For drinking water treatment plants that do not use disinfectant residual in the distribution system, it is important to limit availability of easily biodegradable natural organic matter (NOM) fractions which could enhance bacterial regrowth in the distribution system. This can be achieved by optimising the removal of those fractions of interest during treatment; however, this requires a better understanding of the physical and chemical properties of these NOM components. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) and liquid chromatography with online organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) were used to characterize NOM in water samples from one of the two water treatment plants serving Amsterdam, The Netherlands. No disinfectant residual is applied in the distribution system. Fluorescence EEM and LC-OCD were used to track NOM fractions. Whereas fluorescence EEM shows the reduction of humic-like as well as protein-like fluorescence signatures, LC-OCD was able to quantify the changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of five NOM fractions: humic substances, building blocks (hydrolysates of humics), biopolymers, low molecular weight acids and neutrals.


We have created a three-dimensional, implicit finite difference model that can accurately calculate temperatures within the bulk of a sample during a friction stir fabrication process. The model was written in Wolfram Mathematica® 7 for Students, and allows for timeefficient calculation of thermal profiles. The non-dimensionality of the model allows for accurate refinement of the temporospatial mesh, and provides portability across material types. The model provides insight as to the mechanism of heat generation by qualifying the fraction of mechanical energy converted to thermal energy for different material types and sample geometries. Finally, our model gives an understanding of the effects of the heat transfer at the boundaries of the workpiece and suggests a backside heat loss localized at the center of the tool due to a decrease in thermal contact resistance. We have explored the effects of processing parameters on the performance of the friction stir fabrication process. The process has four stages; tool insertion, warm-up, bead formation, and steady-state translation. The tool insertion phase is characterized by a rapid increase in system horsepower requirements. During the warm-up phase, the mechanical energy of the rotating tip is converted to thermal energy. Once enough thermal energy has been transferred to the workpiece, the volume between the tip and the workpiece is filled by feedstock material. Finally, the tool is translated under relatively steady-state conditions. The success or failure of the process is dependent on adequate material delivery to the system. The horsepower requirements of the process depend on the material type and the rate of material delivery. We have explored the effect of processing parameters on the microstructure of the processed samples. Optical microscopy shows that the stratification of layers within the weld and the depth of the weld are both dependent on the processing parameters. EBSD analysis coupled with Vicker's microhardness measurements of the processed pieces show that the grain size within the weld nugget is constant over the range of processing parameters available to the system. Data also show that pressure and heat inherent in friction stir processing of strain-hardened Al5083 counteract strengthening of the temper of the alloy.


From the Publisher:
This book is one of the first to address the problem of forming useful parallelism from potential parallelism and to provide a general solution.
The book presents two approaches to automatic partitioning and scheduling so that the same parallel program can be made to execute efficiently on widely different multiprocessors. The first approach is based on a macro dataflow model in which the program is partitioned into tasks at compile time and the tasks are scheduled on processors at run time. The second approach is based on a compile time scheduling model, where both the partitioning and scheduling are performed at compile time.
Both approaches have been implemented in partition programs written in the single assignment language SISAL. The inputs to the partitioning and scheduling algorithms are a graphical representation of the parallel program and a list of parameters describing the target multiprocessor. Execution profile information is used to derive compile-time estimates of execution times and data sizes in the program. Both the macro dataflow and compile-time scheduling problems are expressed as optimization problems and are shown to be NP complete in the strong sense. Efficient approximation algorithms for these problems are presented. Finally, the effectiveness of the partitioning and scheduling algorithms is studied by multiprocessor simulations of various SISAL benchmark programs for different target multiprocessor parameters.
Vivek Sarkar is a Member of Research Staff at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. Partitioning and Scheduling Parallel Programs for Multiprocessing is included in the series Research Monographs in Parallel and DistributedComputing. Copublished with Pitman Publishing.


: A search for new physics is performed using events with two isolated same-sign leptons, two or more jets, and missing transverse momentum. The results are based on a sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb 1 . Multiple search regions are defined by classifying events in terms of missing transverse momentum, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta, the transverse mass associated with a W boson candidate, the number of jets, the number of b quark jets, and the transverse momenta of the leptons in the event. The analysis is sensitive to a wide variety of possible signals beyond the standard model. No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed. Constraints are set on various supersymmetric models, with gluinos and bottom squarks excluded for masses up to 1300 and 680 GeV , respectively, at the 95 % confidence level. Upper limits on the cross sections for the production of two top quark-antiquark pairs (119 fb) and two same-sign top quarks (1.7 pb) are also obtained. Selection efficiencies and model independent limits are provided to allow further interpretations of the results. Abstract A search for new physics is performed using events with two isolated same-sign leptons, two or more jets, and missing transverse momentum. The results are based on a sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 fb 1 . Multiple search regions are defined by classifying events in terms of missing transverse momentum, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta, the transverse mass associated with a W boson candidate, the number of jets, the number of b quark jets, and the transverse momenta of the leptons in the event. The analysis is sensitive to a wide variety of possible signals beyond the standard model. No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed. Constraints are set on various supersymmetric models, with gluinos and bottom squarks excluded for masses up to 1300 and 680 GeV, respectively, at the 95 % confidence level. Upper limits on the cross sections for the production of two top quark-antiquark pairs (119 fb) and two same-sign top quarks (1.7 pb) are also obtained. Selection efficiencies and model independent limits are provided to allow further interpretations of the results.


The Internet is becoming a massive knowledge resource for 3D multimedia information such as movies, news clips, and children's stories. Multimedia information can be interactively modified using multimodal interfaces for entertainment to incorporate subjective perception in a scenario and to analyze situations using many what-if scenario modifications. In this paper we describe an XML voice interaction model for 3D XML movies retrieved over the Internet. This voice model can be used to dynamically and interactively modify and edit 3D movies and archive or transmit them to others over the Internet. Performance analysis has been presented.


In this paper, we present a branch-and-price method to solve special structured multistage stochastic integer programming problems. We validate our method on two different versions of a multistage stochastic batch-sizing problem (SBSP). One version adopts a recourse formulation, and the other is based on probabilistic constraints. Our algorithmic approach is applicable to both formulations. Our computational results suggest that both classes of problems can be solved using relatively few nodes of a branch-and-price tree. The success of our approach calls for extensions in methodology as well as applications.


The familial transmission of major depression and alcoholism among probands who had depression and alcoholism was examined. Our findings indicated that depressives without alcoholism did not transmit alcoholism, and probands with depression and alcoholism tended to transmit both depression and alcoholism. This confirms the observation that depression and alcoholism are not manifestations of the same underlying disorder. An increased risk of anxiety disorders in the relatives of probands with alcoholism, which could specifically be attributed to the presence of alcoholism in addition to an anxiety disorder in the proband, was also observed. This suggested that the alcoholism in these probands may result from self-medication of anxiety symptoms. The results of this study underscore the importance of examining combinations of diagnoses in patients in decreasing the heterogeneity of diagnostic categories.


The compositions of fluid inclusions hosted in ore and gangue minerals from Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) Pb-Zn-Ba deposits of the Ozark Plateau region were measured to develop a regional hydro-geochemical conceptual model for ore emplacement. This model may explain the diverse compositions of fluids involved in mineral precipitation, the ore precipitation mechanism, and the temporal change in composition of fluids invading the ore districts. The conceptual model additionally provides evidence for what factors may have controlled deposit size, stratigraphic location, and Zn/Pb ratio. Available evidence indicates that sulfide mineral precipitation in the Ozark Plateau MVT districts most likely occurred primarily as a result of the introduction of sulfide into a Pband Zn-rich ore fluid. The lack of continuity in high Pb concentrations in fluid inclusions in sulfide and nonsulfide minerals from across the mineral parageneses suggests that the ore fluids either entered the districts intermittently or had variable metal contents over time. Reaction path and binary mixing models were developed to investigate possible evolutionary histories that could produce a fluid with a composition similar to the average composition of Ozark MVT ore fluids. The reaction path models considered reaction between evaporatively concentrated seawater and granite. These models demonstrated no modern or ancient evaporatively concentrated seawater reacting with granite can fully produce observed Ozark MVT fluid compositions. Binary mixing models considered mixing between evaporatively concentrated seawater and a halite dissolution brine. To produce the average composition of Ozark MVT ore fluids through mixing, the halite dissolution brine must have had a salinity close to that of Ozark MVT fluids, have been Nadominant, and had low Cl/Br ratios.


The generation of large deposits of Au and Cu in suprasubduction-zone settings depends upon a combination of factors, including availability of the chalcophile elements to arc magmas in their mantle source regions, and the operation of suitable hydrothermal systems in the upper crust where the deposits eventually form. The removal of chalcophile elements from the mantle wedge into arc magmas can only occur if sulfide is absent from the melted source rock, requiring oxidation of the mantle wedge to values of log f O 2 > FMQ + 2, where f O 2 is oxygen fugacity and FMQ is the fayalite-magnetite-quartz oxygen buffer. The only agent capable of effecting this change is ferric iron, carried in solution by slab-derived partial melts or supercritical fluids. Arc magmas with high potential to generate Au and Cu deposits will have certain geochemical characteristics; they will have f O 2 more than two log units above FMQ and they will have either adakitic, sodic-alkaline, or potassic-ultrapotassic affinities. Favorable tectonic settings include subduction of very young lithosphere or very slow or oblique convergence, flat subduction, and the cessation of subduction.


