embolism


This paper describes the evolution of our approach to scholarly hypertext publishing, which is developing a social model of document usage that places particular emphasis on supporting the interpretation and negotiation of documents. The first part of the paper describes principles derived from hypertext research that underpin a toolkit called D3E which we use to publish an electronic journal. This provides a Web environment that tightly integrates publications with review discussion. In part two, we argue that forming and contesting perspectives are key processes that should be assisted by scholarly hypertexts. In the context of our e-journal, we analyse the representational requirements for hypertext support, and explore the expressive power of a semiformal document encoding scheme that expresses a publication's conceptual relationship to other documents. We conclude by discussing socio-technical issues that this work raises.


In an attempt to compare the microbial community structure between the sea surface microlayer (SML) and subsurface waters (SSW), we determined the enrichment factors (EF: the ratio of abundance or activity in the SML to abundance or activity in SSW) of 13 biological parameters. Samples were taken at 2 contrasting coastal sites in the Mediterranean Sea, corresponding to a high (Barcelona, Spain) and low (Banyuls-sur-Mer, France) urbanized area. Principal component analysis showed that temporal variability was much higher at Barcelona than at Banyuls, and that the characteristics of the SML and SSW samples were more closely related at Barcelona. At both sites, the SML was weakly enriched in heterotrophic bacteria (on average 1.1-fold), Synechococcus spp. (on average 1.1-fold), and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (on average 1.5-fold) relative to SSW. In contrast, the SML was considerably enriched in chlorophyll a (chl a) (on average 1.9-fold), phaeophytin a (on average 7.4-fold), autotrophic (on average 6.1-fold) and heterotrophic nanoflagellates
(on average 5.1-fold) relative to SSW. Enrichments in bacterial production and culturable bacteria were highly variable. EF were significantly different between the 2 sites only for concentrations of chl a, b, and c and the abundance of autotrophic nanoflagellates, with higher EF at the Barcelona site.
Except for autotrophic flagellates, the abundance or activity of the parameters determined in the SML was highly correlated with that determined in SSW, suggesting that enrichment of the SML results mainly from upward transport of microorganisms attached to buoyant particles or bubble scavenging.
In contrast, the high contribution of autotrophic nanoflagellates to overall phytoneuston biomass (mean = 26%) is likely due to their rapid colonization of the SML. The high abundances of auto- and heterotrophic nanoflagellates in the SML indicated that these organisms play a key role in the functioning of the microbial food webs at the air–sea interface.


Objective. The efficacy of B cell depletion in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has revitalized interest in the pathogenic role(s) of B cells in RA. We evaluated the distribution of synovial B lineage cells and their correlation with histologic disease activity and joint destruction in RA. Methods. Synovial tissue samples were obtained by closed-needle biopsy from 69 Chinese patients with active RA, from 14 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and from 15 with orthopedic arthropathies (OrthA) as disease controls. Serial tissue sections were stained immunohistochemically for CD79a (proB cell to plasma cell), CD20 (B cells), CD38 (plasma cells), CD21 (follicular dendritic cells), CD68 (macrophages), CD3 (T cells), and CD34 (endothelial cells). Densities of positive-staining cells were determined and correlated with histologic disease activity (Krenn 3-component synovitis score) and radiographic joint destruction (Sharp score). Results. Mean sublining CD79a-positive cell density was significantly higher in RA than in OA (p < 0.001) or OrthA (p = 0.003). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that CD79a-positive cell density differentiated RA well from OA [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.79] or OrthA (AUC = 0.75). Spearman's rank order correlation showed significant correlations between sublining CD79a-positive cell density and the synovitis score (r = 0.714, p < 0.001), total Sharp score (r = 0.490, p < 0.001), and the erosion subscore (r = 0.545, p < 0.001), as well as the joint space narrowing subscore (r = 0.468, p = 0.001) in RA. Conclusion. Synovial CD79a-positive B cells may be a helpful biomarker for histologic disease activity in RA and may be involved in the pathogenesis of joint destruction in RA. (First Release Oct 15 2011; J Rheumatol 2011;38:2301–8; doi:10.3899/jrheum.110615)


How can governments transform teaching into an attractive career choice for today's youth? Countries all over the world are grappling with this question, as well as with the related challenges of poor working conditions and dwindling retention rates in the profession. In this context, teacher career reforms have the potential to be very powerful. To better understand the models that are being implemented, the related challenges, and their effects, the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) investigated the organization and management of teacher careers in Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Lithuania, Mexico, Peru, Scotland, South Africa, Thailand, and New York City. This publication brings together IIEP's research findings.


This paper provides recommendations for performance-related tests to select recycled materials to be used in pavement foundations (base/sub-base layers). The test protocol presented in this paper will help transportation agencies, pavement design engineers and construction industry professionals to mechanistically evaluate and select sources of recycled hot-mix asphalt and portland cement concrete materials and identify factors that contribute most to the longevity of layers using recycled pavement materials. Extensive literature review was conducted on the aggregate specifications in the United States and other countries to identify the protocols used to evaluate the suitability of virgin and recycled aggregates in base and sub-base layers. The test procedures, typically designed for virgin aggregates, were modified to account for the recycled materials in the aggregate mix. The test procedures were further evaluated on the basis of mechanical performance, accuracy, practicality, complexity, precision, and test cost. The performance of the developed aggregate evaluation systems was determined through testing and analysis of 12 aggregates with different lithology and known field performance history. These samples were selected from seven states with different seasonal frost cycles. The performance tests were conducted and modifications were made to the tests procedures to better understand the mechanical behavior of aggregate systems with recycled materials. This study revealed that shear strength, toughness, abrasion, durability, and frost susceptibility influence the performance of the unbound aggregate layers. Statistical analysis of the data showed that shear strength of the aggregate systems has the most impact on the performance of the unbound systems consisted of recycled materials.


The service provision problem described in this paper comes from an application of distributed processing in telecommunications networks. The objective is to max imize a service provider's profit from offering computational based services to cus tomers. The service provider has limited capacity of some resources and therefore must choose from a set of software applications those he would like to offer. This can be done in a dynamic manner taking into consideration that demand for the differ ent services is uncertain. This problem is examined in the framework of stochastic integer programming. Approximations and complexity are examined for the case when demand is described by a discrete probability distribution and one resource limits the number of software applications that may be installed. For the determin istic counterpart a fully polynomial approximation scheme is known [2]. We show that introduction of stochasticity makes the problem strongly NP-hard, implying that the existence of such a scheme for the stochastic problem is highly unlikely. For the general case a heuristic with a worst-case performance ratio that increases in the number of scenarios is presented. Restricting the class of problem instances in a way that many reasonable practical problem instances will satisfy, allows for the derivation of a heuristic with a constant worst-case performance ratio. These worst-case results are the first results for stochastic programming problems that the authors are aware of in a direction that is classical in the field of combinatorial optimization. The results do not follow straightforwardly from the deterministic counterparts of the problem.


Written in a user-friendly format and utilizing a case study approach, "Acupuncture for Musculoskeletal Medicine" describes how acupuncture fits into the treatment paradigm for musculoskeletal complaints. Several different acupuncture treatment styles are presented, and in each example the choice of acupuncture points is explained in detail. These suggested treatments are meant not merely as recipes, but rather as strategies that can be applied to a variety of clinical complaints and conditions. Each case study includes physical examination findings, diagnostic studies, differential diagnosis, and recommendations for standard medical treatments. This is followed by one or more detailed acupuncture treatment strategies. Finally, there is a review of the published research regarding acupuncture as it pertains to musculoskeletal medicine.


To develop a harmonious partnership with your horse, whether you have ambitions in the competition arena or not, you need to develop a two-way communication system that is clear to both of you. In The Building Blocks of Training, Debby Lush, international dressage rider and senior instructor at the Training the Teachers of Tomorrow Trust, offers practical assistance in developing such a system, a progressive and logical one that is firmly rooted in classical training. The ultimate aim is to enhance the horse's mental and physical capabilities and so allow him to move easily and happily forward from the earliest simple steps to the more complicated efforts required further up the competition ladder. With step-by-step guides to every aspect of schooling from lungeing to lengthening (touching on the foundations to move on to the more advanced movements), and with troubleshooting sections to identify why things are going wrong and how to solve them, this book will be invaluable to countless horse and rider partnerships.


In the paper the author has described the visualization methods in acoustic flow fields and show how these methods may assist scientists to gain understanding of complex acoustic energy flow in real-life field. A graphical method will be presented to determine the real acoustic wave distribution in the flow field. Visualization of research results, which is unavailable by conventional acoustics metrology, may be shown in the form of intensity streamlines in space, as a shape of floating acoustic wave and intensity isosurface in three-dimensional space. In traditional acoustic metrology, the analysis of acoustic fields concerns only the distribution of pressure levels (scalar variable), however in a real acoustic field both the scalar (acoustic pressure) and vector (the acoustic particle velocity) effects are closely related. Only when the acoustic field is described by both the potential and kinetic energies, we may understand the mechanisms of propagation, diffraction and scattering of acoustic waves on obstacles, as a form of energy image. This attribute of intensity method can also validate the results of CFD/CAA numerical modeling which is very important in any industry acoustic investigations.


