The ability to learn in a self-regulated way is important for adolescents' academic achievements. Monitoring one's own learning is a prerequisite skill for successful self-regulated learning. However, accurate monitoring has been found to be difficult for adolescents, especially for learning problem-solving tasks such as can be found in math and biology. This study investigated whether a self-explaining strategy, which has been found effective for improving monitoring accuracy in learning from text, can improve monitoring and regulation-choice effectiveness, and problem-solving performance in secondary biology education. In 2 experiments, one half of the participants learned to solve biology problems by studying video-modeling examples, and the other one half learned by giving step-by-step self-explanations following the video-modeling examples (Experiment 1) or by following the posttest problem-solving tasks (Experiment 2). Results showed that in contrast to earlier studies, self-explaining did not improve monitoring and regulation-choice effectiveness. However, the quality of self-explanations was found to be related to monitoring accuracy and performance. Interestingly, the complexity of the problem-solving tasks affected monitoring and regulation-choice effectiveness, and problem-solving performance. These results are discussed in relation to the cognitive demands that monitoring and regulating learning to solve problems combined with self-explaining pose on learners.


ABSTRACT One method for working with large, dense sets of spatial point data is to aggregate the measure of the data into polygonal containers, such as political boundaries, or into regular spatial bins such as triangles, squares, or hexagons. When mapping these aggregations, the map projection must inevitably distort relationships. This distortion can impact the reader's ability to compare count and density measures across the map. Spatial binning, particularly via hexagons, is becoming a popular technique for displaying aggregate measures of point data sets. Increasingly, we see questionable use of the technique without attendant discussion of its hazards. In this work, we discuss when and why spatial binning works and how mapmakers can better understand the limitations caused by distortion from projecting to the plane. We introduce equations for evaluating distortion's impact on one common projection (Web Mercator) and discuss how the methods used generalize to other projections. While we focus on hexagonal binning, these same considerations affect spatial bins of any shape, and more generally, any analysis of geographic data performed in planar space.


Much research over the past five decades has focussed on the repair and replacement of bone. Recently, the research focus has shifted to nanotechnology since it provides a platform from which to alter and possibly improve materials' properties. In this study we have made use of previously developed electrospun biphasic nanoscaffolds to culture osteoblast cells on, and investigate specific responses of the cells towards the scaffolds. Osteoclast-like cells and osteoblast cells were cultured separately on the nanoscaffolds and the proliferation, adhesion and cellular response were determined. In this study, the mineralisation of the osteoblast cells was observed in a time study. The intracellular calcium ion concentration and nitric oxide concentration were determined in vitro while the cells were proliferating on the scaffolds. The expression of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase was determined immunohistochemically. Quantitative data were obtained from fluorometer studies. Qualitative data was supplied by light- and fluorescent confocal microscopy. During studies with microscopy, a minimum of five representative images from each sample were captured. The cells showed increased mineralisation over time. An increase in intracellular Ca2+ was not observed when compared to the controls. However, an increase in intracellular nitric oxide formation was detected. Expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase but not inducible nitric oxide synthase was detected in vitro. From the results we can conclude that the scaffolds are biocompatible and conducive to healthy cell growth and differentiation and could possibly be applied in non-load-bearing bone regeneration and repair applications.


OBJECTIVE
Studies have reported mixed findings on the association between physical activity and subclinical atherosclerosis. We sought to examine whether walking is associated with prevalent coronary artery calcification (CAC) and aortic calcification.

APPROACH AND RESULTS
In a cross-sectional design, we studied 2971 participants of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study without a history of myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. A standardized questionnaire was used to ascertain the number of blocks walked daily to compute walking metabolic equivalent hours. CAC was measured by cardiac computed tomography. We defined prevalent CAC and aortic calcification using an Agatston score of at least 100 and used generalized estimating equations to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios. Mean age was 55 years, and 60% of participants were women. Compared with the ≤3.75-Met-h/wk group, prevalence ratios for CAC after adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking, alcohol use, total physical activity (excluding walking), and familial clustering were 0.53 (95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.79) for >3.75 to 7.5 Met-h/wk, 0.72 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.99) for >7.5 to 15 Met-h/wk, and 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.81) for >15 to 22.5 Met-h/wk, (P trend=0.01). The walking-CAC relationship remained significant for those with body mass index ≥25 (P trend=0.02) and persisted with CAC cutoffs of 300, 200, 150, and 50 but not 0. When examined as a continuous variable, a J-shaped association between walking and CAC was found. The walking-aortic calcification association was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that walking is associated with lower prevalent CAC (but not aortic calcification) in adults without known heart disease.


Solar hydrogen production from renewables such as ethanol and water is potentially a key means of fuel generation either for direct combustion or to power fuel cells. To achieve this few methods are possible among them are those involving photocatalytic processes on semiconductor materials due to the simplicity of the concept and its technical feasibility. However, no materials have been found, to date, that can be used for this process. Among the most promising photo-catalysts are those composed of TiO2 based material in presence of a transition metal such as Au or Pd because of the simplicity of their structure and the present industrial knowledge. Gold catalysts with finite nanoparticle size have been found to be very active for specific reactions in dark conditions such as CO oxidation , . Yet, their potential as active materials for photoreactions has only received sporadic attention , , , and considerable work is needed because the size of Au, the size of the TiO2 particulate support and the nature of TiO2 can each, in turn, influence the photo-reaction rate. The rate of H2 production from water is so far very small to be used as a model system for materials study. Alcohol are known however to act as hole scavengers and when used in the appropriate environment (i.e., in presence of only traces of O2 as in the liquid phase) can be used in a systematic way to test for materials properties and help the design of the better photo-catalysts. We have opted for ethanol as an alternative feedstock to methanol for two main reasons. Firstly, ethanol is produced from renewable sources and secondly it is a realistic prototype for larger molecules as it has a carbon-carbon bond and thus serves as a prototype for larger organic compounds. In this work we are focusing on the effect of TiO2 polymorphs and size while keeping the Au particle size constant in order to extract information on the reaction rate. In addition we compare the effect of the polymorph of TiO2: Anatase and rutile separately and together.


To the Editor,

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) (also known as ampulla cardiomyopathy, tako-tsubo syndrome, and broken heart syndrome) mimicking an acute myocardial infarction is a unique acute cardiac syndrome that appears under physically or emotionally stressful circumstances. It was first described in Japan and is typically characterized by chest pain, elevated ST-segment on electrocardiography (ECG), mildly elevated cardiac enzymes, and reversible left-ventricular dysfunction [1]. Two-dimensional echocardiography (2D-Echo) reveals a typical regional wall motion abnormality; however, coronary angiography (CAG) usually shows no significant atherosclerotic stenosis. A left ventriculogram typically reveals akinesis of the mid-ventricle and apex and hyperkinesis of the base of the heart [1]. However, the mechanism or pathophysiology remains incompletely understood.

In a study in Japan, approximately 9% of 88 patients were diagnosed with SIC associated with ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) during the clinical course [1], whereas in Korea, only one of 18 patients and three of 155 patients had VT or VF-associated SIC [2,3]. We report a case of SIC presenting as VT as an initial manifestation after extreme emotional stress.

A 74-year-old woman with no risk factors of atherosclerosis presented to the emergency room with chest discomfort and general weakness that had begun 30 minutes prior to arrival. Chest discomfort developed when she experienced intense emotional stress after a severe quarrel with her sister-in-law; it was said that she did not have a good relationship with this individual. Her clinical signs were blood pressure (BP), 90/50 mmHg; heart rate (HR), 62 beats/min (bpm); respiratory rate, 20/min; and body temperature, 36℃. Nausea, chills, and generalized rigidity suddenly developed while her medical history was being taken. Her 12-lead ECG then showed VT, and HR was 217 bpm (Fig. 1A). VT was refractory to 200 J and 300 J of direct current (DC) cardioversion with an intravenous infusion of lidocaine and amiodarone. Her BP was sustained at 90/60 mmHg, and her mental status was alert. A few minutes later, ECG showed sinus arrhythmia (HR, 60 to 70 bpm), ST-segment depression, and T-wave inversion in leads II, III, avF, and V2-V6 (Fig. 1B). Chest X-ray findings were cardiomegaly (CT ratio, 0.65) and pulmonary congestion. The levels of serum creatinine kinase-MB (3.0 ng/mL) and troponin-I (0.16 ng/mL) were within normal limits. However, levels of serum myoglobin (220.2 ng/mL), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (2.330 mg/L), and plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (2,140 pg/mL) were elevated. 2D-Echo revealed an ejection fraction of 56%, with akinesis of the left ventricular apex and apical ballooning (Fig. 2A). On the second day of admission, CAG showed no significant stenosis, and left ventriculogram revealed apical ballooning and akinesis of the left ventricular apex (Fig. 3). The patient was treated with aspirin, amiodarone, and ramipril. A follow-up ECG on the second day showed a normal sinus rhythm (HR, 65 bpm) and normalized ST-segment and T-wave. After discharge, a follow-up 2D-Echo was performed every month. Akinesis of the left ventricular apex had recovered 5 months later (Fig. 2B).

Figure 1

(A) Electrocardiography reveals ventricular tachycardia. (B) After infusion of intravenous lidocaine and amiodarone, electrocardiography reveals sinus arrhythmia and mild ST depression and T-wave inversion in lead II, III, aVF and V2-6.