Focusing on the BA (Hons)
Business and Management programme, the research aimed to develop a systematic
strategy for language development within contents-based learning, trialling a
range of bilingual teaching methods. Based on the review of the literature, a
mathematics-based Welsh-medium Finance module was identified as having a strong
rationale for trialling a bilingual teaching intervention. This was due to the
linguistic background of the students and existing research on language use in
bilinguals undertaking mental calculations. The trial formed part of a wider
language scaffolding strategy which aimed to support, build confidence and
develop Welsh-language skills over the study. The research employed a
mixed-method approach, based on a teaching intervention with students on five
undergraduate degree programmes. Feedback on the intervention was garnered
through an online questionnaire, face-to-face focus groups with students,
structured interviews with staff and a statistical analysis of Welsh-medium
students' average module mark achievement over a four-year period. The results
demonstrated a strong correlation between bilingual teaching methods and
improved module marks across all language profiles. The results identify a
strong positive response in student satisfaction levels and student retention,
although staff contributor responses identified negative issues with learning
material design and perceived impact upon student language use. Based on these
results, the research recommends a systematic and structured language
scaffolding strategy for BA (Hons) Business and Management to be implemented to
support students with a wide range of Welsh-language skills to be able to
engage in Welsh-medium education in Higher Education.


The body of evidence investigating post-exercise changes in left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) structure and function, commonly referred to as exercise induced cardiac fatigue (EICF), demonstrates a reduction in both systolic and diastolic function. RV dilatation and reduced LV filling are also evident. The mechanism responsible for this phenomenon is not fully understood, however a recent theory suggests that an elevated afterload on the RV and subsequent interaction between the ventricles may be implicated.
Based on this, the aims of this thesis were: 1) to assess the RV structural and functional response to a 100 mile ultra-marathon applying novel techniques to determine the transient or persistent nature of RV post-exercise changes, 2) to provide a holistic assessment of all cardiac chambers, including the simultaneous derivation of structure and function for both the LV and RV in the same cardiac cycle following a 100 mile ultra-marathon, 3) to establish the acute response to a 100 mile ultra-marathon in both the 12-lead ECG and right-sided ECG and 4) to assess RV structure and function during a 6 hour upright cycling exercise bout, including the simultaneous estimation of PAP.
The key finding from the Chapter 3 was a 10% reduction (P = 0.007) in RV strain and early diastolic strain rate immediately post-race that remained depressed following 6 hours of recovery. The application of area-deformation loops in Chapter 4 highlighted a leftward shift of the LV loop and rightwards shift of the RV loop immediately post-race with concomitant reduction in both LV and RV strain (-29 to -26% and -23 to -19% respectively, P = 0.01). The LV loop reflected a change in cardiac mechanics immediately post-race, supported by the increase in the systolic-diastolic strain gradient (P < 0.05). Following 6 hours of recovery, the strain gradient returned to baseline values but both RV and LV loops were still displaced from baseline values. There was a 22% elevation in the ST segment in leads V2R and V3R following the 100 mile ultra-marathon in Chapter 5. A heterogeneous response was observed with respect to T wave changes with 50% of right-sided ECGs demonstrating a significant change pre to post-race.
The laboratory based study in Chapter 6 established the most appropriate technique with respect to reliability, feasibility and appropriate absolute values to quantify RV function during exercise. MST and TVI provide disparate RV strain values at 50 (25 and 30%), 70 (20 and 35%) and 90% (15 and 32%) maximum heart rate. CoV for global RV strain during exercise ranged from 7 to 11% for TVI and 14 to 73% for MST. In Chapter 7, the RV in-exercise response was assessed throughout prolonged cycling exercise with concomitant estimation of RV afterload. In contrast to the field-based studies, an initial increase in RV strain (-26 to -28%) was maintained as exercise progressed with no elevation in RV afterload or subsequent structural adaptation.


The relationship between oxpeckers and African ungulates has traditionally been
considered mutualistic, because the birds were thought to reduce the tick loads of their hosts. However, recent field studies have questioned the validity of this
assumption. Red-billed oxpeckers were found to have no impact on the number of ticks living on domestic cattle and they also prolonged the healing time of wounds (Weeks [1999] Anim Behav 58:1253–9; Weeks [2000] Behav Ecol 11: 154–60). One of the important limitations of these studies is the fact that the two species did not coevolve, and therefore the results may not be representative of the relationships between oxpeckers and their native African ungulate hosts in general. We carried out observations between red-billed oxpeckers and one of their natural host species, the black rhino, in captivity, to investigate their relationship. We found that the rhinos had oxpeckers present on them for almost half (approximately 45%) the time that the two species were in the same enclosure. The oxpeckers spent a large proportion (approximately 40%) of their time on the rhinos foraging, and mostly at wounds. We observed oxpeckers opening wounds on their hosts for the first time; they created four new wounds on the female rhino and nine on the male. Although the rhinos were intolerant of the presence of the oxpeckers at wounds, only approximately 43% of their attempts at removal were successful. Therefore if oxpeckers are housed with any of their native hosts in captivity, observations should be carried out to determine the activities of the oxpeckers on those hosts. Zoo Biol 23:347–354, 2004.


Introduction: We describe the largest South African transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) outcome report of a single team in the Western Cape, over a 7-year period from 2009 - 2016. Methods: All patients who received TAVI at Mediclinic Vergelegen and Mediclinic Panorama were prospectively entered into a database. A total of 244 implants (61 CoreValve and 183 Edwards valves) were performed. Results: Patients were high risk with a mean STS score of 7.89 (standard deviation (SD) 5.7) and mean logistic EuroSCORE of 26.5 (SD 12.5). There was a trend toward lower risk over time. Procedures were initially performed mainly via a transapical approach, but this changed to mostly transfemoral with the introduction of smaller delivery systems. Procedural success rate was 91.8% for CoreValve and 88.5% for Edwards cases. Mean length of hospital stay following TAVI was 9 days initially, but this declined to 4 days for the latter part of our experience. One year mortality was 19% and one year stroke rate was 10%. Conclusion: Despite the limitations of a study of this nature, our group could document outcomes similar to international studies, with improvements over time and illustrating successful cooperation between different hospitals to expand exposure and experience in a resource-constrained environment.


We consider the adiabatic quantum algorithm for systems with "no sign problem", such as the transverse field Ising model, and analyze the equilibration time for quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) on these systems. We ask: if the spectral gap is only inverse polynomially small, will equilibration methods based on slowly changing the Hamiltonian parameters in the QMC simulation succeed in a polynomial time? We show that this is not true, by constructing counter-examples. In some examples, the space of configurations where the wavefunction has non-negligible amplitude has a nontrivial fundamental group, causing the space of trajectories in imaginary time to break into disconnected components with only negligible probability outside these components. For the simplest example we give with an abelian fundamental group, QMC does not equilibrate but still solves the optimization problem. More severe effects leading to failure to solve the optimization can occur when the fundamental group is a free group on two generators. Other examples where QMC fails have a trivial fundamental group, but still use ideas from topology relating group presentations to simplicial complexes. We define gadgets to realize these Hamiltonians as the effective low-energy dynamics of a transverse field Ising model. We present some analytic results on equilibration times which may be of some independent interest in the theory of equilibration of Markov chains. Conversely, we show that a small spectral gap implies slow equilibration at low temperature for some initial conditions and for a natural choice of local QMC updates.


In this note we make explicit a stability property for Kronecker coefficients that is implicit in a theorem of Y. Dvir. Even in the simplest nontrivial case this property was overlooked despite of the work of several authors. As applications we give a new vanishing result and a new formula for some Kronecker coefficients.


Purpose: Betulinic acid, a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid, exhibits potent antitumor activities, whereas the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the current study, we sought to determine the role and regulation of lamin B1 expression in human pancreatic cancer pathogenesis and betulinic acid–based therapy. Experimental Design:We used cDNA microarray to identify betulinic acid target genes and used tissue microarray to determine the expression levels of lamin B1 in pancreatic cancer tissues and to define their relationship with the clinicopathologic characteristics of pancreatic cancer. We also used in vitro and in vivo models to determine the biologic impacts of altered lamin B1 expression on and mechanisms underlying lamin B1 overexpression in human pancreatic cancer. Results: We found that lamin B1 was significantly downregulated by betulinic acid treatment in pancreatic cancer in both in vitro culture and xenograftmodels.Overexpressionof laminB1was pronounced in human pancreatic cancer, and increased lamin B1 expression was directly associated with low-grade differentiation, increased incidence of distant metastasis, and poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, knockdown of lamin B1 significantly attenuated the proliferation, invasion, and tumorigenicity of pancreatic cancer cells. Conclusions: Lamin B1 plays an important role in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis and is a novel therapeutic target of betulinic acid treatment. Clin Cancer Res; 19(17); 4651–61. 2013 AACR.