Trophic cascade theory predicts that apex predators structure ecosystems by regulating mesopredator and herbivore abundance and behaviour. Studies on trophic cascades have typically focused on short linear chains of species interactions. A framework that integrates more realistic and complex interactions is needed to make broader predictions on ecosystem structuring. Network analysis is used to study food webs and other types of species interaction networks. These often comprise large numbers of species but rarely account for multiple interaction types and strengths. Here, we develop an intermediate complexity theoretical framework that allows specification of multiple interaction types and strengths for the study of trophic cascades. This ecological network is designed to suit data typically derived from field‐based studies. The trophic cascade network contains fewer nodes than food webs, but provides semi‐weighted directional links that enable different types of interactions to be included in a single model. We use this trophic cascade network model to explore how an apex predator shapes ecosystem structure in an Australian arid ecosystem. We compared two networks that contrasted in the dominance of an apex predator, the dingo (Canis dingo), using published results ranking the direction and strength of key interactions. Nodes and links interacted dynamically to shape these networks. We examined how changes to an apex predator population affect ecosystem structure through their direct and indirect influences on different components of this ecological community. Under strong apex predator influence, the network structure was denser and more complex, even and top‐down driven; and dingo predation and soil commensalism formed denser interactive modules. Under weak apex predator influence (e.g. reflecting predator control), the resulting network structure was frayed, with mesopredator predation and grazing forming modules. Our study demonstrates that networks of intermediate complexity can provide a powerful tool for elucidating potential ecosystem‐wide effects of apex predators and predicting the consequences of management interventions such as predator control. Integrating trophic cascades, with their array of complex interactions, with the three‐dimensional structure of ecological networks, has the potential to reveal 'ecological architecture' that neither captures on its own.


Perley, Jeffrey P. PhD, Purdue University, May 2016. Advancing Multiple ModelBased Control of Complex Biological Systems: Applications in T Cell Biology. Major Professor: Ann E. Rundell. Activated CD4 T cells are important regulators of the adaptive immune response against invading pathogens and cancerous host cells. The process of activation is mediated by the T cell receptor and a vast network of intracellular signal transduction pathways, which recognize and interpret antigenic signals to determine the cell's response. The critical role of these early signaling events in normal cell function and the pathogenesis of disease ultimately make them attractive therapeutic targets for numerous autoimmune diseases and cancers. Scientists increasingly rely on predictive mathematical models and control-theoretic tools to design effective strategies to manipulate cellular processes for the advancement of knowledge or therapeutic gain. However, the application of modern control theory to intracellular signal transduction is complicated by a unique set of intrinsic properties and technical limitations. These include complexities in the signaling network such as crosstalk, feedback and nonlinearity, and a dearth of rapid quantitative measurement techniques and specific and orthogonal modulators, the major consequences of which are uncertainty in the model representation and the prevention of real-time measurement feedback. Integrating such uncertainties and limitations into a control-theoretic approach under practical constraints represents an open challenge in controller design. The work presented in this dissertation addresses these challenges through the development of a computational methodology to aid in the design of experimental strategies to predictably manipulate intracellular signaling during the process of xviii CD4 T cell activation. This work achieves two main objectives: (1) the development of a generalized control-theoretic tool to effectively control uncertain nonlinear systems in the absence of real-time measurement feedback, and (2) the development and calibration of a predictive mathematical model (or collection of models) of CD4 T cell activation to help derive experimental inputs to robustly force the system dynamics along prescribed trajectories. The crux of this strategy is the use of multiple data-supported models to inform the controller design. These models may represent alternative hypotheses for signaling mechanisms and give rise to distinct network topologies or kinetic rate scenarios and yet remain consistent with available data. Here, a novel adaptive weighting algorithm predicts variations in the models' predictive accuracy over the admissible input space to produce a more reliable compromise solution from multiple competing objectives, a result corroborated by several experimental studies. This dissertation provides a practical means to effectively utilize the collective predictive capacity of multiple prediction models to predictably and robustly direct CD4 T cells to exhibit regulatory, helper and anergic T cell-like signaling profiles through pharmacological manipulations in the absence of measurement feedback. The framework and procedures developed herein are expected to widely applicable to a more general class of continuous dynamical systems for which realtime feedback is not readily available. Furthermore, the ability to predictably and precisely control biological systems could greatly advance how we study and interrogate such systems and aid in the development of novel therapeutic designs for the treatment of disease.


This article assesses the meaning of the phrase "the religion of art" in the nineteenth century, taking "art" to denote literature, painting and sculpture, and focuses this question in relation to two central ideas: to the Coleridgean "Symbol" (his famous tautegorical figure), and to the conceptual provenance and meaning of the phrase "art for art's sake" (an apparent tautology). From the former it traces contrasting paths for the idea of the "translucence of the Eternal through and in the Temporal" (The Statesman's Manual 30). One is via the "art for art's sake" movement and aestheticism (with close attention to Walter Pater's writings), drawing upon Romantic Hellenism in order to challenge Christian ideas of transcendence. The other is through the writings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in which a relationship is posited between the Victorian poet and his Catholic antitype. The religion of art as it manifested itself in the 1840s and 50s is, I shall argue, significantly different from the religion of art as it emerged in Paterian aestheticism later in the century.


Cold-water coral reefs are hotspots of biodiversity and biogeochemistry in the deep-sea, solely fuelled by external energy sources. Hence, food input, processing and recycling play a major role in the functioning of these ecosystems. In this thesis we aimed to study energy flow and metabolism of cold-water coral reef ecosystems by assessing the uptake and processing of different food sources by key species of the community (corals, worms and sponges) while including their (non-) trophic interactions and their impact on ecosystem functioning. Stable isotope as deliberately added tracers (13C and 15N) and bulk and compound specific isotope analysis were the major tools used throughout this study. Feeding experiments on the reef-building cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa, described in chapter 2, revealed that the coral can assimilate a broad range of organic food sources at comparable rates, indicating an opportunistic feeding strategy. Together with its microbial symbionts it is able to even access inorganic nutrients, such as bicarbonate and various nitrogen species, highlighting the previously unrecognized mixotrophic nature of the coral (chapter 3). Observations on the interaction between L. pertusa, the worm Eunice norvegica and the sponge Hymedesmia coriacea further showed that next to microbial symbionts associated macrospecies can also influence feeding and growth of the coral. Accordingly, results of the study observing the interaction between the worm E. norvegica and L. pertusa, described in chapter 4, demonstrated that the worm can enhance its food uptake in the presence of the coral while the coral kept assimilation constant by increasing the consumption of smaller algae particles less favored by the polychaete. Furthermore in the presence of the worm the coral increased skeletal formation (calcification). Given its effect on coral calcification the relationship might be of high importance for reef development and resilience. The interaction between the sponge H. coriacea and the coral, studied in chapter 5, however was characterized by a trophic transfer between both species via coral mucus, partly mediated by bacteria associated with the sponge. Subsequently, the sponge utilized the coral mucus to produce sponge-derived detritus, which can be feed upon by many species of the community, including the coral itself. The result might be a recycling of energy and nutrients which increases ecosystem functioning. In conclusion this thesis shows that the cosmopolitan reef building coral L. pertusa is an opportunistic feeder, exploiting a broad range of organic and inorganic resources. It further demonstrates that associates species can positively affect coral nutrition and growth and thereby can enhance cold-water coral reef ecosystem functioning.


The cytokine cluster located on chromosome 5 has been shown by linkage studies to play a role in the genetic determination of circulating immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in atopic subjects. In the study presented here, the reported chromosome 5 linkage has been investigated in two sets of subjects. The first consisted of a general population sample of 230 nuclear families (n = 1004) from Busselton, a small West Australian country town. The second group consisted of 124 unrelated atopic asthmatics and 59 unrelated non-atopic, non-asthmatic controls, all resident in the Oxfordshire Regional Health Authority area in the United Kingdom. A previously reported interleukin-4 (II-4) promoter polymorphism (-590 C-->T) was analysed in these populations by a newly designed method of specific PCR amplification and BsmFI restriction endonuclease digestion. In the Busselton population the polymorphism was shown to be weakly associated with specific IgE to house dust mite (Mann-Whitney-U test, p = 0.013) and to wheeze (MWU test, p = 0.029), but not with specific IgE to grass pollen, total serum IgE, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, eosinophil count, or asthma. In the Oxfordshire subjects there were no statistically significant associations with any measure of asthma or atopy. These data show that the -590 C-->T II-4 promoter polymorphism is only weakly associated with certain measures of asthma and atopy in some subjects. It was specifically not associated with serum IgE concentration or asthma in either of the two groups in this study.


