Nonperturbative quantum control schemes in the intermediate field strength nonionizing regime are investigated. We restrict the matter-field interaction to the nonresonant dynamic Stark effect NRDSE as induced by infrared laser fields, which we argue is a new and general tool for quantum control of atomic and molecular dynamics. For the case of Raman coupled matter states, an effective Hamiltionian may be constructed, and quantum control via NRDSE may be thought of as reversibly modifying the effective Hamiltonian during system propagation, thus leading to control over dynamic processes. As an illustration, the creation of field-free "switched" wave packets through the adiabatic turn on and sudden turn off of the NRDSE is considered and experimentally demonstrated. Wave packets generated through the switched NRDSE interaction may be very different in form and content than wave packets generated via resonant transitions with Gaussian optical pulses. In order to provide an example, we discuss the specific case of rotational wave packet dynamics where the NRDSE manifests itself as molecular axis alignment. This technique is applied to the creation of field-free molecular axis alignment using an intense switched 1.064 m laser pulse. This switched laser pulse was generated via a plasma shuttering technique, giving a pulse with a rise time of 150 ps and a fall time of 170 fs. The temporal evolution of the molecular axis alignment is probed via the optical Kerr effect. Field-free alignment via the switched NRDSE is demonstrated for both linear CO2 ,C S 2 and symmetric top 1,2propadiene polyatomic molecules.


Low levels of development, increasing levels of environmental degradation and poverty are features which characterise many rural areas in the Developing World. The socio-economies of these rural communities are primarily founded on the direct utilization of the natural resource base. The challenge faced by rural communities is thus to achieve socio-economic growth and stability in conjunction with environmental conservation and stability. Integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) have been applied in underdeveloped areas with the objective of enhancing biodiversity conservation through approaches which attempt to address the needs, constraints and opportunities faced by the rural communities. While successes have been recorded, critical analyses by researchers have found that few projects have met their objectives. This case study in KwaJobe, KwaZulu-Natal, attempts to ascertain the development priorities as identified by the community. The participatory rural appraisal techniques utilized in this study provide a valuable approach for local people to provide information to outsiders, as well as to analyse their own circumstances with reference to natural resource management. The findings of the study indicate that the community is characteristic of many rural communities in underdeveloped areas. The development priorities identified by the community focus on economic and social welfare needs. The presentation of two natural resource based development models, ie, a resource based tourism development and an irrigation development, were used to interpret the development preferences and priorities of the community. From this it was possible to ascertain that the communities development priorities do not include natural resource management or environmental conservation. Development initiatives which rank these criteria as the primary objective do not induce support from the community. Approaches to rural development thus need to focus primarily on the meeting of community identified needs if they are to be accepted and supported by the community. Methods need to be devised to facilitate sustainable development which offer opportunities for environmental conservation, rather than attempting to achieve development via conservation initiatives. There is thus a need for a change in the focus of ICDPs from using conservation initiatives to facilitate rural community development, to a focus which prioritises meeting the development needs identified by the communities. Attempts can then be made to facilitate environmental conservation by means of integrated development and conservation projects (IDCPs).


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In this paper we are going to discuss American competitiveness with an eye on morality, ethics, economics, and politics. It is surprising to see that the global economy is growing, specifically in China and India, and infrastructure developments are taking place every day as an indication of some countries' growing economies. In contrast, here in the United States, the economy has not done so well in the past decade. Economies of major developing and developed nations have been studied and the comparison is not very pleasant. Economy watch and other relevant economic news give a very bleak picture of today's economy. The author's assertion here is that it is all due to lack of corporate ethics, corporate priorities, governmental ethics, and governmental priorities. In analyzing the situation, care has been taken to see that the moral point of view is taken and deontological and teleological theories are applied. Analysis shows whether or not, act utilitarianism or rule utilitarianism could have changed the course the United States has taken in these 20 years. Keywords: American competitiveness, Global competitiveness, Deontological theory, Teleological theory, Authentic leadership, Psychological capital. INTRODUCTION This article is written with some sentimental feelings about what happened to the author recently at an airport. The disrespect shown to people who were co- passengers in an airplane demonstrates that frustration has crept into our lives and we do take ourselves very seriously and disregard others as 'not of any consequence' or not as respectable. This decline in the American Value System is due to many factors which cannot be analyzed in this small article, but it is purely economic, and springs from insecurity of American lack of hegemony. It's all vividly clear that what is happening today has been fermented by connivance or was preempted 20 years back by an envisioning of an unjust and undeclared war called desert storm purely for economic gain but which misfired. The lack of ethics was the primary cause of war then and even now. Nothing has been gained after 20 years of war and it's not the same as it used to be since then for normal Americans. Current Economic and Financial Barometer Overall, US businesses still feel they operate at an advantage over global competitors, but this survey points to warning signs-such as loss of confidence in capital markets-that foreshadows strain. Such strain can worsen if the wrong policies are in place moving forward. The first results are in from economy watch, and they are not great news for everyone. Simply put, it is not a good time to be an American. Last week they launched our economic indicators experiment, the world's first real-time Consumer Confidence Index from global economists at EconomyWatch.com. 48 Americans gave the US a rating of 562 (out of 1,000), broadly meaning that they expect the economy to stay the same. This is down from a confident 756 in mid May. In fact, responses in the last week have been on average below 500, meaning that most people in the US now believe things will get worse. In contrast, according to Economy Watch, in "09 June 2011 according to a recent report by the organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD), Australia was ranked as the best advanced economy in the world to live in. The 2011 Your Better Life Index saw Australia attain extremely high scores in housing life satisfaction and the environment. The first two scores were not particularly surprising, especially after another recent study showed that Australians where the most relaxed nationality in the world when it came to household mortgages. Where the US Has Lost Its Competitive Edge- Perceptions from Recent Data The percent of executives surveyed who feel the US has lost competitiveness in the following areas However, Australia, UK, Japan, France, Sweden, Israel are the Real Success Stories, Untold: The Great Debacle of the Us- The Invisible Cause The basis of American competitiveness truly depends good judgments about international situations so that America is strong inside and legitimate outside, because it is the only superpower which is been left with the power to intervene in others' affairs. …


The performance of Acyrthosiphon kondoi Shinji on winter cuttings of 3 American cultivars of lucerne (cv CUF‐101, cv De Kalb 185 and cv Matador) and 2 Australian cultivars (cv Hunter River and cv Trifecta) was monitored in a laboratory study at 20°C. Growth rates, development times, survival rates, embryo numbers and embryo size were recorded on each variety. Aphids reared on cv Trifecta (a tolerant cultivar) performed significantly better than aphids on other cultivars. No significant differences in performance were noted between aphids reared on cv CUF‐101 and 3 susceptible varieties. High levels of variation in performance statistics were observed within treatments. The problem of discriminating between host‐plant resistance to the aphid and the effect of plant growth activity on the aphid are discussed.


The Report of the Dutch Governmental Committee on Euthanasia On January 17, 1990, the then newly formed coalition government of the Netherlands appointed the Committee to Investigate the Medical Practice Concerning Euthanasia. The committee, chaired by the Attorney General of the Supreme Court, Prof. J. Remmelink, commissioned the Institute for Social Health Care of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam to conduct a nationwide survey. On June 14, 1990, the Second Chamber of Parliament rejected the motion that would restrict the subject of the committee's investigation of euthanasia to explicit patient requests. Instead, the chamber approved the committee's plan to investigate both euthanasia with the patient's request and the various forms of termination of life without the patient's request. (1) Three studies were conducted. In the retrospective study, more than four hundred physicians were interviewed about their opinions on and the practice of euthanasia. Then, during a six month period, the same physicians were asked to record and report their actions in cases with a fatal outcome (the prospective study). In the third part of the survey, a representative sample of deaths was taken from the register at the Central Statistical Office, and the physicians who had been involved in the care of the deceased were asked to provide information. For years an often heated, but mostly inconclusive, debate on euthanasia in the Netherlands has taken place. The critics allege that euthanasia has been carried out on a very large scale, that involuntary euthanasia has been widely practiced, and that many irregularities have occurred, while the defenders of euthanasia reject these allegations. Due to this situation, the result of the study ordered by the Remmelink committee were awaited with great anticipation. The committee released its report on September 10, 1991. (2) It immediately became clear that the report contains the most valuable, extensive, and reliable information on euthanasia in the Netherlands to date. It also became clear that the report conveys two very different messages: a reassuring one, expressed in the conclusions and comments of the committee, and a very alarming one, contained in the report's data and findings. Euthanasia: The Annual Number of Cases The report contains all the information needed to establish the annual number of cases of euthanasia in the Netherlands. Obviously, varying totals can be obtained from the available data by adopting different definitions of euthanasia. There are good reasons to adopt a descriptive definition such as the one given by Joseph Fletcher(3) because it includes all essential forms of euthanasia. The findings published in the report indicate that annually 25,306 cases of euthanasia (as defined by Fletcher) occur in the Netherlands. This number includes 2,300 cases of active voluntary euthanasia,(4) 400 cases of physician-assisted suicide,(5) and 1,000 cases of active involuntary euthanasia.(6) There were 5,800 cases in which life-prolonging treatment was withdrawn or withheld upon request of the patient,(7) and 4,756, or 82% of these patients died.(8) Of the 25,000 cases in which life-prolonging treatment was withdrawn or withheld without a request of the patient,(9) 8,750 cases, or 35%, were done with the intent to terminate life.(10) Of the 22,500 patients who died of overdoses of morphine,(11) 8,100 cases, or 36%, were done with the intent to terminate life.(12) The 25,306 cases of euthanasia constitute 19.4% of the 130,000 deaths that occur in the Netherlands each year.(13) The committee's conclusion that only 2,300 cases of euthanasia occur every year was reached by assuming that only active termination of life upon request of the patient deserves the name of euthanasia. Thus, the committee adopted a normative definition that expresses an opinion on what euthanasia should be. Other forms of euthanasia, involving 23,006 cases a year, were excluded. …


Crack cocaine is produced from powder cocaine using readily available chemical agents such as ammonia or baking soda. Smoking crack is a highly efficient way of getting cocaine into the brain, making its use compulsive and difficult to control in some cases. In early 2005, a number of seizures of crack cocaine were made by An Garda Siochana in Dublin's north-inner city. In addition, there were anecdotal reports of individuals using crack cocaine in Dublin. As a result, the Intersectoral Crack Cocaine Strategy Group (ISCCSG) was established in the north-inner city in March 2006.