Figure 2

(A) Two dimensional echocardiography at admission shows apical akinesis and ballooning. (B) Follow-up two dimensional echocardiography after 5 months shows improvement of apical wall motion.

Figure 3

Ventriculogram. (A) End-diastole. (B) End-systole. Left ventriculogram reveals apical akinesis and ballooning.

SIC was first described in Japan in 1990 and is characterized by akinesis and ballooning of the left ventricular apex, similar to a Japanese octopus trap (tako-tsubo). Indeed, this is how this disease got its name, tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy, or ampulla cardiomyopathy. Also, Tsuchihashi et al. [1] referred to this disease as transient left ventricular apical ballooning. Recently, in Korea, Lee et al. [2] and Kim et al. [4] reported SIC presenting as transient akinesis of the mid-ventricle. They referred to this as acute regional cardiomyopathy rather than apical ballooning [2,4].

The pathophysiology of SIC is not clearly understood. Previous studies suggested that a surge of catecholamines in response to extreme physical or emotional stress, coronary spasm, elevated sympathetic tone, and pheochromocytoma are all related to SIC. Additional studies using contrast echocardiography or myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (M-SPECT) suggest that coronary microvascular dysfunction is related to SIC. Among 18 Korean patients with SIC [2], one showed akinesis of the mid-ventricle rather than the apex. Another patient (5.5%) suffered VT and VF during the clinical course and recovered after DC cardioversion. In a retrospective, multicenter study by Jo et al. [3], three of 155 patients had VT associated with SIC. In Japan, a retrospective, multicenter study involving 88 Japanese patients with SIC [1] reported that 9% of them experienced VT or VF. In our case, VT was the initial manifestation of SIC triggered by extreme emotional stress, and it recovered after intravenous injection of lidocaine and amiodarone.

Wall-motion abnormality in SIC patients usually improves within 4 weeks. However, in our case, wall-motion abnormality improved 5 months later. Jo et al. [3] reported that predictors of the recovery of wall-motion index were an absence of arrhythmic events and elevated initial LV end-systolic diameter. However, generalization is limited, as the number of VT patients in that study was too small. In hibernating myocardium, delayed recovery would be expected if the morphologic changes were severe [5]. In our patient, we suggest that chronic and repeated emotional stress provoked morphologic changes in the myocardium, such as hibernating myocardium, that resulted in delayed recovery. Accordingly, recovery of wall-motion abnormality might be delayed.

Further prospective trials should be undertaken to determine the mechanism and pathophysiology of SIC.


This reference summarizes recent advancements in knowledge about cardiovascular disease and pharmacology. The goal of the book is to inform readers about recent findings on cardiovascular therapeutics and how to conduct experiments to evaluate natural products. It presents 10 chapters that cover basic clinical research on cardiovascular diseases and therapeutic agents derived from natural sources. The book concludes with a series of experiments that demonstrate the methods to test the ameliorative effects of 3 phytochemicals: Biochanin A (red clover), Zingiberene (ginger oil) and Betaine (sugar beet).

Key Features

 - 10 chapters that highlight recent research cardiovascular medicine and pharmacology

- Covers knowledge about basic cardiovascular physiology, congestive heart failure treatment and the treatment of heart inflammation.

- Covers uses, benefits, and drawbacks of numerous rodent and non-rodent animal models for studying CVD

- Updates readers about 21st-century CRISPR-cas9 technology and its uses in CVD.

- Covers the significance of Indian Ayurvedic techniques on the cardiovascular system,

- Covers information about nutraceuticals for CVD therapy

- Includes experiments to evaluate 3 phytochemicals for the treatment of different heart diseases such as hypertension, obesity-cardiomyopathy and the mitigation of inflammatory cytokines in myocardial infarction.

This book is an informative resource for cardiologists, and researchers working in the field of cardiovascular pharmacology. It also helps readers to understand the benefits of herbal medications that are commonly available for consumption in homes.


Preston "Press" McLean (name disguised at his request) was a successful serial entrepreneur who created an investor group in 2006 to take over a troubled premium winery in Sonoma County. The business model introduced by McLean focused on enhancing the consumers' experience and outsourced activities that did not directly contribute to the consumers' experience. McLean's reforms included rebranding the winery as Morning Star and refurbishing the physical infrastructure and tasting room. At the start of 2012, Morning Star had become highly successful, received positive reviews from the press, expanded its customer base, and ultimately became a popular destination for wine tourists. In January 2012, McLean partnered with an old friend, Michael Foucault, with the intention of diversifying his portfolio as well as replicating the business model that had been successful at Morning Star. They planned to acquire 100 percent of Rara Avis Vineyards, a premium winery in California's Central Coast. Making the offer that would please both the buyer and the seller proved to be quite a challenging endeavor as McLean and Foucault reviewed the potential risks and rewards of acquiring Rara Avis Vineyards.


Provincetown, Massachusetts is a popular multigendered tourist destination where openness to diversity is part of the school and wider community ethos. Youth encounter their hometown as a place whose cultural ethos they do not always embrace. Based on participant-observation fieldwork from 1995 to 2002, this article explores how students have developed a "culture of resistance" to dominant discourses of tolerance and acceptance. By deconstructing how schools are sites of intergroup conflicts over gender tolerance and public school ownership, student-resistance conduct is shown to be a response to perceived alienation from mainstream social norms and discourses.


Philipp Rode, Executive Director, LSE Cities, and Graham Floater, Visiting Senior Fellow, LSE Cities, have launched a new edition of our report Going Green: How cities are leading the next economy (The 3GF Copenhagen edition) at the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) in Copenhagen. The report provides an up-to-date overview on the experiences of how cities around the world are making the transition to the green economy. The first part of the report consists of the latest version of a major global survey of city governments that was conducted by LSE Cities, ICLEI and GGGI in the run-up to the Rio+20 conference and the 2012 Global Green Growth Forum in Copenhagen, in order to increase awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of cities as key contributors to this global green transformation. Its principal aim is to offer a fresh perspective on the environmental challenges that cities face along with the opportunities, progress and barriers to going green and fostering economic growth. The survey covers key aspects of green policies and the green economy, smart city technology, green policy assessment and urban governance. The second section is new to this edition. It investigates in greater detail the experience of eight case study cities in facilitating green growth. Given the importance of integrating policies for delivering green growth, four cross-cutting policy programmes were examined: land-use and transport; eco-districts and buildings; waste, recycling and energy; and electric mobility and renewable energy. Two case study cities were selected for each theme, allowing for comparative analysis, and exploration of how similar objectives are being pursued in different contexts, with different policy tools, and using different types of public-private partnership (PPPs).


Pedagogy is often glossed as the 'art and science of teaching' but this focus typically ties it to the instructional practices of formalised schooling. Like the emerging work on 'public pedagogies', the notion of cultural pedagogies signals the importance of the pedagogic in realms other than institutionalised education, but goes beyond the notion of public pedagogies in two ways: it includes spaces which are not so public, and it includes an emphasis on material and non-human actors. This collection foregrounds this broader understanding of pedagogy by framing enquiry through a series of questions and across a range of settings. How, for example, are the processes of 'teaching' and 'learning' realised within and across the pedagogic processes specific to various social sites? What ensembles of people, things and practices are brought together in specific institutional and everyday settings to accomplish these processes? This collection brings together researchers whose work across the interdisciplinary nexus of cultural studies, sociology, media studies, education and museology offers significant insights into these 'cultural pedagogies' – the practices and relations through which cumulative changes in how we act, feel and think occur. Cultural Pedagogies and Human Conduct opens up debate across disciplines, theoretical perspectives and empirical foci to explore both what is pedagogical about culture and what is cultural about pedagogy.


Low-cost genetic sequencing, coupled with novel social media platforms and visualization techniques, present a new frontier for scientific participation, whereby people can learn, share, and act on data embedded within their own bodies. Our study of 23andMe, a popular genetic testing service, reveals how users make sense of and contextualize their genetic results, critique and evaluate the underlying research, and reflect on the broader implications of genetic testing. We frame user groups as citizen science publicsgroups that coalesce around scientific issues and work towards resolving shared concerns. Our findings show that personal genetics serves as a site for public engagement with science, whereby communities of biological citizens creatively interpret, debate, and act on professional research. We conclude with design trajectories at the intersection of genetics and creativity support tools: platforms for aggregating hybrid knowledge; tools for creative reflection on professional science; and strategies for supporting collaborations across communities.


Since the realization, at the beginning of this century, that the treatise Speculum musicae had been incorrectly attributed to Jehan des Murs by its first editor, Edmond de Coussemaker, the actual author of this voluminous work of music theory from the early fourteenth century has remained a shadowy figure. The most certain detail of the author's identity is his name, contained within an acrostic spelled out over the initials that begin each of the seven books of the treatise, rendering the given name IACOBUS. The provenances of the three surviving manuscript sources, all dating from approximately a century after the proposed date of Speculum musicae, suggest an Italian bias to the transmission of the work, but, as physical documents, the manuscripts have yet to yield any clues to the author's origins. The treatise itself is a bit more helpful. Besides offering the author's name, clues within the text have allowed for the formulation of the following hypothesis concerning the career of Jacobus: that he was probably born in the diocese of Liège, that he was a student in Paris in the late thirteenth century, and that he returned to Liège to complete the final books of his treatise, Books 6 and 7 of Speculum musicae. In what follows, I will first briefly evaluate the evidence previously marshalled to support this hypothesis, and I will then discuss new information pertinent to the biography of the author.


