Background: The goal of Palliative Day Services is to provide holistic care that contributes to the quality of life of people with life-threatening illness and their families. Quality indicators provide a means by which to describe, monitor and evaluate the quality of Palliative Day Services provision and act as a starting point for quality improvement. However, currently, there are no published quality indicators for Palliative Day Services. Aim: To develop and provide the first set of quality indicators that describe and evaluate the quality of Palliative Day Services. Design and setting: A modified Delphi technique was used to combine best available research evidence derived from a systematic scoping review with multidisciplinary expert appraisal of the appropriateness and feasibility of candidate indicators. The resulting indicators were compiled into 'toolkit' and tested in five UK Palliative Day Service settings. Results: A panel of experts independently reviewed evidence summaries for 182 candidate indicators and provided ratings on appropriateness, followed by a panel discussion and further independent ratings of appropriateness, feasibility and necessity. This exercise resulted in the identification of 30 indicators which were used in practice testing. The final indicator set comprised 7 structural indicators, 21 process indicators and 2 outcome indicators. Conclusion: The indicators fulfil a previously unmet need among Palliative Day Service providers by delivering an appropriate and feasible means to assess, review, and communicate the quality of care, and to identify areas for quality improvement.


This paper concentrates upon the market impact of commercially releasing current generation genetically modified (GM) food and food production in New Zealand (NZ). It evaluates the producer benefits of growing GM food and consumer attitudes towards GM food. Current commercially released GM products affect the type of production rather than the nature of the product itself and include herbicide resistant soybean and canola as well as insect resistant corn. Evidence of producer benefits from growing GM products is mixed, with some reports of increases in producer returns. However, there has been a definite shift in consumer preference away from GM food. This is seen both in the development of price premiums for GM-free food; trade diversion away from GM sources to GM-free sources, particularly in the Japanese market; and the positioning of key retail outlets in Europe as GM-free. However, issues remain as to how preferences will develop and whether current trends are short term or not. Of relevance to NZ is what would impact be of different preferences and impact of GM technology on key commodities for NZ. Therefore in this paper the impact of GM food on producers, consumers and trade in NZ is simulated under various scenarios using the LTEM (Lincoln Trade and Environment Model). The model simulates, against various assumptions of proportions of GM/GM-free production, the impact of various scenarios relating to preference for or against GM production. The results from this preliminary analysis show that the greatest positive impact on NZ income is the GM-free strategy where it is assumed such markets as the EU and Japan have a large switch in preference away from GM food, followed by a 20 percent preference for GM-free. In conclusion the analysis shows that the preferred option for NZ would be to delay the commercial release of GM food until the extent of the negative consumer attitude can be seen and the producer benefits become more apparent. This would enable NZ to position itself as being GM-free and obtain current price premiums and preferential market access.


Fixed location cameras, such as panoramic cameras or surveillance cameras, are very common. In images taken with these cameras, there will be changes in lighting and dynamic image content, but there will also be constant objects in the background. We propose to solve for color constancy in this framework. We use a set of images to recover the scenes' illuminants using only a few surfaces present in the scene. Our method retrieves the illuminant in every image by minimizing the difference between the reflectance spectra of the redundant elements' surfaces or, more precisely, between their corresponding sensor response values. It is assumed that these spectra are constant across images taken under different illuminants. We also recover an estimate of the reflectance spectra of the selected elements. Experiments on synthetic and real images validate our method.


Class I major histocompatibility molecules (MHC) are 45 kilodalton (kD) glycoproteins that associate with a smaller 12 kD polypeptide, [beta]2-microglobulin. In the BALB/c mouse, there are three classical class I molecules, H-2K [superscript d], D [superscript d], and L [superscript d], which are expressed throughout the body and present viral antigens to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). In addition to the genes that encode the three classical class I antigens, the BALB/c genome contains 32 genes that structurally resemble the classical class I genes, and therefore possibly encode class I molecules. A few of the non-classical class I genes have been shown to encode molecules, TL, Qa-1, Qa-2, Q10, Qb-1, and Hmt, which are expressed in a generally tissue-specific manner, and probably do not act as restriction elements. However, it is unclear what function these molecules play, or why such a large gene family is maintained if only three viral antigen-presenting restriction elements are required by the murine immune system. DNA sequences were obtained from each of the 35 class I genes of the BALB/c mouse of the transmembrane domain-encoding fifth exon. Based on nucleotide sequence similarity, the fifth exons could be divided into seven groups that share little similarity with each other. In addition, the majority of the fifth exons are able to encode a transmembrane domain that can be separated into a proline-rich connecting peptide, a hydrophobic transmembrane segment, and a ctyoplasmic portion that includes basic anchoring residues. Since this conservation occurs in spite of extensive variation of nucleotide sequence in these exons, it is likely that selective pressure exists to maintain a functional structure in the majority of class I genes. A cDNA library was constructed from a thymus from a five-week-old BALB/c mouse. From this library, 69 class I cDNA transcripts from 15 different class I genes were isolated and analyzed. Included were three novel transcripts from Tla subregion genes, the T9 [superscript c], T17 [superscript c], and T18 [superscript c] genes. Sequence analysis of these clones reveals that the T9 [superscript c] gene is probably a pseudogene, while the T18 [superscript c] gene has an open reading frame in at least exons 2, 3, 4, and 5. A fourth cDNA clone was a transcript from the Thy19.4 gene, a gene that had not been previously isolated on a recombinant DNA clone. The isolation of transcripts from such a relatively large number of genes suggests that the number of expressed and perhaps functionally important class I genes may be larger than previously believed, and that expression of class I recognition structures may be important for cell-cell interactions within the thymus. To further pursue the characterization of the Thy19.4 gene, a genomic clone containing this gene was isolated from a size-selected insert library, and the DNA sequence of the Thy19.4 gene was obtained. The Thy19.4 gene contains an open reading frame, and in several aspects resembles the genes that encode the transplantation antigens. These similarities include a shared exon/intron structure and shared amino acid sequence motifs. In addition, PCR amplification experiments using tissue cDNA demonstrates that the Thy19.4 gene is expressed in a variety of tissues. However, unlike the classical transplantation antigens, the Thy19.4 gene maps distal to the H-2 region, in the Hmt region. These studies have demonstrated that class I gene transcription is more extensive than previously believed. Some of the expressed genes, like the T18 [superscript c] and Thy19.4 genes, appear to be able to encode class I molecules which may share structural characteristics with the classical transplantation antigens and may possibly serve as recognition structures in cell-cell interaction events. In addition, examination of the transmembrane domain exon of each of the 35 class I genes suggests that some selective constraint is acting on the majority of members of this family of genes, thus raising the possibility that many of the nonclassical class I genes encode functionally important products.


The EFMI Primary Care Informatics Working Group would like to hear from any primary care professional with an interest in participating in working group activities. The group plans to establish links with other European primary care groups, and to run workshops at Medical Informatics Europe (MIE) conferences and at Medinfo (the three-yearly medical informatics meeting). If you are interested in becoming involved in the group, please contact me via the details set out below. Please not, if you are not already a subscriber to Informatics in Primary Care, as an EFMI Primary Care Informatics Working Group member you are entitled to a reduced subscription and a free book: see the EFMI website for details.


A landscape perspective is essential when examining the relationships among soil hydrology, hydric soil conditions, and soil hydromorphic properties because pedogenic processes, which are mainly driven by the presence and flow of water, are not restricted to a vertical soil profile. The objectives of this study were to: (i) examine the soil geomorphic properties that control water movement over and through soils of a catena in southeastern Minnesota, (ii) describe this water movement using soil water monitoring data and terrain analysis, and (iii) relate these monitoring and modeling results to the distribution of hydric soils in this landscape. Local shallow groundwater flow is lateral along this hillslope and is governed by parent material stratigraphy, particularly the presence of a sandy colluvium subsoil layer over dense till in lower landscape positions. The topographic influence on surface and near-surface water flow and storage predicts saturated surface conditions farther upslope of the drainageway in the vicinity of low-order, low-relief drainages perpendicular to the drainageway. The hydric soil boundary also occurs farther upslope in the vicinity of these same low-order drainages.


We developed an airborne compact rotational Raman lidar (CRL) for use on the University of Wyoming King Air (UWKA) aircraft to obtain two-dimensional (2D) temperature disman tributions. It obtained fine-scale 2D temperature distributions within 3 km below the aircraft for the first time during the PECAN (Plains Elevated Convection At Night) campaign in 2015. The CRL provided nighttime temperature measurements with a random error of <0.5 K within 800 m below aircraft at 45 m vertical and 1000 m horizontal resolution. The temperatures obtained by the CRL and a radiosonde agreed. Along with water vapor and aerosol measurements, the CRL provides critical parameters on the state of the lower atmosphere for a wide range of atmospheric research.


Laboratory experience is a key factor in technical and scientific education, but traditional laboratories are costly to maintain, limiting possibilities for practical exercises. Virtual laboratories have been proposed to reduce cost and simplify maintenance of lab facilities, while offering students a safe environment to build up experience and enthusiasm for STEM (Science, Technologies, Engineering and Maths) subjects without geographical limitations. Virtual labs enable students to participate and interact in inquiry-based classes where they can implement and analyse their own experiments, learn by using virtual objects and apparatus. Utilising virtual labs provides students with the chance to develop critical thinking, innovative and team working skills, all of which are highly valued in today's job market. Numerous virtual labs have been developed by different organisations and large-scale international projects, and many of these are available as open source software. NEWTON project, as a part of European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, is currently developing virtual labs to revolutionise the way STEM subjects are taught throughout European schools and colleges. NEWTON draws from the expertise of 14 European academic and industry partners and incorporates virtual reality with gamification and augmented reality with personalised learning. NEWTON has a special emphasis on developing virtual labs that are tailored to the needs of disabled students, such as deaf students and those with upper-limb disabilities. Here, we give a review of current virtual labs and discuss how NEWTON can overcome the existing limitations.