The group decided to document the nature and extent of crack use; the availability of crack; the impact of crack on the user, the family and the wider community; and current treatment and policing responses to crack use.

The Alcohol and Drug Research Unit (ADRU) of the Health Research Board (HRB) was commissioned to complete the study using a rapid situation assessment method. The study involved a review of findings from relevant research, the collection and analysis of up-to-date drug-treatment and criminal justice data, and interviews and focus groups with crack users, service providers and the Garda National Drugs Unit.


The physical mechanisms and regimes of light scattering in monodomain layers of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) are studied for the first time as applied to light modulators intended for use in a multilayer volume screen of a three-dimensional display. Several types of light scattering are detected for various FLC-composite compositions, boundary conditions, and pulsed-control regimes of the FLC modulator. When light is scattered at transient domains in nonhelicoidal FLCs, the minimum total time for it to be switched on and off by bipolar pulses with an amplitude of 50 V is about 130 µs and does not exceed 500 µs in helicoidal FLCs; with bistable light scattering at ferroelectric domains in nonhelicoidal FLCs, this time approaches 250 µs. The results are evidence that the FLC modulators considered here can be used as a basis for creating volume screens with a depth of 30-100 cross sections. © 2005 Optical Society of America


Estimating reactivity ratios in multicomponent polymerizations is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, using cumulative models is becoming imperative, as some multicomponent systems are inherently so fast that instantaneous "approximate" models can not be used. In the first part of the thesis, triad fractions (sequence length characteristics) are employed in a multiresponse scenario, investigating different error structures and levels. A comparison is given between instantaneous triad fraction models and instantaneous composition model, which represent the current state-of-the-art. In the second part of the thesis, extensions are discussed with cumulative composition and triad fraction models over the whole conversion range, thus relating the problem of reactivity ratio estimation to the optimal design of experiments (i.e. optimal sampling) over polymerization time and conversion. The performance of cumulative multiresponse models is superior to that of their instantaneous counterparts, which can be explained from an information content point of view. As a side-project, the existence of azeotropic points is investigated in terpolymer (Alfrey-Goldfinger equation) and tetrapolymer (Walling-Briggs equation) systems.


The performance of the Planck instruments in space is enabled by their low operating temperatures, 20 K for LFI and 0.1 K for HFI, achieved through a combination of passive radiative cooling and three active mechanical coolers. The scientific requirement for very broad frequency coverage led to two detector technologies with widely different temperature and cooling needs. Active coolers could satisfy these needs; a helium cryostat, as used by previous cryogenic space missions (IRAS, COBE, ISO, Spitzer, AKARI), could not. Radiative cooling is provided by three V-groove radiators and a large telescope baffle. The active coolers are a hydrogen sorption cooler (<20 K), a 4He Joule-Thomson cooler (4.7 K), and a 3He-4He dilution cooler (1.4 K and 0.1 K). The flight system was at ambient temperature at launch and cooled in space to operating conditions. The HFI bolometer plate reached 93 mK on 3 July 2009, 50 days after launch. The solar panel always faces the Sun, shadowing the rest of Planck, and operates at a mean temperature of 384 K. At the other end of the spacecraft, the telescope baffle operates at 42.3 K and the telescope primary mirror operates at 35.9 K. The temperatures of key parts of the instruments are stabilized by both active and passive methods. Temperature fluctuations are driven by changes in the distance from the Sun, sorption cooler cycling and fluctuations in gas-liquid flow, and fluctuations in cosmic ray flux on the dilution and bolometer plates. These fluctuations do not compromise the science data.


There is growing interest in selectively breeding Merinos with higher growth and muscling and lower fatness. The effects of selection for these traits on ewe intermediary metabolism, body composition, reproduction and milk production and on lamb birthweight, survival and growth were studied in a series of experiments and analyses.

Ewes with higher genetic propensity for early growth had higher mature weight, reproductive rate, lamb birthweight, ewe milk production and lamb growth rate. Ewes with higher growth also had a higher circulating level of growth hormone during lactation.

Ewes with higher genetic propensity for muscling had a higher reproductive rate and produced lambs that were lighter at birth, but this did not result in lower lamb survival. Ewes with higher muscling maintained a higher condition score which may be at least partly attributed to a lower response to adrenaline at the level of the muscle in these higher muscled ewes. Similarly higher muscled ewes had lower growth hormone concentration in lactation which would result in lower mobilisation of tissues. In addition peripheral tissues were less responsive to insulin in high muscled ewes and blood glucose levels were also higher during the non-breeding state in high muscled ewes.

The genetic fatness of ewes was positively associated with lamb birthweight but only when nutrition was restricted suggesting that ewes with a higher genetic propensity for fatness can buffer lamb birthweight under periods of poor nutrition. Ewes with higher genetic fatness had lower circulating growth hormone and a greater response to insulin providing potential mechanisms for the observed higher fatness. Furthermore, response to adrenaline at the level of liver was greater in ewes with higher fatness suggestive of a higher capacity for gluconeogenesis. The combined results of this work suggest that actively selecting Merino ewes to have higher growth, muscling and fatness is likely to have positive reproduction and therefore economic outcomes.


This article introduces three algorithms for trade sizing with the objective of controlling tail risk or maximum drawdown when applied to a trading strategy. The first algorithm relies on historical volatility estimates while the second uses tail risk estimates obtained by applying Extreme Value Theory (EVT) to estimate Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR); the third algorithm also uses Extreme Value Theory applied to the drawdown distribution to compute the Conditional Drawdown at Risk (CDaR). These algorithms are applied to 10 years of daily returns from a trend following strategy trading the EURUSD and NZDMXN currency pairs. In each case, the performance of the algorithms is analysed in detail and compared to the original strategy. The ability of these algorithms in terms of tail risk and drawdown control is evaluated. The techniques presented in the article are readily applicable by investment managers to compute adequate trade size while maintaining a constant level of tail risk or limiting maximum drawdown to a chosen value.


American Journal of Medicine American Journal of Preventive Medicine Annals of Internal Medicine JAMA Journal of Family Practice Journal of General Internal Medicine Journal of the American Board of Family Practice JNCI Lancet New England Journal of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology Pediatrics This section calls attention to new studies and systematic reviews selected by the Editor from journals published just as this issue went into production (approximately two months before publication). Studies are noted that might directly influence clinical practice decisions in primary care.


This paper presents an investigation of the characteristics and performance of a photovoltaic (PV)-diesel hybrid energy system for teaching and research purposes. The system was developed at the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies Australia (CRESTA) at Curtin University, Australia. It is intended that the system will be introduced to remote areas where the main electricity grids are not available. The system comprises of PV module of 1.2 kWp, a 5 kVA diesel generator, a 5 kVA bi-directional inverter and a 13 kWh battery bank. It also incorporates a weather station which measures the horizontal and tilt (32/spl deg/) irradiation, ambient temperature and barometer pressure. Data from the site have been recorded continuously. The average global radiation is 5.17 kWh/day and the tilt radiation is 5.62 kWh/day. The performance ratio of the PV-array has been calculated approximately as 0.6. The average fuel efficiency of the motor generator is 1.67 kWh/ltr based on a predictive control strategy. The battery efficiency is 0.96 while and the overall system efficiency is found to be 0.64. The system runs in synchronism with a diesel generator and a predictive control strategy, which is based on the theoretical control principles for optimum supply side management.


Background. The expected value of sample information (EVSI) determines the economic value of any future study with a specific design aimed at reducing uncertainty about the parameters underlying a health economic model. This has potential as a tool for trial design; the cost and value of different designs could be compared to find the trial with the greatest net benefit. However, despite recent developments, EVSI analysis can be slow, especially when optimizing over a large number of different designs. Methods. This article develops a method to reduce the computation time required to calculate the EVSI across different sample sizes. Our method extends the moment-matching approach to EVSI estimation to optimize over different sample sizes for the underlying trial while retaining a similar computational cost to a single EVSI estimate. This extension calculates the posterior variance of the net monetary benefit across alternative sample sizes and then uses Bayesian nonlinear regression to estimate the EVSI across these sample sizes. Results. A health economic model developed to assess the cost-effectiveness of interventions for chronic pain demonstrates that this EVSI calculation method is fast and accurate for realistic models. This example also highlights how different trial designs can be compared using the EVSI. Conclusion. The proposed estimation method is fast and accurate when calculating the EVSI across different sample sizes. This will allow researchers to realize the potential of using the EVSI to determine an economically optimal trial design for reducing uncertainty in health economic models. Limitations. Our method involves rerunning the health economic model, which can be more computationally expensive than some recent alternatives, especially in complex models.


