Digital signatures and encryption schemes constitute arguably an integral part of cryptographic schemes with the goal to meet the security needs of present and future private and business applications. However, almost all public key cryptosystems applied in practice are put at risk due to its vulnerability to quantum attacks as a result of Shor's quantum algorithm. The magnitude of economic and social impact is tremendous inherently asking for alternatives replacing classical schemes in case large-scale quantum computers are built. Lattice-based cryptography emerged as a powerful candidate attracting lots of attention not only due to its conjectured resistance against quantum attacks, but also because of its unique security guarantee to provide worst-case hardness of average-case instances. Hence, the requirement of imposing further assumptions on the hardness of randomly chosen instances disappears, resulting in more efficient instantiations of cryptographic schemes. The best known lattice attack algorithms run in exponential time.
In this thesis we contribute to a smooth transition into a world with practically efficient lattice-based cryptographic schemes. This is indeed accomplished by designing new algorithms and cryptographic schemes as well as improving existing ones. Our contributions are threefold.
First, we construct new encryption schemes that fully exploit the error term in LWE instances. To this end, we introduce a novel computational problem that we call Augmented LWE (A-LWE), differing from the original LWE problem only in the way the error term is produced. In fact, we embed arbitrary data into the error term without changing the target distributions. Following this, we prove that A-LWE instances are indistinguishable from LWE samples. This allows to build powerful encryption schemes on top of the A-LWE problem that are simple in its representations and efficient in practice while encrypting huge amounts of data realizing message expansion factors close to 1. This improves, to our knowledge, upon all existing encryption schemes. Due to the versatility of the error term, we further add various security features such as CCA and RCCA security or even plug lattice-based signatures into parts of the error term, thus providing an additional mechanism to authenticate encrypted data. Based on the methodology to embed arbitrary data into the error term while keeping the target distributions, we realize a novel CDT-like discrete Gaussian sampler that beats the best known samplers such as Knuth-Yao or the standard CDT sampler in terms of running time. At run time the table size amounting to 44 elements is constant for every discrete Gaussian parameter and the total space requirements are exactly as large as for the standard CDT sampler. Further results include a very efficient inversion algorithm for ring elements in special classes of cyclotomic rings. In fact, by use of the NTT it is possible to efficiently check for invertibility and deduce a representation of the corresponding unit group. Moreover, we generalize the LWE inversion algorithm for the trapdoor candidate of Micciancio and Peikert from power of two moduli to arbitrary composed integers using a different approach.
In the second part of this thesis, we present an efficient trapdoor construction for ideal lattices and an associated description of the GPV signature scheme. Furthermore, we improve the signing step using a different representation of the involved perturbation matrix leading to enhanced memory usage and running times. Subsequently, we introduce an advanced compression algorithm for GPV signatures, which previously suffered from huge signature sizes as a result of the construction or due to the requirement of the security proof. We circumvent this problem by introducing the notion of public and secret randomness for signatures. In particular, we generate the public portion of a signature from a short uniform random seed without violating the previous conditions. This concept is subsequently transferred to the multi-signer setting which increases the efficiency of the compression scheme in presence of multiple signers. Finally in this part, we propose the first lattice-based sequential aggregate signature scheme that enables a group of signers to sequentially generate an aggregate signature of reduced storage size such that the verifier is still able to check that each signer indeed signed a message. This approach is realized based on lattice-based trapdoor functions and has many application areas such as wireless sensor networks.
In the final part of this thesis, we extend the theoretical foundations of lattices and propose new representations of lattice problems by use of Cauchy integrals. Considering lattice points as simple poles of some complex functions allows to operate on lattice points via Cauchy integrals and its generalizations. For instance, we can deduce for the one-dimensional and two-dimensional case simple expressions for the number of lattice points inside a domain using trigonometric or elliptic functions.


We give an overview of chemical equilibria in explosive burning and the role which neutron and/or proton separation energies play. We focus then on the rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) which encounters unstable nuclei far from beta-stability with neutron separation energies in the range 1-4 MeV. Its observable features, like the abundances, witness nuclear structure as well as the conditions in the appropriate astrophysical environment. With the remaining lack of a full understanding of its astrophysical origin, parametrized calculations are still necessary. The classical approach is based on (constant) neutron number densities n(n) and temperatures T over duration timescales tau. Recent investigations, motivated by the neutrino wind scenario from hot neutron stars after a supernova explosion, followed the expansion of matter with initial entropies S and electron fractions Y-e over expansion timescales tau. We compare the similarities and differences between the two approaches with respect to resulting abundance features and their relation to solar r-process abundances. Special emphasis is given to the questions (i) whether the same nuclear properties far from stability lead to similar abundance patterns and deficiencies in both approaches and (ii) whether some features can also provide clear constraints on the permitted astrophysical conditions.


This essay explores the challenges and opportunities that the Covid-19 pandemic has afforded Israel as it broadens its settler-colonial objectives internally, in Gaza, and elsewhere In particular, it sheds light on the heightened militaristic and economic approaches taken by Israel to further entrench its siege of Palestinians in Gaza and to export increasingly advanced technologies of surveillance and state control long deployed against the Palestinian people This investigation thus offers an opportunity to probe settler colonialism's strategic opportunism in the face of the historic pandemic


Proponents of laws requiring a waiting period before a woman can receive an abortion argue that these cooling off periods protect against rash decisions on the part of women in the event of unplanned pregnancies. Opponents claim, at best, waiting periods have no effect on decision-making and, at worst, they subject women to additional mental anguish and stress. In this article, I examine these competing claims using adult female suicide rates at the state level as a proxy for mental health. Panel data analyses suggest that the adoption of mandatory waiting periods reduce suicide rates by about 10 percent, and this effect is statistically significant. The result is robust to various attempts to control for unobservable heterogeneity and simultaneity.


The only value of a film ...is the diversion of doing it...I'm so involved figuring out the second act, I don't have to think about life's terrible anxieties." This revised and updated edition gathers interviews and profiles covering the entire forty-five year span of Woody Allen's career as a filmmaker, including detailed discussions of his most popular as well as his most critically acclaimed works. The present collection is a complete update of the volume that first appeared in 2006. In the years since, Allen has continued making movies, including Midnight in Paris and the Oscar-winning Blue Jasmine. While many interviews from the original edition have been retained in the present volume, ten new entries extend the coverage of Allen's directorial career through 2015. In addition, there are two new, in-depth interviews from the period covered in the first edition. Most of the interviews included in the original volume first appeared in such widely known publications and venues as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time Magazine the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and Playboy. A number of smaller and lesser-known venues are also represented, especially in the new volume. Several interviews from non-American sources add an international perspective on Allen's work. Materials for the new volume include pieces focusing primarily on Allen's films as well as broader profiles and interviews that also concentrate on his literary talent. Perhaps Stephen Mamber best describes Allen's distinctiveness, especially early in his career: "Woody Allen is not the best new American comedy director or the best comedy writer or the best comedy actor, he's simply the finest combination of all three.


STRUCTURAL AND MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS INTO CENTROMERE SPECIFICATION AND KINETOCHORE REGULATION Kevan J. Salimian Ben E. Black Faithful transmission of the genome requires that chromosomes are accurately segregated between daughter cells in mitosis. Accurate chromosome segregation relies on proper specification of the site of kinetochore formation on each chromosome, in addition to dynamic regulation of the interactions of the kinetochore with the microtubule-based mitotic spindle. This thesis work focuses on two important contributors to accurate chromosome segregation: 1) centromere protein A (CENP-A), the histone H3 variant which epigenetically specifies the centromere which forms the platform onto which the kinetochore assembles and 2) the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) which regulates kinetochore-microtubule interactions to ensure accurate genome partitioning between cells. In the first part of this work, we used a combination of in vitro, genomic sequencing, and novel bioinformatic approaches to probe the nature and structure of CENP-A nucleosomes at functional human centromeres. We found that CENP-A exists as part of a stable octameric nucleosome with loose superhelical DNA termini. CENP-A nucleosomes are very highly phased on the α-satellite monomers at normal centromeres and are also strongly positioned at naturally-occurring neocentromeres. In the second part of this work, we used cell biology-based approaches to uncover a novel mechanism to regulate kinetochore-microtubule interactions that was present only in healthy, diploid cells that had been previously overlooked in aneuploid cells. We found that Aurora B, the enzymatic kinase of the CPC, is enriched at the misaligned centromeres of healthy, diploid cells leading to an increased dynamic range of Aurora B substrate phosphorylation at misaligned versus properly aligned kinetochores. These findings suggest that in addition to Aurora B regulating kinetochore-microtubule v interactions, the kinetochore also controls Aurora B recruitment to the inner centromere. We showed that this recruitment depends on both the activity of another mitotic kinase, Plk1, in addition to the activity of Aurora B itself. Altogether, this has led us to update the model by which the CPC regulates kinetochore-microtubule interactions on misaligned chromosomes. Taken together, the work presented from both parts of my thesis greatly enhance our understanding of how the kinetochore is specified and regulated to ensure fidelity in genome transmission during cell division.