Wildlife brings significant ecological, cultural, and economic benefits to countries and regionsaround the world. In many developing countries, it is an engine for tourism, job creation,and sustainable development. Populations of some of the most iconic wildlife species areunder threat due to the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and other pressures. There is growing momentumin the international donor community to combat IWT and ensure the survival of these species and therealization of benefits to local communities that live with them.The goal of this portfolio review is to assess the current state of international donor funding to combat illegal wildlife trade and to identify trends in investment in this sector in Africa and Asia since 2010. Information on investments to combat IWT is not readily available—donor procedures, processes, and systems to collect and report on funding data are often complex and time-consuming. This portfolio review addresses these challenges by collecting and analyzing IWT funding information across international donors and fills the knowledge gap of international donor IWT funding trends. It collects data on the significant international donor funding committed between January 2010 and June 2016 to combat IWT in Africa and Asia, which totals over USD 1.3 billion and is equivalent to approximately USD 190 million per year. This analysis provides a baseline to track future donor funding commitments and can be used to support additional donor coordination efforts. The data collected, database created, online repository, and points of contact established with donors can be used to further understand funding processes, effectiveness, and impacts and to inform donor strategic planning efforts. This analysis can be built upon in consultation with recipient countries to establish a vision of how best to optimize IWT financing in terms of priority geographic and thematic areas. Finally, a global understanding of existing contributions, trends, and target investment areas can facilitate collaboration and the sharing of lessons learned.


Despite a growing body of evidence showing people with mental health problems experience
high rates of adulthood criminal victimisation, little is known about the impacts this has on
their lives. This study aims to explore the types of impacts people with mental health problems
experience when they are victims of crime from their perspective using a qualitative approach.
It presents findings from semi-structured interviews with 81 participants experiencing a range
of mental health problems who had been victims of crimes in the last three years. Thematic
analysis was used to analyse the data and concepts of wellbeing, theories of stigma and critical
victimology were used to frame understandings of the impacts of crime. Participants reported
the ways in which victimisation had negative impacts on multiple domains of their lives:
emotional wellbeing; physical health; socio-economic wellbeing; perception of self; and their
existing mental health problems. These domains were described as multidimensional,
interrelated and situated in the contextual realities of their lives. Participants indicated that the
impacts of crime were particularly acute because they interacted with and exacerbated
difficulties they were already experiencing as a consequence of having mental health problems.
This included increasing feelings of stigma, social isolation and negative self-perception. The
extent of these impacts and the meaning they held for participants was influenced by a range
of factors including: specific identity attributes; the characteristics of the crime; and
interactions with others after crime. For some the complex interplay of factors associated with
the impacts of crime and their existing mental health problems triggered and sustained a
downward spiral of ill-being and they had lost hope of recovery. The findings are discussed in
light of existing literature and some implications for future research and for policy and practice
are suggested.


Determining the precise genetic factors underlying complex trait diseases is difficult. Dissecting out susceptibility genes typically involves detailed mapping or population studies with analysis of large numbers of affected and unaffected individuals. To date, however, researchers have gained only limited insight into common multi-factorial diseases through such approaches. By contrast, identifying causative single genes in Mendelian disorders through genetic linkage, single nucleotide polymorphism or candidate gene screening has been very rewarding with identification of the genetic basis of over 300 autosomal recessive, dominant or X-linked disorders that have a skin phenotype. Recently, however, work on single gene disorders has also been able to provide specific clues to predisposing primary risk factors relevant to common complex diseases. This review article documents recent progress in understanding the genetic risk factors in the most common inflammatory dermatosis, atopic dermatitis, in which loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding the skin barrier protein filaggrin are now known to be a major risk factor for both atopic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis associated with asthma.


The remarkable success of online social media sites marks a shift in the way people connect and share information. Much of this information now contains some form of geographical content because of the proliferation of location-aware devices, thus fostering the emergence of geosocial media – a new type of user-generated geospatial information. Through geosocial media we are able, for the first time, to observe human activities in scales and resolutions that were so far unavailable. Furthermore, the wide spectrum of social media data and service types provides a multitude of perspectives on real-world activities and happenings, thus opening new frontiers in geosocial knowledge discovery. However, gleaning knowledge from geosocial media is a challenging task, as they tend to be unstructured and thematically diverse. To address these challenges, this article presents a system prototype for harvesting, processing, modeling, and integrating heterogeneous social media feeds towards the generation of geosocial knowledge. Our article addresses primarily two key components of this system prototype: a novel data model for heterogeneous social media feeds and a corresponding general system architecture. We present these key components and demonstrate their implementation in our system prototype, GeoSocial Gauge.


The Cinarcik Basin is a transtensional basin located along the northern branch of the northern North Anatolian Fault (NAF) in the Sea of Marmara, the eastern half of which has been identified as a seismic gap. During the SEISMARMARA (2001) experiment, a dense grid of multichannel seismic reflection profiles was shot, covering the whole Cinarcik Basin and its margins. The new seismic images provide a nearly three-dimensional view of the architecture of the basin (fault system at depth and sedimentary infill) and provide insight into its tectonic evolution. Along both northern and southern margins of the basin, seismic reflection data show deep-penetrating faults, hence long-lived features, which have accommodated a large amount of extension. There is no indication in the data for a single throughgoing strike-slip fault, neither a cross-basin fault nor a pure strike-slip fault running along the northern margin. Faster opening is presently observed in the eastern part of the basin. The Cinarcik Basin seems to have developed as a transtensional basin across strike-slip segments of the northern NAF for the last few million years.


Random Schrödinger operators are a topic of common interest in Mathematical Physics that connects to both Functional Analysis and Probability theory. It is believed in Physics that these operators possess a spectral regime with localised states, which do not contribute to electrical transport, and another regime with delocalised or electrically conducting states. While the first regime is understood well in mathematical terms, it is a major challenge for analysts to shed light on the delocalised phase. It is only very recently that some results have been obtained on electrical transport described by random Schrödinger operators. The meeting gathered nearly all main protagonists involved in recent advances in the theory of random Schrödinger operators and provided a forum for intensive discussion. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 47B80, 60H25, 82B44. Introduction by the Organisers This (half-size) workshop was attended by 25 participants. About fifty per cent of the attendees could be considered as "non-senior" researchers, among them also two PhD-students. The level of the workshop was high and nearly all main protagonists of the field were present. The organisers feel that the special focus and the familiar atmosphere of a small-size meeting found great appreciation among the participants. The programme of the workshop consisted of short talks, long talks and some distinct series of lectures. The purpose of having such series – given by Michael Aizenman, Abel Klein, Leonid Pastur and Claude-Alain Pillet – was to underline important recent developments and stimulate new ideas. 668 Oberwolfach Report 12/2007 Random Schrödinger operators play an important rôle in our understanding of electronic properties in disordered materials, such as random alloys, doped semiconductors or amorphous substances. It is well known from Physics that these materials exhibit a metal-insulator transition in three or more space dimensions, separating a conducting phase with a non-zero direct-current conductivity from an insulating phase where the direct-current conductivity vanishes. Furthermore, physicists argue that the conducting (resp. insulating) phase occurs, if the Fermi energy of the system falls into a region corresponding to delocalised (resp. localised) states of the quantum-mechanical energy operator. It was Anderson's achievement in 1958 – rewarded by the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physics – to have given the first heuristic evidence for the existence of both localised and delocalised states for a discrete random Schrödinger operator in three or more space dimensions. For these very reasons, random Schrödinger operators (both discrete and in the continuum) have also attracted a great deal of attention in Mathematics over the past decades with research taking place at the interface of Functional Analysis and Probability theory. Yet, our mathematical understanding of the physical picture is still unsatisfactory. The workshop covered a broad selection of topics of current interest in the theory of random Schrödinger operators. These include absolutely continuous spectrum on tree graphs, Anderson localisation for two interacting particles in a random environment, an extension of the fractional-moment method in the continuum, persistence of Anderson localisation for models with decaying randomness, spectral properties of random band matrices, localisation and control of Sobolev norms, an extension of Minami's estimate, linear response theory for random Schrödinger operators and Mott's law for the low-temperature behaviour of conductivities. Despite a focus on truly multi-dimensional phenomena, there were also two talks on recent interesting developments related to transport in one-dimensional systems. In addition to the above, the topics of the lecture series, which are summarised very briefly in the next paragraph, received particular attention. In his lectures, Michael Aizenman gave an overview on facts and conjectures which relate spectral types and level statistics for a variety of different models. Particular attention was directed at tree graphs, in the context of which some surprises were presented and elucidated. Abel Klein presented a concentration inequality for functions of random variables. It is the main novel ingredient in a Bourgain-Kenig-like multi-scale analysis to prove localisation at extremal energies for alloy-type random Schrödinger operators with an arbitrary single-site distribution of the random coupling constants. Electrical conductivities and higher-order density correlations in disordered materials stood in the centre of the lectures delivered by Leonid Pastur. He reviewed a multitude of their characteristic properties, which are expected or known in Physics, thus stimulating many different directions for future mathematical research. Finally, Claude-Alain Pillet presented an operator-algebraic formalism for a mathematical description of transport in quasi-free fermionic systems. Transport in Multi-Dimensional Random Schrödinger Operators 669 It is the organisers' great pleasure to thank the Oberwolfach institute for providing such a stimulating atmosphere and excellent research infrastructure. Both contributed to the overall success of the meeting. Transport in Multi-Dimensional Random Schrödinger Operators 671 Workshop: Transport in Multi-Dimensional Random Schrödinger Operators


