BACKGROUND
Tardive dyskinesia and dystonia (TDD) are severe side effects of dopamine-blocking agents, particularly antipsychotics. While deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proven effective in the treatment of TDD, little is known about the possible psychiatric complications of DBS in psychiatric patients.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the efficacy and safety, specifically the psychiatric side effects, of DBS in patients with medication-induced TDD.

DATA SOURCES
PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched systematically on May 25, 2011, for articles written in English, using the search terms deep brain stimulation AND tardive.

STUDY SELECTION
Of the 88 original articles retrieved, 17 studies involving 50 patients with TDD who underwent DBS were included in the review.

DATA EXTRACTION
Data on the severity of the movement disorders before and after DBS, as rated on the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale or similar scales, were extracted. Data on psychiatric symptoms before and after DBS were used to calculate the percent improvement per patient per rating scale. Overall improvement and confidence intervals were calculated using a 1-sample, 2-sided Student t test.

RESULTS
The mean improvement of TDD of the combined patients 3 to 76 months after implantation was 77.5% (95% CI, 71.4%-83.3%; P < .000) on the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale. Of the 50 patients, 1 experienced an exacerbation of depression, and 1 experienced an exacerbation of psychosis.

CONCLUSIONS
DBS seems to be effective and relatively safe for patients with treatment-resistant TDD; however, the results should be interpreted with caution, as most of the data are from case reports and small trials.


The Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has evolved into a new IoT scheme, and its adoption has no restrictions at present. Sadly, security has an impact on the network of wireless sensors, and Denial-of-Service (DOS) categories of attacks are security concerns. This study therefore focuses on the distributed denial of service (DDOS), especially on DDoS-PSH-ACK (ACK & PUSH ACK Flood) in WSN. An experimental analysis was developed to predict that many spoofed ACK packets were reoccurring in order to deflate the target node. In the proposed approach, several experimental scenarios for the DDOS detection function were established and implemented. The experimental analysis draws traffic flow within the several transmission sessions involving "the normal transmission within sensor nodes and cluster head", as well as the "transmission and retransmission scenarios within the sensor nodes and cluster head" at same time with different signal sizes. The main contribution of the paper is predicting DDoS attack by variability of transmission behavior with high degree accuracy. It was established that the most ideal delay between transmissions is 23 milliseconds in order to ensure that the receiving end is not overwhelmed. The result of the current study highlighted that when transmission session gets overwhelmed, that influence DDOS success.


After decades of behavioristic media research, there is now a new media research that not only asks what "people do with media", but also addresses mass media recipients as "interpretive communities". I will present results from an empirical study on television reception which analyzes audiotapes of several families during ongoing media (television) reception by method of Conversation Analysis. The communicative situation can be described as an "open state of talk" (Goffman) – with lacking or delayed second utterances in adjacency pairs, long phases of silences, etc. But there are also extended and lively episodes of communication among the recipients during ongoing reception. The article will first discuss the general structures of this type of talk in the process of reception. I will focus especially on communication of recipients making evaluative assessments about what they see on TV. I will then explore the correlations between the televised media genres and the communicative activities of the recipients, and analyze their particular character. I will conclude with a discussion of recipients' talk while watching television commercials and identify a specific pattern of appropriation which I call brand guessing. The overall question of the paper is: How do the interpretive communities make sense of television?


In TC Heartland v. Kraft Foods Group Brands, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the principle that no part of the general venue statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1391, could supplement the patent venue statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1400(b). Yet, in Brunette Machine Works v. Kockum Industries, the Court nevertheless held that former § 1391(d), which allowed suits against aliens in any district, applied in patent cases because aliens simply lacked all venue defenses. But then, in 2011, Congress passed the Venue Clarification Act, amending § 1391 to affirmatively give a venue defense to permanent resident aliens. This entangled trifecta of venue law sources leaves open several important questions about the current state of patent venue: Does Brunette contravene TC Heartland? Does the Venue Clarification Act overrule Brunette? Does TC Heartland forbid applying the Venue Clarification Act to patent suits? This Comment reconciles these sources of law and extricates them from their current mire. Ultimately, this Comment argues that Brunette and TC Heartland do not conflict, that Brunette must be tweaked to accommodate the Venue Clarification Act, and that select provisions of the Venue Clarification Act do, in fact, apply to the patent venue statute.


Chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL] is the most common adult leukemia and is heterogeneous in clinical presentation. CLL cases present with various chromosomal aberrations, including 11q23, 14q32, 17p, and trisomy 12, with the most common abnormality being deletion of 13q14 [1]. Although monoallelic deletion of 13q14 is common, there is a subset of patients who have complete nullisomy at 13q14, a locus that has been hypothesized to contribute to CLL pathogenesis [2] due to loss of tumor suppressors [DLEU and miR-15a/16-1]. We hypothesized that deletion of both copies of 13q14 would lead to uncontrollable proliferation of CLL cells and a poor prognosis. We examined our 13q14 nullisomy for survival, treatment-free survival, lymphocyte doubling time, and the presence of lymphadenopathy. Furthermore, we compared the gene expression profiles between patients with 13q14 monosomy, nullisomy, or normal karyotype. Our results suggest that patients with 13q nullisomy have a higher incidence of bulky lymphadenopathy [16.6% compared to 10% of monosomy patients], a higher frequency of lymphocyte doubling time [27.7% compared to 7.4% of monosomy patients], and a higher rate of needing treatment [50% compared to 18.5% of monosomy patients]. We observed deletion of DLEU1 and HTR2A, consistent with a gene dosage effect, and observed PRE-binding sites on DLEU1. Patients with homozygous deletion of 13q14 had a worse prognosis compared to heterozygotes. Lastly, the DLEU1 locus is a possible "second hit" loss for CLL progression.


The north Yucatan coast in the vicinity of Progreso, consisting of a multiple beach ridge barrier complex backed by a wetland-fringed lagoon, has undergone many changes since the late 19th century. The sand-and-shell beaches are characterized by east-to-west longshore sediment transport but also shoreline retreat ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 m/yr. Natural coastal erosion is attributed to storm passage associated mostly with Arctic cold fronts (nortes) but also with occasional hurricanes. As a result of both port development and recreational urbanization, extensive shorefront engineering has taken place, and erosion rates locally have increased. Jetties constructed at the Yucalpeten safe harbor entrance caused increased downdrift erosion at the recreational communities of Chelem and Chuburna, and property owners responded by illegally placing groins (espollones) along the beach, a federal public easement. As the locus of illegal groin construction gradually moved westward, so did the zone of critical erosion. By the mid-1980s, local officials recognized the haphazard groins as causing increased erosion, and removal of groins had begun when Hurricane Gilbert struck in September 1988. Although the hurricane led to sand accretion along the north Yucatan beaches, most beachfront structures and groins were severely damaged by wind and waves. Four years later, the cleanup process continues. Between past engineering modifications and storms such as nortes and Hurricane Gilbert, the north Yucatan coast has suffered much environmental and aesthetic degradation, and more effective coastal management has been called for.


Many applications of machine learning and optimization operate on data streams. While these datasets are fundamental to fuel decision-making algorithms, often they contain sensitive information about individuals, and their usage poses significant privacy risks. Motivated by an application in energy systems, this paper presents OptStream, a novel algorithm for releasing differentially private data streams under the w-event model of privacy. OptStream is a 4-step procedure consisting of sampling, perturbation, reconstruction, and post-processing modules. First, the sampling module selects a small set of points to access in each period of interest. Then, the perturbation module adds noise to the sampled data points to guarantee privacy. Next, the reconstruction module re-assembles non-sampled data points from the perturbed sample points. Finally, the post-processing module uses convex optimization over the privacy-preserving output of the previous modules, as well as the privacy-preserving answers of additional queries on the data stream, to improve accuracy by redistributing the added noise. OptStream is evaluated on a test case involving the release of a real data stream from the largest European transmission operator. Experimental results show that OptStream may not only improve the accuracy of state-of-the-art methods by at least one order of magnitude but also supports accurate load forecasting on the privacy-preserving data.


