Localised regions of negative potential vorticity (PV) are frequently seen on the equatorward flank of the upper-tropospheric jet streams in analysis and forecast products. Their positioning, on the anticyclonic side of the jet and often close to the jet core, suggest they are associated with an enhancement of jet stream maximum winds. Given that PV is generally positive in the northern hemisphere and is conserved under adiabatic conditions, the presence of negative PV is indicative of recent diabatic activity. However, little is understood on the mechanisms for its generation and subsequent lifecycle.

In this study, aircraft measurements from a recent field campaign are used to provide direct observational evidence for the presence of negative PV on the anticyclonic side of an upper-tropospheric jet. Theory is then developed to understand the process by which PV can turn negative. The key ingredient is diabatic heating in the presence of vertical wind shear, and the resulting PV anomalies are shown to always result from a flux of PV directed 'down the isentropic slope'. This explains why, for the typical situation of heating in a warm conveyor belt, negative PV values appear on the equatorward side of the upper-tropospheric jet stream close to the jet core. These ideas are illustrated with a semi-geostrophic model and the processes responsible for the observed negative PV are explored using an operational forecast model with online PV tracer diagnostics.

The diabatic influence on jet stream winds and shear is of interest because it is pertinent to the predictability of extreme jet stream events and associated flight-level turbulence, and is crucial to the propagation of Rossby waves at tropopause level, development of mid-latitude weather systems and their subsequent impacts at the surface.


The model-driven architecture approach (MDA) promotes software development as driven by a thorough modeling phase where application code is automatically generated from a platform specific UML model (PSM). The idea is that the PSM is itself derived from a platform independent UML model (PIM). Such code generation and model derivation are examples of model-to-model transformations. This paper presents the Visual Model Transformation (VMT) approach, which includes a transformation language and a tool to support UML model transformations. The transformation language is a visual declarative language that supports the specification, composition and reuse of model transformation rules. These rules make use of the OCL language and a visual notation to indicate the selection, creation, modification and removal of model elements. An abstract denotational semantics based on graph transformation is sketched for the VMT language. We also present the MEDAL tool, which is a prototype build on top of IBM/Rational XDE development environment, and is a first step towards tool support for the VMT approach.


This study contains two chapters. The first uses the Prentice-Gloeckler-Meyer proportional hazard model with individual heterogeneity to investigate the effects of loss aversion concerning the housing market and the local foreclosure rate on retirement during the housing bust periods. The second chapter creates a dynamic programming life-cycle model with the housing wealth and uses the Method of Simulated Moments to systematically study the retirement and saving behavior during the housing boom and bust (the years 2000-2014). Housing wealth is one of the biggest savings for elderly. It relates to the financial security of elderly after retirement. After the incredible growth of housing prices in the early 2000s, the housing market melted down at the end of the year 2007. A tremendous decline in property value caused a high uncertainty about the housing market. Even though elderly were not sure how severe the housing bust would be, they knew the highest value of home equity before the Great Recession. In the first chapter, we use this highest value at the year 2006 to measure the loss aversion concerning housing wealth. Higher housing equity at the year 2006 might experience more loss in the Great Recession. When there was a loss of housing wealth, it increased the uncertainty of financial resources in the future. Delaying retirement and working more years to increase savings are a reasonable plan to improve resources. For the same amount of housing wealth loss, the effect is not the same if elderly live in a different area and a different housing market. The expectation of housing market performance is also not the same. We have high-quality data on local foreclosure rates from Equifax. It provides the number of foreclosures starting in the first week of July from year 2005 to 2012 on the zipcode level. We use the local foreclosure rate to approximate the expectation of the local housing market. Coefficients of both home equity at the year 2006 and local foreclosure rate (except the year 2009) are significant and negative, meaning elderly with higher home equity at the year 2006 and elderly who live in an area with a higher foreclosure rate significantly delay their retirement. In the second chapter, we create a dynamic programming life-cycle model based on French and Jones (2011). We still take into account the risks of wage, health status, mortality and medical cost in our models. Because we study the elderly after the year 2000, the 'Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 2000' that eliminates the Social Security earnings test after normal retirement age is applied. We use the re-entry state variable to control the labor force participation when there is no Social Security earnings test. New models separate the housing wealth from total wealth in the original model and consider the housing wealth through two constraints: the baseline model has an unknown proportional housing wealth in the asset accumulation equation; the modified model has a home equity borrowing constraint. New models also take into account housing wealth change in the bequest motive component. Both the baseline and modified models match the labor-force participation well and capture the high exit rate at the Medicare age. The coefficient of unknown proportional housing wealth in the baseline model indicates that elderly takes into account approximately 25 percent of their housing wealth in the asset accumulation, which, coincidently, is close to the average ratio of loan to value in the data. The modified model matches better than the baseline model in the asset quantile moments (saving behavior). Robust checks show the bequest coefficients significantly change if we do not separate housing wealth from total wealth. Surprisingly, change of bequest curvature is close to the mean of the housing wealth. Three experiments are conducted in the second chapter. We experiment with two different housing wealth projections and one tighter borrowing constraint. The results indicate that loss of housing wealth and tight borrowing constraints delay retirement. Even though we use the long-term growth rate and obtain a similar mean of labor-force participation rate, the curves significantly shift to adjust the new expectation of housing wealth change. Essays on Retirement Behavior during the Housing Boom and Bust


OBJECTIVES
Central serotonergic dysfunction is reported in major depressive disorder (MDD). Serotonin is primarily metabolized to 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) and its plasma, urinary or cerebrospinal fluid concentrations were extensively studied in depression. No data is available on salivary 5-HIAA (s5-HIAA) in MDD to date.

METHODS
The basal, non-stimulated s5-HIAA concentration was studied in this cross-sectional case-control study on 20 non-late-life adult, short-illness-duration first-episode, treatment-naïve MDD patients and in 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Depressed patients showed a score in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) higher than 20.

RESULTS
No significant difference in s5-HIAA concentration between patients with MDD and controls was observed. In post hoc analysis significantly lower s5-HIAA was seen in non-melancholic MDD (p=0.026) as related to controls whereas no difference was seen between melancholic MDD patients and controls. The concentration of s5-HIAA was not significantly correlated neither with duration nor the severity of depressive symptoms as measured by the total HAMD-17 score.

CONCLUSION
No difference was observed in baseline s5-HIAA concentration between MDD patients and healthy controls. That observation corroborates with previous MDD studies on 5-HIAA concentrations in bodily fluids where unaltered 5-HIAA concentration is seen in the absence of serotonin-related behaviours including impulsivity, suicidality, and anxiety. Salivary 5-HIAA use remains to be determined.


Control barrier function (CBF) based Quadratic Programs (QPs) were introduced in early 2014 as a means to guarantee safety in affine control systems in conjunction with stability/tracking. However, due to the presence of model-based terms, they fail to provide guarantees under model perturbations. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a new class of CBFs for robotic systems that augment kinetic energy with the traditional forms. We show that with torque limits permitting, and with the kinematic models accurately known, forward invariance of safe sets generated by kinematic constraints (position and velocity) can be guaranteed. The proposed methodology is motivated by the control Lyapunov function (CLF) based QPs that use the kinetic energy function. By the property of CBF-QPs, we show that the pointwise min-norm control laws obtained are feasible and Lipschitz continuous, and can be derived analytically via the KKT conditions. In order to include stability with safety, we also augment CLF based constraints in the CBF-QPs to realize a unified control law that allows tracking with safety irrespective of the inertial parameters of the robot. We will demonstrate the robustness of this class of CBF-QPs in two robotic platforms: a 1-DOF and a 2-DOF manipulator, by scaling the masses by up to 100, and then simulating the resulting dynamics.


This paper investigates the joint design of fronthaul compression and precoding for the downlink of cloud radio access networks (C-RANs). In a C-RAN, a central unit (CU) controls a cluster of radio units (RUs) through low-latency fronthaul links. Most previous works on the design of fronthaul compression and precoding assume constant channels and instantaneous channel state information (CSI) at the CU. This paper, in contrast, concentrates on a more practical scenario with block-ergodic channels and considers either instantaneous or stochastic CSI at the CU. Moreover, the analysis encompasses two types of CU-RU functional splits at the physical layer, which we refer to as compression-after-precoding (CAP) and compression-before-precoding (CBP). With the CAP approach, which is the standard C-RAN solution, all baseband processing is done at the CU. With the CBP scheme, channel encoding and precoding are instead performed at the RUs: The CU does not perform precoding but rather forwards separately the information messages of a subset of mobile stations (MSs) along with the compressed precoding matrices to each RU. Optimization algorithms over fronthaul compression and precoding for both CAP and CBP are proposed, which are based on a stochastic successive upper bound minimization (SSUM) approach. Numerical results yield insights into the optimal RU-CU functional split for C-RANs. As a general conclusion, the relative advantages of the two functional splits depend on the interplay between the enhanced interference management abilities of CAP, particularly for dense networks, and the lower fronthaul requirements of CBP in terms of precoding information overhead, particularly for large coherence periods and with stochastic, rather than instantaneous, CSI.