An intercomparison of radiance and irradiance ocean color radiometers (The Second Laboratory Comparison Exercise—LCE-2) was organized within the frame of the European Space Agency funded project Fiducial Reference Measurements for Satellite Ocean Color (FRM4SOC) May 8–13, 2017 at Tartu Observatory, Estonia. LCE-2 consisted of three sub-tasks: 1) SI-traceable radiometric calibration of all the participating radiance and irradiance radiometers at the Tartu Observatory just before the comparisons; 2) Indoor intercomparison using stable radiance and irradiance sources in controlled environment; and 3) Outdoor intercomparison of natural radiation sources over terrestrial water surface. The aim of the experiment was to provide one link in the chain of traceability from field measurements of water reflectance to the uniform SI-traceable calibration, and after calibration to verify whether different instruments measuring the same object provide results consistent within the expected uncertainty limits. This paper describes the activities and results of the first two phases of LCE-2: the SI-traceable radiometric calibration and indoor intercomparison, the results of outdoor experiment are presented in a related paper of the same journal issue. The indoor experiment of the LCE-2 has proven that uniform calibration just before the use of radiometers is highly effective. Distinct radiometers from different manufacturers operated by different scientists can yield quite close radiance and irradiance results (standard deviation s < 1%) under defined conditions. This holds when measuring stable lamp-based targets under stationary laboratory conditions with all the radiometers uniformly calibrated against the same standards just prior to the experiment. In addition, some unification of measurement and data processing must be settled. Uncertainty of radiance and irradiance measurement under these conditions largely consists of the sensor's calibration uncertainty and of the spread of results obtained by individual sensors measuring the same object.


Objectives To identify whether speech recognition outcomes are influenced by the choice of ear for cochlear implantation in adults with bilateral hearing loss who use a hearing aid in 1 ear but have long-term auditory deprivation in the other. Study Design Retrospective matched cohort study. Speech recognition results were examined in 30 adults with monaural sound deprivation. Fifteen received the implant in the sound-deprived ear and 15 in the aided ear. Setting Tertiary referral centers with active cochlear implant programs. Patients Adults with bilateral hearing loss and a minimum of 15 years of monaural sound deprivation who received a cochlear implant after meeting the traditional implantation criteria of the referral centers. Intervention Cochlear implantation with devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Main Outcome Measure(s) Paired comparisons of postoperative monosyllabic word recognition scores obtained with the implant alone and in the usual listening condition (CI alone or bimodal). Results With the cochlear implant alone, individuals who received the implant in a sound-deprived ear obtained poorer scores than individuals who received the implant in the aided ear. There was no significant difference, however, in speech recognition results for the 2 groups when tested in their usual listening condition. In particular, poorer speech recognition scores were obtained with the cochlear implant alone by individuals using bimodal hearing. Conclusion Similar clinical outcomes of cochlear implantation can be achieved by adults with a long-term monaural sound deprivation when comparing the usual listening condition, irrespective of whether the implant is in the sound-deprived or in the aided ear.


We demonstrate highly broad-band frequency conversion via four-wave mixing in silicon nanowaveguides. Through appropriate engineering of the waveguide dimensions, conversion bandwidths greater than 150 nm are achieved and peak conversion efficiencies of -9.6 dB are demonstrated. Furthermore, utilizing fourth-order dispersion, wave-length conversion across four telecommunication bands from 1477 nm (S-band) to 1672 nm (U-band) is demonstrated with an efficiency of -12 dB.


CONNERS, WILLIAM RANDALL (4 Oct. 1878-22 Jan. 1942) was founder and first executive secretary of the the Negro Welfare Association (URBAN LEAGUE OF CLEVELAND) who gained national attention for his efforts to improve conditions for AFRICAN AMERICANS. Conners was born in Augusta, Georgia. He graduated from Biddle College (Johnson C. Smith University) Charlotte, N.C. in 1897 and received his M.A. in 1903. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Conners taught at Livingston College in Salisbury, N.C. and was later principal of the Gay Street Training School in Westchester, PA. Coming to Cleveland in 1917 Conners became executive secretary of the Negro Welfare Association, founded with the purpose of ending employment discrimination against Blacks. He held the position until his retirement in 1940. During his early years with the Negro Welfare Association Conners focused on convincing Cleveland industries to accept black labor in their factories and mills. He established an employment agency at the Association's headquarters on East 40th Street. During the 1930s Conners, who was a long-time housing advocate, changed the Association's primary goal from employment to improved housing conditions. The Association's programs would center around better housing, improved sanitation, domestic relations counselling and promoting racial understanding to end employment and housing barriers. Long active in civic work Conners founded and served as secretary of (until 1936) the Lower Woodland Community Council which included civic, religious and educational leaders of the district. Conners married Nathalie Mikell. They had two daughters, Lauretta and Nellie. Conners was Presbyterian is buried in LAKE VIEW CEMETERY. The Urban League of Cleveland Records, WRHS.


In this new era of computing, where the iPhone, iPad, Xbox Kinect, and similar devices have changed the way to interact with computers, many questions arised of how modern input devices can be used for a more intuitive user interaction. This book, Interaction Design for 3D User Interfaces, addressed this paradigm shift. The book looks at user interfaces with an input perspective. This book is divided in four parts (I) Theory of input devices and user interfaces with an emphasis on multi-touch interaction; (II) Advanced topics that helps reduced noise on input devices; (III) Hands-on approach to allow the reader gain experience with some of the new devices mention on this book. (IV) A case study that shows how a complete solution, using speech as input. This book provides current state-of-the-art, which allows researchers, developers, and students to understand the direction on the field of input devices and user interaction


The purpose of this study was to evaluate condom use and the incidence of breakage and slippage during vaginal intercourse among female prostitutes in legal Nevada brothels where use of condoms is required by law. 41 licensed prostitutes in three brothels were enrolled in a prospective trial in August 1993. Used condoms were collected to verify reported breaks visually. Retrospective breakage and slippage rates were obtained in a standardized interview. Condoms were used for every act of vaginal intercourse with a brothel client during the study period as well as in the previous year. In the prospective study phase condoms were used in 353 acts of vaginal intercourse with clients. No condoms broke and none fell off the penis during intercourse. Only twice (0.6%) did condoms completely fall off during withdrawal. 12 times (3.4%) during intercourse and 15 times (4.3%) during withdrawal condoms slipped down the penis but did not fall off. These findings among the lowest breakage and slippage rates published suggest that regular condom use may lead to condom mastery and the development of techniques to reduce the likelihood of breakage and slippage. (authors)


This brief presents a fully integrated nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) resonator, operable at frequencies in the megahertz range, together with a compact built-in CMOS interfacing circuitry. The proposed low-power second-generation current conveyor circuit allows detailed read-out of the nanocantilever structure for either extraction of equivalent circuit models or comparative studies at different pressure and dc biasing conditions. In this sense, extensive experimental results are presented for a real mixed electromechanical system integrated through a combination of in-house standard CMOS technology and nanodevice post-processing by nanostencil lithography. The proposed read-out scheme can be easily adapted to operate the nanocantilever in closed loop operation as a stand-alone NEMS oscillator


Increased globalization of the pharmaceutical market has facilitated the unobstructed and fast spread of poor-quality medicines. Poor-quality medicines include spurious/falsely-labeled/falsified/counterfeit drugs (those that are deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to content and/or origin), substandard drugs (legitimate drugs that do not meet their quality specifications), and degraded medicines (good quality pharmaceuticals that suffered from deterioration caused by improper storage or distribution). Consumption of poor-quality pharmaceuticals is likely to increase morbidity and mortality. Moreover, poor-quality drugs can also contribute to the development of resistance to anti-infective medicines and decrease the quality of health care received by patients. To assess the true prevalence of poor quality drugs, tiered technology approaches enabling the testing of drug samples collected at points of sale are required, thus ensuring public health standards. High throughput and high resolution ambient mass spectrometry techniques allow investigation of pharmaceuticals with minimal or no sample preparation, thus possessing capabilities to survey a large number of drug samples for their authenticity.


David Conway analyses why and how Jews, virtually absent from western art music until the end of the eighteenth century, came to be represented in all branches of the profession within fifty years as leading figures – not only as composers and performers, but as publishers, impresarios and critics. His study places this process in the context of dynamic economic, political, sociological and technological changes, and also of developments in Jewish communities and the Jewish religion itself, in the major cultural centres of western Europe. Beginning with a review of attitudes to Jews in the arts, and an assessment of Jewish music and musical skills, in the age of the Enlightenment, Conway traces the story of growing Jewish involvement with music through the biographies of the famous, the neglected and the forgotten, leading to a new and radical contextualisation of Wagner's infamous 'Judaism in Music'.


