The evolution of China into a major investment destination has enabled the country establish itself as a dominant force in world manufacturing. It is estimated that China has accounted for a third of global economic growth over the past three years. A key consequence of this development as well as China's entry into the WTO has been the establishment of global brands on the Chinese mainland. The automobile industry, in particular, identified the opportunity for massive growth on the basis of China's large and relatively untapped market. Many of these organisations invested in joint ventures with local car manufacturers. As a result, new business practices and thinking has been gradually introduced into the market. The concept of logistics as a strategy has challenged previous Chinese logistics practices. While most local Chinese auto companies were familiar with forward logistics (i.e. getting products to the customer), the idea of reverse logistics (i.e. product recall and/or recycling) was relatively undiscovered until October 2004 when the Chinese government passed new regulations. The regulations obliged car makers to `repair, replace or refund' faulty products with the result that auto recall generated large quantities of product reverse flow, a new and complex activity for the car manufacturers. While the global brands were familiar with this concept in their international markets, they had not been able to transfer the practices to China as a result of two key issues - firstly, their focus had been on growth and establishing market dominance and, secondly, operations were still largely managed by the local joint venture partners and technology transfer had been more focused on more critical activities. The research method applied was a case study examining the reverse logistics activities of one of the leading auto manufacturers in China. On the basis of the case study, this paper identifies the challenges faced by the Chinese auto industry in particular and suggests ways in which these challenges can be addressed. These will be of particular interest to local manufacturers who are not in knowledge-transfer-enabling joint ventures but are still subject to the new legislation. The study also examines the role of other stakeholders in the supply chain, including suppliers and logistics operators. The problems identified by the study vary in nature and include an industry shortage of contemporary logistics expertise, the varying capabilities of companies along the supply chain (parts traceability, for example), sub-optimal logistics infrastructure and limited capability of third party logistics companies (3PL). In order to address these issues, the paper suggests a number of strategic imperatives for the industry. It is important to have efficient and effective organisational, physical and information structures as well as development of the necessary skills within organisations, their suppliers and 3PLs. The study also suggests that improvement of forward logistics is core to the ability to manage reverse flows efficiently. With regards to the industry structure, the evolution of larger 3PLs through mergers and acquisitions will not only enable upskilling, but will underpin uniformity of service delivery while taking advantage of economies of scale. To a substantial extent, some of these activities will be supported by the implementation of technological and data solutions that are central to the management of product movement in competitive supply chains


The thesis brings a comparison of two significant BPM tools called K2
Blackpearl and IBM Business Process Manager, also known as Lombardi.
At the beginning we had to identify key criteria to evaluate BPM tools and
divide them into larger sets. Afterwards we described how the chosen BPM
tools fulfill important criteria in each of these sets. We came to the conclusion
that both tools are quite similar, both offering similar (basic) functionalities
and features, but often in very different ways. K2 Blackpearl is more user
friendly, suitable even for non-technical personnel, easy to use, supported by
numerous wizards to help the user. It often depends largely on Microsoft
systems and tecnologies. Lombardi is a more extensive and comprehensive tool.
It offers many different possibilities for achieving the same result, which makes
Lombardi even more independant tool. This is the main difference between
these two tools, when ignoring the costs. When choosing BPM tool, a lot
depends on us and our company, our demands and our expectations, platform
and systems currently used at our company and the money we are willing to
spend on BPM tools. Out of the many functionalities and features of the BPM
tool, we have to recognize and select only important ones, and neglect others,
if possible. Often we even do not need to use all functionalities but only a
small set.

To conclude the project, we built our own order management system for
internal use, as such systems are often used by various companies. Thus we
wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to build such a system and get the same
results with a less acclaimed and less comprehensive tool such as K2 Blackpearl.
We chose these two tools for comparison based on their importance to IBM
and Microsoft, two leading computer software companies in the world.


Experimental and theoretical EXAFS and XANES data on Fe coordination and bond distances have been obtained for a natural tetra-ferriphlogopite. XANES data show a predominance of trivalent iron in tetrahedral coordination. The use of theoretical multiple scattering calculations helps distinguish the contributions to the total spectrum coming from the different iron atoms. EXAFS spectra were reduced and analyzed using the GNXAS programs and Fe has been confirmed to be in tetrahedral coordination, with refined structural data Fe-O = 1.86 A, Fe-Si = 3.24 A, Fe-O-Si = 138°. Moreover, a further contribution from Fe is detected corresponding to a Fe-O distance equal to 2.22 A. This latter contribution (20 mol % of the total Fe ca. ) is interpreted to arise from divalent Fe in octahedral coordination, in excellent agreement with the structural and chemical data.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the extent to which esophagoscopy and bronchoscopy are being used in various regions of the United States in the initial examination of patients with head and neck cancer.

DESIGN
Population-based study derived from Medicare claims data and information from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.

SETTING
Five SEER areas (San Francisco, Calif; Connecticut; Seattle, Wash; Iowa; and Detroit, Mich).

PARTICIPANTS
The cohort included 1410 Medicare patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx diagnosed between March 1, 1991, and December 31, 1993, in the 5 SEER areas.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Rates of esophagoscopy and bronchoscopy according to SEER area.

RESULTS
The proportion of patients who underwent esophagoscopy ranged from 12.9% (San Francisco) to 39.8% (Detroit) for patients with local cancer and from 22.2% (San Francisco) to 59.7% (Detroit) for patients with regional cancer. The proportion of patients who underwent bronchoscopy ranged from 6.9% (San Francisco) to 32.6% (Detroit) for patients with local cancer and from 12.8% (San Francisco) to 50.7% (Detroit) for patients with regional cancer. After controlling for differences in age, sex, race, tumor site, tumor grade, comorbidity, and socioeconomic status, SEER area remained independently associated with esophagoscopy and bronchoscopy (both P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS
There is substantial geographic variation in the use of esophagoscopy and bronchoscopy as part of the initial examination of patients diagnosed as having head and neck cancer that cannot be explained by differences in patient or tumor characteristics. This variation likely underscores uncertainty and disagreement about the value of endoscopic screening for synchronous tumors. Additional research is required to determine whether routine endoscopic screening increases survival rates or improves quality of life.


Relatively little attention is paid to research in controversies over educational policy. For instance, A Nation at Risk (NCEE 1983), the most highly publicized document on educational reform in our nation's history, did not include any references to educational research. In addition, there is a broad albeit not unanimous consensus that educational research has had little if any impact on teaching or other aspects of education. Although commentaries differ on why this is the case, few allege that educational research has been productive or is likely to be productive in the absence of drastic change. Professional educators often join in the severe but long-standing criticisms of educational research. Robert Slavin (1997: 22), one of the most prominent educational researchers in the nation, notes: "For decades, policymakers have complained that the federal research and development enterprise has had too little impact on the practice of education. With few notable exceptions, this perception is, I believe, largely correct." Negative comments about educational research in the late 1960s and early 1970s led to the establishment of the National Institute of Education in June 1972. Its sponsor, the late Sen. Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), expected NIE to be similar to the National Institutes of Health, which conducts long-range studies on health issues. Nevertheless, one congressional opponent of NIE, Rep. William J. Scherle (R-IA), made a comment about it that seems as relevant today as when the comment was made: This provision simply opens the Federal Treasury to the same educational researchers without any assurance that the quality of education would be improved. The Office of Education in the last 10 years has spent approximately $1 billion on education research. Most of this was contracted out to various educational research organizations. Under this bill all that would happen would be that a new organization, the National Institute of Education, would be created to do the same thing which is being done now.... By defeating this amendment, the House will have an opportunity to reject the concept that the way to solve problems is to recast an old agency with a new name and increase its size and scope with the same people who run the old program, with additional waste of time and effort [Scherle 1971: 39214]. The latest reorganization of the research activities of the U.S. Department of Education took place in 2001, when the Bush administration established the Institute of Educational Sciences (IES), headed by an executive director appointed for a six-year term to facilitate bipartisanship in the department's research program. This may be a constructive change, but it will not affect the department's entire research program. Educational Research and Drug Research: A Comparison In view of the near unanimous consensus on the deficiencies of educational research, let us consider how it differs from research in the pharmaceutical industry, which is often cited to suggest the potential importance of educational research if it received comparable funding. Pharmaceutical companies conduct or finance a great deal of research. (1) Their research expenditures, accounting for billions annually, are made in anticipation of discovering drugs that will help millions avoid or overcome pain and disability or delay death. Because the researchers are searching for drugs that will be patented and widely utilized, their research focuses on drugs that can help large numbers of persons, or dominate a market niche. The following analysis does not ignore the criticisms of the pharmaceutical industry. Some of the criticisms have merit, but no one questions the fact that the pharmaceutical companies develop valuable drugs based upon their research. Some argue that the companies charge too much or unjustifiably fail to make the drugs available in poor countries that need them desperately or do not publish the results of research with negative outcomes, but these issues would not arise if pharmaceutical research did not lead to valuable drugs. …


Glenoid component failure is the most common complication of total shoulder arthroplasty. Glenoid components fail as a result of their inability to replicate essential properties of the normal glenoid articular surface to achieve durable fixation to the underlying bone, to withstand repeated eccentric loads and glenohumeral translation, and to resist wear and deformation. The possibility of glenoid component failure should be considered whenever a total shoulder arthroplasty has an unsatisfactory result. High-quality radiographs made in the plane of the scapula and in the axillary projection are usually sufficient to evaluate the status of the glenoid component. Failures of prosthetic glenoid arthroplasty can be understood in terms of failure of the component itself, failure of seating, failure of fixation, failure of the glenoid bone, and failure to effectively manage eccentric loading. An understanding of these modes of failure leads to strategies to minimize complications related to prosthetic glenoid arthroplasty.