Snow cover is a significant component of the hydrological cycle affecting stream discharge through snowmelt and soil moisture. Current operational streamflow forecasting is prone to error due to input data uncertainties and model biases, making it difficult to accurately forecast discharge during snow melt events. Data assimilation is a technique of weighting model estimates and observations based on uncertainties that allows optimal estimation of model states. In this study, we assimilate snow water equivalent (SWE) data from the Advance Microwave Scanning Radiometer – Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) instrument into a conceptual temperature index snow model, the US National Weather Service (NWS) SNOW17 model. This model is coupled with the NWS Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting (SAC-SMA) model, which ultimately produces stream discharge. The objective of this study is to improve the SNOW17 estimate of SWE by integrating SWE observations and uncertainties associated with meteorological forcing data within the model. For the purpose of this study, 25 km AMSR-E SWE data is used. An ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) assimilation framework performs assimilation on a daily cycle for a 6 year period, water years 2006-2011. This method is tested on seven watersheds in the Upper Mississippi River basin that are under the forecasting jurisdiction of the NWS North Central River Forecasting Center (NCRFC). Prior to assimilation, AMSR-E data is bias corrected using data from the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) airborne snow survey program. Discharge output from the SAC-SMA is verified using observed discharge from the outlet of each study site. Improvements in discharge are evident for five sites, in particular for high discharge magnitudes associated with snow melt runoff. Evidence points to the SNOW17 having a consistent SWE


Different business environments within Philips demand different innovation approaches. In a high-tech business-to-business environment with demanding lead customers, innovation is driven by customer intimacy. In a fast-moving business-to-consumer environment, a combination of consumer marketing intelligence and technology is required, captured in a clear process to meet the critical time-to-market requirements. Innovation outside the existing business scope of the regular Philips divisions is handled separately. The role of Philips Applied Technologies (Apptech) is described, including competencies and processes. The central questions addressed in this paper are: 'Which innovation models are being used by Philips?' and 'What is the role of Apptech in the innovation processes and how does Apptech effectuate its role?' An open approach is evolving wherein innovation is performed in international networks of partners in new markets and with complementary skills. Assuming the task of integrator in such a network, entrepreneurs and lead customers complete the current technical and process-oriented capabilities of Apptech.


As anyone who has watched television in recent years can attest, we live in the age of Viagra. From Bob Dole to Mike Ditka to late-night comedians, our culture has been engaged in one long, frank, and very public talk about impotence - and our newfound pharmaceutical solutions. But as Angus McLaren shows us in "Impotence", the first cultural history of the subject, the failure of men to rise to the occasion has been a recurrent topic since the dawn of human culture. Drawing on a dazzling range of sources from across centuries, McLaren demonstrates how male sexuality was constructed around the idea of potency, from times past when it was essential for the purpose of siring children, to today, when successful sex is viewed as a component of a healthy emotional life. Along the way, "Impotence" enlightens and fascinates with tales of sexual failure and its remedies - for example, had Ditka lived in ancient Mesopotamia, he might have recited spells while eating roots and plants rather than pills - and explanations, which over the years have included witchcraft, shell-shock, masturbation, feminism, and the Oedipal complex. McLaren also explores the surprising political and social effects of impotence, from the revolutionary unrest fueled by Louis XVI's failure to consummate his marriage to the boost given the fledgling American republic by George Washington's failure to found a dynasty. Each age, McLaren shows, turns impotence to its own purposes, using it to help define what is normal and healthy for men, their relationships, and society. From marriage manuals to metrosexuals, from Renaissance Italy to Hollywood movies, "Impotence" is a serious but highly entertaining examination of a problem that humanity has simultaneously regarded as life's greatest tragedy and its greatest joke.


Introduction Short-term missions providing patients in low-income countries with reconstructive surgery are often criticised because evidence of their value is lacking. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of short-term reconstructive surgical missions in low-income and middle-income countries. Methods A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched five medical databases from inception up to 2 July 2018. Original studies of short-term reconstructive surgical missions were included, which reported data on patient safety measurements, health gains of individual patients and sustainability. Data were combined to generate overall outcomes, including overall complication rates. Results Of 1662 identified studies, 41 met full inclusion criteria, which included 48 546 patients. The overall study quality according to Oxford CEBM and GRADE was low. Ten studies reported a minimum of 6 months' follow-up, showing a follow-up rate of 56.0% and a complication rate of 22.3%. Twelve studies that did not report on duration or follow-up rate reported a complication rate of 1.2%. Fifteen out of 20 studies (75%) that reported on follow-up also reported on sustainable characteristics. Conclusions Evidence on the patient outcomes of reconstructive surgical missions is scarce and of limited quality. Higher complication rates were reported in studies which explicitly mentioned the duration and rate of follow-up. Studies with a low follow-up quality might be under-reporting complication rates and overestimating the positive impact of missions. This review indicates that missions should develop towards sustainable partnerships. These partnerships should provide quality aftercare, perform outcome research and build the surgical capacity of local healthcare systems. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018099285.


Selenium deficiency and propylthiouracil (PTU) treatment both decrease hepatic type I T4 5'-deiodinase activity (5'D-I), which is considered to be an important regulator of the serum T3 derived from peripheral T4 to T3 conversion (T3 neogenesis). The effects of PTU treatment or a selenium-deficient diet on T4 and T3 kinetics were compared in thyroid-ablated rats infused with stable T4 to determine whether PTU treatment is a more potent inhibitor of T3 neogenesis than selenium deficiency and to compare the degree of inhibition of T3 production with the degree of inhibition of 5'D-I. PTU treatment and selenium deficiency (Se-) did not affect the T3 MCR (control, 46.0 +/- 2.5; PTU, 41.7 +/- 2.8; Se-, 41.1 +/- 4.0 ml/h.100 g BW), but did reduce serum T3 concentrations by 29% and 25%, respectively (control, 58.7 +/- 2.6; PTU, 41.5 +/- 1.0; Se-, 43.9 +/- 2.7 ng/dl; P < 0.01 for PTU or Se- vs. control) and the T3 production rate by 35% and 32%, respectively (control, 26.6 +/- 1.0; PTU, 17.3 +/- 2.0; Se-, 18.0 +/- 1.9 ng/h.100 g BW; P < 0.01 for PTU or Se- vs. Control). PTU treatment and selenium deficiency significantly increased serum T4 concentrations by 36% and 32%, respectively, due to a decrease in T4 MCR (control, 1.4 +/- 0.1; PTU, 1.1 +/- 0.1; Se-, 1.1 +/- 0.04 ml/h.100 g BW; P < 0.05 for PTU or Se- vs. control). Assuming that the concentration of T4 available for T3 neogenesis is proportional to the serum T4 concentration, the increase in serum T4 concentrations caused by PTU treatment or Se- would probably have proportionally increased the rate of T3 neogenesis. Based on these considerations, the apparent decrease in T3 neogenesis in the PTU-treated animals was 52%. This is less than the 79% and 67% inhibition of 5'D-I noted, respectively, in the liver and kidneys of these rats. Similarly, the apparent decrease in T3 neogenesis in the Se- rats was 48%, again less than the 85% and 64% inhibition of 5'D-I in their liver and kidneys, respectively. These studies suggest that PTU and Se- have similar effects on T3 neogenesis. The more potent effects of these treatments on liver and kidney 5'D-I activities than on T3 neogenesis suggest that the activities of these enzymes in these tissues are not the only important determinants of the serum T3 that is derived from nonthyroidal sources.


Allegations against movie-mogul Harvey Weinstein and the ensuing #MeToo movement opened the floodgates to a modern day reckoning with sex discrimination in the workplace. High level and high profile individuals across industries have been fired, suspended, and resigned. At the same time, serious concerns have been raised about useful processes for non-privileged women, due process for those accused of misconduct, and the need for proportionate consequences. And there have been calls for both restorative and transitional justice in addressing this problem. But these calls have not been explicit about what sort of restoration or transformation is envisioned.
This article explores the meaning, utility, and complexities of restorative and transitional justice for dealing with sexual misconduct in the workplace. We begin by documenting the restorative origins of #MeToo as well as exploring steps taken, most prominently by Time's Up, to amplify and credit survivors' voices, seek accountability, change workplace practices, and encourage access to the legal system. We then take up the call for restorative justice by exploring its key components — including acknowledgement, responsibility-taking, harm repair, non-repetition, and reintegration — with an eye toward how these components might apply in the context of addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.
We conclude by looking more broadly to the insights of transitional justice. We identify some shared features of transitional societies and the #MeToo setting, including structural inequalities, a history of denial and the normalization of wrongful behavior, and uncertainty about the way forward. We then provide guidance for ongoing reform efforts. First, we emphasize the vital importance of including and addressing the interests of marginalized groups within the larger movement both because we need to know and acknowledge specific intersectional harms and also because doing so helps model the kinds of equal relationships that marginalized groups seek across other dimensions such as race, sexual orientation, gender orientation, and disability. Second, we highlight the need for holism and mixed types of responses in trying to spur societal change.