The Area Study is based on interviews and fieldwork in 4 grammar and 5 secondary schools. The schools were all drawn from the same geographical area and provided the main postprimary provision for all pupils in that area. The purpose of the Area Study is:· to explore in some detail the dynamics of the interaction of the selective system with the operation of parental choice and the 'market' within a local area in Northern Ireland, and· to examine the effects of this competition on individual schools and types of school in the area.In each of the case study schools interviews were held with principals, members of the senior management teams, the heads of departments of English, mathematics and science, the head of Year 8, class teachers and groups of Year 8 and Year 12 pupils. In addition, questionnaire, attainment and destinations data were collected on pupils, and statistical data on the schools were analysed.Main findingsIn the Area Study schools, across a range of indicators, the selection system, in conjunction with the operation of open enrolment since 1990, has benefited the grammar schools as they have taken an increased proportion of the pupil enrolment. This trend has been further exacerbated by a number of local factors. In addition, the opening of an Integrated school has increased the enrolment difficulties of the other secondary schools.There is evidence of social segregation between the grammar and secondary schools. Thisis accompanied by a perception that the grammar schools are accorded higher status and esteem. The differential in esteem is a source of anger for principals, teachers and pupils in secondary schools.Within each sector, there has emerged a 'pecking order' of schools, as reflected in enrolment data. In both sectors, in those schools which enjoy the least esteem, as indicated by enrolment data, pupils are less likely to achieve average levels of attainment at GCSE.Issues of competition over enrolment are a concern for all schools, including those with thehighest levels of enrolment. Considerable time is deployed to monitor and promote enrolment. The principals of all the schools regularly visit their main feeder schools, as do the teachers with responsibility for the Year 8 intake. Almost all schools engage in marketing and public relations activities and some have adapted their curriculum to establish a 'niche'. All schools report drawing pupils from a larger number of primary schools than they did before 1990, although recent changes in the home-to-school transport regulations have limited the choice options for some economically disadvantaged families.As the option of fee-paying places is no longer available in grammar schools, the perceived need to obtain high Transfer Test grades has increased. Indications of this included high levels of pupil anxiety, disappointment and a sense of failure for the unsuccessful, the distortion of the upper primary curriculum to accommodate practice testing, and the neglect of the learning needs of opted-out children in some primary schools.Secondary school teachers report the continuing adverse effects on learning for children whose self-esteem has been damaged by failure in the Transfer Tests, the skewing of the ability range of their intake towards the lower end, the higher incidence of pupils admitted with emotional and behavioural difficulties and a low confidence in their capacity to learn successfully among children admitted to their schools. These challenges have to be confronted within a context of declining enrolments, and therefore declining financial and human resources.Grammar school teachers report increasing numbers of weaker pupils. This included a perception that some pupils with Transfer Test grade A had been 'coached beyond their ability'. This perception led some to question the reliability of the Transfer Tests. Some ofthese pupils have subsequently been 'counselled out' of grammar schools, a practice which is unwelcome in the secondary sector.Teachers' and pupils' views on selection are related to school sector. In general, those in grammar schools accept the principle of selection and wish to retain a more rigorous and reliable system. Those in secondary schools consider the system to operate unfairly to their disadvantage. A common view was that grammar schools should not be allowed to admit children with lower Transfer Test grades. They believe that they and their schools are considered 'second class', and consider the system's effects to be damaging to the bulk of pupils in post-primary education. Many wish for the abolition or deferral of selection.While many secondary school pupils indicated that they were enjoying their secondary school experiences and anticipating productive careers, many still felt resentful about their experiences of selection and felt that the system had been unfair to them.Each group of teachers, secondary and grammar, believed that the weight of public and political opinion ran counter to their preference. Grammar schools teachers felt that theposition of grammar schools had been undermined, while secondary teachers believed that the strength of the grammar school lobby would prevent any change. Teachers in bothsectors expressed feelings of powerlessness about their capacity to influence policy-makers about desired changes.


The Bayesian model of confidence posits that human confidence reports are a function of the posterior probability of being correct. We examine two proposed qualitative signatures of Bayesian confidence. We show that the proofs of these statements contain hidden assumptions that limit their applicability, and that they are neither necessary nor sufficient conditions for Bayesian confidence. One signature is an average confidence of 0.75 for trials with neutral evidence. This signature only holds when class-conditioned stimulus distributions do not overlap and internal noise is very low. Another signature is that, as stimulus magnitude increases, confidence increases on correct trials but decreases on incorrect trials. This signature is also dependent on stimulus distribution type. There is an alternative form of this signature that has been applied in the literature; we find no indication that this is expected under Bayesian confidence, which resolves an ostensible discrepancy. We conclude that, to determine the nature of the computations underlying confidence reports, there may be no shortcut to quantitative model comparison.


The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variant 20I/501Y.V1 (VOC-202012/1 or GR/501Y.V1) is concerning given its increased transmissibility. We reanalysed 11,916 PCR-positive tests (41% of all positive tests) performed on 7–8 January 2021 in France. The prevalence of 20I/501Y.V1 was 3.3% among positive tests nationwide and 6.9% in the Paris region. Analysing the recent rise in the prevalence of 20I/501Y.V1, we estimate that, in the French context, 20I/501Y.V1 is 52–69% more transmissible than the previously circulating lineages, depending on modelling assumptions.


In recent years, social movements and popular media have drawn attention to the issue of income inequality in the United States. This growing inequality in the distribution of income is often seen as a function of stagnating wage growth in the U.S. economy. There appears to be a fairly broad consensus among commentators that wage growth for many workers in the U.S. has stagnated in recent decades, though the precise causes and implications of this trend are a matter of considerable dispute. Some see it as a function of stagnant productivity growth, while others attribute it to the declining strength of the labor movement. This paper uses multiple regression analyses in an attempt to provide an empirical means to judge the theoretical salience of these contending viewpoints. The results of this study indicate that while wage growth has in fact maintained a positive correlation with productivity, this correlation is much weaker than expected, particularly for manufacturing industries. Furthermore, while labor union strength appears to be an insignificant factor in the determination of wages for manufacturing industries, it retains a strong statistical significance in service sector wages. I argue that this finding reflects a historical shift in the composition of U.S. industry. The data gathered in this study supports the view that labor union density plays a role in the strength of wage-productivity elasticity, which raises important questions of how best to conceptualize wage growth and aggregate income distribution from the standpoint of economic theory.


Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on craving, symptoms of depression and anxiety among the patients under MMT. Method: In this experimental study, 36 opiate addicts under MMT were selected out of all the patients referring to Iranian National Center of Addiction Studies on a judgmental sampling method and were randomly allocated to two experimental and control groups. In experimental group, a total sum of 8 sessions (one session per week) of cognitive behavioral group therapy were delivered. The main theme of these sessions were efficient management of craving, negative mood and anxiety. Data were gathered with different questionnaires including the questionnaire of demographic data, RPS for craving assessment, BDI-II for depression and BAI for anxiety. Different methods of statistical analysis were implemented. Results: The results indicated that post test and follow-up scores of craving index were decreased significantly (p<0.05). Depression and Anxiety scores showed significant decrease as well.


Abstract When suitable accompanists are not available to a soloist musician, an alternative possibility is to use computer-generated accompaniment. A computer accompanist should interact with the soloist and adapt to the soloist's playing as a human accompanist would, both reacting to expressive nuances of tempo and to unintentional errors such as wrong or mistimed notes. Over the past 25 years, accompaniment systems have been developed, all of which employ some form of score following: the process of following a musician's progress through the score of a piece during performance. This work considers the role of score following in automatic accompaniment. In this investigation we developed a computer accompanist that employs score following. Our computer musician uses Hidden Markov Models to model the score by metrical structure and to provide accompaniment to a soloist playing monophonic music in real time, as the soloist is playing. Working with MIDI input/output, it tracks tempo fluctuations, anticipates the soloist's next note and supports some amount of unintentional deviation from the score. Qualitative evaluation, by human testers, and quantitative evaluation, using measurable criteria taken from MIREX, reported that the system performs adequately. We then used interviews with eight human accompanists to consider how well a score following system models the accompaniment process. This evaluation raises questions about the musical interaction between soloist and accompanist that have received relatively little attention. The information we gathered from interviews suggests the importance of other aspects of accompaniment, such as the sharing of shape of the performance between musicians, rather than treating the accompanist as purely subservient. We discuss the implications of these issues for the design of automated accompanists.


An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of ginger root powder as natural feed additive on performance and blood serum constituents of layers, using 80 laying hens, 27 week of age in a completely randomized design with four replicates (20birds/treatment). Four experimental diets were formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of layer hens which included different levels of ginger root powder as follow: 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5%. The results showed that overall feed intake, daily feed intake, total laid eggs, hen day egg production, FCR (kg feed/dozen of egg) and egg cholesterol were not (P > 0.05) affected by the dietary treatments. Body weight change was significantly (P < 0.05) lower for birds received the diet contained 1.5% ginger root powder. Heamatological parameters (Hb, PCV and MCHC%) were not affected by dietary treatments. RBcs were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for birds consumed 1.5% ginger root powder. MCV and MCH were lowers for group received 1.5% ginger root powder diet. No significant differences were observed for serum total protein. However, serum glucose was decreased for birds fed 1.5% ginger root powder. Significant lowering effect was obtained for serum triglyceride, cholesterol and creatitine for those groups received 0, 1 and 1.5% ginger root powder. A higher level of calcium and phosphorus were showed for birds fed 0.5% ginger root powder. Inclusion of ginger root powder in the diet had no effect on layers performance, but it had lowering effect on serum cholesterol, triglyceride and creatitine levels.


