Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound with clinical applications produced by dozens of mushroom species1. There has been a longstanding interest in psilocybin research with regard to treatment for addiction2, depression3, and end-of-life suffering4. However, until recently very little was known about psilocybin biosynthesis and its ecological role. Here we confirm and refine recent findings5 about the genes underpinning psilocybin biosynthesis, discover that there is more than one psilocybin biosynthesis cluster in mushrooms, and we provide the first data directly addressing psilocybin's ecological role. By analysing independent genome assemblies for the hallucinogenic mushrooms Psilocybe cyanescens and Pluteus salicinus we recapture the recently discovered psilocybin biosynthesis cluster5,6 and show that a transcription factor previously implicated in its regulation is actually not part of the cluster. Further, we show that the mushroom Inocybe corydalina produces psilocybin but does not contain the established biosynthetic cluster, and we present an alternative cluster. Finally, a meta-transcriptome analysis of wild-collected mushrooms provides evidence for intra-mushroom insect gene expression of flies whose larvae grow inside Psilocybe cyanescens. These larvae were successfully reared into adults. Our results show that psilocybin does not confer complete protection against insect mycophagy, and the hypothesis that it is produced as an adaptive defense compound may need to be reconsidered.


Abstract. Direct Georeferencing was shown to be an important alternative to standard indirect image orientation using classical or GPS-supported aerial triangulation. Since direct Georeferencing without ground control relies on an extrapolation process only, particular focus has to be laid on the overall system calibration procedure. The accuracy performance of integrated GPS/inertial systems for direct Georeferencing in airborne photogrammetric environments has been tested extensively in the last years. In this approach, the limiting factor is a correct overall system calibration including the GPS/inertial component as well as the imaging sensor itself. Therefore remaining errors in the system calibration will significantly decrease the quality of object point determination. This research paper presents an error analysis for the airborne direct Georeferencing technique, where integrated GPS/IMU positioning and navigation systems are used, in conjunction with aerial cameras for airborne mapping compared with GPS/INS supported AT through the implementation of certain amount of error on the EOP and Boresight parameters and study the effect of these errors on the final ground coordinates. The data set is a block of images consists of 32 images distributed over six flight lines, the interior orientation parameters, IOP, are known through careful camera calibration procedure, also 37 ground control points are known through terrestrial surveying procedure. The exact location of camera station at time of exposure, exterior orientation parameters, EOP, is known through GPS/INS integration process. The preliminary results show that firstly, the DG and GPS-supported AT have similar accuracy and comparing with the conventional aerial photography method, the two technologies reduces the dependence on ground control (used only for quality control purposes). Secondly, In the DG Correcting overall system calibration including the GPS/inertial component as well as the imaging sensor itself is the limiting factor to achieve good object space.


[1] Changes of vegetation phenology in response to climate change in the temperate forests have been well documented recently and have important implications on the regional and global carbon and water cycles. Predicting the impact of changing phenology on terrestrial ecosystems requires an accurate phenology model. Although species-level phenology models have been tested using a small number of vegetation species, they are rarely examined at the regional level. In this study, we used remotely sensed phenology and meteorological data to parameterize the species-level phenology models. We used a remotely sensed vegetation index (Two-band Enhanced Vegetation Index, EVI2) derived from the Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 8-day reflectance product from 2000 to 2010 of New England, United States to calculate remotely sensed vegetation phenology (start/end of season, or SOS/EOS). The SOS/EOS and the daily mean air temperature data from weather stations were used to parameterize three budburst models and one senescence model. We compared the relative strengths of the models to predict vegetation phenology and selected the best model to reconstruct the "landscape phenology" in New England from year 1960 to 2010. Of the three budburst models tested, the spring warming model showed the best performance with an averaged Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) of 4.59 days. The Akaike Information Criterion supported the spring warming model in all the weather stations. For senescence modeling, the Delpierre model was better than a null model (the averaged phenology of each weather station, averaged model efficiency = 0.33) and has a RMSD of 8.05 days. A retrospective analysis using the spring warming model suggests a statistically significant advance of SOS in New England from 1960 to 2010 averaged as 0.143 days per year (p = 0.015). EOS calculated using the Delpierre model and growing season length showed no statistically significant advance or delay between 1960 and 2010 in this region. These results suggest the applicability of species-level phenology models at the regional level (and potentially terrestrial biosphere models) and the feasibility of using these models in reconstructing and predicting vegetation phenology.


The efficacy of hexanoic acid (Hx) as an inducer of resistance in tomato plants against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 was previously demonstrated, and the plant response was characterized. Because little is known about the reaction of the pathogen to this effect, the goal of the present work was to determine whether the changes in the plant defence system affect the pathogen behaviour. This work provides the first demonstration of the response of the pathogen to the changes observed in plants after Hx application in terms of not only the population size but also the transcriptional levels of genes involved in quorum sensing establishment and pathogenesis. Therefore, it is possible that Hx treatment attenuates the virulence and survival of bacteria by preventing or diminishing the appearance of symptoms and controlling the growth of the bacteria in the mesophyll. It is interesting to note that the gene transcriptional changes in the bacteria from the treated plants occur at the same time as the changes in the plants. Hx is able to alter bacteria pathogenesis and survival only when it is applied as a resistance inducer because the changes that it promotes in plants affect the bacteria.


In Canada, nonmarital cohabitation has become a normative life experience, but there are uncertainties regarding its contribution to social cohesion. This article compares and contrasts cohabitation with marriage (and other marital statuses) on two dimensions of social engagement : social networks and prosocial behaviour . The study employs GSS-17 microdata and logistic regression analysis. The findings illustrate that social engagement is similar among cohabitors and the married.


Abstract : Today's modern avionics systems rely heavily on the integration of Global Positioning System (GPS) data and the air vehicle's accelerations obtained by an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). To properly resolve the GPS and the IMU data, one must have an understanding of the different coordinate systems involved. Since the GPS provides data in one coordinate reference frame and the IMU measures accelerations in another, transforming the data freely from one frame to the next is imperative if the avionics system is to provide meaningful data to the aircrew. This thesis provides a uniform approach to analysis and design of an integrated GPS/IMU avionics system using MATLAB/Simulink software development tools. Topics covered include: Coordinate Systems and Transformations ,Fundamentals of Inertial Sensors, Tangent Plane Navigation, Kinematic Equations and Error Analysis, Global Positioning System (GPS) Sources and Errors, and Kalman Filter Design.


Enterprise and Solution Architecture are key in today's business environment. It is surprising that the foundation and business case for these activities are nonexistent; the financial value for the business of these activities is largely undetermined. To determine business value of enterprise and solution architecture, this thesis shows how to measure and quantify, in business terms, the value of enterprise architecture-based on business transformation and the value of solution architecture.


Now, Therefore, I, John E Kennedy, President of the United States, under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, including Chapter 15 of Title 10 of the United States Code, particularly sections 332, 333 and 334 thereof, do command all persons engaged in such obstructions of justice to cease and desist there from and to disperse and retire peaceably forthwith. --Proclamation #3497, 1962 Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including Chapter 15 of Title 10 of the United States Code, do command all persons engaged in such acts of violence and disorder to cease and desist there from and to disperse and retire peaceably forthwith. --Proclamation #6427, 1992 The proclamations quoted above have very similar language but come from two very different contexts. In the first, John E Kennedy was facing opposition to civil rights in Mississippi, and the Mississippi governor and law enforcement were complicit in the disorder. In the second, George H. W. Bush was dealing with riots in Los Angeles, and the governor of California and law enforcement were requesting federal intervention to help put the riots down. Both proclamations are alike, however, in at least two respects. In each, the president had to decide how and when to treat a complex and racially charged local problem. But there is another way in which these proclamations are similar. Long before Presidents Kennedy and Bush issued these orders, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century presidents issued proclamations to the public warning against domestic insurrection. Several of these individual proclamations are well known and have been the subject of scholarly study. Among these are George Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality, Andrew Jackson's Nullification Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and Andrew Johnson's proclamations of amnesty to the Confederates. Each of these proclamations altered policy in the United States and galvanized opposition; each is a marker in the development of executive power. But these proclamations are not as isolated as they might seem. Rather, they are part of a longer list of unilateral presidential orders among early presidents that, as a group, have received little scholarly attention. The presidency before Theodore Roosevelt is especially rich in these types of unilateral orders, but this is not to say that they are merely of antiquarian interest. As the examples from Kennedy and Bush show, even modern presidents have to resort to unilateral power in dealing with domestic unrest. Moreover, both the Washington example and these more recent ones suggest that the decision to issue this kind of proclamation can be very difficult. Washington's Neutrality Proclamation provoked a constitutional debate that focused attention to the importance of the presidency in foreign policy (Elkins and McKitrick 1995). As the historian Christopher Young (2011a) has shown, the proclamation was contested in the public and even resisted by juries, at least until Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1794. Likewise, when Washington issued his proclamation about the Whiskey Rebellion, the Jeffersonian opposition used the opportunity to organize and unify disparate strands of opposition, so much so that Washington went so far as to condemn "democratic societies" in his annual message to Congress. In the case of Kennedy, the president and his advisors wanted to avoid direct unilateral action and instead rely on persuasion in order to avoid controversy, not to mention jeopardize Kennedy's reelection chances among Southern moderates. As Syvlia reports (1995, 402), Theodore Sorenson advised the president that Mississippi's "defiance should be against the majesty of the United States, not John E Kennedy." The power to proclaim is potentially explosive. …


Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a common disorder associated with intellectual disability. It is a multi-systemic disorder (e.g. cardiac, neurological, growth, gastrointestinal, ocular and congenital). It is also associated with many psychiatric features (anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, attention and aggression). Sleep disorders tend to occur at a higher prevalence in patients with FXS (e.g. insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea). This case reports severe obstructive sleep apnea in a patient with FXS that was treated successfully with PAP therapy and lead to the improvement of several medical and psychiatric symptoms.


