Successful management and mitigation of marine challenges depends on cooperation and knowledge sharing which often occurs across culturally diverse geographic regions. Global ocean science collaboration is therefore essential for developing global solutions. Building effective global research networks that can enable collaboration also need to ensure inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches to tackle complex marine socio-ecological challenges. To understand the contribution of interdisciplinary global research networks to solving these complex challenges, we use the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBeR) project as a case study. We investigated the diversity and characteristics of 1,827 scientists from 11 global regions who were attendees at different IMBeR global science engagement opportunities since 2009. We also determined the role of social science engagement in natural science based regional programmes (using key informants) and identified the potential for enhanced collaboration in the future. Event attendees were predominantly from western Europe, North America, and East Asia. But overall, in the global network, there was growing participation by females, students and early career researchers, and social scientists, thus assisting in moving toward interdisciplinarity in IMBeR research. The mainly natural science oriented regional programmes showed mixed success in engaging and collaborating with social scientists. This was mostly attributed to the largely natural science (i.e., biological, physical) goals and agendas of the programmes, and the lack of institutional support and push to initiate connections with social science. Recognising that social science research may not be relevant to all the aims and activities of all regional programmes, all researchers however, recognised the (potential) benefits of interdisciplinarity, which included broadening scientists' understanding and perspectives, developing connections and interlinkages, and making science more useful. Pathways to achieve progress in regional programmes fell into four groups: specific funding, events to come together, within-programme-reflections, and social science champions. Future research programmes should have a strategic plan to be truly interdisciplinary, engaging natural and social sciences, as well as aiding early career professionals to actively engage in such programmes.


Significant progress has been made in clarifying the decision factors to consider when choosing preservation actions and the directives governing their deployment. The Planets preservation planning approach and the tool Plato have received considerable takeup and produce a growing body of knowledge on preservation decisions. However, experience sharing is currently complicated by the inherent lack of semantics in criteria specification and a lack of tool support. Furthermore, the impact of decision criteria and criteria sets on the overall planning decision is often hard to judge, and it is unclear what effect a change in the objective evidence underlying an evaluation would have on the final decisions. This article presents a quantitative approach and tool to support the systematic assessment of criteria and their impact in preservation planning. We discuss the reconciliation of different quality models and present an analysis tool integrated with the planning tool Plato. We further apply our analysis method to a body of real-world case study material and discuss the results. The outcomes provide directions to optimise and automate decision-making, watch, and policy definitions at large scales, and to lower entry barriers by focussing on those aspects that have the strongest impact.


Deep ecology is a branch of ecophilosophy with a focus on wilderness philosophy and that appears to hold little relevance within an urbanising world. Yet deep ecology's holistic account claims that everything is interconnected – not just those entities definable as wild or natural – but everything, including all those things that deep ecology has remained wary of and aloof from – machines, exotic species, department stores, concrete and tar.
This dissertation is an exploration of deep ecological metaphysics, specifically that of transpersonal ecology, within towns and cities. It considers how engagement within towns and cities may influence or change the metaphysical premise of deep ecology, and looks at how revisiting the holism therein may alter how we understand world and self, particularly with reference to towns and cities.
The particularities of the place within which this research is grounded are described. The suburb of Risdon Vale and the author's sense of place are introduced in terms of locality and locale, and with reference to two streams within place discourse – memory and place, and geographer Doreen Massey's 'global sense of the local, a global sense of place'. Three phenomenological encounters are narrated and discussed. The first encounter, entitled 'gum-tree-man', initiates a discussion of Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess's gestalt ontology. The second, 'touch me, this tree', takes a fresh look at the concepts of wildness and wilderness from the perspective of gestalt ontology, and the third, 'capillary shawl', moves to consider self and the notion of consciousness as emergent from encounter between the author and her washing machine.
A notion of place emerges that forms the basis for the development of a concept termed 'the locality of place'. The locality of place and symbiosis are offered as alternatives to transpersonal ecology and Self-realisation. Accusations that deep ecology harbours fascist tendencies are addressed in light of the emerging ideas. Deep ecology emerges as a poignant ontological perspective holding relevance and significance for considerations of self, place and world.
Finally, a re-conception of towns and cities, including of our selves, technologies and exotic species is explored. The notions of relational familiarity and unfamiliarity are offered as means of understanding current trends in relational enmeshment, and the increasingly problematic nature of these trends is discussed. An embodied turn towards familiarising ourselves within our own relational enmeshments is offered as a means of increasing our understanding of ourselves, world and where we are at within towns and cities.


An interferometric device consisting of two metallic mirrors and a dielectric beam splitter of low reflectivity is used to reduce the spectral emission of a CO2 TEA laser to a single longitudinal mode (SLM). The finesse of the interferometer can be varied continuously by turning the polarization of the laser beam or in steps by using different beam splitters. The resonant reflectivity of the device was found to vary from 20 to 90% depending on transverse mode matching and alignment. With a low reflectivity beam splitter, the reliability of producing SLM pulses reached 100%. As the beam splitter reflectivity was increased, the interferometer finesse decreased resulting in a low reliability of producing SLM pulses. The maximum free spectral range which gave SLM reliably was 5 GHz. We also replaced one of the mirrors of the interferometer by a grating, and we observed SLM output on forty lines of the CO2 spectrum with a reproducibility of 80% or better. We discuss how the device could be used for intracavity pulse selection.


This paper presents a brief non-technical overview of the conceptual basis of RTAs by highlighting the implications of concepts like trade creation and trade diversion. The paper then moves to pinpointing some of the global trends in RTAs to place the Indian engagements in a perspective. The patterns of Indias regional economic initiatives are analyzed by presenting the factual account of the same. A brief over view of possible welfare and human development implications of RTAs in general and of India in particular are also dealt.


The current GUI is like a flight simulator whose camera points fixedly at right angle to the document, thus preventing users from looking ahead while navigating. We argue that perspective viewing of usual planar documents can help navigation. We analyze the scale implosion problem that arises with tilted cameras and we report the data of a formal experiment on document navigation with perspective views.


Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the leading cause of cancer related death worldwide, with a median survival that rarely exceeds 12 months in unselected patients with metastatic disease treated with conventional chemotherapy. In the last decade, the identification of key genetic events driving tumor growth and metastatic spread led to postulate the concept of oncogene-addiction. According to this model, the inhibition of certain molecular drivers by targeted agents could be effective in reducing tumor burden and improving patients outcome. In this context, due to its central role in cancer proliferation and metastasis, mesenchymal-epidermal transition (MET) has recently emerged as a potential tumor-driver and also as a promising therapeutic target in several malignancies, particularly in NSCLC where MET is often deregulated by overexpression, gene amplification or mutations (1).


Objective:
To assess the association, adjusted by sex and age, between the body mass index (BMI) and cognitive or physical functioning, and depression in Mexican elderly.
Method:
Three hundred and ninety five (female: 71.6%) subjects aged ≥ 60 were recruited from three independent senior care centers. Body composition was stratified as underweight, normal, or overweight (World Health Organization criteria). Cognitive functioning (Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire-SPMSQ); independent physical functioning (Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living - BIADL); and level of depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale - GDS) were also measured. The independent and interactive effects of BMI, sex, and age on cognitive/ physical functioning, and depressive symptoms were analyzed.
Results:
Univariate analyses showed that underweight elderly performed worse (SPMSQ: 4.50[2.84]; BIADL: 55.00[15.99]) than normal (SPMSQ: 6.46[2.86], p≤0.05; BIADL 83.40.00[18.81], p≤0.001) and overweight (SPMSQ: 7.82[2.21], p≤.0001; BIADL: 84.42.00[15.44], p≤.0001) in cognition and physical functioning. Additionally, in underweight elderly, depression level was significantly higher (GDS: 3.90[2.28]) than the scored by overweight (GDS: 2.13[1.68], p≤0.01). Significant differences by sex were only found for physical functioning. Age-related analysis showed that the oldest subgroup was significantly more affected than the young old and the middle old in cognitive and physical functions, besides depression cores. Analysis of the interactions of BMI with sex and age did not show significant effect for any of the studied outcome variables.
Conclusions:
In Mexican elderly people, the presence of underweight was associated to impair cognitive/ physical functions and higher depression scores. This seems to be independent to the association between higher age and the same variables.


Holy See-China relations have a long and chequered history marked by political as
well as cultural conflicts. Since the foundation of the People's Republic of China
(PRC), these relations have represented one of the thorniest and most complicated
diplomatic questions on the world stage. After a long period of absence of
communication, over the last three decades the Holy See and Beijing have held
secret or discreet talks. These talks to date, however, have not led to the opening of
formal negotiations. The current diplomatic stalemate is mainly due to the PRC's
intransigence in demanding the Holy See cede the direction of the Catholic Church
in China to China' own governmental organizations and sever diplomatic relations
with Taiwan. While the Holy See is leaning toward compromise on the latter
request, it can hardly bend to the former. In fact, the Catholic Church regards the
exertion of Papal authority over the local Catholic hierarchy as a pillar of its
doctrinal and institutional integrity and an essential prerequisite for establishing
'working conditions' to carry on ecclesial activities at the national level. Rome's
defence of the Church's unity and independence from secular influence collides
with Beijing's pursuit of institutional and ideological control over Catholics in
China. This striving for control is rooted in the Chinese state apparatus' conviction
that the Catholic Church, because of its organizational virtuosity, and the Holy
See's international status and prestige, has a special potential to undermine the
Communist Party's authority. Holy See-PRC diplomatic normalization is, therefore,
predicated on the solution of the conflict of authority between the Apostolic See
and Beijing. In order to understand this conflict and identify possible solutions to it, this study
investigates the Holy See's diplomatic policy toward China. This thesis initially
explains the unique position that the Holy See occupies in the international system
and delivers a diachronic analysis of the evolution of Sino-Pontifical relations by
individuating and examining their historical phases. Subsequently, the thesis shifts
its focus to contemporary developments and options in Holy See-PRC interaction
by analyzing Benedict XVI's 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics. It then investigates
the main obstacles to diplomatic progress, including factional dynamics within the
Church. Finally, this study explores the potential solutions which - on the basis of
political-diplomatic precedents and the tradition of the Catholic Church - the
parties could adopt in order to establish formal relations.