Brazil and South Africa share similar development challenges. Both have very unequal income distributions, both have a strong resource orientation underpinning their industrial development trajectory, and both have undergone a sharp liberalisation and opening up of their economies in the past decade. At the same time, both countries are attempting to chart a progressive domestic economic path, while being important role players in the global economy. The most obvious difference is that of apartheid in South Africa. However, military regimes in Brazil pursued heavily state-influenced industrial development strategies which had similar objectives of self sufficiency and import substitution as did those of the apartheid regime in South Africa. The Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) is the government industrial development bank in Brazil and has been heavily involved in the development of minerals and resource-based industry in Brazil. In recent years it has diversified its activities and increased lending to services and infrastructure-related industries. It has also been successful, as part of government's industrial policy, in supporting dynamic industries such as aerospace. Its lending increased rapidly in the 1990s from US$3bn at the beginning of the decade to almost US$10bn by the end of the decade. In addition to its activities as a development bank, BNDES also plays an important role in formulating Brazilian development policies and identifying solutions to structural problems in the Brazilian economy. The paper assesses the Brazilian experience and contrasts it with that of South Africa, in light of the restructuring of the Brazilian and South African economies and the development challenges they face.


The fifth enlargement of the European Union, apart from the most demanding in terms of preparation for the candidates and EU institutions has been the most ambiguous in terms of potential impacts both on economic and political spheres. In this paper we try to identify the directions of potential consequences based on the performance of the new countries during the pre-accession period and the degree of preparation by the time of the first part of accession. The preliminary assessments show that EU and newcomers economies shall face a series of positive impacts in terms of growth, productivity, employment and competitiveness, though to different degrees, while political and social conditions will continue to improve. The greatest challenge for EU policy makers, will continue being the assurance of socio-economic stability during the biggest enlargement ever in EU, yet, with less intervention through an adjusted to the new needs decision making process.


It is predicted that more than 20 billion IoT devices will be deployed worldwide by 2020. These devices form the critical infrastructure to support a variety of important applications such as smart city, smart grid, and industrial internet. To guarantee that these applications work properly, it is imperative to authenticate these devices and data generated from them. Although digital signatures can be applied for these purposes, the scale of the overall system and the limited computation capability of IoT devices pose two big challenges. In order to overcome these obstacles, we propose DIoTA, a novel decentralized ledger-based authentication framework for IoT devices. DIoTA uses a two-layer decentralized ledger architecture together with a lightweight data authentication mechanism to facilitate IoT devices and data management. We also analyze the performance and security of DIoTA, and explicitly give the major parameters an administrator can choose to achieve a desirable balance between different metrics.


This paper describes the analytical/experimental correlation study performed to develop an understanding of the behavior of notched boron/epoxy laminates subjected to tension/tension fatigue loading. The static failure analysis of notched laminates used herein treats the following modes of failure: axial cracking in the load direction, and transverse cracking across the specimen. The "mechanistic wearout" fatigue analysis uses this static failure model and embodies the concept that material properties in the notch region are continually changing with cyclic loading and that, if these properties are known at a given time, they could be used in the static failure analysis to compute residual strength and preferred mode of crack propagation. In order to verify the fatigue model, an experimental program of limited scope was undertaken to obtain boron/epoxy lamina static and fatigue data (longitudinal and transverse tension and in-plane shear), unnotched [0 2 /+45] s laminate static data, and notched [0 2 /′45] s laminate static and fatigue data. Laminate fatigue behavior was determined from lamina fatigue data, and analysis predictions were compared with the notched-laminate fatigue data. The specific phenomena of interest are the initiation of fatigue damage and its growth as a function of load cycles, fatigue life and mode of failure, and the residual strength after a predetermined number of cycles and the corresponding mode of failure. Certain predicted phenomena such as the increase in residual strength after fatigue loading and both axial and transverse damage growth were observed experimentally. However, correlation of theory and experiment was hampered by the following factors: delamination of the 0-deg surface layers in the region of the longitudinal projection of the notch diameter, lack of statistically significant data base for lamina fatigue properties in general, and absence of lamina axial compression fatigue data in particular. The principal deficiency appears to be the lack of a capability to predict growth of delaminations. Therefore, the interplay of stacking sequence and various failure modes needs to be investigated analytically and experimentally in detail.


Collaborative filtering (CF) recommender systems are very popular and successful in commercial application fields. One end-user concern is the privacy of the personal data required by such systems in order to make personalized recommendations. Recently, peer-to-peer decentralized architectures have been proposed to address this privacy issue. On the other hand system managers must be concerned about system robustness. In particular, it has been shown that recommender systems are vulnerable to profile injection, although model-based CF algorithms show greater stability against malicious attacks that have been studied in the state-of-the-art. In this paper we generalize the generic model for decentralized recommendation and discuss the trade-off between robustness and privacy. In this context, we argue that exposing knowledge of the model parameters allows new, highly effective, model-based attack strategies to be considered. We conclude that the security concerns of privacy and robustness stand in opposition to each other and are difficult to satisfy simultaneously.


Multi-robot systems (MRS) offer many performance benefits over single robots for tasks that can be completed by one robot. They offer potential redundancies to the system to improve robustness and allow tasks to be completed in parallel. These benefits, however, can be quickly offset by losses in productivity from diminishing returns caused by interference between robots and communication problems. This dissertation developed and evaluated MRS control architectures to solve the dynamic multi-robot autonomous routing problem. Dynamic multirobot autonomous routing requires robots to complete a trip from their initial location at the time of task allocation to an assigned destination. The primary concern for the control architectures was how well the communication requirements and overall system performance scaled as the number of robots in the MRS got larger. The primary metrics for evaluation of the controller were the effective robot usage rate and the bandwidth usage. This dissertation evaluated several different approaches to solving dynamic multi-robot autonomous routing. The first three methods were based off of common MRS coordination approaches from previous research. These three control architectures with distributed control without communication (a swarm-like method), distributed control with communication, and centralized control. An additional architecture was developed to solve the problem in a way that scales better as the number of robots increase. This architecture, mixed mode autonomy, combines the strengths of distributed control with communication and centralized control. Like distributed control with communication, mixed mode autonomy's performance degrades gracefully with communication failures and is not dependent on a single controller. Like centralized control, there is oversight from a central controller to ensure repeatable high performance of the system. Each of the controllers other than distributed control without communication is based on building world models to facilitate coordination of the routes. A second variant of mixed mode autonomy was developed to allow robots to share parts of their world models with their peers when their models were incomplete or outdated. The system performance was evaluated for three example applications that represent different cases of dynamic multi-robot autonomous routing. These example applications were the automation of open pit mines, container terminals, and warehouses. The effective robot usage rates for mixed mode autonomy were generally significantly higher than the other controllers with a higher numbers of robots. The bandwidth usage was also much lower. These performance trends were also observed across a wide range of operating conditions for dynamic multi-robot autonomous routing. The original contributions from this work were the development of a new MRS control architecture, development of system model for the dynamic multi-robot autonomous routing problem, and identification of the tradeoffs for MRS design for the dynamic multi-robot autonomous routing problem.


Uncontrolled developments of new blood vessels take place in cancer and many other life threatening diseases. Currently, RNA interference has boosted the therapeutic prospects for inhibiting gene expression responsible for increased and uncontrolled angiogenesis in disease conditions. Small interference RNA is a fast way for analysis of gene operations by masking their function phenotype. Angiogenesis is a complex mechanism with the involvement of many different protein factors. The application of siRNA enables the rapid analysis of different pathways and recognition of new target genes. So the Initial research on the curative effects of small interfering RNA in the angiogenesis process has demonstrated that this new class of drug takes great potential for curative innovation. There are two strategies in this regard: the use of "unmodified" or the use of "complexed", "targeted and/or protected nucleic acids".  The major problem for the clinical use will be to control the off-targets effects and the transient property of the sequence specific effect of silencing.  To tackle the targeted distribution to cells which is involved in the different stages of angiogenesis process will be another problem. This article will briefly discuss in-vitro and in-vivo "angiogenesis inhibition" related perspective in complex pathological conditions.