Pollen dispersal and deposition (PDD) modelling has been instrumental in reconstructing historical vegetation in temperate regions, but its application has been limited in the tropics where there is greatest uncertainty in past land cover change. Here, we apply PDD modelling to Amazonian savanna and forested ecosystems. Empirical pollen data from lakes situated in southwestern Amazonia were used to calibrate the PDD model for a two-component landscape of forest and non-forest. The PDD model was then used to simulate pollen assemblages for different combinations of landscape arrangements (the multiple scenario approach) that reflect possible anthropogenic and climate-driven forest cover change in the late-Holocene. We show that pollen records from large Amazonian lakes vary greatly in their sensitivity to forest loss depending on the baseline forest cover. Lakes in landscapes containing >80% forest will detect small reductions (5% of total cover), but this sensitivity degrades rapidly with forest cover loss. There are a wide range of uncertainties in pollen reconstructions from mosaic and ecotonal landscapes. In forest-savanna mosaics, large reductions of forest cover could be undetectable through the pollen record. In ecotonal landscapes, the relationship between forest cover and its representation in the pollen record rapidly weakens with increasing distance from the forest boundary. Further application of PDD modelling in combination with the multiple scenario approach can address the uncertainties in pollen-based reconstructions of past land cover in the tropics, but require further investment and development.


Surface energy and water vapor fluxes play a critical role in understanding the response of agro-ecosystems to changes in environmental and atmospheric parameters. These fluxes play a crucial role in exploring the dynamics of water and energy use efficiencies of these systems. Quantification of the fluxes is also necessary for assessing the impact of land use and management changes on water balances. Accomplishing these goals requires measurement of water vapor and energy exchanges between various vegetation surfaces and microclimates for long-enough periods to understand the behavior and dynamics involved with the flux transfer so that robust models can be developed to predict these processes under different scenarios. Networks of flux towers such as AMERIFLUX, FLUXNET, FLUXNET-CANADA, EUROFLUX, ASIAFLUX, and CAR-BOEUROPE have been collecting data on exchange processes between biosphere and atmosphere for multiple years across the globe to better understand the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and their role in regional and/or continental and global carbon, water, and energy cycles, providing a unique service to the scientific community. Nonetheless, there is an imperative need for these kinds of networks to increase in number and intensity due to the great diversity among ecosystems and agro-ecosystems in species composition, physiological properties, physical structure, microclimatic and climatic conditions, and management practices. The Nebraska Water and Energy Flux Measurement, Modeling, and Research Network (NEBFLUX) is a comprehensive network that is designed to measure surface energy and water vapor fluxes, microclimatic variables, plant physiological parameters, soil water content, surface characteristics, and their interactions for various vegetation surfaces. The NEBFLUX is a network of micrometeorological tower sites that uses mainly Bowen ratio energy balance systems (BREBS) to measure surface water vapor and energy fluxes between terrestrial agro-ecosystems and microclimate. At present, ten BREBSs and one eddy covariance system are operating on a long-term and continuous basis for vegetation surfaces ranging from tilled and untilled irrigated and rainfed croplands, irrigated and rainfed grasslands, alfalfa, to Phragmites (Phragmites australis)-dominated cottonwood (Populus deltoides var. occidentalis) and willow stand (Willow salix) plant communities. The NEBFLUX project will provide good-quality flux and other extensive supportive data on plant physiology [leaf area index, stomatal resistance, within-canopy radiation parameters, productivity (yield and/or biomass), and plant height], soil characteristics, soil water content, and surface characteristics to the micrometeorology, water resources and agricultural engineering, and science community on broad spectrum of agro-ecosystems. The fundamental premise of the NEBFLUX project is to measure continuous and long-term (at least ten complete annual cycles for each surface) exchange of water vapor and energy fluxes. In addition to the scientific and research objectives, information dissemination to educate the general public and youth is another important objective and output of the network. This article describes the specific goals and objectives, basic principles, and operational characteristics of the NEBFLUX.


This article is about the significant development actually and visibly shown by the Popular Republic of China which, since several decades ago, has shown to the world, through its government and people, that orderly and well-planned work, with concrete goals and through several reforms along with a permanent strife against corruption, always looking towards future, has transformed China into a fully undeniable global power, an object of admiration in some cases, of concern in other cases and, always, an object of wondering... What has this millenary nation done to be regarded, in the 21st century, as the second (maybe the first, already) economy in the world?


Social spending is the first-largest spending of the Russian Federation consolidated budgetbut it still remains insufficient. Such spending was not planned at all in the state list onehundred years ago, and all social insurance was carried out as part of charitable activities.The article presents the evolution of charitable activities from alms to current "humanitarianspending" and shows the prospects and tendencies for its further development. The articlecovers the history of the origin and concept contents of "state charity", "public charity","social security", "social protection" and "state social insurance" in Russia. It touchesupon the issue of "monetization" of social benefits in Russia in 2004 that have generateda good deal of excitement. In the article, charitable activity is being considered for the firsttime through the prism of budget expenditures as one of the aspects of public economy.It describes the history of changes in public policy relative to assistance to the poor in theRussian Empire from the 16th century, in the Soviet period till the present time. In addition,the author made assumptions about the prospects of social spending, which is associatedwith the implementation of such modern ideas at the international and national level, as theconcept of human capital development and unconditional basic income. The sources ofsecurity of the most complicated system of state and public charity, which was formed in theRussian Empire by the beginning of the 20th century, have been analyzed for the first time.The article examined the idea of the "tax for the poor" that has appeared at the end of the19th century due to the activity of Konstantin Grot's committee, which is not only a means toensure expenditures for state charity, but also a logical stage in the consistent developmentof charitable activities that was interrupted after the Russian Revolution. In addition, it coversthe ratio of the "tax for the poor" and modern insurance contributions and the transformationof the purpose of the "tax for the poor".


The role of guns and other weapons in violent acts has often been a subject of debate. The present study is based on a sample of 21,314 valid interviews with 20-year-old Swiss men, representing more than 70% of this cohort. The results show a much higher frequency of violence among owners of handguns and other weapons, but not of rifles. Gun owners also have been injured more often and they suffer more often from psychiatric symptoms. A considerable proportion of violent gun owners had previous police contacts and court appearances, suggesting that policies designed to confiscate guns would be feasible. In a multivariate model, which considered a great number of conventional criminological variables (such as delinquent friends) and indicators of psychopathology, ownership of handguns and other weapons (but not rifles) turned out to be a very important factor in explaining violence leading to bodily injury.


Aim: To examine the effects of knowledge of results on CPR skill acquisition in undergraduate students. Subjects: Participants included fifty-one undergraduate physical education majors enrolled in the Healthcare Knowledge and First Aid course . Method: After receiving conventional four-hour CPR training, the participants completed a pre-test on CPR skill execution. Based on the pre-test scores, the participants were assigned to the following two groups: experimental (knowledge of results) and control. A week after the pre-test, participants practiced the CPR ventilation and compression skills. During this practice, the participants in the experimental group received feedback related to the results of their CPR skills measured by the Resusci Anne® SkillReporter™ manikin. The participants in the control group did not receive any feedback related to the outcome of their skills through the manikin. Results: Results showed that the conventional four-hour CPR training was not sufficient for undergraduate students to acquire the majority of the CPR skills. However, it was observed that receiving knowledge of results in practice significantly improved the experimental group's ventilation and compression skills. Conclusion: It seems important that health educators should consider including augmented feedback in the form of knowledge of results into their training programs when teaching CPR skills.