In a 1992 review of William Cronon's Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West Roderick Frazier Nash observed that "as the centennial of his controversial essay on the American frontier approaches in 1993, Frederick Jackson Turner has apparently become the whipping boy of every western historian." (1) Whether or not Nash was intimating a sympathy with Turner's Frontier Thesis or pointing out an inordinate amount of critical attention paid to an old essay, his remark borders on understatement; for a long time, classes in U.S. history (especially the history of the American West) have begun with the express intention of refuting Frederick Jackson Turner. In most cases, historical scholarship that is more than a century old would have long ago been either roundly accepted or rejected. Yet, Turner's Frontier thesis is a curious anomaly in that it has continued to be a target of debate and continued criticism more than any other American historical work. Turner, whether for his impact on American self-perception or his unprecedented application of the scientific method to history has remained an unshakable presence (or problem) in American scholarship. The "Frontier thesis" promoted the role of western movement as the chief factor in the foundation of American political institutions and culture. Turner credited life in the wilderness with transforming European immigrants into a peculiar national breed. The wilderness necessitated a reversion to primitivism, thereby encouraging individualism and self-government and provided an "escape valve" for the jobless and landless to escape poverty and obtain free land. Moreover, he described the country's history as a process of settlement and civilization moving westward and always on the eastern edge of open land. Turner's impetus for the thesis was the 1890 census that had announced the official end of frontier conditions in the United States. What the Mediterranean Sea was to the Greeks, breaking the bonds of custom, offering new experiences, calling out new institutions and activities, the ever-retreating frontier has been to the United States directly, and to the nations of Europe more remotely. And now, four centuries from the discovery of America, at the end of a hundred years of life under the Constitution, the frontier has gone, and with its going has closed the first period of American history. (2) The "freedom of unexploited wilderness," as Turner would refer to it in an essay, changed Old World institutions (particularly British institutions which are invariably what Turner refers to) into distinctly American ones. Those institutions would have to be modified to deal with the recently closed supply of wilderness. Turner warned, "... the free lands are gone, and with conditions comparable to those of Europe, we have to reshape the ideals and institutions fashioned in the age of wilderness-winning to the new conditions of an occupied country." (3) The bold claims made by Turner more than a century ago have since fallen into disfavor with American historians, particularly among western historians. Among the more notable proponents of the "new western history" is Patricia Nelson Limerick, a historian whose work embodies the primary departures from Turner. Limerick suggests that western historians focus on a geographically specific area rather than interpreting the West according to a uniform column of western movement. In The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West, Limerick suggests that the frontier process has kept historians from viewing the West as a particular region, as with the South or the Midwest. Also, Limerick points out Turner's failure to criticize the violence and depravity involved in the saga of white, Anglo-Saxon westward encroachment. In describing Euro American westward expansion Turner described a closing rift between "civilization" and "savagery;" in contrast, Limerick prefers words like "imperialism" and "conquest. …


In the 20th century, several important developments took place in the field of the regional and international protection of minorities and indigenous peoples. This book discusses the consequences of these developments for the position of minorities and indigenous peoples in international law. Based on the concept of "international personality" as formulated by the International Court of Justice in the Reparation for Injuries case, a scale is developed which enables us to determine the position of minorities and indigenous peoples in international law. As far as minorities are concerned, it turns out that the obstacles on their road to international personality are of a political rather than of a sociological or juridical nature. In other words, minorities "as such" could be bearers of rights and duties if only the international legal order would allow them to. Compared with minorities, a position for indigenous peoples in international law is much more accepted by the international legal order. As the recent establishment of the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples shows, indigenous peoples are increasingly recognised as actors in the international realm. The divergence between the positions of minorities and indigenous peoples is evident and can, to a certain extent, be explained. But can it also be justified?


Within the context of ongoing social and demographic transformation, including the trend towards globalization, changing patterns of longevity and increasing ethnic diversity, this thesis examines the lives older Asian-Indian immigrants in the United States. To date, much of what little research exists on this group of elders focuses on acculturation and related stress, but there is limited research on the daily life experiences of these older adults, particularly as they pertain to family life, the practice of filial piety, and informal support exchange within their households, as well as their social lives more generally. Informed by two theoretical approaches, Life Course and Symbolic Interactionism, this research examines older immigrants' social and family lives. The study employs a qualitative approach and involves in-depth semi-structured interviews with 10 older Asian-Indians living in the Atlanta area. To varying degrees, their lives are family-centered. Traditional Indian practices such as filial piety are individualized according to the intersection of American and Indian cultures and family (e.g., structure and history) and personal (e.g., personal resources) influences. Similar influences operate to shape their family and social lives more generally. These findings enhance existing understandings of older immigrants' lives and illustrate similarities and differences. In doing so, the research provides valuable information that can promote cultural competence for those working with and designing policies and programs for adults in a rapidly aging and increasingly diverse society. INDEX WORDS: Social support, Filial piety (seva), Formal services, Community gettogether, Ethnic elements, Intergenerational relations, Traditions "I MISS MY COUNTRY, BUT MY WORLD IS WITH MY CHILDREN": EXAMINING THE FAMILY AND SOCIAL LIVES OF OLDER INDIAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES


In-vehicle telematics devices such as navigation systems, Internet access and cell phones are a potential threat to road safety because they can increase driver distraction and cause an increase in distraction-related crashes. These devices are becoming increasingly popular in vehicles and they are offering a greater number of features. As part of its ongoing commitment to vehicle safety, Transport Canada is investigating and developing countermeasures to protect drivers from unnecessarily distracting features on these devices. This paper describes the status of various approaches and efforts to deal with the problems of driver distraction from telematics. The first part focuses on Canadian efforts to develop distraction countermeasures and this is followed by a review of related international activities. It is concluded that a paradigm shift is required to prioritize safety and human factors rather than features during the development of these devices. Countermeasures should predominantly focus on safer design practices to ensure that the risks of driver distraction are systematically considered during the product design, development and testing process. (a) For the covering record of the conference, please refer to ITRD abstract no E216954.


ABSTRACT This article analyses the contemporary deployment of the Nordic welfare state model as a centrepiece of Nordic competitive identity and strategic communication on the global market of ideas. First, it looks at the interrelated phenomena of global competition, competitive identity and region branding. Second, it studies the interplay between Nordic transnational public diplomacy and national public diplomacy of individual Nordic countries, in particular Sweden, on the one hand and international media outlets' reporting on the Nordic countries on the other. In analysing this cross-fertilizing genre, the article identifies how the welfare state is being repackaged for export along with a set of "progressive values" which are coded as specifically "Nordic." The article discusses (1) the interaction between outer images and inner visions; (2) the place and significance of the Nordic model, progressive values and the welfare state in today's Nordic branding; and (3) the possible function of outward competitive identity as a kind of "compensatory imagination" directed inward as well as outward.


The monograph is devoted to solving the problem of energy-saving and development of resource-saving heat technology for processing soybeans and their mixtures with carotene-containing raw materials on functional phytoestrogenic food powders. The paper considers modern research and methods of processing phytoestrogenic raw materials. The study of heat and mass transfer processes during convective drying and the study of thermophysical and physicochemical properties of phytoestrogenic raw materials and its proteincarotene mixtures are presented. Innovative heat technology for the production of phytoestrogenic powders based on soybeans, recommended for use in the pharmaceutical, dairy and food industries, has been developed. The monograph is intended for employees of the food industry, students of higher educational institutions, masters and graduate students of engineering and technical specialties.


This paper is a comparative study of the independent inspection mechanisms in international financial institutions. These mechanisms, which are an important development in the accountability of international organizations, allow private complainants who believe that they have been harmed or threatened with harm by the failure of these institutions to act in accordance with their own operational rules and procedures to have their complaints investigated by an independent body. The paper is divided into three parts. In the first part I discuss the structure, functions and procedures of the World Bank's Inspection Panel, the International Finance Corporation's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, the Inter-American Development Banks' Independent Inspection Mechanism, the Asian Development Bank's Accountability Mechanism, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's Independent Recourse Mechanism, and the African Development Bank's Independent Review Mechanism. I also briefly discuss analogous mechanisms in the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the United Nations, and Export Development Canada. The second part of the paper is a comparative analysis of these mechanisms. It compares their structures, functions and procedures and draws some conclusions of general applicability about independent inspection mechanisms. The third part of the paper argues that all international organizations with operational responsibilities need independent inspection mechanisms. It then discusses the principles that should guide the structure, function and procedures of such mechanisms and considers various models that can be adopted for such mechanisms. It ends with a recommendation on the optimal structure for such a mechanism.


Point-of-care testing (POCT) refers to pathology testing performed in a clinical setting at the time of patient consultation, generating a rapid test result that enables informed and timely clinical action to be taken on patient care. It offers patients greater convenience and access to health services and helps to improve clinical outcomes. POCT also provides innovative solutions for the detection and management of chronic, acute and infectious diseases, in settings including family practices, Indigenous medical services, community health facilities, rural and remote areas and in developing countries, where health-care services are often geographically isolated from the nearest pathology laboratory.

A Practical Guide to Global Point-of-Care Testing shows health professionals how to set up and manage POCT services under a quality-assured, sustainable, clinically and culturally effective framework, as well as understand the wide global scope and clinical applications of POCT.

The book is divided into three major themes: the management of POCT services, a global perspective on the clinical use of POCT, and POCT for specific clinical settings. Chapters within each theme are written by experts and explore wide-ranging topics such as selecting and evaluating devices, POCT for diabetes, coagulation disorders, HIV, malaria and Ebola, and the use of POCT for disaster management and in extreme environments. Figures are included throughout to illustrate the concepts, principles and practice of POCT.

Written for a broad range of practicing health professionals from the fields of medical science, health science, nursing, medicine, paramedic science, Indigenous health, public health, pharmacy, aged care and sports medicine, A Practical Guide to Global Point-of-Care Testing will also benefit university students studying these health-related disciplines.