Self-attention has recently been adopted for a wide range of sequence modeling problems. Despite its effectiveness, self-attention suffers from quadratic computation and memory requirements with respect to sequence length. Successful approaches to reduce this complexity focused on attending to local sliding windows or a small set of locations independent of content. Our work proposes to learn dynamic sparse attention patterns that avoid allocating computation and memory to attend to content unrelated to the query of interest. This work builds upon two lines of research: It combines the modeling flexibility of prior work on content-based sparse attention with the efficiency gains from approaches based on local, temporal sparse attention. Our model, the Routing Transformer, endows self-attention with a sparse routing module based on online k-means while reducing the overall complexity of attention to O(n1.5d) from O(n2d) for sequence length n and hidden dimension d. We show that our model outperforms comparable sparse attention models on language modeling on Wikitext-103 (15.8 vs 18.3 perplexity), as well as on image generation on ImageNet-64 (3.43 vs 3.44 bits/dim) while using fewer self-attention layers. Additionally, we set a new state-of-the-art on the newly released PG-19 data-set, obtaining a test perplexity of 33.2 with a 22 layer Routing Transformer model trained on sequences of length 8192. We open-source the code for Routing Transformer in Tensorflow.1


Not to search for the reason of Isaac Julien's Western Union: Small Boats (2007), but rather to reason with the work, to speak in its vicinity: what follows is the log of one possible route. The trauma of modern-day migration, here most obviously deepened and dramatised by the dangers of crossing vast and inhospitable spaces – the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea – is also the trauma of that split in the unified image of the world that seemingly reflects and respects only our concerns. Subsequent fragmentation disseminates the insistence of possible and impossible transits and translations in which the refused, the expelled and the marginalised dissect and multiple the horizon.  These are shards of history that are also parts of us. The narrative unwinds, confused by rhythms, tonalities and accents that befuddle the desire for a secure semantics and the reconfirmation of our world, of our possession of the account.


Injection of chymopapain, a proteolytic enzyme, has been used in clinics for the treatment of spinal disc herniation, which is the major cause of lower back pain. However, the fast and wide diffusion and spreading of the enzyme from the injection site limit its effect and could cause severe side effects. Pluronic based nano-carriers were employed for the localized delivery of chymopapain and characterized in a porcine disc ex vivo as well as in vitro. Bare and chitosan conjugated thermosponge nano-carriers were prepared by photo-crosslinking either diacrylated Pluronic F127 or diacrylated Pluronic F68. Chymopapain was efficiently loaded into the nano-carriers with an encapsulation efficiency of over 95% in all the nano-carriers. In vitro release studies in physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 37 °C) showed a sustained release of the enzyme from all the nano-carriers but release from chitosan modified nano-carriers (∼16 days) was slower than that from the bare nano-carriers (∼12 days). Chymopapain delivered by nano-carriers remained more localized at the injection site in the nucleus pulposus of ex vivo porcine discs, compared to free chymopapain. Chitosan functionalized nano-carriers showed longer retention and slower diffusion of the enzyme compared to bare nano-carriers. The results suggest the potential use of the nano-carrier for the local delivery of chymopapain at the nucleus pulposus in discs.


The strengthening of globalisation processes together with the climate change, the slowdown of the world economy, and growing income inequality have a profound impact on the transformation of the global economic and socio-political landscape and make the theme of sustainable development progressively more relevant. The environmental trend within the humancentered trajectory of civilization affects the financial sphere through the introduction of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria in financial decision-making, creation of appropriate institutions and accumulation of financial resources, as well as transformation of financial systems' functions. Against a background of these trends, responsible investment, or ESG investing, which takes into account environmental, social and managerial factors when choosing investment strategies, receives a significant boost. The aim of the research is to formulate new approaches to expanding responsible investment in the economy in the context of developing sustainable finance. The methodological basis of the research includes the concepts of sustainable development, finance and investment. The study uses a dialectical method to investigate the dynamics of economic phenomena, their interrelation and interdependence; and a system approach to the object of research implemented through graphic representation, grouping and comparison, analysis and synthesis. The paper summarises the theory and practice of responsible investment, examines the trends in the responsible investment market as well as its peculiarities. The authors prove the need to encourage responsible investment within the sustainable finance framework by removing information and structural restrictions. This will ensure the development of responsible investment tools and gain greater reputational advantages for companies. The authors produce recommendations for organising this process, in particular, to employ international practices and adopt the corresponding government policy.


Purpose The role of the Ferric Uptake Regulator (FUR) in the acid resistance of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been thought to be independent of urease. However, we demonstrated in this study that Fur influences urease activity. Materials and Methods A fur knockout mutant of H. pylori was constructed by replacing the Fur gene with a kanamycin resistant marker gene. The wild-type H. pylori and fur mutant were compared for survival. The integrity of the inner membrane of the bacteria was evaluated by confocal microscopy using membrane-permeant and -impermeant fluorescent DNA probes. Urease activity of intact H. pylori was measured between pH 3 and 8. Real time PCR of both strains was performed for urease genes including ureI, ureE, ureF, ureG, and ureH. Results The fur deletion affected the survival of H. pylori at pH 4. The urease activity curve of the intact fur mutant showed the same shape as the wild-type but was 3-fold lower than the wild-type at a pH of less than 5. Real time PCR revealed that the expression of all genes was consistently down-regulated in the fur mutant. Conclusion The results of this study showed that fur appears to be involved in acid resistant H. pylori urease activity.


Growing concern about a lack of rental housing affordable to low-income Australian households has prompted consideration of possible policy interventions. This paper estimates the potential housing market impacts of a tax credit targeted on rental housing affordable to low-income Australian households. The study finds that existing landlords in low-income rental housing benefit from a one-third or more reduction in their effective tax burdens. If these tax benefits are passed on in the form of lower market rents, it is estimated that the percentage of households paying more than 30 per cent of gross income in rents falls from 26 to 21 per cent. This impact would be larger but for eligible households in receipt of demand-side subsidies in the form of rent assistance. As a consequence, many low-income households receive only part of the low income housing tax credit benefits that are passed on into lower market rents. Moreover, higher income tenants occupy some of the cheaper rental housing targeted by tax credits, and this weakens the policy rationale for such supply-side measures. The paper advocates the adoption of headleasing arrangements to increase the share of benefits received by low-income tenants.


ABSTRACT This study uses a novel spatial approach to compare population density change across cities and over time. It examines spatio-temporal change in Australia's five most populated capital cities from 1981 to 2011, and documents the established and emerging patterns of population distribution. The settlement patterns of Australian cities have changed substantially in the last 30 years. From the doughnut cities of the 1980s, programs of consolidation, renewal and densification have changed and concentrated population in our cities. Australian cities in the 1980s were characterised by sparsely populated, low density centres with growth concentrated to the suburban fringes. 'Smart Growth' and the 'New Urbanism' movements in the 1990s advocated higher dwelling density living and the inner cities re-emerged, inner areas were redeveloped, and the population distribution shifted towards increased inner city population densities. Policies aimed at re-populating the inner city dominated and the resultant changes are now visible in Australia's five most populated capital cities. While this pattern has been reported in a number of studies, questions remain regarding the extent of these changes and how to analyse and visualise them across urban space. This paper reports on a spatial method which addresses the limitations of changing statistical boundaries to identify the changing patterns in Australian cities over time and space.


Ever since the term 'burnout' was coined to describe a state of chronic emotional fatigue, this phenomenon has become the focus of much research interest. Employee burnout is a topic of major interest for management researchers because it has consequential implications for both individuals and organisations. The objective of the paper is to develop a standardised scale to measure job burnout in the Indian context. India has stood as the most dominant outsourcing destination in the world and call centres form the most important segment of the outsourcing industry. Thus, the scale is validated with a sample of 303 customer service representatives from call centres in India. Moreover, validating the scale with a sample drawn from the cross-cultural diversity of India enables cross-cultural validity of the scale. The factor analysis of the scale yielded three factors, namely meaninglessness, exhaustion and demotivation. The scale demonstrates sound nomological and discriminant validity and its reliability estimates are also high. The paper argues that the present scale can be used in cross-cultural studies of burnout as a reliable measure of burnout.


Thinking about the future highlights the constructive nature of consciousness, as opposed to merely representing what is there—because the future is not yet available to be seen. We elaborate this point to emphasize how consciousness deals in alternative possibilities, and indeed preconscious interpretation confers meaning by recognizing these alternatives. Crucially, the goal of prospection is less to predict what is sure to happen than to prepare for action in situations defined by sets of incompatible alternative options, each of which might or might not come true. We review multiple lines of evidence indicating that people conceptualize the future as just such a matrix of maybe. Thus, people think of the future as highly changeable. Most prospective thinking involves planning, which is designed to bring about one outcome rather than alternatives. Optimism may often reflect an initial, automatic response that is soon followed by conscious appreciation of obstacles and other factors that can produce less desired, alternative outcomes. People moralize the future more than the past, presumably to promote the more desirable outcomes. Anticipated emotion helps people evaluate future possible outcomes. People specifically anticipate the matrix of maybe and sometimes seek to preserve multiplicity of options. We integrate these patterns of findings with a pragmatic theory of prospection: Thinking of the future as a multimaybe matrix is useful for guiding action.


Recent advances in single-cell acquisition technology have led to a shift towards single-cell analysis in many fields of biology. In immunology, detailed knowledge of the cellular composition is of interest, as it can be the cause of deregulated immune responses, which cause diseases. Similarly, vaccination is based on triggering proper immune responses; however, many vaccines are ineffective or only work properly in a subset of those who are vaccinated. Identifying differences in the cellular composition of the immune system in such cases can lead to more precise treatment. Cytosplore is an integrated, interactive visual analysis framework for the exploration of large single-cell datasets. We have developed Cytosplore in close collaboration with immunology researchers and several partners use the software in their daily workflow. Cytosplore enables efficient data analysis and has led to several discoveries alongside high-impact publications.


This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: The main aim of the review is to determine the effectiveness of using incentive-based approaches (IBAs) (financial and non-financial) to increase physical activity in community-dwelling children and adults. A secondary objective will be to address the use of incentives to improve cardiovascular and metabolic fitness. A final objective will be to explore: - whether there are any adverse effects associated with the use of IBAs for increasing physical activity; - whether there are any differential effects of IBAs within and between study populations by age, gender, education, inequalities and health status; and - whether the use of disincentive/aversive approaches leads to a reduction in sedentary behaviour.