Much of Canada's northern population resides in communities that are inaccessible by road for a substantial portion of the year. Residents of these "fly-in" communities rely on aircraft to provide a wide range of social, economic, and transportation services. However, for numerous reasons, including the often extreme environmental conditions in the circumpolar regions of Canada, a substantial number of flights to these communities are cancelled or diverted. Using a dataset from two airlines that serve the western portion of this region with information about schedules, delays, and cancellations of more than 18 500 flights, we examined the links between airport infrastructure, flight arrival reliability, and a variety of socioeconomic variables in 23 northern communities. Results show that runway length has a significant impact on the reliability of flight arrival, but also that the reliability of flights may not affect the cost of food in the communities included in our analysis. These findings provide evidence that lengthening runways could improve air service in the Canadian North.


Context. O Vz stars, a subclass of O-type dwarfs characterized by having He ii λ4686 stronger in absorption than any other helium line in their blue-violet spectra, have been suggested to be on or near the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS). If their youth were confirmed, they would be key objects with which to advance our knowledge of the physical properties of massive stars in the early stages of their lives. Aims. We test the hypothesis of O Vz stars being at a different (younger) evolutionary stage than are normal O-type dwarfs. Methods. We have performed the first comprehensive quantitative spectroscopic analysis of a statistically meaningful sample of O Vz and O V stars in the same star-forming region, exploiting the large number of O Vz stars identified by the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We obtained the stellar and wind parameters of 38 O Vz stars (and a control sample of 46 O V stars) using the FASTWIND stellar atmosphere code and the IACOB-GBAT, a grid-based tool developed for automated quantitative analysis of optical spectra of O stars. In the framework of a differential study, we compared the physical and evolutionary properties of both samples, locating the stars in the log g vs. log Teff, log Q vs. log Teff, and log L/L⊙ vs. log Teff diagrams. We also investigated the predictions of the FASTWIND code regarding the O Vz phenomenon. Results. We find a differential distribution of objects in terms of effective temperature, with O Vz stars dominant at intermediate values. The O Vz stars in 30 Doradus tend to be younger (i.e., closer to the ZAMS) and less luminous, and they have weaker winds than the O V stars, but we also find examples with ages of 2−4 Myr and with luminosities and winds that are similar to those of normal O dwarfs. Moreover, the O Vz stars do not appear to have higher gravities than the O V stars. In addition to effective temperature and wind strength, our FASTWIND predictions indicate how important it is to take other stellar parameters (gravity and projected rotational velocity) into account for correctly interpreting the O Vz phenomenon. Conclusions. In general, the O Vz stars appear to be on or very close to the ZAMS, but there are some examples where the Vz classification does not necessarily imply extreme youth. In particular, the presence of O Vz stars in our sample at more evolved phases than expected is likely a consequence of modest O-star winds owing to the low-metallicity environment of the LMC.


This study focusses on the dynamics which underlie the changing relationships between Chinese and pribumi business interests and the state. Under the Colonial state, the indigenous bourgeoisie had been practically eliminated, not only by the Dutch but also by priyayi bureaucrats. Consequently, Indonesia inherited a socially and politically weak bourgeoisie dominated by the Chinese who controlled substantial commercial networks, but had limited potential for political organisation. In the post-colonial era, attempts to build an indigenous bourgeoisie failed and it was the state that assumed the leading role in the economy.

Under the New Order Government, the Chinese were to play a central role in promoting rapid economic growth and industrialisation. While this intensified resentment in some areas, new relationships between Chinese and pribumi capital and the state emerged. The intensifying relationship with the Chinese and pribumi had been built primarily around business alliances between large Chinese companies and companies owned by powerful political families. As such, cooperation remain highly dependent upon protective policies and access to monopolies.

The unleashing of economic liberalisation resulted in the maturation of the bourgeoisie, characterised by their increasing entry into the international market. Conflict within business continued to evolve around the issues of conglomerates and was largely racially based. However, other factions were to emerge between upstream and downstream producers, between trading monopolists and producers.

The case studies in this thesis draw out the increasing complexity of pribumi-Chinese relations. In the case of cloves we find that conflict between a Chinese cigarette manufacturing conglomerate and apribumi trading monopolist had few racial aspects. Rather, it was a conflict between rent-seekers and producers that was reflected in other parts of the economy and included both pribumi and Chinese on either side. As the economy grew and capitalism matured, issues other than race became important. These included deregulation of trade and investment, regulation and macro policy, with Pribumi and Chinese becoming absorbed and integrated on either side of the various conflicts.


We study the model checking problem for fixpoint logics in well-structured multiaction transition systems. P.A. Abdulla et al. (1996) and Finkel & Schnoebelen (2001) examined the decidability problem for liveness (reachability) and progress (eventuality) properties in well-structured single action transition systems. Our main result is as follows: the model checking problem is decidable for disjunctive formulae of the propositional /spl mu/-calculus of D. Kozen (1983) in well-structured transition systems where propositional variables are interpreted by upward cones. We also discuss the model checking problem for the intuitionistic modal logic of Fisher Servi (1984) extended by least fixpoint.


We propose Reduced Collatz Conjecture that is equivalent to Collatz Conjecture but is easier to explore, because reduced dynamics is more primitive than original dynamics and presents better structures (e.g., period and ratio). Reduced dynamics (that are occurred computation sequence from a starting integer to the first integer less than the starting integer) is the component of original dynamics (from a starting integer to 1). Reduced dynamics of x is represented by a sequence of computation that is either (3*x+1)/2 or x/2, because 3*x+1 is always even and followed by x/2. We prove that reduced dynamics is periodical and its period equals 2 to the power of the count of x/2. More specifically, if there exists reduced dynamics of x, then there exists reduced dynamics of x+P, where P equals 2 and L is the total count of x/2 computations in reduced dynamics of x (equivalently, L is the length of the sequence).


Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce an original, quantitative approach to examining the use of library electronic resources by demographic (or 'market segment'). In turn it provides an innovative way to demonstrate and explore the value of libraries and importantly, electronic collections. Methodology: University of Wollongong's Performance Indicator Unit (PIU), in partnership with the University of Wollongong Library (UWL), has built a data warehouse the 'Marketing Cube' that links real time usage of electronic resources (eresources) at a title level, to student demographic data. Findings: The Marketing Cube design provides a robust analytics framework for examining pictures of use of eresources by student demographic. For views explored, the cube reveals rich data for demographical context against number of student logins and engagement with resources in hours. Findings give rise to further questions or hypotheses, requiring further interrogation of the cube or triangulation with other available quantitative data or qualitative inquiry with faculty. Practical Implications: An ongoing commitment to continuous improvement at a university and library executive level is critical. UWL is fortunate to have secured the support of the enterprise Performance Indicator Unit (PIU), for this second UWL performance measurement project. The Marketing Cube also exploits tested system design created for UWL's 'Value Cube' ( Jantti & Cox, 2012). Considerable time has been invested anew to select priority resources and to configure them within the cube. Significant time was also spent on user acceptance testing by both the Library and PIU. Originality / Value: Existing research and literature has more often achieved to demonstrate the value of library collections on a qualitative basis. In contrast, the Marketing Cube offers a quantitative perspective and is focussed solely on student use of resources the library's broadest client base. Real time use capture and weekly reporting provides UWL with a granular picture of who is using a resource and when; on demand. This contextual insight has strategic value to acquisition and renewal decisions; but most innovatively, such analytics data can inform marketing strategy and provide a method to pre and post-test impact of promotional activity. Disciplines Arts and Humanities | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Pepper, A. & Jantti, M. 2015, 'The tipping point: how granular statistics can make a big difference in understanding and demonstrating value', ALIA Information Online 2015: at the edge, ALIA, Sydney, pp. 1-15. This conference paper is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/asdpapers/486 ALIA Online 2015 The Tipping Point, Pepper & Jantti, 2014 1 The Tipping Point: How Granular Statistics Can Make a Big Difference in Understanding and Demonstrating Value


Access control is a security aspect whose importancy increases with technology advances as it forms the core of any security system. Access control can be applied at the operating system (OS) level, middle-ware level, or the application level. The objective of this investigation is to give a detailed overview of access control mechanisms implemented in various types of OSs like general purpose OSs, mobile OSs and distributed OSs. Finally, the paper outlines the main problems and challenges of access control, and proposes future directions in the access control field of research.


Abstract The behaviour of aquifers with karst porosity is dependent on hydrological conditions. This is due to the peculiar characteristics of the groundwater flow and dynamics of hydrological processes in karst. As a result, karst aquifers are especially vulnerable to the effects of environmental change. We assessed the long-term climatological and hydrological trends and the short-term effects of increasingly frequent extreme hydrological events (droughts) for the Mediterranean karst spring Rižana in SW Slovenia. The findings predict higher mean annual air temperatures of 0.34°C decade−1, lower annual precipitation of c. 60 mm decade−1 and higher annual actual evapotranspiration (especially during spring and summer) of 32–49 mm decade−1. As a consequence, we can expect a decrease in the mean annual discharge of the spring of c. 480 l s−1 decade−1 with prolonged dry summer periods. Detailed monitoring of the physical, chemical and microbiological parameters showed that the flood pulses caused by precipitation events after a long dry period cause a significant deterioration in water quality. In such situations, contaminants stored in the unsaturated zone are flushed out and counts of coliform bacteria can reach >1400 cfu (100 ml)−1, with total Al and Fe concentrations up to 206 and 474 μg l−1, respectively. These results suggest that there should be urgent adherence to water quality standards to protect karst water sources in view of the anticipated climatological stresses. Management strategies should promote monitoring and the rational use of karst water supplies.