Why do states intervene in elections abroad? We argue that outsiders intervene when the main domestic contenders for office adopt policy positions that differ from the point of view of the outside power. We refer to the split between the government's and opposition's positions as policy polarization. Polarization between domestic political forces, rather than the degree of unfriendliness of the government in office, is what attracts interventions of two types: process (for or against democracy) and candidate (for or against the government) interventions. We provide a novel, original data set to track the policy positions of local contenders. We show that the new policy polarization measurement outperforms a number of available alternatives when it comes to explaining process and candidate interventions. We use it to explain the behavior of the United States as an intervener in elections over the period 1945 to 2012. The United States is more likely to support the opposition, and the democratic process abroad, if a pro-US opposition is facing an anti-US government. It is is more likely to support the government, and undermine the democratic process abroad, if a pro-US government is facing an anti-US opposition. We also present results for all interveners, confirming the results from the US case.


In many EU countries, a high proportion of local inventions are owned by foreign companies. On the contrary, in few countries the number of patents owned is much higher than the local inventions. Companies from Germany and the US are the most frequent foreign owners of patents invented in EU countries. Concentration of patents across companies changes largely from one country to the other. Differences between local inventions and patent ownership, as well as their concentration within countries matter for Innovation policies aiming at closing the EU gap of knowledge creation and technology diffusion.


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) presents a variety of causes and symptoms, thus making the development of reliable diagnostic methods and therapeutic treatments challenging. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a technique that allows for a noninvasive assessment of the mechanical properties of soft biological tissue, such as tissue stiffness, storage modulus, and loss modulus. Importantly, by quantifying the changes in the stiffness of tissue that is often associated with disease, MRE is able to detect tissue pathologies at early stages. Recent improvements in instrumentation have allowed for the investigation of small samples with microscopic resolution (μMRE). We hypothesize that μMRE can sensitively detect variations in micromechanical properties in the brain caused by the compressive and shearing forces sustained during TBI. To test this hypothesis, we randomized 13 C57BL mice to receive a controlled cortical impact at a 0.5 mm or 0.75 mm depth, with both sham and naïve mice as controls. Our objective was to propagate mechanical shear waves throughout the brain for in vivo TBI μMRE imaging. The mechanical properties of the injured brain tissue were determined at days 0, 1, 7, and 28 post-injury. For both groups, we observed a significant drop in the stiffness of the impacted region immediately following the injury; the 0.75 mm animals experienced increased tissue softness that lasted longer than that for the 0.5 mm group. Although the shear stiffness, storage modulus, and loss modulus parameters all followed the same trend, the tissue stiffness yielded the most statistically significant results. Overall, this article introduces a transformative technique for mechanically mapping the brain and detecting brain diseases and injury.


Co-clustering is rather a recent paradigm for unsupervised data analysis, but it has become increasingly popular because of its potential to discover latent local patterns, otherwise unapparent by usual unsupervised algorithms such as k-means. Wide deployment of co-clustering, however, requires addressing a number of practical challenges such as data transformation, cluster initialization, scalability, and so on. Therefore, this thesis focuses on developing sophisticated co-clustering methodologies to maturity and its ultimate goal is to promote co-clustering as an invaluable and indispensable unsupervised analysis tool for varied practical applications. To achieve this goal, we explore the three specific tasks: (1) development of co-clustering algorithms to be functional, adaptable, and scalable ( co-clustering algorithms); (2) extension of co-clustering algorithms to incorporate application-specific requirements (extensions); and (3) application of co-clustering algorithms broadly to existing and emerging problems in practical application domains (applications).
As for co-clustering algorithms, we develop two fast Minimum Sum-Squared Residue Co-clustering (MSSRCC) algorithms [CDGS04], which simultaneously cluster data points and features via an alternating minimization scheme and generate co-clusters in a "checkerboard" structure. The first captures co-clusters with constant values, while the other discovers co-clusters with coherent "trends" as well as constant values. We note that the proposed algorithms are two special cases (bases 2 and 6 with Euclidean distance, respectively) of the general co-clustering framework, Bregman Co-clustering (BCC) [BDG+07], which contains six Euclidean BCC and six I-divergence BCC algorithms. Then, we substantially enhance the performance of the two MSSRCC algorithms by escaping from poor local minima and resolving the degeneracy problem of generating empty clusters in partitional clustering algorithms through the three specific strategies: (1) data transformation; (2) deterministic spectral initialization; and (3) local search strategy.
Concerning co-clustering extensions, we investigate general algorithmic strategies for the general BCC framework, since it is applicable to a large class of distance measures and data types. We first formalize various data transformations for datasets with varied scaling and shifting factors, mathematically justify their effects on the six Euclidean BCC algorithms, and empirically validate the analysis results. We also adapt the local search strategy, initially developed for the two MSSRCC algorithms, to all the twelve BCC algorithms. Moreover, we consider variations of cluster assignments and cluster updates, including greedy vs. non-greedy cluster assignment, online vs. batch cluster update, and so on. Furthermore, in order to provide better scalability and usability, we parallelize all the twelve BCC algorithms, which are capable of co-clustering large-scaled datasets over multiple processors.
Regarding co-clustering applications, we extend the functionality of BCC to incorporate application-specific requirements: (1) discovery of inverted patterns, whose goal is to find anti-correlation; (2) discovery of coherent co-clusters from noisy data, whose purpose is to do dimensional reduction and feature selection; and (3) discovery of patterns from time-series data, whose motive is to guarantee critical time-locality. Furthermore, we employ co-clustering to pervasive computing for mobile devices, where the task is to extract latent patterns from usage logs as well as to recognize specific situations of mobile-device users. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of our proposed algorithms for aforementioned applications through empirical results on various synthetic and real-world datasets.
In summary, we presentco-clustering algorithms to discover latent local patterns, propose their algorithmic extensions to incorporate specific requirements, and provide their applications to a wide range of practical domains.


Use of the Domain Name System TSIG resource record requires
specification of a cryptographic message authentication code.
Currently, identifiers have been specified only for HMAC MD5 (Hashed
Message Authentication Code, Message Digest 5) and GSS (Generic
Security Service) TSIG algorithms. This document standardizes
identifiers and implementation requirements for additional HMAC SHA
(Secure Hash Algorithm) TSIG algorithms and standardizes how to
specify and handle the truncation of HMAC values in TSIG. [STANDARDS-
TRACK]


The paper sets out the credibility problem in carbon policy, provides a number of examples of non-credibility in recent energy policy, and identifies the costs of failing to address it. The time inconsistency of carbon policy—arising because of multiple objectives, the irreversibility of energy investments, and the scope for ex-post reneging on ex-ante commitments to set policy instruments, such as carbon taxes or emission permits, at appropriate levels—is set in a conceptual framework. Analogies with monetary policy are drawn, and a solution to the time-inconsistency problem is proposed through the establishment of an energy/carbon agency.


As well known the coast of Japan is often attacked by tsunami. As a kind of disaster preventive facilities, breakwaters have been built or are now under construction in several ports in order to protect the harbour area by diminishing the energy of rushing water and by reducing the water level elevation inside the basin. The biggest work of this sort is found at the port of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture. The effect of breakwaters against such long-period wave as tsunami was investigated by the authors, using electronic computers. The principle is to solve the equations of motion and of continuity. Not only for the stationary state but also for the transient state. One of the most important items to be studied is the response of basin water to the incoming tsunami, of which the period is variable in a wide range from several minutes to more than one hour. The result of calculation has clarified the behaviour of tsunami affected by breakwaters located in a bay open to the outer sea. The computing method, together with an approximate method divised from fundamental investigations made in advance, has also been applied to several other ports, supplying a plenty of data for harbour planning and design.


Summary Mikania micrantha (mile‐a‐minute) reproduces both by seed and vegetatively. A study to determine the possible pollinators, seed production rates, temperature and salinity limitations to germination and its seedbank size and persistence was conducted in Viti Levu, Fiji. Representatives of the Diptera had the greatest percentage of all floral visits (38%), followed by Hymenoptera (34%) and Lepidoptera (27%), while the honeybee was the most recurring visitor (18% of all visits). Flower heads (capitula) within the inflorescence commonly formed four viable seeds, resulting in 60 820 filled seed being produced per m2. However, the seedbanks formed were not massive (600 seed m−2) and they were moderately persistent (T50: 1–3 years). Seed germination from both high and moderate rainfall regions occurred rapidly, under a wide range of temperature regimes, with no primary dormancy being observed. This study indicates that the seed reproductive success of M. micrantha in the two rainfall regions of Fiji is due to a number of factors, including the production of large numbers of flowers, successful pollination by local insects and the subsequent production of a large number of viable seeds. These seeds have high viability, no dormancy and are capable of forming small‐to‐medium seedbanks that are moderately long‐lived. In addition, seeds can germinate under a wide range of temperature and salinity conditions. This knowledge on seed production, biology, longevity and salt tolerance is vital in the development of management plans of M. micrantha in Fiji.


AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2010; 194: W316-22.Objective: The objective of our study was to determine the relationship between the apparent diffusion coef-ficient (ADC) value on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and Gleason score of prostate cancer and percentage of tumor involvement on prostate core biopsy. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 57 patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer who underwent endorectal MRI with DWI between July 2007 and March 2008. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on ADC maps at sites of visible tumor on DW images and ADC maps. A hierarchic mixed linear model was used to compare the ADC value of prostate cancer with the Gleason score and the percentage of tumor on core biopsy. Results: Eighty-one sites of biopsy-proven prostate cancer were visible on DW images and ADC maps. The least-squares mean ADC for disease with a Gleason score of 6 was 0.860 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (standard error of the mean [SEM], 0.036); Gleason score of 7, 0.702 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (SEM, 0.030); Gleason score of 8, 0.672 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (SEM, 0.057); and Gleason score of 9, 0.686 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s (SEM, 0.067). Differ-ences between the mean ADC values for a prostate tumor with a Gleason score of 6 and one with a Gleason score of 7 (p = 0.0096) and for a prostate tumor with a Gleason score of 6 and one with a Gleason score of 8 (p = 0.0460) were significant. Comparison between the ADC and percentage of tumor on core biopsy showed a mean ADC decrease of 0.006 (range, 0.004-0.008 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s) for every 1% increase in tumor in the core biopsy specimen. Conclusion: DWI may help differentiate between low-risk (Gleason score, 6) and intermediate-risk (Gleason score, 7) prostate cancer and between low-risk (Gleason score, 6) and high-risk (Gleason score > 7) prostate cancer. There is an inverse relationship between the ADC and the percentage of tumor involvement on prostate core biopsies.


In the past 15 years, market relationships between the United States and Mexico have witnessed many controversies about food trade, like tax requirements, pesticides and even national security. These enable North American Government to raise their legal requirements for those interested in the U.S markets. In Sonora State, there are rural organizations like chiltepin sellers with the intention of trade their chili in the Latin markets in the U.S. territory. However, its production structure would not fulfill the legal requirements needed by this country. It would make necessary to reinforce the activities with elements that make their organization more complex and expensive. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the market conditions imposed by the U.S. market and its impact on rural organizations and the hypothetical conjecture is that the organization is largely conditioned by the market (Robles, 2011). To do so, a review of the agreements and certifications were required as well as the economic theory that can explain and give support to the premise. Added to this, we made many interviews with collectors and dealers of chiltepin in the region Rio Sonora. The evidence indicates that it is difficult to meet the demands of the U.S. market because of the organization of collectors, while regional areas are less restrictive and offer attractive prices and growing demand.


Hadoop is a convenient framework in e-Science enabling scalable distributed data analysis. In molecular biology, next-generation sequencing produces vast amounts of data and requires flexible frameworks for constructing analysis pipelines. We extend the popular HTSeq package into the Hadoop realm by introducing massively parallel versions of short read quality assessment as well as functionality to count genes mapped by the short reads. We use the Hadoop-streaming library which allows the components to run in both Hadoop and regular Linux systems and evaluate their performance in two different execution environments: A single node on a computational cluster and a Hadoop cluster in a private cloud. We compare the implementations with Apache Pig showing improved runtime performance of our developed methods. We also inject the components in the graphical platform Cloudgene to simplify user interaction.


Recently a novel, simple and energy efficient synthesis of nanoparticles of complex oxides referred to as Carbon Combustion Synthesis of Oxides, (CCSO) was developed. In CCSO the exothermic oxidation of nanoscale carbon generates a thermal reaction wave with relatively low temperatures that propagates through the solid reactant mixture converting it to the desired oxide products. The carbon used in the CCSO is not incorporated in the product and is emitted from the sample as a CO2. The high rate of CO2 release helps to form a highly porous (up to 0.7) and friable product, having a particle size in range 50-800 nm. This phenomenon results from a vortex gas flow in the reaction zone fed by the carbon dioxide co-flow and oxygen counter-flow filtration. It is characterized by alternate (stratified) macroscopic regions of large particles and low gas pressure. In contrast to the classical problems of filtration combustion it deals with the Navie-Stokes equation rather than with the Darcy law or Euler equation on the macroscopic level. This is a more general description which in combination with a non-uniform and selforganizing porosity of the combusting sample leads numerically first to a weak spin instability of the CCSO front and then to fingering at the latest combustion stages.


We demonstrate the use of a double-beam optical tweezers system to stabilize red blood cell (RBC) orientation in the optical tweezers during measurements of elastic light scattering from the trapped cells in an angle range of 5-30 degrees. Another laser (He-Ne) was used to illuminate the cell and elastic light scattering distribution from the single cell was measured with a goniometer and a photomultiplier tube. Moreover, CCD camera images of RBCs with and without laser illumination are presented as complementary information. Light scattering from a RBC was measured in different fixed orientations. Light scattering from cells was also measured when the length of the cell was changed in two different orientations. Light scattering measurements from spherical and crenate RBCs are described and the results are compared with other cell orientations. Analysis shows that the measured elastic light scattering distributions reveal changes in the RBC's orientation and shape. The effect of stretching on the changes in scattering is larger in the case of face-on incidence of He-Ne laser light than in rim-on incidence. The scattering patterns from RBCs in different orientations as well as from a spherical RBC were compared with numerical results found in literature. Good correlation was found.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the antitumor activity and toxicity of single-agent cetuximab in patients with chemotherapy-refractory colorectal cancer whose tumors express the epidermal growth factor receptor.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Phase II, open-label clinical trial. Patients were required to have EGFr expression demonstrated on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue by immunohistochemical staining before study participation. Patients were required to have received irinotecan, either alone or in a combination regimen, and to have demonstrated clinical failure on this regimen before study entry. Cetuximab was administered weekly by intravenous infusion. The first dose of 400 mg/m(2) was given during the course of 2 hours. Subsequent weekly treatments were given at a dose of 250 mg/m(2) during the course of 1 hour.

RESULTS
Fifty-seven eligible patients were treated. All were assessable for toxicity and response. The most commonly encountered grade 3 to 4 adverse events, regardless of relationship to study drug, were an acne-like skin rash, predominantly on the face and upper torso (86% with any grade; 18% with grade 3), and a composite of asthenia, fatigue, malaise, or lethargy (56% with any grade, 9% with grade 3). Two patients (3.5%) experienced grade 3 allergic reactions requiring discontinuation of study treatment. A third patient experienced a grade 3 allergic reaction that resolved, and the patient continued on the study. Neither diarrhea nor neutropenia were dose limiting in any of the 57 patients treated. Five patients (9%; 95% CI, 3% to 19%) achieved a partial response. Twenty-one additional patients had stable disease or minor responses. The median survival in these previously treated patients with chemotherapy-refractory colorectal cancer is 6.4 months.

CONCLUSION
Cetuximab on this once-weekly schedule has modest activity and is well-tolerated as a single agent in patients with chemotherapy-refractory colorectal cancer whose tumors express the epidermal growth factor receptor. Further studies of cetuximab will evaluate the use of cetuximab in conjunction with first-line and adjuvant treatments for this disease.


Roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) has been considered an effective alternative water source for drinking and various nonpotable uses in a number of countries throughout the world. The most significant issue in relation to using untreated RHRW for drinking or other potable uses, however, is the potential public health risks associated with microbial pathogens. This paper reviews the available research reporting on the microbial quality of RHRW and provides insight on the capacity of fecal indicator bacteria to monitor health risks and disease outbreaks associated with the consumption of untreated RHRW. Several zoonotic bacterial and protozoan pathogens were detected in individual and communal rainwater systems. The majority of the studies reported in the literature assessed the quality of rainwater on the basis of the presence or absence of specific pathogens, with little information available regarding the actual numbers of such pathogens. In addition, no information is available concerning the ongoing prevalence of different pathogens in RHRW over time. The published data suggest that the microbial quality of RHRW should be considered less than that expected for potable water and that the commonly used indicators may not be suitable to indicate the presence of pathogens in RHRW. Several case control studies established potential links between gastroenteritis and consumption of untreated RHRW. Therefore, health risks assessment models, such as those using Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment, should be used to manage and mitigate health risks associated with drinking and nonpotable uses of RHRW.


Actively engaging communities in effective partnerships is considered critical for ethically robust and locally relevant HIV prevention research. This can be challenging in developing countries that have little prior experience in this area. This paper summarizes processes and lessons learnt while setting up the Community Involvement Plan of National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, India. Formal partnerships were established with voluntary agencies. The focus was on using strategies adapted from participatory learning and action techniques. The community program was implemented through peer educators specifically identified from the communities where partner non-governmental organizations function. At the grass root level, peer educators imparted education to the common people about research studies and helped to implement community based recruitment and retention activities. The focus was on facilitating periodic interaction between the outreach workers of the research team and the peers and modifying the strategies till they were found locally implementable and appropriate. Through adequate time investment, mutually beneficial and respectful partnerships with community based organizations and grass root level workers, the community became actively involved in clinical research. The program helped in developing a sense of partnership among the peers for the research conducted by the research organization, widening the net of community education and identification of research participants. By building trust in the community and implementing research within an ethical framework, culturally sensitive matters were appropriately addressed. The community involvement process is long, laborious and ever-evolving. Effective community engagement requires institutional leadership support, adequate funding and commitment by researchers. It is possible to sustain such a model in a resource limited setting.


This research project set out to identify those factors that are likely to lead to effective and meaningful collaboration among a broad range of stakeholders wishing to collaborate to improve health in rural communities. By studying two different collaborative efforts in rural Alaska that have succeeded in collaboration but have also faced many challenges, benefits of collaboration, challenges to collaboration, factors that contribute to benefits and challenges of collaboration, and important areas for development in collaboration were identified. Through the research study and a literature review conducted within the context of the researcher's professional experience, frameworks and tools were identified that can be used to help facilitate and support collaboration that is effective and meaningful in a community.