Apoptosis/Programmed Cell Death: A Brief Historical Perspective S. Gupta Cell Cycle and Signaling Pathways in Apoptosis: Apoptosis and Its Regulation J.J. Cohen Mechanisms for Recognition and Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Lymphocytes by Macrophages R.A. Schlegel, et al. Cytotoxic Lymphocyte Killing Enters the ICE Age S.J. Martin, et al. Crosstalk between Ceramide and PKC Activity in the Control of Apoptosis in WEHI231 S.J. Chmura, et al. Apoptosisregulating Genes: Regulation of Lymphoid Apoptosis by Bc12 and Bc1xL G. Nunez, et al. The Epstein-Barr Virus Gene BHRF1, a Homologue of the Cellular Oncogene bcl2, Inhibits Apoptosisinduced by Gamma Radiation and Chemotherapeutic Drugs N.J. McCarthy, et al. Structure-Function Analysis of Bcl2 Family Proteins: Regulators of Programmed Cell Death J.C. Reed, et al. Role of ICE-proteases in Apoptosis V.M. Dixit Fas-mediated Apoptosis S. Nagata Apoptosis in B Cells: Signals for Survival and Apoptosis in Normal and Neoplastic B Lymphocytes J. Gordon, et al. Regulation of B Cell Apoptosis R.F. Ashman, et al. Apoptotic Cell Death in the Chicken Bursa of Fabricius K.A. Jacobsen, et al. Apoptosis in T Cells: The Thymus and T Cell Death J. Sprent, et al. Genetic Regulation of Apoptosis in the Mouse Thymus B.A. Osborne, et al. Regulation of T Cell Activation by CD28 and CTLA4 P.J. Noel, et al. 8 additional articles. Index.


The flow of water over a trapezoidal, broad-crested, or embankment weir with varying upstream and downstream slopes has been investigated. Data are presented comparing the effect of slopes of 2H:1V , 1H:1V and vertical in various combinations on the upstream and downstream faces of the weir. Pressure and surface profiles were self-similar for all cases tested. Increasing the upstream slope to the vertical decreased the height of the surface profile and, hence, the static pressure of the crest. It also reduced the discharge coefficient. The variation in downstream static pressures was negligible though. Varying the downstream slope had a negligible effect on the surface and pressure profiles over the weir. Changes in flow were constrained to the region downstream of the crest. Cavitation could occur at the downstream corner of the weir if the upstream head was sufficiently high and a sloped face was used. This paper presents data that will be of use in the design of hydraulic structures for flow control an...


Background: Microorganisms are known to be involved in the formation of biofilm. These biofilms are often seen in chronic wound infections, surgical site infections, implants etc., These are capable of causing recalcitrant infections and most of them are also known to possess high antibiotic resistance. Objectives: This study was conducted to detect the biofilm formation in bacterial isolates from chronic wound infections. Materials and Methods: In the present study, ninety two isolates from chronic wound infections were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS (bioMerieux) and VITEK-2-MS (bioMerieux). These isolates were further screened for biofilm formation by three methods i. e., Tissue Culture Plate method (TCP), Tube Method (TM) and Congo Red Agar (CRA) method. Impact of biofilm production was correlated with the antibiotic resistant pattern. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was done for all three methods considering TCP as Gold Standard and parameters like senitivity and specificity of TM i.e. 47.2 and 100% respectively. Results: Out of 92 isolates, biofilm formation was seen in 72 isolates (78.2%) by TCP method. 64 isolates were strong biofilm producers, 8 isolates were moderate biofilm producers and 20 isolates were nonbiofilm producing. High prevalence of biofilm formation was seen in nonhealing ulcers infected with Staphylococcus aureus followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Conclusion: Among three screening methods used for detection of biofilm production, TCP method is considered to be a standard and most reliable for screening of biofilm formation in comparison to TM and CRA.


Many individuals experience problems understanding and preparing for
 low-probability/high-impact risk, like natural disasters and pandemics –
 unless they experience these events, yet then it is often too late to avoid
 damages. Individuals with recent disaster risk experience are, on average,
 better prepared. This seems to be mediated through emotions and a better
 understanding of the consequences. In this study, we use immersive virtual
 reality (VR) technology to examine whether a simulated disaster can
 stimulate people to invest in risk reducing measures in the context of
 flooding, which is one of the deadliest and most damaging natural disasters
 in the world. We investigate the possibility to boost risk perception,
 coping appraisal, negative emotions and damage-reducing behavior through a
 simulated flooding experience. We find that participants who experienced the
 virtual flood invest significantly more in the flood risk investment game
 than those in the control group. The investments in the VR treatment seem to
 decrease after four weeks but not significantly so.


Thai manufacturing small enterprises are recognized as making a significant contribution to business numbers, national employment, exports and output of Thailand. Despite their obvious importance to the Thai economy, manufacturing small enterprises face a number of important disadvantage that act as a barrier to their further development. This study estimates the technical efficiency of Thai manufacturing small enterprises by using a stochastic frontier model and technical inefficiency effects model. Cross-sectional firm-level data from the industrial census conducted in 2007 is utilised. A simple average technical efficiency levels in all categories of manufacturing small enterprises analysed are found to be low, indicating a high degree of technical inefficiency in the production process. Small enterprise production is heavily labour intensive. The technical inefficiency effects model reveals that firm age, skilled labour, firm location, ownership type, foreign investment and exporting are key factors contributing to manufacturing small enterprises technical efficiency. The paper concludes that government policy should place more attention on creating an enabling environment to foster manufacturing small enterprise growth, enhance technology, and encourage the development of an environment, infrastructure and facilities conducive to enhancing the business operation of manufacturing small enterprises in order to enhance their technical efficiency.


Above the entrance to some notable hotels and theaters is the marquee, a sign that draws attention to and identifies the facility. Often surrounded by large flashing chaser lights, the signs intend to grab the interest and curiosity of the viewer, inviting a closer look. As science educators, we also search for marquee objects or concepts that will serve as a hook for our students, tempting them into a deeper study of the curriculum. A good marquee will serve as a portal through which teachers may construct meaningful learning, building upon students' past knowledge and integrating the new content across disciplines (Mintzes, Wandersee, and Novak 1998). As professors of an online graduate-level paleontology class, we developed the concept of marquee fossils--fossils that have one or more unique characteristics that capture the attention and direct observation of students. Our graduate students, who were primarily practicing science teachers, were required to develop activities around the concept of marquee fossils with the intention of integrating these activities in their high school science classrooms. In the classroom, marquee fossils integrate the geology, biology, and environmental science involved in the study of fossilized organisms, their paleoenvironments, and subsequent changes in Earth since their existence. In addition, the use of local specimens brings local context to the science classroom. This article discusses the concept of marquee fossils and teachers' development of marquee-fossil activities for their classrooms. The marquee-fossil concept We constructed the marquee-fossil concept around our previous research on marquee plants (Wandersee and Schussler 2001; Wandersee and Clary 2006). Marquee fossils include animal, plant, protist, or bacteria specimens that represent an interesting opportunity to learn geobiological concepts and to link a once-living organism to its paleoenvironment. Many states have identified a particular fossil as an official "state fossil" (Figure 1, p. 46). This is a fossil that was procured within the state and is singled out because of its unusual characteristics, its rarity, or conversely, its abundance. Some state fossils may qualify as marquee fossils in that they represent an opportunity to integrate geology and biology with an earlier environment in geologic time. However, there are also many fossil specimens within any state that can be interpreted for educational value, but have simply been ignored. Marquee fossils may have important stratigraphic or environmental characteristics, but are not necessarily featured in museums or fossil parks. Although they may have been overlooked, these fossils can serve as a gateway for learning about geologic time, the significance of the local environment millions of years ago, and the changes exhibited by life-forms during Earth history. Furthermore, these fossils may help students connect their own community to the broader context of geologic time. In order to qualify as a marquee fossil, a specimen must attract attention and invite direct observation--the fossil must exhibit one or more features that make it unique and capture the interest of students. For example, specimens representing the earliest fossilized example of an organism, the largest type of an organism ever found, or an extinct--but once local--organism can all serve as marquee fossils. Other interesting characteristics may include distinctive ornamentation or suture patterns in ammonites, or unusual eyes or "bumpy" glabella in trilobites. The fossil should serve as a portal to increase students' understanding of fossils, integrating the biological processes of the once-living organism, the geobiological concepts involved in fossilization, and the environmental constraints of the ecosystem in which the organism once lived. For example, if students investigated the extinct Cretaceous rudist bivalves in area outcrops, they could draw parallels between modern oyster reefs and reconstruct an ancient shallow marine environment for their local community. …