Objective: The goal of this study was to determine whether the volumes of total hip replacement (THR) of the quality of health care at hospitals and surgeons are associated with rate of mortality and complications. Methods: We analyzed claims data from the National Health Insurance (NHI) for patients who underwent elective primary THR procedures between Jan 1998 and Dec 2000. We assessed the relationship between surgeon and hospital procedure volume, as well as the rate of mortality, readmission, and dislocation within ninety days and one year postoperatively. Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, arthritis diagnosis, severity of disease the area, owner and size of hospital, LOS (length of stay), in-hospital rehabilitation and complication. Result: Ninety days after discharge, patients treated in hospitals in which there were more than 50 of these procedures had a lower risk of death and readmission than those treated in hospitals in which there were seven or few procedures (mortality rate, 0.66% compared with 1.00%; adjusted OR=0.69; readmission rate, 13.93% compared with 48.31%; adjusted OR=0.69). Ninety days after discharge, patients treated by surgeons who performed more than 25 of these procedures had a lower risk of death and readmission than those treated by surgeons who performed more than 25 of these procedures had a lower risk of death and readmission than those treated by surgeons who performed less than 10 procedures (mortality rate, 0.57% compared with 2.55%; adjusted OR=0.23; readmission rate, 13.67% compared with 42.34%; adjusted OR=0.73). Conclusion: Patients treated in hospitals and by surgeons with lower caseload of THR had higher rates of mortality and readmission. We suggest that NHI should concentrate THR in high-volume referral centers in order to reduce avoidable mortality and morbidity.


The electrical properties of two molecular wires-a novel aryl moiety, 6-(5-pyridin-2-ylpyrazin-2-yl)pyridine-3-thiol (PPPT), and the well studied 1,1';4',1''-terphenyl-4-thiol (TPT)-organized in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are measured using metal– molecule–metal (MMM) mercury-drop junctions. Current measured at the same bias voltage through PPPT is found to be more than one order of magnitude lower than through TPT. To interpret and understand these results, characterization of the structure, organization of the SAMs, and theoretical analyses of the molecular systems are discussed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) indicate that although PPPT forms highquality SAMs on both Au and Ag substrates, it exhibits a lower packing density (by 20 %) and less orientational order than TPT. In addition, electronic structure calculations with density functional theory (DFT) reveal that the electron-withdrawing nitrogen atoms in the PPPT aryl backbone stabilize the valence molecular electronic structure and pull negative charge from the thiol sulfur. This behavior can influence both charge-injection barriers and metal–molecule binding interactions in the MMM junctions. The current–voltage data are interpreted on the basis of a hole-tunneling, through-bond mechanism. Conductance analysis through a model for off-resonant tunneling transport suggests that a comparatively small difference in the charge-injection barrier can explain the factor of ten difference in observed conduction.


BACKGROUND: Algal growth on solid surfaces confers the advantage of combining the algal harvesting and bioprocessing steps at a single stage, in addition to the easier handling of the immobilized cells that occupy a reduced amount of space. The current work employed the application of macroporous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogel disks as a water-insoluble, non-toxic and recyclable immobilization matrix for different microalgal strains (Nannochloropsis sp., Dunaliella salina, and Botryococcus braunii) that offer value-added products for various commercial applications.

RESULTS: The study demonstrated the effect of variations in the surface characteristics of the algal strains and hydrogel surfaces on the immobilization efficiencies. Gelatin was further used to modify PHEMA hydrogels to achieve higher bioaffinity and surface hydrophilicity. The results showed that highly salt-tolerant microalgal cells (Dunaliella salina, Nannochloropsis sp.) had significantly higher tendencies to attach on the gelatin-modified PHEMA hydrogel compared with the freshwater B. braunii colonies; embedded within an extracellular matrix mainly made of hydrophobic components, which displayed better attachment to the unmodified PHEMA hydrogels.

CONCLUSION: The proposed PHEMA hydrogels are easily-manufactured and highly durable materials with the hydrogel disks still retaining their integrity after several years when in contact with a liquid. PHEMA disks also have the benefits of having adjustable porosities by changing the composition of the polymerization mixture, and modifiable surface properties by simply binding various synthetic or natural molecules on their surfaces, which can bring several new opportunities for harvesting various microalgal cells with different surface morphologies and chemical compositions.


We present PurePos, an open-source HMM-based automatic morphological annotation tool. PurePos can perform tagging and lemmatization at the same time, it is very fast to train, with the possibility of easy integration of symbolic rulebased components into the annotation process that can be used to boost the accuracy of the tool. The hybrid approach implemented in PurePos is especially beneficial in the case of rich morphology, highly detailed annotation schemes and if a small amount of training data is available. Evaluation of the tool was on a Hungarian corpus revealed that its hybrid components significantly improve overall annotation accuracy.


A common feature within most corporate income tax systems is that the cost of debt is deductible as an expenditure when calculating taxable profits. An unintended consequence of this tax distortion is the creation of under-capitalized firms – raising default risk in the process. Using a difference-in-differences approach, this paper shows that a reduction in tax discrimination between debt and equity finance leads to better capitalized banks. The paper exploits the exogenous variation in the tax treatment of debt and equity created by the introduction of an Allowance for Corporate Equity (ACE) system in Italy, to identify whether an ACE positively impacts banks' capital structure. The results demonstrate that a move to an unbiased corporate tax environment increases bank capital ratios, driven by an increase in equity rather than a reduction in lending activities. The change also leads to a reduction in risk taking for ex-ante low capitalized banks. Overall, these results suggest that the ACE could be a valuable policy instrument for prudential bank regulators.


Ascent sequences were introduced by Bousquet-Melou, Claesson, Dukes and Kitaev in their study of $(\bf{2+2})$-free posets. An ascent sequence of length $n$ is a nonnegative integer sequence $x=x_{1}x_{2}\ldots x_{n}$ such that $x_{1}=0$ and $x_{i}\leq {\rm asc}(x_{1}x_{2}\ldots x_{i-1})+1$ for all $1<i\leq n$, where ${\rm asc}(x_{1}x_{2}\ldots x_{i-1})$ is the number of ascents in the sequence $x_{1}x_{2}\ldots x_{i-1}$. We let $\mathcal{A}_n$ stand for the set of such sequences and use $\mathcal{A}_n(p)$ for the subset of sequences avoiding a pattern $p$. Similarly, we let $S_{n}(\tau)$ be the set of $\tau$-avoiding permutations in the symmetric group $S_{n}$. Duncan and Steingrimsson have shown that the ascent statistic has the same distribution over  $\mathcal{A}_n(021)$ as over $S_n(132)$. Furthermore, they conjectured that the pair $({\rm asc}, {\rm rmin})$ is equidistributed over $\mathcal{A}_n(021)$ and  $S_n(132)$ where ${\rm rmin}$ is the right-to-left minima statistic.  We prove this conjecture by constructing a bistatistic-preserving bijection.


We estimate the impact of exposure to conflict on health outcomes using geographic information on households' distance from conflict sites – a more accurate measure of shock exposure – and compare the impact on children exposed in utero versus after birth. The identification strategy relies on exogenous variation in the conflict's geographic extent and timing. Conflict-exposed children have lower height-for-age, and impacts using GPS information are 2-3 times larger than if exposure is measured at the imprecise regional level. Results are robust to addressing endogenous migration. Health service disruptions and maternal stressors are potential explanations for the negative health effects on children.


Written case studies have been widely used in marketing. This method presents some shortcomings. We have suggested an approach employing a version of live case studies involving managers of a local company as formative evaluators contributing to an iterative and formalized formative assessment process. This approach may add some interesting features such as presenting a more relevant and realistic context to students as they are more likely to work in that sort of business in the future. It also helps students to deal with ambiguity inherent in business life by conducting a nonlinear, but iterative, learning process. And finally, this process allows the application and understanding of theoretical concepts.