The relationship between votes and seats in the legislature lies at the heart of democratic governance. However, there has been little previous work on the downstream effects of partisan gerrymandering on the health of political parties. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive examination of the impact of partisan advantage in the districting process on an array of downstream outcomes. We find that districting bias impedes numerous party functions at both the congressional and state house levels. Candidates are less likely to contest districts when their party is disadvantaged by a districting plan. Candidates that do choose to run are more likely to have weak resumes. Donors are less willing to contribute money. And ordinary voters are less apt to support the targeted party. These results suggest that gerrymandering has long-term effects on the health of the democratic process beyond simply costing or gaining parties seats in the legislature.


To the Editor: Myiasis is the infestation of humans or animals with dipterous insect larvae (1). The term pin-site myiasis was recently adopted for a rare and emerging parasitic infection after treatment of open fractures with external metal fixators (pins). Myiasis can also occur as a result of invasion of larvae deposited by flies in wounds adjacent to these fixators (1,2). We describe a patient with pin-site myiasis caused by the Cochliomyia hominivorax screwworm fly associated with external fixators used for treatment of an open fracture of the femur.

In September 2014, a 26-year-old male soldier from the Department of Meta in central Colombia was admitted to a primary medical unit for treatment of an open fracture of the right femur after a traffic accident. The patient had no relevant medical history. After multiple surgical interventions and external fixation of the fracture, he was discharged. Two weeks later, he returned to the medical unit with edema, redness, and warmth in the area surrounding the metallic fixators. At this time, 50 larvae were observed in the surgical wound (Figure, panel A).

Figure

Pin-site myiasis in a 26-year-old male soldier, Colombia. A) Larvae of Cochliomyia hominivorax screwworm fly around an external metallic fixator (arrow). B) Larvae isolated from the insertion wound of the external metallic fixator

The patient was referred to Hospital Militar Central in Bogota, Colombia, where surgical cleansing of the wound was performed and 30 additional larvae were obtained (Figure, panel B). Extracted larvae were sent to the Parasitology Laboratory of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia for identification. The larvae were taxonomically classified as those of the C. hominivorax screwworm fly.

Treatment with oral ivermectin and intravenous ampicillin/sulbactam was initiated. The next day, surgical cleansing showed signs of osteomyelitis. A culture of bone tissue was positive for multidrug-susceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia susceptible to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX). At this time, antimicrobial drug therapy was changed to intravenous ciprofloxacin (400 mg every 12 h) and oral TMP/SMX (160/800 mg every 12 h). The patient completed 2 weeks of treatment in the hospital and showed no signs or symptoms of infection or infestation by larvae. He was discharged, prescribed oral TMP/SMX, and followed up by the Orthopedics and Infectious Diseases Service of Hospital Militar Central.

Bacterial infection in insertion sites of metallic pins is usually the most frequent complication when external fixators are used in treatment open fractures and represents 10%–40% of complications, followed by loss of pins (5%), pain/edema (3.3%), and vascular or nervous injury (1.7%) (3). In the past decade, pin-site myiasis has been described as a new complication; 6 cases have been reported (1 in the United States, 2 in Venezuela, and 3 in Greece) (2,4–6). All case-patients had predisposing risk factors for parasitic infestation, such as diabetes mellitus, immobilization, alcohol and drug use, or decreased immune status. Our patient had the same risk factor (previous surgical interventions) as that reported for a patient in Venezuela (2). Also, the anatomic region (leg) involved and the larvae species (C. hominivorax) identified for our patient were observed in other reported cases (2,5,6).

C. hominivorax screwworm fly is the main species involved in wound myiasis in the New World (1). Wound myiasis is initiated when female flies oviposit on or near a wound (<300 larvae/wound). Upon hatching, larvae, which have small spines on each body segment that resemble the threads of a screw, penetrate head first into the tissues, burrow deeper perpendicular to the skin surface (resembling a screw), and cause extensive destruction of tissue and a bloody discharge (1). C. hominivorax larvae differ from larvae of other fly species because they feed only on living flesh (7). The anatomic site around a lesion becomes swollen, and local tissue destruction can cause pain and secondary bacterial infection (1).

Our patient was co-infected with P. aeruginosa, which was similar to a patient with pin-site myiasis reported by Paris et al. (5). Removal of the metallic fixators (a necessary procedure in 50% of reported cases) (1) was not required for our patient. Surgical cleansing, extraction of all larvae, and antimicrobial drug therapy resulted in resolution of the infection.

After a screwworm eradication program was developed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture, screwworm was eradicated in the United States in 1966, in Mexico in 1991, in Belize and Guatemala in 1994, in El Salvador in 1995, in Honduras in 1996, in Nicaragua in 1999, in Costa Rica in 2000, and in Panama in 2006 (7). Current distribution of C. hominivorax screwworm flies is limited to South America and some Caribbean Islands (1). However, physicians should be aware of the possible reemergence of myiasis as a complication of surgery and use of metal fixators.


The O, S, and Sr isotope compositions were determined for 17 samples of gypsum that replaced anhydrite in the sheeted-dike complex of the Macquarie Island ophiolite. Elevated d34S (26.2%-29.0%) and d18O values (12.5%-14.4%) of gypsum compared to those of seawater sulfate are the result of microbial sulfate reduction. Low organic carbon contents and little sulfate reduction in sediments, plus a large basaltic Sr component in the gypsum (87Sr/86Sr = 0.70446-0.70524), indicate that the sulfate source was not pore waters in the overlying sediment. Low d34S values of sulfide in basalt lavas are consistent with microbial reduction of seawater sulfate within the volcanic rocks. Tectonic activity at the slowspreading ridge allowed evolved formation waters to enter hot sheeted-dike complex basement, resulting in heating and precipitation of anhydrite. Results show that microbes can leave geochemical tracers of their activity in oceanic basement and that anhydrite can be preserved in oceanic crust and may be of significance for the oceanic sulfur budget.


Black-gloss ware is a fine ware produced from the 4th to the 1st centuries BC - in some areas until the early Empire - and used as table ware, for funerary vessels and for ritual purposes. This ware developed in part from later Attic production, spread widely in the Mediterranean, and in part from local traditions. This work focuses on two main topics: A reconstruction of the geography of black-gloss ware workshops in ancient Italy, including aspects of the organization and management of production; and a proposal for a new approach to the study of black-gloss ware with the aim of compiling local and regional histories of ancient Italy in relation to the growth and development of Roman power. Whoever studies the Republican period will inevitably come across black-gloss ware and all its complexities. This class of vessels represents one of the main chronological and cultural indicators of this period and can reflect, in the development of its shapes, decorations and its quantitative distribution, the process of meetings between Rome and the various cultures of ancient Italy. In some parts of Italy the appearance of black-gloss ware takes place at the same time as Roman expansion, with the foundation of colonies and the spread of Roman cults. The study of black-gloss ware, therefore, also necessitates studying the course of the Roman military conquest and consequent integration of the peoples of ancient Italy, as well as trading patterns and the movements of the craftsmen, who carried the techniques, styles and methods of decorating pottery typical of their original region, to the new colonies to which they moved.


Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of the response of NHS hospital trusts to an alert issued by the National Patient Safety Agency designed to limit the availability of concentrated potassium chloride in hospitals in England and Wales, and to determine the nature of any unintended consequences. Design: Multi-method study involving interviews and a physical inspection of clinical areas. Setting: 207 clinical areas in 20 randomly selected acute NHS trusts in England and Wales between 31 October 2002 and 31 January 2003. Participants: Senior managers and ward based medical and nursing staff. Main outcome measures: Degree of staff awareness of and compliance with the requirements of the national alert, withdrawal of concentrated potassium chloride solutions from non-critical areas, provision of pre-diluted alternatives, storage and recording in accordance with controlled drug legislation. Results: All trusts required that potassium chloride concentrate be stored in a separate locked cupboard from common injectable diluents (100% compliance). Unauthorised stocks of potassium chloride were found in five clinical areas not authorised by the trust (98% compliance). All trusts required documentation control of potassium chloride concentrate in clinical areas, but errors were recorded in 20 of the 207 clinical areas visited (90% compliance). Of those interviewed, 78% of nurses and 30% of junior doctors were aware of the alert. Conclusions: The NPSA alert was effective and resulted in rapid development and implementation of local policies to reduce the availability of concentrated potassium chloride solutions. The success is likely to be partly due to the nature of the proposed changes and it cannot be assumed that future alerts will be equally effective. Continued vigilance will be necessary to help sustain the changes.


The focus on inclusive approaches to higher education and increasing availability of educational technologies designed to enhance student communication and collaboration has led to new opportunities for widening participation and improving the learning outcomes of students from diverse backgrounds. However, despite the potential, the principles of inclusive education are often applied in ways that serve to further disenfranchise the very students the approach seeks to support. This paper draws on research undertaken through funding support provided by the Australian Government, Office for Learning and Teaching in presenting the case for teachers to adapt their learning and teaching strategies to address an increasingly diverse student population and to adopt more transformative pedagogical approaches to engaging all students with "difference". This paper explores issues of particular relevance to the design of technology enhanced learning that is inclusive of the diverse needs of higher education students with disabilities, however, the term "diverse students" is preferred, acknowledging the transient nature of some disabilities, the varying ways in which individuals choose to identify, the multiple layers of equity overlap, and the benefits of inclusive design of technology enhanced learning for all students. The inclusive education approach presented in the paper incorporates accessibility, usability, personalization and transformative pedagogy within a holistic model, as well as strategies for implementation at the institutional, program and individual student level. This paper concludes by arguing for more transformative approaches to understanding diversity and strategies for implementing inclusive design of technology enhanced learning in the higher education context.


The primary concern associated with a two-stroke engine performance is its gas exchange
process (scavenging process). The success of the scavenging process greatly affects the
thermodynamic properties of cylinder content at the trapping conditions and hence the
combustion and power output. The unsteady gas flow in engine pipes has a marked influence
on the scavenging process.
In the current study, the two-stroke engine simulation model has been developed to predict
the steady state performance characteristics of a crankcase compressed, piston port-timed,
two-stroke engine equipped with expansion chamber. The characteristics include parameters
such as engine torque and power, BSFC, scavenging efficiency and charging efficiency. The
model also has the ability to predict the unsteady gas dynamic behaviour in various engine
pipes. The instantaneous pressure fluctuation and mass flow rates at inlet port, transfer port
and exhaust port were calculated and analysed.
The model has several advantages compared with other one-dimensional isentropic model.
It includes an improved procedure to account for the variation in geometry of pipe and to
determine the thermodynamic states in cylinder/crankcase. The model also considered the
temperature discontinuity at port/pipe interface. All these efforts increase the accuracy and
numerical stability of the prediction.
A single cylinder two-stroke engine dynamometer rig and dedicated fast data acquisition
hardware and software have been developed in the project. Engine torque, speed and fuel
consumption can be measured on the dynamometer rig. The dynamic pressure signals in
engine cylinder, transfer port and exhaust port, together with crankshaft position signal, can
be acquired at a speed of 50,000 sample/second per channel, sufficient for accurate
acquisition of experimental data.
Substantial simulations and experiments were performed and the computer model was
validated. A variable exhaust system, as described in this study, was used to improve a twostroke
engine's performance under off-design engine speeds. This was realised by making the
mid-parallel section of a conventional expansion chamber extendable, while the other
dimensions of that chamber remained unchanged. In the study it was found that with the
adjustable expansion chamber, the pressure wave timing at the exhaust port was under control
within the test speed range (2200 - 4400 RPM) so that such wave timing matched the engine
port timing, leading to a relative optimum in performance. The numerical approach proposed
could satisfactorily handle the complicated pipe flow calculation and predict both engine
performance and dynamic wave variations in the test engine. Thus the program can be used
for improving the design and development of naturally aspired, port-controlled crankcase
compressed two-stroke engines.


Using a retrospective monthly calendarium of individuals' major economic activities, this paper characterizes the monthly employment and unemployment rates and the monthly transition intensities between the states of employment, unemployment, and out-of-the-labor- force for the German labor market between January/February 1983 and November/December 1994. The analysis provides a detailed portrait for demographic cells defined by gender, three age groups, and three education groups. Overall, the German labor market displays a high level of persistence, but important differences exist across demographic groups. By contrast, almost no changes can be observed across time, apart from a drastic decrease of male job finding rates during the early 1990s. When compared to France, the German labor market does not appear to be excessively rigid, although the differences with the fluid US labor market are very substantial.


It is argued that limited-English-proficient (LEP) readers, like all readers, process print with the intent to comprehend it, and all readers bring different background knowledge that influences how they derive meaning from text. Cultural influences are extremely significant in determining background knowledge, both cognitive and social. The majority culture may bias print towards the minority language culture, and if the LEP reader lacks the same cultural perceptions as those intended in the majority-language text, his interpretations of meaning may be considered misinterpretation: As a consequence, many LEP students are labeled as underachievers when their achievements are simply colored by their minority language culture. The educational community must make a greater effort to understand that LEP readers often bring their own culturally-influenced meaning to the interpretation of English-language text. (MSE) *************************************A.*******A.%A:,*.i.AA:.AAAA*AA.***A::*:-%A Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. **********--:t****************************************************** Culturally Influenced


We consider the problem of optimally designing longevity risk transfers under asymmetric information. We focus on holders of longevity exposures that have superior knowledge of the underlying demographic risks, but are willing to take them off their balance sheets because of capital requirements. In equilibrium, they transfer longevity risk to uninformed agents at a cost, where the cost is represented by retention of part of the exposure and/or by a risk premium. We use a signalling model to quantify the effects of asymmetric information and emphasize how they compound with parameter uncertainty. We show how the cost of private information can be minimized by suitably tranching securitized cashflows, or, equivalently, by securitizing the exposure in exchange for an option onmortality rates.Wealso investigate the benefits of pooling several longevity exposures and the impact on tranching levels. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Some characteristics of L-ornithine decarboxylase of tomato ovaries and tobacco cells are described. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 8.0. It requires pyridoxal phosphate and thiol reagent (dithiothreitol) for activity. It is specific for L-ornithine and has an apparent Km of 1.4 X 10-4 M. It has an apparent molecular weight of 107000. Putrescine inhibited the activity in vitro. Spermidine and spermine also inhibit the enzyme, but less effectively. It is concluded that the enzyme is similar to that of mammalian origin and likewise fulfils a function related to cell proliferation.


Neo-liberalism has been the dominant political–economic ideology defining the state and the world economy since the late 1970s. Neo-liberalism is a political–economic theory committed to laissez-faire market fundamentalism, a minimalist role for state intervention into the economy, and free trade and open borders. The global financial crisis that began in 2008 challenges the neo-liberal views of the state in numerous ways. This article describes the rise of the neo-liberal state, the ways the global crisis created a crisis for it, and then how the response to it questions its legitimacy and viability. The article concludes with detailing the various problems with neo-liberalism, calling for a rethinking of state theory within a new post-global economic order.


Virtually all references to the Fisher Effect assume that its appearance in nominal interest rates is a simultaneous result of borrower and lender effects. However, Irving Fisher, and Henry Thornton before him emphasized the activist role on the borrower (demand) side of the loan market. Their reasoning is extended here. Borrowers are seen increasing their demands for loans not because they necessarily anticipate inflation, but because the results of inflationary spending first appear on their income statements as higher profits. Ultimately lenders' loan supply schedules shift to the left as they, too, become aware of the decline in real rates. The conclusions reached for the loan market are seen as generalized to all contractual costs in labor and commodity markets.


Abstract. In this paper, the spatial and temporal distribution of the daily precipitation concentration index (CI) in Algeria (south Mediterranean Sea) has been assessed. CI is an index related to the rainfall intensity and erosive capacity; therefore, this index is of great interest for studies on torrential rainfall and floods. Forty-two daily rainfall series based on high-quality and fairly regular rainfall records for the period from 1970 to 2008 were used. The daily precipitation CI results allowed the identification of three climate zones: the northern country, characterized by coastal regions with CI values between 0.59 and 0.63; the highlands, with values between 0.57 and 0.62, except for the region of Biskra (CI = 0.70); and the southern region of the country, with high rainfall concentrations with values between 0.62 and 0.69.