A comprehensive laboratory study was undertaken to determine engineering properties of cementitiously stabilized common subgrade soils in Oklahoma for the design of roadway pavements in accordance with the AASHTO 2002 Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). These properties include resilient modulus (Mr), modulus of elasticity (ME), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), moisture susceptibility and three-dimensional (3-D) swell. Four different types of soils encountered in Oklahoma, namely, Port Series (P-soil), Kingfisher Series (K-soil), Vernon Series (V-soil), and Carnasaw Series (C-soil) were used in this study. These soils were stabilized with three locally produced and economically viable stabilizers used in Oklahoma, namely, hydrated lime (or lime), class C fly ash (CFA), and cement kiln dust (CKD). Additionally, mineralogical studies such as scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to verify the findings from the macro test results. The percentage of stabilizer used (3%, 6% and 9% for lime; 5%, 10% and 15% for CFA and CKD) was selected on the basis of pH test and literature review. Cylindrical specimens of stabilized soil were compacted and cured for 28 days in a moist room having a constant temperature (23.0±1.7oC) and controlled humidity (>95%). The 28-day curing period is consistent with the new MEPDG for evaluation of design Mr, ME and UCS. After curing, specimens were tested for resilient modulus (Mr), modulus of elasticity (ME) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Selective specimens were also tested for moisture susceptibility (tube suction test) and three-dimensional swell during 60 days of capillary soaking. Results for the tested stabilized soil specimens showed that all three stabilizers improved the strength/stiffness properties, namely, Mr, UCS and ME values, of P-, K-, V- and C-soil specimens. At lower application rates (3% to 6%), the lime-stabilized soil specimens showed the highest improvement in the strength/stiffness. At higher application rates, however, P-, K, V- and C-soil specimens stabilized with 15% CKD showed the highest improvement. The P-soil specimens, however, showed more improvement in strength due to lower PI, as compared to K-, V- and C-soil. The SEM analysis showed formation of crystals with soil matrix as a result of stabilization. It is reasoned that the crystals within the matrix provide better interlocking between the particles and possible higher resistance to shear deformation and also reduce void within the matrix resulting in overall strength gain. The results of the analysis conforms to the results of the Mr, ME and UCS tests. The tube suction test (TST) results revealed that lime- and CFA-treatment is helpful because it reduces the moisture susceptibility. CKD-stabilization, however, makes stabilized specimens more susceptible to moisture, as compared to raw soil specimens. Three-dimensional (3-D) swelling test showed increase in volume for lime- and CKD-stabilized specimens while reduction in volume for CFA-stabilized specimen, as compared to raw soil. This increase in volume is attributed to sulfate-induced heaving which results in the formation of expansive mineral ettringite. Further, presence of ettringite was verified using SEM/EDS tests in conjunction with XRD analyses. This study generated useful information that would enrich the database pertaining to Mr, ME, UCS, 3-D swell and moisture susceptibility of selected soils in Oklahoma. An enriched database would benefit highway agencies, specifically pavement engineers, when dealing with construction of new pavements or rehabilitation of existing pavements. It will also facilitate the implementation of the new AASHTO 2002 pavement design guide.


What We Already Know about This Topic Dantrolene effectively treats malignant hyperthermia, but there are discrepant recommendations for dantrolene availability in facilities that stock succinylcholine for airway rescue but do not use volatile anesthetics. What This Article Tells Us That Is New The authors performed an analysis of data from three databases and a systematic literature review. Providers frequently use succinylcholine, including during difficult mask ventilation. Succinylcholine given without volatile anesthetics triggered 24 malignant hyperthermia events, 13 of which were treated with dantrolene. Fourteen patients experienced substantial complications, and one died. Delayed dantrolene treatment worsened patient outcomes. Background: Although dantrolene effectively treats malignant hyperthermia (MH), discrepant recommendations exist concerning dantrolene availability. Whereas Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States guidelines state dantrolene must be available within 10 min of the decision to treat MH wherever volatile anesthetics or succinylcholine are administered, a Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia protocol permits Class B ambulatory facilities to stock succinylcholine for airway rescue without dantrolene. The authors investigated (1) succinylcholine use rates, including for airway rescue, in anesthetizing/sedating locations; (2) whether succinylcholine without volatile anesthetics triggers MH warranting dantrolene; and (3) the relationship between dantrolene administration and MH morbidity/mortality. Methods: The authors performed focused analyses of the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group (2005 through 2016), North American MH Registry (2013 through 2016), and Anesthesia Closed Claims Project (1970 through 2014) databases, as well as a systematic literature review (1987 through 2017). The authors used difficult mask ventilation (grades III and IV) as a surrogate for airway rescue. MH experts judged dantrolene treatment. For MH morbidity/mortality analyses, the authors included U.S. and Canadian cases that were fulminant or scored 20 or higher on the clinical grading scale and in which volatile anesthetics or succinylcholine were given. Results: Among 6,368,356 queried outcomes cases, 246,904 (3.9%) received succinylcholine without volatile agents. Succinylcholine was used in 46% (n = 710) of grade IV mask ventilation cases (median dose, 100 mg, 1.2 mg/kg). Succinylcholine without volatile anesthetics triggered 24 MH cases, 13 requiring dantrolene. Among 310 anesthetic-triggered MH cases, morbidity was 20 to 37%. Treatment delay increased complications every 10 min, reaching 100% with a 50-min delay. Overall mortality was 1 to 10%; 15 U.S. patients died, including 4 after anesthetics in freestanding facilities. Conclusions: Providers use succinylcholine commonly, including during difficult mask ventilation. Succinylcholine administered without volatile anesthetics may trigger MH events requiring dantrolene. Delayed dantrolene treatment increases the likelihood of MH complications. The data reported herein support stocking dantrolene wherever succinylcholine or volatile anesthetics may be used.


Evidence supporting exercise as a medicine in the prevention and management of chronic disease is indisputable. Created in 2007, Exercise is Medicine®(EIM) aims to make physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in clinical care, connecting health care professionals with qualified exercise professionals to provide evidence-based physical activity resources and programs to everyone of all abilities. Opportunities exist for exercise professionals in several areas within EIM, including exercise referral and prescription, EIM on Campus, and physical activity and EIM education. Connections between EIM and kinesiology and the need for exercise professionals to contribute to the EIM evidence are discussed.


Abstract Otavite-calcite solid solutions have been synthesized to investigate the factors which control the patterns of compositional zoning. The equilibrium partitioning of otavite between the aqueous and the solid phase can be described by means of a function XCdCO₃ (XCd,aq)eq, which relates the solid mole fraction and the aqueous activity fraction of Cd. According to this function, there is a strong preferential partitioning of Cd towards the solid. A set of experiments starting with parent solutions with different Cd2+/Ca2+ ratios was carried out. In these experiments nucleation takes place at high supersaturations and the Cd2+ and Ca2+ ions tend to be laid down in a ratio which deviates from the equilibrium distribution. Experimental nucleation data can be fitted to a curve XCdCO₃ (XCd,aq)ef of the same functionality as that for equilibrium. After nucleation, supersaturation decreases as the crystals grow. During this process, substituting ions are not incorporated into the solid in the same stoichiometric proportion as in the aqueous solution. Therefore, crystal and fluid compositions tend to vary as growth proceeds and this evolution is registered as a compositional zoning. The curves XCdCO₃ (XCd,aq)eqand XCdCO₃ (XCd,aq)ef confine the reaction path corresponding to the growth process. Here, these curves are used to account for the observed zoning patterns.


Algorithms are presented for the adaptive processing of binary images of silhouettes of the human hand obtained by means of color-brightness filters. These algorithms are based on the use of a combination of elementary morphological operations that take into account the direction of the fingers. Algorithms are presented for removing noise on binary images that are adapted to the result of the operation of a color filter, and a method is presented for filling internal contours of a silhouette of the hand in order to remove grouped marking errors. The experimental results show that the proposed image-processing method increases the probability of successful detection, tracking of the hand, and recognition of gestures.


The following study investigates the causal impact of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) language minority provisions, which mandate multilingual election assistance if certain population thresholds are met. While lower rates of Latino and Asian American political participation are often attributed to language barriers, scholars have yet to establish a direct impact of the provisions on electoral behavior. Building off of previous state- and county-level analyses, we leverage an individual-level voter file database to focus on participation by Latino and Asian American citizens in 1,465 counties and municipalities nationwide. Utilizing a regression discontinuity design, we examine rates of voter registration and turnout in the 2012 election, comparing individual participation rates in jurisdictions just above and just below the threshold for coverage. Our analysis attributes a significant increase in Latino voter registration and Asian American turnout to coverage under the VRA.


In the old-world viticulture autochthonous varieties are an important inheritance because they can provide wines with authenticity and distinction. Cultivar Mando is an almost extinguished variety from the south-east of Spain with very large and tight clusters. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of early defoliation as a possible tool to reduce cluster compactness, improving fruit composition. With this in mind, an experiment was conducted with 'Mando' in deficit irrigated vines trained with a divided Lyre system. Control (C), non-defoliated vines, were compared with defoliation carried out either just before anthesis (phenological phase H, (Def-H)), at flowering (phenological phase I, (Def-I)) or at fruit set (phenological stage J, (Def-J)). In all the defoliation treatments, leaves from the first eight nodes, including laterals, were removed. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with three replicates per treatment and 24 experimental vines per experimental plot. As an average for all defoliation treatments, berry number per cluster, berry weight and yield were reduced by 44%, 16% and 45%,in Def-H, Def-I and Def-J respectively. Defoliation increased berry soluble solids concentration only in the Def-H treatment. On the other hand, berry acidity was only decreased in the Def-H treatment. In the ED and LD defoliation treatments, leaf pulling improved berry quality determined by a berry tasting panel. In agreement, berries from the ED and LD also had higher total phenolics, anthocyanins and tannin concentration. Results obtained were judged positively by the winery owners and defoliation, particularly at stage J, will now be more widely conducted in the vineyards planted with the 'Mando' cultivar. The research is indeed an example of a successful transfer of a research technique under commercial situations.