This stratigraphical framework report presents a
lithostratigraphical scheme for the Quaternary succession
on the United Kingdom continental shelf (UKCS). The
emphasis has been placed on the delineation and definition
of a series of lithostratigraphical groups that provide
the basis for first-order correlation between Quaternary
deposits, both offshore and onshore. The proposed scheme
is based on information derived from the extensive marine
dataset acquired by the British Geological Survey (BGS)
since the late 1960s, and published as a series of offshore
maps and regional reports.
The first part of the report (Chapter 1) introduces the
project and in particular focuses upon the fundamental
differences between onshore and offshore stratigraphical
approaches. Resolving this problem is fundamental to
creating a unified stratigraphical scheme that is applicable
to both domains. The timescale that we use defines the base
of the Quaternary System/Period and the Pleistocene Series/
Epoch at 2.58 Ma, as formally ratified by the International
Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) (Gibbard et al.,
2010).
This is followed in Chapter 2 by a brief description
of the methodology that underpins the existing offshore
stratigraphy. Although this scheme has been constructed
largely on the basis of seismic stratigraphy, information on
the nature and age of the stratigraphical units is provided
by a wealth of borehole and short core data. Consequently,
the offshore scheme is best described as a hybrid of seismic,
litho- and biostratigraphy.
Chapter 3 outlines the principles behind the new
proposed lithostratigraphical scheme. Although the scheme
is not wholly lithostratigraphical in nature, the hierarchy
of lithostratigraphical nomenclature is adopted as the most
practical terminology for describing a succession that is
mappable at several levels, is divided by distinctive regional
bounding surfaces, and displays significant lithological
variation. By adopting a lithostratigraphical nomenclature
we retain consistency with a recently published BGS
onshore lithostratigraphical framework, thereby promoting
an integrated land–sea approach to Quaternary correlation.
A brief description of the new lithostratigraphical scheme
is presented in Chapter 4, with emphasis at the group level.
We define twelve groups from the Atlantic margin, North
Sea and Celtic Sea–Irish Sea region that represent regional
subdivision into predominantly non-glacial Lower–Middle
Pleistocene, and glacially-dominated Middle Pleistocene–
Holocene units. The proposed defining formations from
each group are presented in a series of accompanying
tables. Some of the larger estuaries (e.g. Moray Firth) and
the English Channel–South-west Approaches region remain
undivided at the present time.
A comparison of the UKCS lithostratigraphical scheme
with those in adjacent international sectors is presented in
Chapter 5, with specific focus on the Dutch and Norwegian
sectors. A major concern across the international boundaries
is that the lithostratigraphical hierarchy of equivalent units
varies between countries.
Chapter 6 presents some recommendations for further
work in order that the stratigraphical scheme be fully utilised
by the scientific community and industry. This includes: 1)
complete revision, update and population of the offshore
entries in the BGS Stratigraphical Lexicon of Named Rock
Units; 2) the production of a full framework report that
details all aspects of the offshore Quaternary succession
(groups, formations, members, etc); 3) a review of areas
where the Quaternary stratigraphy is ambiguous or poorly
defined; 4) the development of a single onshore–offshore
classification scheme that can be captured seamlessly
within the BGS Geological Spatial Database (GSD); and
5) the development of a unified North-west European
Quaternary stratigraphical scheme. It is concluded that
tasks 1 and 4 are essential corporate issues that underpin the
entire BGS superficial deposits framework.


Condition monitoring of track geometry from sensors mounted on an in-service vehicle offers continual monitoring of track geometry that can aid track maintenance strategies. Mounting and maintaining a full track geometry recording system on an in-service vehicle is an expensive proposition as the commonly used optical sensors are difficult to keep working in the dirty railway environment. A simpler andmore cost-effective alternative is to estimate track geometry using a small number of robust sensors such as accelerometers and rate gyroscopes, from which a worthwhile proportion of geometric quality measures and specific irregularities can be identified. This paper describes the theory and practical results of using a bogie-mounted pitchrate gyro to obtain mean vertical alignment, conditional on the secondary vertical damper geometry. Left and right axlebox-mounted accelerometers can be added to provide short wavelength irregularity, if required. Results from trials on Tyne and Wear Metro vehicles and on a Class 175 mainline vehicle demonstrate effective vertical irregularity monitoring, in particular the ability to monitor vertical irregularity over a wide range of vehicle speeds down to about 1 m s, where vertically sensing accelerometers combined with displacement transducers are unable to function correctly.


The PPP puzzle is based on empirical evidence that international price differences for individual goods (LOOP) or baskets of goods (PPP) appear highly persistent or even non-stationary. The present consensus is these price differences have a half-life that is of the order of five years at best, and infinity at worst. This seems unreasonable in a world where transportation and transaction costs appear so low as to encourage arbitrage and the convergence of price gaps over much shorter horizons, typically days or weeks. However, current empirics rely on a particular choice of methodology, involving (i) relatively low-frequency monthly, quarterly, or annual data, and (ii) a linear model specification. In fact, these methodological choices are not innocent, and they can be shown to bias analysis to-wards findings of slow convergence and a random walk. Intuitively, if we suspect that the actual adjustment horizon is of the order of days then monthly and annual data cannot be expected to reveal it. If we suspect arbitrage costs are high enough to produce a substantial band of inaction' then a linear model will fail to support convergence if the process spends considerable time random-walking in that band. Thus, when testing for PPP or LOOP, model specification and data sampling should not proceed without consideration of the actual institutional context and logistical framework of markets.


Abstract. The survey of historical façades contains several bottlenecks, mainly related to the geometrical structure, the decorative framework, the presence of natural or artificial obstacles, the environment limitations. Urban context presents additional restrictions, binding by ground acquisition activity and leading to building data loss. The integration of TLS and close-range photogrammetry allows to go over such stuff, not overcoming the shadows effect due to the ground point of view. In the last year the massive use of UAVs in survey activity has permitted to enlarge survey capabilities, reaching a deeper knowledge in the architecture analysis. In the meanwhile, several behaviour rules have been introduced in different countries, regulating the UAVs use in different field, strongly restricting their application in urban areas. Recently very small and light platforms have been presented, which can partially overcome these rules restrictions, opening to very interesting future scenarios. This article presents the application of one of these very small RPAS (less than 300 g), equipped with a low-cost camera, in a close range photogrammetric survey of an historical building façade in Bologna (Italy). The suggested analysis tries to point out the system accuracy and details acquisition capacity. The final aim of the paper is to validate the application of this new platform in an architectonic survey pipeline, widening the future application of close-range photogrammetry in the architecture acquisition process.


We study general quantum correlations of continuous variable Gaussian states and their interplay with entanglement. Specifically, we investigate the existence of a quantum protocol activating all nonclassical correlations between the subsystems of an input bipartite continuous variable system, into output entanglement between the system and a set of ancillae. For input Gaussian states, we prove that such an activation protocol cannot be accomplished with Gaussian operations, as the latter are unable to create any output entanglement from an initial separable yet nonclassical state in a worst-case scenario. We then construct a faithful non-Gaussian activation protocol, encompassing infinite-dimensional generalizations of controlled-not gates to generate entanglement between system and ancillae, in direct analogy with the finite-dimensional case. We finally calculate the negativity of quantumness, an operational measure of nonclassical correlations defined in terms of the performance of the activation protocol, for relevant classes of two-mode Gaussian states.


The phase structure function and the phase-slope structure function have been used to characterize atmospheric-turbulence parameters—parameters that are important in the performance evaluation and ultimately in the design of adaptive optics systems for astronomical imaging applications and for laser beam propagations. We have extended the method to account for the effects of strong beam-path-induced aberrations and additive measurement noise. A stable noise-suppressant algorithm is devised in which the estimation is done sequentially: first the atmospheric-turbulence parameters are estimated independently, and then the noise-variance parameter is estimated. The developed theory is applied to the Shack–Hartmann wave-front-sensor data collected in the recently completed Airborne Laser Extended Atmospheric Characterization Experiment for very-long-horizontal-path (between 60 and 100 km) laser beam propagations. The estimated r0 values are in general agreement with the values obtained from the high-bandwidth scintillometer analysis on data taken in the same experiment. In addition, if the atmospheric turbulence spectrum can be described by a simple power law, then the data reduction with use of the developed estimation equations, which allow arbitrary atmospheric-turbulence power-law values, indicates that deviation from Kolmogorov turbulence is negligible.


The elections for the European Parliament that will take place on 23-26 May 2019 will most probably disprove the second-order nature of the European elections and invert the steady decline in voter turnout, for the first time since 1979: not only the pace, but also the direction of the future process of European integration is at stake. However, the legal framework governing the electoral and democratic process in the European Union is far from unified and uncertainties and ambiguities are still existing: especially regarding the constitutional convention on the lead candidates, known as Spitzenkandidaten, which still appears far from consolidated and is affected by the ambiguous design of the form of government of the European Union.


Challenging all of our old assumptions about the subject, Rethinking Body Language builds on the most recent cutting-edge research to offer a new theoretical perspective on this subject that will transform the way we look at other people. In contrast to the traditional view that body language is primarily concerned with the expression of emotions and the negotiation of social relationships, author Geoff Beattie argues instead that gestures reflect aspects of our thinking but in a different way to verbal language. Critically, the spontaneous hand movements that people make when they talk often communicate a good deal more than they intend.

This ground-breaking book takes body language analysis to a whole new level. Engagingly written by one of the leading experts in the field, it shows how we can detect deception in gesture–speech mismatches and how these unconscious movements can give us real insight into people's underlying implicit attitudes.