(a) Section 18(f) of the WilliamsSteiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (hereinafter referred to as the Act) provides that ''the Secretary shall, on the basis of reports submitted by the State agency and his own inspections make a continuing evaluation of the manner in which each State having a plan approved * * * is carrying out such plan.'' (b) This part 1954 applies to the provisions of section 18(f) of the Act relating to the evaluation of approved plans for the development and enforcement of State occupational safety and health standards. The provisions of this part 1954 set forth the policies and procedures by which the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health (hereinafter referred to as the Assistant Secretary) under a delegation of authority from the Secretary of Labor (Secretary's Order 12–71, 36 FR 8754, May 12, 1971) will continually monitor and evaluate the operation and administration of approved State plans. (c) Following approval of a State plan under section 18(c) of the Act, workplaces in the State are subject to a period of concurrent Federal and State authority. The period of concurrent enforcement authority must last for at least three years. Before ending Federal enforcement authority, the Assistant Secretary is required to make a determination as to whether the State plan, in actual operation, is meeting the criteria in section 18(c) of the Act including the requirements in part 1902 of this chapter and the assurances in the approval plan itself. After an affirmative determination has been made, the provisions of sections 5(a)(2), 8 (except for the purpose of carrying out section 18(f) of the Act), 9, 10, 13, and 17 of the Act shall not apply with respect to any occupational safety or health issues covered under the plan. The Assistant Secretary may, however, retain jurisdiction under the above provisions in any proceeding commenced under section 9 or 10 of the Act before the date of the determination under section 18(e) of the Act. (d) During this period of concurrent Federal and State authority, the operation and administration of the plan will be continually evaluated under section 18(f) of the Act. This evaluation will continue even after an affirmative determination has been made under section 18(e) of the Act.


This Article presents a comprehensive legal analysis of preferred stock in the wake of the doctrinally transformative cases of Trados (2009), LC Capital (2010), and Thoughtworks (2011). These cases mark the culmination of a long and gradual decimation of the legal rights of preferred shareholders under Delaware corporate law. Preferred stock has become less secure than ever, as opportunistic issuers have demonstrated the ability and the willingness to divert its investment value to the common equity. As a result, it is disappearing, along with its unique financial properties that help struggling firms avoid insolvency. This Article offers a novel solution to restore preferred stock to viability: a specific division of corporate control between preferred and common that will allow them to harmoniously co-exist. One central advantage of this approach is that it requires no changes in existing law to be implemented; only clever, sophisticated bargaining by each side is required.


Participation must be seen as political. There are always tensions underlying issues such as who is involved, how, and on whose terms. While participation has the potential to challenge patterns of dominance, it may also be the means through which existing power relations are entrenched and reproduced. The arenas in which people perceive their interests and judge whether they can express them are not neutral. Participation may take place for a whole range of unfree reasons. It is important to see participation as a dynamic process, and to understand that its own form and function can become a focus for struggle.


he traditional automotive sector is changing rapidly with new innovations within electronics and software, due to the digitalization. Mobility as a service, autonomous cars, big data, smart lanes and cars that can be upgraded are just some examples of how the industry will change more in the next 10 years than it has in the past 50. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to give recommendations for how to develop a cluster within the vehicle electronics and connected services industry in western Sweden. Furthermore, scenarios for the future were developed, together with estimations of how employment in the cluster could be affected.
This study was performed using both qualitative and quantitative methods i.e. a mixed methods approach. To fulfil the purpose of the study, a theoretical framework was presented to achieve a common understanding of cluster and scenario planning theory. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were used to collect data about the perquisites in the region for a cluster within the chosen industry. Also, scenario planning was used to develop four possible scenarios for the future, with estimations of how the scenarios would affect the employment. Data used for these estimations was sourced from the Statistics Sweden (SCB).
Furthermore, findings from interviews and industry reports were analysed with the theoretical framework. Together with results from scenario planning, these findings were used to develop recommendations of how the cluster development could be facilitated in the region. The recommended actions included bridging gaps with assistance from a cluster organization and other facilitators, developing a shared goal and strategy, finding pre-competitive collaboration projects, and helping small companies and startups with applications for funding.
Keywords:


Chemotactic axon guidance has an essential role in development and is important for re-innervation of target tissues after neuronal injury. The aim of the work described in this thesis was to determine whether the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and LRP2 receptors mediate neurite chemoattraction, and to assess their therapeutic potential in a model of peripheral neuropathy. I found that LRP1 and LRP2 were expressed on growth cones at the leading edge and on filopodia, suggesting that they are part of the environment-sensing machinery. I used the growth cone turning assay to test whether a range of LRP ligands were chemotactic to growth cones in vitro. The ligands tested included metallothionein II (MTII), apolipoproteinE3, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), alpha-2-macroglobulin (α2M), vitamin D and transthyretin. E16-18 embryonic rat sensory neuron growth cones grew towards a microgradient of MTII (+11.6°±2.1°, p<0.0001, cf. control -1.8°±1.1°), and turned away from a microgradient of MTIII (-13.8°±1.9, P<0.0001), α2M (-11.9°±3.4, P<0.01) and tPA (-11.1°±2.1 P<0.001). I used siRNA knock down and pharmacological inhibition to demonstrate that LRP1 and LRP2 were both required for growth cone responses to MTII and MTIII. Growth cone turning towards a gradient of MTII or MTIII was abolished by LRP-receptor inhibition with receptor associated protein and siRNA knockdown of LRP1 or LRP2. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of TrkA receptors significantly augmented the turning response. These data demonstrate that both LRP1 and LRP2 are necessary for MTII and MTIII-mediated chemotactic signal transduction, and potentially form part of a signalling hub, recruiting other co-receptors such as TrkA. MTII and MTIII-mediated chemotaxis was found to be dependent on calcium ion concentration: when neurons were depleted of extracellular calcium, the turning response underwent a complete switch in direction. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II suggested that LRP1 and LRP2 signal via established downstream effectors. I then asked whether LRP-mediated chemotaxis could be exploited to guide axon regeneration in vivo. I used a model of small-fibre neuropathy in rats. Ten age-matched rats had topical 8% capsaicin cream and placebo cream applied to contralateral areas on the lumbar dorsum. Treated areas were given 3x weekly intradermal injections of MTII or saline. Punch and epidermal roof biopsies were harvested weekly to monitor regeneration. At 14 days, regeneration was observed in saline treated capsaicin regions, compared to contralateral control skin, however MTII treated rats had complete regeneration by 7 days. LRP-mediated chemotaxis represents a novel, non-classical axon guidance signalling system. MTII has therapeutic potential as a disease-modifying agent for the injured nervous system.


OBJECTIVE The study examined risk factors for readmission to acute care among Florida Medicaid enrollees with schizophrenia treated with antipsychotics. METHODS Medicaid and service use data for 2004 to 2008 were used to identify adults with schizophrenia discharged from hospitals and crisis units who were taking antipsychotics. Data were extracted on demographic characteristics, service use before admission, psychopharmacologic treatment after discharge, and readmission to acute behavioral health care. Cox proportional hazards regression estimated readmission risk in the 30 days after discharge and in the period after 30 days for participants not readmitted in the first 30 days. RESULTS The mean±SD age of the 3,563 participants was 43.4±11.1; 61% were male, and 38% were white. Participants had 6,633 inpatient episodes; duration of hospitalization was 10.6±7.0 days. Readmission occurred for 84% of episodes, 23% within 30 days. Variables associated with an increased readmission risk in the first 30 days were shorter hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR]=1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.10-1.27, p<.001), shorter time on medication before discharge (HR=1.19, CI=1.06-1.35, p=.003), greater prehospitalization use of acute care (HR=2.64, CI=2.29-3.05, p<.001), serious general medical comorbidity (HR=1.21, CI=1.06-1.38, p=.005), and prior substance abuse treatment (HR=1.58, CI=1.37-1.83, p<.001). After 30 days, hospitalization duration and time on medication were not significant risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Short hospital stays for persons with schizophrenia may be associated with risk of early readmission, possibly because the person is insufficiently stabilized. More chronic risk factors include prior acute care, general medical comorbidity, and substance abuse.