This study examines the antecedents of turnover intention among information technology road warriors. Road warriors are IT professionals who spend most of their workweek away from home at a client site. Building on Moore's (2000) work on turnover intention, this article develops and tests a model that is context-specific to the road warrior situation. The model highlights the effects of work-family conflict and job autonomy, factors especially applicable to the road warrior's circumstances. Data were gathered from a company in the computer and software services industry. This study provides empirical evidence for the effects of work-family conflict, perceived work overload, fairness of rewards, and job autonomy on organizational commitment and work exhaustion for road warriors. The results suggest that work-family conflict is a key source of stress among IT road warriors because they have to juggle family and job duties as they work at distant client sites during the week. These findings suggest that the context of the IT worker matters to turnover intention, and that models that are adaptive to the work context will more effectively predict and explain turnover intention.


Modern text-to-speech algorithms pose a vital threat to the security of speaker identification and verification (SIV) systems, in terms of subversive usage, i.e. generating presentation attacks. In order to distinguish between presentation attacks and bona fide authentication attempts, presentation attack detection (PAD) subsystems are of utmost importance. Until now, the vast majority of introduced spoofing countermeasures rely on speech production and perception based features. In this paper, we utilize the complete frequency band without further filterbank processing in order to detect non-smooth transitions in the full and high frequency domain caused by unit-selection attacks. For the purpose of especially detecting unit selection attacks, the applicability of Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) and Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT) is examined regarding non-smooth transitions in the full and high frequency domain, excluding filter-bank analyses. Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers are trained on the German Speech Data Corpus (GSDC) and validated on the standard ASVspoof 2015 corpus resulting in EERs of 7.1% and 11.7%, respectively. Despite language and data shifts, the proposed unit-selection PAD scheme achieves promising biometric performance and hence, introduces a new direction to voice PAD.


In cooperative pathfinding problems, non-interfering paths that bring each agent from its current state to its goal state must be planned for multiple agents. We present the first practical, admissible, and complete algorithm for solving problems of this kind. First, we propose a technique called operator decomposition, which can be used to reduce the branching factors of many search algorithms, including algorithms for cooperative pathfinding. We then show how a type of independence common in instances of cooperative pathfinding problems can be exploited. Next, we take the idea of exploiting independent subproblems further by adding improvements that allow the algorithm to recognize many more cases of such independence. Finally, we show empirically that these techniques drastically improve the performance of the standard admissible algorithm for the cooperative pathfinding problem, and that their combination results in a complete algorithm capable of optimally solving relatively large problems in milliseconds.


Encouraging first year undergraduate students in large lecture-hall classes to seek out and actively engage their professors is a perennial problem in science education.  This problem is especially acute for commuter and minority populations.  Thus, because personal relationships between students and professors are well known to promote student learning and academic success, fostering new ways to connect students and faculty is essential for reducing attrition at inner-city colleges.  In the current study, we demonstrate that the use of instant messaging (IM) is highly effective in fostering student-teacher interactions in the lecture-hall setting of an introductory major-level biology course at [ name of university deleted ].  We found that not only did the use of IM allow more students to directly contact their professors through the internet, but also formed the basis for a personal relationship, leading to increased  in-person interaction during office hours.  This argues that new internet-based communication technologies can help break down barriers between students and professors at the undergraduate level.  We also discuss some of the further enhancements that are possible given these preliminary successes with IM.  Clearly, increased use and development of Instant Messaging can play a vital role in the active engagement of students in the learning process.


The atomic processes in molecular beam epitaxy of InAs on the InAs137 surface are investigated by means of first-principles total-energy calculations. We consider layer-by-layer growth on InAs137 facets as a typical process during the evolution of shallow InAs islands in the Stranski-Krastanov growth mode of InAs on GaAs that is exploited for the self-assembly of heteroepitaxial quantum dots. From the calculated energetics we conclude that a growth scenario where an As2 molecule adsorbs on a single In adatom, followed by capture of another In adatom, is most likely. Moreover, our calculations of the potential-energy surface for In adatoms on the InAs137 surface show that In adatoms are highly mobile. Surface diffusion on InAs137 is found to be almost isotropic with energy barriers 0.3 eV for adatom hopping. Aiming at an understanding of the growth processes at the strained side facets of quantum dots, we extend our calculations to isotropically strained InAs137 facets. It is found that the compressive strain present on side facets of shallow InAs islands on GaAs leads to a considerable lowering of the binding energy of In adatoms. The height of diffusion barriers is found to be less affected by the strain. Most importantly, the intermediate species consisting of an In adatom plus an adsorbed As2 molecule is destabilized by compressive strain in excess of 5%. This finding leads us to the conclusion that layer growth on InAs137 facets ceases in highly strained regions of InAs islands on GaAs, in line with the observed shape evolution of such islands.


Nationwide, approximately 20% of all homes use an on-site septic system as a form of household wastewater treatment. Since karst features are prevalent throughout the Ozark Highlands region of Northwest Arkansas, surface and groundwater resources are susceptible to contamination. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of soil condition (i.e., wet and dry) and absorption-field-product architecture type [i.e., chamber, gravelless-pipe (GLP), polystyrene-aggregate (PSA), and pipe-and-aggregate (PA)] on in-product solution storage and biomat thickness in a profile-limited soil, and to identify the long-term acceptance rate (LTAR) of each product. During Phase I of this study (i.e., March 13 to October 4, 2013), effluent loading rates were approximately doubled from the maximum allowable loading rate for each product. The pipe-and-tire-chip, 46-cm-wide trench pipe-and-gravel, and the 25-cm diameter GLP products had the greatest (P < 0.001), while the 31-cm-footprint and the 5.4-m-long chambers had the least (P < 0.001) amount of in-product solution storage during wetsoil conditions. Three of the 13 products appeared to reach or exceed their estimated LTAR. Averaged over soil condition and product within architecture type, the biomat thickness was greater (P < 0.001) in the PSA type than all other types, which did not differ. During Phase II of this study (i.e., October 8, 2013 to May 29, 2014), effluent loading rates were approximately quadrupled from the maximum allowable loading rates for each product. The 25-cm diameter GLP product had the greatest (P < 0.001), while the 61-cm-footprint, 5.4-m-long chamber had the least (P < 0.001) amount of in-product solution storage during Phase II. Including the three products identified during Phase I, three additional products of the 13 appeared to reach or exceed their estimated LTAR during Phase II monitoring. Similar to Phase I results, the biomat thickness was greater (P < 0.001) in the PSA architecture type than in all other types. Results of this study indicate that some alternative septic system, absorption-field products may be able to effectively handle effluent loading rates in excess of those currently allowed by the State of Arkansas, but further research will be required to confirm these interpretations.


A collaborative study of human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies has been carried out from 1993 to 2000 and includes data from 10 national registries, the majority in Western Europe. In this study, we present analyses of predictors of survival in sporadic (n = 2304), iatrogenic (n = 106) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (n = 86) and in cases associated with mutations of the prion protein gene (n = 278), including Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (n = 24) and fatal familial insomnia (n = 41). Overall survival for each disease type was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and the multivariate analyses by the Cox proportional hazards model. In sporadic disease, longer survival was correlated with younger age at onset of illness, female gender, codon 129 heterozygosity, presence of CSF 14-3-3 protein and type 2a prion protein type. The ability to predict survival based on patient covariates is important for diagnosis and counselling, and the characterization of the survival distributions, in the absence of therapy, will be an important starting point for the assessment of potential therapeutic agents in the future.


Structural equation modeling (LISREL 8) was used to test the causal relationships between tourist travel motivations (travel activities and tourist demographics) and souvenir consumption (souvenir products, product attributes, and store attributes). A survey containing Likert-type scales was used in collecting data from 398 tourists who had traveled to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Using factor analysis, dimensions were identified for scales used in the study: souvenir products, product attributes, store attributes, and travel activities. Results indicated that the travel activities of tourists had positive correlations with souvenir consumption, while tourist demographics had no correlation. Thus, retailers who can identify the travel activities of their tourist customer should do so to provide a better souvenir product mix with appealing attributes sold in an appealing environment. By using identified travel activities, retailers can partner with lodging facilities, restaurants, and tourism boards to encourage positive shopping experiences for the tourist.