Native vegetation has recently been planted to control erosion along the Louisiana Gulf coast. The literature has characterized the dune habitat as xeric and its vegetation as adapted to low moisture avail ability. To analyze the drought ecology of Louisiana's coastal dune vegetation, a one-year field investigation of plant water relations and subsequent greenhouse drought-stress experiments were performed on Spartina patens (Aiton) Muhl., Panicum amarum Ell., Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam., and Solidago sempervirens L. In addition, the sources of soil moisture and edaphic parameters related to soil-moisture avail ability were investigated. The field investigation showed dune and swale soils to be mainly fine sand with a low water-holding capacity. Precipitation was identi fied as the main source of soil moisture for plant growth. Soil moisture averaged 3% in the dune area and 17% in the swale. Monthly diurnal leaf xylem pressure and leaf conductance of each species were measured. Dune populations of S. patens and H. bonariensis has lower leaf xylem pressure than the swale populations when soil moisture dropped below 2.5%. Seasonal patterns of leaf xylem pressure and leaf conductance for dune plants coincided with a summer decrease in soil moisture. Roots, con centrated in the top 20 cm of the dune soil profile, may partially account for differences between species in leaf xylem pressure and leaf conductance. In the greenhouse, plant responses to drought, medium-watered, and flooded conditions were measured to quantify responses described in the field. Leaves were sampled for changes in leaf xylem pressure, leaf conductance, and leaf elongation rate. Each species acclimated to xi drought by increasing the length of each progressive drought cycle. The ability of the dune population of S. patens to withstand low leaf xylem pressure and continue to grow supports evidence reported in the literature of ecotypic differences between dune and swale populations. Drought-stress experiments verified that H. bonariensis was the most sensitive to water stress, and employed storaatal closure as a droughtavoidance mechanism. Panicum amarum displayed drought avoidance by maintaining low leaf conductance and relatively high leaf xylem pressure when soil moisture decreased. The lack of stomatal control as leaf xylem pressure decreased in the field was verified in the greenhouse for S. sempervirens.


The fundamental flaw of previous attempts to monetize digital music has been the industry's insistence on treating music solely as a commodity. The digital revolution demands music be shared culture, and successful monetization will require music be treated as such. This article outlines the ideas behind Cultural Capital, a collaborative research project that explores the theoretical trajectories, legal ramifications and technical components involved in creating a non-profit patronage system uniting musicians and fans. Cultural Capital operates on three fronts: first, a social network of user-generated listening and sharing habits; second, opt-in tracking software that harvests the musical consumption of users, then facilitates equitable compensation to creators; third, a legal intervention aiming to provide a legitimate space for the digital consumption of music. Incorporating the multitude of individuals who propel the cultural industries, this essay argues for establishing a 'radical monetization' of the music industry based on connectivity and sharing.


Economists and sociologists have proposed arguments for why there can exist wage penalties for work involving helping and caring for others, penalties borne disproportionately by women. Evidence on wage penalties is neither abundant nor compelling. We examine wage differentials associated with caring jobs using multiple years of Current Population Survey (CPS) earnings files matched to O*NET job descriptors that provide continuous measures of 'assisting and caring' and 'concern' for others across all occupations. This approach differs from prior studies that assume occupations either do or do not require a high level of caring. Cross-section and longitudinal analyses are used to examine wage differences associated with the level of caring, conditioned on worker, location, and job attributes. Wage level estimates suggest substantive caring penalties, particularly among men. Longitudinal estimates based on wage changes among job switchers indicate smaller wage penalties, our preferred estimate being a 2 percent wage penalty resulting from a one standard deviation increase in our caring index. We find little difference in caring wage gaps across the earnings distribution. Measuring mean levels of caring across the U.S. labor market over nearly thirty years, we find a steady upward trend, but overall changes are small and there is no evidence of convergence between women and men.


This thesis covers the work and considerations necessary for the design of VHF mobile radio systems, and is directed particularly at the requirements of the emergency services of the United Kingdom. It was occasioned by an international regulatory decision to re-allocate part of their existing operating frequencies. This work provides both a structure for such a design, and a record of events. It considers the various elements of design, initiallv from a theoretical base which is developed to the extent where practical trials and external constraints overtake the theoretical analysis. The constraints can take the form of compatibility with the eXisting system, cost. timescale. and political considerations. The concept of a design flow chart is shown to lead to many circular arguments of the chicken-and-eg~ variety to the extent that the resultant diagram is termed in interaction diagram since its main function is to show how the design elements interface with each other. It consists of many feed-back loops; and design completion is achieved when a traverse of all paths of the interaction diaram can be made without meeting discontinuities at the interfaces. The topic of area coverage is examined in depth and the multiple transmitter common channel (Quasi synchronous) mode is shown to be efficient from both the time and the spectrum economy viewpoints. There are benefits also from operational considerations. The section shows that a reuse factor of 3 should be practical, which is of interest to mobile radio users in general. and cellular radio telephony systems in particular. The choice of type of modulation is quickly shown to lie between FM, AM and SSB. All three are analysed from single station and quasi synchronous aspects: the theoretical predictions of the superiority of AM, for the system under study, is confirmed by subjective trials from which design parameter limits are obtained. Examination of equipment hardware. mobile and base station, shows that system design aspects are severely constrained by intermodulation products due to passive site non linearities. Measurements indicate that these will be troublesome up to at least the 11th order. A frequency assignment plan covering mobile and fixed services for the country is derived and the dominating influence of the intermods is shown to result in a workable, but unconventional version.


Similar fluvial sequences of Triassic age occur in Tasmania and the Transantarctic Mountains of Victoria Land. The
Tasmanian reference section at Poatina consists of Lower Triassic quartzose fluvial sandstones overlain by Middle and
Upper Triassic volcaniclastic fluvial sandstones and shale containing coal. Similar, but less wel1-exposed sequences, occur
in many places in Tasmania and in southern Victoria Land. The hypothetical Tasmania-Transantarctic basin was similar
in scale, configuration, and history to the Sydney foreland basin. Palaeocurrent data suggest that streams flowed along the
axis of the basin from Antarctica to Tasmania. Lower Triassic sandstones were deposited by braided streams, but Middle
and Upper Triassic stream deposits change from braided to meandering downstream towanl Tasmania. Quartzose
sandstones in the Lower Triassic were derived from northwestern Tasmania and the East Antarctic craton. The source of
volcaniclastic sandstones in the Middle and Opper Triassic was a calcalkaline volcanic arc along the palaeo-Pacific margin.


Mobile biometric approaches provide the convenience of secure authentication with an omnipresent technology. However, this brings an additional challenge of recognizing biometric patterns in an unconstrained environment including variations in mobile camera sensors, illumination conditions, and capture distance. To address the heterogeneous challenge, this research presents a novel heterogeneity aware loss function within a deep learning framework. The effectiveness of the proposed loss function is evaluated for periocular biometrics using the CSIP, IMP and VISOB mobile periocular databases. The results show that the proposed algorithm yields state-of-the-art results in a heterogeneous environment and improves generalizability for cross-database experiments.


Optimization problems can generally be classified as continuous and discrete, based on the nature of the solution space. A recently developed chemical-reaction-inspired metaheuristic, called chemical reaction optimization (CRO), has been shown to perform well in many optimization problems in the discrete domain. This paper is dedicated to proposing a real-coded version of CRO, namely, RCCRO, to solve continuous optimization problems. We compare the performance of RCCRO with a large number of optimization techniques on a large set of standard continuous benchmark functions. We find that RCCRO outperforms all the others on the average. We also propose an adaptive scheme for RCCRO which can improve the performance effectively. This shows that CRO is suitable for solving problems in the continuous domain.


BackgroundInfection requiring explantation remains the most devastating complication associated with implant-based breast reconstruction. There are many treatment algorithms to prevent reconstructive failure in face of infection using both oral and intravenous antibiotics. In the absence of patient-specific culture data, antibiotic selection is generally directed toward broad-spectrum coverage based on historical data. We hypothesize that reviewing our institution's microbiology data obtained from explanted implant-based breast reconstructions would provide a rational basis for antibiotic selection in the future. MethodsA retrospective review of 902 consecutive immediate implant-based breast reconstructions at a single institution from November 2007 to May 2011 was conducted. Implant reconstructions requiring explantation or drainage by interventional radiology were identified. Patient demographics, implant characteristics, presence of skin necrosis, microbiological data, and outcomes were reviewed. ResultsForty-three (4.76%) implant reconstructions requiring explantation or drainage by interventional radiology met the inclusion criteria for this study. Five patients (11.6%) had round, smooth silicone implants, and 36 (88.4%) had textured tissue expanders. Twenty-six implants were explanted because of infection; 3, because of exposure from skin necrosis; and 11, because of the combination of flap necrosis and infection; and 1, secondarily because of cancer invasion into the skin. Reconstruction was salvaged in 21 breasts (51.2%): 12 (57.1%) by implant reconstruction, 5 (23.8%) by pedicled latissimus dorsi flaps, and 4 (19.1%) with a microvascular free flap. Thirty explants had microbiology data available. The most common organism isolated was Staphylococcus epidermidis (10), followed by methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (5), Serratia marcescens (5), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4), enterococcus (3), Escherichia coli (2), Enterobacter (2), group B streptococcus (1), and Morganella morganii (1). Forty percent of the organisms were resistant to cefazolin; however, 86% were sensitive to gentamicin, 80% were sensitive to Levaquin, and 63% were sensitive to ciprofloxacin. ConclusionsInfection associated with implant-based breast reconstructions continues to threaten explantation and reconstructive failure. Based on our microbiological data, initial cellulitis amenable to oral antibiotics should be treated with oral fluoroquinolones as a first-line treatment. If this regimen fails, intravenous imipenem or gentamicin and vancomycin should be initiated. Obviously, clinical judgment regarding specific patient risk factors and compliance should play a role in decision making, but these data provide an evidence-based rationale for first-line oral antibiotic selection.