A recent paper has given an outline of a revised system of classification of the forms of galaxies, together with types for 608 systems. That investigation will be designated Paper I, and the present one Paper II. The galaxies classified on the revised Yerkes system in Paper I include a large fraction of the northern entries in the ShapleyAmes Catalogue. It seemed advisable to make the classification approximately complete to some limiting apparent magnitude ; a program was therefore devised to classify a number of additional galaxies. Through the kindness of Dr. I. S. Bowen and the Committee of the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories, I was permitted to make use of the original negatives of the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey for the purpose. The present paper completes the classification of all galaxies brighter than magnitude 13.1 in the Shapley-Ames Catalogue and north of O = —25°, with two exceptions : the object NGC 2149 has been omitted from the catalogue, since it appears to be a diffuse nebulosity, rather than a galaxy; NGC 2798 was omitted inadvertently. The galaxies included in the present paper were classified on the 48-inch Sky Survey plates during a period as guest investigator at Pasadena in the autumn of 1958. A large number of galaxies in Paper I were reclassified without knowledge as to the earlier type assigned ; this overlap furnishes material for an accurate determination of the systematic characteristics of the two series. ii


Foveal luminance thresholds for identification of red (642 nm), yellow (584 nm), green (521 nm), and blue (468 nm) were determined by the method of constant stimuli for a range of small stimulus sizes and for two exposure durations. The luminances necessary for chromatic and absolute thresholds were also specified. The luminance required for chromatic threshold was found to be lowest for the 642-nm stimulus and highest for the 468-nm stimulus; the threshold for correct hue identification was found to be inversely related to wavelength. The ratios of the luminance necessary for hue perception to the absolute threshold ranged from 1.14 for the 642-nm stimulus to 1.51 for the 584-nm stimulus. The ratio of the luminance required for correct hue identification to the absolute threshold ranged from 1.32 for the 642-nm stimulus to 3.33 for the 521-nm stimulus. More reliable responses and fewer confusions in the hue identification were associated with the 642-nm stimulus than with the other wavelengths. The identification thresholds of this study are compared with the detection thresholds for similar targets.


It is well-known that improvements in seat comfort are needed as a medical solution to prevent pressure ulcers. In recent years, pressure ulcers have become an increasing social and medical issue and manufacturers are trying to respond appropriately for better solutions. The contact interaction between human buttock-tissue and seat cushion is an important factor in users' sense of comfort. In this study, an approach by experimental method with pressure mapping (TexiMat) will be analyzed for eight different cushions in the aim to compare their behaviors in sitting position. The comportment of buttocks/cushions model was validated by experimental data. The main purpose of this article is to study the influence of material properties contributions on cushions and their capacities to reduce pressure distribution by improving the ability to prevent pressure ulcers. This study may help to choose different types of cushions as well as the thickness of the cushions for patients and user's wheelchair to prevent pressure ulcers.


Spectral-emissivity measurements of the 15-μ band of CO2 were made in the temperature range from 1000° to 2300°K. The hot gas was produced in a supersonic burner, which used gaseous carbon monoxide and oxygen as propellants. Many "hot" transitions were observed which were identified through their Q-branches even when the spectral resolution of the spectrometer was not very high. The total intensity of the ν2-fundamental band system was determined at the highest temperatures and a value of 240 ± 15% cm−1/cm at STP was obtained in the present experiment which is in agreement with other measurements at room temperature. The maximum error resulting from the presence of the strong central Q-branch (at 670 cm−1) at a temperature of 2300°K was estimated, utilizing detailed line calculations for the fundamental transition and band-model calculations for the higher-order transitions.


A study to examine students' perceptions of the design process was conducted in the freshman/sophomore class ME39D: Designing Technology for Girls and Women at the University of California at Berkeley. The course covered gender issues associated with new product development from a human-centered design perspective. Students worked in multidisciplinary design teams and participated in interactive workshops with target users and industry sponsors. The class was one of the Virtual Development Centers sponsored by the Institute of Women and Technology (www.iwt.org) and supporting companies in the San Francisco Bay area. Three forms of data collection techniques were used: interviews, questionnaires and a design process assignment. Evaluation showed that students developed a strong belief that 'good design' dictates that technology can and should serve all members of the potential user population, including those traditionally underrepresented with technology. Finally, students showed an increased level of confidence in technology and an increased comfort level working on design projects.


High quality silicon nitride ceramics have shown some advantages for rolling element bearing applications. In particular hybrid bearings (silicon nitride rolling
elements and steel races) have the ability to withstand high loads, severe environments and high speeds. However, the difficulties of both sintering and machining the material may result in surfacedefects,such as surface ring cracks. It is difficult to detect surface ring cracks during high volume production processes and hence it is crucially important to understand their influence and the fundamental mechanism of the failures they cause. The purpose of this study is to examine the contact fatigue failure modes of silicon nitride rolling elements with surface ring crack defects. In this study, new experimental and computational techniques are developed to measure and model the interaction of the surface with pre-existing crack defects. A rolling contact fatigue
test method is devised for positioning the ring crack in the contact path. Rolling contact fatigue tests are conducted using a modified four-ball machine in a hybrid
ceramic/steel combination. A three-dimensional boundary element model is used to determine the stress intensity factors and to carry out the crack face contact analysis.
Research shows that the RCF life performance of silicon nitride bearing elements is dependent upon the crack location and fatigue spall happens only at a few crack orientations. The spalling fatigue failure is not only influenced by the original ring crack propagation but also strongly influenced by the subsequent crack face contact. Secondary surface cracks play an important role in the forination of a fatigue spall. The crack gap and crack face friction coefficients significantly affect the formation of secondary surface cracks. Numerical calculation results are consistent with the experimental observations. A quantitative three-dimensional
boundary element model has been developed, which can be used to determine the geometry of acceptable surfacering cracks.


January 2018 © The Linley Group • Microprocessor Report Ceva has extended its line of neural-network-processor intellectual property (IP) by launching NeuPro, which comprises a family of cores optimized for general-purpose machine learning. It previously developed the XM-series of deep-learning accelerators (DLAs), but whereas they use an architecture optimized for computer vision (CV), the NeuPro ISA supports any machine-learning application and doesn't require a separate host-CPU controller. As Figure 1 shows, NeuPro employs two separate cores: the DSP-based NeuPro Vector Processor Unit (VPU), and the NeuPro Engine. The VPU plays more of a supervisory role while offloading most of the computation to the NeuPro Engine. Although the company withheld details, the VPU is similar to its previous DSP-based CV cores. It includes a scalar unit and vector unit that run the deep-neural-network (DNN) control code, and it's programmable for handling layer functions that the NeuPro Engine omits. The NeuPro Engine is the new element in Ceva's architecture. Whereas the XM6 uses the vector DSP to run the normalization, pooling, and other layers in a convolutional neural network (CNN), NeuPro shifts those functions to specialized hardware in the NeuPro Engine. The XM6 employs a separate accelerator that only runs CNN multiplier-accumulate (MAC) functions, but the NeuPro Engine includes hardware that accelerates all layers. Compared with its predecessor, the new design offers a more streamlined data flow that reduces external-memory transactions, which often bottleneck neural-network performance. Keeping the DNN data local to the execution units also saves power. NeuPro's target applications include advanced driver-assistance systems (ADASs), augmented-reality (AR) headsets, drones, smartphones, and surveillance cameras. The IP will become available to lead customers in 2Q18; the company plans a general release in 3Q18.


Hope is a motivational factor that helps initiate and sustain action toward long-term goals, including flexible management of obstacles that get in the way of goal attainment. Despite an abundance of research on the benefits of hope, little attention has been given to this aspect of youth development via longitudinal studies. In this study, we collected ratings of hope and positive and negative affect from 975 adolescents over a six-year assessment period (Grades 7–12). Using cross-lagged structural equation modeling, we found that hope led to greater positive affect, with little evidence for the reverse direction. In contrast, hope and negative affective states were reciprocally related. Hope predicted future well-being particularly well in years when the young people where in transition (e.g. starting high school and transitioning to senior high school). Our data support the position that hope is a malleable attribute that fosters positive youth development.


This thesis demonstrates that no international distributive justice mechanism is operative in the World Trade Organization legal regime, and that SDT and GSP provisions do not compensate for this. It argues that the erga omnes partes distribution of the burden of compliance with WTO Agreements frustrates the economic development of the poor developing countries, and that this can be corrected by the distribution of the burdens of compliance on a distributive justice principle. A model climate law is advanced to demonstrate the practicability of applying that principle in the WTO context. The general charge is made that, absent a distributive justice principle in the WTO legal system, developing countries benefit from WTO Agreements only in the measure that they are already trade-capable, and that those Agreements often threaten their established wealth-producing institutions. It is argued that the status 'developing countries' cannot remain a self-designated status, but should correspond with GDP status. Specific charges are levelled against WTO Agreements' failure to take account of the interests of developing countries: TRIPs provisions severely restrict the transfer of technology, and thereby frustrate emerging pharmaceutical industries; the DSM, based on Western legal tradition, imposes a burden of unfamiliarity on developing countries, and its enforcement system is generally not available to them; the GATS tolerates the friction between NT and MFN obligation and FTAs; the GATS and the TRIMs confer the right of one country to invest in another, in the absence of any validating customary international law, yet no WTO Agreement brings foreign-investment dispute settlement into the DSM, leaving the WTO tolerant of BITs and FTAs that nominate non-WTO tribunals for that purpose, despite evidence that many developing countries cannot sustain the financial penalties these tribunals impose.