When Curacao came under Dutch control in 1634, the small island off South America's northern coast was isolated and sleepy. The introduction of increased trade (both legal and illegal) led to a dramatic transformation, and Curacao emerged as a major hub within Caribbean and wider Atlantic networks. It would also become the commercial and administrative seat of the Dutch West India Company in the Americas. The island's main city, Willemstad, had a non-Dutch majority composed largely of free blacks, urban slaves, and Sephardic Jews, who communicated across ethnic divisions in a new creole language called Papiamentu. For Linda M. Rupert, the emergence of this creole language was one of the two defining phenomena that gave shape to early modern Curacao. The other was smuggling. Both developments, she argues, were informal adaptations to life in a place that was at once polyglot and regimented. They were the sort of improvisations that occurred wherever expanding European empires thrust different peoples together. Creolization and Contraband uses the history of Curacao to develop the first book-length analysis of the relationship between illicit interimperial trade and processes of social, cultural, and linguistic exchange in the early modern world. Rupert argues that by breaking through multiple barriers, smuggling opened particularly rich opportunities for cross-cultural and interethnic interaction. Far from marginal, these extra-official exchanges were the very building blocks of colonial society.


In this study, a new peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction scheme for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is proposed based on the selected mapping (SLM) scheme. The proposed SLM scheme generates alternative OFDM signal sequences by cyclically shifting the connections in each subblock at an intermediate stage of inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). Compared with the conventional SLM scheme, the proposed SLM scheme achieves similar PAPR reduction performance with much lower computational complexity and no bit error rate degradation. The performance of the proposed SLM scheme is analysed mathematically and verified through numerical analysis. Also, it is shown that the proposed SLM scheme has the lowest computational complexity among the existing low-complexity SLM schemes exploiting the signals at an intermediate stage of IFFT.


Deep learning, a branch of machine learning, has been gaining ground in many research fields as well as practical applications. Such ongoing boom can be traced back mainly to the availability and the affordability of potential processing facilities, which were not widely accessible than just a decade ago for instance. Although it has demonstrated cutting-edge performance widely in computer vision, and particularly in object recognition and detection, deep learning is yet to find its way into other research areas. Furthermore, the performance of deep learning models has a strong dependency on the way in which these latter are designed/tailored to the problem at hand. This, thereby, raises not only precision concerns but also processing overheads. The success and applicability of a deep learning system relies jointly on both components. In this dissertation, we present innovative deep learning schemes, with application to interesting though less-addressed topics. In this respect, the first covered topic is rough scene description for visually impaired individuals, whose idea is to list the objects that likely exist in an image that is grabbed by a visually impaired person, To this end, we proceed by extracting several features from the respective query image in order to capture the textural as well as the chromatic cues therein. Further, in order to improve the representativeness of the extracted features, we reinforce them with a feature learning stage by means of an autoencoder model. This latter is topped with a logistic regression layer in order to detect the presence of objects if any. In a second topic, we suggest to exploit the same model, i.e., autoencoder in the context of cloud removal in remote sensing images. Briefly, the model is learned on a cloud-free image pertaining to a certain geographical area, and applied afterwards on another cloud-contaminated image, acquired at a different time instant, of the same area. Two reconstruction strategies are proposed, namely pixel-based and patch-based reconstructions.
From the earlier two topics, we quantitatively demonstrate that autoencoders can play a pivotal role in terms of both (i) feature learning and (ii) reconstruction and mapping of sequential data.
Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is arguably the most utilized model by the computer vision community, which is reasonable thanks to its remarkable performance in object and scene recognition, with respect to traditional hand-crafted features. Nevertheless, it is evident that CNN naturally is availed in its two-dimensional version. This raises questions on its applicability to unidimensional data. Thus, a third contribution of this thesis is devoted to the design of a unidimensional architecture of the CNN, which is applied to spectroscopic data. In other terms, CNN is tailored for feature extraction from one-dimensional chemometric data, whilst the extracted features are fed into advanced regression methods to estimate underlying chemical component concentrations. Experimental findings suggest that, similarly to 2D CNNs, unidimensional CNNs are also prone to impose themselves with respect to traditional methods. The last contribution of this dissertation is to develop new method to estimate the connection weights of the CNNs. It is based on training an SVM for each kernel of the CNN. Such method has the advantage of being fast and adequate for applications that characterized by small datasets.


This research aims to know the alteration of the forest vegetation composer and the dominant type of forest vegetation composer at the ex-forest fire areas of Panderman Mountain on 232 and 233 cabins. The research had been accomplished at the ex-forest fire areas of Panderman Mountain on 232 and 233 cabins which is included at KPH Malang's area, BKPH Pujon, on July 7th till July 14th
2007. The data is taken by using transek/ band way on the vegetation analysis method for assessing the alteration of vegetation arrangement and the dominant type of forest vegetation composer after the fire happened. In other words, data potential is taken by systematic way on
plot system method. The specimen way is made into two specimen ways. It has 20m x 50m cabins for the trees observation, 10m x 10m for seedling observation, and 5m x 5m for the landscape observation. The result of this research show that the dominant forest area at 233 and 233 cabins on Panderman Mountain before the forest vegetation fired are Pinus caribea Jungh et de Vriese, Callianda callothyrsus L, Lantana camara L, Penisetum purpureum Schumacher and thom, Cyperus rotundus L, and Eupatorium riparium Reg. After forest was fire, there were 20 kinds of
growth vegetation and 15 families. 14 kinds are new vegetation, such as Leucaena leucocephala (Lmk) De Wit, Salvia occidentalis S, Limnocharis flava B, Urena lobata L, Hibiscus tilliaceus L, Bidens chinensis W, Ficus hispida L, Cycas rumphi MIQ, Sagittaria sagittifolia L, Mimosa
pudica L, Hoplismenus compositus P.B, Ageratum conyzoides L, eupatorium Reg, Teramus labialis S. The dominant type of the trees after the forest fired is dominated by Pinus caribea Jung et de Vriese. After the forest had fired, Pinus caribea Jung et de Vrieseis is still in dominant at trees level. It could be seen at significant index value of that type. It is about 182,02. However, the seedling level is dominated by Callianda callothyrsus L and Salvia occidentalis S which has the significant index value about 12,21 for Callianda callothyrsus L and 10,98 for Callianda
callothyrsus L. Then, in the under of that plant is dominated by Eupatorium riparium Reg and Penisetum purpureum Schumacher and thom which has the significant index value about 16,42 for Eupatorium riparium Reg and 12,2 for Penisetum purpureum Schumacher and thom.
Based on this research, it could be suggested to the relevant people to do the silvicultural activity
especially at the seedling level which has the high benefit, such as Callianda callothyrsus L and Leucaena leucocephala (Lmk) De Wit and do the approach to the society around the forest and socialization in order to keep the forest from the disaster as forest fire.


Nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship lie at the heart of many of the societal changes that are currently transforming countries across the world. Global migration has undermined old certainties provided by the established framework of nation-states, with inward migration, cultural diversity and transnational affiliations having become established facts of life in many countries. These phenomena raise significant challenges for traditional conceptions of citizenship. This book provides a detailed examination, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, of contemporary issues relating to nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship. The book aims to take stock of current understandings in this area, and to establish whether there are connections between the understandings that are being articulated within different social science disciplines. The contributors, who are all senior international figures in their respective fields, are drawn from a range of disciplines, including Politics, Sociology, Communication/Media, Geography, Psychology and Education. Collectively, they address the following specific questions: • To what extent do multiculturalism and transnationalism undermine nationalism or, on the contrary, provoke its reassertion? • How do the multiple identities and multiple levels of belonging experienced today interact with traditional nationalist ideology? • Within multicultural societies, how far do representations of 'cultural others' still play a role in nationalist constructions of 'the nation'? • How successfully have the welfare systems of nation-states responded to the influx of migrants? • How have national politicians responded to the cultural diversity of their own countries and have they moved beyond the traditional logic of nationalism within their thinking? • Why are extreme right-wing parties gaining increased levels of support? • What social and psychological resources do citizens require in order to function effectively at the political level within multicultural democratic societies? • How can the educational systems of states, which have traditionally been used for nationalist purposes, be harnessed to enhance the competences needed by their citizens for successful living in multicultural societies? • What changes need to be made to educational policies in order to ensure the effective integration of minority citizens? Despite the fact that they have been written from different disciplinary perspectives, the various chapters in this book paint a consistent picture. They offer a view of a world in which nationalism is still very much a dominant ideology which configures the discourse and thinking of citizens and politicians alike about nation-states, ethnic diversity, multiculturalism and citizenship. The crucial role of education is also highlighted, with school systems being uniquely positioned to equip citizens with the psychological resources and intercultural competences that are needed to function effectively within multicultural societies.


Perovskite-type oxides with the general formula ABO3 have been widely studied and are utilized in a large range of applications due to their tremendous versatility. In particular, the high stability of the perovskite structure compared to other crystal arrangements and its ability, given the correct selection of A and B cations, to maintain a large oxygen vacancy concentration makes it a good candidate as electrode in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. Utilizing this novel structure allows the engineer‐ ing of advanced, effective electrolytes for such devices. This review details the development of current state-of-the-art perovskite-type oxides for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications.