The Zimbabwean construction industry is currently facing an enormous challenge to
provide affordable housing to the urban dwelling low income earners. The urban
population of Zimbabwe rose rapidly from 27% in 1992 to 42% by early 2002, and the
urban housing backlog had risen to over 1,000,000 units by 2005. The use and cost of
established construction materials, such as, cement, steel and brick are beyond the
reach of most Zimbabweans. Thus, there is a pertinent need for a more affordable
alternative. This study investigated the use of contemporary stabilised earth
construction as an alternative solution to address the urban low cost housing crisis in
Zimbabwe. Although experimental stabilised earth construction projects were a great
success in Zimbabwe, this technology has not yet been widely adopted. Factors, such
as benefits, drawbacks, inhibitors and drivers thus play an influencing role in the
adoption of contemporary stabilised earth construction technologies. These factors
must be understood as there are limited appropriate alternatives in Zimbabwe.
A critical appraisal of the literature revealed that there is sparse structured research to
date carried out to identify the factors that affect the widespread use of contemporary
stabilised earth construction. Furthermore, the factors identified in the literature review
lack empirical evidence and well structured research is essential to substantiate
whether the factors are real or mere speculation.
Earth construction is still largely representative of ancient architecture and
unfortunately is still related to poor and primitive construction. Contemporary
stabilised earth construction is still a relatively new technology in Zimbabwe;
therefore, construction professionals will play a pivotal and significant role in the
widespread adoption of this technology. Therefore, this study developed a holistic
understanding of the factors influencing the adoption of stabilised earth by
construction professionals in order to address the low cost housing crisis in Zimbabwe.
The aim of this study resided in the interpretivism philosophy; the factors found in the
literature review are directly and indirectly related to complex social phenomena. A critical review and appraisal of the literature, combined with findings of the Delphi
technique produced a list of generic factors which formed an initial conceptual
framework. A series of in-depth interviews were subsequently conducted with
construction professionals to validate the generic list of factors and refined the
conceptual framework in the context of Zimbabwe.


Criteria for the diagnosis of vascular dementia (VaD) that are reliable, valid, and readily applicable in a variety of settings are urgently needed for both clinical and research purposes. To address this need, the Neuroepidemiology Branch of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) convened an International Workshop with support from the Association Internationale pour la Recherche et l'Enseignement en Neurosciences (AIREN), resulting in research criteria for the diagnosis of VaD. Compared with other current criteria, these guidelines emphasize (1) the heterogeneity of vascular dementia syndromes and pathologic subtypes including ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, cerebral hypoxic-ischemic events, and senile leukoencephalopathic lesions; (2) the variability in clinical course, which may be static, remitting, or progressive; (3) specific clinical findings early in the course (eg, gait disorder, incontinence, or mood and personality changes) that support a vascular rather than a degenerative cause; (4) the need to establish a temporal relationship between stroke and dementia onset for a secure diagnosis; (5) the importance of brain imaging to support clinical findings; (6) the value of neuropsychological testing to document impairments in multiple cognitive domains; and (7) a protocol for neuropathologic evaluations and correlative studies of clinical, radiologic, and neuropsychological features. These criteria are intended as a guide for case definition in neuroepidemiologic studies, stratified by levels of certainty (definite, probable, and possible). They await testing and validation and will be revised as more information becomes available.


This is a multidisciplinary examination of religion in American life. "Encyclopedia of Religion in America" examines how religious history and practices are woven into the political, social, cultural, and historical landscape of North America. This authoritative four-volume reference work explains the origins, development, adaptation, influence, and interrelations of the many faiths practiced, including major world religions, new religious sects, cults, and religious movements that originated or had an influence in the United States. Edited by well-known experts in the field, the Encyclopedia covers all the significant religious denominations and movements that have originated or flourished in North America, from the beginning of European settlement to the present day. The broad multidisciplinary coverage includes the religious life of indigenous peoples, specific aspects of religious life, and the relationship of political, social, economic, and cultural spheres. Topics include: Religion as an influential force in the U.S.; Methods of worship; Religion and politics; Homosexuality and religion; African American religion; Arts and architecture; Church-state issues; Education; Environment and ecology; Ethnicity; Evangelicals; Faiths; Gay and lesbian issues; Historical overviews; Immigration; Media (new and old); Megachurches; Movements and denominations; New religious movements; Popular religion and culture; Race and racism; Religious thought; Religious Right; Rites; Role of women; and, Terrorism and war. "Encyclopedia of Religion in America" is an essential resource for students and scholars researching issues in a wide variety of social science disciplines, from American history to cultural studies, political science, gender studies, psychology of religion, and more. It reflects new scholarly research and interpretation that have emerged over the last two decades, as well as significant new areas of study, such as post-9/11 America, the role of gays and lesbians in church, gender, and the role of the evangelicals in American political life.


The term affordance has been inconsistently applied both in robotics and communication. While the robotics perspective is mostly object-based, the communication science view is commonly user-based. In an attempt to bring the two perspectives together, this theoretical paper argues that social robots present new social communicative affordances emerging from a two-way relational process. I first explicate conceptual approaches of affordance in robotics and communication. Second, a model of enacted communicative affordance in the context of Human-Machine Communication (HMC) is presented. Third and last, I explain how a pivotal social robot characteristic—embodiment—plays a key role in the process of social communicative affordances in HMC, which may entail behavioral, emotional, and cognitive effects. The paper ends by presenting considerations for future affordance research in HMC.


This Article provides the first extended analysis of the conscious use of race and sex in decisions organizing work. It takes the position that race and sex are being used in organizing work-in assigning clients and job tasks, in composing work teams, in staffing committees and outreach groups-and that they are being used pursuant to a "diversity" narrative in ways that are likely to entrench workplace inequality. At the same time, it argues that race and sex could be used in those same decisions to reduce workplace discrimination and to further equality in work. Drawing on a rich body of research in sociology, social psychology, and organizational theory, the Article exposes the risks and possibilities of race and sex in organizing work by focusing on the role that social interactions play in producing and reproducing disadvantage and on the role of organizational and institutional structures in shaping those interactions. Based on this empirical foundation and on the Supreme Court case law governing the use of race and sex in employment decisions under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Article advances a comprehensive approach to the permissibility of race and sex in decisions organizing work. It argues that Title VII permits the use of race and sex in decisions organizing work to serve the goal of reducing employment discrimination, provided that individual race- and sex-based decisions are part of an employer's systemic integrative effort. This approach recognizes that decisions organizing work differ from decisions at moments of entry, promotion, and exit in ways that matter to an antidiscrimination analysis. They are "softer" in that their benefits and harms are not always immediately discernable, and they can impose costs as well as benefits on women and people of color, even when they are intended to (and do) further antidiscrimination goals. The approach to Title VII developed in this Article accounts for these differences and offers a unique opportunity to harness the existing business case for diversity to progress meaningful integration in work and to foster reduced workplace discrimination.


Several prominent theories posit that information about recent experiences lingers in the brain and organizes memories for current experiences, by forming a temporal context that is linked to those memories at encoding. According to these theories, if the thoughts preceding an experience X resemble the thoughts preceding an experience Y, then X and Y should show an elevated probability of being recalled together. We tested this prediction by using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) of fMRI data to measure neural evidence for lingering processing of preceding stimuli. As predicted, memories encoded with similar lingering thoughts (about the category of preceding stimuli) were more likely to be recalled together, thereby showing that the "fading embers" of previous stimuli help to organize recall.


Objective: Investigate influence of ethnicity on older American Indian patients' interpretations of providers' affective behaviors. Method: Using data from 115 older American Indian patients, random effects ordered logit models related patient ratings of providers' respect, empathy, and rapport first to separate measures of American Indian and White American ethnicity, then to "ethnic discordance," or difference between providers' and patients' cultural characteristics. Results: In models accounting for patients' ethnicity only, high scores for American Indian ethnicity were linked to reduced evaluations for providers' respect; high scores on White ethnicity were associated with elevated ratings for empathy and rapport. In models accounting for provider–patient ethnic discordance, high discordance on either ethnicity scale was associated with reduced ratings for the same behaviors. Discussion: Findings support "orthogonal ethnic identity" theory and extend "cultural health capital" theory, suggesting a pathway by which ethnicity becomes relevant to experience of health care among older adults.