The Internet provides the vast amount of information which is free assessable. Among different types of information, online consumer reviews (OCRs) and social media feeds are of great importance to businesses for their substantial influences on customers' decision making. Within the aviation industry, Skytrax, a UK-based consultancy, operates the world biggest airline review site and runs a unique airline rating system named the global Airlines Rating program (1-5 stars). This program categorises airlines into five classes and updates the result annually. An increasing number of airlines has adopted the result for promotional purposes. However, researchers challenge the reliability and validity of this program, and little literature has discussed such issues. This paper is going to partially fill this gap by assessing the reliability, discriminate validity, and external validity of this program via sentiment analysis based on travellers' reviews from Skytrax and associated Twitter messages. Results reveal that the global Airlines Rating program (1-5 stars) possesses a lowlevel reliability, poor discriminate validity, and fragile external validity according to airlines' knowledge on Twitter. Theoretically, this paper further enriches the text mining model proposed by Kayser & Blind (2016). The current research framework is of the great relevance for future study. Practically, this thesis raises cautions regarding applications of this program for travellers and airlines. Graduation Committee members: Dr Fons Wijnhoven Dr Matthias de Visser


Three Films by Stephen Dwoskin, introduced by Rachel Garfield | The Avant-Garde in Britain? Round table | Sigi Krauss and Lisa Renee Newman, in conversation via Skype
17-19 March, Weekend 6
 A curated screening films by Stephen Dwoskin and round table discussion

4pm: Three Films by Stephen Dwoskin, introduced by Rachel Garfield. Soliloquy (1964, 8 mins), Just Waiting (1975, 10 mins) and Me, Myself, I (1967, 18 mins)
5pm: The Avant-Garde in Britain? Round table with Peter Berry, Jon Bird, Rachel Garfield, Lucy Reynolds, Paul Wood and Kevin Wright, chaired by Antony Hudek and Alex Sainsbury. Borrowing from the title of Rosetta Brooks' exhibition at Gallery House, this panel will consider the idea of the avant-garde in Britain in the early 1970s, particularly in relation to conceptual art and film.
6pm: Sigi Krauss, Founder/Director of Gallery House, and Lisa Renee Newman, in conversation with Antony Hudek and Alex Sainsbury via Skype.


This paper presents the influence of annealing time 30, 60 and 120 min at 1000°C for quenching CuAl7Fe5Ni5W2Si2 bronze in 10% water solution of NaCl, on the microstructure and mechanical properties. The presented results concern the species newly developed aluminum-iron-nickel bronze, with additions W and Si. In order to determine changes in the microstructure of the hardened bronze metallographic studies were performed on cylindrical samples of diameter 10 mm, on the metallographic microscope with digital image analysis, X-ray phase analysis, EDX point with the digital recording on the computer. Specified percentage of the microstructure of martensite and bainite, participation of proeutectoid α phase in the microstructure, grain size of former β phase, the amount of dissolved κ phase. It was found that in the microstructure of bronze in the cast state, there are a number of intermetallic phases of κ type. At interphase boundaries of primary intermetallic faceted precipitates, especially rich in tungsten (IM_W), nucleate and grow dendritic primary intermetallic κI phases, with chemical composition similar to the type of Fe3Si iron silicide. Dissolved, during the heating, in the β phase are all the intermediate phase included in the microstructure, with the exception of primary intermetallic phases of tungsten and κI. Prolongation of the isothermal annealing causes coagulation and coalescence of primary phases. In microstructure of the bronze after quenching obtained the α phase precipitation on the grain boundary of secondary β phase, coarse bainite and martensite, for all annealing times. With the change of annealing time are changed the relative proportions of individual phases or their systems, in the microstructure. In the microstructure of bronze, hold at temperature of 1000°C for 60 min, after quenching martensitic microstructure was obtained with the primary phases, and the least amount of bainite.


Aqueous Zn-ion batteries present low-cost, safe, and high-energy battery technology but suffer from the lack of suitable cathode materials because of the sluggish intercalation kinetics associated with the large size of hydrated zinc ions. Herein we report an effective and general strategy to transform inactive intercalation hosts into efficient Zn2+ storage materials through intercalation energy tuning. Using MoS2 as a model system, we show both experimentally and theoretically that even hosts with an originally poor Zn2+ diffusivity can allow fast Zn2+ diffusion. Through simple interlayer spacing and hydrophilicity engineering that can be experimentally achieved by oxygen incorporation, the Zn2+ diffusivity is boosted by 3 orders of magnitude, effectively enabling the otherwise barely active MoS2 to achieve a high capacity of 232 mAh g-1, which is 10 times that of its pristine form. The strategy developed in our work can be generally applied for enhancing the ion storage capacity of metal chalcogenides and other layered materials, making them promising cathodes for challenging multivalent ion batteries.


Purpose: This study is part of the trend of researching new economic history using econometric analysis (the new economic history paradigm), still not very popular in Europe and the world (outside the USA and UK). The main purpose of the article was to use the Granger cointegration test to confirm the long-term correlations between the level of economic growth and the development of the German Reich railways. Design/Methodology/Approach: In the field of theoretical analysis, a review of international literature on the study of the interdependence of economic growth and the development of transport, including rail transport, was carried out. The empirical analysis was based on available statistical data for the period of 1872–1913. Econometric methods were used, including: stationary test using ADF and KPSS tests, Engle-Granger cointegration test, as well as the analysis of the impulse response function. Findings: The results of the research received confirm that there was a long-term correlation between the level of economic growth in Germany (expressed as Net National Product (NNP) and the level of rail freight symbolizing the development of railways. Practical Implications: The Granger causality test allows the elimination of economic variables that are not in a causal relationship, which in turn leads to a better explanation of the studied economic phenomenon. A special case in VAR auto-regression models when the analysed time series are integrated in the first degree I(1). Originality/Value: Considering the importance of transport for the economy, it is particularly important to examine whether the development of transport had an impact on the level of economic growth, and whether economic growth led to the development of the transport industry, and perhaps this relationship was two-way. The obtained results are the foundation for the construction of vector-autoregressive models (VAR) and the study of longterm relationships.


In December 2001, a legislative proposal was introduced to the Peruvian Congress that would have mandated the use of free software on government computers. The introduction of the bill, dubbed the Law for the Use of Free Software in Government Agencies, or Proposition 1609,1 added Peru to a growing list of countries pursuing legal measures for the adoption of free software by government. Similar measures had begun in Brazil, Argentina, France, and Mexico-and within a year, they would be joined by dozens of other national-and local-level efforts in Germany, Spain, Italy, and Vietnam-all seeking to establish official alternatives to the use of closed, proprietary software by government. But it was Peru alone that uniquely managed to capture international public attention in the work surrounding its legislative efforts. Much of the publicity was spurred through the online circulation of a letter-mediated exchange between Microsoft's General Manager in Peru-who attacked the bill as a "danger" to the nation's security and to corporate intellectual property rights-and the congressional sponsor of the bill, Congressman Edgar Villanueva, who staunchly defended its support. The letters later became the focus of a wave of international media coverage around the South American nation and its legal proposal. Unlike any other nation considering similar legislation, Peru's proposal and its Congressional author were suddenly transformed into prominently visible players in the global movement for free software. Or as one reporter from the online news publication Linux Today prophetically narrated: "In the course of everyday business and politics, once in a while something truly significant happens. At such a time, letters become road maps for change and a politician from a small mountain town in Peru can become a hero to those who believe in a cause: both amongst his countrymen, and around the rest of the world... Congressman Villanueva's reply [to Microsoft]... raised him practically to folk hero status over night" (LeBlanc 2002). Envisioning Free Software Despite the unusual media attention captured by the Peruvian legislative efforts, and the rapidly expanding adoption of similar initiatives by national and local governments worldwide, the dominant reaction of free software proponents to the bill in the months following its proposal was to treat it as simply further evidence of free software's continued global spread. Minimizing the local specificity of actors and contexts surrounding the emergence of legal proposals like Peru's, the prevailing reading of such developments in the developed North was as one extraordinary achievement within free software's history of other, similarly extraordinary achievements. For many free software practitioners, it was the seemingly uncontainable momentum of their movement and the sheer technical strength of free software itself-more than any particular local actions or activities-that were to credit for its global successes. Yet a closer examination of the practices that surround the emergence of free software legislation in Peru reveals a distinctly different account. Far from presuming free software's steady advancement, the proponents of Peru's free software legislation undertook various forms of local and non-local work, advocacy, and activism to propel the visibility of their movement. Further, their practices departed from the language of technical and economic rationality that had been repeatedly invoked to explain free software's adoption. They insisted instead on a new framing of free software as necessarily engaged and invested in processes of governance and political reform. And while prominent factions of free software had previously read social linkages to formal political bodies as unnecessary or even counterproductive, Peru's free software advocates actively sought to build relations with bodies of governance, demonstrating a willingness to engage with traditional political channels. …


The aim of this paper is to explain why time use data are essential for analyzing issues of gender equity and the intra-household allocation of resources, comparing living standards, and estimating the behavioral effects of changes in policy variables. The first step in the exposition is to show that the neglect of these data in much of the literature on household behavior, in both developed and developing economies, can be traced to unrealistic assumptions on domestic production and the mistaken idea that non-market time can be viewed as leisure. It is argued that an approach is required that makes explicit the need for data on the time family members spend on domestic work as well as on labor supply. An approach of this kind is outlined and used to identify the specialized assumptions that are employed when they are missing. The paper also discusses the limitations of available time use survey datasets that are due to deficiencies in survey design. The more serious and common problems are illustrated using as case studies the Statistics South Africa 2000 Time Use Survey and the time use module included in the Nicaraguan 1998 Living Standards Measurements Survey.