Starting from the well-recognizable factuality of the social and economic reality of postsocialistic countries and their historical involution and entropy, the work evaluates development results of the Serbian economy. This development, in its contemporary times, passed through the double discontinuity of intensive process of organizational devastation of the human life from 1991 to 2000 and from 2000 on, with the challenge of the need for the complete country reconstruction. The unused advantages at the end of the 1980-th, economic openness, reformist government, balanced economic structure; human resources with expressed entrepreneurial sensibility were turned to the "lost decade", resulting in the slow and late transition. At that time, the realized GDP was $163 billion less in relation to the potential product, and it was the price of interrupted transition processes started at the end of the 1980-th. Production capacities were settled to less than 40% of operative capabilities relating to 1989. To stop this long-range trend of declining investment activities, even with good management and much luck, a very scientific-technological and development policy and abundant "seed money" were necessary for a complete turnabout in the economy. What are the results of the second decade that was met with great expectations of the true transformation of the society to its developmental transformation, as catharsis of the previous economic collapse? Is it about the "cosmetic changes" or another "lost decade"? Under effects of many endogenous and exogenous influences, we can say that the Serbian economy functioned in the first decade under conditions of absolute isolation, and in the second decade in the circumstances of relative isolation. It caused that the permanent production of economic weaknesses became constant chaining the development trajectory on the periphery of modern trends in a very dynamic environment. As an indicator of unsuccessfulness of reform processes, we can take the fact that GDP fell on 50% in relation to its level in 1989. This fact shows the synthesis of all consequences of accumulated difficulties in the previous decade. It is the same in the indicator of the global international competitiveness of our country, as a synthetic indicator of quality of the overall socio-economic ambient. Paying tribute to some well-done structural changes in the first years of transition, some questions were put if progress could go faster and why some steps were not made to strengthen the institutional frameworks for more powerful support to the impulses of the started transition. At that moment, almost ten years after the huge beginning enthusiasm for creating good society and economy that will provide the people a dignified life, there are more reasons to ask such questions. In the years to come, after politically and economically critical 2003, the absence of needed political to continue economic reforms are often quoted. The work will give the recapitulation of the main weaknesses and negative repercussions of the former transition way. The author's opinion that prospects for good future and exit from the existing development can be based on the complete opposite matrix of the economic, political organizational and cultural transformation through the new way of behavior and differently seen reality. It is not in the function of evidence or critical previous evaluation, as it is sometimes done, but just as the key argumentation about it. In addition, the view of desirable elements for development in this direction will be given.


Longhorn Beetles — Cerambycidae are one of the most easily recognised groups of beetles, a family that worldwide encompasses over 33 000 species in 5200 genera. With over 1400 species classified in 300 genera, this is the sixth largest among 117 beetle families in Australia.

These beetles often attack and kill living forest or orchard trees and develop in construction timber (like the European House borer, introduced to WA), causing serious damage. Virtually all Cerambycidae feed on living or dead plant tissues and play a significant role in all terrestrial environments where plants are found. Larvae often utilise damaged or dead trees for their development, and through feeding on rotten wood form an important element of the saproxylic fauna, speeding energy circulation in these habitats. Many species are listed as quarantine pests because of their destructive role to the timber industry.

This second of three volumes on Australian Longhorn Beetles covers the taxonomy of genera of the Cerambycinae, with comments on natural history and morphology. One hundred and forty-two Cerambycinae genera are diagnosed and described, an illustrated key to their identification is provided, and images illustrate representatives of genera and of actual type specimens. A full listing of all Australian species with synonymies and bibliographic citations is also included.

Recipient of a 2017 Whitley Awards Certificate of Commendation for Taxonomic Zoology


Background Anti-inflammatory agents are used widely in treating numerous inflammatory conditions. The effect of Tr14, a multitargeted natural product, was compared to diclofenac, a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on cutaneous wound repair in mice. Objectives To compare the effect of diclofenac with Tr14 on the transcriptome after cutaneous wounding in the mouse. Methods After abrasive wounding, the wounds were treated with topical Tr14 or diclofenac at clinically relevant doses. An additional group received subcutaneous Tr14 injections. The healing wounds were analyzed for RNA transcript profiling by RNAseq at specific times (12h, 24h, 36h, 72h, 96h, 120h, 196h) after injury. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were computed at each time point between diclofenac vs control or Tr14 vs control using EdgeR. Results Across time points, Tr14 treatment modulated a number of transcripts related to key wound repair pathways such as cellular differentiation, wound contraction, and cell mobility. Diclofenac, in contrast, changed gene expression mainly in two areas: Prominent effects were observed with regard to DNA chromatin regulation and ribosomal function, further effects were observed on the prostaglandin pathway and wound repair factors. In many of the key pathways modulated by Tr14, such as the defense response and cell motility, diclofenac tended to have an opposite effect on gene expression. At 12 hours post-injury, there were 521 transcripts significantly elevated and 1027 transcripts that were decreased by diclofenac treatment. By comparison, using a similar number of transcripts altered by Tr14 treatment, only 4 transcripts were increased in common, and 5 transcripts were decreased in common, suggesting that the therapies have different effects on the transcriptome. Conclusions The overall patterns of the Tr14 and diclofenac responses in the transcriptome during wound repair are very different. The Tr14 effect is most pronounced on the defense response, cell motility, and anti-apoptotic pathways. In contrast, diclofenac mainly affected histones and chromatin remodeling systems, as well as ribosomal systems that would be expected to alter the translational pattern of diclofenac-treated cells. Disclosure of Interest G. St. Laurent, III: None declared, B. Seilheimer: None declared, M. Tackett: None declared, J. Zhou: None declared, D. Shtokalo: None declared, Y. Vyatkin: None declared, P. Kapranov: None declared, I. Toma: None declared, T. Mccaffrey Speakers bureau: TM has received speaker's honorarium from HEEL, GmbH


We set up a two-country, regional model of trade in financial services. Competitive firms in each country manufacture non-traded consumer goods in an uncertain productive environment, borrowing funds from a bank in either the home or the foreign market. Duopolistic banks can choose their levels of monitoring of firms and thus the levels of risk-taking, where the risk of bank failure is partly borne by taxpayers in the banks\' home countries. Moreover, each bank chooses the allocation of its lending between domestic and foreign firms, while the bank\'s overall loan volume is fixed by a capital requirement set optimally in its home country. In this setting we consider two types of financial integration. A reduction in the compliance costs of cross-border banking reduces aggregate output and increases risk-taking, thus harming consumers and taxpayers in both countries. In contrast, a reduction in the costs of screening foreign firms is likely to be eneficial for banks, consumers, and taxpayers alike.


ObjectiveThe American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) announced in 2007 that general psychiatry training programs must conduct Clinical Skills Verification (CSV), consisting of observed clinical interviews and case presentations during residency, as one requirement to establish graduates' eligibility to sit for the written certification examination. To facilitate implementation of these requirements, the ABPN convened a task force to prepare training materials for faculty and programs to guide them in the CSV process. This article reviews the specific requirements for the CSV experience within general residency programs, and briefly describes the recommendations of the task force for faculty training and program implementation.MethodsMaterials prepared by the ABPN Task Force include background information on the intent of the observed interview, a literature review on assessment methods, aids to train faculty in direct observation of clinical work, directions for effective feedback, notes regarding special issues for cross-cultural trainees, clarification of performance standards, and recommendations for structuring and conducting the assessments.ResultsRecommendations of the task force include the use of a variety of clinical settings for CSV assessments, flexibility in the duration of CSV interviews, use of formative and summative feedback after each CSV assessment, and frequent use of the CSV across all years of training. Formal faculty training is recommended to help establish performance parameters, increase inter-rater reliability, and improve the quality of feedback.ConclusionsThe implementation of the CSV process provides psychiatry training programs with an excellent opportunity to assess how interviewing skills are taught and evaluated. In the process, psychiatry educators have an opportunity to establish performance parameters that will guide the training of residents in patient interaction and evaluation.


Certain international sports federations are requesting that glucocorticoids (GCs) should be removed from the World Antidoping Agency (WADA)'s list of banned products. Their arguments are based on the fact that GCs are in widespread use in sports medicine and have no demonstrated ergogenic activity. We will show that, although their ergogenic activity may be difficult to detect, it is real and the use of corticosteroids poses a real danger to athletes' health. We consider that this class of product should remain on the WADA's list of banned products.

### Human data

There is nothing in the literature to support the hypothesis that there is any relationship between performance and corticosteroid use in humans, but this is explained by the fact that little work has been done on this question and that the work that has been done has been based on inappropriate tests. In consequence, the data available do not necessarily mean that GCs do not affect performance.

In the experiments cited, performance was evaluated in terms of effects either on maximal oxygen consumption (maximum duration 10–12 min)1 or a short series of submaximal exertions;2 in no case has a prolonged endurance test (to exhaustion) been conducted, nor any series of brief high-effort exercises in which GCs might attenuate impressions of fatigue and pain. In practice, certain of their known pharmacological properties suggest that GCs could indeed enhance performance, and this would explain why they are in such widespread use in the sporting world: neurostimulatory effects at cerebral GC receptors could attenuate central impressions of fatigue, and anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects could inhibit sensations of muscle pain on effort as well as raising the fatigue threshold. The metabolic effects of these compounds consolidate glycogen reserves in muscle tissue3 and accelerate lipolysis and glycolysis mechanisms induced by catecholamines and growth hormone, …


Techniques for the design of continuously tapered two-dimensional (2D) subwavelength surface-relief grating structures for broadband antireflection surfaces are investigated. It has been determined that the Klopfenstein taper [ Proc. IRE44, 31 ( 1956)] produces the optimum graded-index profile with the smallest depth for any specified minimum reflectance. A technique is developed to design the equivalent tapered subwavelength surface-relief grating structure by use of 2D effective-medium theory. An optimal Klopfenstein tapered 2D subwavelength grating is designed to reduce the Fresnel reflections by 20 dB over a broad band from an air–substrate (ns = 3.0) interface. The performance is verified by use of both a 2D effective-medium-theory simulation algorithm and rigorous coupled-wave analysis. These structures are also shown to achieve this low reflectance over a wide field of view (θFOV > 110°). The pyramidal spatial profile, which has generally been assumed to produce the optimal broadband antireflection grating structure, is shown to require a significantly larger depth to achieve the same performance as a Klopfenstein-designed tapered antireflection grating structure.