When investigating questions like "What characterizes the vocabulary of school book texts in general and in different subjects at different levels?" and "Which words present particular problems for students studying in their second language?" school book corpora offer important empirical data. We have therefore compiled and analyzed a corpus of secondary school textbooks of one million words (OrdiL) with texts from eight different school subjects contributed by three different publishers (Lindberg & Johansson Kokkinakis 2007). In order to perform comparative studies and analyses on the vocabulary of these texts we have performed computer-based disambiguation and semantic analyses at a lemma- and lexeme-level. Moreover, we have carried out word frequency analyses, including comparative analyses of relative frequency and dispersion between different subjects. To be able to distinguish characteristic features of school book vocabulary we use an equally sized reference corpus of easy-to-read texts as a point of comparison. The vocabulary of this corpus is representative of the kind of written language that children at this age can be exposed to out of school.


X-ray imaging, based on conventional attenuation methods, is employed in various industrial, medical and scientific imaging application. Phase-contrast X-ray imaging is an emerging modality that has shown promise to image and characterize weakly absorbing objects, such as three-dimensional printed plastics and breast tissue. Propagation-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging is the simplest of the existing phase-contrast methods as it does not require any additional optics and can easily be integrated into current X-ray systems that utilize polychromatic X-ray sources. This novel imaging technique requires post-image processing using an algorithm called phase retrieval to extract phase information from the measured intensity. Although propagation-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging offers the simplest setup, it possesses the most mathematically intensive methods to retrieve the phase. Phase retrieval is a nonlinear inverse technique used to estimate the phase shift, thickness or electron density throughout an image. Many of these phase retrieval methods have been developed assuming a monochromatic source, although can be extended to a polychromatic source. This work compares seven phase retrieval methods under various conditions in the presence of a polychromatic source in simulation of different objects and materials. Six of these phase retrieval methods are single-shot algorithms that require only one phase-contrast image; whereas one method is iterative and requires an absorption and phase-contrast image. Each method is derived under different assumptions, but all should produce the same result of retrieved phase shift, thickness or electron density. Overall, Paganin's method performed the best under all test cases and was further applied to experimental data. Polytetrafluoroethylene, varying in thickness and shape, was imaged using a polychromatic source under numerous conditions and Paganin's method was applied to determine its limitations. In general, Paganin's method resulted in a high relative error in experiment, which is not what was seen in simulation. From these results and analysis, sources of error were determined to arise from the detector, the object and/or the X-ray source spectrum. Isolating the source of error is difficult to accomplish in experiment because it is hard to eliminate certain variables completely. For this reason, further analysis on the sources of error were accomplished in simulation. The effect of material parameters was investigated using different X-ray source spectrums, source-to-object distances and object-to-detector distances. This research suggests that Paganin's method is highly material dependent and what is considered sufficiently thin for one material may not apply to another material. Generally, a filtered spectrum using 2 mm of aluminum gives the lowest relative error for all materials. Also, the trend between the retrieved thickness and the measured thickness of the object is observed to be polynomial when the object thickness exceeds 100 μm.


This article evaluates China's role in Africa. Its objective is to determine the possible benefits and drawbacks for the continent of China's engagement, and to establish whether there might be wider global implications. The focus of inquiry in the African context falls on the specifics of the ways in which China does business on the continent. This is contrasted with the West, whose engagement with Africa has been vastly different both historically and in business practice. The aim is to assess which of the two approaches might hold more promise for Africa's development. In the wider context, of particular interest are the origins and the essence of the multilateral component of the current Chinese foreign policy, which holds the potential to effect a change in the global balance of power, especially in the context of the Great Recession. The discussion is set within a historical context.


The temperature of meltwater emerging from the portal of an alpine glacier is usually around 1°C, irrespective of discharge, but warming with distance downstream is influenced by both flow as well as the availability of heat energy. Warmer conditions lead to greater energy availability but also to enhanced icemelt and hence larger quantities of water in proglacial streams. The greater the discharge, the higher the velocity at which meltwater flows and hence the shorter the time available for water to be heated over a fixed distance from the portal. At the diurnal timescale, water temperature rises in the morning before reducing as the amount of water flowing increases in early afternoon. Initially, increasing energy availability is adequate to raise water temperature but fails to keep pace with the rising volume of water in the channel. As a consequence, water temperature declines with continuing increase in discharge. At the seasonal timescale, ice-melt contributions to runoff suppress water temperatures in summer after a spring maximum, giving a distinctive seasonal temperature regime in rivers draining from highly glacierised basins. Highest water temperatures occur at relatively low flows in April and May and then subsequently as icemelt discharge increases with higher air temperatures and rising transient snow line, water temperatures decrease, mean monthly water temperatures being maintained at about the same level between July and September. A paradox appears therefore in that when solar radiation and air temperatures are high, stream water temperatures are often reduced. On warm days, the temperature of the tongue of cool water extending downstream from the glacier portal can be lower and the length of the cool plume longer. Records of water temperature and discharge from rivers draining from two large Alpine valley glaciers in Wallis, Switzerland have been examined. Data for the Massa, draining from Grosser Aletschgletscher throughout the period 2003-2011 have been analysed, and similar hourly measurements were undertaken in summer months on the Gornera, draining from Gornergletscher, both series being obtained close to the glacier termini. As air temperatures continue to warm, this paradox suggests that water temperatures in glacier-fed streams will cool before warming as the deglaciation discharge dividend first increases runoff before subsequent decline. This evolutionary pattern of flow and temperature development can be approached using modelling. Different approaches to modelling are analysed and recommendations made to develop a simple temperature index runoff model, coupled with a deterministic model to predict water temperature.


Recently, cooperative communication has gained significant interest due to the fact that it exploits spatial diversity and provides capacity/performance gain over conventional single- input single-output (SISO) systems. A mobile node with single antenna can cooperate with a nearby mobile node having single antenna in multi-user environment to create the effect of virtual multiple antenna system. Hence, reducing the complexity associated with actual multiple antenna systems. Despite the small size and power constraints, a mobile node can still benefit from spatial diversity by employing cooperation, thus saving transmission power and increasing the coverage range of the network. In this thesis, we have selected some of relaying protocols, namely, amplify-and-forward, decode-and-forward, detect-and-forward, and selective detect-and-forward that are studied and implemented for two different relaying geometries, i.e. equidistant and collinear. Results are studied and compared with each other to show the performance of each protocol in terms of average symbol error probabilities. The considered system model has three nodes, i.e. source, relay, destination. Communicating nodes are considered to be half-duplex with single antenna for transmission and reception. The source, when communicating with the destination, broadcasts the information, which is heard by the nearby relay. The relay then uses one of the cooperation protocols. Finally, the relayed signal reaches the destination, where it is detected by maximal ratio combiner (MRC) and combined with the direct transmission for possible diversity gains. The transmission path or the channel is modeled as a frequency non-selective Rayleigh fading in the presence additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The effect of path loss has been observed on cooperation for collinear arrangement with exponential decay up to four. Considering equidistant arrangement, decode-and-forward shows good performance at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) while amplify-and-forward is very promising for very low SNR. A selective relaying scheme called selective detect-and- forward is also presented which outperforms its fixed counterparts for a wide range of SNR.


Abstract. The majority of PIXE analytical study on geosciences has used 3 MeV proton beams for excitation and these studies generally uses the K-X-rays for low Z elements and L-X-rays for high Z elements. The present study of resulting spectra of metamorphic high grade rocks like charnockite can require striping techniques to resolve interference problems between low and high Z elements on the applications of light energy-PIXE using Si (Li) detector. In all forms of X-ray analysis, including thick-target light energy-PIXE, the X-ray signal is a dependent of the ionization cross section and for low-energy protons, the cross section is high for the K shells of light elements and the L shells of heavy elements in charnockite rock providing sufficient fluorescent yield for analytical purposes. For Z > 55, 3 MeV protons cannot ionize K-shell electrons and analysis depends on the use of L-X-ray lines in charnockite rock. Such L-X-ray spectra are complicated and can be affected by interferences K-X-rays from low Z elements. The low Z elements present in the charnockite were identified by previous complementary analytical techniques, but not identified in this study due to the above PIXE experiment limitations, and also particularly due to the dimensions of Si (Li) detector because of low energy K-X-rays of the elements absorbed by the detector window. Both interferences complexity and detector efficiency can lead to difficulties and ambiguity in the interpretation of spectra of low Z charnockite composition, a problem that is exacerbated by uncertainty in relative K-X-ray line intensities of low Z elements. From this investigation, the light energy-PIXE is ideal for the analysis of low Z


John Fowler was an interior decorator who set fashions and changed tastes. The English country house style, which he developed with Sibyl Colefax and Nancy Lancaster, his partners in the firm of Colefax & Fowler, has proved a source of continuing inspiration to decorators and home-owners on both sides of the Atlantic and indeed across the world. Today, a hundred years after his birth, his influence is almost as powerful as it was in the mid 20th century, when he was working on many of Britain's finest and most famous houses, including Uppark, Chequers and Buckingham Palace, as well as dozens of more modest projects. Fowler's style has been so widely imitated that it is easy to forget what an innovator he was. In the 1930s and 1940s his style was a breath of fresh country air, sweeping away heavy velvets and damasks in favour of crisp cotton chintzes, replacing glossy mahogany with painted Regency furnishings, elaborate porcelain and glitzy ormolu with modest pottery and painted tin. Even after the war, when he came to specialize in the decoration of architecturally important interiors, he continued to prefer 'humble elegance' and 'romantic disrepair' to pomposity.