Qualifying Religion: The Role of Plural Identities for Educational Production This paper examines the role of religious denomination for human capital formation. We employ a unique data set which covers, inter alia, information on numerous measures of school inputs in 169 Swiss districts for the years 1871/72, 1881/82 and 1894/95, marks from pedagogical examinations of conscripts (1875-1903), and results from political referenda to capture conservative or progressive values in addition to the cultural characteristics language and religion. Catholic districts show on average significantly lower educational performance than Protestant districts. However, accounting for other sociocultural characteristics qualifies the role of religion for educational production. The evidence suggests that Catholicism is harmful only in a conservative milieu. We also exploit information on absenteeism of pupils from school to separate provision of schooling from use of schooling. JEL Classification: I20, H52, O10, N33


Focusing Professional Development by Differentiating for Teachers by Amy Weber-Salgo MA, Walden University, 2005 BA, University of Nevada, Reno, 1990 Proposal Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Administrative Leadership for Teaching and Learning Walden University September 2012 Abstract This study addressed the problem of low student achievement in elementary school mathematics and investigated the level of knowledge held by the teachers. Previous studies have shown that students who succeed in mathematics are more successful during their school years, including college, and earn a higher income level as adults. A theoretical framework of andragogy framed three research questions for investigation.This study addressed the problem of low student achievement in elementary school mathematics and investigated the level of knowledge held by the teachers. Previous studies have shown that students who succeed in mathematics are more successful during their school years, including college, and earn a higher income level as adults. A theoretical framework of andragogy framed three research questions for investigation. The first question focused on the current professional development needs of the teachers. The other two questions investigated whether the mathematical knowledge relating to teaching (MKT) correlates with the socioeconomic level of the school or correlates with annual yearly progress (AYP) status. Randomly selected elementary teachers from 12 schools participated by completing a survey and taking an online assessment to determine their MKT level. There was no significant correlation between the teachers' MKT scores and the socioeconomic level of their school or the AYP status of the school. Results indicated the need for professional development in mathematical progressions and instructional techniques. Data also suggested that this professional development be adapted to meet the individual needs of the participating teachers. These data informed the creation of 45 professional development training modules for teachers. This study, with the recommended training modules, can initiate social change by providing teachers with individualized training and new instructional strategies to implement in their classrooms with their students, thereby promoting higher levels of student achievement in


Background: HIV infection has become a common risk factor for hospital admission and a major contributor to childhood morbidity in South Africa. There remains a paucity of data describing the cost of hospitalisation of HIV-infected children in South Africa. The aim of this study was to describe basic demographics and clinical patterns as well as cost implications of the hospitalisation of HIV-infected children in the Karl Bremer Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: A prospective descriptive longitudinal study of HIV-positive paediatric admissions, matched with HIV-negative controls, was conducted. Patients were matched according to age, socio-demographic area and presenting symptoms. Questionnaires were used to elicit demographic and clinical information. Worksheets were used to record any costs incurred, which were calculated at rates applicable to 2001. This was done daily during admission. Data was statistically analysed in MS Excel and MS Access. Thirty HIV-positive children were identified, of which 23 could be matched with 23 HIV-negative children. HIV-positive children had a higher admission rate (2.09 versus 0.26 previous admissions, p = 0.000) and were also younger at the time of first admission to hospital (7.52 versus 13.78 months, p = 0.005). There is a statistically significant difference in duration of hospitalisation in the HIV-positive group when compared to the control group – duration of hospitalisation being longer in the HIV-positive group (7.91 versus 4.96 days, p = 0.005). Despite being treated for the same condition, there is a statistically significant difference in the cost incurred by children in the HIV-positive group (R6 203.16) when compared to the HIV-negative group (R3 901.96); p = 0.000. Conclusion: This study shows a clear and statistically significant difference between the HIV-positive group and HIV-negative control group of children with regard to admission rate, age at first admission, duration of hospitalisation and cost incurred during hospitalisation. HIV-infected children in the pre-HAART (highly active anti-retroviral therapy) era were hospitalised more frequently and for longer periods than their HIV-uninfected counterparts. These findings seem to suggest that the cost of hospitalising HIV-positive children is significantly more than HIV-negative controls, which will increase the financial burden on already restricted health resources.


We carried out growth trials on three size groups of the scallop, Euvola ziczac, during two short-term (34-36 days) periods at 8, 21, and 34 m depth in Cariaco Gulf, Venezuela, in order to evaluate the effect of environmental factors on growth. Growth was greater in juveniles (initial size: 20-22 mm shell length) than in maturing juveniles (30-40 mm) and adults (70-75 mm). Somatic tissue growth was more than two-fold greater in juveniles than in maturing individuals. Adult scallops showed losses of tissue mass. The first period (December-January) covered the transition from a stratified water column to upwelling conditions, with initial high temperatures and low phytoplankton biomass followed by lower temperatures and greater phytoplankton biomass. The second period (February-March) consisted of upwelling, characterized by low temperatures and high phytoplankton production. The greater growth of juvenile and maturing scallops during the second period, particularly at 8 m depth, was associated with the greater availability of phytoplankton, related to coastal upwelling. The first development of gonads in maturing scallops only occurred in the second period, associated with food availability, and the degree of development was correlated with the depth. Our growth trials, which were too short to permit the negative impact of the development of fouling, showed that the growth of E. ziczac was enhanced in the presence of abundant phytoplankton biomass.


The growing importance of cooperative relationships may currently be observed throughout the world. The vast majority of such relationships take the form of coopetition, i.e., the simultaneous existence of cooperation and competition between competitors. Previous research on coopetition characterizes these relationships mostly in the context of the benefits achieved. Researchers emphasize a number of benefits resulting from coopetition, e.g., stimulation of innovations of partners, development of the technology, obtaining complementary resources, entering new markets, or creating new products. However, when deciding to begin coopetition, companies should not only consider the benefits, but also the drawbacks associated with such relationships. This is due to the fact that disadvantages are inherent features of coopetitive relationships between competitors. The relationship between the duration of cooperative relationships in particular areas and the benefits and costs associated with these relationships is scarcely researched. Using a sample of 210 companies operating in the high-tech sector in Poland, we aimed to cover this gap in the knowledge base and to analyze this aspect of coopetition. Several research methods including multidimensional correspondence analysis, correlation analysis of qualitative variables, a chi-square test, multi-table analysis, and association rules were applied. The results of our research showed that coopetition is a viable strategy which contributes to the sustainable development of firms. We also found that the duration of coopetitive relationships in different areas of company activity is related to different types of benefits to collaboration partners.


A new laccase isoenzyme (POXA1b, where POX is phenol oxidase), produced by Pleurotus ostreatus in cultures supplemented with copper sulphate, has been purified and fully characterized. The main characteristics of this protein (molecular mass in native and denaturing conditions, pI and catalytic properties) are almost identical to the previously studied laccase POXA1w. However, POXA1b contains four copper atoms per molecule instead of one copper, two zinc and one iron atom per molecule of POXA1w. Furthermore, POXA1b shows an unusually high stability at alkaline pH. The gene and cDNA coding for POXA1b have been cloned and sequenced. The gene coding sequence contains 1599 bp, interrupted by 15 introns. Comparison of the structure of the poxa1b gene with the two previously studied P. ostreatus laccase genes (pox1 and poxc) suggests that these genes belong to two different subfamilies. The amino acid sequence of POXA1b deduced from the cDNA sequence has been almost completely verified by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization MS. It has been demonstrated that three out of six putative glycosylation sites are post-translationally modified and the structure of the bound glycosidic moieties has been determined, whereas two other putative glycosylation sites are unmodified.


"Money, Politics, and Equality." A curious triumvirate. The first two elements-money and politics-have gone hand in hand, probably for as long as the two have coexisted. A century ago, Ohio political boss Mark Hanna declared: "There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money . . . and I can't remember what the second one is." We can be fairly certain that he did not have equality in mind. Yet politics and equality pair naturally, too. Political equality has a distinguished history in our democracy. Our country was founded on the principle that "all men are created equal." Ours was the first nation to breathe life into the notion of a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." The guarantee of equal protection, revolutionary as it was when it was first grafted onto the Constitution, is now a bulwark of our democracy, as is the principle, adopted by the Supreme Court almost a century later, of "one person, one vote." It is only when we endeavor to complete the triangle-when we strive to reconcile the role of money in politics with our commitment to political equality-that we face an apparently insoluble puzzle. On the one hand, the tradition of political equality on which this nation was built would seem to fit comfortably with rules directed at ensuring that individuals or groups could not, just by virtue of their wealth, exert vastly disproportionate influence on elections or on elected officials. On the other hand, we have an equally venerable tradition insisting that individuals within our capitalist society generally may use their wealth as they please. So long as our elected officials are in a position to influence the allocation of wealth, individuals will always have an incentive to use their economic advantage to influence elections and elected officials. Reformers long have advocated various means to take money out of the process of choosing candidates for political office. Indeed, political equality is the premise underlying many campaign finance regulations and proposed reforms. How else to explain proposals to cap the spending of the Ross Perots, Michael Huffingtons, and Steve Forbeses of the worldfigures with no political base and less political experience, who become formidable political candidates only by dint of their money? And how else to explain the fad in the early 1990s of passing low contribution limits at, say, the $100 level? Maybe some proponents truly believed that a $101 contribution might actually corrupt a gubernatorial candidate. Admit it or not, though, many reformers were motivated at least in part by a yearning for equality-by a belief that if they or their neighbors could not afford to pay more than $100 to support a candidate, no one else ought to be allowed to do so either. Proponents of these sorts of reforms tend not to admit that political equality is their goal, opting instead to couch their arguments in terms of corruption, integrity, public confidence, and undue distraction-anything but equality. Why the caginess? Because the Supreme Court, in its landmark 1976 case, Buckley v. valeo,1 held that equality is not a legitimate ground for restricting the flow of money into politics. At least when it comes to spending limits, the Supreme Court famously declared, "the concept that government may restrict the speech of some elements of our society in order to enhance the relative voices of others is wholly foreign to the First Amendment."2 On the other hand, the Supreme Court held, the government may restrict speech in the interest of preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption, which is now the accepted justification for contribution limits.3 So Buckley leaves us with a jurisprudential landscape that forces proponents of reform to cast their proposals as anticorruption devices rather than as measures to equalize political power. Since Buckley, the Supreme Court has not retreated from its insistence that political equality is out of bounds as a justification for limiting the flow of money into politics. …


The biofilm formation potential of a drinking water supply system is related to the chemical, microbiological and hydrodynamic characteristics of water, and to the pipe materials in contact with water flow. The goals of this study were: to determine the biofilm dynamics in a model of four drinking water installations, to simulate daily household water consumption; to compare the biofilms developed on different polymer pipe materials and their influence on bacteriological water quality. The results demonstrated that bacterial density of biofilms depended on pipe material type and was influenced by water temperature. The biofilms on polyvinylchloride chlorinated and polyethylene materials had higher bacterial density than biofilms on polypropylene (PP) brands. The effect of the materials, and respectively the biofilms, on drinking water quality was stronger in the overnight stagnation periods, especially during the initial weeks of model operation, than in periods of water consumption. Heterotrophic plate count (HPC) in stagnant or in flowing waters and water temperature followed a similar curve pattern, demonstrating significant seasonal variations. In summer, the HPC values of stagnant waters were raised up to seven times higher than in winter and those of the outlet waters (during the consumption periods) were raised up to four times.