This talk will summarise the outcomes of a consultative initiative entitled: "Climate Change in South West Estuarine and Inland Fisheries: What are the Potential Impacts and are we ready for them?"

The objectives of the initiative were to:
• Raise understanding of how climate change will impact on the communities associated with South West estuarine and inland fisheries.
• Develop a set of agreed and collaborative strategies on how best to respond to these potential impacts.
• Report these strategies to relevant agencies/funding bodies/stakeholders.
• Develop a generic consultative methodology, which can be transferred to other primary production/regional sectors.

The methodology was based on the methodologies outlined in the National Greenhouse Office guide "Climate Change: Impacts and Risk Management: A Guide for Business and Government, and for Health Impact Assessment. In brief the project was conducted in three phases incorporating two half-day workshops and an internal risk assessment. The phases were

a. Phase 1: Workshop 1: Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Coping Capacity.
b. Phase 2: Internal risk assessment
c. Phase 3: Workshop 2: Verification of Risk Assessment of Adaptation strategies.

The presentation will summarise the projected impacts of climate change on SW estuarine and inland fisheries, results of a risk assessment of the identified impacts and the development of a set of adaptation strategies to assist the communities in adapting to the impacts. The adaptation strategies developed were in the areas of legislative/regulatory, research, infrastructure development, surveillance and monitoring, and communication and education. These adaptation strategies can be then be applied generically for planning climate change adaptation research and activity or applied as appropriate to specific systems to facilitate a local response.

The consultative methodology developed in this initiative can be modified for application to other primary production sectors or scenarios in developing climate change adaptation strategies.


The size at onset of maturity (SOM) of female Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875) was estimated at 50 sites around Tasmania, Australia, based on the presence of ovigerous setae. There was a distinct spatial cline with the largest SOM being found at northwestern sites and the smallest at southwestern sites. Variation in SOM between sites was substantial and ranged from 59 mm to 112 mm carapace length. The observed decline in SOM from north to south was the reverse of that described for the same species at similar latitudes in New Zealand, which suggests that SOM in J. edwardsii is regulated by factors in addition to temperature. The effect of density on female SOM was investigated by comparing SOM estimates from two marine reserves with adjacent fished sites; however, there was no evidence of a decline in SOM with increasing density as predicted. A model of SOM predicted by latitude and longitude is described to facilitate spatial modelling of lobster stocks. The substantial and predictable spatial variation in SOM implies that management of this fishery would be improved by incorporating spatial elements, such as regional legal minimum size limits.


The Andes are the classic example of a subduction-related orogen. Segmentation of the orogenic belt is related to dynamics of the subduction zone and to upper plate thermomechanical properties. Understanding the controlling factors on deformation along the orogen requires studying cross sections at different latitudes and determining the respective roles of plate interactions, upper plate weakness zones, and crustal architecture. A newly constructed balanced cross section of the Argentinean Andes at 35°S, in the transition between a flat-slab and a normal subduction segment, shows tectonic inversion of Mesozoic normal faults and development of new thrusts during Andean shortening. Estimated shortening of 26.2 km, equivalent to 22% of the initial length, is lower than previous estimates obtained from partial cross sections using non-inversion structural models. Comparison of this estimate with crustal area balance constrained by geophysical data indicates that (1) crustal thickness was varied across the transect before Andean shortening, with a thick (∼45 km) crustal block to the west related to late Paleozoic orogeny, and a thinner block (∼32 km) in the east related to Mesozoic stretching; and (2) a structural model incorporating tectonic inversion is consistent with regional shortening and crustal thickness trends. Our results underscore the role of the inherited characteristics of the upper plate in subduction-related orogens, including preexisting faults and preorogenic crustal thickness variations.


Hierarchical nitrogen-doped porous carbons (HNPCs) with tunable pore structures and ultrahigh specific surface areas were designed and prepared from sustainable biomass precursor cellulose carbamate via simultaneous carbonization and activation by a facile one-pot approach. The as-synthesized HNPCs exhibited an ultrahigh specific surface area (3700 m2 g−1), a high pore volume (3.60 cm3 g−1) and a high level of nitrogen-doping (7.7%). The HNPCs were structurally tunable in terms of their pore structure and morphology by adjusting the calcination temperature. In three-electrode systems, the electrode made of HNPCs prepared at 900 °C (HNPCs-900) showed a high specific capacitance of 339 F g−1 in 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte and 282 F g−1 in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. An outstanding rate capability (∼73% retention at a current density of 20 A g−1) and excellent cycling stability (∼95% retention after 5000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1) in KOH electrolyte were achieved. In two-electrode systems, the electrode made of HNPCs-900 exhibited a high specific capacitance of 289 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and good rate capacity (∼72% retention at a current density of 20 A g−1) as well as cycling stability (∼92% retention at 2 A g−1) after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the HNPCs-900 showed an unprecedented adsorption capacity for methylene blue (1551 mg g−1) which was among the few highest ever reported for dye removal. The HNPCs could be used as functional materials for energy storage and waste water treatment.


The aerodynamic properties of a bird's tail, and the forces produced by it, can be predicted by using slender lifting surface theory. The results of the model show that unlike conventional wings, which generate lift proportional to their area, the lift generated by the tail is proportional to the square of its maximum continuous span. Lift is unaffected by substantial variations in tail shape provided that the tail initially expands in width along the direction of flow. Behind the point of maximum width of the tail the flow is dominated by the wake of the forward section. Any area behind this point therefore causes only drag, not lift. The centre of lift is at the centre of area of the part of the tail in front of the point of maximum width. The moment arm of the tail, about its apex, is therefore more than twice the moment arm of a conventional wing about its leading edge. The drag of the tail is a combination of induced drag proportional to lift, and profile drag proportional to surface area. Induced drag can be halved by drooping the outer tail feathers to generate leading edge suction. This may be used for control, particularly in slow flight when both wings and tail are generating maximum lift. The slender lifting surface model is very accurate at angles of attack below about 15°. At higher angles of attack vortex formation at the leading edge can stabilize the flow over the tail and thereby generate increased lift by a detached vortex mechanism. Asymmetry in the orientation of the leading edges with relation to the freestream (either in roll, yaw or caused by asymmetry in the planform) is amplified in the flow field and leads to large rolling and yawing forces that could be used for control in turning manoeuvres. The slender lifting surface model can be used to examine the effect of variations in tail shape and tail spread on the aerodynamic performance of the tail. A forked tail that has a triangular planform when spread to just over 120° gives the best aerodynamic performance and this may be close to a universal optimum, in terms of aerodynamic efficiency, for a means to control pitch and yaw. However, natural selection may act to optimise the performance of the tail when it is not widely spread. The tail is normally only widely spread during manoeuvres, or at low speeds, selection may act to improve the efficiency of the tail when it is spread to only a relatively narrow angle - for example to maximize the bird's overall lift to drag ratio - the optimum shape at any angle of spread is that which gives a straight trailing edge to the tail. This will always give a slightly forked planform, but fork depth will depend on how widely the tail is spread when selection acts, and this depends on the criteria for optimization under natural selection. A forked tail is more sensitive to changes in angle of attack and angle of spread, than other tail types. Forked tails are more susceptible to damage than other tail morphologies, and suffer a greater loss of performance following damage. Forked tails also confer less inherent stability than any other type of tail. Aerodynamic performance may not be an im portant optimization criterion for birds that fly in a cluttered environment, or do not fly very much. Natural selection, under these conditions, may favour tails of other shapes. The aerodynamic costs of sexually selected elongated tails can be predicted from the model. These predictions can be used to distinguish between the various models for the evolution of elongated tails. Elongated graduated tails and pintails could have evolved either through a Fisherian or H andicap mechanism. The evolution of long forked tails can be initially favoured by natural selection, the pattern of feather elongation seen in sexually selected forked tails is predicted by the Fisher hypothesis (Fisher 1930) but not by any of the other theories of sexual selection.