In the present work the neutron emission spectra from a graphite cube, and from natural uranium, lithium fluoride, graphite, lead and steel slabs bombarded with 14.1 MeV neutrons were measured to test nuclear data and calculational methods for D - T fusion reactor neutronics. The neutron spectra measured were performed by an organic scintillator using a pulse shape discrimination technique based on a charge comparison method to reject the gamma rays counts. A computer programme was used to analyse the experimental data by the differentiation unfolding method. The 14.1 MeV neutron source was obtained from T(d,n)4He reaction by the bombardment of T - Ti target with a deuteron beam of energy 130 KeV. The total neutron yield was monitored by the associated particle method using a silicon surface barrier detector. The numerical calculations were performed using the one-dimensional discrete-ordinate neutron transport code ANISN with the ZZ-FEWG 1/ 31-1F cross section library. A computer programme based on Gaussian smoothing function was used to smooth the calculated data and to match the experimental data. There was general agreement between measured and calculated spectra for the range of materials studied. The ANISN calculations carried out with P3 - S8 calculations together with representation of the slab assemblies by a hollow sphere with no reflection at the internal boundary were adequate to model the experimental data and hence it appears that the cross section set is satisfactory and for the materials tested needs no modification in the range 14.1 MeV to 2 MeV. Also it would be possible to carry out a study on fusion reactor blankets, using cylindrical geometry and including a series of concentric cylindrical shells to represent the torus wall, possible neutron converter and breeder regions, and reflector and shielding regions.


This paper considers the problem of learning the ranking of a set of stochastic alternatives based upon incomplete information (i.e., a limited number of samples). We describe a system that, at each decision cycle, outputs either a complete ordering on the hypotheses or decides to gather additional information (i.e., observations) at some cost. The ranking problem is a generalization of the previously studied hypothesis selection problem -- in selection, an algorithm must select the single best hypothesis, while in ranking, an algorithm must order all the hypotheses.

The central problem we address is achieving the desired ranking quality while minimizing the cost of acquiring additional samples. We describe two algorithms for hypothesis ranking and their application for the probably approximately correct (PAC) and expected loss (EL) learning criteria. Empirical results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of these ranking procedures on both synthetic and real-world datasets.


Computer simulations of biomolecular systems often use force fields, which are combinations of simple empirical atom-based functions to describe the molecular interactions. Even though polarizable force fields give a more detailed description of intermolecular interactions, nonpolarizable force fields, developed several decades ago, are often still preferred because of their reduced computation cost. Electrostatic interactions play a major role in biomolecular systems and are therein described by atomic point charges. In this work, we address the performance of different atomic charges to reproduce experimental hydration free energies in the FreeSolv database in combination with the GAFF force field. Atomic charges were calculated by two atoms-in-molecules approaches, Hirshfeld-I and Minimal Basis Iterative Stockholder (MBIS). To account for polarization effects, the charges were derived from the solute's electron density computed with an implicit solvent model, and the energy required to polarize the solute was added to the free energy cycle. The calculated hydration free energies were analyzed with an error model, revealing systematic errors associated with specific functional groups or chemical elements. The best agreement with the experimental data is observed for the AM1-BCC and the MBIS atomic charge methods. The latter includes the solvent polarization and presents a root-mean-square error of 2.0 kcal mol-1 for the 613 organic molecules studied. The largest deviation was observed for phosphorus-containing molecules and the molecules with amide, ester and amine functional groups.


This paper is concerned with the ethical issues arising for researchers engaged in the study of irregular migration. Based on the authors' research experiences, the paper goes beyond analysis of ethical dilemmas and aims to provide some guidance to researchers in this field. Irregular migration is by definition an elusive phenomenon as it takes place in violation of the law and at the margins of society. The very nature of this phenomenon raises important issues, including the sensitivity and vulnerability of the research subjects and a whole series of other ethical issues to be addressed both when conducting fieldwork with irregular migrants and also at the later stage of data analysis, processing and dissemination. The paper first considers various methods in researching irregular migration and defines research ethics. It then discusses the differences between sensitivity and vulnerability and their particular implications for irregular migration research. Next, the paper looks at the ethical challenges arising from fieldwork and discusses the sensitive issues involved in the relationship between researcher, irregular migrant and society. Finally, it discusses the question of disseminating findings (both qualitative and quantitative) to wider audiences. In conclusion, we highlight the key points that we consider to be important when studying irregular migrant populations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Russia and China have largely managed to avoid direct competition in the post-Soviet space, particularly in Central Asia, even though they have been pursuing distinct regional cooperation projects, namely the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt.

China is more interested in the practical benefits of regional cooperation. It aims at preventing other powers from establishing closed politico-economic blocs. Russia is struggling to maintain the image of a strategic leader in Eurasia. Its concept of 'Greater Eurasia' imitates China's project as Moscow wants to create the impression of Russia and China being equal partners in Eurasia.

Paradoxically, it is the asymmetry in Russian and Chinese visions of regionalism that has facilitated cooperation. On top of this, the implementation of the two regional projects has created a number of stakeholders in both states who are now in favour of closer cooperation. In the long-term perspective, however, subordination of the Russian project to the Chinese one is more plausible than genuine integration of the two initiatives.


OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the effect of an occupational therapy ergonomics intervention on the workstation design and body positioning of microscope workers at a fiber optics facility.

METHOD
The study was quasi-experimental. Fifty-one microscope workers were assigned to one of three groups: control, education only, and education training. Their workstation design and body positioning were assessed before and after intervention.

RESULTS
Workers who participated in a client-centered, participatory, and onsite ergonomics program demonstrated improved workstation design and improved body positioning compared with both a control group (p = .000) and an education-only group (p = .001). These results were supported through analysis of covariance and effect size calculations. Workers who received only educational handouts also demonstrated improved body positioning and workstation design when compared with the control group (p = .001).

CONCLUSION
Researchers concluded that participation, client-centered training, context, and feedback represented critical components of ergonomics training.


Nicolas Bernoulli suggested the St Petersburg game, nearly 300 years ago, which is widely believed to produce a paradox in decision theory. This belief stems from a long standing mathematical error in the original calculation of the expected value of the game. This article argues that, in addition to the mathematical error, there are also methodological considerations which gave rise to the paradox. This article explains these considerations and why because of the modern computer, the same considerations, when correctly applied, also demonstrate that no paradox exists. Because of the longstanding belief that a paradox exists it is unlikely the mere mathematical correction will end the myth. The article explains why it is the methodological correction which will dispel the myth.


I thank Loiselle and Ramchandra (hereafter 'the authors') for their interest.

First, I should say that it might have been a mistake to use the term 'false discovery rate'. This is so because the same term is used in the world of multiple comparison studies. It is defined there in the same way as in my paper, but the context is quite different. Corrections for multiple comparisons all give simply the p-value if applied to a single experiment, so they take no account of the false-positive rate that is discussed in my paper. To reduce this source of confusion, it might have been better if I had used the term 'false-positive rate' rather than 'false discovery rate'. However, for the sake of consistency, I will stick to the latter term here.

I should start by reiterating the question that I was aiming to answer. How should one interpret the observation of p=0.047 in a single experiment? The conclusion was that, under reasonable assumptions, in at least 26% of such cases, the null hypothesis would be true, so you would be wrong if you claimed to have discovered an effect. The actual rate of false discoveries may be much worse than this, because of p-hacking, lack of randomization and all the other suspects.

The authors say

We find the numeric value of 0.1 for the parameter describing 'the probability that the putative effect is real' to be wholly unrealistic for divining the appropriate p-value to be used as the basis for deciding whether the outcome of an experiment provides evidence 'for' or 'against' rejection of the null hypothesis.

I could not agree more. The value of 0.1 just happens to be the one that was used for the first example. As the authors say, sometimes it will be too low. In other cases, it may be too high.

The authors' comment points out, quite correctly, that the prevalence of true effects is not generally known. It is obvious that if most of the hypotheses that you test are true, there will not be many false positives (as I pointed out at the end of §6). That is all that is shown in figure 1 of Loiselle & Ramchandra.

The main problem with their figure 1 is that it is based on looking at all tests that give p<0.05. Admittedly, that is how I introduced the problem in my figure 2. That is because my figure 2 provides a very simple way of showing that there can be a problem. But my main conclusions are based on the idea that if you have observed p=0.047 you should not look at all p<0.047, but only at p-values close to 0.047. If one accepts that, then the authors' figure 1 becomes irrelevant. It remains true that for any prevalence of true effects less than 0.5, the minimum false discovery rate is 26%.

The authors' most substantial argument is that prevalences greater than 0.5 may be legitimate, and if this were true, then of course there would be fewer false discoveries. I cannot say that I find it at all convincing to say that we asked a few co-workers who said that their hypotheses were usually borne out. As the authors themselves say, this argument is circular.

The published papers that the authors looked at often had quite small p-values. That would be relevant if one were trying to estimate a global false discovery rate, but it is irrelevant to the question that I was trying to answer.

To postulate a prevalence greater than 0.5 is tantamount to saying that you were confident that your hypothesis was right before you did the experiment. That would imply that it is legitimate to claim that you have made a discovery on the basis of a statistical argument the premise of which is that it is more likely than not that your hypothesis was right before you did the experiment. I suspect that any such argument would be totally unacceptable to reviewers and editors. Certainly, I have never seen a paper that attempted to justify its conclusions in that way.