This paper evaluates the XLink format in comparison with other linking formats. The comparison is based on Xspect, an implementation of XLink. Xspect handles transformation between an open hypermedia format (OHIF) and XLink, and the paper discusses this isomorphic transformation and generalises it to include another open hypermedia format, FOHM. The Xspect system, based on XSLT and Javascript, provides users with an interface to browse and merge linkbases. Xspect supports navigational hypermedia in the form of links inserted on the fly into Web pages, as well as guided tours presented as SVG. Xspect has two implementations: one server-side and one running on the client. Both implementation provide the user with an interface for the creation of annotations. The main result of the paper is a critique of XLink. XLink is shown to be a format well suited for navigational hypermedia, but lacking in more advanced constructs. More problematic are the issues regarding large-scale use, such as evaluating validity and credibility of linkbases, and ensuring general support for a format as flexible as XLink.


Organizations that wish to be successful in this highly competitive world are those that systematically and proactively take necessary measures to ensure that they have the needed talents to meet their current and future business requirements. Organizational size and management style plays a critical role in ensuring that talented workforce is managed in the organization. There exist an acute shortage of talent, especially in top managerial positions in private sugar companies in Kakamega County in Kenya. This has resulted in employees' low productivity leading to talent poaching and talent shift from private sugar companies to public sugar companies and other industrial sectors. Effective talent management strategies coupled with good management style and adequate financial resources are therefore critical for the success of private sugar companies in Kakamega County. This study, therefore, established the moderating effect of company factors on the relationship between talent management strategies and employees' productivity in private sugar companies in Kakamega County. The study used cross-sectional survey research design. Stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques were employed to enable the researcher to select the respondents from the two private sugar companies in Kakamega County that is, West Kenya Sugar Company Limited and Butali Sugar Company Limited. The target population was made up of 320 respondents out of which 70 were managers and 250 were operative employees'. A sample size of 178 respondents was selected. Interview schedules and questionnaires were used as instruments for data collection. Validity and Reliability of research instruments were obtained by a test re-test method from the pilot study. The researcher undertaken the study in a period between June 2016 and September 2016. The computed Cronbach's Alpha reliability of the research instrument was 0.834 which is above 0.7 Cronbach's Alpha accepted in social research. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Spearman's rank-order correlation was used to test the relationship between the study variables and multiple linear regression analysis was used in testing the study hypothesis. Data was presented in the form of frequency distribution tables, frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The study found out that company factors play an important role in moderating the effects of talent management strategies and employees' productivity. For a higher employees' productivity to be realized, organization financial muscle and management effective leadership is needed in formulating, development and implementation of talent management strategies. The study recommends that Private sugar companies in Kakamega County should look into ways of addressing company factors because they significantly and positively moderate the relationship between talent management strategies and employees' productivity. This entails company managers availing adequate resources to implement talent management strategies and also management goodwill in formulating, development, implementing, monitoring and evaluating organization talent management strategies.


Queues are puzzling because they are consistent with wasted profit in equilibrium. Standard rationales trace the puzzle to the pricing of goods. This article uses field experimental evidence from large‐scale restaurants to trace the puzzle to the pricing of labor. The customary wage contract in these settings fosters congestion and longer queues because it can encourage workers to emphasize the quality rather than quantity of output. To study this problem, the field experiment pays waiters bonuses for customer volume on days with excess demand, in addition to the tips and hourly wages they customarily receive. The experimental contract shortens queues substantially, generating surplus gains for consumers with no discernible cost in terms of perceived service quality. Workers earn more via the bonuses and because they earn more in tips. Short‐run profits increase by at least 49%. There is no discernible reduction in long‐run profit. The firm reverted to the baseline contract on excess demand days after many months of evidence, even after acknowledging the gains from the experimental contract. The evidence suggests the puzzle may partly be explained by inefficient wage contracting.


The generally accepted chronology of Chinese history begins in 841 B.C., seventy years before the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty. In Shiji, Sima Qian (c. 145–89 B.C.) compiled a chronological table of twelve contemporary states starting with 841 B.C. Over the past two thousand years, scholars have tried to extend the dates farther back, but without agreement. The Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project was recently commissioned by the Chinese Government to systematically reconstruct a reliable chronology of early Chinese history starting with the Xia Dynasty. After almost five years and the efforts of some 200 experts in different fields of study, a new chronological table of early China was disseminated in November 2000. It was anticipated that all future discussions on the absolute dates of early China would have to be based on the project's results. This paper discusses the main debates stimulated by the project and critically evaluates the methodology it employed. As a well-informed observer of the project, the author becomes aware of a number of intriguing issues regarding the study of the past in China, such as politics and the reconstruction of the past, the relationship between the archaeological record and the documentary record, and the compatibility of archaeological dates and historical dates. A discussion of these issues has broad implications for archaeology in other parts of the world.


The Amarna Letters from Syria- Palestine were written in a mixed language comprising the lingua franca, Akkadian, and what appears to be the local West- Semitic or "Canaanite" language. One of the more distinguishing features resulting From this combination of the two languages is the use of the injunctive form, limited in this article to the jussive (Canaanite) and precative (Akkadian), which were equivalents in the respective languages. Yet while both verbal forms are injunctive and express a wish or an indirect command, the scribes of Syria-Palestine were by no means consistent in their preference for one or the other form. This article maps the geographical pattern of the use of the injunctive, revealing a clear division: the northern and central cities preferred the precative and the southern and coastal cities elected for the jussive. The phenomenon is explained in terms of the regions' place in the Egyptian empire and the difference in the regions' familiarity with the Egyptian imperial administration. DOI:10.2458/azu_jaei_v01i4_siddall


Lock-free programming is a well-known technique for multithreaded programming. Lock-free programming is a way to share changing data among several threads without paying the cost of acquiring and releasing locks. On practice, parallel programming models must include scalable concurrent algorithms and patterns. Lock-free programming patterns play an important role in scalability. This paper is devoted to lockfree data structures and algorithms. Our task was to choose the data structures for the concurrent garbage collector. We aim to provide a survey of lock-free patterns and approaches, estimate the potential performance gain for lock-free solutions. By our opinion, the most challenging problem for concurrent programming is the coordination and data flow organizing, rather than relatively low-level data structures. So, as the most promising from the practical point of view lock-free programming pattern, we choose the framework based on the Software Transactional Memory. Key-Words: parallel programming, thread, lock, mutex, semaphore, scalability, atomic


South China experienced an unusually complex tectonic history, and features a series of globally significant, and well well-preserved geological records. These include records of the assembly and breakup of the Neoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia, Rodinia- and Pangea-age mantle plume events, Neoproterosoic glacial events, early complex life, large intraplate orogenic and magmatic events, extinction events around the P-T boundary, continental subduction and exhumation, and record of the transition from an Andean-type active margin to the present-day Western Pacific-type active margin. These features make a South China one of the few natural laboratories for studying fundamental geoscience problems and testing various theories and hypotheses. Professor Zheng-Xiang Li and his multinational collaborative team have been working on the tectonic evolution of the South China Block for over 25 years. Their work challenged some traditional views, yet some of their interpretations remain controversial amongst contemporary researchers. This book provides readers a summary of their views on the tectonic evolution of South China, and evidence that their interpretations were based on. It also provides a well illustrated eight-day field program in which the authors attempt to unravel the tectonic history of eastern South China through the examination of a series of carefully selected field traverses and outcrops. This latter part of the book can also serve as a materials for field workshops or short courses on tectonic analysis using multidisciplinary field observations and analytical result. The book is designed for researchers of all levels and senior geoscience students.


Evidence from ecological studies has suggested that alteration of river flows downstream of reservoirs can threaten native aquatic ecosystems. The Three Gorges Reservoir has been controversial since its design and construction stage, and the ecological damage downstream is an important concern. However, protecting long-term health of the river ecosystem has a low priority in reservoir operation compared to other human demands, and is traditionally treated as a constraint of minimum water release. A multi-objective reservoir optimization model incorporating ecological adaption is proposed. Range of variability approach is first used to quantify the hydrological alteration. A satisfying ecological flow scenario is then worked out if it is necessary to take ecological issues into consideration. With the aim of eco-compensation, the reservoir release should be as close to satisfying ecological flow as possible, which is set to be the objective for ecological adaption. Together with other objectives, such as flood control and power generation, a multi-objective optimization model is established, which is optimized by NSGA-II algorithm. Results not only provide the operational references in both wet and dry years, but also illustrate the negative impacts on the river ecosystem by reservoirs can be alleviated with low economic cost. Quantitative relationships among different objectives can also be used for trading markets.


The number of connected mobile devices is increasing rapidly with more than 10 billion expected by 2022. Their total aggregate energy consumption poses a significant concern to society. The current 3gpp (3rd Generation Partnership Project) LTE/LTE-Advanced standard incorporates an energy saving technique called discontinuous reception (DRX). It is expected that 5G will use an evolved variant of this scheme. In general, the single selection of DRX parameters per device is non trivial. This paper describes how to improve energy efficiency of mobile devices by selecting DRX based on the traffic profile per device. Our particular approach uses a two phase data-driven strategy which tunes the selection of DRX parameters based on a smart fast energy model. The first phase involves the off-line selection of viable DRX combinations for a particular traffic mix. The second phase involves an on-line selection of DRX from this viable list. The method attempts to guarantee that latency is not worse than a chosen threshold. Alternatively, longer battery life for a device can be traded against increased latency. We built a lab prototype of the system to verify that the technique works and scales on a real LTE system. We also designed a sophisticated traffic generator based on actual user data traces. Complementary method verification has been made by exhaustive off-line simulations on recorded LTE network data. Our approach shows significant device energy savings, which has the aggregated potential over billions of devices to make a real contribution to green, energy efficient networks.