Title of Document: LOSS OF CONTACT AND TIME DELAY DYNAMICS OF MILLING PROCESSES Xinhua Long, Doctor of Philosophy, 2005 Directed By: Professor B. Balachandran Department of Mechanical Engineering Considering the feed motion, the dynamics of constant spindle speed (CSS) milling processes is described by a set of delay differential equations with periodic coefficients and a variable time delay associated with each cutting tooth. This model, which has been developed for the first time as a part of this dissertation, is used to study the dynamics and stability of the system. The semi-discretization scheme, a numerical scheme with an analytical basis, is refined to examine the stability of periodic solutions of this system. This scheme can be used to predict not only the stability but also the chatter frequencies for a wide variety of milling operations ranging from full-immersion to partial-immersion operations. From the results obtained thus far, it can be stated that feed-rate effects can be neglected during fullimmersion and high-immersion operations, where the influence of loss of contact nonlinearities is not pronounced. However, for low-immersion milling operations, where loss of contact effects have a strong influence on system stability behavior, high feed-rate effects are pronounced and this effects can't be ignored. Along with investigations into the dynamics of CSS milling processes, in this dissertation, a better delay approximation has been used in the modeling of variable spindle speed (VSS) milling processes, and the benefits of VSS milling operations are discussed by comparing the stability charts of VSS milling operations with those obtained for CSS milling operations. The nonsmooth characteristics of milling processes are pointed out by presenting the simulated results for cutting forces. Work conducted with a nonsmooth mechanical system, a simplified system related to the milling process, is presented and the numerical results and experimental results obtained show evidence for grazing and other bifurcations in this nonsmooth system. LOSS OF CONTACT AND TIME DELAY DYNAMICS OF MILLING PROCESSES


Substance use among adolescents in South Africa is a growing concern. While a growing body of research is outlining the ability of parents to influence and moderate the uptake of risk behaviours, limited literature is available in South Africa on the links between parenting practices and substance use. The present study explored adolescents' perceptions of parenting practices with respect to their substance use behaviours. Eight focus group discussions were conducted with grade 8 and 9 school-going learners from four purposively selected public high schools in the eThekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal. The discussions were informed by constructions of the Integrated Model of Change (I-Change Model) and appropriate literature. Data was analysed thematically. This study provides further evidence that parenting behaviours can influence adolescent behaviour. The findings suggest that specific parenting practices pertaining to parent-child communication, parental support, warmth, and monitoring can have an influence on adolescent alcohol and tobacco use. Negative parenting may lead to disruptive behaviour, vulnerability to peer pressure and subsequent substance use. It is recommended that early intervention and prevention programs for substance use include aspects of parenting practices that influence adolescent substance use.


Multiple kernel learning aims at simultaneously learning a kernel and the associated predictor in supervised learning settings. For the support vector machine, an efficient and general multiple kernel learning (MKL) algorithm, based on semi-infinite linear progamming, has been recently proposed. This approach has opened new perspectives since it makes the MKL approach tractable for large-scale problems, by iteratively using existing support vector machine code. However, it turns out that this iterative algorithm needs numerous iterations for converging towards a reasonable solution. In this paper, we address the MKL problem through an adaptive 2-norm regularization formulation that encourages sparse kernel combinations. Apart from learning the combination, we solve a standard SVM optimization problem, where the kernel is defined as a linear combination of multiple kernels. We propose an algorithm, named SimpleMKL, for solving this MKL problem and provide a new insight on MKL algorithms based on mixed-norm regularization by showing that the two approaches are equivalent. Furthermore, we show how SimpleMKL can be applied beyond binary classification, for problems like regression, clustering (one-class classification) or multiclass classification. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm converges rapidly and that its efficiency compares favorably to other MKL algorithms. Finally, we illustrate the usefulness of MKL for some regressors based on wavelet kernels and on some model selection problems related to multiclass classification problems. A SimpleMKL Toolbox is available at http://asi.insa-rouen.fr/enseignants/~arakotom/code/mklindex.html 1 ha l-0 02 18 33 8, v er si on 1 26 J an 2 00 8


A collection of the latest info coming out of PUC, Napa County, California and Federal Agencies regarding the Covid19 pandemic.


We propose SCVRL, a novel contrastive-based framework for self-supervised learning for videos. Differently from previous contrast learning based methods that mostly focus on learning visual semantics (e.g., CVRL), SCVRL is capable of learning both semantic and motion patterns. For that, we reformulate the popular shuffling pretext task within a modern contrastive learning paradigm. We show that our transformer-based network has a natural capacity to learn motion in self-supervised settings and achieves strong performance, outperforming CVRL on four benchmarks.


In the past few years, widespread frustration with sprawling development patterns has precipitated an explosion in innovative thinking and action across the United States. This new thinking ? generally labeled as ?smart growth? ? contends that the shape and quality of metropolitan growth in America are no longer desirable or sustainable. It argues that metropolitan areas could grow in radically different ways if major government policies on land use, infrastructure and taxation were overhauled. This essay discusses the current state of smart growth and metropolitan thinking in the United States. It outlines the demographic, market and development trends that are affecting metropolitan areas and the consequences of these trends for central cities, older suburbs, newer communities and low-income and minority families. It describes how current government policies facilitate the excessive decentralization of people and jobs and how smart growth reforms are being enacted, particularly at the state level, to shape new, more urban-friendly, growth patterns. It concludes by identifying the major challenges that smart growth needs to address if it is going to succeed in shaping new, sustainable metropolitan communities.


Using a project web in building now occurs in an increasing number of projects. There is an emphasis, especially in large building projects and by large companies, on using a project web because it is expected to lead to benefits and increased efficiency. A number of Danish case studies, with the aim of investigating three different aspects of the usage of a project web, are presented in this paper. These are: project management, functionalities, and cost/benefit. Based on the data collected and analysed from four case studies using the same lead contractor, this paper contains a summary of the data and a presentation of the conclusions. One of the major findings is that the planning of why and how the project web should be used is often rushed and this results in over hasty usage where the problems begin to exceed the expected efficiency gains. In general the project web service used in the case studies contained the required functionalities, but often it was evident that they were implemented too quickly, resulting in users losing patience and thereafter completing their task using traditional means. Evaluation using the method "Measuring the Benefits of IT Innovation" revealed that a series of projects, led by the same contractor and using the same project web, did not produce a positive payback (in monetary terms), however a significant number of non-economically measurable benefits were identified.


Speech recognition in varying background conditions is a challenging problem. Acoustic condition mismatch between training and evaluation data can significantly reduce recognition performance. For mismatched conditions, data-adaptation techniques are typically found to be useful, as they expose the acoustic model to the new data condition(s). Supervised adaptation techniques usually provide substantial performance improvement, but such gain is contingent on having labeled or transcribed data, which is often unavailable. The alternative is unsupervised adaptation, where feature-transform methods and model-adaptation techniques are typically explored. This work investigates robust features, feature-space maximum likelihood linear regression (fMLLR) transform, and deep convolutional nets to address the problem of unseen channel and noise conditions. In addition, the work investigates bottleneck (BN) features extracted from deep autoencoder (DAE) networks trained by using acoustic features extracted from the speech signal. We demonstrate that such representations not only produce robust systems but also that they can be used to perform data selection for unsupervised model adaptation. Our results indicate that the techniques presented in this paper significantly improve performance of speech recognition systems in unseen channel and noise conditions.


Rapid detection of coal and fly ash is significant to improve the efficiency of thermal power plants and reduce environmental pollution. Given its fast response, high sensitivity, real-time, and noncontact features, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has a great potential for on-line measurement in these applications. The direct measurement of particles and gases using LIBS was studied, and the method was shown to be effective for this application.


ABSTRACT:Health is a major factor in development and it is central to the theory about human capital and endogenous growth. This is because health affects all other economic and development activities. The World Health Organization's (2003) call for "Health for all" which argues that "everybody needs and is entitled to the highest possible standard of health" is a coherent and indispensable vision for global health and development. The importance of health for development is also highlighted in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) where three of the eight MDGs goals focused on health. So far global actions to promote health for development have focused heavily on primary health care and it is right to do so given the importance of the burden of diseases in low and middle income countries (LMICs). However, there is a missing link. Despite their importance, emergency facilities and emergency services have become the poorer cousins of the global health and development effort. We analyze the relationship between emergency facilities, health care delivery and development and develop a simple heuristic or mathematical algorithm for effective location of facilities for regional or diversified health care systems. We modified a greedy (myopic) algorithm of the p-median location problem by using a reduced matrix for the determination of facilities. We illustrate how additional facilities can be located using a 5-node weighted distance matrix. We locate two facilities using the Myopic algorithm and showed how the two facilities could serve all the customers (demands) at nodes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Our heuristic reduced the computational and time costs as well as performance of existing location problems as well as made location of additional facilities more user friendly in our view. We compare our new method with the original greedy algorithm using a 400 random problem. The results demonstrate the efficiency and superiority of our new method resulting in the reduction cost of locating a facility using our new algorithm by up to 64%.


High dimensional data have been frequently collected in many fields of scientific research and technological development. The traditional idea of best subset selection methods, which use penalized L0 regularization, is computationally too expensive for many modern statistical applications. A large number of variable selection approaches via various forms of penalized least squares or likelihood have been developed to select significant variables and estimate their effects simultaneously in high dimensional statistical inference. However, in modern applications in areas such as genomics and proteomics, ultra-high dimensional data are often collected, where the dimension of data may grow exponentially with the sample size. In such problems, the regularization methods can become computationally unstable or even infeasible. To deal with the ultra-high dimensionality, Fan and Lv (2008) proposed a variable screening procedure via correlation learning to reduce dimensionality in sparse ultra-high dimensional models. Since then many authors further developed the procedure and applied to various statistical models. However, they all focused on single type of predictors, that is, the predictors are either all continuous or all discrete. In practice, we often collect mixed type of data, which contains both continuous and discrete predictors. For example, in genetic studies, we can collect information on both gene expression profiles and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes. Furthermore, outliers are often present in the observations due to experimental errors and other reasons. And the true trend underlying the data might not follow the parametric models assumed in many existing screening procedures. Hence a robust screening procedure against outliers and model misspecification is desired. In my dissertation, I shall propose a robust feature screening procedure for mixed type of data. To gain insights on screening for individual types of data, I first studied feature screening procedures for single type of data in Chapter 2 based on marginal quantities. For each type of data, new feature screening procedures are proposed and simulation studies are performed to compare their performances with existing procedures. The aim is to identify a best robust screening procedure for each type of data. In Chapter 3, I combine these best screening procedures to form the robust feature screening procedure for mixed type of data. Its performance will be assessed by simulation studies. I shall further illustrate the proposed procedure by the analysis of a real example. General Audience Abstract In modern applications in areas such as genomics and proteomics, ultra-high dimensional data are often collected, where the dimension of data may grow exponentially with the sample size. To deal with the ultra-high dimensionality, Fan and Lv (2008) proposed a variable screening procedure via correlation learning to reduce dimensionality in sparse ultra-high dimensional models. Since then many authors further developed the procedure and applied to various statistical models. However, they all focused on single type of predictors, that is, the predictors are either all continuous or all discrete. In practice, we often collect mixed type of data, which contains both continuous and discrete predictors. Furthermore, outliers are often present in the observations due to experimental errors and other reasons. Hence a robust screening procedure against outliers and model misspecification is desired. In my dissertation, I shall propose a robust feature screening procedure for mixed type of data. I first studied feature screening procedures for single type of data based on marginal quantities. For each type of data, new feature screening procedures are proposed and simulation studies are performed to compare their performances with existing procedures. The aim is to identify a best robust screening procedure for each type of data. Then i combined these best screening procedures to form the robust feature screening procedure for mixed type of data. Its performance will be assessed by simulation studies and the analysis of real examples.