Despite its extreme geographical isolation, numerous expeditions have surveyed the marine flora and fauna of Johnston Atoll. However, historical information about the marine biodiversity of Johnston is mostly limited to SCUBA surveys in shallow-waters (<30 m), and submersible observations in deeper waters (100–500 m). Extensive coral reefs, known as mesophotic coral ecosystems, exist between these two depth ranges at Johnston, but have remained largely unexplored. We used closed-circuit rebreathers to survey eleven sites at mesophotic depths (32–78 m) surrounding Johnston Atoll. A total of 130 species were recorded, including 99 species of fish, 15 species of corals, nine species of macroalgae, three species of echinoderms, three species of sponges and one species of squat lobster. Most species recorded during our mesophotic surveys have previously been recorded on shallow-water (<30 m) reefs at Johnston, with the exception of one black coral, one zoanthid, one squat lobster, two macroalgae, three sponges, and 22 fish, which represent new records for the atoll. As noted in previous studies, our surveys found a near absence of endemism, and recorded high proportions of species that are also known from the Hawaiian Archipelago. The similarity between the mesophotic biodiversity of Johnston Atoll and Hawaiʻi provides further support for the strong connectivity between these two locations highlighted in previous studies.


A practical guide to DB2 z/OS database administration that is 100 percent focused on running DB2 in z/OS environments The only comprehensive preparation guide for the IBM Certified Database Administrator for DB2 Universal Database V8 z/OS certification Covers database planning, design, implementation, operation, recovery, security, performance, installation, migration, and more Sample test questions help you prepare for both IBM DB2 DBA Tests 700 and 702IBM DB2 Universal Database Version 8 for z/OS offers enterprises unprecedented opportunities to integrate information, deliver it on demand, and manage it simply and cost-effectively. Now, one of the world's leading DB2 consultants presents the definitive guide to administering DB2 UDB V8 databases in z/OS environments. DB2 for z/OS Version 8 DBA Certification Guide also serves as a key tool for anyone preparing for IBM Certified Database Administrator for DB2 Universal Database V8 for z/OS certification.IBM Gold Consultant Susan Lawson presents hundreds of practical techniques, expert guidelines, and useful tips for every facet of DB2 UDB database administration, including database implementation, operation, recovery, security, auditing, performance, installation, migration, SQL, and more. Coverage includes Understanding the DB2 product family, architecture, attachments, and the DB2 z/OS environment Securing enterprise-class DB2 installations and applications Using SQL to create and manage database objects, and manipulate and retrieve information Mastering key DBA tasks, including loading, reorganizing, quiescing, repairing, and recovering data; recovering and rebuilding indexes; and gathering statistics Implementing data sharing in Parallel Sysplex environments Learning the fundamentals of DB2 application development from the DBA's perspective Leveraging advanced DB2 functions, including stored procedures and other object-relational extensions Optimizing DB2 applications and the DB2 engine for maximum performanceWhether you are administering DB2 UDB V8 in z/OS environments, planning to do so, or preparing for DB2 UDB V8 DBA certification, DB2 for z/OS Version 8 DBA Certification Guide will be your single most valuable resource.


This paper describes how the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to promote sustainable
sanitation and wastewater treatment in Sri Lanka through the Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-Asia) Program.
A pilot project is being developed in Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council to demonstrate an effective strategy for providing
improved sanitation and addressing key constraints in the sanitation sector. Key constraints include lack of understanding
of options within municipal councils, lack of awareness of pollution impacts within communities, and inadequate financing
strategies and recovery frameworks. The pilot will build on the findings, capabilities and networks of the USAID-funded
Transparency, Accountability and Local Governance (TALG) project in Sri Lanka and the experiences of the USAID-funded
Local Initiatives for Affordable Wastewater Treatment (LINAW) project which is working with seven local government units
in the Philippines. The chief implementing organizations for both projects are Planning and Development Collaborative
Inc. (PADCO) and The Asia Foundation (TAF).


It has been assumed that the need for successful NAT traversal discourages residential DSL users from running services or applications that require them to accept connections from remote hosts. However, there are now numerous approaches for NAT traversal but there have been no studies measuring the prevalence of DSL users accepting inbound sessions. This paper presents an analysis of TCP and UDP flows initiated by remote clients to a group of residential DSL users, using packet traces captured from a New Zealand ISP between 2009 and 2011. Our analysis reveals that over half of all measured users accepted at least one inbound TCP or UDP session. There was no dominant port being used to accept sessions and port usage was spread over thousands of different ports. Skype and BitTorrent were the most popular application protocols observed and had increased in popularity over time. We also report on the use of dual SYNs to perform TCP NAT traversal in our data.


The University of Kyushu, Japan, has established partnerships with 30 international organizations to form the Circum-Pan Pacific Magnetometer Network (CPMN). The CPMN establishes a network of magnetometers placed around Earth's equator for space weather research and applications. Due to its proximity to Earth's equator, the Magnetic Data Acquisition System (MAGDAS) was installed in the Langkawi National Observatory (LNO) on 4th of September 2006. Due to several issues with manual collection of data for archival purposes, this paper presents a MAGDAS Remote Data Acquisition and Archiving System (MRDAS) developed for the purpose of MAGDAS data acquisition and backup. Design and implementation of the MRDAS development was done using MATLAB r2015a. The data was acquired using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) access, in which the setup is described in this paper. Several important functions of the MRDAS system were implemented in the Graphical User Interface (GUI). Data is stored in the Google Drive cloud storage to ensure ease of access among researchers working in various Malaysian National Space Agency (ANGKASA) offices. The MRDAS system was successfully implemented, and was able to acquire real-time data directly from the MAGDAS device. Application for remote data acquisition is for the space weather research.


This paper analyses the impact of natural disasters in the Caribbean. The economic impact of natural disasters in the region has been significant, resulting in widespread destruction of the productive economy. This paper presents the main macroeconomic impact of disasters, e.g., a deteriorating fiscal balance, a collapse of growth and a worsening external balance, as a consequence of damage resulting from the event. By making special reference to the small-island developing state nature of many countries in the region, valuable lessons of the impact of such disasters on the capital stock can be learnt, particularly as the interruption of production of goods and services can be particularly devastating in an environment where few large sectors (agriculture, tourism) dominate the economic landscape.


1. The greater is the amount of Extromelia virus incoculated intraperitoneally the earlier is the onset of the symptoms and death of mice, revealing a straight live rise in the erythrocyte agglutination value. In contrast to the serum affinity antigen-antibody reaction observable in the groups inoculated with a small amount of the virus, both groups inoculated with virus supernatant diluted 20-fold and 100-fold respectively show relatively or absolutely no reaction and die. 2. The toxicity of the so-called concomitant substance is trivial. 3. When the mice with incomplete immunity are reinfected with Extromelia virus, the pathological picture is controlled only by the quantity of the virus Inoculated. 4. When the mice infected with Extromelia virus are enforced to labor, these animals die at the early stage of the onset of symptoms and the recovery mechanism of pathologic changes is delayed. 5. Therefore, the principal cause of the electro-shock hepatitis lies in the toxicity of the virus and the quantity of virus inoculated and it is in no way associted with the incomplete immunity. Moreover, the enforcing labor seems only to aggravate the pathologic conditions of the animals, showing absolutely no process of recuperation and extremely little infiltration of round cells. 6. Histological changes are especially marked in the liver, spleen and bone marrow; and in the lung, hemorrhagic interalveolitis and nephro-nephritis can be recognized in the kidney. 7. Pathologic changes at the peak of the infection in the animals inoculated with a great quantity of Extromelia virus resemble closely to the histological changes of viscera in the human electro-schook hepatitis; and in the case inoculated with a relatively large amour. of the virus the changes resemble to the visceral histological changes at the peak in th. human hepatitis. Moreover, the histological picture of the liver during the period from the virus inoculation to the peak of the infection and the same in the animals escaped the death, taking the similar course as at peak of the human hepatitis observable by the biopsy, resemble the picture of the liver in the human hepatitis at the later stage of recuperation. 8. The pathological picture in the mice infected with Ectromelia virus closely resemble that in the humsn infectious hepatitis and both seem to revel mesenchymal tissue reaction as the basic histological changes.


The electrostatic levitation technique makes it possible to measure thermo-physical properties of extremely high-temperature molten materials. In the technique, viscosity of levitated sample has been estimated from the damping constant time with an oscillating drop method based on linear approximations. However, this method is limited to low-viscosity fluids because the oscillation could not be excited to a highly viscous liquid drop. The measurement method which can be applied to viscosity over the entire range possible has not been established yet. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the possibility to measure viscosity of entire range with a levitating liquid drop. In the present study, viscous drops were levitated by the electrostatic force. The effect of viscosity on the deformation of a rotating liquid drop was experimentally investigated. As a result, the rotational deformation of a low-viscosity drop is found to be qualitatively similar to the numerical result. On the other hand, large differences from the numerical result are observed in the case of high-viscosity drops. It is confirmed especially that viscosity is closely related to the evolution of drop shape during the drop breakup process. From the experimental results, it is clarified that the viscosity of a levitating liquid drop can be estimated from the breakup behavior of the drop.