The basics of being a ScrumMaster are fairly straightforward: At face value all a ScrumMaster needs to do is facilitate the Scrum process and remove impediments. But being a great ScrumMaster, one who truly embodies the principles of servant-leadership and helps move a team to the high performance levels possible with Scrum, is much harder and much more elusive. In this book Geoff shares a collection of stories and practical guidance, drawn from over ten years of coaching numerous Scrum teams that will guide you on your path to greatness. In this book you will learn: * The skills and characteristics of great ScrumMasters * How to generate, maintain and increase engagement from the team * How to increase the effectiveness of the Scrum meetings, such as retrospectives and daily scrums. * How to foster a more creative and collaborative team * How to increase the performance of the team * How to know when you are a successful ScrumMaster Scrum Mastery is for practicing ScrumMasters who want to develop themselves into a great servant-leader capable of taking their teams beyond simple process compliance. Mike Cohn, in his foreword for the book, said: "Most books rehash well-trod territory and I dont finish them any wiser. I am positive I will be referring back to this book for many years" Roman Pichler said: "I am thoroughly impressed with how comprehensive and well-written the book is. It will be indispensable for many people"


The income account of the US balance of payments has so far remained in surplus because of a very large differential in reported earnings on direct investment – US firms seem to enjoy a much higher rate of return than foreign firms in the US. There is little difference in terms of the rate of dividend payments; the difference is due to what is called 'reinvested earnings' (earnings minus dividends). Foreign firms report almost no reinvested earnings on their direct investment in the US whereas US firms report substantial reinvested earnings from their direct investment abroad, on average over $100 billion more p.a. than foreign firms report on their US investment. This anomaly is probably due to the desire of foreign firms to minimise their US taxes, whereas US firms do not face tax liabilities if they report high foreign profits to the US authorities. The procedure used to generate the data for reinvested earnings thus has a built-in bias to improve the US current account and – over time – its international investment position. The true picture is likely to be much worse. Reinvested earnings appear in the balance of payments because returns from FDI are measured in a different way than returns from portfolio investment. Returns from FDI are calculated from a mix of firm-level accounting data and broad stock market indices to infer an average capital gain. This procedure will be misleading if, because of the different tax treatment they face, foreign controlled firm in the US report earnings on a different base than other US-owned firms. A more accurate method of measuring the returns from foreign direct investment in the US, by using the same procedure as for portfolio investment (i.e. using only stock market prices), leads to the result that the deficit of the US current account increases by over $100 billion per annum and the US net international debtor position worsens by over a trillion dollars. The latter amount is the sum that, if one believes the official statistics, foreign investors have been willing to forego compared to the alternative of investing in their home country.


Biofilm growth in drinking water distribution systems was studied in an annular reactor system which was designed to model the hydraulic conditions in water mains. Experiments were performed with chlorine-free water as well as with different disinfectant (chlorine or chloramine) residuals and different AOC concentrations added to the reactor influent to examine the effect of disinfectant residuals and AOC concentrations on biofilm accumulation and planktonic cell numbers. The dynamic parameters of bacteria growth were calculated in water with different disinfectant (chlorine or chloramine) and the results indicated that monochloramine may be more effective than free chlorine for control of biofilm accumulation.


Abstract Equine herpesvirus‐1 (EHV‐1) can affect the entire equine sector in EU, and the large outbreak reported in 2021 in Spain drew attention to the needs of the European Commission for scientific advice for the assessment of EHV‐1 infection within the framework of Animal Health Law. EHV‐1 is considered endemic in the EU; its main risk is linked to the characteristic of producing latent life‐long infections. These can reactivate producing clinical disease, which can include respiratory, abortive and possibly fatal neurological forms. From the epidemiological and genomic viewpoint, there are no specific neuropathogenic EHV‐1 strains; the respiratory, reproductive and neurological signs are not found to be strain‐specific. This was also the case of the virus that caused the outbreak in Valencia (Spain) in 2021, which was genetically closely related to other viruses circulating before in Europe, and did not present the so‐called neuropathogenic genotype. The outbreak reported in Valencia was followed by wide geographic spread of the virus possibly due to a delay in diagnosis and late application of biosecurity measures. The recommended and most sensitive diagnostic test for detecting EHV‐1 is PCR performed on swabs collected according to the type of clinical signs. Serological assays on paired blood samples can help to detect a recent infection, while no diagnostic methods are available to detect EHV‐1 latent infections. Safe movements of horses can be ensured at premovement phase by testing and issuing health certificates, and by isolating animals upon arrival at new premises with regular health monitoring. In case of suspicion, movements should be forbidden and EHV‐1 infection early detected/confirmed by validated diagnostic tools. During outbreaks, no movements should be allowed until 21 days after the detection of the last case. In general, vaccination against EHV‐1 should be promoted, although this offers limited protection against the neurological form of the disease.


The circadian dynamics of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) were simulated in Paramecium multimicronucleatum. The mathematical functions determined closely mimic the Ca2+ dependence of adenylate cyclase (AC) and guanylate cyclase (GC) activities as documented in P. tetraurelia. Patterns of cAMP concentration ([cAMP]), cGMP concentration ([cGMP ]), and the ratio [cGMP]/[cAMP] were calculated with respect to Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]) fluctuating sinusoidally with a period of 24 hours at three different levels: low, medium, and high. The functions displayed varying patterns of [cAMP] characteristic for [Ca2+] fluctuating at each level, while patterns of [cGMP] and [cGMP]/[cAMP] almost paralleled [Ca2+] fluctuations. Similar patterns were observed for actual [cAMP] and [cGMP] measured during the light/dark cycle in P. multimicronucleatum, grown in axenic media additionally containing [Ca2+] at 25 (low), 100 (medium), or 400 (high) microM, respectively. The coincidence between simulated and measured fluctuations of [cAMP] and [cGMP] suggests that the circadian fluctuations of intracellular [Ca2+] primarily stimulate activities of AC and GC via their different degrees of Ca2+ dependence, which are ultimately responsible for the circadian spatiotemporal organization of various physiological functions in Paramecium.


The development objective of the Scaling-Up Urban Upgrading Project for Vietnam is to improve access to infrastructure in priority city areas and improve urban planning in the participating cities. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) on-site location for temporary gathering of sludge must be to the tail end of the wind, far from residential areas and sensitive works; (2) periodically registry and supervise the quality of transport vehicles as required by the government regulations; (3) construction operations are to be successively performed by alley segment. Extensive construction operations on the entire route should be avoided; (4) use smaller excavation machine and Larsen pile driving method of construction to avoid breaking or disposition the water pipeline; (5) provide environmental training for the workers includes codes of conducts when working in public areas and sensitive receptors such as temples and pagodas; (6) avoid activities generating great noise or vibration such as demolition of concrete structures or driving of piles during class hours; (7) assign staff to guide the traffic during transportation, unloading, and loading; and (8) minimize dropping of debris into surface water sources and raising ponds increasing turbidity during construction by using proper equipment's and applying sanitation safety measures.


Genomic studies revealed the existence of health- and acne-associated P. acnes strains and suggested novel approaches for broadening understanding of acne vulgaris. However, clinical association of P. acnes with disease or health has yet to be corroborated experimentally. Current animal models of acne do not closely mimic human disease and have unclear translational value. We have developed a murine model of acne by combining P. acnes inoculation with topical application of a synthetic human sebum. We showed that human sebum promoted persistence of intradermally injected P. acnes with little loss of viability after 1 week and permitted use of more physiologic inoculums. Application of acne-associated P. acnes RT4/5 strains led to development of moderate to severe skin pathology compared with application of health-associated type II P. acnes strains (RT2/6). RT4/5 P. acnes strains uniformly induced higher levels of KC (IL-8), IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in vitro and in vivo compared with type II P. acnes strains. Overall, our data provide immunopathologic corroboration of health and disease association of clinical P. acnes strains and inform on a platform to query putative virulence factors uncovered by genomic studies.


Abstract Plasma equilibrium geometry has a great influence on the confinement and magnetohydrodynamic stability in tokamaks. The poloidal field (PF) system of a tokamak should be optimized to support the prescribed plasma equilibrium geometry. In this paper, a genetic algorithm-based method is applied to solve the optimization of the positions and currents of tokamak PF coils. To achieve this goal, we first describe the free-boundary code EQT. Based on the EQT code, a genetic algorithm-based method is introduced to the optimization. We apply this new method to the PF system design of the fusion-driven subcritical system and plasma equilibrium geometry optimization of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The results indicate that the optimization of the plasma equilibrium geometry can be improved by using this method.


This thesis is concerned with analysing the interactions between smallholder sheep farming systems and the sustained maintenance of communal grazing resources in the temperate region of Mexico. The study was carried out in the parish of Coajomulco, which is located in the mountainous region south of Mexico City. Sheep production is a traditional agricultural activity in the region and extensive grazing is practised in the parish's communal forest. In 1988 the area was decreed as protected by the Ministry of Environment, and agricultural practices were highly regulated. Although sheep flocks could still have access to the forest, the establishment of an exclusion zone resulted in the inability of sheep farmers to make use of 48 % of the communal grazing area. Thus, the objectives of this thesis were concerned with finding a way of enhancing the development of the local smallholder sheep farming whilst concomitantly protecting the forest ecology. The ultimate objective of this thesis was to develop a spatial optimisation model for the grazing management of the communal land. This model produced the optimal distribution of flocks in time and space according to the characteristics of both the grazing resources and the sheep population. Prior to the development of the optimisation model, it was necessary to characterise the basic elements that affected the supply and demand of forage. Thus, under a farming systems research framework, the plant and animal elements of the farming system were characterised. The managerial and biological influences that defined the sheep grazing patterns were investigated and their resulting effects discussed. Participatory techniques were included as the core of the characterisation methodology. Findings derived from the characterisation were utilised to assist in the development of a geographical information system (GIS) and the application of biological simulation models. Two models, one that simulated flock dynamics and another that simulated sheep performance, were used. Subsequently, a two-way link was established between the simulation models, the GIS and the optimisation model.