REQUIRED) Patterns capture abstractions of situations that occur frequently in data modeling. Effective use of data modeling patterns can lead to high quality designs and productivity gains. Data modeling patterns are widely available in the public domain, yet there is a lack of studies on usability of such patterns. In this exploratory study we examine the usability of data modeling patterns. Effective use of patterns presupposes the users' ability to find similarities between task and pattern. We present and evaluate some heuristics for finding the similarities. The results of the empirical evaluation indicate that the heuristics are useful and can lead to accurate solutions. Future research as well as implications for researchers and practitioners is also discussed.


The aim of this article is to analyse democracy, legitimacy and interest representation within the European Union. Taking the recent rise of populist parties within the European Parliament and declining levels of public support for the European Union as a starting point, the article probes the relationship between levels of support for the European Union and the interests the European integration process represents. In doing so, it applies a political sociology approach to the EU's governance matrix to two periods: the revival of European integration from the mid-1980s up until the outbreak of the Eurozone crisis, and from 2008 onwards. It argues that the European Union has constitutionalised a system of economic governance that prioritises the objectives of liberalisation and deregulation and their actors. This sidelines more socially oriented actors and has resulted in the erosion of employment and social policy across the member states. As a result, European citizens do not believe that the European Union best serves their interests. In short, the European Union suffers from a 'social deficit' with respect to both the interests it represents and the policies it produces. In responding to the Eurozone crisis, the EU's policies have amplified the 'social deficit', thereby further narrowing interest representation in the European Union.


Every-grade, every-year testing plays a prominent part in U.S. education policy and research, but the rise of standardized testing has been met with frustration and opposition. In response, policymakers have proposed legislation designed to curb the amount of standardized testing. There is little empirical evidence, however, about the potential impact of these alternate approaches on current evaluation systems. Using data from a large, urban school district, we compare value-added (VA) estimates from every-year, every-grade testing to those from two reduced-testing scenarios. We find marginal changes in the value-added estimates in both approaches relative to more traditional VA estimates. Estimates from annual testing in alternating subjects are slightly less precise but have lower associations with prior student achievement than biennial testing in both subjects. Further, there is significant decrease in the number of teachers for whom scores can be estimated in both approaches, exacerbating long-standing concerns with VA methodology.


Conflict and violence was the destructive reality that showed reduction and alienated of existence humanity. The essence of human being has destruction because dominance of egoism of people's without care value of victim community. Because of that condition, the basic need to create a culture of peace as constructive reality that connected relationship between all of people is urgently. On the level individual and group, the acceptance of "the other‐self" as him/herself has destroy the wall of differences which always be source of conflict and violence. The fusion identity "we" (ingroup) and "them" (outgroup) has establish common ingroup identity as "us" in recategorization process that contribution to reduction negative aspect seems like prejudice, discrimination and stereotype. This research involve four subject with age 20‐30 years old, genre as masculin and feminin, and they have a comprehensive science about pela tradition. Other informant like a King of negeri, Kapitan negeri and all of people also involve in this research. Qualitative method with ethno‐phenomenology approach is use in this research with observation and interview as method and procedure to collect data. The result of this research showed that culture of peace can be found in local wisdom as pela tradition. The basic idea in this tradition is a common identity "saudara/orang basudara" which has calling as "ela". Pscychological dynamics occur in this perspective because the word of "ela" to contain a constructive and positive meaning that arranged relation between the groups Rohomoni‐Tuhaha. Implementation of values the culture of peace has been seen in the behavioral "saudara pela" that mutual constructive, trust, respect. This fact could be found in Molluccas conflict at 1999‐2004, pela tradition can be the media reconciliation between two groups Moslem and Christian.


Aisle containment systems reduce temperature nonuniformities in traditional air-cooled data centers and pave the way for higher cooling air temperature and more efficient operation of the cooling system and wider application of economizers. However, enclosing the aisle does not guarantee the lowest possible cooling infrastructure power. Enclosed air (EA) configurations require computer room air handler (CRAH) fans to provide the entire rack air flowthrough the perforated tiles, as well as the leakage flow that inherently exists in data centers. In this paper, we propose the installation of induction bypass (BP) fans beneath the cold aisle (CA) perforated tiles that draw air from the plenum, placing the latter under a slightly depressed pressure. In doing so, warm air from the hot aisle is drawn into the plenum, where it is mixed with a smaller amount of cold air from the CRAH. As a result, the CRAH fans operate at lower speeds and consume less power, but the air passing through the CRAH is cooled to a lower temperature so that the air supplied to the enclosed CA remains at or slightly below the server redline temperature (~27 °C). Detailed optimization based on hour-by-hour annual energy simulations for seven U.S. cities has shown that the proposed induced CRAH BP scheme can reduce combined chiller and air-moving power consumption substantially in EA data centers with or without an airside economizer.


Background SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is a global pandemic with higher mortality and morbidity than any other virus in the last 100 years. Without public health surveillance, policy makers cannot know where and how the disease is accelerating, decelerating, and shifting. Unfortunately, existing models of COVID-19 contagion rely on parameters such as the basic reproduction number and use static statistical methods that do not capture all the relevant dynamics needed for surveillance. Existing surveillance methods use data that are subject to significant measurement error and other contaminants. Objective The aim of this study is to provide a proof of concept of the creation of surveillance metrics that correct for measurement error and data contamination to determine when it is safe to ease pandemic restrictions. We applied state-of-the-art statistical modeling to existing internet data to derive the best available estimates of the state-level dynamics of COVID-19 infection in the United States. Methods Dynamic panel data (DPD) models were estimated with the Arellano-Bond estimator using the generalized method of moments. This statistical technique enables control of various deficiencies in a data set. The validity of the model and statistical technique was tested. Results A Wald chi-square test of the explanatory power of the statistical approach indicated that it is valid (χ210=1489.84, P<.001), and a Sargan chi-square test indicated that the model identification is valid (χ2946=935.52, P=.59). The 7-day persistence rate for the week of June 27 to July 3 was 0.5188 (P<.001), meaning that every 10,000 new cases in the prior week were associated with 5188 cases 7 days later. For the week of July 4 to 10, the 7-day persistence rate increased by 0.2691 (P=.003), indicating that every 10,000 new cases in the prior week were associated with 7879 new cases 7 days later. Applied to the reported number of cases, these results indicate an increase of almost 100 additional new cases per day per state for the week of July 4-10. This signifies an increase in the reproduction parameter in the contagion models and corroborates the hypothesis that economic reopening without applying best public health practices is associated with a resurgence of the pandemic. Conclusions DPD models successfully correct for measurement error and data contamination and are useful to derive surveillance metrics. The opening of America involves two certainties: the country will be COVID-19–free only when there is an effective vaccine, and the "social" end of the pandemic will occur before the "medical" end. Therefore, improved surveillance metrics are needed to inform leaders of how to open sections of the United States more safely. DPD models can inform this reopening in combination with the extraction of COVID-19 data from existing websites.


Since entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999, the EU has considered, and in many cases adopted, many proposals for legislation or measures implementing legislation in the area of immigration and asylum law. These measures run the gamut from highly technical operational matters to broad measures covering basic aspects of immigration and asylum law. Between them, the proposed or adopted measures cover virtually every possible issue in relation to immigration or asylum. This book contains the text of and commentary upon a large number of these measures proposed or adopted up until 1 January 2006, including all of the most important ones. It also includes the text of the key measures concerning asylum, legal migration and irregular migration. A full list of the measures with references to their legislative history is provided. The authors of each commentary are experts in the field of EU immgration and asylum law, and the areas covered include visa and border controls, asylum, legal migration and integration, and irregular migration.