We describe the mechanisms and implementation of a library that define a decimal multiple-precision interval arithmetic. The aim of such a library is to provide guaranteed and accurate results in decimal. This library contains correctly rounded elementary operations and some transcendental functions such as sin, cos or exp. The application fields of such a library are wide from financial calculation to aeronautic engineering. In those fields, complex algorithms are generally designed in high level with decimal numbers. Thus there is a need for correctly rounded decimal arithmetic multiple-precision library. The IEEE 754-2008 [2] revision introduced the definition of decimal floating-point format, with the purpose of providing a basis for a robust and correctly rounded decimal arithmetic. Apart from being IEEE 754-2008 compliant, our library holds several useful properties, such as correct rounding for decimal arbitrary precision. The correctness of some functions will be proven. Furthermore the interval arithmetic will be compliant with the new IEEE 1788-2015 Standard for Interval Arithmetic [3]. Studies of implementation of decimal arithmetic libraries have shown that one of the simplest and efficient way to implement decimal functions is to use their binary counterparts [1]. This method makes it possible to rely on the efficiency of the binary arithmetic and focus more effort only on some critical points. The implementation of this
library is based on GMP and MPFR libraries.


Economic evaluations of the benefits of integrated weed management often only consider the benefits of management in the crop phase, and ignore the impact of rotational options. In particular, non-crop phases such as annual and perennial pasture phases can have a substantial impact upon weed population dynamics and economic returns. Moreover, extended perennial pasture phases are being promoted to address a range of onfarm sustainability issues such as excessive deep drainage (i.e. salinity), runoff and soil erosion. A stochastic bioeconomic model is developed to evaluate potential trade-offs and synergies between the goals of long-term weed management and achieving sustainability goals.


The eddy covariance method is commonly used to calculate vertical turbulent
exchange fluxes between ecosystems and the atmosphere. Besides other
assumptions, it requires steady-state flow conditions. If this requirement is
not fulfilled over the averaging interval of, for example, 30 min, the fluxes might
be miscalculated. Here two further calculation methods, conditional sampling
and wavelet analysis, which do not need the steady-state assumption, were
implemented and compared to eddy covariance. All fluxes were calculated for
30 min averaging periods, while the wavelet method – using both the Mexican
hat and the Morlet wavelet – additionally allowed us to obtain a 1 min averaged
flux.

The results of all three methods were compared against each other for times
with best steady-state conditions and well-developed turbulence. An excellent
agreement of the wavelet results to the eddy covariance reference was found,
where the deviations to eddy covariance were of the order of  < 2 % for
Morlet as well as  < 7 % for Mexican hat and thus within the typical error
range of eddy covariance measurements. The conditional sampling flux also
showed a very good agreement to the eddy covariance reference, but the
occurrence of outliers and the necessary condition of a zero mean vertical
wind velocity reduced its general reliability. Using the Mexican hat wavelet
flux in a case study, it was possible to locate a nightly short time
turbulent event exactly in time, while the Morlet wavelet gave a trustworthy
flux over a longer period, e.g. 30 min, under consideration of this
short-time event.

At a glance, the Mexican hat wavelet flux offers the possibility of a
detailed analysis of non-stationary times, where the classical eddy
covariance method fails. Additionally, the Morlet wavelet should be used to
provide a trustworthy flux in those 30 min periods where the eddy
covariance method provides low-quality data due to instationarities.


Demands for tourism websites from worldwide providers is now surging. It is a quality measurement of advertising, information providing and persuasive marketing all in one. The evaluation of website's usability illuminates the specific strengths and weaknesses of each websites studied. A selection of 39 Asian countries was studied. A criterion for selection was for the country to have an official tourism website hosted and managed by a government agency. This non-commercial study is to ensure the reliability of information. A walkthrough content analysis method was used for the evaluation. The month-long evaluation experiments the seven elements of webs' features and functions with 44 attributes. Results were varied with highest and lowest scores were tabulated and discussed. Tourism websites that scored the highest overall and categorical sections obviously placed tourism as their main industry of the economy. The study is limited by the availability of the websites during the evaluation period. No re-evaluation on another date was done, as to avoid biasness.


We measure the spectral reflectivity of a Cat (so named because its first conjugated image was that of a cat) self-pumped conjugator. We find that the transmission and the phase-conjugate reflectivity of the conjugator always vary periodically with wavelength and that the periodicity is caused by a resonator loop that springs up and self-adjusts inside the crystal. Depending on the spectral width of the incident beam, the conjugator will have either a minimum or a maximum reflectivity at the center of the writing spectrum. We show that the sign of the coherence function after one round trip of the internal resonator determines the spectral behavior of the conjugator, and we experimentally map out the dependence of the conjugator's reflectivity and transmission on the spectral content of the incident beam.


This article focuses on three interrelated issues of Turkey-EU relations. Initially, an overview of Turkey-EU relations and some reasons that have led to Turkish frustration and disappointment towards the EU are presented. The next section focuses on the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU, the changes it brought to Turkish legislation and regulatory institutions and their impact on Turkey's economy. It is argued that, despite some important benefits to the Turkish economy, the CU has not met –thus far– the original expectations. This argument is followed by highlighting the EU's "unfulfilled obligations" towards Turkey concerning the Customs Union. The Minister points out that the current visa requirements violate the agreements signed between Turkey and the EU, and constitute discrimination against Turkish citizens. Finally, the initiatives of the Ministry of Customs and Trade to increase the trade volume with other neighboring regions are noted.


This paper presents the seafloor survey results obtained in 2016 and 2017 using four deep-towed vehicles, developed by the Institute of Undersea Technology at National Sun Yat-sen University, for investigating mineral resource potential offshore northeastern Taiwan. The deep-towed vehicles include the Abyss Twist-pair Imaging System (ATIS), the Video-guided Multi-corer (V-Corer), the TV-guided Grabber (TVG), and the Fiber-optical Instrumentation Towed System (FITS). The seafloor video surveys and sampling were conducted at five survey sites in the southern Okinawa Trough through five survey cruises. A total of 82.69 km of seafloor survey tracks were accomplished and plenty of seafloor characteristics and ecological phenomena were observed through the four deep-towed vehicles. The seafloor survey results, including the video data and the samples of animals, sediments, and mounds, have been provided to different scientific teams for conducting research on marine geophysics, marine geology, marine geochemistry, and marine ecology. The video data can be cross-checked and used as the supporting evidence for the analysis results from the scientific researchers. Article history: Received 31 October 2018 Revised 4 March 2019 Accepted 14 March 2019


Social networking sites make it possible for Internet users to communicating, sharing, cooperating and expressing their ideas. Also known as SNSs, theywield impressive attraction within its users, who spend several daily hours in this kind of sites. This paper advocates that the popularity and social tools these sites provide can be used in behalf of education, as a mean to increase student's interest and commitment for the teaching/learning process. In order to incorporate SNSs into the process, this article presents a flexible architecture to integrate Moodle and distinct social networking sites. Besides, these architecture has been implemented to provide integration between Moodle and Facebook and Twitter. This way, we believe that teachers are provided with a new way of communicating with their students, increasing the odds of interaction among them and, possibly, students get more active and start using Moodle more frequently.


This chapter reviews the study of individual differences in information behaviour; those differences which are not due to demographic factors such as age, gender, education or occupation, but rather to personality factors and to learning and thinking styles. It examines studies of patterns in information behaviour and of personality and similar factors in groups of information-focused occupations, as well as studies which have explicitly sought to relate information behaviour to such factors. The aim of the chapter is to assess how far we have come in being able to identify and measure 'information style', a quality different from any other categorisation of personality or of intellectual styles. If this goal were achieved, it would be a valuable concept for the academic study of information-related behaviours, as well as being of practical usefulness for the design of information systems and services, the evaluation of the effectiveness of such systems and the training of users. It could also allow a tailored provision of information, particularly for creative or innovative purposes.