Dr. John Elefteriades from the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT moderated the topic "Aneurysms for Internists" with Drs. Dianna Milewicz from the University of Texas, Houston TX, Richard Gusberg from the Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, and Emily Farkas from St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO. The discussion focused primarily on: 1) The cause of aneurysms 2) genetic and environmental risk factors 3) genetic mutations that cause aneurysms 4) symptomology 5) dissections versus aneurysms 6) abdominal aortic aneurysms 7) aneurysms and enlargement 8) imaging and the use of computed tomography and ultrasound 9) medical therapies that forestall aneurysm growth or prevent complications 10) clinical trials 11) endovascular therapy and open surgical therapy for aneurysms. Med Roundtable Gen Med Ed. 2012;1(2):112–120.


Background: Caries, periodontal disease, and tooth loss affect the quality of life of older people. There is a need for research on the oral health of older Indians. Aim: To assess oral health and its impact on the quality of life of older adults visiting a government dental hospital in New Delhi, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 255 older adults (above 60 years). Dental caries experience was quantified by a count of teeth that were carious, restored, and missing due to caries (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth), while periodontal health was quantified using the Community Periodontal Index. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was assessed using a Hindi version of the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). Results: The mean GOHAI score was 24.2 (SD 4.3). More than half of the study participants had untreated caries and periodontal problems. Regression analysis showed that OHRQoL scores were associated with age, female sex, poorer educational level, and number of missing teeth in the sample population. Conclusion: Unmet need for dental treatment was prevalent and affects the quality of life of older Indians. Self-care and the use of preventive dental services should be promoted, while access to treatment services should be improved for this population group.


We prove a conjecture of Postnikov, Reiner and Williams by defining a partial order on the set of tree graphs with $n$ vertices that induces inequalities between the $\gamma$-polynomials of their associated graph-associahedra. The partial order is given by relating trees that can be obtained from one another by operations called tree shifts. We also show that tree shifts lower the $\gamma$-polynomials of graphs that are not trees, as do the flossing moves of Babson and Reiner.


Considerable effort has been made in the past to identify reliable predictors of recidivism for incarcerated juvenile offenders, but with mixed results. This study draws extensively on previous research to produce a parsimonious set of reliable predictors from a large pool of potential indicators, using data available from a large sample of dischargees from a secure state facility in the state of Louisiana. Socio-demographic profiles and delinquent histories of 1,319 juvenile offenders released during the 1999/2000 fiscal year were systematically distilled and from a wide array of potential predictors, a multi-method analysis revealed the following as the most reliable predictors of recidivism in the order of significance: offense type, drug use, peer influence, seriousness of the offense, alcohol use, age at first adjudication, and duration of incarceration.


This study applies the theory of practice to view the information systems (IS) field in terms of its essential activity—what it does as an intellectual enterprise. Drawing from Foucault, Bourdieu, Pickering and other practice theorists, it defines the IS field as continuously informatizing and systematizing its objects of study. Each of these two activities is elaborated into three dimensions: informatizing is characterized as automating, informating, and complexing; systematizing is characterized as analysing/synthesizing, sensemaking and enacting. These dimensions are mapped into themes that can be characteristically said to be IS research, and based on each of their essential activities, provide a theoretically coherent image of research in IS that connects the dots despite the field's apparent theoretical diversity and incongruity. Focusing on what the IS field does builds a distinctive identity for the field, opens up possibilities for theorizing the IT artefact and enables IS researchers to theorize not only traditional IS topics, but especially novel, unpredictable, and emergent socio-technical phenomena. By bringing back the IS field to its core concepts—information and system—the performative act of doing IS in both its discursive and non-discursive practices hold the potential for enhancing the intellectual and social relevance of the IS field.


Dielectric materials subjected to energetic electron fluxes can emit light in several forms. We have observed three distinct types of emissions: (i) shortduration (<1 ms), high-intensity electrostatic discharge (ESD) or "arc" events; (ii) intermediate-duration, high-intensity events which begin with a bright arc followed by an exponential decay of intensity (~10 to 100 sec decay constant), termed "flares"; and (iii) long-duration, low-intensity emission, or cathodoluminescence, that continues as long as the electron flux is on. These events were studied for bulk samples of bisphenol/amine epoxy, using an electron gun with varying current densities (0.3 to 5 nA-cm -2 ) and energies (12 to 40 keV) in a high vacuum chamber. Light emitted from the sample was measured with high-sensitivity visible and near-infrared video cameras. We present results of the spatial and temporal extent for each type of event. We also discuss how absolute spectral radiance and rates for each type of these events are dependent on incident electron current density, energy, and power density and on material type, temperature, and thickness. Applications of this research to spacecraft charging and light emissions are discussed.


In this article we describe a set of scalable techniques for learning the behavior of a group of agents in a collaborative multiagent setting. As a basis we use the framework of coordination graphs of Guestrin, Koller, and Parr (2002a) which exploits the dependencies between agents to decompose the global payoff function into a sum of local terms. First, we deal with the single-state case and describe a payoff propagation algorithm that computes the individual actions that approximately maximize the global payoff function. The method can be viewed as the decision-making analogue of belief propagation in Bayesian networks. Second, we focus on learning the behavior of the agents in sequential decision-making tasks. We introduce different model-free reinforcement-learning techniques, unitedly called Sparse Cooperative Q-learning, which approximate the global action-value function based on the topology of a coordination graph, and perform updates using the contribution of the individual agents to the maximal global action value. The combined use of an edge-based decomposition of the action-value function and the payoff propagation algorithm for efficient action selection, result in an approach that scales only linearly in the problem size. We provide experimental evidence that our method outperforms related multiagent reinforcement-learning methods based on temporal differences.


Background and Aims
Epithelial expression of the insulin receptor in the colon has previously been reported to correlate with extent of colonic inflammation. However, the impact of insulin signalling in the intestinal mucosa is still unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of inactivating the epithelial insulin receptor in the intestinal tract, in an experimental model of inflammation-induced colorectal cancer.

Methods
The mice were generated by utilizing the intestinal- and epithelial-specific villin promoter and the Cre-Lox technology. All mice included in the cohorts were generated by crossing [vil-Cre-INSR+/-] × [INSRfl/fl] to obtain [vil-Cre-INSR-/-], and their floxed littermates [INSRfl/fl] served as the control group. For the intervention study, phosphate-buffered saline with or without insulin was instilled rectally in anaesthetized wild-type mice with chemically induced colitis.

Results
We found higher endoscopic colitis scores together with potentiated colonic tumorigenesis in the knockout mice. Furthermore, we showed that topically administered insulin in inflamed colons of wild-type mice reduced inflammation-induced weight loss and improved remission in a dose-dependent manner. Mice receiving rectal insulin enemas exhibited lower colitis endoscopic scores and reduced cyclooxygenase 2 mRNA expression, and developed significantly fewer and smaller tumours compared with the control group receiving phosphate-buffered saline only.

Conclusions
Rectal insulin therapy could potentially be a novel treatment, targeting the epithelial layer to enhance mucosal healing in ulcerated areas. Our findings open up new possibilities for combination treatments to synergize with the existing anti-inflammatory therapies.


Nowadays, Multiprocessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) architectures are mainly focused on by manufacturers to provide increased concurrency, instead of increased clock speed, for embedded systems. However, managing concurrency is a tough task. Hence, one major issue is to synchronize concurrent accesses to shared memory. An important characteristic of any system design process is memory configuration and data flow management. Although, it is very important to select a correct memory configuration, it might be equally imperative to choreograph the data flow between various levels of memory in an optimal manner. Memory map is a multiprocessor simulator to choreograph data flow in individual caches of multiple processors and shared memory systems. This simulator allows user to specify cache reconfigurations and number of processors within the application program and evaluates cache miss and hit rate for each configuration phase taking into account reconfiguration costs. The code is open source and in java.


The preservation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) in the denervated lung was studied in five human heart-lung transplant recipients. All five patients showed significant increases in mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance during hypoxic exposure, returning toward normoxic values during recovery. Aside from PAO2 and Pao2, other factors known to influence pulmonary vascular resistance did not change significantly during the hypoxic period. There was no relation between the length of the post-transplantation period and the intensity of HPV, suggesting that reinnervation of the pulmonary vascular bed did not account for persistent HPV and that HPV persists in the human transplanted lung despite the loss of autonomic neural innervation.


Diane alfano Chairman and CEO Dave BliDe Publisher We open the fall issue of The Journal of Trading with Domowitz and Giritharan's activity-based approach to trading performance comparisons, in which the common denominator is an individual security. The approach exploits institutional trading activity, combining such information with market data and repurposing old tools with the goal of reducing institutional trading costs. Jain, Jain, and Jiang use a public dataset, provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) covering all major U.S. exchanges, to study the impact of algorithmic trading and its fragmentation on market liquidity. Their findings suggest a market-making as well as predatory role of algorithmic trading that has policy implications. Next, Kyj and Zheng demonstrate a framework for evaluating the performance quality of broker algorithms. This framework allows portfolio managers and traders to select broker algorithms that better align with their investment objectives. Martins presents two dynamic efficiency ratios based on simple price changes, not on external benchmarks or returns. The proposed ratios, mainly aimed for high-frequency trading, take into consideration such elements as the number of price innovations (changes), the number of transactions performed, and the time between transactions. Bondar describes a method of cycle detection using inverse-logic spectral analysis that allows for fast detection of market cycles using any amount of input data, which can be smaller than the cycle length. The proposed method detects dominant cycles earlier and generates in-phase functions, which can be used as oscillators or trading signals, with virtually no phase lag. To complete the issue, Aquilina and Suntheim utilize a series of widely accepted liquidity measures and present evidence of liquidity in the U.K.corporate bond market for the period 2008-2014. As always, we welcome your submissions. We value your comments and suggestions, so please email us at email@example.com.