ABSTRACT The health inequities suffered by the Roma population in Europe represent an alarming and unacceptable source of injustice. As the main ethnic minority in Europe, the gap between the health conditions of the Roma and the rest of the population poses a challenge to human rights and public health. Many political efforts have been deployed in Europe to tackle these inequities. However, they have fallen short, even causing paradoxical consequences. In this paper, we argue that previous political efforts have failed because they were developed from a neoliberal perspective, which perceives Roma health inequities as isolated ethnic problems for which there is no political accountability. Hence, there is a need for transformative political change that results in the protection of rights and self-governance to address health inequities experienced by Roma people. We propose a framework of health governance guided by the following principles: (a) effective involvement of multiple stakeholders by building collaborative capacity; (b) infusion of health perspectives in all policies and multisectoral actions; (c) transparent monitoring and evaluation; (d) role redefinition of policy promoters; (e) prevention of institutional discrimination; and (f) assuring cultural competence among policy promoters.


By the use of the corresponding shift matrix, the paper gives a criterion for the unique solvability of linear boundary value problems posed for linear differential algebraic equations up to index 2 with well-matched leading coefficients. The solution is constructed by a proper Green function. Another characterization of the solutions is based upon the description of arbitrary affine linear subspaces of solutions to linear differential algebraic equations in terms of solutions to the adjoint equation. When applied to boundary value problems, the result provides a constructive criterion for unique solvability and allows reducing the problem to initial value problems and linear algebraic equations.


The identification of geographic areas where the densities of animals are highest across their annual cycles is a crucial step in conservation planning. In marine environments, however, it can be particularly difficult to map the distribution of species, and the methods used are usually biased towards adults, neglecting the distribution of other life‐history stages even though they can represent a substantial proportion of the total population.
 Here we develop a methodological framework for estimating population‐level density distributions of seabirds, integrating tracking data across the main life‐history stages (adult breeders and non‐breeders, juveniles and immatures). We incorporate demographic information (adult and juvenile/immature survival, breeding frequency and success, age at first breeding) and phenological data (average timing of breeding and migration) to weight distribution maps according to the proportion of the population represented by each life‐history stage.
 We demonstrate the utility of this framework by applying it to 22 species of albatrosses and petrels that are of conservation concern due to interactions with fisheries. Because juveniles, immatures and non‐breeding adults account for 47%–81% of all individuals of the populations analysed, ignoring the distributions of birds in these stages leads to biased estimates of overlap with threats, and may misdirect management and conservation efforts. Population‐level distribution maps using only adult distributions underestimated exposure to longline fishing effort by 18%–42%, compared with overlap scores based on data from all life‐history stages.
 Synthesis and applications. Our framework synthesizes and improves on previous approaches to estimate seabird densities at sea, is applicable for data‐poor situations, and provides a standard and repeatable method that can be easily updated as new tracking and demographic data become available. We provide scripts in the R language and a Shiny app to facilitate future applications of our approach. We recommend that where sufficient tracking data are available, this framework be used to assess overlap of seabirds with at‐sea threats such as overharvesting, fisheries bycatch, shipping, offshore industry and pollutants. Based on such an analysis, conservation interventions could be directed towards areas where they have the greatest impact on populations.


The ability of plants to convert energy provided by the sun into a form accessible by heterotrophic organisms ensures that they form a basal part of most ecosystems. However, in addition to being a vital energy source light can also serve as an environmental indicator. In order to maximise light perception, plants have evolved a suite of photosensors with differing sensitivities, which in combination provide detailed information regarding light availability and quality. The major photoreceptor families identified in plants include the phytochromes, which are most sensitive to red and far-red light, and the cryptochromes and phototropins, which are UV-A and blue light receptors. Additional photosensors, including the recently identified ZEITLUPE/ADAGIO family, have roles in modulating the action of these main components. Plants can also respond to UV-B and green light, although the photoreceptors responsible for their detection remain elusive.

Phototropins are blue light sensors that are responsible for a range of responses (including phototropism, chloroplast movement and stomatal opening) that combine to increase the photosynthetic efficiency of plants. Initially identified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, phototropins have since been characterised in the unicellular alga Chalmydomonas reinhardtii, pteridophytes and angiosperms. The light sensitivity of phototropins is derived from the action of two highly conserved regions known as LOV domains which subsequently induce activity of an integral serine/threonine kinase domain via movement of a conserved alpha-helix (Jalpha-helix). Although little is known regarding phototropin signal transduction an obvious biochemical consequence of phototropin light stimulation is autophosphorylation. Phototropin autophosphorylation has previously been studied using a baculovirus/insect cell expression system, with the consequences of phototropin mutation on phototropin kinase activity within this heterologous system having comparable effects to those when identically-mutated phototropins were introduced into transgenic Arabidopsis. Whilst the ability of phototropins to act as light-regulated kinases is well established, the mechanism by which this occurs remains unclear. In this study a baculovirus/insect cell expression system is used to further characterise the mode of phototropin autophosphorylation and the functionality of a mutated phototropin 1 which demonstrates increased autophosphorylation activity in this system is assessed in planta using transgenic Arabidopsis.

It was initially of interest to further evaluate the mode of phototropin autophosphorylation. For example, it is unclear whether phototropin autophosphorylation occurs via an intramolecular mechanism or whether this process involves cross-phosphorylation between phototropin molecules. In Chapter 3 the mode of phototropin autophosphorylation activity was further examined using the baculovirus/insect cell expression system to assess the effect of protein truncations and specific point mutations on phototropin kinase activity. Such mutational analysis reveals that phototropin 1 is capable of intermolecular phosphorylation in vitro and also suggests that further phototropin autophosphorylation sites exist in addition to those previously mapped. Additionally, the importance of LOV2 and the Jalpha-helix as components of the phototropin receptor activation are confirmed. The implications of such findings for our understanding of phototropin autophosphorylation are discussed.

LOV domains bind flavin mononucleotide as a chromophore. The light-induced formation of a covalent adduct between the LOV domain and the associated chromophore is thought to induce conformational changes culminating in phototropin kinase activation. In Chapter 4 the two leading hypotheses proposed to permit signal transmission between the light-sensitive LOV domains and the integral kinase domain are examined. Previous work has shown that photosensitivity within one of the two LOV domains (LOV2) is sufficient for light-regulated kinase activity, suggesting that light-induced kinase activation is primarily induced via LOV2. This allowed the effect of point mutations within LOV2 on the light-regulated kinase activation of the full-length phototropin protein to be assessed using the baculovirus/insect cell expression system. Work presented here suggests that a single point mutation within LOV2 (Gln575 to Leu; Q575L) is sufficient to reduce signal transmission between LOV2 and the phototropin kinase domain whilst not altering the photosensitivity of the LOV2 domain. In contrast, mutation of a highly conserved salt bridge at the surface of LOV2 does not alter LOV2 domain signal transmission. Interestingly, the reduced light-induced kinase activity of the phot1 Q575L mutant could be counteracted by an additional mutation within the Jalpha-helix (Ile608 to Glu; I608E) which has previously been shown to increase the autophosphorylation of mock-treated phot1 in vitro in comparison with a wild-type control. Such findings suggest that conformational changes may occur in sequence to induce phototropin kinase activation.

The final component of this work involved transgenic Arabidopsis to examine the in planta functionality of phot1 I608E, which has been shown to have increased autophosphorylation in vitro when expressed using the baculovirus/insect cell system. However, rather than demonstrating phenotypes consistent with a constitutively-active form of phototropin, transgenic Arabidopsis expressing phot1 I608E appeared to have only partial functionality in planta and indeed appeared to inhibit phot-mediated phenotypes when expressed in a wild-type background. Possible explanations of the observed phenotypes are discussed.

The studies presented here further advance our knowledge of the light-induced mechanism which results in activation of the phototropin photoreceptor and also provide insight into the potential differing roles of phototropin autophosphorylation in planta.


Over 40 recipes to effectively build your enterprise solutions from the ground up using Mule ESB Overview Step-by-step practical recipes to get started with Mule ESB 3.4 Learn to effectively use MuleESB in a real-world scenario Expert advice to using filters, connecting with cloud, integrating with web services and much more In Detail Mule ESB is a lightweight Java-based enterprise service bus (ESB) and integration platform that allows developers to connect applications together quickly and easily, enabling them to efficiently exchange data. You can therefore use Mule ESB to allow different applications to communicate with each other via a transit system to carry data between applications within your enterprise or across the Internet. It is also useful if you use more than one type of communication protocol while integrating three or more applications/services. "Mule ESB Cookbook" takes readers through the practical approach of Mule ESB 3.3. This book solves numerous issues faced by developers working on Mule ESB in real time and provides use cases on how to integrate Mule with other technologies. It also focuses on development and delivery using Mule ESB through integrating, migrating, and upgrading advanced technological tools. This book gives the reader a strong overview of the Mule framework using practical and easy-to-follow examples. It has three sections: problems, approaches, and solutions. The key aim of this book is to show you how to allow different applications to communicate with each other by creating a transit system to carry data between applications within your enterprise or across the Internet. Mule ESB enables easy integration of existing systems, regardless of the different technologies that the applications use, including JMS, Web Services, JDBC, HTTP, and more. "Mule ESB Cookbook" will teach you everything you need to know to communicate between applications that are built on different platforms, as well as how to migrate them in your application across multiple platforms or on the cloud. What you will learn from this book Learn to work with components and patterns and how to configure them Understand message sources, processors, and properties Learn what an endpoint is and how you can configure this endpoint in your workflow Understand transformers and how you can use them in your workflow Learn about different types of filters and how to use them Understand exception handling and unit testing with MuleESB Create web services and integrate them in your workflow Learn how to create a flow and how to use routers and services Learn how you can use a cloud connector in the flow Understand how to use processors in your workflow Approach With this book you will learn in a step-by-step manner and build solutions from the ground up using Mule ESB. Each tak is well illustrated through recipes and the code contained in the examples is very engaging. Who this book is written for This book targets Java developers, architects, and IT managers who want to learn Mule ESB and who want solutions to their Enterprise and web service problems. This book requires familiarity with Java, but no previous exposure to Mule or other ESBs is required.