In the supplementary material, the authors' figure S1 confirms the value of 26% for the false discovery rate when one looks only at 0.045<p<0.05. Obviously, that gets smaller for lower p-values, as I pointed out in my sections 11, A5 and table 1. As stated at the start, my paper addressed only the question of how to interpret a single observation of p=0.047. As the authors have shown, the program I supplied allows any other values to be examined.

The final point in the electronic supplementary material is that the conclusions depend on the effect size. That is, I think, not true if one keeps the power constant. For example, if the true effect size is reduced from 1 to 0.5 s.d., then to keep the power at 0.8 the sample size has to be increased from 16 to 63. Running the example with these numbers gives a false positive rate of 26%, as before, for a prior prevalence of 0.5 (and much worse for lower prevalences).

It should be said that Senn has pointed out that certain sorts of prior distribution can result in false positive rates that are quite close to the p-values, for one-sided tests (see slides 10 and 20 in 1 and discussion in 2). This, however, answers a question that is different from that which I am trying to answer 3. I have never seen the smooth Laplacian prior invoked in an experimental study, and, as an experimenter, the point null is what I want to test. I want to be able to eliminate the possibility that the two treatments being compared are identical. If I can convince myself that the treatments are not identical, I then estimate the effect size and try to judge whether it is large enough to matter in practice.

I remain, therefore, convinced that p-values, as they are usually used in practice, will lead to many false discoveries.


This article demonstrates that at the heart of Aristotle's Rhetoric is deep instruction in how to make your arguments resonate most effectively with the audience - how to make a psychic connection between the speaker and the audience is the core, unifying theme of the whole Rhetoric. In demonstrating this thesis, I focus primarily on how, to Aristotle, logical argument, particularly the enthymeme (rhetorical syllogism), is less about logic per se than about knowing and connecting with the audience. To Aristotle, logical arguments are persuasive not because of something inherently true about logic, but rather because the audience values and responds to logical arguments. That is, logic is not outside human experience, but of it. Even the seeming inevitability of the syllogism has been shown to be culture-bound, at least in the sense that one must believe in it for it to be persuasive. One can choose not to believe either in its logic or in its completeness or precision. In the law completeness and precision are sought after, but never fully realized or realizable. Hence even the honored syllogism is open to rhetorical attack.


Efficient tapered Nb2O5 transition waveguide obtained by reactive sputtering has been demonstrated experimentally. It provides effective interconnection between two sections of Ti-indiffused waveguide with 0.8-dB total insertion loss. Chirped grating lenses have also been fabricated on Nb2O5 waveguides that have yielded 85% throughput efficiency. For signal processing applications in Ti-indiffused waveguides, the combination of grating lenses and the Nb2O5 transition waveguide will allow us to obtain lens functions that have both high efficiency and large angular field of view (∼4°).


A study was carried out to compare the fatty acid composition and thermal profiles of mono- and diacylglycerols of six commercial emulsifiers, coded as E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, and E6, purchased from different manufacturers with those of the same derived from lard. The lipid extraction from the commercial emulsifiers was done using the Soxhlet method and the isolation of individual mono- and diacylglycerols was carried out using a column chromatographic method. The isolated partial acylglycerols of lard and individual emulsifiers were subjected to fatty acid analysis by gas chromatography and thermal analysis by differential scanning calorimetry. A clear distinction between lard-based emulsifier and the commercial emulsifiers was achieved by the application of principal components analysis to the fatty acid data. According to thermal analysis, mono- and diacylglycerols of lard displayed significant differences from those of commercial mono- and diacylglycerols with respect to the thermal transitions in the cooling curves. This study concluded that partial acylglycerols of none of the commercial emulsifiers employed in this study displayed similarity to those of lard-based emulsifiers.


In present-day western societies grandparents and grandchildren have longer years of shared lifetime than ever before. We investigate whether children with more grandparent resources have a higher probability of achieving the general secondary degree compared with children with fewer resources, or whether shared lifetime with grandparents increases the probability of achieving the general secondary degree. We use high-quality Finnish Census Panel data and apply sibling random and fixed-effects models that also control for all unobserved factors shared by siblings. Grandparents' education and socioeconomic status have only a limited ability to explain a grandchild's educational achievement. However, the sibling fixed-effects models reveal that every shared year between grandparents and grandchildren increases a grandchild's likelihood of completing general secondary education by 1 percentage point, on average. The effect of shared lifetime is conditional on grandparental type, family resources, and the size of the extended family. Maternal grandmothers have a positive effect on grandchildren's education in low-income families. Paternal grandmothers provide a link to the resources available through the extended family network, independent of their own resources. The same effects were not observed for grandfathers.


Ships moving through water generate surface waves which in many navigation channels cause severe wave-wash damage to the bank* In some waterways, rather extensive protection works have been constructed to reduce this destructive action to levee faces (Hertzberg, 1954). This action, termed "foreshore erosion", has been described by Lewis (1956) for the lower Mississippi River as follows: "The attack, interestingly enough, takes place at lowwater . It is due largely to the waves created by passing ocean-going ships and is augmented by shallow draft traffic. It may be asked at this point why this attack is new, in view of the fact that ship and barge traffic has long existed on the river in very substantial volume? The answer is that the recent technological advances in ocean-going and river transportation have greatly increased maximum and average speeds, and accordingly, the wave making potentials."


According to the efficient markets hypothesis, market returns are unpredictable and random around long-term market norms. In a perfectly efficient market, historical returns offer no useful insight into the formation of future return expectations. Behavioral finance theory suggests otherwise. Even if nobody can predict when the market will take a severe drop (such as down 20%), the overreaction hypothesis suggests that forward-looking returns will be above average after severe market drops. Market evidence presented here shows that severe downturns in the overall market are consistently followed by superior returns during the 12 months following. When investors overreact by giving extreme weight to recent negative returns, they run the risk of missing subsequent above-average rates of return. Going forward, the overreaction hypothesis predicts a reversal of the sharp losses following the collapse of the Internet stock bubble and the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.


We propose Gaussian processes for regression (GPR) as a novel nonlinear equalizer for digital communications receivers. GPR's main advantage, compared to previous nonlinear estimation approaches, lies on their capability to optimize the kernel hyperparameters by maximum likelihood, which improves its performance significantly for short training sequences. Besides, GPR can be understood as a nonlinear minimum mean square error estimator, a standard criterion for training equalizers that trades off the inversion of the channel and the amplification of the noise. In the experiment section, we show that the GPR-based equalizer clearly outperforms support vector machine and kernel adaline approaches, exhibiting outstanding results for short training sequences.


Tracheo-bronchial collapsibility (TBc) has been detected at computed tomography (CT) in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). TBc is considered a local response to inflammatory agents not closely related to the obstructive functional pattern and to lung attenuation values at CT. We hypothesize however that TBc could influence symptoms and daily performance in patients with COPD. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether TBc is related to dyspnoea, exercise capacity and clinical phenotypes in patients with COPD. Thirty-six patients (mean age 68±8, mean FEV1% 60±24) underwent clinical examination, lung function test, 6 minutes Walking Test and inspiratory-expiratory CT.TBc was measured by an automated software and correlated with MRC and Borg dyspnoea scales and with walked distance. Moreover we compared TBc in patients with predominant chronic bronchitis (CB) and predominant emphysema (E) phenotypes according to the rule available at www.clipcopd.com. No significant relationship was found between TBc and MRC (r=-0.24, p=0.15), Borg scale (r=-0.12, p=0.48),walked distance (r=0.17, p=0.33). TBc was significantly higher in patients with CB phenotype (p=0.02, Fig. 1). Patients with a predominant CB phenotype show a high level of TBc supporting the idea that the same inflammatory process could involve both trachea and bronchial tree. Dyspnoea and exercise capacity are global indexes of COPD that are not related to TBc.