This paper aims to illustrate how robotic artefacts and applications may be described from a perspective of human action and experience. This is done by presenting an interaction model based on four ways that interactive artefacts may work as resources for human action. In contrast to data-centric models, this model includes socially and contextually oriented actions performed around the artefact, as well as actions related to the computational system running on the machine. A goal with the framework is to provide a concrete reference for designers, focusing on the experiential dimensions of the products that they develop.


This study examines the linguistic coexistence in Wales of Welsh and English in public signage and other public spheres and the ongoing normalization of Welsh through a reorientation of the linguistic landscape. Concerted efforts by the now defunct Welsh Language Board, the Welsh language commissioner, the Welsh National Assembly, and other governmental entities have aimed at preserving and promoting the Welsh language. While Welsh is spoken by just a fifth of the population, it is increasingly woven into the sociocultural fabric of contemporary Wales. Given this revitalization, the language is considered by linguists to be a success story in language preservation. This study, which was carried out in Cardiff, the Welsh capital; Conwy, a town in North Wales; and Betws-y-Coed, a village in North Wales, documents the visual contexts in which Welsh appears on the streets and sidewalks, in retail establishments, and in museums and other places of cultural importance. Such symbolic use of a minority language amounts to what one scholar has called "a reorientation of normative space." One notable finding is that when Welsh appears in the linguistic landscape, in the vast majority of cases, it reflects a top-down process driven by public institutions. Another key finding is that when Welsh and English appear together, typically the lettering is the same size in both languages and the amount of text is about the same. However, in a majority of cases, Welsh is featured more prominently by being displayed above or to the left of the English, although that is much more likely in Conwy or Betws-y-Coed than in Cardiff.


France, Germany, and Sweden link vehicle taxes to the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rates of passenger vehicles. Based on new vehicle registration data from 2005–2010, a vehicle's tax is negatively correlated with its registrations. The effect is somewhat stronger in France than in Germany and Sweden. Taking advantage of the theoretical equivalence between an emissions rate standard and a CO2-based emissions rate tax, we estimate the effect on manufacturers' profits of reducing emissions rates. For France, a decrease of 5 grams of CO2 per kilometer reduces profits by 24 euros per vehicle. We find considerable heterogeneity across manufactures and countries.


The article deals with the experience of the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service (CEC Service) of the Institute of Bioethics and Medical Humanities of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart for the University Hospital Foundation "Agostino Gemelli" IRCCS (FPG) of Rome (Italy), from 1992 to present. After a general introduction on the meaning and purpose of clinical ethics consultation (CEC), the article examines the CECs released by CEC Service. We conducted a retrospective survey of all CECs requested and performed since the beginning of the Service up to now. The trend of the Service was analyzed and the number of consultations carried out in the first 20 years was compared with the number of CECs performed since the inclusion of the Service on "Gemelli Intranet" from 1st January 2016. We have identified and analized data relating to number of CEC requests and released, clinical areas that required CECs, kinds of consultation (standard CEC or shared document), ethical questions – and not only ethical ones – that emerged.


We propose a new Jungck-S iteration method for a class of quasi-contractive
 operators on a convex metric space and study its strong convergence, rate of
 convergence and stability. We also provide conditions under which
 convergence of this method is equivalent to Jungck-Ishikawa iteration
 method. Some numerical examples are provided to validate the theoretical
 findings obtained herein. Our results are refinement and extension of the
 corresponding ones existing in the current literature.


This thesis describes a combined model and laboratory investigation of the generation and mutual interactions of fluid waves whose characteristic scales differ by an order of magnitude or more. The principal aims are to study how waves on one scale can generate waves on another, much shorter scale, and to examine the subsequent nonlinear feedback of the short waves on the long waves. The underlying motive is to better understand such interactions in rotating, stratified, planetary fluids such as atmospheres and oceans. The first part of the thesis describes a laboratory investigation using a rotating, two-layer annulus, forced by imposing a shear across the interface between the layers. A method is developed for making measurements of the two-dimensional interface height field which are very highly-resolved both in space and time. The system's linear normal modes fall into two distinct classes: 'slow' waves which are relatively long in wavelength and intrinsic period, and 'fast' waves which are much shorter and more quickly-evolving. Experiments are performed to categorize the flow at a wide range of points in the system's parameter space. At very small background rotation rates, the interface is completely devoid of waves of both types. At higher rates, fast modes only are generated, and are shown to be consistent with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability mechanism based on a critical Richardson number. At rotation rates which are higher still, baroclinic instability gives rise to the onset of slow modes, with subsequent localized generation of fast modes superimposed in the troughs of the slow waves. In order to examine the generation mechanism of these coexisting fast modes, and to assess the extent of their impact upon the evolution of the slow modes, a quasi-geostrophic numerical model of the laboratory annulus is developed in the second part of the thesis. Fast modes are filtered out of the model by construction, as the phase space trajectory is confined to the slow manifold, but the slow wave dynamics is accurately captured. Model velocity fields are used to diagnose a number of fast wave radiation indicators. In contrast to the case of isolated fast waves, the Richardson number is a poor indicator of the generation of the coexisting fast waves that are observed in the laboratory, and so it is inferred that these are not Kelvin-Helmholtz waves. The best indicator is one associated with the spontaneous emission of inertia-gravity waves, a generalization of geostrophic adjustment radiation. A comparison is carried out between the equilibrated wavenumbers, phase speeds and amplitudes of slow waves in the laboratory (which coexist with fast modes), and slow waves in the model (which exist alone). There are significant differences between these wave properties, but it is shown that these discrepancies can be attributed to uncertainties in fluid properties, and to model approximations apart from the neglect of fast modes. The impact of the fast modes on the slow modes is therefore sufficiently small to evade illumination by this method of inquiry. As a stronger test of the interaction, a stochastic parameterization of the inertia-gravity waves is included in the model. Consistent with the laboratory/model intercomparison, the parameterized fast waves generally have only a small impact upon the slow waves. However, sufficiently close to a transition curve between two different slow modes in the system's parameter space, it is shown that the fast modes can exert a dominant influence. In particular, the fast modes can force spontaneous transitions from one slow mode to another, due to the phenomenon of stochastic resonance. This finding should be of interest to the meteorological and climate modelling communities, because of its potential to affect model reliability.


In the EU's waste strategy, the order for sustainable waste actions is: reduction, reuse and recycling. Recovery has recently been added as a fourth action, and it is applied to the waste types that cannot be reused or recycled. Thus, recovery remains the last option before final landfilling. The annual amount of municipal waste from households in Finland is 2.5 million tons. Waste collection and utilization is organized relatively well, but still 1.1 million tons are disposed of to landfill. A recent survey on mixed waste quantity and quality showed that almost 65% of its content is bio-based. Energy recovery from this waste in combined incineration plants for district heat and electricity (CHP) may serve as an additional measure for greenhouse gas reduction in local communities. Since buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption, it is important to reduce energy consumption. In Finland, due to the long heating season, the energy production method and heat source are extremely important for greenhouse gas reduction. This paper discusses energy recovery from waste in a case study of a new residential area in southern Finland. All the buildings fulfil current Finnish energy requirements and represent typical wooden frame construction with rendering facades. It is assumed that the households will be connected to the local district heat system, in which heat is produced partly in gasdriven heat plants and partly in a municipal waste incineration plant. We show that energy recovery from waste should not be underestimated, because it is a valuable means of greenhouse gas reduction, especially in local communities.


Conventional SVM-based image coding methods are founded on independently restricting the distortion in every image coefficient at some particular image representation. Geometrically, this implies allowing arbitrary signal distortions in an n-dimensional rectangle defined by the e-insensitivity zone in each dimension of the selected image representation domain. Unfortunately, not every image representation domain is well-suited for such a simple, scalar-wise, approach because statistical and/or perceptual interactions between the coefficients may exist. These interactions imply that scalar approaches may induce distortions that do not follow the image statistics and/or are perceptually annoying. Taking into account these relations would imply using non-rectangular e-insensitivity regions (allowing coupled distortions in different coefficients), which is beyond the conventional SVM formulation.