Identifying the genetic and ecological basis of adaptation is of immense importance in evolutionary biology. In our study, we applied a panel of 58 biallelic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the economically and culturally important salmonid Oncorhynchus keta. Samples included 4164 individuals from 43 populations ranging from Coastal Western Alaska to southern British Colombia and northern Washington. Signatures of natural selection were detected by identifying seven outlier loci using two independent approaches: one based on outlier detection and another based on environmental correlations. Evidence of divergent selection at two candidate SNP loci, Oke_RFC2-168 and Oke_MARCKS-362, indicates significant environmental correlations, particularly with the number of frost-free days (NFFD). Important associations found between environmental variables and outlier loci indicate that those environmental variables could be the major driving forces of allele frequency divergence at the candidate loci. NFFD, in particular, may play an important adaptive role in shaping genetic variation in O. keta. Correlations between divergent selection and local environmental variables will help shed light on processes of natural selection and molecular adaptation to local environmental conditions.


This paper overviews The Worldview Literacy Project, an experiential pedagogy designed to increase students' awareness of their worldviews. The curriculum opens a conversational space of exploration where diverse worldviews are welcomed with curiosity and wonder, in service to creating the deeper collective understanding and more effective sense-making required to navigate life in the post-industrial age. Designed to be used in middle school and high schools, the curriculum explores the pivotal role that worldview, perspective or point of view plays in perception, information processing and behavior. We offer a frame of reference out of which the project was developed, overview the elements of the curriculum, and present pilot data and observations from high school classrooms. Qualitative results from the pilot program were generated through classroom observation, teacher interviews, and student essays and interviews. Results suggest that the Worldview Literacy Project had beneficial effects on students' development. The project appears to provide a platform from which students can better navigate complexity, be more self-aware, and make choices with greater discernment. We found that students expressed a greater capacity for self-reflection and empathy, experienced more comfort and less reactivity to unfamiliar situations, and displayed a greater sense of in-group and community identification. In addition, teachers reported that students were more engaged in the learning process, demonstrated greater attentiveness and class participation, and showed notable improvement in the quality of verbal communication and writing skills. We discuss plans to take the web based project to a broader audience through dissemiation of a web based curriculum grounded in focused teacher training


I. The New Confucian Paradigm Confucianism is old, very old, decrepit and rigid, blocking the advance of modern thought, science, and democracy. That is why it was totally dismissed in the land of its origin, China, in the 1911 overthrow of the Ching Empire and the anti-Confucian May Fourth Movement (1919). True! But, also true is the fact that at the same time the New Confucianism Movement (though the name appeared only in 1941) was launched, (1) it is now in its "third generation," even beginning to move on to its fourth. New Confucianism (to be distinguished from, though in continuity with, the Neo-Confucianism of the Sung [960-1279], Ming [1368-1644], and Ching [1644-1911] dynasties) aims at culling the deep, lasting values from the 2,500 year Confucian tradition and bringing them into dialogue with Christianity and Modernity, especially Western philosophical and scientific thought and democracy. New Confucianism wants to re-make the Confucian tradition into a living, creative dialogue partner for the West and the Rest, bringing its own distinctive contribution as one of many human partners in this Age of Global Dialogue. The third generation of New Confucians is now at the peak of its creativity and is led by several scholars on both sides of the Pacific, four of the most active and prominent figures are Yu Ying-shi (1930-), Liu Shu-hsien (1934-), Cheng Chungying (1935-), and Tu Wei-ming (1940-). In addition, there are the "Boston Confucians," who prominently include two Christian theologians, Professors Robert Neville and John Berthrong. (2) As Neville noted: "Boston Confucianism, especially in its members who are also Christian, is deeply committed to multiple religious identity, and to serious faithful conversation that can test its limits." (3) Berthrong also writes of a "Columbia Confucianism," founded and led by Professors Wingtsit Chan and William Theodore de Bary of Columbia University in New York. (4) The three generations of New Confucians represent more than a passage of time and biological generations. Even more importantly they also represent a significant, even radical, evolution of thought and goals. The first generation, best exemplified in Xiong Shili (1885-1968), indeed wanted to cleanse Confucianism from the stultifying encrustations that had destroyed its contemporary effectiveness, but they also thought that when that had been accomplished, it would then come to the rescue of a badly corrupt Western thought. They realized that they had to learn from the West in the areas of science and democracy, but, that having been done, their hubris led them to the conviction that Confucianism would once again reign supreme in the thought of the world. The most influential of the first generation, Xiong, wrote: "Humankind in our age is progressively going down the road to its self-destruction. This is the inevitable result of single-mindedly pursuing a scientific culture, of being unable to return to its nature and search for itself, of ignoring the heavenly nature living in them. If we want to save humankind, the only way is to proclaim Oriental Learning." (5) The second generation, represented most prominently by Fang Dongmei (1899-1977--though in many ways he was of the first generation) and Mou Tsungsan (1909-95), were much better informed about Western philosophy and thought in general and felt that a purified Confucianism and Western thought would be equal partners in resolving the philosophical and cultural issues of the world. The third generation, however, having lived for many years in the West as well as in Chinese culture, has dropped all such pretensions and is committed to making a renovated Confucianism a partner in a global dialogue addressing the problems of humankind. I will describe briefly where these three generations of New Confucian thinkers have brought the dialogue of the Confucian tradition with Christianity and Modernity. I want first to set the historical context for one not very familiar with Confucianism, either past or present. …


Dynamics of a three-dimensionally movable microflight mechanism were analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The microflight mechanism is composed of magnetic rotational wings that rotate and generate thrust in an alternating magnetic field and a body with magnetic anisotropy that contributes to attitude control. The device consisted of 2.5-mm-long wings weighing 3.5 mg which were fabricated with MEMS technology. A wing rotational frequency of 500 Hz provided enough thrust for liftoff. Experimental data obtained through high-speed camera images show good agreement with theory and also quantify the magnetic anisotropy of the microflight mechanism, which cannot be estimated theoretically. Simultaneous actuation and attitude control by an external magnetic field presented herein, which culminated in simplification and small weight of the device and thus the successful flight, is applicable to other MEMS devices.


The cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is currently the third most important food crop in the world and is becoming increasingly important to the local economies of developing countries. Climate change threatens to drastically reduce potato yields in areas of the world where the growing season is predicted to become hotter and drier. Modern potato is well known as an extremely drought susceptible crop, which has primarily been attributed to its shallow root system. This review addresses this decades old consensus, and highlights other, less well understood, morphophysiological features of potato which likely contribute to drought susceptibility. This review explores the effects of drought on these traits and goes on to discuss phenotypes which may be associated with drought tolerance in potato. Small canopies which increase harvest index and decrease evapotranspiration, open stem-type canopies which increase light penetration, and shallow but densely rooted cultivars, which increase water uptake, have all been associated with drought tolerance in the past, but have largely been ignored. While individual studies on a limited number of cultivars may have examined these phenotypes, they are typically overlooked due to the consensus that root depth is the only significant cause of drought susceptibility in potato. We review this work, particularly with respect to potato morphology, in the context of a changing climate, and highlight the gaps in our understanding of drought tolerance in potato that such work implies.


Contemporary migration research using quantitative methods is limited by the use of variable-centred analysis, static measures of acculturation and a focus on negative outcomes. The current study sought to gain the benefits of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to migration research. The aim of this study was to explore the acculturation trajectories and quality of life in a group of South African immigrants living in New Zealand. The benefits of qualitative analysis were retained in the current study by a focus on case-centred rather than variable-centred analysis, incorporating a temporal perspective to capture migration experiences over time (trajectories) and using semi-structured interview data to examine individual experiences of migration. However, this study also employed quantitative analysis in the form of cluster analysis of interview data to detect shared acculturation patterns within subgroups of cases. Following this, thematic analysis was used to explore individual cases within these subgroups which were used to form profiles of shared acculturation trajectories. Participants in this study were a snowball sample of 50 South African immigrants, aged 18 years and over, who had lived in New Zealand for up to 11 years. Participants were asked to complete a one hour semi-structured interview, a short socio-demographic questionnaire and the World Health Organisation Quality of Life measure (WHOQOL100). The interview focused on migration experiences in the pre-, early, mid and current phases of migration and the main focus of interviews was motivations for migration, employment experiences, social support, stress and coping at different phases of migration. The two primary forms of analysis in this study were profiling cases and thematic analysis. Following cluster analysis of the interview data, selected clusters were characterised using interview, quality of life and socio-demographic variables at discrete phases of the trajectory. Clusters which were exemplars of three emergent meta-themes, child-focused, social support and employment, were selected and profiles were generated and interpreted following thematic analysis. The three types of profiles generated were: profiles of selected clusters of cases at discrete phases of the trajectory, iv Acculturation & QOL in SA Immigrants primarily quantitative profiles of these same clusters of cases across the complete trajectory, and a qualitative elaboration of profiles of cases who shared similar trajectories. This study highlights the possibility of exploring both shared and idiosyncratic experiences within samples of immigrants. The profiles of acculturation trajectories highlight some important issues for South African immigrants living in New Zealand, including pre-migration contextual issues, employment experiences, financial stress, and participation in South African communities. Key findings of this study were the importance of children in motivations for migration, evidence of various levels of employment satisfaction in early migration although often employment satisfaction increased in later phases of migration, and finally this study showed important differences between Afrikaans and English-speaking South African immigrants with regards to their social support experiences and preferences. This study offers an approach to migration research which uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. In addition this study provides an alternative approach to migration research which is case-based, acknowledges the complexity and temporal aspects of acculturation, and examines the broad consequences of migration. v Acculturation & QOL in SA Immigrants