OF DISSERTATION ROCK DUST SURFACE CHEMISTRY MODIFICATIONS FOR ELIMINATING CAKE FORMATION AND IMPROVING DISPERSION IN COAL DUST EXPLOSION MITIGATION APPLICATIONS Rock dust has been historically applied to mitigate the coal dust explosion in either dry or wet form. Dry rock dust performs best in inerting the potential coal dust explosion due to the greatest dispersive properties. However, it undesirably exposes underground coal miners to respirable dust particles which imposes a severe health danger. Wet dust application is able to significantly reduce the floatable dust particles but another problem associated with caking is predominant. Caking phenomenon is usually used to describe the change of free-flowing bulk solids into agglomerated chunks. Unfortunately, the environmental conditions of an underground mine have the potential to cause caking of the rock dust, especially for wet dust application, which reduces the dispersive characteristics needed for effective explosion mitigation and is also the focus of the present study. Surface modification of rock dust to generate a hydrophobic surface is believed to alleviate the caking problem by allowing instant water drainage and eliminating the formation of water and solid bridges. Surface modification of rock dust was evaluated in the present study with a series of potential modifying reagents including oleic acid, sodium oleate and stearic acid. The modification efficiency in terms of measured contact angle, zeta potential and dispersibility values was investigated with sodium oleate generating the best modification effect. Dispersants were investigated as well in the present work aiming to further increase the particles dispersibility in addition to the excellent hydrophobization effect generated by sodium oleate. However, dispersibility test results indicated that the adsorption of dispersant and sodium oleate was competitive. The preferential adsorption of dispersants over oleate deteriorated the surface hydrophobicity of particles and the dispersibility was decreased as a result. As anticipated, dry rock dust always provided the best dispersibility with almost 95% of the dust remaining in suspension at a dispersion time of 30 seconds. The percentage dust dispersion values of sodium oleate treated rock dust was increased to as high as 71% in contrast to 47% of untreated wet rock dust and the explosion potential was correspondingly reduced by almost 83%. The effect of sodium oleate was further studied as a function of reagent concentration to determine the optimum application condition. The dispersibility of rock dust particles was initially increased until the application of 0.1 wt% sodium oleate, after which it slightly decreased up to 0.5 wt% oleate. When the concentration was above 0.5 wt%, the dispersibility of dust particles substantially decreased to a value lower than the value obtained for regular wet dust. The optimum sodium oleate concentration was thus determined at approximately 0.1 by weight of rock dust particles with a corresponding contact angle of around 110 degrees. The pivotal of rock dust modification efficiency is its long-term stability which can be corroborated by irreversible chemical adsorption rather than the short-term physical adsorption. Therefore, the fundamental adsorption mechanism of sodium oleate on rock dust surface was continuously investigated by means of using surface tension measurements, FTIR, Thermogravimetric, SEM analyses and constructing the species distribution diagram. Based on the surface tension measurements and calculated apparent surface area occupied by per oleate molecule, the monolayer adsorption of oleate on dust surface was proposed with oleate concentration falling between 0.1-0.15 wt% which guarantees the long-term surface modification efficiency. Calcium oleate started precipitating out of bulk solution and depositing on the dust surface when the oleate concentration was above 0.15 wt% which became more predominant under high oleate concentration. Super hydrophobic particles together with nucleated calcium oleate nanoparticles tend to increase particles aggregation significantly through attractive hydrophobic particle-particle interactive force, which renders the particles more agglomerated instead of dispersed. Systematic and economic evaluation of the wet form rock dusting process in underground coal mine applications was conducted at the end to determine the safety effects, potential benefits and improvement for future implementation. Suggestions for future work were given as well to shed light on the dusting process together with rock dust surface chemistry modification.


Cw laser action of Ti:Al2O3 under argon-ion laser pumping is presented. We analyze the free-running characteristics and the effective emission cross section of the laser. The temperature dependence of the 2E lifetime was measured from 4 to 650 K and is explained in a single-phonon model. The quantum efficiency of Ti:Al2O3 at room temperature is 80%.


The direct and indirect impacts of the increase in human population, in particular the growing demand for food, as well as various aspects of climate change pose threats to the abundance of parrotfishes (Scarinae), the main coral reef grazers. One way to reduce fishing is by forming marine protected area (MPA). MPAs tend to increase the abundance of marine fish. Well-managed MPA, with effective protection from fishing, could also benefit sex-changing fish populations. The objectives of this research are to assess effects of MPAs on parrotfish abundance and biomass and how do parrotfish abundance and size in the different life phases differ between sites within MPAs and outside MPAs. Fish surveys were conducted in eight Caribbean countries (Antigua, Bonaire, Barbados, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and Grenadines (SVG)) using an underwater visual census technique. The differences between parrotfish density and size within and outside MPAs were assessed. Mean parrotfish numerical density was slightly higher at MPA sites than at non-MPA sites but this was not significant. A significant difference was found between parrotfish biomass within and without the MPAs. The abundance biomass comparison (ABC) results showed that out of 33 MPA sites, 79% had a positive index and 21% a negative W-index value. In contrast, only 49% of non-MPA sites surveyed had a positive W-index. Sites within an MPA generally had higher mean parrotfish sizes than those outside the MPA, except for the juvenile phase. The present results reinforce the belief that parrotfish abundance and biomass, which where depleted by fishing, can be increased through applying significant levels of protection. However further research is needed on the effectiveness and duration of protection which are necessary to produce desired levels of improvement in parrotfish abundance, biomass and size.


We present a measurement of the top quark mass in the all-hadronic channel (t{bar t} {yields} b{bar b} q{sub 1}{bar q}{sub 2}q{sub 3}{bar q}{sub 4}) using 943 pb{sup -1} of p{bar p} collisions at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV collected at the CDF II detector at Fermilab (CDF). We apply the standard model production and decay matrix-element (ME) to t{bar t} candidate events. We calculate per-event probability densities according to the ME calculation and construct template models of signal and background. The scale of the jet energy is calibrated using additional templates formed with the invariant mass of pairs of jets. These templates form an overall likelihood function that depends on the top quark mass and on the jet energy scale (JES). We estimate both by maximizing this function. Given 72 observed events, we measure a top quark mass of 171.1 {+-} 3.7 (stat.+JES) {+-} 2.1 (syst.) GeV/c{sup 2}. The combined uncertainty on the top quark mass is 4.3 GeV/c{sup 2}.


This study evaluated whether androgen action is altered in rats treated neonatally with diethylstilbestrol (DES) at a dose that induced reproductive tract abnormalities. Rats were treated on alternate days 2-12 with 10 microg DES and studied on Day 18. DES-induced abnormalities included a 70% reduction in testis weight, distension and overgrowth of the rete, distension and reduction in epithelial height of the efferent ducts, underdevelopment of the epididymal duct epithelium, reduction in epithelial height in the vas deferens, and convolution of the extra-epididymal vas. In DES-treated rats, androgen receptor (AR) immunoexpression was virtually absent from all affected tissues and the testis, whereas AR expression in controls was intense in epithelial and stromal cells. The DES-induced change in AR immunoexpression was confirmed by Western analysis for the testis. In rats treated neonatally with 1 microg DES, reproductive abnormalities were absent or minor, except for a 38% reduction in testis weight; loss of AR immunoexpression also did not occur in these rats. Treatment-induced changes in AR expression were paralleled by changes in Leydig cell volume per testis (91% reduction in the 10-microg DES group; no change in the 1-microg DES group). To test whether suppression of androgen production or action alone could induce comparable reproductive abnormalities to 10 microg DES, rats were treated neonatally with either a potent gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRHa) or with flutamide (50 mg/kg/day). These treatments reduced testis weight (68% for GnRHa, 40% for flutamide), and generally retarded development of the reproductive tract but failed to induce the abnormalities induced by 10 microg DES. GnRHa and flutamide caused no detectable change in AR immunoexpression in target tissues, with the exception of minor changes in the testes of flutamide-treated males. GnRHa treatment caused a reduction (83%) in Leydig cell volume comparable to that caused by 10 microg DES. Immunoexpression of estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) in the efferent ducts and of ER beta in all tissues studied were unaffected by any of the above treatments. Neonatal coadministration of testosterone esters (TE; 200 microg) with 10 microg DES prevented most of the morphological abnormalities induced by 10 microg DES treatment alone, though testis weight was still subnormal (46% reduction in DES + TE vs 72% in DES alone and 49% with TE alone) and some lumenal distension was still evident in the efferent ducts. Coadministration of TE with DES prevented DES-induced loss of AR immunoexpression (confirmed for testis by Western blot analysis). It is concluded that 1) reproductive tract abnormalities induced in the neonatal male rat by a high (10 microg) dose of DES are associated with reduced AR expression and Leydig cell volume; 2) these changes are largely absent with a lower dose of DES (1 microg); 3) treatments that interfere with androgen production (GnRHa) or action (flutamide) alone failed to induce reproductive tract abnormalities or alter AR expression as did 10 microg DES; 4) a grossly altered androgen:estrogen balance (low androgen + high estrogen) may underlie the reproductive tract abnormalities, other than reduced testis weight, induced by high doses of DES.


The Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious problem of world-wide public health,
particularly in the developing countries. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, 7,000 new TB cases are reported annually, for an incidence de 105 per 100,000
inhabitants. In three Community Health Centers (CHCs) of Planning Area 1
(AP-1.0) of Rio de Janeiro, the section of the city with the highest case rate of TB, an evaluation of the influence of directly observed treatment (DOT) without or with (DOT-A) prophylaxis of risk contacts was performed; contacts of the latter group were also actively evaluated for active or latent TB. For this purpose, four communities received the DOT regimen while other four
communities received DOT-A. A prospective community-based study was performed during the period 2001 to 2004 and we received strains of 353
patients, equally distributed among the neighborhoods with the two DOT
schemes. Bacteriological, clinical and epidemiological data were collected and Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes defined through MIRU-VNTR
(mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units - variable number tandem repeats) typing, spoligotyping and IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (IS6110-RFLP). Also, the use of the left-hand side probe and a right-hand side probe of the PvuII site in the IS6110 was evaluated. All samples were typed by both PCR typing methods while a large fraction of the 2001 samples was submitted to IS6110-RFLP. Clustering results between the three methods were compared and cluster rates were, respectively, 20%, 29% and 72 % for IS6110-RFLP, MIRU-VNTR typing and spoligotyping. The combination of MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping techniques for the definition of genotypes reduced the number of clusters to 7.8% and initial data were obtained suggesting that clusters formed by IS6110-RFLP are respected by MIRU-VNTR. However, IS6110-RFLP typing should be performed of all isolates to have a more solid comparison of this technique with MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping. The biggest cluster obtained with MIRU-VNTR was only observed in 2001 and could suggest a local temporary outbreak. Risk factor determination for TB was evaluated through association of cluster formation of isolates with recent transmission of TB between patients. This was performed for the three typing methods and for the combined MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping procedure. The only risk factor that was consistently related with recent transmission was being infected with a resistant or multi-drug resistant strain. No difference in clustering rates was observed between the two DOT procedures suggesting either the absence of association between clustering of genotypes and recent transmission of TB or the lack of influence of the additional procedures inherent to DOT-A in relation to DOT on TB transmission in the investigated population. Additional approaches of data analysis should however be performed and are underway.