In this paper, we report a condition on the suitable domain for developing efficient SVM image coding schemes. We analytically demonstrate that no linear domain fulfills this condition because of the statistical and perceptual inter-coefficient relations that exist in these domains. This theoretical result is experimentally confirmed by comparing SVM learning in previously reported linear domains and in a recently proposed non-linear perceptual domain that simultaneously reduces the statistical and perceptual relations (so it is closer to fulfilling the proposed condition). These results highlight the relevance of an appropriate choice of the image representation before SVM learning.


Spectrophotometers allow measurement of the optical properties of materials such as transmittance or reflectance. They are used in many industrial fields: health, transport, energy. . . To ensure the traceability of the measurements through the calibration of transmittance and reflectance standards, the LNE uses spectrophotometers that are qualified along the lifetime of these instruments. We present the qualification steps. The results are used to evaluate the uncertainties. The procedure followed can be used as a guideline for spectrophotometer users who want to evaluate their measurement uncertainties.


Background This study examined the ability of commonly used questionnaires and a structured clinical interview to predict PTSD in recent trauma survivors. Method Horowitz's Impact of Event Scale (IES), Speilberger's State Anxiety (SANX) and the Peri Traumatic Dissociation Questionnaire (PDEQ) were administered one week post-trauma to 239 traumatised individuals recruited from a general hospital emergency room. The IES, the SANX, the civilian version of the Mississippi Scale for Combat Related PTSD (MISS), and the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) were administered one month and four months post-trauma. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysiswas used with these data. Results All questionnaires were better than chance at predicting PTSD. The so called PTSD questionnaires (IES and MISS) were not better than the more general ones. No difference in predictive value was found when questionnaires were carried outone week or one month after a trauma. Recovery was better predicted than PTSD, and the CAPS was better than the questionnaires. Discussion The use of psychometrics and clinical interviews to predict PTSD should be guided by clinical relevance and by the availability of resources.


Essays examine nine intriguing objects made eloquent when matter and meaning converge. Imagine a world without things. There would be nothing to describe, nothing to explain, remark, interpret, or complain about. Without things, we would stop speaking; we would become as mute as things are alleged to be. In nine original essays, internationally renowned historians of art and of science seek to understand how objects become charged with significance without losing their gritty materiality. True to the particularity of things, each of the essays singles out one object for close attention: a Bosch drawing, the freestanding column, a Prussian island, soap bubbles, early photographs, glass flowers, Rorschach blots, newspaper clippings, paintings by Jackson Pollock. Each is revealed to be a node around which meanings accrete thickly. But not just any meanings: what these things are made of and how they are made shape what they can mean. Neither the pure texts of semiotics nor the brute objects of positivism, these things are saturated with cultural significance. Things become talkative when they fuse matter and meaning; they lapse into speechlessness when their matter and meanings no longer mesh. Each of the nine objects examined in this book had its historical moment, when the match of this thing to that thought seemed irresistible. At these junctures, certain things become objects of fascination, association, and endless consideration; they begin to talk. Things that talk fleetingly realize the dream of a perfect language, in which words and world merge. Essays Lorraine Daston, Peter Galison, Anke te Heesen, Caroline A. Jones, Joseph Leo Koerner, Antoine Picon, Simon Schaffer, Joel Snyder, and M. Norton and Elaine M. Wise. Lorraine Daston is Director at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, Germany. She is the coauthor of Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150-1750 (Zone Books).


I was very interested to read Speedie et al .'s report1 on their carefully conducted randomised trial of two stabilising forceps for the insertion of intrauterine contraception (IUC). Their finding that there is no significant difference in the pain experienced on application of single-toothed volsellum forceps and Littlewood forceps in the specific group of women selected, those with at least one vaginal delivery, is interesting, and was certainly worth establishing objectively. However, I was disappointed that the instrument selected by them as the comparator for the obviously 'traumatic' single-toothed volsellum was the Littlewood forceps rather than a commonly-used alternative, the Judd-Allis forceps.

The Judd-Allis forceps (Figure 1A) is a lengthened form of the Allis forceps that …


We present the inoceramid and dinoflagellate cyst record from the topmost Campanian– Maastrichtian strata of three key sections of the Western Fore-Balkan Mountains, northwest Bulgaria. The following inoceramid zones were recognized: "Inoceramus" redbirdensis Zone, Endocostea typica Zone, Trochoceramus radiosus Zone and "Inoceramus" ianjonaensis Zone. The Campanian/Maastrichtian boundary was tentatively drawn slightly below the first occurrence of Endocostea typica. The uppermost inoceramid assemblage was confined to the lower part of the upper Maastrichtian. Dinoflagellate cyst ranges, as well as the first and the last occurrence events of dinocysts, provided valuable markers for the stratigraphic subdivision of the Maastrichtian. The first occurrence of Microdinium carpentierae was documented in proximity to the Campanian/Maastrichtian boundary. The Cerodinium diebelii Zone was recognized with a stratigraphical range from the lower Maastrichtian to the lower upper Maastrichtian. The last occurrence of Alterbidinium acutulum was recorded in the lower Maastrichtian and used as aid for tracing the lower/upper Maastrichtian substage boundary. The marked domination of delicate chorate dinocysts in all sections and the encountered low P/G ratio values are indicative of stable low-energy depositional environment and oligotrophic conditions, with normal marine productivity and nutrient availability in the basin during the Maastrichtian. Pavlishina, P, Dochev, D., Metodiev, L., Vladimirova, E. 2020. Inoceramid bivalve and dinoflagellate cyst integrated biostratigraphy of the topmost Campanian–Maastrichtian in a part of the Western Fore-Balkan Mountains, northwest Bulgaria. Geologica Balcanica 49 (3), 39–63.


Antennas convert propagating radiation to localized electromagnetic energy and to heat. To unambiguously separate between these two aspects, one needs to quantitatively determine the antenna scattering and absorption cross-section spectra. By using a spatial modulation technique combined with a common-path interferometer and lithographically fabricated individual gold nanoantennas, we experimentally determine the scattering and absorption cross-section spectra of different optical antennas simultaneously and quantitatively for the first time.


The political determinants of ethnic genocide, Frank M. Afflitto and Margaret Vandiver always the first to go - people with disabilities, Arthur Blaser in through the gates and out through the chimneys - gypsys and the Holocaust, Deborah Bruce in the eyes of the beholder - the Brasilian Black Consciousness movement's perceptions of genocide against Afro-Brasilians, David Covin the structure of obligations in international humanitarian law and its implications for conceptions of citizenship, L. Edward, Margaret Vandiver, and W. Richard Janikowski genocide in Matabeleland and Midlands in Zimbabwe - a failed transition to democracy and ethnic coexistence, Smile Dube the victims of Nazi persecution - will the Holocaust-era litigation answer the questions of history?, Barry A. Fisher in genocide, responsibility stems from volition, Albert Globus Class, nation and race in communist crimes against humanity - theoretical and historical reflections on Marxist racism and violence, Steve Heder why did the international community fail Rwanda and continues to do it?, Augustin Kamongi ethnic relations in Central Europe - how to foster and to avoid genocide and ethnic cleansing, Thomas Kando Armenian genocide and the survival of children, Isabel Kaprielian-Churchill the Armenian genocide and the unpaid life insurance policies - legal and historical perspectives, Hrayr S. Karagueuzian the Rwandan genocide - a test case for Evangelization, Elisee Rutagambwa doctors, society and the Holocaust - searching for the roots of evil, Erich H. Loewy the Armenian property and the destruction of Armenian historical monuments as a manifestation of the genocidal process, Dickram Kouymjian the Austrian encounter, Samson Munn the Japanese press and the Rwandan genocide, Michimi Muranushi Holocaust population redeployment and Soviet forced labor camps, Tams Stark the post-genocide state of Rwanda, Yukimo Takashima a philosophy of negotiation - retracing the coordinates of subjectivity, Adrian Parr the Armenian genocide through art and literature, Rubina Peroomian why Johnny doesn't learn about genocide - how the American schooling system has betrayed the history and legacy of genocide, Nicole Vartivanian indifference + inaction = genocide, Lionel Von Frederick Rawlins trivialization of genocide - the case of Rwanda, Alexandre Kimenyi.


Modelling the adoption of HYV technology in developing economies may be effectively prosecuted at the microlevel in a non-separable, decision-theoretic system. The degree of adoption of high-yielding varieties of rice can be incorporated into the household decision framework and account can be taken of imperfections in labour and commodity markets. Despite the gap between theory and practice, an embryonic empirical model is implemented using survey data from Orissa, India to appraise the effectiveness of a range of agricultural policies on farm-family welfare, farm output, marketed surplus of food and rural employment.