Two hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are connected through a CAMKK2-AMPK pathway. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating and common form of dementia and is associated with the accumulation of a cleaved fragment called Aβ (β amyloid) from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and excessive phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein Tau in neurofibrillary tangles. The metabolic stress–activated kinase AMPK and its upstream activator calcium-calmodulin–dependent kinase kinase 2 (CAMKK2) is activated in neurons by Aβ peptides; in addition, AMPK phosphorylates Tau. Mairet-Coello et al. extended these findings with cultured neurons and a transgenic mouse model of AD due to the production of an APP mutant associated with human AD (APPSWE,IND). Application of Aβ42 oligomers, which are common in amyloid plaques in AD brains, to mouse hippocampal neuron stimulated AMPK activity and reduced spine density, responses that were prevented by the addition of a CAMKK2 inhibitor. Overexpression of either CAMKK2 or subunits of AMPK or addition of a pharmacological activator of AMPK also produced a reduction in spine density. Pharmacological activation of AMPK stimulated Tau phosphorylation at the priming site, and expression of a phosphorylation-resistant mutant of Tau prevented the reduction in spine density caused by Aβ42 application to cultured hippocampal neurons. Neurons from mice deficient in AMPKα1 and CAMKK2 were resistant to the spine density–reducing effects of Aβ42. Activation of AMPK was higher and spine density was lower in hippocampal tissue from the mouse AD model than in that from control mice. The reduction in spine density in the mouse AD model was prevented by in utero electroporation of either a kinase-dead form of CAMKK2 or a kinase-dead form of AMPKα2 or by electroporation of the AMPK phosphorylation-site mutant of Tau. These results suggested that Aβ42 activates CAMKK2 to phosphorylate and activate AMPK, which phosphorylates Tau, thus connecting these two hallmarks of AD pathology through a common pathway. G. Mairet-Coello, J. Courchet, S. Pieraut, V. Courchet, A. Maximov, F. Polleux, The CAMKK2-AMPK kinase pathway mediates the synaptotoxic effects of Aβ oligomers through Tau phosphorylation. Neuron 78, 94–108 (2013). [Online Journal]


Environmental economics has an extensive literature on procedures for placing economic values on the environment. Most of these methodologies have been developed and refined in the context of developed countries, where high levels of disposable income allow for a high demand for environmental amenities and a willingness to pay for non-use values. This paper argues that the applicability of these methodologies may be limited in developing countries. A microeconomic model, designed to highlight the different roles of environmental goods and services in developed and developing counties, is presented. In developing countries the value of environmental amenities is relatively less important than the value of environmental resources in the production process. The use of the procedures to estimate the value of environmental services in production should be respected, promoted and refined, particularly in light of widespread market failure in developing countries.


Many complex and subtle debates surround the framework of the legal profession in Europe, 1992. One such issue is the reform of the basic organisation of the legal profession, and how EC law interacts with the internal debates on this issue. Several unifying and dividing forces have been at play ever since the promise of a completely free market in legal services was made. In the field of lawyers' rights, areas remain where the internal market is incomplete, for example the rights of audience or the freedom to conduct litigation equaling that of local lawyers. This article intends to give an overview of how the legal profession is regulated in the Treaty of Rome and how these provisions have been implemented. A study of EC professional mobility legislation supplies indicators as to the pragmatic effects of these developments in the realm of the internal debates raging on enforced separation of function or unification of the legal profession.


Although being effective seems an obvious requirement of staying in business, organizational effectiveness (OE) has been defined by a variety of effectiveness attributes (Campbell, 1977; Lewin and Minton, 1986). No consensus exists regarding its definition or measurement (Hitt, 1988). However, these issues are largely the concern of researchers, not managers, who make judgments of effectiveness regardless of the criteria available to them (Cameron, 1986). Broadly speaking, "the construct of organizational effectiveness refers to human judgments about the desirability of the outcomes of organizational performance from the vantage point of the varied constituencies directly and indirectly affected by the organization" (Zammuto, 1984: 614). Individuals make effectiveness judgments regularly when they buy stock, choose a college, take their cars for repairs, etc. Similarly, human resource (HR) managers judge effectiveness in developing training programs and staffing processes, and employees judge effectiveness when they assess their jobs. "Organizational effectiveness is not the only consideration in these kinds of judgments, of course, but it is invariably part of the judgment equation" (Cameron, 1986: 88). Today, HR departments are expected to contribute to organizational performance (Ettore, et al., 1996; Fitz-enz, 1994; Mathes, 1993), and many organizations now believe that the success of the strategic management process largely depends on the extent to which the HR function is involved (Butler, et al., 1991). Increased employee involvement also entails increased exercise of discretion by employees. With discretion comes the possibility of its abuse, allowing critical decisions regarding organizational planning to be influenced by office politics or personal motives. An extensive literature (e.g., Daft and Weick, 1984; Isabella, 1990; Schwenk, 1988) examining how managers evaluate their environments suggests they creatively and actively make sense of their worlds by attending to salient cues (Daft and Weick, 1984; Smircich and Stubbart, 1985). "One critical cue for these sense-making activities is a decision maker's perception of how well their unit or organization is performing" (McCabe and Dutton, 1993: 624). There is a continuing need to learn more about how managers evaluate their environments (Daft and Weick, 1984; Isabella, 1990; Schwenk, 1988), including the impact of specific cues on evaluations of organizational effectiveness. The purposes of this study are to investigate factors which are likely to influence HR managers' evaluations of their organizations' effectiveness and to explore implications for the growing roles of HR managers in strategic planning for the organization. We focus on the influence of organizational politics, while also considering autonomy, experience, professional affiliations, performance of the organization in HR matters and of the HR department, and policy "gaps" as factors influencing perceptions of organizational effectiveness. We expect the results to provide information about how HR managers evaluate their departments, their jobs, and their functions within their organizations. The remaining sections of the article discuss the significance of HR managers' effectiveness evaluations and the critical issues arising in assessing effectiveness, followed by a discussion of the specific factors influencing the formation of perceptions of effectiveness. Specific hypotheses to be tested are offered. Next, the methods and results of the study are provided. The article concludes with a discussion of the results and implications for managers. Significance of HR Managers' Effectiveness Evaluations Some researchers have proposed that evaluations of effectiveness should be based on financial measures (e.g., profit), and for years human resource issues have been secondary to such measures. Others, however, argue that pursuing a single objective, such as creation of shareholder wealth, is self-defeating (Clarkson, 1988). …


Many real-world networks based on human activities exhibit a bipartite structure. Although bipartite graphs seem appropriate to analyse and model their properties, it has been shown that standard metrics fail to reproduce intricate patterns observed in real networks. In particular, the overlapping of the neighbourhood of communities is difficult to capture precisely. In this work, we tackle this issue by analysing the structure of 4 real-world networks coming from online social activities. We first analyse their structure using standard metrics. Surprisingly, the clustering coefficient turns out to be less relevant than the redundancy coefficient to account for overlapping patterns. We then propose new metrics, namely the dispersion and the monopoly coefficients, and show that they help refining the study of bipartite overlaps. Finally, we compare the results obtained on real networks with the ones obtained on random bipartite models. This shows that the patterns captured by the redundancy and the dispersion coefficients are strongly related to the real nature of the observed overlaps.


In this paper, we establish a probabilistic framework for adaptive transform coding that leads to a generalized Lloyd type algorithm for transform coder design. Transform coders are often constructed by concatenating an ad hoc choice of transform with suboptimal bit allocation and quantizer design. Instead, we start from a probabilistic latent variable model in the form of a mixture of constrained Gaussian mixtures. From this model, we derive an transform coder design algorithm, which integrates optimization of all transform coder parameters. An essential part this algorithm is our introduction of a new transform basis-the coding optimal transform-which, unlike commonly used transforms, minimizes compression distortion. Adaptive transform coders can be effective for compressing databases of related imagery since the high overhead associated with these coders can be amortized over the entire database. For this work, we performed compression experiments on a database of synthetic aperture radar images. Our results show that adaptive coders improve compressed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by approximately 0.5 dB compared with global coders. Coders that incorporated the coding optimal transform had the best SNRs on the images used to develop the coder. However, coders that incorporated the discrete cosine transform generalized better to new images.


Although disease management of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) has improved significantly, therapy resistance leading to tumor recurrence still counteracts improvement of long‐term survival. Consequently, identification of molecular markers that signal increased risk of treatment failure or, which can be exploited by targeted therapy, is urgently needed. Survivin is strongly expressed in HNSCC, and its proposed dual role as an apoptosis inhibitor and a mitotic effector positioned survivin in the front line of cancer research. Notably, survivin is detected as a cytoplasmic and as a nuclear protein in HNSCC patients, which stimulated numerous studies to investigate and to speculate on the functional and prognostic significance of its dynamic localization. This review focuses on our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating survivin's intracellular localization and discusses its potential prognostic and therapeutic relevance for head and neck cancer. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This book revisits a distinction introduced in 1921 by economists Frank Knight and John Maynard Keynes: that between statistically predictable future events ('risks') and statistically unpredictable, uncertain events ('uncertainties'). Governments have generally ignored the latter, perceiving phenomena such as pandemics, natural disasters and climate change as uncontrollable Acts of God. As a result, there has been little if any preparation for future catastrophes. Our modern society is more interconnected and more globalized than ever. Dealing with uncertain future events requires a stronger and more globally coordinated government response. This book suggests a larger, more global government role in dealing with these disasters and keeping economic inequalities low. Major institutional changes, such as regulating the private sector for the common good and dealing with special harms, risks and crises, especially those concerning climate change and pandemics, are necessary in order to achieve any semblance of future progress for humankind.