A new method utilizing computer subtraction allows 2 separate radionuclide angiograms to be performed during a single laboratory visit. Two separate intravenous injections of the radionuclide are given so that the patient's head can be imaged in 2 different projections. Background activity from the first injection is subtracted by the computer to allow good resolution of blood flow following the second injection. A static brain scan is performed after the second injection. Although single-view radionuclide angiography is widely used in the diagnostic evaluation of the brain, the addition of a second projection provides additional important diagnostic information. The views obtained, however, must be determined individually for each patient on the basis of the clinical history and neurologic signs. The selection of appropriate views, the diagnostic quality of the studies, and the practical clinical application of this technique are illustrated by 2 case reports.


Objectives To estimate the effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on 11 maternal and 27 neonatal/infant outcomes; to determine frequencies at which trial outcome data were missing, unreported, or inconsistently reported; and to project the potential contributions of registered ongoing or planned trials. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials; systematic review of registered but unpublished trials. Data sources Medline, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to September 2017; manual searches of reference lists of systematic reviews identified in the electronic search; and online trial registries for unpublished, ongoing, or planned trials. Eligibility criteria for study selection Trials of prenatal vitamin D supplementation with randomised allocation and control groups administered placebo, no vitamin D, or vitamin D ≤600 IU/day (or its equivalent), and published in a peer reviewed journal. Results 43 trials (8406 participants) were eligible for meta-analyses. Median sample size was 133 participants. Vitamin D increased maternal/cord serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, but the dose-response effect was weak. Maternal clinical outcomes were rarely ascertained or reported, but available data did not provide evidence of benefits. Overall, vitamin D increased mean birth weight of 58.33 g (95% confidence interval 18.88 g to 97.78 g; 37 comparisons) and reduced the risk of small for gestational age births (risk ratio 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.40 to 0.90; seven comparisons), but findings were not robust in sensitivity and subgroup analyses. There was no effect on preterm birth (1.0, 0.77 to 1.30; 15 comparisons). There was strong evidence that prenatal vitamin D reduced the risk of offspring wheeze by age 3 years (0.81, 0.67 to 0.98; two comparisons). For most outcomes, meta-analyses included data from a minority of trials. Only eight of 43 trials (19%) had an overall low risk of bias. Thirty five planned/ongoing randomised controlled trials could contribute 12 530 additional participants to future reviews. Conclusions Most trials on prenatal vitamin D published by September 2017 were small and of low quality. The evidence to date seems insufficient to guide clinical or policy recommendations. Future trials should be designed and powered to examine clinical endpoints, including maternal conditions related to pregnancy (such as pre-eclampsia), infant growth, and respiratory outcomes. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42016051292


BACKGROUND
Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing dermatosis associated with itch, sleep disturbance and poor quality of life. Treatment of AD includes the use of emollients, and topical and systemic immunomodulating agents. Many patients also use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

OBJECTIVE
This article reviews the pathophysiology of AD, clinical trials and recent patents involving various modalities of CAM in the treatment of AD.

METHODS
A Medline/Pubmed search was conducted using Clinical Queries with the key terms "Chinese Medicine OR Complementary and Alternative medicine" AND "Eczema OR Atopic dermatitis". The search strategy included meta-analyses, Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), clinical trials, reviews and pertinent references. Patents were searched using the key term "atopic dermatitis" from www.google.com/patents, www.uspto.gov, and www.freepatentsonline.com.

RESULTS
Only a few RCTs evaluated the efficacy of Chinese medicinal herbs in treating AD. There was some evidence for other modalities of CAM. Integrative Medicine (IM) usually refers to the various forms of CAM that combine conventional western medicine and Chinese medicine. Supporting evidence for the efficacy of IM in the treatment of AD is presently lacking. Integration is difficult. Western medicine practitioners are often ignorant about CAM and IM. Parents are concerned about the potential side effects of Western medicine and will tend to be non-compliant with the conventional Western component of IM. Recent patents on CAM and IM are reviewed. Most CAM patents are herbal compositions, evidence on their efficacy is generally lacking.

CONCLUSION
AD is a complex disease. The psychodynamics of the child and his/her family is the reason for the often suboptimal outcomes. Both Western and CAM practitioners should collaborate to create a mutually encouraging environment for the advances of IM. CAM and IM publications and patents are reviewed. Evidence of their efficacy is generally lacking. Further research is needed.


SUMMARY Enzymes moonlight in a non-enzymatic capacity in a diverse variety of cellular processes. The discovery of these non-enzymatic functions is generally unexpected, and moonlighting enzymes are known in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Importantly, this unexpected multi-functionality indicates that caution might be needed on some occasions in interpreting phenotypes that result from the deletion or gene-silencing of some enzymes, including some of the best known enzymes from classic intermediary metabolism. Here, we provide an overview of enzyme moonlighting in parasitic protists. Unequivocal and putative examples of moonlighting are discussed, together with the possibility that the unusual biological characteristics of some parasites either limit opportunities for moonlighting to arise or perhaps contribute to the evolution of novel proteins with clear metabolic ancestry.


To examine the relative roles of physical and biological processes involved in the recruitment of reef fishes, temporal and spatial patterns of supply and recruitment were measured for two fishes, Stegastes partitus (Poey) (Pomacentridae) and Acanthurus bahianus Castelnau (Acanthuridae), recruiting to Barbados, West Indies. Nightly light-trap collections of late-stage larvae were compared with patterns of juvenile recruitment. Otolith records provided estimates of larval duration and post- settlement age. Temporal patterns of larval supply were similar for both species: abundances peaked during the third-quarter moon. However, spatial patterns of larval supply varied between species: during large recruitment events, S. partitus larvae were more abundant in the south, A. bahianus in the north, suggesting that larval supply was not simply the result of passive transport. Patterns of supply were subsequently maintained (S. partitus) or modified (A. bahianus) by juveniles. In general, densities of juvenile S. partitus were evenly distributed along the coast; however, during major events, spatial patterns of recruitment reflected patterns of larval supply. In contrast, densities of juvenile A. bahianus were directly opposite patterns of larval supply, suggesting that for some species, postsettlement processes such as habitat selection may be more influential in creating spatial patterns of recruitment.


A new Bayesian algorithm for retrieving surface rain rate from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) over the ocean is presented, along with validations against estimates from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR). The Bayesian approach offers a rigorous basis for optimally combining multichannel observations with prior knowledge. While other rain-rate algorithms have been published that are based at least partly on Bayesian reasoning, this is believed to be the first self-contained algorithm that fully exploits Bayes's theorem to yield not just a single rain rate, but rather a continuous posterior probability distribution of rain rate. To advance the understanding of theoretical benefits of the Bayesian approach, sensitivity analyses have been conducted based on two synthetic datasets for which the "true" conditional and prior distribution are known. Results demonstrate that even when the prior and conditional likelihoods are specified perfectly, biased retrievals may occur at high rain rates. This bias is not the result of a defect of the Bayesian formalism, but rather represents the expected outcome when the physical constraint imposed by the radiometric observations is weak owing to saturation effects. It is also suggested that both the choice of the estimators and the prior information are crucial to the retrieval. In addition, the performance of the Bayesian algorithm herein is found to be comparable to that of other benchmark algorithms in real-world applications, while having the additional advantage of providing a complete continuous posterior probability distribution of surface rain rate.


Abstract. Flash flood is generally defined as a rapid onset of flood with a short duration and a relatively high peak discharge. It occurs rapidly, generally within one hour of rainfall, and sometimes accompanied by landslides, mud flows, bridge collapse, damage to buildings, and fatalities (Hapuarachchi et al., 2011). They cause extensive disruptions to a diverse range of living, working, societal, and spatial environments, the raison why they are reported to be one of the deadliest and most expensive natural hazards worldwide. Flood damages do not only depend on precipitation amounts but are also a consequence of geomorphological factors and human influences (Maruša et al., 2014) and in this study, the main attention is particularly concentrated on geomorphological factors to flooding. Flash flood events can be characterized by the amount of rain responsible to their occurrences and their duration. Leaving aside droughts, floods are one of the most dangerous meteorological hazards in Morocco, followed by wind-/sandstorms, with the largest frequency of occurrence and the largest number of victims (EM-Dat. 2014). Heavy rains often induce floods in Morocco, including flash floods, riverine floods and mud floods during the rainy season (Theilen-Willige, B. 2015). For example, in 2014, The violent storms of 22–30 November 2014, resulted in flash floods and rivers floods in large parts of Southern Morocco. The Guelmim area was the most affected part with at least 32 fatalities and important infrastructure damages. In August 2015 Heavy rain (299m) causes flooding in some area parts of the Geoparc of Mgoun (central High Atlas, Moroco): such as Tllouguit, Zawiat Ahancal,and Ait Bou Guemmez Indeed, this episode affected regional roads, bridges, schools and agricutural infrastractures, water supply and electrical networks and caused several people homeless, 3 deaths and important infrastructure damages. The torrential rains caused flooding of Ahancal and Bou Gemmez river and submerging roads and bridges. This flooding event rose the question of whether and how remote sensing and GIS tools could be used in an effective manner in order to contribute to a better understanding of the factors leading to this flooding hazard and how to mitigate damage in future by providing maps of areas that have been flooded in the past and areas that are susceptible to flooding due to their morphologic settings during extreme precipitation events. The flooding hazard in the High atlas of Azilal region initiated this study in order to investigate the use of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) for the detection and identification of areas most likely to be flooded in the future again due to their morphologic properties during similar weather conditions. By combining morphometric analysis of the investigation area involving the quantitative analysis of the landforms based on Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data (Aster GDEM, SRTM-DEM, ALOS PALSAR-DEM) and visual interpretation based on satellite image. The resulting maps of weighted overlay procedures, aggregating causal, morphometric factors influencing the susceptibility to flooding (lowest height levels, flattest areas), allowed for the distinguishing of areas with higher, medium and lower susceptibility to flooding. Thus, GIS and remote sensing tools contribute to the recognition and mapping of areas and infrastructure prone to flooding in this area. Satellite radar data as Sentinel 1, A and B, with acquisition times at or near the flooding events help to identify flooded areas due to the typical mirror-like radar signal reflection of water bodies. Optical satellite data (Sentinel 2, Landsat 8) (often useless during the flooding events because of the cloud cover) taken after flooding events can be used to monitor the traces of flash floods such as sediment accumulation areas or erosional features. Merging this information with infrastructural data in a GIS environment contributes to the detection of flooding hazard prone areas and, thus, to hazard preparedness.