In this paper, we compare the photophysics and photovoltaic device performance of two indenofluorene based polymers: poly[2,8-(6,6,12,12-tetraoctylindenofluorene)-co-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiodiazole] (IF8BT) and poly[2,8-(6,6,12,12-tetraoctylindenofluorene)-co-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiodiazole] (IF8TBTT) blended with [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Photovoltaic devices made with IF8TBTT exhibit greatly superior photocurrent generation and photovoltaic efficiency compared to those made with IF8BT. The poor device efficiency of IF8BT/PCBM devices is shown to result from efficient, ultrafast singlet Forster energy transfer from IF8BT to PCBM, with the resultant PCBM singlet exciton lacking sufficient energy to drive charge photogeneration. The higher photocurrent generation observed for IF8TBTT/PCBM devices is shown to result from IF8TBTT's relatively weak, red-shifted photoluminescence characteristics, which switches off the polymer to fullerene singlet energy transfer pathway. As a consequence, IF8TBTT singlet excitons are able to drive charge separation at the polymer/fullerene interface, resulting in efficient photocurrent generation. These results are discussed in terms of the impact of donor/acceptor energy transfer upon photophysics and energetics of charge photogeneration in organic photovoltaic devices. The relevance of these results to the design of polymers for organic photovoltaic applications is also discussed, particularly with regard to explaining why highly luminescent polymers developed for organic light emitting diode applications often give relatively poor performance in organic photovoltaic devices.


This thesis explores catamaran generated wash in shallow water, with the specific goal of simplifying this highly complex phenomenon into user friendly characterisations.
The wash caused by marine traffic in coastal or inland waterways can have significant effects on waterway users and shore goers within the littoral zone. Typically wash is a minor irritant affecting only the enjoyment of others. However, given certain conditions, wash can also be a significant safety hazard, with one death directly attributed to it.
Vessel wash can also have a major impact on the environment with wash related environmental degradation being reported in many countries, particularly those with high speed marine traffic. The potential exists that significant and irreversible changes will occur to the environment because of it. Accordingly wash environmental impact is no longer seen as of secondary importance to successful operations, but in some cases has become the key requirement.
Successful mitigation of this wash hazard clearly involves the source of the wash, being vessels and their operation. In response to this hazard, authorities have implemented mitigation strategies, typically route planning and speed restrictions, with limited success. Fundamentally, regulation without understanding of the wash phenomena cannot be truly effective. Accordingly a series of simple wash characterisations are proposed to better define shallow water wash. These characterisations can be utilised by naval architects, operators and regulators in their assessment of wash and in turn effect hazard reduction.
A "thesis by publication" approach has been taken, comprising five published papers. As is the case for a conventional thesis, the outcome is of a sustained and cohesive theme throughout, (being reflected in the thesis' title). The first four papers each examine a separate wash characterisation, outlining performance in shallow water. These papers were the outcome of physical tests held in the Australian Maritime College model test basin, Tasmania.
The first and second papers, on wash decay and divergent wave angle respectively, both confirmed that these parameters vary significantly with water depth, (as well as displacement and hull form), and can be utilised as shallow water characterisations. The third paper investigated unsteadiness that was recorded during experiments and it was concluded that this is due to soliton generation. Furthermore, such highly non-linear waves are known to be a significant safety risk.
The fourth paper provides proof of concept that wavelet analysis is successful in characterising vessel wash. The wavelet methodology allows differentiation of various hull forms from their wave patterns alone. The fifth and final paper is a summary of the thesis findings, placing them within the global context of existing vessel performance indicators such as resistance, propulsion and manoeuvring. In turn this paper establishes that the simple wash characterisations proposed are a significant extension of existing wash knowledge and also incorporates a new and novel method of wavelet analysis.
Accordingly the thesis achieves its goals of clearly defining shallow water wash and establishing a series of simple wash characterisations.


Summary 1. Over the past two decades, Ixodes scapularis, the primary tick vector of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi in North America has expanded its range northward from the USA to colonize new regions in southern Canada. We have previously projected range increases for I. scapularis based on temperature suitability, but to what extent this is matched by actual tick range expansion is unknown. 2. Since 1990, I. scapularis ticks have been collected across Canada offering a unique opportunity to track the range expansion of an arthropod vector. We used these data to model time-to-establishment for tick populations across Canada to identify factors influencing the rate of spread. 3. Our results point to both long-distance dispersal of ticks by migratory birds and local dispersal by resident hosts as important potential mechanisms underlying patterns of tick range expansion. 4. Temperature (accumulated degree days > 0 � C) was the most important determinant of environmental suitability for tick population establishment, suggesting that climate warming may facilitate range expansion. 5. Model projections suggest that I. scapularis range will expand c. 46 km year )1 in the coming decade, with climate warming expected to increase the rate of spread. This expansion is likely to result in a substantial increase in human Lyme disease risk, with the proportion of the human population of eastern Canada inhabiting areas with established tick populations increasing from 18% in 2010 to over 80% by 2020. 6. This first empirical model of I. scapularis invasion supports theoretical range projections based on climate suitability and provides a unique data-driven estimate of the speed of northward range expansion for I. scapularis at the continental scale. 7. Synthesis and applications .B y trackingI. scapularis invasion in Canada over the past two decades, we show that I. scapularis is rapidly expanding its range and is likely to colonize the most densely populated areas of southern Canada in the coming decade. These projections suggest that prompt action is necessary to prepare the Canadian public for a likely epidemic of Lyme disease, with emphasis on focusing surveillance activities to confirm the locations of emerging Lyme disease risk.


Modern Russian Grammar: A Practical Guide is an innovative reference guide to Russian, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. The Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers traditional grammatical categories such as agreement, nouns, verbs and adjectives. Part B is carefully organized around language functions covering all major communication situations. With a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, all grammar points and functions are richly illustrated with examples. Main features of the Grammar include: * clear explanations * emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for learners of Russian, such as numerals and verbs of motion * extensive cross-referencing between the different sections. This is the ideal reference grammar for learners of Russian at all levels, from beginner to advanced. No prior knowledge of grammatical terminology is assumed and a glossary of grammatical terms is provided.


The currencies of Caribbean countries have now outlived their usefulness, and have become a liability. They were devised at a time when most payments were made using notes and coin, issued in distant metropolitan centres. Scarcity of the means of payment was a severe hindrance to commerce. In response Currency Boards were set up, to issue local currency as needed in the colonies. The system worked well because the local currency issue was backed by an equivalent value of Sterling, in a global system of fixed exchange rates. In contrast, nowadays payments are made mostly by electronic communication, credit and debit cards, cheques and drafts, with settlement over digitized bank accounts. In today's world an own currency has become a liability for small economies, limiting access to international goods and services, exposing residents to risks of currency devaluation and inflation, eroding the value of domestic savings, increasing economic inequalities, providing a tool for unproductive government spending, and diverting attention from the need to increase productivity and enhance international competitiveness.


Soil erosion is the principal threat to agricultural sustainability, affecting both the characteristics of the in situ soil and its productive potential. However, soils vary in their resilience and there are very few empirical data upon which to appreciate the degree and type of impact on the soil caused by erosion. This paper describes an experiment designed to generate such data based on soil loss and runoff plots, and it reports on nearly nine years of experience with the design at the Instituto Agronomico, Campinas, Brazil on a Latosol (Oxisol). After seven years of erosion induced by four levels of artificial cover, the effective rainfall on the most eroded soil was 20 percent less than on the control full cover. Crop yields were also found to be significantly affected: in 1995 by nearly 700 kg/ha and in 1996 by over 1000 kg/ha - a 50% decline in yield, amounting to a loss of 4 kg/ha of maize per tonne of cumulative soil loss. Losses of nutrients (organic C, P, K, Ca and Mg) in the runoff and eroded soil were also significant with far higher levels of loss associated with the eroded sediment. Changes in the in situ soil were less clear, but a test of trends showed that the decreases in organic matter and increases in acidity could unambiguously be attributed to soil erosion. Average enrichment ratios of the eroded sediment were 1.3 for organic C, 2.6 for P, 0.7 for K, 1.3 for Ca and 1.2 for Mg. Erosion has also affected the maize quality - mainly N, Ca and B nutrient content. Through these various measures, we conclude that seven years of induced erosion has had a marked effect on soil productivity, and for the first time we are now in a position to begin calculating the financial impact of the erosion process on future yields and farmer livelihoods.


India is a sub-continent where presently 320 million people remain in the water-starved parts of the country and according to the UN, this number is expected to increase to 840 million in the year 2050. There is a severe demand-supply mismatch. Though there has been no significant change in India's rainfall pattern, the number of areas under drought in India is increasing every year. Increase in population is one of the reasons for water scarcity but the inefficient management of the received precipitation stands as the major cause. Though extreme rainfall events are significantly increasing, there is a spatial non-uniformity in the rainfall events that occur. This makes it difficult to pre-plan large scale water storage at different locations. Out of the 4,000 billion m 3 of freshwater available from precipitation per annum, major portion run off into the sea. The solution to India's water problem is to conserve the abundant monsoon water bounty, store it in coastal reservoirs, and use this water in areas which have occasional inadequate rainfall or are known to be drought-prone or in those times of the year when water supplies become scarce. It is estimated that about 4,400 thousand million cubic feet of rainwater just simply drains into the sea. This paper focuses on the concept of Coastal Reservoir. This basically means building a storage structure near the mouth of river. In this way, the amount of water that is wasted as run-off can be stored. The construction of a coastal reservoir does not involve many risk factors and disadvantages like relocation which would occur in an inland dam construction. The paper also presents the concept of Sarovarmala - a chain of coastal reservoirs which is an innovative concept that has the potential to ensure water availability to India throughout the year.