This work provides an insight into the development of the first harmonized exposure model for Central Asia. The model was derived in the frame of the Earthquake Model Central Asia (EMCA) project, which is the regional initiative for Central Asia to the Global Earthquake Model (GEM). The EMCA exposure model combines commonly used data sources and acquisition techniques (e.g., rapid visual screening) with novel rapid assessment approaches (e.g., satellite remote sensing and omnidirectional imaging) in the framework of an integrated sampling scheme and stores the data in a multi-resolution spatio-temporal database. The exposure model implements a newly developed building typology, harmonized for the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and follows the international building taxonomy of the GEM. Emphasis is given to the multi-scale nature and the temporal dynamics of exposure data. Results from a selected urban area are provided to illustrate the current state of the continuously updated exposure model.


Abstract In this article I explore the authority of the state (and its "infrastructural power") in school education in the Eastern Cape bantustans during and after "homeland" rule. I focus my narrative on the period of the 1970s, when the Transkei obtained independence and the education systems expanded substantially in both the Ciskei and Transkei. I will show that the education administrations in the Ciskei and Transkei retained weak control over the expansion of the education system, and weakly and unevenly supervised the work of teachers and the allocation of education resources in schools. Professional teacher associations played a role in containing protest against the bantustan state and the policy of separate development, but they could not cajole the compliance of a demoralised and stressed teaching population as education massified in both bantustans. Further, the education administrations struggled to regulate social relations in a way that supported the routine provision of education. While the force of a despotic "state" could sometimes be sharply felt when teachers voiced political dissent in the Transkei and Ciskei, many schools were governed with a good deal of autonomy from the bantustans' administrations. In the post-apartheid period, the state administration remains weak in authority in the education sector. I explore some of the reasons for this continuity and its implications for education provision in the Eastern Cape today. While I make my argument for weak state infrastructural power in the case of the Transkei and Ciskei, I show that my argument may have broader relevance to other bantustans and other sectors (i.e. apart from education) in the country.


With the continuous progress of economy and society, the world competitive sports also continuously developed, as a consequence, no matter in communication form, scope, or in terms of the number of athletes also produced profound changes, which internationalized the athletes exchange patterns. This paper selected related research about Chinese sports development in different historical periods since the founding of China, and discussed the necessity for the construction of new athlete exchange system. On athletes exchange problems, the model of Chinese economy and the demand of competitive sports determine its internal changes. This paper selected the new period since the founding of China as the background, discussed the factors influencing the Chinese athletes exchange: First of all, the regional difference of economic development have promoted the exchange of the athletes; Secondly the current exchange management system can not keep up with the developmental speed of competitive sports, athletes exchange are limited, some provisions even have played an role in blocking athletes exchange; Thirdly, the barriers of athletes exchange take the form of the restriction and limitation in training system; Finally, in competitive sports career in China at present, there is urgent need to improve the links and factors: athletes exchange market is relatively backward, the quality of some sports agents are low. Integrated the above analysis, start from the new period Chinese sports career development perspective, take prominent features of exchange patterns in other countries as a reference, to put forward ideas of new athletes exchange system construction from four aspects of athletes training, etc.


Passive energy dissipation devices are used to reduce the damaging effects of earthquakes. These devices can absorb a portion of the earthquake-induced energy in structures and thus reduce the energy demand on structural members. Wide acceptance of these devices in structures will depend on the availability of simplified methods for their analysis and design. The objectives of this study are to: 1) investigate the effect of increased viscous damping on the seismic response of structures; 2) assess the accuracy of the linear static and linear dynamic procedures recommended in the NEHRP Guidelines for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings (FEMA 273) for the design of structures with velocity-dependent passive energy dissipation devices; and 3) propose modifications to the current design procedures to improve their accuracy and reliability. Based on the analysis of single-degree-of-freedom structures under an ensemble of earthquake records, it is shown that the effect of increased damping on the displacement response is more pronounced in structures with intermediate periods. For long-period structures, however, an increase in damping decreases displacements, but increases the absolute accelerations and, consequently, the seismic forces. The study also identifies the following limitations of the FEMA 273 procedures: 1) the use of a constant reduction factor for the displacement response of short-period structures; 2) the assumption of a harmonic response to compute the peak velocity; and 3) the computation of design forces based on the assumption that the structure undergoes a harmonic motion with an amplitude equal to the peak displacement and a frequency equal to that of the fundamental mode. In most cases, these assumptions result in non-conservative estimates of the peak response and design force. Comparisons of the methods proposed in this study and in FEMA 273 indicate that the former produces more reliable results.


Pedogenic slickensides are convex-concave slip surfaces that form during expansion/contraction in expansive clay soils such as Vertisols. In the central Appalachians, they occur near the tops of fining-upward cycles in Paleozoic redbeds such as the Bloomsburg, Catskill, and Mauch Chunk Formations. Pedogenic slickensides are found in association with other pedogenic (or paleosol) features such as clay-skinned peds, in situ calcareous nodules, and root impressions. Repeated movements along these shear planes during pedogenesis produce strongly aligned clay particles adjacent to pedogenic slickensides; as a result, they are preserved as discrete fractures throughout diagenesis, compaction, and superimposed tectonic deformation. During whole-rock deformation, pedogenic slickensides segregate penetratively deformed rocks into independent, foliated packets and serve as discontinuities that are followed by later structural features. Because the original morphology of pedogenic slickensides is known, they can be used as crude strain markers.


The Middle East biting midges of the tribes Palpomyiini (20 species in three genera) and Sphaeromiini s. lat. (six species in five genera) are reviewed. Three new species are described and illustrated: Bezzia libanensis Alwin & Szadziewski sp. nov., B. sharjahi Alwin & Szadziewski sp. nov. and Palpomyia freidbergi Alwin & Szadziewski sp. nov. Bezzia aegyptia Kieffer, 1925 is recognized as a new junior synonym of B. albicornis (Meigen, 1818) (syn. nov.) and B. omanensis Boorman & van Harten, 2002, is recognized as a junior synonym of B. ( Sivabezzia ) pachypyga Remm, 1974 (syn. nov.). Keys to the genera and species of the tribes Palpomyiini and Sphaeromiini of the Middle East are also provided.


Drawn in Light is a visual documentation of artist Jo Berry's 'Hijacking Natural Systems', an arts and science project devised in collaboration with Dr Nick Holliday and Tim Self of the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Nottingham Medical School.

The project, funded by The Wellcome Trust and Arts Council England, involved Jo working in the University laboratories a day a week for six months on a research project which formed the basis of a new body of work for exhibition including digital drawings, animations and laser cut illuminated artworks.

Photographer and filmmaker Andrew Robinson was commissioned to creatively document the development of the project and the resulting artworks.

In this self published book Andrew brings together a range of visual material from the project including original scientific imagery; Jo's drawings, animation stills and illuminated artworks; and his own photography and film work, some of which has been specially produced for this publication.

Sponsorship for the publication costs was obtained from Zeiss Microscopy who distributed copies to clients and industry contacts as part of the grand opening of their new imaging labs in Munich, Germany. The book has also been displayed alongside the film in exhibition and is available to via the online Blurb bookshop.


A method for estimating the mechanical properties of a viscoelastic sample from ultrasound measurements was developed. The sample was represented as a mechanical network according to the Kelvin-Voigt model and linear state-space equations were derived to describe the system dynamics. Four parameters can be extracted by comparing the model with measured transmission waves. These parameters can be related to viscoelastic properties of the sample. Broadband pseudo-random binary sequences were designed and used to perturb the sample. The Levenberg-Marquardt method was employed to adjust the model parameters and the least-squares algorithm was used to obtain optimal model parameter estimates. Model verification showed that the algorithm developed could converge to known model parameters. Estimated model parameters showed consistency and reflected known facts about the materials tested. The model could capture the major dynamics of transmitted ultrasonic waves and allow repeatable estimation of model parameters. The model parameters could not only differentiate the materials tested but also follow expected trends of variation. The model parameters were useful for sensory crispness prediction and crispness was more correlated to the elastic modulus than to viscosity, which is consistent with existing research.