The eastern freshwater cod, Maccullochella ikei, from the Clarence River system, NSW, is described and M. peelii mariensis is described as a new subspecies from the Mary River system, Qld. The Murray cod, M. p. peelii and the trout cod, M. macquariensis, are indigenous to the Murray-Darling River system. Using electrophoretic data for 19 presumed loci, the coefficient of genetic identity between M. p. peelii and M. ikei was 0.72 and the banding-patterns of the muscle general protein, liver esterases and five other enzymes, were species-specific. A high proportion of abnormal and inviable hybrid larvae in a cross-breeding experiment indicate that post-zygotic isolating mechanisms have evolved between M. p. peelii and M. ikei. The coefficient of genetic identity between M. p. peelii and M. p. mariensis was 0.85 and banding patterns of muscle general protein were diagnostic. Canonical variates analysis using 18 morphological and nine meristic characters, clearly separated both spccies and the subspecies. Maccullochella ikei is distinguished from M. p. peelii by having longer pelvic fins, larger orbit length, and larger and morphologically distinct sagittalotoliths. Maccullochella p. mariensis differs from M. p. pee/ii by the combination of a deeper and shorter caudal peduncle, longer pelvic fins, larger sagittal otoliths and lesser extension of the first anal pterygiophore towards the first caudal vertebra, and from M. ikei by the combination of a deeper caudal peduncle, greater postorbital head length, smaller orbit, larger interorbital width, fewer scale rows below the lateral line, shorter fifth-sixth dorsal spine and lesser extension of the first anal pterygiophore. Although each species has distinctive colouration and mottling, there is some intra-specific variation. Maccullochella macquariensis is distinct from the other species by having a straight head profile, jaws of similar length, 14 precaudal vertebrae and distinctive colouration. There was a dramatic reduction in the distribution and abundance of cod in the eastern drainage during the early 1900s and cod were probably extinct in the Richmond and Brisbane River systems by the end of the 1930s. Maccullochella ikei and M. p. mariensis are each represented by one, small population. Possible causes of the decline, and the management strategies taken to conserve the endangered M. ikei are discussed.


Earley's algorithm has been commonly used for the parsing of general context-free languages and the error-correcting parsing in syntactic pattern recognition. The time complexity for parsing is 0(n3). This paper presents a parallel Earley's recognition algorithm in terms of an ``X*'' operator. By restricting the input context-free grammar to be ¿-free, the parallel algorithm can be executed on a triangular-shape VLSI array. This array system has an efficient way of moving data to the right place at the right time. Simulation results show that this system can recognize a string with length n in 2n + 1 system time. We also present a parallel parse-extraction algorithm, a complete parsing algorithm, and an error-correcting recognition algorithm. The parallel complete parsing algorithm has been simulated on a processor array which is similar to the triangular VLSI array. For an input string of length n the processor array will give the correct right-parse at system time 2n + 1 if the string is accepted. The error-correcting recognition algorithm has also been simulated on a triangular VLSI array. This array recognizes an erroneous string of length n in time 2n + 1 and gives the correct error count. These parallel algorithms are especially useful for syntactic pattern recognition.


This paper presents Axiom, a DTLS-based approach to efficiently secure multicast group communication among IoT constrained devices. Axiom provides an adaptation of the DTLS record layer, relies on key material commonly shared among the group members, and does not require to perform any DTLS handshake. We made a proof of concept implementation of Axiom based on the tinyDTLS library for the Contiki OS, and used it to experimentally evaluate performance of our approach on real IoT hardware. Results show that Axiom is affordable on resource constrained platforms, and performs significantly better than related alternative approaches.


The present study investigates individual differences in pupil dilation during standard word naming. We looked at (i) how individual subjects' pupil size changes over the course of time and (ii) how well pupil size is predicted by the frequency of the stimuli. The time course of the pupil size was analysed with generalized additive modeling. The results show large individual variations in the pupil response pattern in this very simple task. Although, we see a pupil response to both stimulus onset and articulation onset and offset, both the amplitude of change and the direction of change differ substantially between subjects. This raises the question of what makes the pupil response functions so diverse, and one factor indicated by the frequency effect or the lack thereof might be shallow reading versus reading for content.


In this report we describe different forms of clinical presentation of an autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR) in 4 members of the same family as well as the treatment used in these patients and their response to it. Patient No 1: a 60 year old female who consulted for bone pain: Bone densitometry showed osteoporosis. Laboratory assays showed hypophosphatemia with low renal phosphate threshold, high total alkaline phosphatase, normal intact PTH and normal serum calcium. With neutral phosphate and calcitriol, the biochemical parameters normalized and bone densitometry improved significantly in less than a year. Patient No 2 her grand daughter consulted at 1 year and 8 months of age for growth retardation (height at percentile 3) and genu varum. Laboratory assays showed low serum phosphate and high total alkaline phosphatase; thickening and irregular epiphyseal borders of the wrists were observed radiologically. She began treatment with calcitriol and phosphorus with normalization of laboratory parameters and increase in growth (height increasing to percentile 50 after 20 months of therapy). Patient No 3: mother of patient No 2, she had no clinical manifestations and normal densitometry but presented low serum phosphate (1.9 mg/dl) that normalized with neutral phosphate therapy. Patient No 4: he was the youngest son of Patient No 1, who had had hypophosphatemic rickets, by age 5; his serum phosphate normalized without treatment At age 29, he presented normal serum phosphate and bone densitometry. Genomic DNA analysis performed in patient No 3, showed missense mutation with substitution of arginine at position 179 for glutamine. The family was catalogued as having autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia.


We show how a vortex structure manifests itself in the one-dimensional projection of a vortex field. We calculate the extent of spatial coherence and entropy of such projections. We quantify the spatial coherence and discuss the properties of the Wigner functions for the projected field.


Aim: The study aims to explore, in-depth, South Asian bilingual clinical psychologists personal and clinical experiences of conceptualising emotional distress in first and second language. It is hoped that a clearer understanding of these experiences will help emphasise the role of language in the experience of emotional distress, which may be beneficial for working with clients that make sense of emotional distress in multiple languages. An understanding of these processes may also encourage further exploration and critique of the ways in which western psychological models are used to make sense of emotional distress, given many, if not all have been constructed using English language. Method: A qualitative approach was used for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six South Asian, bilingual clinical psychologists working in NHS services. The resulting data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results: The analysis highlighted four main themes emerging from participant accounts of conceptualising emotional distress in multiple languages. These were: "Worlds apart in culture and language", "Oscillating self in language", Ubiquity of English language and values" and "Challenging and managing difference". Implications: Whilst much has been written about race and cultural issues in the context of clinical psychology, relatively little attention has been given to the experience and impact of multiple languages on the conceptualisation and experience of emotional distress. A major implication is first language conceptualizations are rarely considered in the development of psychological models of emotional distress, nor are they explicitly considered in the way clinical psychologists are trained and in the majority of current


This paper provides a taxonomy of runtime taint tracking approaches for managed code, such as code written in Java, C#, PHP, Perl, or Ruby. It covers main applications of data tainting such as preventing web application vulnerabilities including crosssite scripting and SQL injection attacks, along with disallowing privacy-sensitive data leaks. In addition to giving an overview of related literature from the last decade, this paper provides guidance and describes the trade-offs of different instrumentation approaches. Lastly, we provide a list of open problems whose solutions would aid practical adaption of runtime tainting


Studies on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in perennial energy crops are available for North-Central Europe, while there is insufficient information for Southern Europe.
This research was conducted in the Po Valley, a Mediterranean-temperate zone characterised by low SOC levels, due to intensive management.
The aim was to assess the factors influencing SOC sequestration and its distribution through depth and within soil fractions, after a 9-year old conversion from two annual systems to Miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus) and giant reed (Arundo donax).
The 13C natural abundance was used to evaluate the amount of SOC in annual and perennial species, and determine the percentage of carbon derived from perennial crops. SOC was significantly higher under perennial species, especially in the topsoil (0-0.15 m). After 9 years, the amount of C derived from Miscanthus was 18.7 Mg ha-1, mostly stored at 0-0.15 m, whereas the amount of C derived from giant reed was 34.7 Mg ha-1, evenly distributed through layers. Physical soil fractionation was combined with 13C abundance analysis. C derived from perennial crops was mainly found in macroaggregates. Under giant reed, more newly derived-carbon was stored in microaggregates and mineral fraction than under Miscanthus.
A molecular approach based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) allowed to evaluate changes on microbial community, after the introduction of perennial crops. Functional aspects were investigated by determining relevant soil enzymes (β-glucosidase, urease, alkaline phosphatase). Perennial crops positively stimulated these enzymes, especially in the topsoil. DGGE profiles revealed that community richness was higher in perennial crops; Shannon index of diversity was influenced only by depth.
In conclusion, Miscanthus and giant reed represent a sustainable choice for the recovery of soils exhausted by intensive management, also in Mediterranean conditions and this is relevant mainly because this geographical area is notoriously characterised by a rapid turnover of SOC.


Two lab-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs), one up-flow attached-growth (UA) and another continuously stirred (CSTR), were operated under mesophilic conditions (35 °C) while treating synthetic municipal wastewater (800 mg L−1 COD). Each reactor was attached to both polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyethersulfone (PES) microfiltration (MF) membranes in an external cross-flow configuration. Both reactors were started up and run under the same operating conditions for multiple steady-state experiments. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates were similar for both reactors (90–96%), but captured methane was found to be 11–18% higher for the CSTR than the UA reactor. Ion Torrent sequencing targeting 16S rRNA genes showed that several operational taxonomic units (OTUs) most closely related to fermentative bacteria (e.g., Microbacter margulisiae) were dominant in the suspended biomass of the CSTR, accounting for 30% of the microbial community. Conversely, methanogenic archaea (e.g., Methanosaeta) and syntrophic bacteria (e.g., Smithella propionica) were found in significantly higher relative abundances in the UA AnMBR as compared to the CSTR due to their affinity for surface attachment. Of the methanogens that were present in the CSTR sludge, hydrogenotrophic methanogens dominated (e.g., Methanobacterium). Measured EPS (both proteins and carbohydrates), which has been broadly linked to fouling, was determined to be consistently lower in the UA AnMBR membrane samples than in CSTR AnMBR membrane samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on HPLC profiles of soluble microbial products (SMPs) further demonstrated these differences between reactor types in replicate runs. The results of this study showed that reactor configuration can significantly impact the development of the microbial communities of AnMBRs that are responsible for both membrane and reactor performance.