Space debris is growing at an alarming rate. It consists not only of old, unusable payloads but also aluminum oxide combustion products of various space delivery systems and small fragments from payload breakup. Although the thousands of large, trackable objects pose a collision hazard for future US space vehicles, the smaller, untrackable particles are an even larger threat due to their high velocities and nondetectability prior to impact. Even though efforts are under way to reduce the growth of this pollution problem, an effective debris clearing method is needed to ensure safe launch and deployment of expensive national space assets. This paper discusses the space debris problem, reviews some previously proposed solutions, and presents a new possible solution involving use of energetic material charges to cause reentry or escape of debris objects.


Much concern on publications is seen in the academe for the past ten years. The notion of publish or perish has been troubling many faculties and scholars. More specifically, publishing in journals included in the Thomson Reuters' ISI Web of Science. Similarly in Taiwan, many are concerned with the actual effects such phenomenon. To better understand this issue, the current paper shall showcase the findings of an empirical study. A survey with regards to various publication implications are distributed randomly to 200 faculties and graduate students. A total of 95 valid returns were analyzed. Results indicate that the highest or the most important factor in the various academic setting and activities is the Number of publications indexed in ISI and the Number of publications indexed in Taiwan Citation Indexes. In sum, with ISI indexed journals playing a major role in academic key performance indicators, alternatives are being suggested and considered in order to make the evaluations more holistic and fair.


Purpose: The purpose of this study is carried out to analyze the change in intraocular pressure after cataract surgery. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective interventional case series of 218 patients, who underwent phacoemulsification surgery. Pre-operative and post-operative, intraocular pressure, and pachymetry were recorded. The change in intraocular pressure was recorded in both operated and fellow eyes and was compared using the statistical methods. Results: There was a mean reduction of 0.93 mm Hg in intraocular pressure in operated eye, which was statistically significant (P value 0.004). The change in fellow eye was 0.31 mm Hg, which was statistically insignificant (P value 0.16). Conclusion: This study proves the significant reduction in intraocular pressure after cataract surgery.


Until recent decades, the establishment of protected areas contributed to the dispossession and marginalisation of Indigenous peoples in Australia. Recently, governance and policy frameworks have been developed and refined to recognise protected areas as part of Indigenous land and sea country, and to enable Indigenous people to participate in conservation planning and country management. Australia is an international pioneer in co-management of terrestrial protected areas and the declaration and management of Indigenous protected areas. However, progress has not been uniform across Australia and further policy and protocol development is required in the recognition of Indigenous peoples' rights and interests in marine protected area management; the implications of native title determinations over protected areas; and the achievement of practical, meaningful social and environmental benefits through conservation agreements and activities. This article considers progress in two key areas of Indigenous contribution to protected area management: co-management (joint management) of protected areas, which commenced in the late 1970s; and Indigenous Protected Areas, which commenced in 1997. Our observations concerning the achievements of the last 30 years and the opportunities for future directions within and beyond these initiatives were informed by participant contributions at the 2008 Australian Protected Areas Congress. Conference workshops and deliberations led to recommendations for improvements to enhance the recognition, respect and rights of Traditional Owners as protected area co-managers. Improved partnerships and communications across existing cooperative planning models are needed to enable Indigenous and non- Indigenous collaborators to share ways of enabling Country-based planning and management to assist in species and landscape conservation.


In an era of increasing dependence on data science and big data, the voices of one set of major stakeholders – the world's children and those who advocate on their behalf – have been largely absent. A recent paper estimates one in three global internet users is a child, yet there has been little rigorous debate or understanding of how to adapt traditional, offline ethical standards for research involving data collection from children, to a big data, online environment (Livingstone et al., 2015). This paper argues that due to the potential for severe, long-lasting and differential impacts on children, child rights need to be firmly integrated onto the agendas of global debates about ethics and data science. The authors outline their rationale for a greater focus on child rights and ethics in data science and suggest steps to move forward, focusing on the various actors within the data chain including data generators, collectors, analysts and end-users. It concludes by calling for a much stronger appreciation of the links between child rights, ethics and data science disciplines and for enhanced discourse between stakeholders in the data chain, and those responsible for upholding the rights of children, globally.


Hurricane Katrina, the largest disaster in the history of the United States, caused widespread property destruction throughout the Gulf Coast, but particularly in the city of New Orleans. Although the storm created an environment which facilitated increased mortgage defaults in the area, the Article analyzes data from the Orleans Parish Recorder of Mortgages Office and from the Orleans Parish Civil District Court and concludes that foreclosure filing rates in the year after Katrina in fact decreased significantly from the rates for the corresponding period in the year prior to the storm. This result is contrary to what would normally be expected in a usual mortgage lending market, where an increase in the rate of mortgage default would lead to an increase in the rate of foreclosure. The Article evaluates in detail the legal and market responses to mortgage default after the storm that contributed to the reduction in foreclosure actions in Orleans Parish in the year after Katrina. Secondary mortgage market initiatives provided the principal means for mortgage relief, because Louisiana debtors received little in the way of formal legal relief. Even though secondary market responses were successful in protecting mortgage debtors after Katrina, their limitations in scope make them inadequate to address the years of financial distress that might likely follow any disaster of the magnitude of Katrina. Thus, while the Katrina experience demonstrates that secondary market interventions can effectively reduce debtor distress after a major disaster, such interventions should not been seen as a substitute for more traditional legal responses to address mortgage debtor distress after disasters or other economic crises.


Over recent decades, the interest in wildlife has remarkably increased amongst veterinarians and the mouflon and its related parasitic diseases were amongst the investigated topics. In Italy, the mouflon is widespread in the Alps, central-north Apennines, and Sardinia. Population size was estimated at about 20,000 heads in 2010. However, mouflons are currently on the decrease in the Alps due to wolf predation and high hunting pressure to prevent competition with native Caprines. Veterinary parasitologists largely contributed to the understanding of pathogens and their ecological roles amongst native and introduced mouflons into Italy. Their work, including "grey" literature, was collected on a floppy disk for the first time in the 1990s. A second update appeared in the first decade of the new century. Along these lines, we also revisited and collected data concerning the last 20 years, thus creating a website (http:// www.parasitepub.altervista.org) which can be consulted virtually and universally. To create our database, we searched and classified the publications retrieved from annals of academic departments, journals, conference proceedings, university libraries and on-line data banks. Our database aims to be as up-to-date as possible and as updatable as possible. Contributions were classified according to four interpretative levels. Our search is based on the retrieval of 47 papers from 1970 to 2015. The studied mouflons originated mainly from Northern Italy (57%), followed by Central Italy (28%) and Sardinia (15%). Among parasite groups, nematodes were the most frequently studied (44% of papers) followed by arthropods (15%), protozoa (12%), trematodes and cestodes (11%), dermatophytes (7%). The analysis of ecopathological levels revealed the predominance of the first (56%) followed by the second (23%), the third (18%) and the fourth (3%). The newly created website is intended as an easy-to-use bibliographic tool to support investigation on parasites and parasitic diseases in free-ranging wildlife in Italy.


Huxian Peasant Paintings are a product of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Ostensibly painted by peasant amateur artists, they depict idealized peasants in rural China. The paintings were reproduced in large numbers and distributed as posters for the masses. Further evidence has shown that the amateur artists were in fact given detailed training by professional artists under the guidance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This paper seeks to analyze the images as important political texts from the Cultural Revolution because of the influence of the CCP. Using discourse analysis, this paper argues that these posters are an important discursive formation that allowed the CCP to transmit ideology to a largely illiterate or semiliterate rural population.


1. To assess the impact of soil cultivation on the horizontal movement of seeds in arable soil, plastic beads and barley or triticale seeds were used as seed models. Different coloured beads were introduced in the field immediately before each of five cultivations: ploughing, two tine cultivations, harrowing and seed drilling. Beads were recovered from 20-cm soil cores divided into four 5-cm deep soil horizons.

2. After a typical cultivation sequence of five operations, beads were found up to 15 m from their source, although most beads were found within 2 m. Most beads were recovered from the surface 5 cm of the soil profile, except for those introduced onto the surface or at 20 cm depth before ploughing, which were concentrated below 10 cm.

3. Regression analysis was used to determine the pattern of bead movement by seed drilling. A novel analysis using Fast Fourier Transforms established the probability distribution functions of the remaining cultivation operations for horizontal movement. Using the final seed distributions, the effects of each cultivation were sequentially deconvoluted and the probability distribution functions smoothed. The proportions of beads moved were also calculated.

4. Ploughing and seed drilling moved seed the least distance compared with other cultivations. The mean distances moved were 0·36 m and 0·26 m, respectively. Tine cultivations moved beads 0·71 m and 1·21 m, while harrowing moved seed a mean distance of 1·58 m. Cultivation sequences based on ploughing are likely to limit seed movement in soil.

5. The Fourier deconvolution approach has potential for predicting future seed distributions and thus the spatial behaviour of weed patches within fields.