We study an acoustic tomography problem and propose a new inversion technique based on sparsity. Acoustic tomography observes the parameters of the medium that influence the speed of sound propagation. In the human body, the parameters that mostly influence the sound speed are temperature and density, in the ocean temperature and current, in the atmosphere temperature and wind. In this study, we focus on estimating temperature in the atmosphere using the information on the average sound speed along the propagation path. The latter is practically obtained from travel time measurements. We propose a reconstruction algorithm that exploits the concept of sparsity. Namely, the temperature is assumed to be a linear combination of some functions (e.g. bases or set of different bases) where many of the coefficients are known to be zero. The goal is to find the non-zero coefficients. To this end, we apply an algorithm based on linear programming that under some constrains finds the solution with minimum l0 norm. This is actually equivalent to the fact that many of the unknown coefficients are zeros. Finally, we perform numerical simulations to assess the effectiveness of our approach. The simulation results confirm the applicability of the method and demonstrate high reconstruction quality and robustness to noise.


The athermal lattice Boltzmann automata (LBA) are promising replacements for Navier Stokes solvers in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). They are inherently parallel, scale exactly linear with the number of computational elements and can be applied to arbitrary geometries. The integer LBA presented here adds unconditional stability, roundoff-error freeness, and exact fulfillment of conservation laws to the list of benefits. The original LBA had artifacts not acceptable for industrial application. With ongoing research most of them could be removed. One of the artifacts was that the viscosity of the simulated fluid depended on the flow speed in an anisotropic manner. Previous work concentrated on removing this artifact by adding degrees of freedom to the unit cell. Here we present a method reducing the errors in the viscosity term without the need for new degrees of freedom. No computational overhead is introduced by this method.


This research examines the perception of a heritage place, richness from a historical and architectural point of view, and rehabilitation at the place of service. The question is how the fingerprints of the past, allow customers to experience a unique experience. The advanced conceptual framework tested with structural modeling can identify dimensions of a service space holding significant cultural value and the perceptions of clients according to their degree of acculturation and appropriation to space. The results show that the level of acculturation of the client moderates the relations between the rehabilitated physical environment and the quality of the offer on the one hand and the intention of fidelity on the other hand.


Discusses the details of the disaster assistance package approved by Congress in the fall of 1998. The package provides $2.375 billion for financial assistance to farmers who have suffered losses due to natural disasters. Crop loss disaster assistance is available for 211 crops included in either federal crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). Producers may qualify for crop loss compensation on either a single year (1998) or multi-year (1994-1998) basis.


Prehistory of Native Americans of the Na-Dene language family remains controversial. Genetic continuity of Paleo-Eskimos (Saqqaq and Dorset cultures) and Na-Dene was proposed under the three-wave model of America's settlement; however, recent studies have produced conflicting results. Here, we performed reconstruction and dating of Na-Dene population history, using genome sequencing data and a coalescent method relying on rare alleles (Rarecoal). We also applied model-free approaches for analysis of rare allele and autosomal haplotype sharing. All methods detected Central and West Siberian ancestry exclusively in a fraction of modern day Na-Dene individuals, but not in other Native Americans. Our results are consistent with gene flow from Paleo-Eskimos into the First American ancestors of Na-Dene, and a later less extensive bidirectional admixture between Na-Dene and Neo-Eskimos. The dated gene flow from Siberia to Na-Dene is in agreement with the Dene-Yeniseian language macrofamily proposal and with the succession of archaeological cultures in Siberia.


This text examines comics, graphic novels, and manga with a broad, international scope that reveals their conceptual origins in antiquity.
 Graphic narrative art is a fascinating phenomenon that emerged centuries ago with the expansion of literacy and the publication industry. The earliest example of a repeating comic character dates back to the late 1700s. By following the growth of print technology in Europe and Asia, it is possible to understand how and why artists across cultures developed different strategies for telling stories with pictures.
 This book is much more than a history of graphic narrative across the globe. It examines broader conceptual developments that preceded the origins of comics and graphic novels; how those ideas have evolved over the last century and a half; how literacy, print technology, and developments in narrative art are interrelated; and the way graphic narratives communicate culturally significant stories. The work of artists such as William Hogarth, J. J. Grandville, Willhem Busch, Frans Masereel, Max Ernst, Saul Steinberg, Henry Darger, and Larry Gonick are discussed or depicted.


In healthcare, inter-institutional process support implicates decentralized and ad-hoc workflows. From the perspective of system integration, the autonomy of the sites which are participating in a healthcare network is mostly untouchable. Traditional activity-oriented workflow models or content-oriented workflow models do not provide adequate support in such system environments and workflow scenarios. The objective of the alpha-Flow approach is to enable distributed, ad-hoc process support with initially unknown sets of actors and institutions. In its document-oriented workflow model, electronic documents become active documents and act as software agents as the primary means of coordination. This paper details the healthcare use-case for the alpha-Flow model by the example of cooperative breast-cancer treatment scenarios.


A prototypical design of AlGaN deep ultraviolet (DUV) laser diodes (LDs) on AlN substrates employing tapered electron blocking layer is presented. Two-dimensional optoelectronic simulation predicts lasing at a target wavelength of 250 nm. Degradation of optical gain associated with spatial separation of electron and hole wave functions inside the active region may be considerably reduced in designs featuring quaternary AlInGaN barriers, by virtue of polarization charge matching. A systematic method for selection of polarization-free quaternary barrier compositions is proposed for 250 nm DUV LD designs, accompanied by a sensitivity analysis. The selection procedure presented here is readily applied to LDs and light-emitting diodes operating at other wavelengths.


PSR J0437‐4715 is a millisecond pulsar (MSP) thought to be "pair formation starved" (having limited pair cascades due to magnetic photon absorption). Fortunately the general relativistic (GR) electrodynamical model under consideration applicable to this pulsar have few free parameters. We model PSR J0437‐4715's visibility, using a 3D model which incorporates the variation of the GR E‐field over the polar cap (PC), taking different observer and inclination angles into account. Using this pulsar as a case study, one may generalize to conducting a pulsar population visibility study. We lastly comment on the role of the proposed South African SKA (Square Kilometre Array) prototype, KAT (Karoo Array Telescope), for GLAST γ‐ray pulsar identification.


This document describes an Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)
extension mapping for the management of Domain Name System (DNS)
domain names subject to "grace period" policies defined by the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Grace
period policies exist to allow protocol actions to be reversed or
otherwise revoked during a short period of time after the protocol
action has been performed. Specified in XML, this mapping extends the
EPP domain name mapping to provide additional features required for
grace period processing. [STANDARDS-TRACK]


This paper discusses a new method for capturing the complete appearance of both synthetic and real world objects and scenes, representing this information, and then using this representation to render images of the object from new camera positions. Unlike the shape capture process traditionally used in computer vision and the rendering process traditionally used in computer graphics, our approach does not rely on geometric representations. Instead we sample and reconstruct a 4D function, which we call a Lumigraph. The Lumigraph is a subsetof the complete plenoptic function that describes the flow of light at all positions in all directions. With the Lumigraph, new images of the object can be generated very quickly, independent of the geometric or illumination complexity of the scene or object. The paper discusses a complete working system including the capture of samples, the construction of the Lumigraph, and the subsequent rendering of images from this new representation.


Up to now, the Fe content of nonmetallic particles has often been neglected in chemical evaluations due to the challenging analysis of matrix elements in nonmetallic inclusions (NMI) in steel by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis (SEM/EDS). Neglecting matrix elements as possible bonding partners of forming particles may lead to inaccurate results. In the present study, a referencing method for the iron content in nonmetallic inclusions in the submicrometer region is described focusing on the system Fe-Mn-O. Thermodynamic and kinetic calculations are applied to predict the inclusion population for different Fe/Mn ratios. Reference samples containing (Fe,Mn)-oxide inclusions with varying Fe ratios are produced by manganese deoxidation in a high-frequency induction furnace. Subsequent SEM/EDS measurements are performed on metallographic specimens and electrolytically extracted nonmetallic inclusions down to 0.3 µm. The limits of iron detection in these particles, especially for those in the submicrometric regime, as well as the possible influence of electrolytic extraction on Fe-containing oxide particles are examined. The measured inclusion compositions correlate well with the calculated results regarding segregation and kinetics. The examinations performed are reliable proof for the application of SEM/EDS measurements to evaluate the Fe content in nonmetallic inclusions, within the physical limits of polished cross-section samples. Only electrolytic extraction ensures the determination of accurate compositions of dissolved or bonded matrix elements at smallest particles enabling quantitative particle descriptions for submicrometric (particles ≤ 1 µm) steel cleanness evaluations.


We report experimental results for the third-order nonlinear properties of thin polymer films doped with azo dyes, which have long-lived triplet states and can undergo reversible photochromic reactions. Cast films of Disperse Red 1 and Methyl Red in polystyrene and polymethyl methacrylate were investigated by degenerate four-wave mixing with a low-power cw mode-locked laser. Polarization properties and the time dependence of the laser-induced gratings were investigated, and results were compared with those obtained for liquid solutions of the dye in the respective monomers. A phase-conjugate reflectivity of 1% was observed for Disperse Red 1 in polystyrene, with no long-term degradation under laser irradiation.