We investigate the structure of prime ideals of finite height in polynomial extension rings of a commutative unitary ring R. We consider the question of finite generation of such prime ideals. The valuative dimension of prime ideals of R plays an important role in our considerations. If X is an infinite set of indeterminates over R, we prove that every prime ideal of R[X] of finite height is finitely generated if and only if each P E Spec(R) of finite valuative dimension is finitely generated and for each such P every finitely generated extension domain of R/P is finitely presented. We prove that an integrally closed domain D with the property that every prime ideal of finite height of D[X] is finitely generated is a Priifer v-multiplication domain, and that if D also satisfies d.c.c. on prime ideals, then D is a Krull domain in which each height-one prime ideal is finitely generated.


In this article, I launch a wholesale reexamination of the under-studied subject of American Jewish nationalism. With the focus on the road to Israeli statehood, scholars have ignored the complex, contradictory patterns of nationalist identification that marked American Zionist politics in the first half of the twentieth century. I explore this thesis through a re-reading of two key historical episodes: the American Jewish Congress movement of 1914–1920 and the American Jewish Conference, 1943–1949. In the process, I discuss the relationship between liberalism and nationalism in American Jewish political thought; the political conflicts between Jewish nationalism and anti-nationalism; and the nomenclature of Jewish nationhood in the United States. Ultimately, I conclude that the consensus position of American Jewish support for Israel after 1948 emerged only after statist Zionism had been separated from a more capacious form of American Jewish nationalism that existed before 1948. This helps us understand the origins and rise to significance of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), with implications for the current moment of American Jewish politics.


Extracted from text ... HEALTH AWARENESS
April 2004 Vol.22 No.4 CME 211
April is Health Awareness month and 7 April is World
Health Day. In 2003, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) published a World Health report, summarising what
the organisation sees as the most pressing health problems
around the world and looking at the global burden of disease.
The overview of 2003 starts with the words, 'Global
health is a study in contrasts'. It points out that a baby girl
born in 2003 in Japan can expect to live to the age of 85,
while a girl born at the same time in ..


In the year 2000, the Swedish Telecom regulator "Post&Telestyrelsen" (PTS) granted in a "beauty contest" four licenses for operation of 3G mobile networks. Through this process, the licensees committed themselves to cover 8,860,000 inhabitants of the Swedish population. In order to verify the coverage and confirm compliance with the license requirements, PTS, developed a test procedure in close collaboration with the licensees. The present paper gives an overview of the considerations behind the design of the test method and presents some preliminary results. Today all Swedish 3G operators comply with the licence requirement and it is concluded that a method for verifying the requirement accepted by the licensees is an important tool for successful licensing of spectrum and fulfilment of licensing obligations.


The article presents chosen aspects of foundry engineering of the settlement dwellers, including the archaeometric characteristics and metal science analysis of the artefacts, as well as an attempted reconstruction of the production organization. Discovered in Szczepidło (Greater Poland), the foundry workshop is unique in Central European Bronze Age. This workshop foundry operated roughly XIV-XII Century BC. Its production is evidenced by the presence of markers of the whole production cycle: semi-finished and finished products, production waste, fragments of crucibles and casting ladles with traces of usage, and tools. On this basis the alloys and foundry technologies used have been described. The analysis of foundry technology of copper alloys in the settlement area was carried out by observing the surface and structure of the products, semi-finished artefacts and fragments of crucibles by applying optical microscopy (OM), confocal microscopy (CLSM) and Xray radiography (RT). The investigations of compositions were made by means of the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ED-XRF) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray analysis system (EDS).


The magnitude and location of terrestrial carbon sources and sinks remains subject to large uncertainties. Estimates of terrestrial CO2fluxes from ground-based inventory measurements typically find less carbon uptake than inverse model calculations based on atmospheric CO2 measurements, while a wide range of results have been obtained using models of different types. However, when full account is taken of the processes, pools, time scales and geographic areas being measured, the different approaches can be understood as complementary rather than inconsistent, and can provide insight as to the contribution of various processes to the terrestrial carbon budget. For example, quantitative differences between atmospheric inversion model estimates and forest inventory estimates in northern extratropical regions suggest that carbon fluxes to soils (often not accounted for in inventories), and into non-forest vegetation, may account for about half of the terrestrial uptake. A consensus of inventory and inverse methods indicates that, in the 1980s, northern extratropical land regions were a large net sink of carbon, and the tropics were approximately neutral (albeit with high uncertainty around the central estimate of zero net flux). The terrestrial flux in southern extratropical regions was small. Book-keeping model studies of the impacts of land-use change indicated a large source in the tropics and almost zero net flux for most northern extratropical regions; similar land use change impacts were also recently obtained using process-based models. The difference between book-keeping land-use change model studies and inversions or inventories was previously interpreted as a "missing" terrestrial carbon uptake. Land-use change studies do not account for environmental or many management effects (which are implicitly included in inventory and inversion methods). Process-based model studies have quantified the impacts of CO2 fertilisation and climate change in addition to land use change, and found that these environmental effects are in the right order of magnitude to account for the "missing" terrestrial carbon uptake. Despite recent carbon losses due to fire and insect attack in Canada and Russia, the northern extratropical regions generally have been a net carbon sink, only partially due to land-use changes such as abandonment of agricultural land. In the tropics, inventory data and flux measurements in extant forests support the existence of an environmental or management sink that counterbalances the effect of deforestation. Woody encroachment in savannas may also be a significant (but as yet poorly quantified) cause of tropical carbon uptake.


Myeloid colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) decrease the risk of febrile neutropenia (FN) from high-risk chemotherapy regimens administered to patients at 20% or greater risk of FN, but little is known about their use in clinical practice. We evaluated CSF use in a multiregional population-based cohort of lung and colorectal cancer patients (N = 1849). Only 17% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8% to 26%) patients treated with high-risk chemotherapy regimens received CSFs, compared with 18% (95% CI = 16% to 20%) and 10% (95% CI = 8% to 12%) of patients treated with intermediate- (10%-20% risk of FN) and low-risk (<10% risk of FN) chemotherapy regimens, respectively. Using a generalized estimating equation model, we found that enrollment in a health maintenance organization (HMO) was strongly associated with a lower adjusted odds of discretionary CSF use, compared with non-HMO patients (odds ratio = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.60, P < .001). All statistical tests were two-sided. Overall, 96% (95% CI = 93% to 98%) of CSFs were administered in scenarios where CSF therapy is not recommended by evidence-based guidelines. This finding suggests that policies to decrease CSF use in patients at lower or intermediate risk of FN may yield substantial cost savings without compromising patient outcomes.


Abstract. Atmospheric aerosols play critical roles in air quality, public health, and visibility. In addition, they strongly influence climate by scattering solar radiation and by changing the reflectivity and lifetime of clouds. One major but still poorly understood source of atmospheric aerosols is new particle formation, which consists of the formation of thermodynamically stable clusters from trace gas molecules (homogeneous nucleation) followed by growth of these clusters to a detectable size (~3 nm). Because freshly nucleated clusters are most susceptible to loss due to high rate of coagulation with pre-existing aerosol population, the initial growth rate strongly influences the rate of new particle formation and ambient aerosol population. Whereas many field observations and modeling studies indicate that organics enhance the initial growth of the clusters and therefore new particle formation, thermodynamic considerations would suggest that the strong increase of equilibrium vapor concentration due to cluster surface curvature (Kelvin effect) may prevent ambient organics from condensing on these small clusters. Here, the contribution of organics to the initial cluster growth is described as heterogeneous nucleation of organic molecules onto these clusters. We find that the strong gradient in cluster population with respect to its size leads to positive cluster number flux. This positive flux drives the growth of clusters substantially smaller than the Kelvin diameter, conventionally considered the minimum particle size that can be grown through condensation. The conventional approach neglects the contribution from the cluster concentration gradient, and underestimates the cluster survival probabilities by a factor of up to 60 if early growth of clusters is due to both condensation of sulfuric acid and heterogeneous nucleation of organic vapors.


Legionella pneumophila possesses several virulence mediating factors; for example, it has two protein export systems: the type II (Lsp) and the type IVB (Dot/Icm) secretion systems. Both systems transport effector molecules, including lipolytic proteins such as phospholipases. L. pneumophila possesses two major phospholipase activities, phospholipase A (PLA) and lysophospholipase A (LPLA), both capable of hydrolyzing phospholipids and generating the reaction products: free fatty acids (PLA and LPLA), cytotoxic lysophospholipids (via the action of PLA), and water-soluble phosphodiesters, like glycerophosphorylcholine (via the subsequent action of LPLA on lysophospholipids). Patatins are a group of plant storage glycoproteins that show lipid acyl hydrolase activity. One of the corresponding proteins, PatA, was found to be an LPLA when expressed in Escherichia coli. The patA to patK genes of L. pneumophila have been determined to be expressed during bacterial growth in laboratory media. Furthermore, by the construction of knockout mutants, it was shown that patA contributes to secreted bacterial PLA and LPLA activities and is essential for intracellular replication of L. pneumophila, during both amoeba and macrophage infection, which implies an important role for lipolytic enzymes with respect to the pathogenic behavior of the bacterium. The high number of lipolytic enzymes present in L. pneumophila implies that lipids may be an important source of nutrients for the bacterium, and/or lipid hydrolysis is an essential step in bacterial establishment, especially within the host cell.