Autosomal dominant mutations S326fs328X and A322D in the GABAA receptor α1 subunit are associated with human absence epilepsy and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, respectively. Because these mutations substantially reduce α1 subunit protein expression in vitro, it was hypothesized that they produce epilepsy by causing α1 subunit haploinsufficiency. However, in a mixed background strain of mice, α1 subunit deletion does not reduce viability or cause visually apparent seizures; the effects of α1 subunit deletion on electroencephalography (EEG) waveforms were not investigated. Here, we determined the effects of α1 subunit loss on viability, EEG spike‐wave discharges and seizures in congenic C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Deletion of α1 subunit caused strain‐ and sex‐dependent reductions in viability. Heterozygous mice experienced EEG discharges and absence‐like seizures within both background strains, and exhibited a sex‐dependent effect on the discharges and viability in the C57BL/6J strain. These findings suggest that α1 subunit haploinsufficiency can produce epilepsy and may be a major mechanism by which the S326fs328X and A322D mutations cause these epilepsy syndromes.


Background & Objectives : The comfort lighting in the workplace provides employees visual health which can improve safety, visual comfort and enhance performance and product quality. The present study was conducted to evaluate general and local lighting in carpet weaving workshops in Bijar city. Methods : In this descriptive analytical study, 101 carpet weaving workshops were randomly selected. The illuminance were measured based on the models and formulas presented in Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) using luxmeter model Hagner EC1 in height 76 cm from the ground surface. The local illuminances were measured in horizontal and vertical weaving level. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16). Results : Research findings revealed the average of total and artificial illuminance level were 484.5±458.9 and 80.0±49.9 Lx respectively. Mean total, natural and artificial illuminance 39.6, 57.4 and 100 percent were lower the recommended 300 Lx levels. The average of minimum of local illuminance was less than 500 Lx in all workshops. Conclusion : About 60% of workrooms had the acceptable general illuminance levels in middle day. However, due to the insufficient lighting sources in workshops, the artificial illuminance levels are unsuitable. Therefore, it is necessary to improve general illuminance levels by reform and repair artificial lighting systems or redesign them in carpet weaving workrooms.


The family of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) transcription factors controls diverse mammalian signalling responses that mediate cell survival, inflammation, and immune response. Complex spatial and temporal dynamics observed in the NF-κB pathway are believed to determine gene expression profiles, which confer different physiological responses. The intricate and non-linear nature of the NF-κB system has benefited from the application of mathematical modelling methods which provide non-intuitive insights into the mechanism of cellular regulation.

It has become apparent that responses in signalling networks are influenced by complex spatial and temporal dynamics, which arise from a diverse range of competitive and combinatorial interactions. The systematic collection of quantitative data allows the application of a systems biology approaches to investigate and model complex biological systems. Through reiterative cycles of experimental and mathematical analysis it is possible to make predictions which generate testable hypotheses and guide future research.

The primary aim of this work is to consider ways in which understanding of the core NF-κB system can be expanded to include a wider array of dynamic interactions using both theoretical and experimental approaches. From a modelling perspective, the goal of the project was to consider methods of how the network presented by Ashall et al. could be adapted and expanded to incorporate new data on the interactions of NF-κB with other signalling pathways. The main technique was to explore different network topologies and parameter set spaces in order to elucidate key features of the system structure. In experimental terms the goal was to consider methods and techniques of observing molecular dynamics and interactions in live cells and to define the potential and limitations of these tools for studying the NF-κB signalling pathway. In particular, fluorescence fluctuation microscopy approaches are explored. By combining both experimental and theoretical approaches, a new model of NF-κB signalling is proposed, with statements on the dynamics of protein complex formation in live cells made.


Noise reduction is one of the most exciting problems in electronic speckle pattern interferometry. We present a homomorphic partial differential equation filtering method for interferometry fringe patterns. The diffusion speed of the equation is determined based on the fringe density. We test the new method on the computer-simulated fringe pattern and experimentally obtain the fringe pattern, and evaluate its filtering performance. The qualitative and quantitative analysis shows that this technique can filter off the additive and multiplicative noise of the fringe patterns effectively, and avoid blurring high-density fringe. It is more capable of improving the quality of fringe patterns than the classical filtering methods.


This report summarizes findings presented in Report Nos. 10 - 12. Included are the results of studies aimed at improving and extending Asplund's solids loading model, increasing data on the ratios of various pollutants to total suspended solids (TSS) in the runoff, investigating the fate of heavy metals in drainage systems, and conducting bioassays on sensitive organisms exposed to highway runoff.


Bark beetles have killed more than 100,000 km 2 of pine forest in western North America, causing trees to lose the majority of their canopy material and potentially leading to enhanced subcanopy snow accumulation. Over a 45-day period, we tested this hypothesis by measuring daily snow accumulation in three living and two dead lodgepole pine stands and in three adjacent clearings. The largest clearing was selected as our reference clearing based on previous studies. At maximum premelt snow water equivalent (SWE), this clearing had accumulated 50.4-cm SWE, while 45.6-cm SWE accumulated under dead stands and 38.1-cm SWE accumulated under living stands. Dead stand snowpacks were both denser and deeper than those in living stands. We attribute higher subcanopy accumulation under dead stands, compared to living stands, to diminished canopy snow interception and sublimation. Storm-scale canopy interception was also estimated by comparing SWE in forests and clearings before and after storm events. Over 10 storms, dead and living stands intercepted 18 and 41% of snowfall, respectively. The amount of interception increased linearly with storm size in the living stands, but not dead stands. We estimate more than half of snow falling on living stands sublimated, with measurably less sublimation in dead stands.


For systems that are in equilibrium, fluctuations can be understood through interactions with external heat reservoirs. For this reason these fluctuations are known as thermal noise, and they usually become vanishingly small in the thermodynamic limit. However, many systems comprising interacting constituents studied by physicists in recent years are both far from equilibrium, and sufficiently small so that they must be considered finite. The finite number of constituents gives rise to an inherent demographic noise in the system, a source of fluctuations that is always present in the stochastic dynamics. This thesis investigates the role of stochastic fluctuations in the macroscopically observable dynamical behaviour of non-equilibrium, finite systems. To facilitate such a study, we construct microscopic models using an individual based modelling approach, allowing the explicit form of the demographic noise to be identified. In many physical systems and theoretical models, absorbing states are a defining feature. Once a system enters one, it cannot leave. We study the dynamics of a system with two symmetric absorbing states, finding that the amplitude of the multiplicative noise can induce a transition between two universal modes of domain coarsening as the system evolves to one of the absorbing states. In biological and ecological systems, cycles are a ubiquitously observed phenomenon, but are difficult to predict analytically from stochastic models. We examine a potential mechanism for cycling behaviour due to the flow of probability currents, induced by the athermal nature of the demographic noise, in a single patch population comprising two competing species. We find that such a current by itself cannot generate macroscopic cycles, but when combined with deterministic dynamics which constrain the system to a closed circular manifold, gives rise to global quasicycles in the population densities. Finally, we examine a spatially extended system comprising many such patch populations, exploring the emergence of synchronisation between the different cycles. By a stability analysis of the global synchronised state, we probe the relationship between the synchronicity of the metapopulation and the magnitude of the coupling between patches due to species migration. In all cases, we conclude that the nature of the demographic noise can play a pivotal role in the macroscopically observed dynamical behaviour of the system.


Many karst aquifers are rapidly filled and depleted and therefore are likely to be susceptible to changes in short- term climate variability. Here we explore methods that could be applied to model site-specific hydraulic responses, with the intent of simulating these responses to different climate scenarios from high-resolution climate models. We compare hydraulic responses (spring flow, groundwater level, stream base flow, and cave drip) at several sites in two karst aquifers: the Edwards aquifer (Texas, USA) and the Madison aquifer (South Dakota, USA). A lumped-parameter model simulates nonlinear soil moisture changes for estimation of recharge, and a time-variant convolution model simulates the aquifer response to this recharge. Model fit to data is 2.4 % better for calibration periods than for validation periods according to the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency, which ranges from 0.53 to 0.94 for validation periods. We use metrics that describe the shapes of the impulse-response functions (IRFs) obtained from convolution modeling to make comparisons in the distribution of response times among sites and between aquifers. Time-variant IRFs were applied to 62 % of the sites. Principal component analysis (PCA) of metrics describing the shapes of the IRFs indicates three principal components that together account for 84 % of the variability in IRF shape: the first is related to IRF skewness and temporal spread and accounts for 51 % of the variability; the second and third largely are related to time-variant properties and together ac- count for 33 % of the variability. Sites with IRFs that domi- nantly comprise exponential curves are separated geograph- ically from those dominantly comprising lognormal curves in both aquifers as a result of spatial heterogeneity. The use of multiple IRF metrics in PCA is a novel method to charac- terize, compare, and classify the way in which different sites and aquifers respond to recharge. As convolution models are developed for additional aquifers, they could contribute to an IRF database and a general classification system for karst aquifers.