High fat feeding rather than obesity drives taxonomical and functional changes in the gut microbiota in mice. It is well known that the microbiota of high fat (HF) diet-induced obese mice differs from that of lean mice, but to what extent this difference reflects the obese state or the diet is unclear. To dissociate changes in the gut microbiota associated with high HF feeding from those associated with obesity, we took advantage of the different susceptibility of C57BL/6JBomTac (BL6) and 129S6/SvEvTac (Sv129) mice to diet-induced obesity and of their different responses to inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) activity, where inhibition of COX activity in BL6 mice prevents HF diet-induced obesity, but in Sv129 mice accentuates obesity. Using HiSeq-based whole genome sequencing we identified taxonomic and functional differences in the gut microbiota of the two mouse strains fed regular low fat or HF diets with or without supplementation with the COX-inhibitor, indomethacin. Here we present the sequence assemblies and annotations for those 54 samples, together with the gene catalogue and relevative abundance levels of both genes and OTUs. It is hoped these data can be used for comparison in future studies of a similar design.


As part of its wider public enterprises reform and divestiture program, the government of Uganda developed and adopted the power sector restructuring and privatisation strategy. The sector reforms, apart from following the worldwide trend in energy sector reforms, were driven by the need for increased investments (especially private investments) in the sector and increased access to modern forms of energy. This was designed to be achieved through the privatisation of the existing power infrastructure and provision of an enabling environment for additional private sector investments in the sector. Uganda has made significant progress in the reform process, setting itself well ahead of the reform processes in other countries in the region. A new law liberalising the sector was enacted, an independent regulator for the electricity industry put place, the vertically integrated electricity monopoly the Uganda Electricity Board (UEB) unbundled and privatisation of the generation and distribution functions completed. The reform process was driven by the need to meet certain objectives as set out in the sectors' reform strategy. This article reviews the reforms undertaken to-date and the achievements registered in the process.


At present there is no systematic approach for the design of highway embankments in Bangladesh. To address this issue, this thesis presents a methodology which can be used for the design of embankments in countries with similar conditions to those experienced in Bangladesh. Such conditions include: the large seasonal variation in flood water levels, which can reach up to 5 m in height; the soft soils on and from the embankments are mainly constructed, and; the prevailing socio- economic climate. The large seasonal variation in flood water levels coupled with the underlying soft (clay) soils results in mainly two types of embankment failure. These are broadly associated with excessive amounts and slow rates of embankment foundation settlement and embankment stability. The latter includes slope failure and foundation bearing capacity failure. The chosen methodology to prevent these types of failure took into account the prevailing socio-economic situation. That is the methods selected had to be sustainable, capable of being implemented and economically viable. Design methods were developed to keep the embankment within the allowable settlement limit and make it stable. These methods include performing settlement and stability analyses respectively. To this end, two techniques described in literature, finite difference settlement analysis and Bishop's method for stability analysis implemented in commercially available software (Settle3D and OASYS SLOPE respectively), were selected from a number of options studied. In addition to the two methods described above, two other methods were identified where the commercial software is not available. These are less accurate and may not be used under certain conditions are easily implemented in a spreadsheet. For settlement analysis Standard method and to perform stability calculations Low's method were chosen. For the former and Low's method and developed stability chart were proposed for stability analyses. Under some conditions the developed design processes may identify that some form of remediation is required. Where it is found necessary to increase the rate of settlement of the embankment and foundation beyond that possible naturally prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) and the addition of a surcharge with a horizontal drainage blanket were identified as suitable options. Additional methods to improve stability include the addition of geo-fabrics, stage construction, the use of geo-cells and pressure berms. The top of the embankment, or subgrade, acts as a platform for the pavement and whose properties are the input for pavement design. To assist the pavement design process therefore, a procedure has also been developed in the research to specify appropriate subgrade properties. These included the use of appropriate materials and compacted by suitable amounts so that the fill does not undergo excessive settlement during the life of the pavement. Suitable amounts of compactive effort, layer thickness and construction moisture content were included as part of the specification with appropriate values based on previous research findings.


Purpose The Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR) has developed a diabetes-specific questionnaire to collect information on individuals' management of their diabetes, collaboration with healthcare providers and the disease's impact on daily life. Our main objective was to develop measures of well-being, abilities to manage diabetes and judgements of diabetes care, and to detect and quantify differences using the NDR questionnaire. Design, setting and participants The questionnaire was analysed with using responses from 3689 participants with type 1 and 2 diabetes, randomly sampled from the NDR population, combined with register data on patient characteristics and cardiovascular and diabetes complication risk factors. Methods We used item response theory to develop scales for measuring well-being, abilities to manage diabetes and judgements of diabetes care (scores). Test–retest reliability on the scale level was analysed with intraclass correlation. Associations between scores and risk factor levels were investigated with subgroup analyses and correlations. Results We obtained scales with satisfactory measurement properties, covering patient reported outcome measures such as general well-being and being free of worries, and patient reported experience measure, for example, access and continuity in diabetes care. All scales had acceptable test–retest reliability and could detect differences between diabetes types, age, gender and treatment subgroups. In several aspects, for example, freedom of worries, type 1 patients report lower than type 2, and younger patients lower than older. Associations were found between some scores and glycated haemoglobin, but none with systolic blood pressure or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Clinicians report positive experience of using scores, visually presented, in the patient dialogue. Conclusions The questionnaire measures and detects differences in patient well-being, abilities and judgements of diabetes care, and identifies areas for improvement. To further improve diabetes care, we conclude that patient-reported measures are important supplements to cardiovascular and diabetes complication risk factors, reflecting patient experiences of living with diabetes and diabetes care.


Researchers in education and the social sciences make extensive use of linear regression models in which the dependent variable is continuous-valued while the explanatory variables are a combination of continuous-valued regressors and dummy variables. The dummies partition the sample into groups, some of which may contain only a few observations. Such groups may easily include enough outliers to break down the parameter estimates. Models with many fixed or random effects appear to be especially vulnerable to outlying data. This paper discusses the problem at an intuitive level and cites sources for the key theorems establishing bounds on the breakdown point in models with dummy variables.


The authors intended to develop a novel procedure and research method that follows the effectiveness of the peer-educational approach in handwashing among school children.

 To ask the children about their sociodemographic background, health behaviour, hand hygiene knowledge, and health attitudes, and questionnaires were applied. The education on proper handwashing procedures was followed by a test with a mobile UV-light detection system (Semmelweis Scanner, http://www.handinscan.com/), and the scans were evaluated through an intrinsic computer software.

 Our newly developed questionnaire-based research method and the hand-rubbing technique followed by a test with a mobile UV-light detection system may become a reliable and valid scientific measurement of the effectiveness of hand hygiene training programmes.

 The Hand-in-Scan technology and questionnaire-based research method provide proper tools for evaluating the successful peer education method. It can significantly elevate the level of children's compliance, which leads to a better hygienic consciousness.


In order to determine the market reaction to an announcement of a change in the audit firm, we carry on an event study between 2004 and 2013 that includes 130 publicly traded Chilean Companies. We find that the market reacted positively when a company announced that it will keep its audit firm that year. We rule out possible biases in the informational content of the event. This suggests that overall, the costs associated to a change of an audit firm (start-up cost and know how loss) would dominate the benefits of the same change (reduction in the probability of a value destroying event such as a fraud or an error). We discuss the implications of this result for the potential implementation of a rule of mandatory rotation in a developing country such as Chile. We also discuss the possibility of identifying the specific costs and benefits behind the audit firm change.


This paper documents significant time-variation in the degree of global price convergence over the last two decades. In particular, there appears to be a general U-shaped pattern with price dispersion first falling and then rising in recent years, a pattern which is remarkably robust across country groupings and commodity groups. This time-variation is difficult to explain in terms of the standard gravity equation variables common in the literature, as these tend not to vary much over time or have not risen in recent years. However, regression analysis indicates that this time-varying pattern coincides well with oil price fluctuations, which are clearly time-varying and have risen substantially since the late 1990s. As a result, this paper offers new evidence on the role of transportation costs in driving international price dispersion.


Despite the dramatic recent growth of international migration wherein increasing numbers of households in the developing world have members working in other countries, there has been little research into the effectiveness of financial literacy on the saving and spending habits of migrants to the Gulf states. While much has been said in policy circles about the need to provide financial education to migrant individuals and families to help them make informed decisions about money matters, little evidence exists on the impact of such services in developing countries. In order to address some of these shortcomings, this research project has two interrelated objectives. The first objective is to design a financial literacy curriculum aimed at migrant households. The curriculum aims to encourage (temporary) migrants and their households back home to develop and work towards long-term and sound financial planning. The curriculum covers a variety of pertinent topics such as savings, budgeting, managing debt, and investing. The second objective is to produce a set of instructional videos on financial education using the contents of the curriculum. These are to be widely disseminated to low income bracket migrant populations in Qatar through DVDs and online videos. These videos are designed to overcome the limitation of relying on a limited pool of qualified teachers to deliver the curriculum's content as well as logistic challenges in hosting multiple classroom sessions. To our knowledge, this is the first set of instructional videos that have been developed for a Qatar-based migrant community to aid with the management of money matters. In the future, we plan to study the impact of these educational videos on migrants in Qatar to see how much of a positive effect the material has had on their lives and financial habits.