New York's system of electing lower court judges has long been notorious for providing the appearance of democracy without any of the substance. Although the people are given an opportunity to vote for judges, the really meaningful choices about who will run, where, and whether judicial elections will even be contested have for years been made by party insiders. Last year, in a case soon to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Second Circuit invalidated New York's method of electing judges on the ground that it violates the associational rights of party rank and file. In this brief essay, I argue that the Second Circuit misanalyzed the problems plaguing New York's judicial selection process. New York's method for choosing judges is basically sensible and structurally sound. The problem lies, rather, in New York's party system, which is utterly moribund. Until the state develops a well-functioning system of competitive and publicly accountable political parties - something that will require, at a minimum, breaking up the longstanding bipartisan gerrymander of the state legislature - no reform to the judicial selection process can be expected to produce meaningful change.


This paper summarizes findings and conclusions from our application of the Economic and Social Rights Fulfillment Index developed by Fukuda-Parr, Lawson-Remer and Randolph (2009) to the states of Brazil. The key features of this methodology in assessing economic and human rights fulfillment is the focus on state obligations rather than only on human outcomes, and reference to both level of state resources and the historic achievements of comparator state parties as criteria in assessment. Our results show that none of the states of Brazil are completely meeting their obligations to fulfill economic and social rights although some are far more successful than others, and that fulfillment does not depend on income. States struggle most to meet their obligations to realize the right to decent work and adequate housing, but are somewhat better and meeting their obligations to fulfill the rights to education, the highest attainable standard of health and adequate food. Furthermore, a ranking of the states based on our findings differs significantly from rankings based on GDP per capita or the state-level Human Development Index values alone. This paper summarizes our methodology and findings and also proposes several avenues for further study.


Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) are pathogenically related non-malignant bone marrow failure disorders linked to T-cell mediated autoimmunity and associated with an increased risk of secondary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Approximately 15-20% of AA patients and 2-6% of PNH patients go on to develop secondary MDS/AML by ten years of follow-up. Factors determining an individual patient's risk of malignant transformation remain poorly defined. Recent studies identified nearly ubiquitous clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in AA patients. Similarly, CH with additional, non-PIGA, somatic alterations occurs in the majority of patients with PNH. Factors associated with progression to secondary MDS/AML include longer duration of disease, increased telomere attrition, presence of adverse prognostic mutations and multiple mutations, particularly when occurring early in the disease course and at a high allelic burden. Here, we will review the prevalence and characteristics of somatic alterations in AA and PNH and will explore their prognostic significance and mechanisms of clonal selection. We will then discuss the available data on post-AA and post-PNH progression to secondary MDS/AML and provide practical guidance for approaching patients with PNH and AA who have CH.


Generally airfoils are designed for cruise flight conditions; but during take-off
and landing, when the airplane flies at low speeds and small angles of attacks, the lift
provided by single airfoils is not sufficient, and an extra lift is required for safe
landing and take-off. In this condition the use of high lift devices is important. When
an airfoil is accompanied by high lift devices the system is referred to as multi-component
airfoil configuration. When high lift devices are deflected, the geometry
of the airfoil is changed temporarily. As a result the effective chamber, angle of
attack, and area of the airfoil are increased; consequently, the lift is increased too,
since the lift is directly proportional to the chamber, the angle of attack, and the
airfoil area. The advantage of this is that the landing and take-off speeds are reduced,
a fact that gives the pilot more time to react, in case any accident happens during
take-off or landing. At the same time, the runway length is also reduced. If the
airplane is fast and it's carrying capacity is high, then the importance of using multi-component airfoils increases, because the value of the lift increment necessary for
safe take-off and landing is high.
At the present time, the importance of multi-component airfoils is increasing
due to the high competition between airplane manufacturing companies, whose aim
is to produce new models of airplanes with higher speeds and carrying capacities
than the airplanes used today. Future airplanes should be fast, safe, and large.
Achievement of these requirements in future airplanes is strongly related to the use
of the appropriate multi-component airfoil designs. And this is why much
experimental and computational work needs to be devoted to analyze and optimize
the flow around multi-component airfoil configurations.
When dealing with multi-component airfoil configurations computational
methods are of great importance so as to focus the zone of the optimal flap position
for the maximum lift coefficient. Then the experimental work is to be carried out
within that zone. This saves long expensive wind tunnel, and flight test hours.
In the investigation presented in this thesis, a computer program, which
models incompressible inviscid flow around an airfoil with a split flap, has been
developed. The program is based on the pioneering Hess and Smith panel method.
The new program is referred to as MULTFOIL.


Public Law103-160, commonly referred to as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," was a controversial law that prohibited homosexuals from serving in the military and prohibited the military from inquiring into a service member's sexual preference. Since passage of this law in 1993, thousands of men and women have been discharged from military service despite many having rare and valuable military skills. While President Obama recently signed a repeal to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, allowing homosexuals to serve openly, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and many other organizations, maintain their opposition. This paper examines arguments on both sides of the debate and explores the massive  onsequence of the policy's repeal for the military, veterans service organizations, and America as a nation.


About this publication: What is the correlation among the creative industries, creative industry policies, new media paradigms and capitalism as colonial relations of dominance? What is the role of these industries in the prioritization of the interests of capital at the expense of those of society and how can these paradigms be criticized in the context of the actual, neoliberal, flexible regime of reproduction of capital? To what measure is this regime 'flexible' and to what measure it is just an extension of rigid, feudal and racial logics that underline (post)modern representational discourses? To what measure do the concepts of creativity, transparency, openness and flexibility conceal the hegemonic nature of modern hierarchies of exploitation? This publication brings together six essays that offer a critique of the relationship between the creative industries and capital. It treats 'the networked world' — its democracies, cognitivities, its attention and its paradigmatic cultural discourses — as one of the domains wherein and by which capitalism and its colonial relations of dominance are being reproduced, reorganized, perpetuated and 'modernized'. The Gray Zones of Creativity and Capital (eds. Gordana Nikolic and Sefik Tatlic) consists of works from a diverse range of authors from around the globe: Jonathan Beller, Josephine Berry Slater, Marc James Leger, Ana Vilenica, Sandi Abram & Irmgard Emmelheinz. The book first appeared in Serbian in 2015.


I discuss the four Perl poetry generators I have developed in the ppg256 series. My discussion of each program begins with the entire 256 characters of code and continues with an explication of this code, a description of aspects of my development process, and a discussion of how my thinking about computation and poetry developed during that process. In writing these programs, I came to understand more about the importance of framing to the reception of texts as poems, about how computational poetic concepts of part of speech might differ from established linguistic ones, about morphological and syntactical variability, and about how to usefully think about possible texts as being drawn from a probability distribution.


In a recent participatory cross-sectional study of rural communities in the Northern and Copperbelt Provinces of Zambia undertaken in March 2000, some livelihood analysis revealed that transport constraints, and their impact on rural livelihoods and service provision are of a high priority for the rural poor. Indeed transport emerged as a serious concern in all six study districts, particularly with regard to the impact of poor accessibility and mobility on food security, agricultural marketing and ability to pay for health and education. This case study intends to review the interactions of transport on livelihood assets in the Zambian context, and the way in which transport based livelihood strategies can reduce the vulnerability context and improve livelihood outcomes.


Detecting biomolecules in physiological environments is critical to health care and environmental monitoring. In this work, we study and use gold surfaces for biomolecule detection while incorporating nanoscale components—specifically, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols and gold nanostructured shells—with the goal of improving biomolecule detection methods. Using SAMs to functionalize gold surfaces can offer control over biomolecule binding density and orientation while still keeping the biomolecules near the sensing surface. Using surface IR spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT) modeling, we found that SAMs of short-chain and long-chain amine-terminated alkanethiols on gold had different sulphur binding environments. We also found that protein binding and recognition on the two different SAMs varied with SAM chain length and was also influenced by the presence of a cross-linker. In the second part of this work, we synthesized gold nanostructured shells on magnetic particles for combined separation and detection of biomolecules. We demonstrated their use as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated the use of these particles to detect oligonucleotide binding and hybridization with SERS using a Raman-tagged oligonucleotide hairpin probe.


A stability and transport analysis is performed for a simplified model of a strongly coupled thermoacoustic prime mover stack in an annular resonator. The result demonstrates that, even in the limit that other flow impedances of the resonator and stack can be ignored, there is a thermal impedance mismatch created in the boundary region at the ends of the stack. This can cause the gain predicted for the wave traversing the interior of the stack to differ significantly from the gain that drives sound in the resonator. The analysis is used to derive scaling relations between the heat and mass transport around the annulus, and to show how different scaling regimes relate to the maximum sound intensity that the stack can induce in the absence of other losses.