Image mosaicing aims to increase visual perception by composing data from separate images since a mosaic image provides a more powerful scene description. Gaining and maintaining situational awareness from image mosaics is important for both civil and military applications. Inspection of the urban areas suffering from natural disasters and examination of the large plantations are possible civil areas of utilization. For military applications, image mosaicing can provide critical information about enemy activities in wide areas. Although there are many studies in the literature that focus on creating real-time image mosaics for different applications, there is still room for improvement due to the need for faster and more accurate mosaicing for a variety of practical scenarios. In this thesis, novel techniques for creating fast and accurate aerial image mosaics of quasi-planar scenes are developed. First, a sequential mosaicing approach is proposed where all the past images intersecting the new image are used to estimate alignment of the new image. A tool from computer graphics, Separating Axis Theorem (SAT), is employed to detect image intersections. A new local affine refinement is introduced to provide global consistency throughout the mosaic. Second, a pose estimation based mosaicing technique is developed where the scene normal and the camera pose parameters are estimated through an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Mosaic is formed by using the homographies constructed from the estimated state vector. Using an EKF based approach provides a significant global consistency throughout the mosaic since all the parameters are updated by which error accumulations in the loop closing regions are compensated. Proposed algorithm also provides localization and attitude information of the camera which might be beneficial for robotics applications. Both methods are verified through several experiments and comparisons with some state-of-the-art algorithms are presented. Results show that the developed algorithms work successfully as intended.


Consumers tend to choose brands that assist in projecting the self-image they desire. Embedding a brand with human characteristics is one way for marketers to satisfy consumers' symbolic needs. This study examines some factors that drive brand personality perceptions and investigates how these perceptions influence behavioural outcomes. Specifically, this thesis researches the antecedents and outcomes of brand personality perceptions. An extensive review of the literature identified five antecedents that influence consumers' perceptions of brand personality. These include brand association, hedonic attitudes, personality expression, and valence of feelings. The fifth antecedent, brand awareness, is modelled as driving brand association, indirectly impacting brand personality. These antecedents are hypothesised to drive consumers' formation of brand personality perceptions, which in turn affect important outcomes, namely brand engagement, brand attitude, and behavioural intentions. While prior research has addressed the measurement of brand personality, few studies have examined the factors driving its perception by consumers and no prior study has examined these antecedents in conjunction with the behavioural outcomes. Further, this thesis contributes to understanding brand personality perceptions through an extension that examines the moderating effect of self-expression, self-congruency, consumer individualist/collectivist orientation, and product category on the relationships in the research model. No prior study has examined the effect of these factors in moderating brand personality perceptions. Analysis of a national online survey of 609 individuals found that brand awareness is separate from but strongly linked to brand association, and later affects consumer perceptions of brand personality. Hedonic attitude, personality expression, and positive feelings also affect consumers' brand personality perceptions, with positive feelings having the strongest effect of all the antecedents. Negative feelings did not influence brand personality perceptions. Perceptions of brand personality affect consumers' willingness to engage with a brand, their attitude towards the brand, and behavioural intentions including intention to repeat purchase and remain a loyal customer of the brand. Positive feelings affect consumer brand attitude indirectly via brand personality perceptions, but negative feelings have a direct effect on brand attitude. The moderating variables of self-expression, self-congruency, individualist/collectivist orientation, and product category were also examined in this thesis. Self-expression does not have a strong effect on the relationships in the model. Self-congruency and individualist/collectivist orientation, on the other hand, did have more of an effect on the model relationships. Moderating effects were also tested across different product categories(clothing, perfume and watches) to establish some generalisability of the model. While minor variations occurred, the model is generally robust across product categories. This research contributes to our understanding of brand personality. It provides new depth to brand personality theory and also has significance for brand managers.


This oversized, deluxe volume celebrating the exquisite spectacle that embodies the excellence of American Ballet Theatre, recognized by Congress as "America s national ballet company," presents the unfolding beauty, grace, agility, and sheer force of its most recent productions. Distinguished photographer Nancy Ellison depicts such enduring ballet classics as La Bayadere, Othello, The Sleeping Beauty, Manon, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and Giselle, and captures the virtuosity of such unforgettable dancers as Angel Corella, Nina Ananiashvili, Alessandra Ferri, Julio Bocca, and Ethan Stiefel. ABT s artistic director, Kevin McKenzie, has written an illuminating essay about this preeminent company. The combination of dynamic bravura dancing in dreamlike settings will be a sheer delight to ballet lovers everywhere."


ABSTRACT Private governance programs are now an important source of regulation in global value chains – particularly in context of North–South trade. But can these programs play a similar role in the value chains feeding into fast-growing emerging markets like China and India? Most scholars doing research on the topic draw a pessimistic picture. They argue that the scope conditions for private sustainability governance are not yet present in these markets. Our analysis of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil – a leading non-state certification program – in China and India partially confirms this view. At the same time, however, we find that emerging markets are not a unified category. We observe that sustainable palm oil is beginning to gain momentum in China, whereas uptake in India remains much weaker. We trace this back to a number of key market conditions, which we show are more favorable in China. In addition, our analysis highlights the role of the Chinese state in creating awareness of and shaping firms' interests in sustainable palm oil.


The exponential growth of advanced communication technologies has corresponded with diverse opportunities for criminal offending within this arena. New forms of deviance are supported by the unique characteristics of the Internet environment, whilst pre-existing crimes are also paralleled online. Research indicates that content related offences, including cyberstalking and online sexual harassment, mirror offline gender disparities, although research addressing this disparity is minimal. The disparate victimisation of women, and the characteristics of cyberstalking, facilitates the recognition of this offence as a gendered form of harassment and the development of a theoretical framework responsive to this disparity. However, current theories addressing the Internet often display concepts concurrent with what is commonly referred to as the online disembodiment thesis. These concepts, namely the promotion of an absolute demarcation between the online and offline environment and the notion that bodies can be transcended online, are problematic when addressing the online victimisation of women as feminist theorists have located much of women's power in the centrality of the body. To inform the development of a gendered framework appropriate for an assessment of cyberstalking this thesis rejected the online disembodiment thesis, alternatively employing the theories of the body to develop a theoretical framework appropriate for an examination of cyberstalking. Criminologists are currently in an exploratory research era in regards to cybercrime, the growth of which has thus far not been matched by criminological scholarship. Consequently, there currently exists little methodological precedent for the researcher intending to qualitatively examine the online victimisation of women. The lack of methodological precedent prioritised the development of a methodological framework suitable for researching the online victimisation of women. The development of an alternative theoretical framework that recognised the immutability of bodies online subsequently informed the development of two key methodological considerations. The methodological considerations developed in this thesis lay the foundations for additional research on cyberstalking and prioritise a gendered assessment of this crime.


Over 90 recipes that provide solutions to everyday programming challenges using the powerful features of Groovy 2 Overview Simple and more advanced recipes to cover a broad number of topics and challenges With scores of practical examples, this book will help you to build efficient, flexible, and well-integrated systems Solve everyday programming problems with the elegance and simplicity of Groovy 2 In Detail Get up to speed with Groovy, a language for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that integrates features of both object-oriented and functional programming. This book will show you the powerful features of Groovy 2 applied to real-world scenarios and how the dynamic nature of the language makes it very simple to tackle problems that would otherwise require hours or days of research and implementation. Groovy 2 Cookbook contains a vast number of recipes covering many facets of today's programming landscape. From language-specific topics such as closures and metaprogramming, to more advanced applications of Groovy flexibility such as DSL and testing techniques, this book gives you quick solutions to everyday problems. The recipes in this book start from the basics of installing Groovy and running your first scripts and continue with progressively more advanced examples that will help you to take advantage of the language's amazing features. Packed with hundreds of tried-and-true Groovy recipes, Groovy 2 Cookbook includes code segments covering many specialized APIs to work with files and collections, manipulate XML, work with REST services and JSON, create asynchronous tasks, and more. But Groovy does more than just ease traditional Java development: it brings modern programming features to the Java platform like closures, duck-typing, and metaprogramming. In this new book, you'll find code examples that you can use in your projects right away along with a discussion about how and why the solution works. Focusing on what's useful and tricky, Groovy 2 Cookbook offers a wealth of useful code for all Java and Groovy programmers, not just advanced practitioners. What you will learn from this book Use Groovy with different IDEs and Operating Systems Integrate Groovy with Java and understand the peculiar features of the language Work with files of different formats, like PDF, Excel, and Zip Manipulate XML and work with JSON Access databases using the elegant Groovy API Unleash the power of asynchronous programming using the advanced features of the GPars API Learn how to use Groovy to test your Java code and other testing techniques Master the metaprogramming capabilities of the language and learn how to write Domain Specific Languages Approach This book follows a Cookbook style and is packed with intermediate and advanced level recipes. Who this book is written for This book is for Java developers who have an interest in discovering new ways to quickly get the job done using a new language that shares many similarities with Java. The books recipes start simple, therefore no previous Groovy experience is required to understand the code and the explanations accompanying the examples.