Can the photon energy dependence of coherence-enhanced radiographs lead to elemental identification? Our tests pave the way to a positive response by showing that image details do change as the photon energy crosses an absorption threshold. The observed changes are explained by a simple model of the interplay between the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index.


This paper introduces the research status of constitutionwater in nominally anhydrous pyroxene group minerals, especially the FTIR characterization and constitutionwater content of jadeite. The jadeiteminerals fromBurma are observed in this thesis by adopting Micro-FTIR and Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) to study the constitution water characterization of Burma jadeite minerals from the microcosmic angle. The research results show that the main constitution water characterization of jadeite minerals from Burma is manifested as absorption peaks with 3610~3620cm-1 and 3540~3550cm-1areas in the infrared spectrum; the constitutionwater content of jadeite minerals in loose structure ismore outside and less in the middle, and each part of constitution water content is homogeneous for jadeite of a compact structure. The content discrepancy and variation trend of constitution water are not affected by its chemical compositions but possibly resulted from the fluid involvement in jadeitite forming stage when plate is subducting and retracing, which further provides certain evidence to the origin of Burma jadeitite


The United Nations Secretary General's concern over the recent resurgence of polio cases in Pakistan should focus global attention on the country for reasons other than security, terrorism and conflict. As one of the four countries of the world now harbouring the disease, Pakistan faces many geopolitical and socioeconomic challenges. While these threaten the country in many ways, they also pose a challenge for global health and jeopardize worldwide efforts aimed at eradicating polio. As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio and we will not achieve the global goal of eradicating a disease for the second time in history.

The Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in Pakistan in 1994, 15 years after the launch of the Expanded Programme for Immunization; the latter is mandated to undertake routine immunization activities. Since 2000, the Polio Eradication Initiative has been following the successful approach in developed countries supplementing routine polio immunization with huge country-wide campaigns several times a year to deliver drops of oral polio vaccine to every child under the age of five years. Over the past 9 years, 88 rounds of Supplementary Immunization Activities have been conducted with nationwide coverage funded by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative – a global partnership of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rotary International and other major donors.

The initial success of the Polio Eradication Initiative in Pakistan was remarkable. The number of confirmed cases of poliomyelitis based on acute flaccid paralysis surveillance data from across the country declined from 1155 cases in 1997 to 28 in 2005 – the lowest ever recorded in one year. A very sensitive nationwide reporting system was built up to assure the detection of all remaining polio cases. The system captures all children aged less than 15 years with acute onset flaccid paralysis, and includes subsequent laboratory testing of stool specimens.1 However, since 2007, there has been a marked resurgence of polio cases, both in aggregate terms and in relation to geographical spread (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2); in 2008, eight cases were reported in Punjab – the largest province in Pakistan, home to more than 60% of the country's population – compared to zero cases reported in 2007.

Fig. 1

Number of confirmed cases of poliomyelitis in Pakistan, 1997–2006

Fig. 2

Number of districts with confirmed poliomyelitis cases in Pakistan, 1997–2006

Failure to achieve polio eradication demonstrates the importance of determinants outside the health sector in influencing health status. The resurgence of polio in areas far from the western border, such as in Punjab province, indicates that weaknesses in the delivery of services and broader issues of health systems' governance are a major factor in the failure to achieve eradication. Pakistan's mixed health system can be defined as a system in which out-of-pocket payments and market provision of services predominate in an environment where publicly-financed government health delivery coexists with privately-financed market delivery. Here, a triad of insufficient public-sector funding, a poorly regulated private sector and lack of transparency in governance act together to compromise the quality and equity of public services.2,3 Although the Polio Eradication Initiative is well funded, the public infrastructure through which it is delivered remains under-financed. It is consistently observed that the system provides opportunities in many areas for institutionalized malpractice, primarily geared towards pilfering resources from the system. Staff misconduct is often ignored due to collusion between staff and inspectors. As a consequence, staff remain absent from duty, do not run field operations and divert vaccine for use in private facilities; service delivery is therefore undermined both qualitatively and quantitatively, and costs are levied for services that are meant to be provided for free.4

There are frequent anecdotal reports of vaccinators engaging in petty theft in the field, e.g. by charging money for vaccination cards and syringes that they receive at no cost and by selling part of the vaccine stock to private hospitals. The recent open-vial policy, under which the field vaccinator has the prerogative to open a multi-dose vial even for one child so as to maximize vaccination coverage, is particularly abused in this way. According to anonymous observations, these already-prevalent issues have been growing more serious in recent months due to worsening governance, notably preferential treatment in staff deployment and rapid turn over of programme managers and they appear to be partly responsible for the resurgence of polio from 2008. The most important reason for the delay in interrupting poliovirus transmission in Pakistan therefore relates to "failure to vaccinate" during Supplementary Immunization Activities. Vaccination coverage in critical areas is not high enough to interrupt transmission and then to maintain that achievement.

The reasons for failure to achieve polio eradication also show the importance of non-health sector issues such as access in war and conflict zones, refusal of parents to vaccinate their children and problems with cross-border movement of nomadic populations from Afghanistan.5 Twelve per cent of Pakistan's territory in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas is currently under conflict where Pakistan's armed forces are fighting an insurgency. These organized factions make it effectively impossible to deliver services to war-ridden populations. "Talibanization" (the introduction of practices from the Islamic Taliban movement) and misinterpretation of religion has led more than 90% of the clergy in conflict-ridden zones to campaign against polio vaccination on a wide scale, causing parents to refuse vaccination for their children on the mistaken grounds that it is haram (forbidden by the religion).6 With the spreading wave of "talibanization" outside Pakistan's specially administered areas and the indoctrination of these beliefs among illiterate populations, this unfortunate notion is likely to spread across the country.

Weaknesses in other government services can also affect polio control efforts. Poor sanitation and lack of clean water mean diarrhoeal diseases are still the third most common cause of death in children.7 Diarrhoeal diseases can interfere with the absorption of polio vaccine. With an average of 8 hours per day of electricity cuts due to load-shedding, maintaining the cold chain for vaccine storage may become a problem, although there is no direct evidence yet of its impact on results of the Polio Eradication Initiative.

Failure to achieve relatively straightforward targets with these comparatively well-resourced initiatives shows the seriously eroded capacity of the public system to deliver services. Broad-based reform is needed to address systemic weaknesses. Unfortunately this does not appear to be a current priority as the country struggles on many diplomatic and security fronts. Successful reform cannot be implemented over the short term, even if there is a political will; therefore, emergency measures similar to those adopted during disasters and wars are required.

Drawing on lessons from China's example in polio eradication, Pakistan should develop a plan for grand national immunization days, where the entire organizational force of the government should be put behind polio eradication. The outreach drive in national immunization days must go beyond traditional vaccinators to involve actors that can deliver services in disaster zones. In addition, the government should commit to providing a maximum of resources to ensure a seamless supply chain that includes airlifting of vaccines, access to areas on horseback and possible imposition of a military curfew for the duration of the campaign. Finally, through the creative use of quotes from the Quran (the holy book of Islam), polio eradication can be presented as a "right to life" issue. Improved understanding of the religion may assist in negotiating access in areas where refusal is an issue and soliciting a ceasefire for vaccination campaigns. For all we know, this could be a step towards peace in Pakistan's war-riddled zones. ■


The denial of federal or state women's health care funding for Planned Parenthood and other women's health care providers that include abortions in the wide array of services that they provide to low-income women is an unconstitutional bill of attainder. A bill of attainder is a trial by a legislature in which the legislature enacts a law that is designed to punish a named person or an identifiable group of persons. It goes back to 16th, 17th and 18th century Great Britain, where Parliament would enact a law finding certain opponents of the Crown guilty of treason and confiscating their property. And during the Revolutionary War, all of the colonial legislatures used bills of attainder to confiscate the property of British loyalists. The Framers of the Constitution were determined to put an end to this pernicious practice and so unanimously and without debate, specifically provided in the Constitution that "no bill of attainder shall be passed by Congress or by any state."
The Supreme Court has interpreted the constitutional prohibition against bills of attainder very broadly, going beyond the imposition of a criminal penalty. Rather the Court has applied a functional test to prohibit legislative punishment of any form or severity against specifically designated persons or groups. Under this test, the denial of a governmental benefit to an organization otherwise eligible to receive it on the ground that the organization enabled women to exercise their fundamental right to have a safe and legal abortion clearly constituted punishment, and by definition, there could be no legitimate non-punitive purpose served by this denial. It is thus an unconstitutional bill of attainder. It has no place in the American constitutional system.