Both perchlorate and arsenic are environmental contaminants, and their co-occurrence has been found in contaminated water. Perchlorate is a definitive thyroid disruptor, and thus affects antioxidant defense system. Arsenate is a pro-oxidant and cause oxidative stress. Arsenic is hypothesized as a thyroid disruptor. Ultimately, both chemicals cause damage on macromolecules. Theoretically, two chemicals have an additive interaction in thyrotoxicity and damage on macromolecules. To test this hypothesis, zebrafish Danio rerio were exposed to sodium arsenate (SA) and sodium perchlorate (SP) individually or in mixture in acute, sub-chronic, and chronic tests.

The 96-h LC50s of SA and SP were 272 and 1,365 mg/L, respectively, at larvae stage and 74 and 3,118 mg/L, respectively at juvenile stage. In the chronic toxicity test, we employed some endpoints to evaluate antioxidant (glutathione, GSH), thyrotoxicity (thyroid histopathology), and DNA damage (strand breaks, oxidative bases, and apoptosis). In addition, the toxicokinetics (uptake, accumulation, and depuration) of both chemicals and their mixture was examined. Fish were exposed to SP (10 and 100 mg/L), SA (1 and 10 mg/L), and the mixture—SP+SA (10+1 and 100 +10 mg/L) for up to 90 days. At day 10, 30, 60, and 90, fish were sampled and processed for endpoint assay.

In the thyrotoxicity, the sensitivity of the following histopathological indicators for indicating thyroid perturbations by these two chemicals is, in descending order: epithelial cell height>percent of colloid area/follicle area>colloid area/follicular cell height >hyperplasia>angiogenesis>colloid area>follicle area. Models were applied to characterize the toxicokinetics of two chemicals. Two chemicals were taken up and depurated rapidly. Both chemicals reduced the uptake but enhanced the depuration of the other chemical from the zebrafish in mixture. Total and reduced GSH and the GSH status index were significantly altered by high concentrations of SA, SP, or their mixture. Damage to lipid and DNA was not as sensitive as expected. Two chemical displayed additive interactions in terms of some endpoints tested.

In summary, this dissertation project explored the mechanism of these two chemicals and their interactions. This dissertation provides toxicological information for these two chemicals and clarifies their joint actions at different levels mechanistically.


We study the dynamics of information propagation in environments of low-overhead personal publishing, using a large collection of weblogs over time as our example domain. We characterize and model this collection at two levels. First, we present a macroscopic characterization of topic propagation through our corpus, formalizing the notion of long-running "chatter" topics consisting recursively of "spike" topics generated by outside world events, or more rarely, by resonances within the community. Second, we present a microscopic characterization of propagation from individual to individual, drawing on the theory of infectious diseases to model the flow. We propose, validate, and employ an algorithm to induce the underlying propagation network from a sequence of posts, and report on the results.


This paper proposes a novel multiple activity recognition and reasoning approach where we use on-body sensor information along with other context information to infer mobile user activities which are both concurrent and interleaved. We develop and validate an activity algebra and a complex activity recognition algorithm for detecting these multiple activities. Activities are mapped onto situations using spatio-temporal analysis. We validate our approach by implementing a prototype and performing experiments in different scenarios using mobile devices.


N-Aryl-α-amino amides including their chiral isomers have demonstrated important applications as pharmaceutical drugs; however, to date, a one-step synthetic route for them still remains to be developed. Herein, an efficient ligand-free copper-catalyzed selective C–N coupling reaction of diaryliodonium salts and dinucleophiles under mild conditions was realized. Diaryliodonium salts prefer to react with dinucleophiles at the site of stronger alkalic amino groups. Thus, a general aliphatic amino-selective N-arylation of α-amino amides was disclosed. Additionally, copper-catalyzed N-arylation of diaryliodonium salts afforded the same products as obtained via palladium-catalyzed reactions of aryl halides.


Mutations in the fission yeast genes mts5-1 and mbc]-1 were isolated in a screen for Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S.pombe) mutants that are both resistant to the microtubule destabilising drug methybenzylcarbamylate (MBCR) and temperature sensitive (t.s.) for growth. This screen has so far been specific for mutations in genes encoding subunits of the 26S proteasome (Gordon et al., 1993). This study shows that these strains contain mutations in the pad1 and crm] genes respectively. Crm] and pad] have previously been shown to be positive and negative regulators respectively of the AP-1 transcription factor Papi (Toda et al., 1992, Shimanuki et al., 1995), the S. pombe homologue of the mammalian AP-1 transcription factors fos and fun, which is involved in the transcription of multidrug resistance genes (Shimanuki et al., 1995). The mts5-1 (pad]-]) strain has a metaphase arrest phenotype and an increased level of high molecular weight ubiquitinated proteins when incubated at the restrictive temperature. This is identical to the mts2-1 (Gordon et al., 1993) and mts3-1 (Gordon et al., 1996) mutants isolated in the same screen and which have been shown to encode subunits of the 26S proteasome. This study reclassifies pad]' as a subunit of the 26S proteasome, 'and data is provided which shows genetic interactions between Padi and three other subunits of the 26S proteasome, Mts3 (Gordon et al., 1996), Mts4 (Wilkinson et al., 1997) and Pus (C. Wilkinson pers. comm.). A putative function for the 19S cap subunit Padi as an isopeptidase is also investigated. Crml has been implicated in MDR through Papi, since Papi is responsible for the transcription of genes involved in resistance to a wide variety of drugs. 26S proteasome mutants are also shown to be resistant to the same range of drugs as the mbcl-] (cnn]-I) mutant, but to a lower level, and that papli\ cells are sensitive to MBC (MBCS). 26S proteasome mutants are shown to have elevated levels of Papi when incubated at the permissive temperature indicating that this protein is not being degraded as efficiently as in wild type cells. A c.s. cnn] mutant has been shown to over-express a non-essential 25KDa protein that has been shown to be a downstream


Using data from the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, and fitting family fixed-effects models of child health and cognitive development, we test if left-handed children do significantly worse than their right-handed counterparts. The health measures cover both physical and mental health, and the cognitive development test scores span (1) Memory, (2) Vocabulary, (3) Mathematics, (4) Reading and (5) Comprehension. We find that while left-handed children have a significantly higher probability of suffering an injury needing medical attention, there is no difference in their experience of illness or poor mental health. We also find that left-handed children have significantly lower cognitive development test scores than right-handed children for all areas of development with the exception of reading. Moreover, the left-handedness disadvantage is larger for boys than girls, and remains roughly constant as children grow older for most outcomes. We also find that the probability of a child being left-handed is not related to the socioeconomic characteristics of the family, such as income or maternal education. All these results tend to support a difference in brain functioning or neurological explanation for handedness differentials rather than one based on left-handed children living in a right-handed world.


Choice 1988 Outstanding Academic Book Named one of the Best Business Books of 1988 by USA TodayA veteran reporter of American labor analyzes the spectacular and tragic collapse of the steel industry in the 1980s. John Hoerr s account of these events stretches from the industrywide barganing failures of 1982 to the crippling work stoppage at USX (U.S. Steel) in 1986-87. He interviewed scores of steelworkers, company managers at all levels, and union officials, and was present at many of the crucial events he describes. Using historical flashbacks to the origins of the steel industry, particularly in the Monongahela Valley of southwestern Pennsylvania, he shows how an obsolete and adversarial relationship between management and labor made it impossible for the industry to adapt to shattering changes in the global economy."


We performed two epidemiologic studies using routine abstracts of medical records to test the hypothesis that vasectomy may predispose men to cardiovascular disease. In a case-control study 1512 men who were under 55 years of age and had a history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or hypertension were matched with 3024 controls with other conditions; 2.4 per cent of the cases and 2.7 per cent of the controls were identified as having undergone vasectomy (risk ratio, 0.9; 95 per cent confidence limits, 0.6 to 1.3). In a cohort study data covering a mean period of 6 1/2 years after surgery were available on 1764 men who had had a vasectomy and on three comparison cohorts of men who had had other minor surgical procedures. There was no evidence of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with vasectomy. There is no consistent evidence from our studies to support the hypothesis that in the short term vasectomy predisposes young men to cardiovascular disease.