The gas phase reactions of atomic chlorine with hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, benzene, and ethylene are investigated using the laser flash photolysis / resonance fluorescence experimental technique. In addition, the kinetics of the reverse processes for the latter two elementary reactions are also studied experimentally. The absolute rate constants for these processes are measured over a wide range of conditions, and the results offer new accurate information about the reactivity and thermochemistry of these systems. The temperature dependences of these reactions are interpreted via the Arrhenius equation, which yields significantly negative activation energies for the reaction of the chlorine atom and hydrogen sulfide as well as for that between the phenyl radical and hydrogen chloride. Positive activation energies which are smaller than the overall endothermicity are measured for the reactions between atomic chlorine with ammonia and ethylene, which suggests that the reverse processes for these reactions also possess negative activation energies. The enthalpies of formation of the phenyl and β-chlorovinyl are assessed via the third-law method. The stability and reactivity of each reaction system is further rationalized based on potential energy surfaces, computed with high-level ab initio quantum mechanical methods and refined through the inclusion of effects which arise from the special theory of relativity. Large amounts of spin-contamination are found to result in inaccurate computed thermochemistry for the phenyl and ethyl radicals. A reformulation of the computational approach to incorporate spin-restricted reference wavefunctions yields computed thermochemistry in good accord with experiment. The computed potential energy surfaces rationalize the observed negative temperature dependences in terms of a chemical activation mechanism, and the possibility that an energized adduct may contribute to product formation is investigated via RRKM theory.


Preeclampsia is a serious disorder affecting nearly 3% of all in the Western world. It is associated with hypertension and proteinuria, and several lines of evidence suggest that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may be involved in the development of hypertension at different stages of a preeclamptic pregnancy. In this study, we developed rapid genotyping assays on the LightCycler® instrument to allow the detection of genetic variants in the renin gene (REN) that may predispose to preeclampsia. The method is based on real-time PCR and allele-specific hybridization probes, followed by fluorescent melting curve analysis to expose a change in melting temperature (Tm). Ninety-two mother-father-child triads (n=276) from preeclamptic pregnancies were genotyped for three haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) in REN. All three htSNPs (rs5705, rs1464816 and rs3795575) were successfully genotyped. Furthermore, two unexpected nucleotide substitutions (rs11571084 and rs61757041) were identified within the selected hybridization probe area of rs1464816 and rs3795575 due to aberrant melting peaks. In conclusion, genotyping on the LightCycler® instrument proved to be rapid and highly reproducible. The ability to uncover additional nucleotide substitutions is particularly important in that it allows the identification of potentially etiological variants that might otherwise be overlooked by other genotyping methods.


Service Function Chain (SFC) defines an ordered set of service
functions (SFs) to be applied to packets and/or frames and/or flows
selected as a result of classification. SFC Operation, Administration
and Maintenance can monitor the continuity of the SFC, i.e., that all
elements of the SFC are reachable to each other in the downstream
direction. But SFC OAM must support verification that the order of
traversing these SFs corresponds to the state defined by the SFC
control plane or orchestrator, the metric referred in this document as
the path consistency of the SFC. This document defines a new SFC OAM
method to support SFC consistency check, i.e. verification that all
elements of the given SFC are being traversed in the expected order.


Socially desirable responses have been widely discussed as potentially biasing self-reported measures of environmental attitude and behaviour assessment. The direct and moderating effect of social desirability on children has not been analysed before. By applying a Lie scale together with a two-factor environmental attitude set measure and a scale of self-reported General Ecological Behaviour (GEB) to 198 pupils, we found a moderate impact of Lie scores on only one of both attitude measures and a small impact on GEB. In a multiple regression analysis general behaviour was predicted by attitude, social desirability, and the interaction of both. Social desirability had no moderating effect on the relationship between environmental attitudes and behaviour. Implications of these outcomes for research on environmental issues with children are discussed.


A Payment for Environmental Services (PES) scheme is defined by Mayrand and Paquin (2004) as a tool "to support positive environmental externalities through the transfer of financial resources from beneficiaries of certain environmental services to those who provide these services or are fiduciaries of environmental resources." PES schemes can target water services, carbon sequestration and storage, biodiversity protection, watershed protection and landscape beauty. The case study area of the Fond D'or watershed in St. Lucia identifies and values existing watershed services. The Fond D'or watershed is the second largest, comprising of 10,230 acres with twenty-three per cent (23%) of the watershed in Government Forest Reserves. These Government forest reserves are located in the upper watershed while within the middle and lower watershed areas there are many activities including residential settlements, agricultural production (banana cultivation), forestry production, livestock production and ecotourism. This paper specifically focuses on the agricultural sector, mixed farming 24%, other intensive farming 32% and flatland intensive farming 8% which has significant environmental effects. Linking the valuation of these environmental services to a proposed PES scheme can be utilized to combat negative environmental practices and promote environmental sustainability. Further, this proposed PES scheme highlights the possible implications for farmers in terms of possible incomes, environmental practices and overall attitudes towards a change in practices.


The purpose of this paper is to summarize the findings of research efforts to identify the potential for developing a south Texas maquiladora supply industry. Specific objectives of the study include: 1. Identification of the current market size for component parts and materials purchased by maquiladora plants operating along the south Texas-Mexico border from Brownsville, Texas/Matamoros, Mexico to Laredo, Texas/Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; 2. Determination of the interest level that the maquiladora plants have for replacing long distance supply sources with local sources; 3. Identification of the present level of local supply activity and plans that south Texas manufacturers have for future expansion; 4. Identification of impediments to the establishment and growth of a maquiladora supply industry in south Texas.


Background: The Fallopian tubes serve as a bridge between the ovary and uterus and is divided into infundibular, ampullary, isthmic, and intramural segments from lateral to medial. Each segment is structurally and functionally equipped to perform specific functions. The maintenance of normal micro-anatomy of each segment is very important for successful spontaneous pregnancy. This study has compared the histological features of the isthmus, ampulla, and infundibulum. Materials and Methods: Tissue bits were taken from isthmus, ampulla, and infundibulum of Fallopian tubes of 100 women of reproductive age group and these were subjected to routine histological processing, and slides were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The mean value of the number of primary mucosal folds and muscle thickness of each segment was calculated and compared with each other. Results: In the ampullary and infundibular region, there were primary, secondary, and tertiary folds with a mean value of 33.42 ± 4.49 and 31.53 ± 4.92, respectively. In the region of the isthmus, there were few primary mucosal folds with a mean value of 8.31 ± 0.9. The muscular layer was found thickest inthe isthmus with a mean value of 7.72 ± 0.76 mm and in the region of ampulla and infundibulum, the mean values were 4.39 ± 0.57 mm and 3.43 ± 0.48 mm, respectively. Conclusion: The ampullary region has maximum number of branching mucosal folds which ensure close contact with the developing embryo and provides nutrition. At infundibulum also there were numerous mucosal folds which help in accommodating the large number of ciliated cells which plays a major role in ovum pick up and transport as the muscle layer was found to be very thin in this region. The peristaltic contraction of thick muscle layer in the isthmus plays a very important role in the transport of embryo as only a few mucosal folds were found in this region.


Korea faces two challenges in the twenty-first century: unification and globalization. Both entail problems of economic, political and cultural integration. In the past, Koreans successfully 'unified' in various forms, and 'globalized' in many ways. This book is a study of the theme of globalization, addressing various aspects of Korea's integration into the global community from a social scientific or humanistic perspective. This investigation begins with a focus on contemporary South and North Korea: the 'globalized' southern daily life, South Korean labour as a global player, the southern development state, and the cultural division that poses the greatest threat to reunification. Moving outwards in concentric circles, chapters address Korea's connections with its region and Koreans' contributions to the wider world. Relations with Japan, Korea's most difficult bi-lateral relationship, are surveyed to identify both patterns and images. The thirteenth century Tripitaka Koreana is the most complete collection of Buddhist scripture in Chinese and its recent digitization points towards a renaissance of this world religion. South Korea's pursuit of a Nobel Prize in Literature is put in perspective when one considers Korean contribution to the pre-modern Sinitic literary world. South Korea may owe its existence to the United Nations, but since entering the UN in 1991, it has taken to heart the altruistic urge of global peacekeeping.


This paper focuses on the use of nuclear DNA Short Tandem Repeat traits for the identification of the victims of a Mass Fatality Incident. The goal of the analysis is the assessment of the identification probabilities concerning the recovered victims. Identification hypotheses are evaluated conditionally to the DNA evidence observed both on the recovered victims and on the relatives of the missing persons disappeared in the tragic event. After specifying a set of conditional independence assertions suitable for the problem, an inference strategy is provided, treating some points to achieve computational efficiency. Finally, the proposal is tested through the simulation of a Mass Fatality Incident and the results are examined in details.