Abstract Our study is dedicated to a composite, which, in fact, is a mixture of two thermoelastic micropolar bodies. We formulate the mixed initial boundary value problem in this context and define the domain of influence for given data. For any solution of the mixed problem we associate a measure and prove a second-order differential inequality for it. Based on the maximum principle for the heat equation and on the second-order differential inequality, we establish an estimate which proves that the thermal and the mechanical effects, at large distance from the domain of influence, are dominated by an exponential decay.


We report a case of a young male with Carcinoma right lateral border of tongue, cT3N1Mx, post-surgery post adjuvant chemo-radiation. Following a Disease-free interval of 15 months, he developed pain in the left knee region for which he was evaluated with MRI and then biopsy which was conclusive of a Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma from the tongue primary. Workup for the Chest, Abdomen and Pelvis did not show any other metastatic disease. He further underwent palliative radiotherapy for pain at the local site and is being further planned for palliative chemotherapy. In this case report, we discuss the rarity of such presentations, possible high-risk factors, present and future implications in the follow-up of such high-risk cases of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas, especially in the younger population.


Introduction: In conventional abdominoplasty, the creation of a new umbilical scar is challenging. Several surgical techniques and approaches have previously been described and applied, but not always with satisfactory results. The objective is to demonstrate the applicability and satisfaction with omphaloplasty based on an isosceles triangle with double fixation in abdominoplasty. Methods: The study included 97 female patients aged between 25 and 65 years. All underwent classic abdominal dermolipectomy with moderate abdominal liposuction of the entire anterior abdomen and flanks by the same surgeon and were evaluated at 90, 180, and 360 days postoperatively. Results: Patients were satisfied with the umbilicus in most cases (92.8%). Some umbilical scars had contracted (3.1%) and others appeared unsightly (4.1%). No necrosis was observed. Conclusion: This technique was effective and easy to perform, with satisfactory umbilical scar aesthetic outcomes in abdominal dermolipectomy. ■ ABSTRACT


Comprehensive experimental and analytical studies have been conducted to understand the behaviour of frame buildings constructed before the introduction of modern design codes. This usually has been done assuming a fixed-base structure while ignoring the flexibility of soil. The interaction between the super-structure and sub-structure (SSI) is investigated by modelling the soil as simple as possible to capture the overall response of the system. As new analytical hysteresis rules and more advanced tools of analysis have been developed in recent years, and as part of a more comprehensive investigation on the response of older structures before and after retrofit, focus will be herein given on the response of SDOF systems representing a broad range of existing, newly designed and, retrofitted structures, while allowing for flexibility of the soil-foundation system. The results of this study suggest that the compliance of simply modelled soil for typical building structures have in average beneficial effects in terms of structural demand especially in the case where as a consequence of implementing a retrofit strategy, the stiffness of the structure might increase. On the other hand, the governing component of these effects, i.e. rocking of foundation, can result on average in higher absolute displacement of floors.


. There are three different concepts and analytical aspects of social time in contemporary western societies that are referred to in this article: (1) the different tempos of social processes and (2) the varying time horizons of 'socially expected durations' (Merton, 1986). It is argued that due to spatial, technological and socio-economic changes a third, more fundamental evolution of temporality is emerging: (3) an increasing simultaneity of events in our 'world at reach' (Schutz and Luckmann, 1983). The different tempos and time-scopes being causes and effects of this phenomenal simultaneity. An increase in simultaneity necessarily provokes an increase in non-simultaneity . 'Classical' mechanisms of temporal ordering of non-simultaneous events are sequencing and linear processing. It is claimed, that these mechanisms, typical of industrial modernity, are complemented by efforts and exigencies of coping with complexity in a simultaneous mode. It is assumed that the abilities of actors and social systems of parallel and simultaneous processing are enhanced but after all remain limited. Therefore, a growing realm of non-simultaneity remains open to meaningful interpretation. This is what significance an emerging culture of non-simultaneity has.


This short article was presented as part of a symposium on headline criminal trials, organized by St. Louis University School of Law in honor of Lawrence Friedman. It describes and analyzes the self-defense acquittal of opera singer Mae Talbot in Nevada in 1910 on charges of murdering her abusive husband. Based on extensive research into archival trial records and newspaper reports, the article discusses how the press, the court, and trial lawyers on both sides depicted the killing and Mae's possible defenses. Without discounting the sensationalism and entertainment value, to a scandal-hungry public, of stories about violent marriages, I contend that press coverage of Mae Talbot's trial and others like it served an important social function. It helped to make intimate-partner violence a public issue and to define men's brutality toward their wives as improper and unmanly. However, the newspapers did not always get the story right. Despite reporters' speculation that Mae would plead insanity, her defense team centered its case on the alternative theories of justifiable homicide and accident. The jury instructions given in the case and filed with the Washoe County Court tell an even more interesting story of a judge who supplemented black-letter self-defense law with commentary on gender roles and the decline of men's right to beat their wives. The newspapers, the defense lawyers, and ultimately the trial judge all seemed to see the case as one in which the deceased's wrongful behavior — that is, his brutality toward the defendant — played a central role. Mae was acquitted because she killed a man widely perceived to have violated his duties toward her as a husband. Although she was a glamorous entertainer, her case resonated with the acquittal of many ordinary women accused of murdering their batterers in the late 1800s and early 1900s.


We present a model of the connection between real interest rates, credit spreads, and the structure and the risk of the banking system. Banks intermediate between entrepreneurs and investors, and choose the monitoring intensity on entrepreneurs' projects. We characterize the equilibrium for a fixed aggregate supply of savings, showing that safer entrepreneurs will be funded by nonmonitoring (shadow) banks and riskier entrepreneurs by monitoring (traditional) banks. We also show that a savings glut reduces interest rates and spreads, increases the relative size of the shadow banking system and the probability of failure of the traditional banks. The model provides a framework for understanding the emergence of endogenous boom and bust cycles, as well as the procyclical nature of the shadow banking system, the existence of countercyclical risk premia, and the low levels of interest rates and spreads leading to the buildup of risks during booms.


IZA DP No. 15483 AUGUST 2022 Do STEM Students Vote?* For decades, pundits, politicians, college administrators, and academics have lamented the dismal rates of civic engagement among students who enroll in courses and eventually major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (i.e., STEM) fields. However, the research supporting this conclusion has faced distinct challenges in terms of data quality. Does STEM actually decrease the odds that young people will be actively involved in democracy? This paper assesses the relationship between studying STEM and voting. To do so, we create a dataset of over 23 million students in the U.S. matched to national validated voting records. The novel dataset is the largest known individual-level dataset in the U.S. connecting high school and college students to voting outcomes. It also contains a rich set of demographic and academic variables, to account for many of the common issues related to students' selection into STEM coursework. We consider two measures of STEM participation—Advanced Placement (AP) Exam taking in high school and college major. Using both measures, we find that, unconditionally, STEM students are slightly more likely to vote than their non-STEM peers. After including the rich set of controls, the sign reverses and STEM students are slightly less likely to vote than their non-STEM peers. However, these estimated relationships between STEM and voting are small in magnitude—about the same effect size as a single get-out-the-vote mailer—and we can rule out even very modest causal effects of marginally more STEM coursework on voting for the typical STEM student. We cannot rule out modest effects for a few subfields. Our analyses demonstrate that, on average, marginally more STEM coursework in high school and college does not contribute to the dismally low participation rates among young people in the U.S. JEL Classification: I21, I23, D72


Abstract : Asymmetric guerrilla war--insurgencies, internal wars, and other small-scale contingencies (SSCs)--are the most pervasive and likely type of conflict in the post-Cold War era. It is almost certain that the United States will become involved directly or indirectly in some of these conflicts. Yet, there appears to be little or no recognition and application of the strategic- level lessons of the Vietnam War and the hundreds of other smaller conflicts that have taken place over the past several years. The author draws from the lessons of the recent past to better prepare today's civilian and military leaders to meet the unconventional and asymmetric warfare challenges that face the United States and the rest of the international community. This country is in a new global security environment that involves the integration of free markets, technologies, and countries to a degree never before witnessed. It is not easy to understand and respond to the many smaller threats--and benefits--that stem from global integration. Yet, as the country that benefits most from global integration, the United States has a pressing national interest in maintaining and enhancing the new order. By coming to grips analytically with the most salient strategic lessons or rules that dominate contemporary SSCs, political and military leaders can maximize opportunities in the current and future chaos.