This study investigated management of change in teacher education curriculum in Private universities in Kenya. The study employed a concurrent mixed methods design that is based on the use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A multi-stage sampling process which included purposive, convenience, cluster, and snowball sampling methods was followed. The sample comprised of 5 chartered private universities which were offering teacher education by the year 2008. The respondents were 5 Deans from the School of education, one from each of the universities;14 Heads of Departments (H.O.D s), 32 Teacher Educators and 150 Teacher Trainees, 2 staffs from Commission for University Education and 2 from Teachers' Service Commission. Complexity Theory and Theory of Planned Change guided the study. Face and content validity was done by the expert judgment. The reliability of the questionnaire was established at Alpha of .760. Data from the questionnaires was analyzed using descriptive statistics, means and standard deviations - based on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program version 20. Qualitative data from the interviews and documents was analyzed for content in an ongoing process as themes and subthemes emerged. The results indicated that the universities followed due processes, recommended by curriculum experts, to implement change; but sought alternative ways where due process had failed. This was because of the complexity of teacher education program, on basis of scale, foci and clientele, and also the unique nature of private universities in Kenya. The study recommends that private universities should not only follow due process, but look out for alternative strategies in implementing changes in teacher education, as they consult closely with the Commission for University Education and Teachers' Service Commission, and endeavor to fulfill their mission.


: Both morphology and behaviour develop during the pelagic larval stage of demersal teleost fishes. Demersal perciform fishes from warm-water habitats begin their pelagic larval stage as plankton but end it as nekton, with behavioural capabilities (including swimming, orientation and sensory abilities) that can influence, if not control, dispersal trajectories. The ontogeny of these behaviours, and the gradual transition from plankton to nekton, are central to understanding how larval fishes can influence dispersal and how behaviour can be integrated into dispersal models. Recent behavioural research shows that, from about 5 to 8 mm standard length, larvae of warm-water perciform fishes can directly influence dispersal, because they swim in an efficient inertial hydrodynamic environment, can swim for kilometres at speeds that heuristic models show will alter dispersal trajectories, can swim faster than ambient currents before settlement, can orientate in the pelagic environment and can detect sensory cues (light, sound, odour) that allow orientation. Fish larvae also control their vertical position (which may change temporally, spatially and ontogenetically), allowing indirect influence on dispersal. Most research on larval behaviour relevant to dispersal (i.e. swimming, orientation and sensory abilities) has been done with warm-water perciform species. This invites the question: Will the same be found in cool water or in species of other orders? The hydrodynamic and physiological effects of temperature indicate that larvae in warm water should swim more efficiently and initially at smaller sizes than larvae in cool water. Limited evidence suggests that larvae of perciform fishes are more behaviourally competent and attain morphological and behavioural milestones when smaller (and probably younger) than do larvae of clupeiform, gadiform and pleuronectiform (CGP) fishes. Perciform fishes dominate demersal fish communities in warm water, whereas CGP fishes dominate in cooler waters. These hydrodynamic, physiological, ontogenetic, phylogenetic and biogeographic factors imply that larval fish behaviour may have more influence on dispersal in warm seas than in cool seas. This hypothesis requires testing. Additional factors that should be taken into account when using behaviour of larvae to produce biophysical models of dispersal are discussed.


We study exploration in Multi-Armed Bandits in a setting where k players collaborate in order to identify an e-optimal arm. Our motivation comes from recent employment of bandit algorithms in computationally intensive, large-scale applications. Our results demonstrate a non-trivial tradeoff between the number of arm pulls required by each of the players, and the amount of communication between them. In particular, our main result shows that by allowing the k players to communicate only once, they are able to learn √k times faster than a single player. That is, distributing learning to k players gives rise to a factor √k parallel speedup. We complement this result with a lower bound showing this is in general the best possible. On the other extreme, we present an algorithm that achieves the ideal factor k speed-up in learning performance, with communication only logarithmic in 1/e.


From 2007 to 2011, select Virginia localities were legislatively mandated to update their respective comprehensive plans to include Urban Development Areas. The completion of the Urban Development Area comprehensive plan requirement was complicated by uneven application and codification of the legislative mandate. In 2012, the Urban Development Area legislation had been reduced from a legislative mandate to a state enabled optional comprehensive plan element. This research examines the practice of comprehensive planning in the Commonwealth of Virginia during the Urban Development Area comprehensive plan update requirement to determine legislation outcomes and the effects of citizen participation in the comprehensive planning process in relation to organizational and planning practitioner outcomes. Select local jurisdictional planning organizations were studied using the organizational learning theories of Argyris and Schön in a mixed method research setting. Conclusions find the presence of limited learning systems (single loop planning) and limited modal learning occurring within the Commonwealth of Virginia's local jurisdictions, directly affecting completion of legislative mandates. Recommendations suggest modification of existing communal planning procedures at a local and state level to encourage citizen involvement and investment in comprehensive planning and future economic development.


Background: Previous research focused on relationship commitment as the outcome of high satisfaction, poor alternatives, and high investments. We propose that commitment is a prerequisite in highly satisfied couples, fostering relationship maintenance behavior such as positive dyadic coping. Method: Structural equation models identified the relationship between commitment, relationship satisfaction, and dyadic coping with data from 201 heterosexual couples with an average relationship length of 34 years. Results: The common fate model confirmed that relationship satisfaction mediated the effects between commitment and dyadic coping on a latent dyadic level. Additional analyses revealed that women's satisfaction was mainly responsible for mediating effects between both partners' commitment and dyadic coping. Conclusions: Findings support the essentiality of commitment for couples' maintenance strategies and for consistency in long-term relationships.


A method for performing droplet actuation, splitting, and dispensing using only magnetic force and physical confinement is reported. The combination of low-friction superhydrophobic surfaces and droplets containing superparamagnetic particles is demonstrated to reliably dispense droplets with a precision (≤6%) similar to standard air-displacement pipettes. The 3D printed microfluidic chips incorporate individual wells, a weir structure and differential channel depths to facilitate droplet splitting in differing ratios. Both empirical observations and numerical simulations show that the splitting is a combination of wetting and pressure differences. The method enables a parent drop to be dispensed and split into droplets ranging in size from 5-20 μL using different well volumes. Once dispensed/split the droplets can be further actuated, merged and mixed. An EDTA-based complexometric colorimetric titration for water hardness is conducted on-chip. The degree of colour change is then determined utilizing a cell phone camera and image analysis and used to calculate water hardness; this measurement was found to agree with the traditional, larger scale method. The simple, robust dispensing method is adaptable to other digital microfluidic assays.


The availability of commodity 3D extruder pen allows direct drawing of 3D wire sculptures for novice users, enabling many novel applications such as intuitive spatial intelligence development for school students. However, the lack of spatial and structural cues among individual pen strokes makes the 3D drawing process challenging, which often leads to highly distorted and even incomplete wire sculptures. We present a mixed reality system, called `WireDraw', to immersively guide the 3D drawing for easy wire sculpturing. The system design is based on novel 3D drawing principles and the subsequent optimization, making the stroke sequence of the wire model drawable and easy to draw. On-the-fly edits on unsatisfactory strokes are also allowed for creative design. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system by testing on a variety of wire models and a user study. The results show that the visual guidance provided by our system is extremely helpful for drawing high-quality wire sculptures.


The tetrakis(trimethylphosphine) molybdenum nitrosyl hydrido complex trans-Mo(PMe(3))(4)(H)(NO) (2) and the related deuteride complex trans-Mo(PMe(3))(4)(D)(NO) (2a) were prepared from trans-Mo(PMe(3))(4)(Cl)(NO) (1). From (2)H T(1 min) measurements and solid-state (2)H NMR the bond ionicities of 2a could be determined and were found to be 80.0% and 75.3%, respectively, indicating a very polar Mo--D bond. The enhanced hydridicity of 2 is reflected in its very high propensity to undergo hydride transfer reactions. 2 was thus reacted with acetone, acetophenone, and benzophenone to afford the corresponding alkoxide complexes trans-Mo(NO)(PMe(3))(4)(OCHR'R'') (R' = R'' = Me (3); R' = Me, R'' = Ph (4); R' = R'' = Ph (5)). The reaction of 2 with CO(2) led to the formation of the formato-O-complex Mo(NO)(OCHO)(PMe(3))(4) (6). The reaction of with HOSO(2)CF(3) produced the anion coordinated complex Mo(NO)(PMe(3))(4)(OSO(2)CF(3)) (7), and the reaction with [H(Et(2)O)(2)][BAr(F)(4)] with an excess of PMe(3) produced the pentakis(trimethylphosphine) coordinated compound [Mo(NO)(PMe(3))(5)][BAr(F)(4)] (8). Imine insertions into the Mo-H bond of 2 were also accomplished. PhCH[double bond, length as m-dash]NPh (N-benzylideneaniline) and C(10)H(7)CH=NPh (N-1-naphthylideneaniline) afforded the amido compounds Mo(NO)(PMe(3))(4)[NR'(CH(2)R'')] (R' = R'' = Ph (9), R' = Ph, R'' = naphthyl (11)). 9 could not be obtained in pure form, however, its structure was assigned by spectroscopic means. At room temperature 11 reacted further to lose one PMe(3) forming 12 (Mo(NO)PMe(3))(3)[N(Ph)CH(2)C(10)H(6))]) with agostic stabilization. In a subsequent step oxidative addition of the agostic naphthyl C-H bond to the molybdenum centre occurred. Then hydrogen migration took place giving the chelate amine complex Mo(NO)(PMe(3))(3)[NH(Ph)(CH(2)C(10)H(6))] (15). The insertion reaction of 2 with C(10)H(7)N=CHPh led to formation of the agostic compound Mo(NO)(PMe(3))(3)[N(CH(2)Ph)(C(10)H(7))] (10). Based on the knowledge of facile formation of agostic compounds the catalytic hydrogenation of C(10)H(7)N=CHPh and PhN=CHC(10)H(7) with 2 (5 mol%) was tested. The best conversion rates were obtained in the presence of an excess of PMe(3), which were 18.4% and 100% for C(10)H(7)N=CHPh and PhN=CHC(10)H(7), respectively.