Background: Unlike other chronic diseases, people receiving anti-retroviral treatment should have very high levels of adherence (≥ 95%) to achieve durable suppression of viral load; avoid the emergence of drug resistance and clinical failure. Therefore this study was aimed to assess level of adherence and predictors of poor adherence among adult ART patients at Dubbo St. Marry Hospital, Southern Ethiopia. Method: A facility based cross sectional study was conducted to collect data by using structured questionnaires and Moriky's Medication adherence method. Both binary and multiple logistic analyses were performed to examine the influences of different variables on adherence and controlling for potential confounders


We have investigated the role of conformation of HIV-1 gp120 on its potential efficacy as a subunit vaccine. The questions that we set out to answer were: 1) Are there neutralizing antibodies directed to conformational epitopes in gp120? 2) If so, what is the spectrum of virus isolates neutralized by these antibodies? 3) Is a conformationally correct gp120 subunit more effective in the induction of neutralizing antibodies than a denatured subunit? 4) Does native gp120 subunit vaccination induce a broader neutralizing response than a gp120 antigen that cannot display conformational epitopes? To address these questions, we characterized the gp120-specific antibody response of HIV-1-infected humans and of experimental animals immunized with recombinant native and nonnative gp120 subunits. Two versions of recombinant gp120 produced from the HIV-SF2 isolate of HIV-1 were employed in these studies: 1) a nonglycosylated, denatured version produced in genetically engineered yeast, which we presume is capable of presenting only linear determinants, and 2) a fully glycosylated, native version, produced in genetically engineered mammalian cells, that is capable of displaying linear as well as conformational epitopes. Antibodies directed exclusively to conformational epitopes in gp120 were purified from pooled HIV antibody-positive human sera using these two versions of HIV-SF2 gp120. These antibodies exhibited neutralizing activity, and this activity was effective in the neutralization of a different, broader spectrum of HIV-1 isolates than that of antibodies to linear determinants in gp120 purified from the same serum pool. When these two versions of HIV-SF2 gp120 were used as subunit immunogens in baboons, clear differences in their abilities to elicit neutralizing antibodies were observed. The native version was more effective in the induction of neutralizing antibodies effective against HIV-SF2, the homologous virus isolate. The isolate specificity of the neutralizing response to these two versions of HIV-SF2 gp120 also differed. The nonglycosylated version induced neutralizing antibodies that were effective against only the isolate, or closely related isolates, from which the antigen was derived. In contrast, the native version induced a neutralizing response that was effective against a broad panel of HIV-1 isolates, including at least one isolate that one would not expect to be neutralized by antibodies to the PND of HIV-SF2 gp120.


Humans learn motor skills over an extended period of time, in parallel with many other cognitive changes. The ways in which action cognition develops and links to social and executive cognition are under investigation. Recent literature is reviewed which fi nds evidence that infants advance from chaotic movement to adult-like patterns in the fi rst two or three years of life, and that their motor performance continues to improve and develop into the teenage years. Studies of links between motor and cognitive systems suggest that motor skill is weakly linked to executive function and more robustly predicts social skill. Few, if any, models account directly for these patterns of results, so the different categories of models available are described.


To study the outcome of various methods of endometrial ablation as a treatment of heavy vaginal bleeding, the records and post-operative histories were reviewed of 122 women with a mean age of 47 years who attended the Women's Hospital, Doha, Qatar, between January 2002 and December 2005. Post-operative amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, or a normal flow plus a satisfied patient were considered evidence of success; a needforfurther medical or surgical intervention was consideredfailure. Fifty-eight women (47.5%) had Thermachoice Balloon Ablation with a success rate of 83%; 37 (30%) had Microwave Endometrial Ablation (MEA) with 71% success; and27 (22%) had Transcervical Resection of Endometrium (TCRE) with 74% success. Apart from the duration of the procedures there were no statistically significant differences in age, parity, pre-operative haemoglobin and platelets, presence of fibroids, pre-operative endometrial preparation by hormones, or final satisfaction level. It is concluded that Balloon Thermal Ablation, MEA and TCRE are equally effective for the treatment of abnormal vaginal bleeding.


Taxation constitutes one of the main elements of government management—which includes empirical observations and thought regarding the role of government in economic development. Taxes themselves comprise – rightly so – the main source of a country's income. Based on this income, the government can regulate economic conditions and growth, rates of unemployment and inflation, leading not only toward economic ends (such as increasing per capita income, economic growth, reducing unemployment and stabilizing the economy) but also, social improvement ends, such as equity, education and health.

Nicholas Kaldor – a leading British economist – argued that in order to progress, a country must be able to collect taxes amounting to 25 to 35% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Although calling for a lower target, the UN Millennium Project in 2005 stressed the need for a 4% increase from the current average tax-income-to-GDP percentage, namely 18%.

In principle, the state, as a producer involved in the creation of value together with the whole society, earns income in four forms. The first of these is Direct Taxes, that is, part of the income that is generated through the production of commodities, which constitutes part of the surplus value and wages produced in a given period. The second is Public Loans, for example, state issued bonds that people purchase using the surplus value they have accumulated, in the expectation of gaining additional surplus value from their investments. The third form is Indirect Taxes, such as excise tax (on imported commodities as well as commodities that circulate in country, such as cigarettes), sales tax and valueadded tax.


Background Little is known about long-term emotional and cognitive consequences of falls. We examined the association between falls and subsequent cognitive decline, and tested the hypothesis that depression would mediate any falls–cognition association among cognitively intact Hispanic Elders. Methods We used data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly to examine change in Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores over the 6-year period according to number of falls. All participants (N=1,119) had MMSE scores ≥21 and complete data on Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale, social and demographic factors, medical conditions (diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and hypertension), and hand grip muscle strength. Results At baseline, participants' mean age was 80.8 years (range, 74–109), mean education was 6.3 years (range, 0–17), and mean MMSE was 25.2 (range, 21–30). Of the 1,119 participants, 15.8% experienced one fall and 14.4% had two or more falls. In mixed model analyses, having two or more falls was associated with greater decline in MMSE score (estimate =−0.81, standard error =0.19, P<0.0001) compared to having no fall, after adjusting for age, sex, marital status, and education. The magnitude of the association decreased (estimate =−0.65, standard error =0.19, P=0.0007) when adjustment was made for high depressive symptoms, suggesting a possible mediating effect of depression on the falls–cognition association. Female sex, high level of education, and high performance in hand grip muscle strength were associated with a slower decline in MMSE scores. Conclusion Having two or more falls was independently associated with steeper decline in cognition over 6 years, with a possible mediating effect of depression on the falls–cognition association.


The paper examines tourism potentials of industrial heritage of Novi Sad, especially the area of the local community Podbara, where there are the remains of the first industrial zone in Novi Sad. After its urban decay in the last two decades, the town tends to improve its image and restore its local economy by means of tourism promotion. The question imposes whether there is the possibility of implementing industrial heritage into the official tourist offer of Novi Sad. The research demonstrates the overall problem of industrial heritage in the town and identifies attributes of tourism planning and design of industrial heritage objects, taking into account the needs and aspirations of tourists, during their visits, stays, tours and their participation in the production process within industrial heritage objects. The hypothesis of the paper has been put forward and the methodology described in detail. The findings reveal various problems, such as weak perception of the local community, inadequate support from the base and problem of authenticity. The research scope of the study provides the proposal for future innovations in industrial heritage tourism development.


The possibility of a general excess of charge in the universe is proposed. If such exists, even to the extent of only 2 parts in 1018, sufficiently powerful electric forces result to produce the observed expansion of the universe on the basis of Newtonian mechanics. If the excess occurs as a slight difference in magnitude of the proton and electron charges, the hypothesis may be on the verge of what could be established by experiment. If creation of matter, and also necessarily charge, is assumed, the Maxwell equations must be modified to avoid strict conservation. The appropriate modification is shown to involve additional terms in the current and charge-density equations proportional to the vector and scalar potentials. When applied to a spherically symmetrical smoothed-out universe, the revised equations establish almost rigorously that electrical requirements imply a strict velocitydistance law for the mass motion of expansion. For agreement with observation, the requisite charge on the proton would be (1 + y) e where y = 2 x 10-18, or, if the charges are strictly equal in magnitude, it requires 1 + y protons for every electron, with the same value of y. The value of the Hubble constant and of the smoothed-out density of matter in the universe are shown to be simply related by the theory to the rate of creation. The same solution is shown to hold equally in de Sitter space-time, and the principle of complete equivalence of all observers at all times is thereby demonstrated to be a property of the solution. Construction of the corresponding stress-energy tensor enables the factor associated with the new terms in the Maxwell equations to be directly related to the observable radius of the universe. On the first form of the charge-excess hypothesis, galaxies and clusters of galaxies (with their haloes) arise as ionized condensation units within the general background distribution. Since the units are conducting, they remain electrically neutral, and therefore grow and are controlled by ordinary gravitational forces. Moreover, because they are conducting, the units will expel their excess charge in the form of free protons. It is shown that the electrostatic potential at the surface of a unit is maintained by creation at such a value that the protons are expelled with energies corresponding to the highest energy cosmic rays. These units will take part in the general expansion, not under the direct action of the electric repulsion, but because they form and grow from the expanding background material. Any small departure in velocity of a unit from the local value would be quickly removed through the gravitational braking action associated with accretion of further material. The gravitational potential at the surface of a unit is such that infalling hydrogen atoms will have energy of motion corresponding to temperature of the order of a million degrees, and the outer parts of the units at least will be at high temperature.


We present two algorithms for unfolding the surface of any polyhedron, all of whose faces are triangles, to a nonoverlapping, connected planar layout. The surface is cut only along polyhedron edges. The layout is connected, but it may have a disconnected interior: the triangles are connected at vertices, but not necessarily joined along edges.