Motivation: Depletion of loss‐of‐function (LoF) mutations may provide a rank of genic functional intolerance and consequently susceptibility to disease. Results: Here we have studied LoF mutations in 60 706 unrelated individuals and show that the most intolerant quartile of ranked genes is enriched in rare and early onset diseases and explains 87% of de novo haploinsufficient OMIM mutations, 17% more than any other gene scoring tool. We detected particular enrichment in expression of the depleted LoF genes in brain (odds ratio = 1.5; P‐value = 4.2e‐07). By searching for de novo haploinsufficient mutations putatively associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in four recent studies, we were able to explain 81% of them. Taken together, this study provides a novel gene intolerance ranking system, called LoFtool, which may help in ranking genes of interest based on their LoF intolerance and tissue expression. Availability and implementation: The LoFtool gene scores are available in the Supplementary data. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Aims: An EAPC Social Work Task Force was established in 2009 to consider the diversity of roles of social workers in palliative and end of life care across Europe and make recommendations on the core competencies necessary for high quality practice. Methods: The authors drew on the practice experiences of social workers from across Europe, combined with a scoping of the international literature on social work competencies from Canada and Ireland. Other sources included the International Federation of Social Workers and survey work with palliative care social workers in the United Kingdom. Results: This White Paper explores the place of social work in palliative care from a range of perspectives and against the backdrop of variable service provision in Europe. It examines the historical development of the specialism in relation to some of the challenges presented by an ageing population and shrinking resources across the continent. Ten core competencies for palliative care social work are presented which address: • Principles • Assessment • Decision making • Care planning • Advocacy • Information sharing • Evaluation • Interdisciplinary working • Education and research • Reflective practice Each detail the values, attitudes, knowledge and skills required for competent work at this specialist level and provide the first opportunity to consider these in a wider European context. Conclusion: This White Paper will enable all interested parties to engage in a debate that seeks to advance the practice of palliative care social work in Europe. In addition, it will form the basis for the development of new curricula for the on-going education of current practitioners and for those coming into this specialised field in the future. Further, it will be an aid to employers seeking to engage specialist social workers in palliative care.


Temporal graph networks (TGNs) have gained prominence as models for embedding dynamic interactions, but little is known about their theoretical underpinnings. We establish fundamental results about the representational power and limits of the two main categories of TGNs: those that aggregate temporal walks (WA-TGNs), and those that augment local message passing with recurrent memory modules (MP-TGNs). Specifically, novel constructions reveal the inadequacy of MP-TGNs and WA-TGNs, proving that neither category subsumes the other. We extend the 1-WL (Weisfeiler-Leman) test to temporal graphs, and show that the most powerful MP-TGNs should use injective updates, as in this case they become as expressive as the temporal WL. Also, we show that sufficiently deep MP-TGNs cannot benefit from memory, and MP/WA-TGNs fail to compute graph properties such as girth. These theoretical insights lead us to PINT -- a novel architecture that leverages injective temporal message passing and relative positional features. Importantly, PINT is provably more expressive than both MP-TGNs and WA-TGNs. PINT significantly outperforms existing TGNs on several real-world benchmarks.


Background For over a hundred years, there have been efforts to change the way that schools transmit knowledge. Most of these efforts have failed. The most common explanations found in educational research for this are either: 1) macro-social, according to which social interests and powers hinder these changes. 2) teacher-oriented, according to which the teachers themselves either resist those changes or/and lack the training and qualifications necessary to carry them out. Although these explanations have a lot of truth to them, they ignore a crucial point, a "missing link" between teaching and subject matter, and society. Every educational institution has a special structure for organizing knowledge. This structure is independent in many respects from macro-social factors, as well as from teacher behavior, and it has important effects on the ways educational institutions deal with knowledge. Educational research has not yet provided a detailed and focused examination of "the institutional organization of knowledge" in education. Focus of Study The article focuses on "the institutional organization of knowledge" in education. This concept refers to the procedures for arranging knowledge that precede the activity of teachers in the classrooms (teaching) and the subject matter learned (content). It thus encompasses everything that exists in an educational institution that is related to how the learned knowledge is organized before the teacher even begins teaching a particular subject in the classroom. The article examines its vital implications for the field of education. Research Design A theoretical essay that presents a conceptual framework for understanding the institutional level of the educational system. Conclusions The lack of a focused conceptual discussion and empirical research guided by theory regarding the institutional level of education prevents us from properly understanding the educational system and, no less important, from successfully changing it. The article outlines two main models of organization of knowledge for educational purposes that have taken over the field of education in the modern world. One is the model of inculcating existing knowledge and the other focuses on producing new knowledge. Both of these models have been found to be inappropriate for general education. Therefore, one of the most important challenges facing the world of education today is to create a new model of the institutional organization of knowledge for the benefit of general education.


Poverty relief programs are shaped by politics. The particular design which social programs take is to a large extent determined by the existing institutional constraints and politicians' imperative to win elections. The Political Logic of Poverty Relief places elections and institutional design at the core of poverty alleviation. The authors develop a theory with applications to Mexico about how elections shape social programs aimed at aiding the poor. Would political parties possess incentives to target the poor with transfers aimed at poverty alleviation or would they instead give these to their supporters? Would politicians rely on the distribution of particularistic benefits rather than public goods? The authors assess the welfare effects of social programs in Mexico and whether voters reward politicians for targeted poverty alleviation programs. The book provides a new interpretation of the role of cash transfers and poverty relief assistance in the development of welfare state institutions.


Mobile telephony has diffused more rapidly than any Indian technology in recent memory, yet systematic studies of its impact are rare, focusing on technological rather than social change. We employ network surveys of separate groups of Kerala residents in 2002 and again in 2007 to examine recent shifts in mobile usage patterns and social relationships. Results show (1) near saturation of mobiles among both the professionals and nonprofessionals sampled, (2) a decrease in the number of social linkages across tie types and physical locations, and (3) a shift towards friends and family but away from work relationships in the core networks of Malayalis. We interpret these findings as support for the bounded solidarity thesis of remote communication that emphasizes social insulation and network closure as mobiles shield individuals from their wider surroundings.


Background In the Mexican Caribbean, tourism around the whale shark has become one of the most important sources of income for the local communities. It was estimated that during 2014 more than 100,000 tourists went on whale shark watching and swimming tours. In addition, the proximity of the tourist corridor of the Riviera Maya could further increase whale shark tourism. The vulnerability of the specie and the increased volume of tourism could become an ecological and economic problem for sustainable management of the whale shark in this region. Approach In 2014 and 2015, from June to August, a survey formed by 20 closed, reflective questions, and a Likert scale section, was applied to obtain information about perception and satisfaction of tourists during the whale shark watching and swimming activity. Questionnaires were applied to tourists who took the whale shark tour in Holbox-Chiquila and Isla Mujeres-Cancun, in Mexico. The application method was direct, pollsters asked participants at the arrival docks about their experience during the whale shark tour. Results A total of 486 surveys were applied, and the presence of tourists from 31 different nations was recorded. The mean age was 35 years old, with a mode 27 years old (range: 9–71). From the total of tourists surveyed, 61.5% mentioned that they visited the localities solely for swimming with whale sharks. 37.7% of respondents mentioned that they had received information about the whale shark tour by person to person or word of mouth, while 30.9% did so by media, mainly Internet. It should be mentioned that 30.7% of users said they had not received information about the rules for the development of the activity, and of those who received it, 43.9% did so after boarding the boat. In our results, 70% of people qualified the experience as excellent, however, some factors that could influence public satisfaction were identified. First, 68.5% of tourists reported having seen many whale sharks, indicating values between 20 and 50 individuals. The care provided aboard the boat was another important factor for the tourist, and 72% of respondents qualified it from good to excellent, compared with the treatment received at the point of sale, where only 57% considered it as good. On the other hand, 46.7% of the tourists said that there were many boats when they participated in the swimming and watching activity, observing between 30 and 59 boats. Finally, 45.2% of respondents felt that there were only a few people who swam at the same time with a single whale shark, while 24.6% said it was many or too many people, noting up to 30 swimmers at the same time. Conclusions This activity has an "innate" guarantee: seeing an animal of this size in the wild, however, there are several factors that could affect the user experience. The presence of a large number of vessels and/or swimmers may decrease the quality of service, resulting in some level of discomfort and dissatisfaction, and consequently cause the participant to be less likely to recommend or repeat the activity. Management strategies must be designed to promote successful experiences for the visitors without altering the natural conditions around which they are developed.


Mixing and uniformity issues in the feed industry. This paper discuss the main issues related with proper mixing and feed uniformity on animal performance. An analysis is made of the factors that contribute to non-uniformity such as ingredient characteristics, insufficient mix time, mixer overload, worn on broken mixing components, ingredient build-up, improper sequence of ingredient addition among others. The main part of the paper is focus to diet uniformity and its effect on animal performance. The present-day information shows that coefficient of variation (CV) of growing animals are probably less sensitive to diet non uniformity that once thought, with a CV (Quanta as chromium analysis) of 72%bengadequate for broiler chicks and nursery pigs and a CV of at least 15% (and probably higher) being adequate for finishing pigs. At present, there is no "standard" testing procedure that gives accurate results on mixers performance. It is need to design new procedures and conduct credible research that will result in a better understanding of the value of uniformity and the cost of non-uniformity in livestock production. Howeve4 commercial feed manufactures still should exercise care to provide uniformity in diets that have feed additives, such as antibiotics, that are subject to testing by regulatory agencies, and the satisfaction obtained in producing quality feeds.