Described in 1930-3 1 by Steinbock who considered it the most primitive bilaterian, the turbellarian genus Nemertoderma is known for its role in platyhelminth phylogeny as much as for its muddled taxonomy. On the basis of material collected in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans since 1964 this paper re-diagnoses the known 4 genera and 7 species (Nemertoderma bathycola Steinbock, 1930-31 ; N. westbladi Steinbock, 1938; N. psammicola Sterrer, 1970 (syn. N. rubra Faubel, 1976); Meara stichopi Westblad, 1949 ; Meara sp. (see SMITH et al., 1994) ; Nemertinoides elongatus Riser, 1987; and Flagellophora apelti Faubel & Dorjes, 1978), describes one new genus with 2 new species (Ascoparia neglecta n. g., n. sp. and A. secunda n. sp.), and pro- vides observations from living material on morphological variability, body size vs. reproductive state, statocyst structure and statolith variability, and sperm morphology and dimorphism. The paper concludes with diagnoses for the known taxa of Nemertodermatida, including the new family Ascopariidae.


Biologic drugs offer major advancements over small-molecule drugs when it comes to treating serious diseases. Biosimilars, which mimic innovative biologic drugs, have the potential to further revolutionize the practice of medicine. States now have decades of experience regulating the substitution of generic, small-molecule drugs for their brand-name equivalents. But the complexities of biologic drugs and biosimilars force states to confront novel scientific and legal issues. Many states have begun tackling those issues by passing laws that regulate when pharmacists may substitute biosimilars for their corresponding biologic drugs. Other states have yet to do so. This Note surveys five provisions common throughout current legislation: interchangeability, indications to "Dispense as Written," physician communication, patient notification, and recordkeeping. This Note goes on to argue that states without biosimilar substitution laws should embrace all of these provisions, except to the extent that notification provisions would allow patients to opt out of biosimilar substitution without a legitimate medical reason. If states can appropriately balance promoting biosimilars in the market while protecting patients' safety, they can help more patients receive effective treatments while reducing spending on drugs.


This research project concentrated on determining whether or not a correlation existed between laboratory aggregate tests and observed aggregate field performance. For this purpose, aggregate samples were collected from the majority of the U.S. states as well as several Canadian provinces and subjected to a variety of strength, soundness, and intrinsic particle property tests. Additionally, performance data on the aggregates was obtained by contacting multiple DOTs where aggregates were in use in several categories – hot-mix asphalt, portland cement concrete, base course, and open-graded friction course. Numerical and qualitative analyses were performed to evaluate the success of separating good performers from fair and poor performers using the micro-Deval test alone as well as the micro-Deval test combined with another test. Special attention was paid to aggregate mineralogical composition. Furthermore, attempts were made to determine if a correlation exists between any two tests.


Problem statement: Debris from construction or demolition/deconstruction processes have no significant impact on the environment as they are res-usable and inert. This has been also long admitted for solid waste generated by the demolition of damaged cities following violent earthquakes. Approach: This study is a contribution to the assessment of actual impact on the quality of groundwater of buried demolition debris from the city of Boumerdes, in the North of Algeria 5 years after the May 21st 2003 earthquake hit the region. The public discharge of Boumerdes city has been used as a temporary landfill. It is located about 5 km downtown of Boumerdes at the Tidjelabine site which is marly-calcareous formation. Leachate from the landfill was directly rejected in the receiving environment, where the soil is marly-calcareous type with cracks giving a variable permeability (10-2 m sec-1 to nearly 10-6 m sec-1) that facilitates infiltration of potential pollutants to the groundwater. The slope character (from 5-10%) of the field contributes to pollutants movement and may accentuate water quality deterioration. Three domestic wells (designated S1, S2 and S3) were selected in the vicinity of the landfill and served as piezometers. Leachate samples were taken from the landfill and evaluated. Results: Leachate analysis indicated organic matter with relatively high COD (1136 mg L-1 O2) and BOD5 (200 mg L-1 O2); whereas the pH yielded 7.65 thus indicating fermentation phase of the landfill. Heavy metal contents were beyond national standard limits except for Pb with 0.51 mg L-1 which is slightly higher than limit value of 0.5 mg L-1. More than five years after the creation of this landfill and despite its predominant C&D nature, these results showed that it was following a typical urban wastes decomposition scheme. Same analysis carried on water samples drawn from the piezometers yielded following results: acidic pH (6.88), acceptable values of target heavy metals concentrations except for Zn with 0.779 mg L-1. Additionally bacteriological cross analysis (membrane filter and multi-tube methods) showed groundwater contamination by total coliforms (1100/100 mL), fecal coliforms (11/100 mL) and fecal streptococci (1100/100 mL). Conclusion: These results proved that leachate had reached the first aquifer horizon about 10 m beneath soil surface. Prior to any remediation program, Management of Boumerdes Municipality is called to quickly implement a reuse and recycling program of the demolition debris in order to stop water reservoirs contamination source.


This article discusses the model of training, development and accompaniment of small business of sala Lauak in Ulakan. The purposes of this project are to increase and improve:  1) Understanding of partner to business planning and management by transferring knowledge to improve their ability in accounting and simple book keeping. 2) Their ability to do process traditional food hygienically, using supported tools of production (Frying and packing)  3) The value added of traditional food and their income through product diversification, developing new recipes ,and variety of product sold. 4) Their Services in sales by re lay out stall and sales method in order to comfort their buyer; 5) their product quality by supporting partner get legality of production. 6) Finding the right model for training by sharing method and discussion also direct practice, 7) Finding model of development and empower the community to be role model of conceptual, hygienic and  competitive development of region


Palm oil and its derivative products are strategic commodities that play an important role in the economic development of Indonesia which, along with Malaysia, is a major exporter to the global markets. Global as well as national demands on crude palm oil are increasing, not only as food but also as raw material for biodiesel. To increase production, the extensification of oil palm plantations in Indonesia is still the preferred option. Since there are limited fertile mineral soils, marginal land such as peatlands have become targeted areas to open new plantations. Due to recurring fire and haze problems, while attempting to restore degraded peatlands, the government issued By Law No. 57 in 2016 to protect and manage the peat ecosystem (Peat Policy). This peat policy, which mainly aims to prevent environmental degradation, would to some extent reduce planting areas and impact on production, stretching to the supply and value chain of palm oil and its derivative products. This study assessed how the peat policy affected the planting areas; production; economic value; growers, especially the farmers; and export quantity and value. We applied numerical approaches followed by simulations of certain scenarios. Compared to 2015 figures, the peat policy would reduce the palm oil plantation area by 10%-18% and production by 12%-15%, with the potential to reduce: 1) economic values by 12%-15%; 2) the number of farmers by 12%-15%; 3) exported palm oil by 21%-24% and export value by 22%-24%; and 4) the cost of fresh fruit bunch by 6%-8%. These reductions will severely affect the economic development of the country and threaten the welfare of the farmers. The government and practitioners should therefore make policy choices that are conducive to the sustainable development of oil palm plantation in the peatlands, i.e. how to promote intensification programs to increase productivity and to manage sustainable production.


Many condensation problems at fenestration are related to the adjacent building components the system interacts with. This includes adjacent cladding and wall systems, structural systems used for the connection of the fenestration, and interaction with the building's mechanical system. We will discuss how the condensation resistance of windows and curtain walls can be greatly improved by aligning the thermal elements in the wall with the thermal aspects of the windows (such as thermal breaks), how air leakage at window systems can increase the volume of condensation, and how thermal bridges adjacent to the fenestration can have a significant impact on the overall performance. We will discuss how Winter time cold air flow from adjacent wall cavities can cause elements at window or curtain wall surrounds (sill, jambs, and head) to condense when they would not otherwise. Thermal improvements through the application of carefully applied and designed insulation systems will also be discussed, as over insulating in some cases can exasperate the condensation problems by further isolating the systems from heat sources. We will discuss the relationship between the heating source position and distance from the window or curtain wall system. The discussion in this paper will be mostly related to Winter time condensation. We will use examples to show (1) how thermal breaks, like rubber and plastic shims below the windows, can disassociate the window from heat loss to colder large thermal wall masses and improve performance; (2) how elements like spandrel panels and shadow boxes can have condensation due to air leakage into the shadow box and proposed solutions for these elements to reduce their condensation risk; (3) how interior curtains, furniture, and interior furnishings can block heat flow and cause condensation; (4) how the two-dimensional thermal analysis can be used to evaluate the condensation potential and evaluate possible solutions; (5) the results of infrared thermography used to evaluate both condensation problems and evaluate the solutions; (6) the importance of long-term data logging and monitoring of the results; and (7) the review of options for reducing condensation occurrences through passive (heat fin and insulation) and active (heat trace) means.