Excerpt] Labor practices have become a part of many international trade agreements. In response to growing interest in international labor standards, the Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) engaged the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to recommend a method to monitor and evaluate labor conditions in a country. The focus was on five labor standards: (1) Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining; (2) Forced or Compulsory Labor; (3) Child Labor; (4) Discrimination; and (5) Acceptable Conditions of Work. NAS developed an approach which included formulating indicators for each of the five labor standards, creating a database of sources of reliable empirical information for assessing these indicators, and suggesting a method for assessing and monitoring compliance that includes a matrix framework for graphically presenting assessments. The University of Michigan, in consultation with ILAB, evaluated this approach by having 3-person expert panels apply it to assessing and monitoring compliance in three countries. The panel members independently assessed the indicators in terms of level of compliance with international standards ("some problems," "more extensive problems," or "severe problems) and direction of change ("steady state," "improving," or "worsening"). Each panel then convened to discuss their assessments and seek to resolve differences in those assessments. Observation and analysis of this experience revealed challenges in applying this approach and potential modifications that could improve its operationalization. For most of the indicators, there was not agreement among the independent assessments by the panel members. Information was lacking or outdated for many of the indicators and, when present, was usually not definitive. Panelists raised a number of suggestions for changes in the indicators and matrix approach, more generally. WebMILS, the database created to support such assessments, was seen as a useful resource, although concerns were raised about limiting information sources to those that are available on the Internet. There were also suggestions for updating and modifying the version of WebMILS that was operational during the period of the evaluation. The panelists felt that the process they followed (independent assessments followed by a group meeting) was effective, although there was some feeling that more training might be helpful before undertaking the independent assessments. The evaluation experience also focused on the challenges of moving from an assessment of individual indicators using the matrix formulation to overall conclusions about a country's compliance with international labor standards. The formulation of discrete indicators for each labor standard provides a basis for a more explicated or transparent discussion of compliance. But the proposed method does not provide guidance for integrating conclusions about individual indicators into a broader assessment of a country's compliance with international standards. This issue raises important questions about the relative importance of different indicators and whether priorities could be established to direct such an effort.


China' exports have become increasingly sophisticated. This has generated anxiety in developed countries as the competitive pressure may be increasingly felt outside labor-intensive industries. Using product-level data on exports from different cities within China, this paper investigates the contributing factors to the rising export sophistication. Somewhat surprisingly, neither processing trade nor foreign invested firms are found to play an important role in generating the increased overlap in the export structure between China and high-income countries. Instead, improvement in human capital and government policies in the form of tax-favored high-tech zones appear to be the key in the country's evolving export structure. On the other hand, processing trade, foreign invested firms, and government-sponsored high-tech zones all have contributed significantly to raising the unit values of China's exports within a given product category.


Effect activity and lead delta-aminolevulinic acid coproporphyrin. Results of a 6-month follow-up of two male subjects. S. Effect of a short heavy exposure to lead dust upon blood lead level, erythrocyte o-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity and urinary excretion of lead, o-aminolevulink acid and coproporphyrin: Results of a 6-month follow-up of two marre subjects. Scand. j. work environ. & heaLth 3 (1976) 176-184. During 1 h two healthy volunteers, not earlier exposed occupationally to lead, inhaled about 100 mg of lead as a mixture of lead oxides and lead sulfate. Maximum blood lead (PbB) concentrations of about 0.5 mg/l and minimum blood cell o-amino levulinic acid dehydratase activities (ALAD) (6 Ofo of the preexposure values) were observed within 38 h after exposure. PbB and ALAD returned to preexposure levels after about 300 and 150 days. A highly significant correlation between ALAD and PbB was seen even at lead levels in the range 0.1-0.2 mg/l. Delta-aminolevulinic acid, coproporphyrin and lead in the urine (ALAU, CPU, and PbU, respectively) increased. The peak levels occurred after about 15 h for ALAU and CPU and after about 24 h for PbU. There was a very good correlation between log PbU and lin PbB. ALAU increased already at PbB levels of about 0.3 mg/l.


The article is an attempt to pinpoint those general discursive aspects of the Young Estonia movement which more clearly contradict the hegemony of conservative positions within the cultural-political discourse of contemporary Estonia. An analysis of the rhetoric of renewal employed by Young Estonians reveals that the movement came to represent its own cultural-political practices as 1) eccentric – oriented towards that outside which they named "Europe", and aimed at creating internal polycentrism and differentiation; 2) eclectic – (often incoherently) assembling different pieces of different foreign languages and cultures together with the Estonian language and culture; 3) interruptive – bringing about an historical, generational and conceptual rupture with the past. In this article I show how these three determinations clash with the stress on centralization (and internality), homogeneity, and continuity characteristic of the conservative cultural-political discourse. If the latter is grounded on the clear-cut opposition of the proper and the improper, the own and the foreign, the Young Estonia movement shifts the attention to the fight for the new against the old, a struggle which presupposes the disruptive contamination of the proper with the improper, of the own with the foreign. Drawing on these observations, the foundation of the conception of culture shared by the Young Estonians is what Tuglas has called the "aesthetic principle". The aesthetization of culture prompts the irruption of art and artificiality into life, thus putting into question the presumed authenticity, originality and naturalness of culture – the foundation stones of the conservative cultural-political discourse. The clear-cut distinction between the internal sameness of culture and its external otherness gets replaced by the idea of an infinite movement of differentiation and translation always already internal to any culture.


We present SeaMARC II and multichannel seismic data describing deformation at an active restraining-bend complex formed along a left-lateral strike-slip fault in the western Caribbean Sea. The bend complex consists of three distinct strike- slip fault traces that form two right-stepping "sharp restraining bends" or "push-ups" at its western end and form a right-stepping "gentle restraining bend" at its eastern end. Deformation at the sharp restraining bends is characterized by local folding between overlapping strike-slip faults. Deformation at the much larger gentle restraining bend consists of a large anticline adjacent to a gently curving strike-slip fault. A small, active accretionary wedge forms the northern flank of the bend complex. We speculate that the 30-km-wide, right-stepping bend complex formed as a consequence of southward propagation of the Mid-Cayman spreading center during Oligocene to early Miocene time. Active faults along the southern edge of the bend complex may have formed after the initial uplift and folding of the complex, and may currently serve to straighten the strike-slip fault by "bypassing" the bend complex.


Mar Gómez Glez's 2014 site-specific and fact-inspired play Bajo el agua portrays the governing presence of the disciplinary mechanisms that operate upon the construction of the female body and feminine subjectivity through the unique focus on the microcosm of synchronized swimming. By deliberately placing a singular emphasis on a sport dominated by women, Gómez Glez calls attention to the gendered nature of disciplinary practices, inviting the reader/spectator to take stock of and better understand the degree of implementation and perpetuation within a wider social frame. This article proposes a reading of Bajo el agua through the theoretical writings of Michel Foucault and Sandra Lee Bartky, employing this critical prism as a means of elucidating the ways in which discipline is both implemented and gendered. My analysis additionally examines the inclusion of elements of performativity as well as the use of multimedia as crucial components of the play's structural and thematic construction. Gómez Glez's combination of dramatic fictions and real-life referents, together with contemporary experimental staging techniques further serve to actualize both the form and the content for modern audiences. My reading of Bajo el agua thus stands at the crossroads of studies on feminism, sports sociology, and contemporary theatre practices.


Offensive shareholder activism (more commonly known as hedge fund activism) can be understood as a corrective mechanism in the governance of a public company. The legitimacy of offensive shareholder activism as a corrective mechanism is based on numerous empirical studies that have found this type of activism to be both wealth enhancing for shareholders and performance enhancing for the target companies. A non-empirical argument can also be made in support of offensive shareholder activism that focuses on the ability of the board of directors to act as impartial arbitrator deciding between the advices provided by executive management and the activist hedge fund. Recognizing the value of offensive shareholder activism in the decision making of a public company allows for the following theory of shareholder activism: Shareholder activism is a valuable asset in and of itself if the purpose of such activism is to correct managerial inefficiencies. This new theory is built on the foundation of Henry Manne's market for corporate control. The implications for corporate law are significant. If corporate law does not recognize offensive shareholder activism as a corrective mechanism, then the benefits of such activism in terms of enhancing the managerial efficiency of public companies and increasing shareholder wealth may become significantly reduced. To facilitate this recognition, this Article provides new thinking on how Delaware's Unocal test and Blasius standard of review should be applied by the Courts when the Board takes action to minimize the influence of activist hedge funds. Under both standards of review it is argued that corporate law should always take a skeptical view of any Board action taken to directly or indirectly mitigate the influence of this type of activism. This approach is not about shifting decision making authority from the Board to activist hedge funds, but simply putting limits on the Board's ability to use the legal system to thwart the influence of hedge fund activism in a public company's decision making process.


Private Military and Security Companies perform a wide range of roles during non-international armed conflicts. While many of those roles have been assessed thoroughly, the roles of contractors involved in combat air patrol missions have remained understudied. Major militaries worldwide are increasingly relying on drone warfare and make use of private contractors under international humanitarian law to determine their rights and how those correpond to their contractual obligations. This article argues that contractors analyzing intelligence are likely to directly participate in hostilities while those piloting and operating the drones potentially perform an inherently governmental function and thus blur the line between the public and the private sector. Their work might even qualify as membership of an armed group with a continuous combat function, thus depriving them of the revolving door benefit.