The authors report on 2 patients with bilateral vestibular schwannomas (VSs) who underwent unilateral surgical tumor removal. One patient was followed up for 4 years, the other for 9; in both cases, the contralateral VS regressed markedly without any additional treatment during the follow-up period. Serial MR imaging was performed to monitor the untreated tumor, which in both cases involved the only hearing ear. The tumors were assessed volumetrically. The contralateral tumors appeared to enlarge mildly at initial follow-up and then, with no treatment, regressed (to 23% of the original maximum volume in Case 1 and to 15% of the original maximum in Case 2). The largest posterior fossa diameter decreased from 30.1 mm to 18.6 mm in Case 1 over 4 years and from 27 mm to 16 mm over 8 years in Case 2. Hearing declined only mildly during follow-up in both patients. These cases demonstrate the first well-documented, long-term, spontaneous VS regressions in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 2. They underline the importance of careful observation of VS involving the only hearing ear in the management of bilateral VS to determine the natural growth pattern of the tumors. The mechanism of the dramatic spontaneous tumor regression is uncertain.


This study provides evidence that individual investors are better off by investing through mutual funds run by skilled fund managers, who not only deliver higher risk-adjusted returns in normal times but also attain similar performance even during turbulent economic states, such as the 2007–2009 global financial crisis. Specifically, we show that, on average, fund managers with the highest skill (top 20%) added $6.877 million of value annually during the early crisis period and $4.065 million of value during the late crisis period, compared with $3.198 million gain realized during the entire sample period. Low-skill fund managers (bottom 20%), however, lost $0.844 million of value during the early crisis period and $5.323 million of value during the late crisis period. TOPICS: Performance measurement, manager selection, wealth management Key Findings • Active managed mutual funds with skilled managers can serve an important insurance and value generating function not only during normal times but also in extreme economic downturns. • Funds run by skilled managers experienced significant capital inflows during both the early and late stages of the financial crisis, whereas their low skilled counterparts incurred significant capital outflows. • Fund management skill persists at least 1 year during the whole financial crisis period.


A system for quieting microphone wind noise using local wind velocity measurements is desirable. The concept is shown to be feasible, however, optimization of the cancellation system requires understanding the correlation characteristics between microphone signals (pressure) and anemometer signals (velocity). Wind data was recorded using microphones and anemometers with separation distances from 2.5 to 20 centimeters. The measurements were made in a single plane parallel to the airflow. Both the microphone pressure and wind velocity signals displayed an approximate 1/f frequency characteristic. In addition, correlation strength between wind signals (both pressure and velocity) decreased with increasing separation distance. Correlation estimates from microphone to microphone, anemometer to anemometer, and microphone to anemometer are presented. It is demonstrated that adaptive signal processing algorithms can be utilized to reduce microphone wind noise using anemometer signals as a reference.


GD 356 is unique among magnetic white dwarfs because it shows Zeeman-split Balmer lines in pure emission. The lines originate from a region of nearly uniform field strength (δB/B≈ 0.1) that covers 10 per cent of the stellar surface in which there is a temperature inversion. The energy source that heats the photosphere remains a mystery but it is likely to be associated with the presence of a companion. Based on current models, we use archival Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) observations to place a new and stringent upper limit of 12 MJ for the mass of such a companion. In the light of this result and the recent discovery of a 115-min photometric period for GD 356, we exclude previous models that invoke accretion and revisit the unipolar inductor model that has been proposed for this system. In this model, a highly conducting planet with a metallic core orbits the magnetic white dwarf and, as it cuts through field lines, a current is set flowing between the two bodies. This current dissipates in the photosphere of the white dwarf and causes a temperature inversion. Such a planet is unlikely to have survived both the red and asymptotic giant branch phases of evolution so we argue that it may have formed from the circumstellar disc of a disrupted He or CO core during a rare merger of two white dwarfs. GD 356 would then be a white dwarf counterpart of the millisecond binary pulsar PSR 1257+12 which is known to host a planetary system.


The metasedimentary Arvonia Formation in the Piedmont Province of central Virginia ranges primarily from slates to garnet schists, which unconformably overly Middle Ordovician metavolcanic rocks of the Chopawamsic arc terrane. The formation has typically been interpreted as Late Ordovician based on poorly preserved fossils, perhaps having formed as a successor basin following accretion of the Chopawamsic arc to Laurentia. However, alternative interpretations have been proposed, including deposition outboard of Laurentia on Chopawamsic arc crust (that is, prior to accretion). Furthermore, the origin of the Chopawamsic arc as peri-Laurentian or peri-Gondwanan is an unresolved issue. We report whole-rock major and trace element compositions as well as Nd-isotopic compositions of the Arvonia Formation, and use these results to evaluate further its origin. Samples collected along the length of the outcrop belt show similar major element compositions, which are typical of shales. Chemical Index of Alteration values (68-89), corrected for K-metasomatism, indicate intermediate to extreme levels of source weathering. A majority of the samples show uniform rare-earth element (REE) patterns that are light REE-enriched with negative Eu-anomalies. A few samples display anomalous REE patterns, indicative of some disturbance of the light REE at approximately the time of deposition. A variety of trace element values or ratios indicate that Arvonia sediments are similar to shale composites (thus upper continental crust). Nd-isotopic compositions for eight samples are similar, with εNd = −5.6 to −8.9 (400 Ma). Collectively, these results are consistent with derivation of Arvonia sediments from a single source or well-mixed sources of typical upper crustal composition. The isotopic data are compatible with a Laurentian provenance, however, they are equally compatible with a strictly Chopawamsic crustal source based on available Nd isotopic data.


This comprehensive and accessible Handbook presents state-of-the-art research on the decision-making processes in the deliverance of mega-projects – large infrastructure projects for the transportation of people and/or goods.


We compared metal concentrations in larvae of two Chironomus species (Chironomus staegeri and Chironomustigris) living in the same lake and at the same depth and time. Concentrations of the nonessential metal cadmium (Cd) differed greatly (>8x) between the two species, whereas those of two essential metals differed either much less (zinc [Zn], 2x) or not at all (copper [Cu]). These trends were constant in all seasons. On the one hand, differences in Cd and Zn concentrations between the species were not explained by differences in either their size or their life cycle. Likewise, differential exposure to dissolved metals did not explain larval Cd and Zn concentrations because vertical gradients in dissolved metals did not correlate with depths of larval feeding. On the other hand, the species differed in the type of sediment that they consumed, and measurements of sulfur stable isotopes in larvae confirmed that whereas C. staegeri consumes mostly surface oxic sediment, C. tigris eats mainly deeper anoxic sediment. Because total metal concentrations in gut contents were not correlated with those in larvae, it is likely that metal bioavailability differs between the two sediment types. Overall, our results show that because metal concentrations can differ widely between sympatric congeners, extrapolation from one Chironomus species to another may not be justifiable. Furthermore, because larvae exposed to Zn in the laboratory did not accumulate this metal as they would in the field, we suggest that care is warranted when extrapolating from results obtained in laboratory tests to animals living in the field.


This article analyzes and comments on the Supreme Court appeal in Jesner v. The Arab Bank, to be argued before the Court in October 2017. The Court will decide whether the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), 28 U.S.C. § 1350, embraces or forecloses corporate liability. The plaintiffs, foreign citizens who were injured in Israel during the Second Intifada, alleged that the defendant, the Arab Bank based in Jordan, provided financial services to Mideastern terrorists who engaged in the Second Intifada. The Bank argued, and the lower court agreed, that the ATS barred corporate liability for such a case. The Court will address the issue whether the ATS creates a federal common law right of action against corporations, or forecloses corporate liability?
The Court's consideration of Jesner will be decided in the context of the Court's recent rulings in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. In 2010 the Second Circuit decided Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 621 F.3d 111 (2d Cir. 2010). Based on its interpretation of footnote 20 in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 U.S. 692 (2004), the court held that the ATS does not recognize corporate liability. In a concurring opinion, Judge Pierre Leval suggested that the issue of corporate liability is left to the domestic law of individual nation-states. Corporate liability is a staple of U.S. remedial law.
In 2013, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine whether the ATS recognized corporate liability. After supplemental briefing, the Court unanimously decided Kiobel on grounds relating to the extraterritorial reach of the ATS, leaving the issue of corporate liability open. 133 S. Ct. 1659 (2013). The Court held that the presumption against extraterritoriality applied to claims under the ATS and neither the statute's text, history, nor purposes rebutted that presumption. Thus, nothing in the ATS text evinced a clear indication of extraterritorial reach. Moreover, the historical background against which Congress enacted the ATS did not overcome the presumption. This historical background illustrated that the ATS was enacted to apply to three principle offenses against the law of nations: violations of safe conduct; infringements of the rights of ambassadors; and piracy. However, the Court's reasoning and concurring opinions suggested that the ATS might allow for corporate liability.
Subsequently, the Bank moved to dismiss the plaintiffs' ATS claims based on the Second Circuit's prior determination that the ATS barred corporate liability, arguing this holding was binding precedent that had not been overruled by the Supreme Court. The Second Circuit affirmed dismissal. The Second Circuit denied rehearing en banc in an 8 – 5 vote, which generated an array of opinions. Some panel judges defended the prior circuit holding. One dissenting judge suggested that the original panel's holding was "almost certainly incorrect," while two other panel judges suggested that the need to bring the Second Circuit into line with other appellate courts that had decided the ATS embraced corporate liability. Finally, another panel judge indicated that the Supreme Court was the best way to settle the issue of corporate liability under the ATS.
Jesner is an important appeal precisely because the actions of multinational corporations are pervasive on the global stage, and punctuated by egregious eruptions of human rights violations. In its most elemental distillation, the Sosa-Kiobel-Jesner case-line pits human rights advocates (the presumptive good guys) against multinational corporations (the presumptive bad guys). As such, the essential nature of the problem invites resolution along the Court's liberal and conservative divide.
The original Kiobel appeal, which first raised the ATS corporate liability question, incited the passions of the human rights community as well as the hackles of the worldwide business community. Kiobel alerted the corporate community to the threat of being sued in American courts for corporate actions abroad. In Kiobel round one, the Court was inundated with numerous amicus briefs counselling the Court with regard to the corporate liability question.
The business community takes solace in the Court's prior unanimous decision in Mohamad v. Palestinian Authority, 566 U.S. 449 (2012), which definitively foreclosed corporate liability under the Torture Victims Protection Act. The business community also takes comfort in Sosa's ambiguous footnote 20, which has dogged lower court consideration of ATS litigation and provides an argumentative platform for precluding corporate liability. At a minimum, the Court should provide some clarity to footnote 20, to lay that quandary to rest. The Court will now have to evaluate the ATS as against the TVPA, and sort out the corporate liability question which it decided differently in Mohamad. It remains to be seen whether the Court will default to its earlier Kiobel statement, that if Congress wants to impose corporate liability, it needs to amend the statute or draft one that explicitly provides for such liability.
The high stakes involved in the Court's resolution of the corporate liability question is evidenced again by the array of amicus briefs filed on behalf of the parties in Jesner. In a "usual suspects" fashion, an array of liberal organizations, constitutional, admiralty, comparative, and international law professors, historians, and at least one foreign ambassador, have weighed in support of the plaintiffs. On behalf of the Bank, a line-up of business concerns have filed briefs to stave off corporate liability under the ATS. It should be noted, however, somewhat unusually, the United States, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Center for Constitutional Rights and International Federation for Human Rights have filed amicus briefs supporting neither party.
Finally, for those Court watchers who enjoyed the extensive briefing and arguments on the history of piracy (and the so-called General Bradford memorandum) in Kiobel, you may be delighted to learn that we may have another go-round of piracy-related arguments.