The authors estimate the effects of the interactions between the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and minimum wages on labor market outcomes. They use information on policy variation from the Department of Labor's Monthly Labor Review, reports published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and data on individuals and families from the Current Population Survey to assess the economic impact of minimum wages and the EITC on families. Their results indicate that for single women with children, the EITC boosts employment and earnings, and coupling the EITC with a higher minimum wage enhances this positive effect. Conversely, for less-skilled minority men and for women without children, employment and earnings are more adversely affected by the EITC when the minimum wage is higher. Turning from individuals to families, for very poor families with children a higher minimum wage increases the positive impact of the EITC on incomes, so that a higher minimum wage appears to enhance the effects of the EITC. Whether the policy combination of a high EITC and a high minimum wage is viewed as favorable or unfavorable depends in part on whom policymakers are trying to help.


We have previously shown that early treatment with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is neuroprotective in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock (HS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, it remains unknown whether this strategy would be beneficial in a more clinical polytrauma model. Yorkshire swine (42-50 kg) were instrumented to measure hemodynamic parameters, brain oxygenation, and intracranial pressure (ICP) and subjected to computer-controlled TBI and multi-system trauma (rib fracture, soft-tissue damage, and liver injury) as well as combined free and controlled hemorrhage (40% blood volume). After 2 h of shock (mean arterial pressure, 30-35 mm Hg), animals were resuscitated with normal saline (NS; 3×volume) or FFP (1×volume; n=6/group). Six hours postresuscitation, brains were harvested and lesion size and swelling were evaluated. Levels of endothelial-derived vasodilator endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (ET-1) were also measured. FFP resuscitation was associated with reduced brain lesion size (1005.8 vs. 2081.9 mm(3); p=0.01) as well as swelling (11.5% vs. 19.4%; p=0.02). Further, FFP-resuscitated animals had higher brain oxygenation as well as cerebral perfusion pressures. Levels of cerebral eNOS were higher in the FFP-treated group (852.9 vs. 816.4 ng/mL; p=0.03), but no differences in brain levels of ET-1 were observed. Early administration of FFP is neuroprotective in a complex, large animal model of polytrauma, hemorrhage, and TBI. This is associated with a favorable brain oxygenation and cerebral perfusion pressure profile as well as higher levels of endothelial-derived vasodilator eNOS, compared to normal saline resuscitation.


Sport organizations are mainly in the business of providing a service – for example sport coaching. For coaches to perform at the optimal level they need, among other things, to be provided with appropriate training and development opportunities to develop their skills, adequate compensation which will lead to greater job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job security. The sport organization therefore needs to shape and align its HRM system to suit the needs of coaches so that it can attract, nurture and retain one of its most precious resources – the sport coach. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between job security, compensation and training among professional sport coaches in South Africa. A quantitative research approach was used for the study. A non-probability convenience sampling method was used to recruit a sample of human resources managers for the study. A two-section structured questionnaire was developed to collect data from potential participants in all provinces in South Africa. Frequencies were used to report on the demographic data and correlations and regressions were used to report on the relationship between job security, training and compensation of sport coaches. A positive practical significant relationship was found between training and compensation (medium effect). A practically significant relationship with a positive large effect was found between training and job security. A positive statistically significant effect was found between compensation and job security. The results of the regression analysis revealed that training predicted positively towards job security, implying that if employees receive more training their job security is higher. The current study provides crucial evidence of the influence of both compensation and training on the job security of sport coaches. From the findings it is evident that training makes a larger contribution to the job security of coaches than compensation.


Constitutions are traditionally seen as inherently domestic documents, written by the people, for the people, and reflecting the nation's highest values. Yet, constitutions also have important external dimensions. Constitutions define the territory of the nation. They articulate the requirements for citizenship. They define war-powers, treaty-making powers, and structure foreign affairs. They commonly demand that governments protect nationals that reside abroad. In some cases, they extend protections to foreigners in need, especially when they are seeking admission.In a globalized world, this external face of constitutions is changing, reflecting the technological, political, economic, social and cultural changes that continuously reshape a variety of boundaries and determine their nature and level of permeability. Hence questions arise as to whether national constitutions take account of their impact on strangers, whether they should do so, and if so, how do they accommodate their concerns. Our aim in this Introduction Essay and in this Symposium is to draw attention to the external dimensions of constitutions, to the role constitutions play in the global sphere and, ultimately, to the question of responsibility of constitution drafters and interpreters to the outside world. While constitutions are traditionally understood as domestic documents, their significant and multifarious external dimensions raise moral and perhaps also legal questions about the respect that is due to outsiders and their human entitlement to equal concern and respect. We hope that this Symposium serves as the opening for such a debate also among constitutional lawyers.


Introduction The link between teen pregnancy and violence has been documented by researchers for two decades. Understanding the dynamics of adolescent relationship abuse and working to prevent it can help adolescent pregnancy prevention projects meet their mission of promoting the sexual health and overall well-being of young people. This toolkit, prepared by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program's Training and Technical Assistance and Meeting Logistical Support project for the Family and Youth Services Bureau, will walk sexual health educators and other youth workers through the steps of making relationship violence prevention an integral part of their adolescent pregnancy prevention work. Get started Feature Type: Toolkits


Nowadays, there is more and more interest in the microbiological resources from different ecosystems, not only because this would allow knowing more about the microbial biodiversity related with these substrata but also because it provides an opportunity to study their characteristics and technological properties which may be of potential interest. This knowledge may allow finding future biotechnological applications for these microorganisms on bio-conservation and reuse of agricultural by-products and may also lead to studies on the improvement of raw material processing. Some raw materials and processing plants in wine and related industries constitute a suitable place for yeast growth; for example, musts, wines in cellars, piquettes, bagasse, pomace, grape skins and yeast lees in the ethanol industry all provide an inexhaustible supply of yeasts. Few microbiological studies have been published so far about the biodiversity of the yeast population in distillery plants. For that reason, the aim of this research was to determine yeast biodiversity and their distribution in different distillery plants in the La Mancha region which are at least 100 years old.


This article examines how the rural folkdance dabkeh has, in the last century, been appropriated and reinvented as a tradition in order to construct the imagined communities of Zionism, pan-Arabism, and Palestinian Nationalism within Palestine/Israel. This appropriation has led to extensive debates and suppositions on the source, meanings, and cultural ownership of dabkeh. The following historical narratives, emerging from interviews with dance practitioners and dance advocates in the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon, and from literature in libraries and archives in the West Bank, Israel, and Great Britain, draw attention to the salient links between dance and politics and the multiple ways in which collective identities can be constructed and deconstructed. These histories further raise questions about how local cultural autonomy and sustainability within the Occupied Palestinian Territories have been affected by the process of political appropriation.


ABSTRACT The principal models in vogue today for dolomitization are the mixing zone and the sabkha models. Despite the wide acceptance of these models, there has been little critical assessment of their validity. Such an assessment is the objective of the present paper. A close look at the "Dorag" mixing-zone model (Badiozamani 1973) reveals several serious weaknesses: 1) the range of freshwater-seawater mixtures that meet the Dorag requirement for dolomitization shrinks to a small "window" if the geologically more realistic disordered dolomite is used in the calculations instead of the ordered dolomite on which the model is based; 2) in none of the known modern coastal mixing zones in limestone or lime sediments has replacement by dolomite been observed; 3) in a number of dolomites interpreted to be of mixing-zone origin, dolomite has precipitated without dissolution of the calcite substrate, evidence that negates the fundamental premise of the Dorag model. In addition to these weaknesses, isotope and trace-element data used to identify mixed-water olomite are inadmissible because 1) isotopic fractionation factors for dolomites remain unresolved; 2) isotope values (uncorrected for temperature) for a host of dolomites, interpreted to be of different origins, overlap; 3) nonisomorphous trace elements, such as Na, in dolomite cannot, on theoretical grounds, be relied on to identify dolomitizing fluids. Similar overall objections can be brought against Folk and Land's (1975) "schizohaline" version of mixing-zone dolomitization. In summary, mixing-zone models have such weak underpinnings that they should be questioned as viable explanations for massive dolomitization. Contemporaneous dolomite formation in modern sabkhas is well documented, but the important question of whether the mechanism of dolomite formation is replacement or direct precipitation remains to be resolved. In the well-studied sabkha at Abu Dhabi, brine chemistry changes have been used as evidence of a replacement origin for the dolomite, but it is shown here that this evidence is far from unequivocal. An alternative origin of direct precipitation of dolomite is offered, an origin in keeping with dolomite precipitation known from other modern sabkhas and saline lakes, and in line with our laboratory experience with dolomite synthesis. Moreover, it is suggested here that, in general, contemporaneous dolomite will form at low temperatures only by direct precipitation, a mechanism tha requires special conditions of highly super-saturated waters of high Mg/Ca ratio and elevated CO3-HCO3 concentrations. This may explain why modern dolomite is mainly restricted to evaporitic environments, a bias not shared by ancient dolomites. In contrast, replacement dolomite appears to require, at low temperatures, long reaction times 104 yr?), a requirement that is mainly to be met in large, regional groundwater-flow systems, both marine and nonmarine. A third dolomitization model considered here is that of Baker and Kastner (1981), based on the experimental finding that sulfate ions inhibit or retard dolomitization. A number of modern sedimentary dolomites are not in accord with this model in that they are forming from brines with large sulfate concentrations, 2 to 70 times that of seawater. Thus, the Baker-Kastner model should be held in abeyance until these serious contradictions are resolved. The current emphasis on mixing-zone and sabkha dolomitization has diverted attention from other promising avenues of approach to the dolomite problem. Four of these avenues, each of which deemphasizes the "special water" approach, are briefly addressed and are as follows: 1) influence of temperature and time; 2) mass transfer processes; 3) burial diagenesis of epigenetic dolomites; 4) fluid-inclusion studies. At elevated temperatures the dolomite problem essentially disappears (ordered dolomite can be made in the laboratory in days at 100°C). What is more, at temperatures above 60°C, Ca-rich waters become dolomitizing fluids, which makes most natural subsurface waters capable of dolomitization. At low temperatures, time may be the key element, so that seawater will become a ma or dolomitizing fluid only where stable circulation systems, such as Kohout convention, can drive seawater through carbonate platforms for many thousands to millions of years. This paper has tried to show that currently favored models of dolomitization carry serious uncertainties, enough to warn us to look more critically at the validity of these models, and also, it is hoped, enough to spur new efforts to find new solutions to the problems of dolomitization.