A publicly available seismic dataset from a lab experiment shows the simultaneous dependence of
quality factor (Q) on water saturation and stress in unconsolidated sand. Large Q gradients (e.g.,
> 10 m−1) necessitate a spectral ratio method modified to assume that Q changes with each ray path,
thereby eliminating false Q values (e.g., < 0). Interval Q values (Qint) increase the most with depth (dQ/dz = 43 m−1) and stress (dQ/dσ = 0.0025/Pa) in dry sand and the least in partially saturated sand (dQ/dz = 10 m−1 and dQ/dσ = 0.0013/Pa) where attenuation created by local fluid flow reaches a maximum.
Expected Qint values can be extrapolated from dQ/dσ and are bounded by Qint of the dry (Qdry)
and partially saturated (Qwet) media (e.g., Qdry ≥ Qint ≥ Qwet). Qint deviations outside this range may be explained by changes in effective stress, attenuation mechanism, or sediment composition. Field values
of seismic attenuation in natural settings may be helped by these constraints, although attenuation
remains subject to careful consideration of other factors, e.g., grain size, sorting, and shape.


Short-run effects of taxation on inter-municipal migration and welfare are examined in a modelconstructed as a synthesis of the classic model of inter-regional labour migration and the model ofinternational trade policy. It is found that there is an asymmetry in the effects of a given tax change. Labourincome taxation in an out-migration municipality induces emigration and causes welfare losses if the tax ishigh enough to surpass the migration threshold However, if the municipality is small and capital intensive inits industrial structure, the effects are still slight. Taxation in an in-migration municipality reverses themigration pattern and causes welfare losses even with a small tax, but the effects are modest if themunicipality is large and capital intensive. Thus, the effects may remain fairly insignificant in practice, at least in Finland.


Natural resource abundance is a blessing for some countries, but a curse for others. We show that differences across countries in the degree of fiscal decentralization can contribute to this divergent outcome. Using a large panel of countries covering several decades and various fiscal decentralization and natural resource measures, we provide empirical support for the novel hypothesis. We also study a model that combines political and market mechanisms under a unified framework to illustrate how natural resource booms may create negative effects in fiscally decentralized nations.


Atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are strictly related and share several risk factors (i.e. hypertension, diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure). As consequence, AF is very common among CKD patients, especially in those with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Moreover, patients with AF and advanced kidney disease have a higher mortality rate than patients with preserved renal function due to an increased incidence of stroke and an unpredicted elevated hemorrhagic risk. The adequate long-term oral anticoagulation in this subgroup of patients represents a major challenging issue faced by physicians in clinical practice. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are currently contraindicated in patients with ESRD while vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are characterized by a narrow therapeutic window, increased tissue calcification and an unfavorable risk/benefit ratio with low stroke prevention effect and augmented risk of major bleeding. The purpose of this review is to shed light on the applications of DOAC therapy in CKD patients, especially in ESRD patients.


Introduction
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been described as transcending and transforming national borders, political regimes, and power relations. They have been envisioned as creating a global network society with hubs and links rather than cities and peripheries; "technological zones" (Barry 2006) rather than political territories. This reordering of distance and space was described as going hand in hand with processes of reordering social life. Such deep entanglements of technological and social arrangements have been coined as processes of co-production (Jasanoff 2005). While this "sociotechnical imaginary of the internet" (Felt 2014) was framed as all-encompassing and world-spanning at first, it is now increasingly seen as conflicting with the diversity of cultural, political, and social values on the ground. Accordingly, alternative interpretations of ICTs and their multiple socio-political implications have emerged over the past years.
Especially in the European context, tensions between US-American internet services, Google and its "algorithmic ideology" (Mager 2012, 2014) most importantly, and European visions and values may be observed. After the NSA scandal critical voices have become louder and louder; both in the policy and the public arena. Out of a sudden, issues like privacy, data protection, informational self-determination, and the right to be forgotten have been conceptualized as core European values (even though European secret services heavily surveilled its citizens too – arguable more intensely than the NSA in the British case). This shows that there is a European voice forming that aims at distancing and emancipating Europe from US-American tech companies and their business models based on user-targeted advertising and large-scale citizen surveillance. However, it further shows that there are tensions running through European countries and their national interests, identities and ideologies too. One reason is that Europe is neither a clear-cut, homogeneous entity, nor fixed and stable. In the context of biotechnology policy Jasanoff (2005: 10) argues: "Europe in particular is a multiply imagined community in the minds of the many actors who are struggling to institutionalize their particular versions of Europe, and how far national specificities should become submerged in a single European nationhood – economically, politically, ethically – remains far from settled."
Methods
So how is Europe imagined in the context of search engine politics and how are search engines imagined in Europe? And how does the European imaginary relate to national visions and values of search engines? These are the main questions to be answered in the presented analysis by taking Austria as a case study. Analyzing European policy discourses the study examines how search engines – Google in particular – are imagined in the European policy context, what visions and values guide search engine politics, and how Europe is constructed in these narratives. Analyzing Austrian media debates the project investigates how the European imaginary is translated into and transformed in the Austrian context, how Google is portrayed in these debates, and what national specificities shape the narratives. A particular focus is put on the ongoing negotiation of the European data protection reform since this is a central arena where search engines (and other data processing technologies like social media etc) and the European identity are co-constructed these days, but also a site where European disparities, national interests, and local value-systems are at stake. Using a discourse analytical approach and the concept of "sociotechnical imaginaries" (Jasanoff and Kim 2009) this study will give insights in the way ICTs and Europe are co-produced, but also what tensions and contradictions appear between the European imaginary and national interests. While European policy documents try to speak with one voice, the Austrian media shows more nuanced stories of power relations, struggles, and friction that open up the view on the fragility of the European identity when it comes to sensitive, value-laden areas like search engine politics.
Results and Discussion
Google is a particularly interesting technology in this respect since Google was one of the first US-American tech companies that came under scrutiny in the European context. In 2010 Google tried to launch its street view service on the European market. Rather than euphorically embracing the service, however, European citizens, NGOs, and policy makers went on the barricades and started protesting against Google cars in various cities and regions. An Austrian farmer, for example, sparked media publicity by attacking a Google car with a pickaxe. After Google's illegal scraping of open WiFi data Google cars were banned from Austrian streets for some time (not surprisingly the service was continued later on after Google accepted some restrictions). While the street view debate was the first one that had values like privacy and data protection at its core, the issue was handled nationally back then. Every European country took different actions according to their stance towards the service (varying from unrestricted acceptance in some countries to (initial) blockage in others).
Despite these differences among European countries (or also because of them), a European vision – a European "algorithmic imaginary" – started to form in the aftermath of the street view debate. While it was only a silent voice at first, it grew into a stronger message that took its written form in the first draft of the European data protection reform that was launched in early 2012. Since then various actors tried to force their interests into the legislative text – most prominently the US-American IT industry, but also European NGOs and national stakeholders; some of them started lobbying even before the European Commission presented its very first draft. These heavy negotiations show how important this piece of text is for multinational actors doing business on the European market. Even though the reform is far from being finished, the judgment of the "right to be forgotten" that forced Google to obey European law may be seen as a first step towards putting the European imaginary into practice. The Austrian media frames this case as a success in showing US-American IT companies like Google that making business on the European market requires obeying European law. Looking more closely and integrating national visions and values into the analysis, however, indicates how fragile the European imaginary still is, and what tensions and contradictions it faces when being translated into national and local contexts. It shows that Europe tries to speak with a strong voice when addressing other countries and continents, the US most importantly, but how weak its voice becomes when it is confronted with itself. The ongoing reform of the data protection reform offers particularly rich materials to trace this dynamic. It is an arena where search engines, business models, and algorithmic logics are negotiated, but also an arena where Europe is forming and falling apart – both at the same time.
Conclusions
So if our information society is at the crossroads, as stated in the conference abstract, we need to understand tight entanglements between technological and social arrangements before taking the next junction. Only when (re)grounding global ICTs in specific socio-political contexts alternative routes may be taken towards more democratic, more sustainable, and more culturally sensitive network technologies (whether this requires stricter regulations of US-American technologies or developing alternative "European" services, or both, remains to be seen). What we may learn from the geopolitics of search engines in terms of global power relations, European identity construction, and concepts of nationhood will be finally discussed.
Acknowledgments
The research presented in this paper is supported by the Jubilee Fund of  the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), project number 14702.
References and Notes

Barry, A. (2006) Technological Zones. European Journal of Social Theory 9(2): 239-253.
Felt, U. (forthcoming) Sociotechnical imaginaries of "the internet", digital health information and the making of citizen patients, to appear in Hilgartner S., Miller, C., and Hagendijk, R.: Science and Democracy: Making Knowledge and Making Power in the Biosciences and Beyond, London/ New York: Routledge.
Jasanoff, S. (2005) Designs on Nature. Science and Democracy in Europe and the United States, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press.
Jasanoff, S. and S. Kim (2009) Containing the Atom: Sociotechnical imaginaries and Nuclear Power in the United States and South Korea, Minerva 47(2): 119-146.
Mager, A. (2012) Algorithmic Ideology. How capitalist society shapes search engines, Information, Communication & Society 15(5): 769-787.
Mager, A. (2014) Defining Algorithmic Ideology: Using Ideology Critique to Scrutinize Corporate Search Engines, Triple C. Cognition, Communication and Co-Operation 12(1).