My paper focuses on the formulation of Islamic Religious Education (IRE) at two Swedish Muslim schools where fieldwork was conducted in 2005–2008. Its aim is to contribute knowledge to ways in which IRE is formed as a confessional school subject within the framework and under the jurisdiction of the Swedish school system. Even though the general content of the classrooms was fundamentally the same, specific variations were clearly evident. The paper shows that global discussions on matters such as 'authentic Islam', gender inequality, and Muslim minority life have influenced the teaching that has been offered in these classrooms. These discussions have developed out of the many ways in which contemporary Muslims can choose to express their faith. And although each teacher deals with these issues in her own unique way, they all attempt to connect them to the pupils' situation as Muslims in Swedish society as well as to the national curriculum and local school syllabi. This leads to the concept of glocalisation, meaning that just as local conditions adapt to the influences of the global, so do global influences adapt to the conditions of the local. The paper demonstrates how the influences of interpretative tradition, local school context, situational perceptions and globally discussed issues work together to affect the content of IRE, meaning the type of interpretation of Islam that is provided in these schools.


This article is an attempt at providing a better perspective on the debate over inequality. First, it claims that inequality is increasing, but not as much as many claim. In fact, the increase is modest and badly measured. Moreover, inequality is well below the levels observed prior to the 20th century. Secondly, it claims that inequalities must be decomposed between "good", "neutral" and "bad" inequalities. "Good inequalities" result from individual preferences and have no perverse impact on economic growth. "Neutral" inequalities relate to changes in family size, demography and marriage patterns and they have no moral implication whatsoever, as they merely exhibit changes in economic structures. "Good" and "Neutral" inequalities create no "social malaise". The "bad" inequalities are those that are socially noxious because they result from impairments in the capacity of individuals to make choices. Thirdly, this paper argues that a large share of the "bad" inequalities stem from government policies that push down the left-tail of the income distribution while pulling up the right tail. Although there are inequalities from birth, these are much costlier to combat than inequalities resulting from government intervention.


This practical volume in the Biopsy Interpretation Series is your guide to effectively diagnosing surgical pathology specimens from the kidney and adrenal glands, with an emphasis on core needle biopsies. Presented in a reader-friendly format, it features abundant photomicrographs of actual biopsy samples as well as correlative photos of surgical specimens and ancillary immunohistochemical studies. Coverage of each organ includes an introduction to biopsy techniques and an overview of normal histology. Positive diagnoses for renal lesions are described by a pattern approach and tumor type, and adrenal lesions are grouped by primary and metastatic tumors, reflecting the main diagnostic considerations. Renal and adrenal cytology specimens and endoscopic renal pelvic biopsies and are also described. Key Features *Uniquely detailed focus addresses the specific techniques and interpretive features of renal and adrenal biopsy.*Timely content addresses the use of renal biopsy in minimally invasive therapeutic techniques as well as its role in active surveillance of renal masses.*The latest ISUP classifications reflect newly described renal tumors.* Clinical implications of each diagnosis are highlighted throughout the text to guide therapeutic decision-making.*Exclusive online content includes more than 50 self-assessment questions and 100 additional full-color images.Now with the print edition, enjoy the bundled interactive eBook edition, which can be downloaded to your tablet and smartphone or accessed online and includes features like:*50 questions for review and self-assessment, plus 100 additional full-color images available only online.*Complete content with enhanced navigation*Powerful search tools and smart navigation cross-links that pull results from content in the book, your notes, and even the web*Cross-linked pages, references, and more for easy navigation*Highlighting tool for easier reference of key content throughout the text* Ability to take and share notes with friends and colleagues*Quick reference tabbing to save your favorite content for future use


The Problem Zimbabwe faces a predicament in which the mortality rate is rising while support for grieving people is declining. At the same time the Zimbabwean culture is rapidly changing because o f the impact of Christianity, urbanization, Western influences, and HIV/AIDS. Church leaders are not always in agreement on what rites are appropriate for Christians. These factors often result in inadequate support from the extended family, the community, and the church. Method This dissertation discusses the challenges that confront the Seventh-day Adventist church in Zimbabwe in ministering to the bereaved. My purpose was to design a training program for pastors in Zimbabwe to deal with grieving members in a culturally appropriate manner. G rief is normal, and the Bible recognizes it as a legitimate reaction to bereavement. In writing this dissertation I consulted literature on grief as well as on the culture o f Zimbabwe. I also relied on my knowledge of the culture of Zimbabwe, which I corroborated by interviewing other Zimbabweans. I has designed a pastoral training program for grief ministry in Zimbabwe. Conclusions Grief ministry in Zimbabwe is a priority for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. An effective grief ministry will recognize the value of modem research as well as the traditional support systems. It is necessary to study the findings of social sciences and to apply them in ways that are culturally appropriate. It is also necessary to avoid the temptation to condemn cultural rites without studying their significance and possible benefits to the adherents. Because cultural changes cannot be held back, it is necessary to adopt new ways to minister to people when traditional practices are discarded. Because o f the enormity of the task, grief ministry in Zimbabwe will need to be the responsibility o f the congregation, rather than the pastor's alone. I, therefore, see the adoption o f support groups as a viable approach to grief ministry. This approach is not only efficient to bring comfort to the newly bereaved people, but it also provides an appropriate opportunity for ministry to those who have resolved their grief.


Estimating and parameterizing the early and late reflections of an enclosed space is an interesting topic in acoustics. With a suitable set of parameters, the current concept of a spatial audio object (SAO), which is typically limited to either direct (dry) sound or diffuse field components, could be extended to afford an editable spatial description of the room acoustics. In this paper we present an analysis/synthesis method for parameterizing a set of measured room impulse responses (RIRs). RIRs were recorded in a medium-sized auditorium, using a uniform circular array of microphones representing the perspective of a listener in the front row. During the analysis process, these RIRs were decomposed, in time, into three parts: the direct sound, the early reflections, and the late reflections. From the direct sound and early reflections, parameters were extracted for the length, amplitude, and direction of arrival (DOA) of the propagation paths by exploiting the dynamic programming projected phase-slope algorithm (DYPSA) and classical delay-and-sum beamformer (DSB). Their spectral envelope was calculated using linear predictive coding (LPC). Late reflections were modeled by frequency-dependent decays excited by band-limited Gaussian noise. The combination of these parameters for a given source position and the direct source signal represents the reverberant or "wet" spatial audio object. RIRs synthesized for a specified rendering and reproduction arrangement were convolved with dry sources to form reverberant components of the sound scene. The resulting signals demonstrated potential for these techniques, e.g., in SAO reproduction over a 22.2 surround sound system.


for years. The mainstay approach was only supportive care. A malaise settled all around. This issue presents a transcript of a symposium that addresses the topic of new therapies for myelodysplastic syndrome. This symposium was presented at the 2006 BMT Tandem Meetings in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the first presentation, Dr. Lewis R. Silverman describes the various types of myelodysplastic syndrome and provides insight into pathophysiology and therapeutic implications that research in recent years has uncovered. In the second presentation, Dr. Vinod Parameswaran notes that while allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is curative, the obstacles in the path to transplantation are many. In the third presentation, Drs. Richard Champlin and Marcos de Lima describe new transplantation strategies with reduced-intensity preparative regimens and exploratory posttransplantation therapies in patients at high risk for relapse. Today there are new Food and Drug Administration–cleared therapies, and novel agents are on the horizon. True progress has been small to date, but with the number of new therapies and new classes of agents undergoing study, the future is hopeful. Will the malaise of myelodysplasia abate? Only time will tell. For now, there is considerably more hope than in the past. R E V I E W S