Cytokine Induced Protein 29 (CIP29) was originally identified as protein over-expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, and expression of the protein has since been found to be upregulated in multiple other cancers (Fukuda et al, 2002; Leaw et al, 2004). Several potential roles have been proposed for CIP29. It has been suggested that the protein plays a role in cellular proliferation, perhaps through cell cycle regulation (Fukuda et al, 2002). Additionally, studies have suggested that CIP29 may be an RNA binding protein (RBP) involved in mRNA export (Dufu et al, 2010). Previous research by this laboratory found that the X.laevis ortholog of CIP29, XCip29, is phosphorylated in response to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). This phosphorylation was shown to be dependent on the activity of ATM, one of the three PI3KK kinases that orchestrate the DNA damage response (DDR). The purpose of our research was to investigate the function of the human CIP29 protein and to explore a potential role for the protein in the cellular response to DNA damage. DNAdamage dependent phosphorylation of human CIP29 could not be detected in this study. CRISPR genome editing was used to generate two CIP29 mutant cell lines, named C9 and C60. The C60 cells were shown to express a mutant form of the CIP29 protein, in which the SAP domain was deleted, whilst in the C9 cells, expression of CIP29 is effectively abolished. Both cell lines demonstrated reduced proliferation in comparison with wild-type cells, with the defect in the C9 cells more pronounced. FACS analysis revealed a slightly reduced proportion of the C60 cells in the S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle compared to wild-type cells, which could account for the slightly reduced proliferation rate seen in these cells. FACS analysis performed on the C9 cells revealed evidence of a cytokinesis defect, implicating the CIP29 protein in cytokinesis. In order to further investigate the potential involvement of CIP29 in the DDR, sensitivity assays using DSB-inducing agents were performed. These assays


How do you motivate the volunteers on your staff? Are you "burning out" your best people? What can you do with the pew- sitters? Do you find it hard to ask for help? This insightful, practical book by Marlene Wilson, an international authority on volunteerism, will help you answer these and other questions about volunteers in the church. Problems in any church's volunteer program can be corrected, says Wilson. We can learn to care as much about people as we do about programs by using sound principles for human resource management. This new book for all churches points out common problems, establishes management principles, answers questions, and offers a plan to turn the volunteer challenge into a reality.


Chemical biology is the scientific discipline that deals with the application of chemical techniques and often small molecules produced through synthetic chemistry, to the manipulation and study of biological systems. Its working framework ranges from simple chemical entities to complex drugs by employing the principles of biological origin. This chapter particularly focuses on the principles and working models of chemical biology to discover new drug leads. Drug discovery is an extensive and multifaceted complex process. Chemical biology uses both natural and synthetic compounds with the best therapeutic potential and verifies them by employing the best possible chemical toolsets. Screening of compounds is done by the use of phenotypic as well as the target-based screening to identify and characterize the potent hits. After the identification of target, it is characterized, and validated by extensive testing. The next step is the validation of hits obtained, and lead compounds are tested in clinical trials before introducing them for commercial application.


Introduction: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Detection as well as modification of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the topics research over several decades. Garlic has been noted to have a prominent role in the modification of risk factors including hypercholesteerolemia, hypertension and atherosclerosis. Garlic was found to have a role in reduction in SBP in those with elevated blood pressure, both central and peripheral. Previous studies have indicated a role for garlic in prevention of progression of atherosclerosis. Garlic has shown to have an inhibitory role in the progression of non-calcified coronary plaque. We sought to evaluate if the plaque progression properties of aged garlic extract (AGE) were related to remnant lipoproteins. Methods: Study population and randomization- The present study is a placebo-controlled double-blinded study. Seventy two patients were enrolled and underwent CCTA. The Investigational Review Board of Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor- UCLA approved this research project. All the patients signed informed written consent after careful explanation and review of protocol. Eligible participants were 40 to 75 years of age who had at least 2 components of the metabolic syndrome as defined by ATP III Clinical Identification of METs (including impaired fasting glucose >110 mg/dL, treated hypertension or systolic blood pressure >130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure >85 mmHg, triglycerides >150 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol 40 in for men or >35 in for women) . Glucose and cholesterol was assayed from serum using an Abbott autoanalyzer. Our participants all have a 10-years Framingham risk of coronary artery disease of 6-20%. Patients were assigned in 1:1 ratio to receive 2400 mg/day of AGE, or placebo. The intended duration of administration for the study group was 52 weeks. Results: Our results demonstrate baseline CAC 488.5 ± 723.2 in placebo group vs 168.4 ± 361.9 in garlic group (p-value 0.04). Follow up CAC results as follows: 577.9 ± 863.1 in placebo group vs 213.6 ± 470.6 in garlic group (p-value 0.05). The lipid profile results were not able to demonstrate statistically significant results. Conclusion: Our study was able to demonstrate a prominent role of garlic on CAC. We show that garlic does contribute and has a prominent role in the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease. Despite our study not demonstrating a significant reduction in remnant lipoprotein along with triglycerides and inflammatory markers, other studies do demonstrate this link with garlic. Follow up studies are needed to evaluate the role of garlic on the various components of the atherosclerotic process.


Moral hazard and adverse selection impede the development of formal crop insurance markets in developing countries. Besides, the risk mitigation provided by informal risk-sharing arrangements is restricted by their inability to protect against covariate shocks. In this context, index-based insurance is seen as a promising scheme as it is immune to moral hazard and adverse selection and may offer effective protection against covariate shocks. It would thus seem that the two institutions are ideal complements. Unfortunately, this intuition ignores the potential effects on incentives and behavior generated by the interaction between both schemes. This paper explores this interaction in a model with moral hazard and shows that the formal contract may crowd out informal risk-sharing if it is offered to individuals. Second, we find that both risk-taking and welfare may be reduced by the introduction of index insurance if the premium is set too high. If the formal insurance is offered to the group instead of the individual, the impact on moral hazard is internalized and welfare increases.


Bonham, G. M., Jönsson, C., Persson, S., Shapiro, M. J. Cognition and International Negotiation: The Historical Recovery of Discursive Space. Cooperation and Conflict XXII, 1987, 1-19. The research reported in this article represents a continuation of work begun earlier on developing a cognitive mapping approach to collective decision-making. It is based on two shifts in the structure of previous theoretical thinking. First, the emphasis is on discursive rather than psychological imagery. Second, the idea chain or "path" is privileged over the person or the "actor". The cognitive map is thus conceived less as a psychological template than as a discursive space. Rather than conceiving of persons having positions which they bring to decisions and then hold to them or alter them in confrontation with other positions, we conceive of positions as having persons. As a process of negotiations unfolds, its degree of success, within our conception, is to be related to the degree to which the parties can construct a shared discursive space, which amounts to their building of a shared "reality". The new model is situated with respect to extant game-theoretical, "manipulative", and "cybernetic" conceptions of bargaining. By way of illustration, applications of cognitive mapping to the negotiations on the dissolution of the Swedish-Norwegian union in 1905 and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference are analyzed.


In this research, we show that variables from the Global Database of Events, Language and Tone (GDELT) convey significant informational content that can improve on a purely macroeconomic approach when modeling the US equity market. Based on these metrics, we construct time-series that represent and measure how some narratives that appear to be battling each other are changing in the current market environment. Namely we are able to appraise the strength of the roaring 20s, back to the 70s, secular stagnation and monetary economic narratives, but we also add up topical societal narratives related to environmental or social aspects, as well as a geopolitical risk narrative. We formalize an informational content framework and show that including quantitative signals that translate into qualitative stories brings added value when determining the stock market's movement. Indeed, on top of higher explanatory power from their underlying variables, narratives can improve the diversification of standard macroeconomic models and enhance their quality. As such, our results advocate for a close monitoring of narratives in financial markets.


Albertus Magnus is known for his rational approach to explaining various phenomena; a method that would be acquired and
 applied by his pupil Thomas Aquinas as well. In this paper, I focus on the concept of freedom, i. e., on the question of what it is that
 constitutes the freedom of free will in the account of Albert the Great. I investigate this question from the perspective of natural
 philosophy, a field that Albert was particularly interested in. In the first part of the paper, I study Albert's definition of free will and
 its implications as they are tackled in De homine, De anima, and Ethica. Albert regards free will as a
 capacity of the rational soul, capable of choosing from opposites. Albert confronts the definitions of free will presented by Augustine,
 Bernard of Clairvaux, and Anselm of Canterbury, and in each of these cases he advances his argument from the perspective of psychology. In
 the second part of the paper, I identify the topics in which the general definition of free will is applied in a naturalistic context. Those
 are the debates on fate and free will, on the question whether animals have free will and, finally, on natural circumstances such as age or
 gender, limiting the freedom of free will. Subsequently, I aim at expounding Albert's balanced, yet not tension-free position in the debate
 between determinism and free action. Although several extensive studies on fate in Albert have been produced, the problem of free choice in
 Albert's works remains surprisingly understudied. The present paper intends to open a path for further research and debates on this relevant
 topic.