Speaking in Fayetteville, Ark., St. Louis Fed President James Bullard deconstructed a Taylor-type rule to help explain the current monetary policy debate. He also used this boiled-down equation to explain the St. Louis Fed's projected policy rate path of 0.63 percent over the forecast horizon. He noted that with unemployment and inflation near their long-run values, the recommended policy rate from a Taylor-type rule depends mostly on the real (inflation-adjusted) safe rate of return. Furthermore, he added that real safe rates of return are exceptionally low and are not expected to rise soon. This means, in turn, that the policy rate should be expected to remain exceptionally low over the forecast horizon, Bullard said. His presentation was to the Association for University Business and Economic Research.


The secondary codes of the modern GNSS signals bring some notable advantages, however they constitute a challenge for the acquisition process. Indeed, it becomes much more difficult to extend the coherent integration time with these codes. Several methods have been proposed for increasing the coherent integration time when there is a secondary code. Basically, the methods fall into two categories : 1) Methods with long coherent integration times, which require synchronization with the secondary code and imply a significant computational burden, and 2) Methods with short coherent integration times, which test all possible combinations for the secondary code. Since this leads to an exponential increase in the number of combinations, the coherent integration time remains limited, while non-coherent integrations are not usable. Therefore, there is currently no effective solution with intermediate coherent integration time, which would enable moderate to high sensitivity, while maintaining a reasonable level of complexity. In this paper, a method is proposed to address this problem. The method combines secondary code correlations to reduce the number of possible secondary code delays and reduce the complexity. In exchange, there is a loss in the signal-to-noise ratio as compared to the full secondary code correlation. It is shown that the proposed method offers similar or better performance than the short integration times method, in addition to offering the possibility of using non-coherent integrations, and offers lower complexity than the traditional long integration times method with greater sensitivity.


Energy dissipation in sheared dry and wet granulates is considered in the presence of an externally applied confining pressure. Discrete element simulations reveal that for sufficiently small confining pressures, the energy dissipation is dominated by the effects related to the presence of cohesive forces between the particles. The residual resistance against shear can be quantitatively explained by a combination of two effects arising in a wet granulate: i) enhanced friction at particle contacts in the presence of attractive capillary forces, and ii) energy dissipation due to the rupture and reformation of liquid bridges. Coulomb friction at grain contacts gives rise to an energy dissipation which grows linearly with increasing confining pressure, for both dry and wet granulates. Because of a lower Coulomb friction coefficient in the case of wet grains, as the confining pressure increases the energy dissipation for dry systems is faster than for wet ones.


Atoh7 promotes retinal ganglion survival and is not required for specification of most retinal ganglion cells. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) relay visual information from the eye to the brain. RGCs are the first cell type generated during retinal neurogenesis. Loss of function of the transcription factor Atoh7, expressed in multipotent early neurogenic retinal progenitors leads to a selective and essentially complete loss of RGCs. Therefore, Atoh7 is considered essential for conferring competence on progenitors to generate RGCs. Despite the importance of Atoh7 in RGC specification, we find that inhibiting apoptosis in Atoh7-deficient mice by loss of function of Bax only modestly reduces RGC numbers. Single-cell RNA sequencing of Atoh7;Bax-deficient retinas shows that RGC differentiation is delayed but that the gene expression profile of RGC precursors is grossly normal. Atoh7;Bax-deficient RGCs eventually mature, fire action potentials, and incorporate into retinal circuitry but exhibit severe axonal guidance defects. This study reveals an essential role for Atoh7 in RGC survival and demonstrates Atoh7-dependent and Atoh7-independent mechanisms for RGC specification.


It has been recognised that, within the context of face recognition, angular separation between centred feature vectors is a useful measure of dissimilarity. In this thesis we explore this observation in more detail and compare and contrast angular separation with the Euclidean, Manhattan and Mahalonobis distance metrics. This is applied to 2D, 2.5D and 3D face images and the investigation is done in conjunction with various feature extraction techniques such as local binary patterns (LBP) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). We also employ error-correcting output code (ECOC) ensembles of support vector machines (SVMs) to project feature vectors non-linearly into a new and more discriminative feature space. It is shown that, for both face verification and face recognition tasks, angular separation is a more discerning dissimilarity measure than the others. It is also shown that the effect of applying the feature extraction algorithms described above is to considerably sharpen and enhance the ability of all metrics, but in particular angular separation, to distinguish inter-personal from extra-personal face image differences. A novel technique, known as angularisation, is introduced by which a data set that is well separated in the angular sense can be mapped into a new feature space in which other metrics are equally discriminative. This operation can be performed separately or it can be incorporated into an SVM kernel. The benefit of angularisation is that it allows strong classification methods to take advantage of angular separation without explicitly incorporating it into their construction. It is shown that the accuracy of ECOC ensembles can be improved in this way. A further aspect of the research is to compare the effectiveness of the ECOC approach to constructing ensembles of SVM base classifiers with that of binary hierarchical classifiers (BHC). Experiments are performed which lead to the conclusion that, for face recognition problems, ECOC yields greater classification accuracy than the BHC method. This is attributed primarily to the fact that the size of the training set decreases along a path from the root node to a leaf node of the BHC tree and this leads to great difficulties in constructing accurate base classifiers at the lower nodes.


Introduction: Despite high technical success of rescue Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) and also its significant impact on left ventricular function, the therapeutic outcome of this PCI technique in comparison with primary PCI for coronary reperfusion has remained uncertain. The present study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of early and long-term results of patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), who had undergone primary or rescue PCI. Methods: One hundred and twenty-nine consecutive patients with the diagnosis of STEMI, who underwent primary PCI (n = 107) or rescue PCI (n = 22) from April 2012 to September 2013 were retrospectively included. In addition to early assessment of procedural consequences, the patients were followed-up to assess and compare long-term mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events. Results: Comparing in-hospital consequences of the two rescue PCI and primary PCI procedures showed no significant differences in in-hospital mortality (9.5% vs. 3.7%, P = 0.255), total hospital stay (6.32 ± 2.24 days vs. 6.61 ± 3.43 days, P = 0.720) and also in early procedural complications. Long-term death was found only in 1.9% of patients in the primary group and none of the patients in the rescue group (P = 0.999). There was also no difference in the prevalence of late stent thrombosis between the two groups. However, the in-hospital Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) was lower in the rescue PCI group vs. primary PCI group (36.82 ± 11.19 vs. 43.48 ± 9.14, P = 0.014), but after six months, LVEF was similar between the two groups (41.05 ± 9.57 vs. 44.29 ± 10.35, P = 0.082). Conclusions: Our study showed no difference in early and late procedural outcome between the primary and rescue PCI techniques in STEMI patients, but LVEF had better improvement in the rescue PCI group.


Most information systems textbooks overwhelm business students with overly technical information they may not need in their careers. Information Systems: What Every Business Student Needs to Know takes a new approach to the required information systems course for business majors. For each topic covered, the text highlights key "Take-Aways" that alert students to material they will need to remember during their careers. Sections titled "Where You Fit In" and "Why This Chapter Matters" explain how the topics being covered will impact students once they are on the job. Review questions, discussion questions, and summaries are also included in each chapter to reinforce learning. The book is presented in four parts: About Information Systems: covers general information systems concepts that students need to know as they learn about real-world information systems Technology Fundamentals: supplies a foundation in information technology that fills the gaps most students have when they learn through trial and error Information Systems at Work: details the nitty-gritty of how actual companies use information systems in the real word Managing Information Systems: addresses the issues involved in selecting, developing, and managing information systems The text includes a running case study that follows two management information systems majors in college. As the two main characters study the information systems of a medical practice, students follow along and learn valuable lessons as they see how the case plays out. In addition to the running case study, each chapter also includes two mini cases that illustrate the concepts discussed in that chapter. Maintaining a focus on the essential concepts students must know before entering the business world, this book covers the subject of information systems in a manner that students will find accessible.


Seventeenth-century matzevot from Chęciny: Historical and cultural aspects The article focuses on the seventeenth-century Jewish tombstones made of a decorative limestone (the so-called Chęciny marble) in stonecutters' workshops operating from the early seventeenth century in Chęciny. It discusses matzevot produced in this town both for clients from other localities (including Lublin and Kraków) and for local population (matzevot preserved at the local Jewish cemetery). It analyzes their artistic and technical values as well as the situation of producers and clients in a broader historical context (such as wars and epidemics in the mid-century). It also explores the tombstones preserved in Chęciny itself as historical sources for the study of the local Jewish community and the cemetery as such. The last part of the article includes a catalogue of eleven best preserved matzevot from the Jewish cemetery at Chęciny.