The prediction of the behavior of ships in a seaway has been an important topic in ship design since the beginning of modern naval architecture. In recent years, computer simulations using numerical methods based on mathematical models of the ship hydrodynamics problem has become a valuable tool for researchers and engineers working in this field. A large variety of methods with different levels of sophistication and accuracy already exist today, all being suitable for specific problems. However, with the current trend of larger, more advanced and optimized designs and focus turning more and more towards safety and energy efficiency, nonlinear phenomena are becoming more important and many of the traditional methods have problems in producing accurate results for certain cases due to assumptions and neglected physical effects in the underlying mathematical model. The overall objective of this project is the development and implementation of a fully nonlinear unsteady three-dimensional boundary element method for ship motion analysis, applicable to problems with a high degree of nonlinearities while still being suitable for practical use. The method is capable of predicting wave induced loads and motions with actual forward speed, taking into account implicitly all kinds of nonlinearities, i.e. higher and lower order frequency components, hull shape above the calm water level and self interaction between the forward speed flow field as well as radiated and diffracted waves. This thesis presents the mathematical model, the numerical method and numerical results obtained from the application of the method to a number of relevant test cases. Results from the application of the method are provided, including the propagation of a regular long-crested wave, the wave resistance problem in calm water and the radiation and diffraction problem in regular and irregular head sea. The results are limited to heave and pitch motions and are compared with analytical or experimental data, numerical results from other methods or, in some cases, both. The method has proved to be able to capture strong nonlinear effects in heave and pitch motions and its feasibility as a qualified analysis tool for such cases has been demonstrated.


In the United Kingdom, Myocardial Infarction (MI) is the main cause of death in middle aged males but occurs amongst women later in their life. Whilst the death rate has halved overall, the incidence amongst women is increasing, especially in those who smoke. The majority of patients survive their first heart attack but little is known about their quality of life, or which factors may influence life quality, during the year following a first MI. This work aimed to (a) evaluate quality of life in both male and female patients during the year following a first myocardial infarction, (b)examine the influence of demographic (age, gender, hospital), clinical (infarct site, angina, intermittent claudication and possible subsequent myocardial infarction), and psychological variables (perceived mastery) on quality of life during the year following a myocardial infarction, and (c) evaluate the outcome of cardiac rehabilitation programmes in tenns of quality of life. One hundred and fifty-six patients (124 males and 32 females) who experienced their first MI and were admitted to the Royal Preston and Chorley Hospitals
and who gave their informed consent, were recruited into this longitudinal study. Patients were assessed on four occasions (two interviews and two postal questionnaires). Quality of Life (QoL) was measured using the SF-36 (Ware and Sherbourne, 1992) and perceived control was assessed with the Mastery Scale (Pearlin and Schooler, 1978).
Additional symptomatic cardiovascular illness was evaluated with the Rose Angina Questionnaire (Rose, McCartney and Reid, 1977). Quality of life was affected for post MI patients, even after one year, and those with the additional complications of angina and or intermittent claudication had the greatest decrements to their life quality. Age, gender and the hospital site had little impact on quality of life. Patients who had high mastery beliefs reported less deficit to their overall life quality than those with low perceived control. Attendance at the health education programme did not have a measurable affect upon patient's reported quality of life. On the contrary, non attendees evidenced less limitation in their physical abilities. Strategies which enhance perceived control may be more favourable to quality of life outcome for those who experience a myocardial infarction.


This article explores deliberative civic engagement in the context of public administration and policy. The field of public administration and policy is seeing a resurgence of interest in deliberative civic engagement among scholars, practitioners, politicians, civic reformers, and others. Deliberative processes have been used to address a range of issues: school redistricting and closings, land use, and the construction of highways, shopping malls, and other projects. Additional topics include race and diversity issues, crime and policing, and involvement of parents in their children's education. Finally, participatory budgeting, which has been used with success in Porto Alegre, Brazil since 1989 and has been employed in over 1,500 cities around the world, has been one of the most promising forms of deliberative civic engagement. Finally, the article suggests what we must do to build a civic infrastructure to support deliberative civic engagement, including government, but also practitioners and scholars.


Background Serum markers of inflammation are candidate biomarkers in multiple sclerosis (MS). ω-3 fatty acids are suggested to have anti-inflammatory properties that might be beneficial in MS. We aimed to explore the relationship between serum levels of inflammation markers and MRI activity in patients with relapsing remitting MS, as well as the effect of ω-3 fatty acids on these markers. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study in 85 relapsing remitting MS patients who participated in a randomized clinical trial of ω-3 fatty acids versus placebo (the OFAMS study). During a period of 24 months 12 repeated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and nine serum samples were obtained. We measured 10 inflammation markers, including general down-stream markers of inflammation, specific markers of up-stream inflammatory pathways, endothelial action, and matrix regulation. Results After Bonferroni correction, increasing serum levels of CXCL16 and osteoprotegerin were associated with low odds ratio for simultaneous MRI activity, whereas a positive association was observed for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9. CXCL16 were also associated with low MRI activity the next month, but this was not significant after Bonferroni correction. In agreement with previously reported MRI and clinical results, ω-3 fatty acid treatment did not induce any change in the inflammation markers. Conclusions Serum levels of CXCL16, MMP-9, and osteoprotegerin reflect disease activity in MS, but are not affected by ω-3 fatty acid treatment. CXCL16 could be a novel biomarker and potential predictor of disease activity in MS.


The LI celi adhesion molecule (LlCAM) plays an important role in axon growth, fasciculation, and neural migration. Mutations in the L1CAM gene produce a phenotype characterised by X linked hydrocephalus, mental retardation, spastic paraplegia, adducted thumbs, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. We have conducted a detailed analysis of the phenotypic effects of missense mutations in the extraceliular portion of LICAM, foliowing a study that differentiated between "key" amino acid residues critical for maintaining the conformation of the extraceliular immunoglobulin type C-like (Ig) or fibronectin type III-like (FN) domains and surface residues of less certain significance. We have analysed the data from 71 published cases and seven patients whose mutations were detected in our laboratory to determine ifthe site of a missense mutation in the Ig or FN domains correlated with the severity of hydrocephalus, presence of adducted thumbs, or survival past infancy. Mutations affecting the key residues in either type of domain were more likely to produce a phenotype with severe hydrocephalus, adducted thumbs, and lifespan less than one year than were mutations affecting surface residues. In addition, mutations affecting the FN domains were more likely than those affecting Ig domains to produce a phenotype with severe hydrocephalus, with less certain effects on adducted thumbs and lifespan. Mutations in key residues of the FN domains were particularly deleterious to infant survival. These data provide information that may be useful in predicting some aspects ofthe phenotypic effects of certain LICAM mutations. (7Med Genet 1998;35:901-904)


Improved understanding of flow and radionuclide transport in vadose zone sediments is fundamental to future planning involving radioactive materials. To that end, long‐term experiments were conducted at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, where a series of lysimeters containing sources of plutonium (Pu) in different oxidation states was placed in the shallow subsurface and exposed to the environment for 2 to 11 yr. Then, sediment Pu activity concentrations were measured along vertical cores taken from the lysimeters. Results showed anomalous activity distributions below the source, with significant migration of Pu above the source. A previously developed reactive transport model with surface‐mediated redox reactions successfully simulated the lysimeter results below the source, assuming a steady, net downward flow. To simulate more realistic field conditions, a transient variably saturated flow model with root water uptake is developed and coupled to the reactive transport model. Overall, the fully transient analysis shows results nearly identical to the much simpler steady flow analysis. Thus, the surface‐mediated redox hypothesis remains consistent with the below‐source experimental data, the most important variable affecting transport being the oxidation state of the source material. However, none of the models studied could produce the upward Pu transport observed in the data. The hydraulic and chemical mechanisms tested as potential causes for upward migration—a modified root distribution, hysteresis, and air‐content dependent oxidation—yielded little or no enhancement of the upward Pu movement. This suggests another transport mechanism such as root Pu uptake and translocation in the transpiration stream.


This article describes an examination of the concurrent and criterion-related validity of the Couples Resource Map Scales (CRMS), a 63-item assessment instrument designed to assess the levels of support available to couples from various personal, relationship, and contextual resources. The sample of 1,103 participants included representatives of a nonclinical population and clients in therapy. The results supported the validity of the CRMS (a) by demonstrating statistically significant relationships between the three Resource Area Scales and other measures of related constructs, (b) through a regression analysis linking the CRMS Resource Area Scales to relationship satisfaction, and (c) by examining the differences in scores between the clinical and nonclinical samples. Implications for using the CRMS with clients are outlined.


Some scholars known as offensive realists claim that in the uncertainty of world politics, trust and cooperation between states is extremely unlikely. Others, such as defensive realists , claim that rational states are capable of finding ways to counteract the complications created by misperceptions and distrust, and to reduce uncertainty to levels where it no longer inhibits cooperation. In this paper, we construct a formal model to show how in some situations cooperation between states is indeed very unlikely: even in the presence of minor misperceptions, states fail to cooperate. We then ask whether diplomacy (modeled as cheap talk) is able to remedy the failure. We show that in many situations, allowing the countries to communicate prior to taking their actions does not enable them to cooperate.