This study sets out to explore the internal career orientations and the external career patterns of information technology (IT) workers in Nigeria. The theoretical framework guiding this research is that societal context (social structure and institutions) has an influence on the career orientations and career patterns exhibited by individuals (Derr and Laurent, 1989; Lam, 2000; Baruch, 2004). To date, understanding the development of mainstream career theory has focused more on individual choice and life-span development, than on the complex interplay between individuals and their environment. There appears to be a relative neglect of the influence of institutional and social structure in much of the career literature. In a departure from previous career studies, which have focused largely on the individual level of analysis in developed economies of North America and Europe, this research focused on exploring both the internal and external careers of IT workers in the context of a developing economy-Nigeria. This research adopted a two-pronged methodological approach, which involved the use of qualitative and quantitative methods in addressing the research questions raised in this study. The result of this research shows that IT workers enact four different career patterns, which conform to the traditional view of careers as hierarchical and progressive, as well as to the recent models of the boundaryless careers. IT workers in Nigeria also hold six career orientations, which can be closely matched to Schein's (1978) career anchors and Derr's (1986) career success orientations. In addition, economic conditions, perception of educational qualification, sexual discrimination and ethnic allegiance were identified as the main societal factors that shape and constrain the careers of IT workers in Nigeria. Overall, the findings of this research support the notion that careers unfold through the interplay between individuals and larger societal structures (Baruch, 2004). The implication of the findings for human resource management and research is discussed.


Asthma often remains uncontrolled, despite the fact that the pharmacological treatment has undergone large changes. We studied changes in the treatment of asthma over a 20-year period and identified factors associated with the regular use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment. Changes in the use of medication were determined in 4617 randomly selected subjects, while changes in adults with persistent asthma were analysed in 369 participants. The study compares data from three surveys in 24 centres in 11 countries. The use of ICSs increased from 1.7% to 5.9% in the general population and the regular use of ICSs increased from 19% to 34% among persistent asthmatic subjects. The proportion of asthmatic subjects reporting asthma attacks in the last 12 months decreased, while the proportion that had seen a doctor in the last 12 months remained unchanged (42%). Subjects with asthma who had experienced attacks or had seen a doctor were more likely to use ICSs on a regular basis. Although ICS use has increased, only one-third of subjects with persistent asthma take ICSs on a regular basis. Less than half had seen a doctor during the last year. This indicates that underuse of ICSs and lack of regular healthcare contacts remains a problem in the management of asthma. Despite increased ICS use, only 34% of subjects with persistent asthma take ICSs on a regular basis; <50% have seen a doctor in the last year. Underuse of ICSs and lack of regular healthcare contacts remains a problem in asthma. http://ow.ly/GUZ630mZkVN


Standardized work (SW) is a type of action-oriented procedure that sets a basis for continuous improvement in the Toyota Production System. However, the usefulness and applicability of this practice to construction is still unclear. Furthermore, while some studies have addressed the key elements of SW, the role played by the concept of slack as a fundamental element of operations design is rarely discussed in an explicit way. This is a drawback since slack resources allow for the system to cope with variability from different sources. Considering the context of the construction industry, the aim of this study is to carry out an exploratory investigation of the role played by slack in SW. This analysis is mostly based on a matrix that checks strategies for the deployment of slack resources against sources of variability in construction. Results indicate that SW, in construction, should account for a broader range of slack resources in comparison to what is accounted for in manufacturing. In addition, we propose that slack resources and the corresponding variability sources be explicitly anticipated when designing SW for construction operations.


Manganese oxide coated scoria (MOCS) was prepared as a cost-effective catalytically adsorbent with high permeability to remediate manganese contaminated groundwater. Scanning electron microscope visual expressed that on the relatively smooth surface of raw scoria (RS) a large amount of micro pores and dense bulk-like structures after modification and filtration appeared. The data from Fourier transform infrared showed that the intrinsic scoria structure was unchanged during modification. The X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instrumental studies revealed that the newborn manganese oxide layer was a mixed-valence of manganese (Mn 3+ and Mn 4+ ) which could absorb the Mn 2+ and catalytically facilitate oxidation with oxygen. Subsequently, the adsorption capacity of RS and MOCS was demonstrated in adsorption experiments. The kinetics of manganese adsorption by RS and MOCS followed pseudo-second-order with the correlation coefficients of 0.983 and 0.989, respectively. The experimental data were better fitted to Langmuir isotherm than Freundlich isotherm, indicating that the monolayer adsorption process for manganese was acting on the surface of RS and MOCS. The filtration experiment showed high Mn 2+ removal efficiency by MOCS in a wide range of hydraulic retention time (15–40 min) in 40 days, which demonstrated that the MOCS is a good potential application prospect for manganese removal from groundwater.


The paper first shows that financial market equilibria need not to exist if agents possess cumulative prospect theory preferences with piecewise-power value functions. This is due to the boundary behavior of the cumulative prospect theory value function, which might cause an infinite short-selling problem. But even when a non-negativity constraint on final wealth is added, non-existence can occur due to the non-convexity of CPT preferences, which might cause discontinuities in the agents' demand functions. This latter observation also implies that concavification arguments which has been used in portfolio allocation problems with CPT preferences do not apply to our general equilibrium setting with finite many agents. Existence of equilibria is established when non-negativity constraints on final wealth are imposed and there is a continuum of agents in the market. However, if the original prospect theory is used instead of cumulative prospect theory, then other discontinuity problems can cause non-existence of market equilibria even in this case.


The rapid self-configuration, ease of deployment and small cost of components, coupled with the tremendous potential in areas of environmental and structural monitoring, supply chain automation, identification of products at check-out points, access control and security, motivate the popularity of wireless sensor networks, the recent interest generated by wireless Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems and their envisioned integration. While the autonomous operation and random deployment of components are the principal causes of the low set up cost of these systems, they also become the source of fundamental problems. This thesis studies the problem of extending the network lifetime in the context of sensor and RFID systems by defining and detecting redundant components whose simultaneous deactivation maintains the initial network coverage. For wireless sensor networks, we reduce the problem to the computation of Voronoi diagrams. Moreover, we examine the impact of redundancy elimination on the related problem of coverage-boundary detection. We present efficient distributed algorithms for computing and maintaining solutions for the redundant sensor elimination problem and coverage boundary problem in cases of sensor failures or insertion of new sensors. We prove the safety and liveness properties of our algorithms, and characterize their time complexity and traffic generated. Using detailed simulations, we also quantify the impact of system parameters such as sensor density, transmission range and failure rates on network traffic.
In the context of wireless RFID systems, we provide an efficient solution to a fundamental problem generated by reader collisions occurring at tags. We prove that an optimal solution for the redundant-reader problem is NP-hard and propose a randomized approximation algorithm. We conduct elaborate experiments on realistic topologies in order to evaluate the accuracy, message overhead and efficacy of the protocols. Our simulations show that by repeating each query log m times and using 2 log m time units for each query, where m is the total number of RFID readers, each reader can discover more than 99% of the covered RFID tags. Moreover, even without the existence of a centralized entity, we discover consistently more than half of the redundant readers of a greedy algorithm using centralized information.


Automatic machine learning (AutoML) aims at automatically choosing the best configuration for machine learning tasks. However, a configuration evaluation can be very time consuming particularly on learning tasks with large datasets. This limitation usually restrains derivative-free optimization from releasing its full power for a fine configuration search using many evaluations. To alleviate this limitation, in this paper, we propose a derivative-free optimization framework for AutoML using multi-fidelity evaluations. It uses many lowfidelity evaluations on small data subsets and very few highfidelity evaluations on the full dataset. However, the lowfidelity evaluations can be badly biased, and need to be corrected with only a very low cost. We thus propose the Transfer Series Expansion (TSE) that learns the low-fidelity correction predictor efficiently by linearly combining a set of base predictors. The base predictors can be obtained cheaply from down-scaled and experienced tasks. Experimental results on real-world AutoML problems verify that the proposed framework can accelerate derivative-free configuration search significantly by making use of the multi-fidelity evaluations.


Spare parts have become ubiquitous in modern societies, and managing their requirements is an important and challenging task with tremendous cost implications for the organisations that are holding relevant inventories. Demand for spare parts arises whenever a component fails or requires replacement, and as such the relevant patterns are different from those associated with 'typical' stock keeping units. Such demand patterns are most often intermittent in nature, meaning that demand arrives infrequently and is interspersed by time periods with no demand at all. A number of distributions have been discussed in the literature for representing these patterns, but empirical evidence is lacking. In this paper, we address the issue of demand distributional assumptions for spare-parts management, conducting a detailed empirical investigation on the goodness-of-fit of various distributions and their stock-control implications in terms of inventories held and service levels achieved. This is an important contribution from a methodological perspective, since the validity of demand distributional assumptions (i.e. their goodness-of-fit) is distinguished from their utility (i.e. their real-world implications). Three empirical datasets are used for the purposes of our research that collectively consist of the individual demand histories of approximately 13,000 SKUs from the military sector (UK and USA) and the Electronics Industry (Europe). Our investigation provides evidence in support of certain demand distributions in a real-world context. The natural next steps of research are also discussed, and these should facilitate further developments in this area from an academic perspective.


Aim: To investigate associations between long-term sick-listing and factors at work and in family life. Methods: Associations were investigated in a cross-sectional case-referent study. The study base included women in white-collar jobs, aged 30—55 years, living in three urban areas in Sweden between February 2004 and October 2004. A postal questionnaire was constructed with questions on occupational and family circumstances, and sent to 513 randomly selected female white-collar workers, of whom 233 had ongoing sick-leave of 90 days or more. The response rate was 81% (n = 413). Results: Most of the women in this study were in managerial positions. The unadjusted associations showed that sick-listed women with children showed the highest estimates regarding reported long working hours, bullying, high mental strain, low control and low influence at work, and work—family imbalance. In a regression model, the strongest associations were: experiencing too high mental strain in work tasks (odds ratio (OR) = 2.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.09—3.15) and low control and influence at work (OR=2.17, 95% CI= 1.60—2.94). Sick-listed women reported an overall higher dissatisfaction with their workplace and working life. Conclusions: There seems to be a greater tendency for the sick-listed women in this study to experience low control and too high mental strain at work and to live in traditional family relationships with unequal opportunities. The women who were sick-listed were probably less able to cope with work stress and to find a balance between work and family life.


We report the results of a survey in the CH3CN J = 12 → 11 transition toward a sample of massive proto-stellar candidates. The observations were carried out with the 10 m Submillimeter Telescope on Mount Graham, AZ. We detected this molecular line in 9 out of 21 observed sources. In six cases this is the first detection of this transition. We also obtained full beam sampled cross-scans for five sources which show that the lower K-components can be extended on the arcminute angular scale. The higher K-components, however, are always found to be compact with respect to our 36″ beam. A Boltzmann population diagram analysis of the central spectra indicates CH3CN column densities of about 1014 cm−2, and rotational temperatures above 50 K, which confirms these sources as hot molecular cores. Independent fits to line velocity and width for the individual K-components resulted in the detection of an increasing blueshift with increasing line excitation for four sources. Comparison with mid-infrared (mid-IR) images from the SPITZER GLIMPSE/IRAC archive for six sources show that the CH3CN emission is generally coincident with a bright mid-IR source. Our data clearly show that the CH3CN J = 12 → 11 transition is a good probe of the hot molecular gas near massive protostars, and provide the basis for future interferometric studies.


Power network construction may be thought of as being predominately concerned with the design, installation and commissioning of power network assets (e.g. circuit breakers, protection systems, OHL, HV cables, etc.). However, a fully operational power network can only be achieved with the supporting infrastructure of what may be termed `civil, structural and building engineering' (CSBE) - that is the civil engineering oriented assets concerned with groundworks, roadways, support structures, buildings, etc. Such assets may typically comprise of the order of 45% of a major power network construction project and are therefore a significant consideration - and some projects are of course almost entirely civil engineering orientated. An aspect of CSBE worthy of note is that it usually involves significantly more temporary works than those concerned with power engineering assets. Within this context, the following salient CSBE design tasks will be reviewed:1, Earthworks, drainage, trenches and landscaping 2.Structural engineering 3.Substation infrastructure 4.Environmental works 4.OHL and cable civil design 5. Civil engineering work standards 6.Substation LV AC supplies.


Supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model contain nontopological solitons, Q-balls, which can be stable and can be a form of cosmological dark matter. Understanding the interaction of SUSY Q-balls with matter fermions is important for both astrophysical limits and laboratory searches for these dark-matter candidates. We show that a baryon scattering off a baryonic SUSY Q-ball can convert into its antiparticle with a high probability, while the baryon number of the Q-ball is increased by two units. For a SUSY Q-ball interacting with matter, this process dominates over those previously discussed in the literature. © 2005 The American Physical Society.


ABSTRACT Economics and security seem increasingly intertwined. Citing national security, states subject foreign investments to new scrutiny, even unwinding mergers. The provision of 5G has become a diplomatic battleground—Huawei at its center. Meanwhile, states invoke national security to excuse trade wars. The USA invoked the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade national security exception to impose steel and aluminum tariffs, threatening more on automotive parts. Russia invoked that provision to justify its blockade of Ukraine, as did Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to excuse theirs of Qatar. And with the spread of COVID-19, states are invoking national security to scrutinize supply lines. Multiplying daily, such stories have led some observers to dub the era one of geoeconomics. Nonetheless, these developments remain difficult to judge, and the relationship between economics and national security remains confused and slippery. The essay seeks clarity in the deeper logic of these labels, revealing a fundamental choice between the logics of markets and the logics of state. Whether invoked to 'secure' borders, privacy, health, the environment, or jobs, 'national security' is a claim about the proper location of policymaking. Appeals to economics, with their emphasis on global welfare and global person-to-person relationships, are such claims as well. Resolving disputes, this essay argues, requires recognizing these root choices.


In this work, we propose a continuous-domain stochastic model that can be applied to image data. This model is autoregressive, and accounts for Gaussian-type as well as for non-Gaussian-type innovations. In order to estimate the corresponding parameters from the data, we introduce two possible error criteria; namely, Gaussian maximum-likelihood, and least-squares autocorrelation fit. Exploiting the link between autoregressive models and spline approximation, we use our approach to adapt interpolation parameters to a given image. Our numerical results demonstrate that our adaptive approach yields higher SNR values compared to classical polynomial splines for the task of image scaling. They also indicate that our least-squares-based error criterion nearly achieves the oracle performance for parameter estimation, which provides further support to the practical relevance of our model.


Introduction Accounting is a discipline defined by its context (Freear, 1977). In recent years, the context of accounting has changed dramatically in a number of respects. The transactions and events which accounting attempts to represent are subject to increasing uncertainty. Accounting standard-setters have reacted by requiring that financial statements recognise and disclose the "substance" of transactions rather than their legal form. More extensive disclosures of uncertainty are also required. Such changes in the context of accounting reflect external changes in the nature of economic transactions which financial accounting is bound to represent. There are, however, further changes in society which have impacted on the accounting profession and which may, in future, transform the manner in which the profession deals with the uncertainty it faces. These include the numbers entering the profession. There are also an increased number of graduates entering the profession. A further significant change, reflecting a change in trends within society generally, is the increased numbers of women members of the profession. This has led to the emergence of a literature in accounting examining the role of women in the profession, the implications for professional practice and for accounting in society. However, the relationship between feminisation and judgement using accounting information in the context of uncertainty has not been heretofore explored in any great detail. As Maines (1996: 98) comments, "research on external users has not thoroughly exploited the heterogeneity of users of financial reports". This paper embarks on such an exploration by examining the potential relationship between gender and confidence, given the disclosure of uncertainty in financial statements. The focus is primarily, though not exclusively, on men and women as users of financial statements. The paper is in three main parts. The next section outlines how accounting is shaped by uncertainty. It also describes the extent of female involvement in the accounting profession and explores its implications as reflected in the accounting literature. In particular, gender differences in perceptions of, and reactions to, uncertainty are examined. The paper then examines whether such differences are also found in an accounting setting characterised by uncertainty. The third section outlines an approach to the exploration of the effect of gender on the judgement and confidence of users of uncertain accounting information. It develops, first, a framework within which the uncertain context of financial statements is disclosed and, second, an experimental approach to the examination of gender effects on judgement and confidence in that accounting setting. The fourth section presents the research results. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the potential implications of the research findings for the accounting discipline. Uncertainty, Gender and the Changing Shape of Financial Reporting Uncertainty and Financial Reporting Tweedie and Whittington (1990) outlined what they saw as a broad consensus regarding the purpose of financial accounting. One of these generally accepted notions about financial reports is that they are intended to provide users with information for decision-making. Users of financial statements are defined broadly by the Accounting Standards Board (ASB), which is the accounting standard setting body in the United Kingdom. (The ASB's financial reporting standards are promulgated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland virtually in their entirety for application in the Republic of Ireland.) Users as defined by the ASB (ASB, 1999) include not only shareholders but also, for example, employees, those in the environment of the reporting entity, customers and the public. If one defines accounting as a discipline that is concerned with information and with informing decision-makers (ASB, 1999), the influence of uncertainty on the discipline is clear. …


Asphalt concrete linings (ACLs) are frequently used in pumped-storage hydropower schemes with frequently oscillating reservoir water levels. ACLs can be damaged during operation, which shortens their service life. One type of damage is the formation of blisters. In this study, the bacterial diversity in damaged and undamaged portions of the ACL of an upper water reservoir was evaluated. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was employed for the identification of the bacterial strains. No bacteria were detected growing inside the undamaged dense layer. Low bacterial diversity (2 and 4 morphotypes) was found in the upper part that has no contact with the reservoir water and in the lowest part that is permanently under water, respectively. More complex bacterial diversity (16 morphotypes covered by 2 different genera and 4 species) was found on the mastic coating of the ACL, which was alternately under and above the water. Very complex bacterial compositions (53 morphotypes covered by at least 13 different species from 6 genera) were found in samples taken from open blisters. Bacterial genera that are known to utilize asphalt products as a source of nutrition were found in the open blisters. The results reflect the importance of bacterial diversity in blisters and their possible role in ACL degradation.