The relationship between grade of employment, coronary risk factors, and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality has been investigated in a longitudinal study of 17 530 civil servants working in London. After seven and a half years of follow-up there was a clear inverse relationship between grade of employment and CHD mortality. Men in the lowest grade (messengers) had 3.6 times the CHD mortality of men in the highest employment grade (administrators). Men in the lower employment grades were shorter, heavier for their height, had higher blood pressure, higher plasma glucose, smoked more, and reported less leisure-time physical activity than men in the higher grades. Yet when allowance was made for the influence on mortality of all of these factors plus plasma cholesterol, the inverse association between grade of employment and CHD mortality was still strong. It is concluded that the higher CHD mortality experienced by working class men, which is present also in national statistics, can be only partly explained by the established coronary risk factors.


Hyperspectral remote sensing has been increasingly used by scientists for extracting
information. Along with this technology, however, must come new tools and techniques
that take full advantage of the information that may be provided by considering the
complete spectrum of data that are offered by these sensors. Hyperspectral data contains
such a large amount of data per spectrum and it is common to perform analysis based on
derivative spectroscopy for hyperspectral data. Hyperspectral remote sensing allows the
detector system to record up to thousands spectral channels with very fine sampling
interval. Such detailed data besides the increase of information, contains a lot of noise. The
sensors because of their narrow bandwidth are not able to capture a lot of energy and cause
self-generated noise inside the sensor. Variations and atmospheric absorption of sun
illumination also reduce the amount of recorded spectral signals. Derivative analyses,
which are very useful for detecting spectral subtleness in vegetation, are very sensitive to
noise. Therefore, smoothing is regularly necessary to reduce the noise before the derivative
investigation. Smoothing methods may cause some loss of information or change the
original spectral so they will produce incorrect results in subsequent analyses such as
classification processes. Thus, smoothing techniques besides being computationally simple,
should be used in the way that preserves the absorption and local spectral features like
minima, maxima and inflection points. In this study, the effects of several smoothing
methods on vegetation spectra have been considered and it is found that for this subject,
wavelet methods work much better than the others.


Oxidative damage to DNA, RNA, proteins and cell membranes occurs when the cellular concentration of reactive oxygen species exceeds the capacity of the cell to eliminate them. Aerobic prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms have developed a set of cell defense systems to mitigate the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species. Epithelial surfaces contain antioxidants that could be expected to provide a defence against environmental stress caused by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Skin, which has a highly differentiated and complex structure, is particularly vulnerable to free radical damage because of its contact with oxygen and with other environmental stimuli. Fruit and vegetables contain several classes of compounds that when ingested can potentially contribute to endogenous modulation of antioxidant defences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a natural extract derived from rosemary to protect free radical-induced skin damage. We provide evidence that an alcoholic extract of rosemary leaves, Rosm1, is endowed with strong antioxidant activity and, as evaluated by both in vitro and in vivo systems, is capable of inhibiting oxidative alterations to skin surface lipids. The present study provides a preclinical perspective on the interface between the biochemical properties of a natural extract isolated from rosemary leaves, a better understanding of the endogenous antioxidant potential of skin and the real validity of natural antioxidant biotechnology in antiaging skin management.


The independence of the Federal Reserve is considered a cornerstone of its identity, crucial for keeping monetary policy decisions free of electoral politics. But do we really understand what is meant by "Federal Reserve independence"? Using scores of examples from the Fed's rich history, The Power and Independence of the Federal Reserve shows that much common wisdom about the nation's central bank is inaccurate. Legal scholar and financial historian Peter Conti-Brown provides an in-depth look at the Fed's place in government, its internal governance structure, and its relationships to such individuals and groups as the president, Congress, economists, and bankers. Exploring how the Fed regulates the global economy and handles its own internal politics, and how the law does—and does not—define the Fed's power, Conti-Brown captures and clarifies the central bank's defining complexities. He examines the foundations of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which established a system of central banks, and the ways that subsequent generations have redefined the organization. Challenging the notion that the Fed Chair controls the organization as an all-powerful technocrat, he explains how institutions and individuals—within and outside of government—shape Fed policy. Conti-Brown demonstrates that the evolving mission of the Fed—including systemic risk regulation, wider bank supervision, and as a guardian against inflation and deflation—requires a reevaluation of the very way the nation's central bank is structured. Investigating how the Fed influences and is influenced by ideologies, personalities, law, and history, The Power and Independence of the Federal Reserve offers a clear picture of this uniquely important institution.


Off-equatorial circular orbits with constant latitudes (halo orbits) of electrically charged particles exist near compact objects. In the previous paper, we discussed this kind of motion and demonstrated the existence of minima of the two-dimensional effective potential which correspond to the stable halo orbits. Here, we relax previous assumptions of the pseudo-Newtonian approach for the gravitational field of the central body and study properties of the halo orbits in detail. Within the general relativistic approach, we carry out our calculations in two cases. Firstly, we examine the case of a rotating magnetic compact star. Assuming that the magnetic field axis and the rotation axis are aligned with each other, we study the orientation of motion along the stable halo orbits. In the poloidal plane, we also discuss shapes of the related effective potential halo lobes where the general off-equatorial motion can be bound. Then we focus on the halo orbits near a Kerr black hole immersed in an asymptotically uniform magnetic field of external origin. We demonstrate that, in both the cases considered, the lobes exhibit two different regimes, namely one where completely disjoint lobes occur symmetrically above and below the equatorial plane, and another where the lobes are joined across the plane. A possible application of the model concerns the structure of putative circumpulsar discs consisting of dust particles. We suggest that the particles can acquire a small (but non-zero) net electric charge, and this drives them to form the halo lobes.


Cloud computing provides an effective business model for the deployment of IT infrastructure, platform, and software services. Often, facilities are outsourced to cloud providers and this offers the service consumer virtualization technologies without the added cost burden of development. However, virtualization introduces serious threats to service delivery such as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, Cross-VM Cache Side Channel attacks, Hypervisor Escape and Hyper-jacking. One of the most sophisticated forms of attack is the cross-VM cache side channel attack that exploits shared cache memory between VMs. A cache side channel attack results in side channel data leakage, such as cryptographic keys. Various techniques used by the attackers to launch cache side channel attack are presented, as is a critical analysis of countermeasures against cache side channel attacks.


Phytoplankton species composition, chlorophyll-a concentrations and primary production were studied in the Rias of Ares, Ferrol and the Bay of La Coruna (Galicia, NW Spain) in three oceanographic situations during 1993. The observations were representative of maxima and minima phytoplankton biomass and production values in this area during the seasonal cycle. A phytoplankton bloom studied in March, was characterized by a patchy distribution of chlorophyll and high primary production rates, especially near La Coruna and in the Ria de Ferrol. High phytoplankton biomass and production was also recorded in August, when an upwelling pulse allowed for enhanced growth. Diatoms were very abundant during these blooms but while Chaetoceros socialis was the dominant species in spring other species dominated in summer, when dinoflagellates and flagellates increased. In contrast, the phytoplankton observed in December had low abundances, and correspondingly low chlorophyll concentrations and primary production rates through the study area. Photosynthetic measurements at selected stations using P-I curves indicated that phytoplankton populations were well adapted to the existing light regime. The main source of variation in photosynthetic parameters was seasonal, and no significant differences resulted between rias. Using these parameters and the measured vertical profiles of chlorophyll and irradiance, areal estimations of primary production rates were made for the entire area studied. The resulting values were scaled to the rates measured using parallel simulated in situ incubations of phytoplankton. Maximum primary production values during blooms exceeded 2400 mg C m-2 d-1, whereas values estimated for the winter cruise were lower than 20 mg C m-2 d-1. These values are equivalent to those available for the nearby Rias Baixas, but because of the larger size of the latter the annual values of the studied Rias Altas were less than 10% of the reported primary production in the most productive Galician ria (Ria de Arousa). This study provides the first estimates of up-to-date primary production values for the Rias Altas, and points out the differential role of upwelling in the nearby shelf compared to its effects on the Rias Baixas region. Upwelling events occur in localized areas outside the Rias Altas, and their associated water dynamics may cause a large export of the produced organic matter to outer shelf areas. In contast, upwelling has been detected well inside most Rias Baixas, inducing high accumulations of recently produced organic matter, that are exported to nearby coastal areas.


Generalised spatial modulation (GSM) is a recently proposed transmission technology for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) wireless system, which extends the concept of spatial modulation (SM) and increases the spectral efficiency of SM. In this paper, a novel adaptive joint mapping scheme for GSM is presented. In adaptive joint mapping generalised spatial modulation (AJM-GSM) system, the input information bits are jointly mapped to a mapping table which indicates both the spatial constellation and the signal constellation. The mapping table is updated adaptively according to the channel state information, so the symbol error ratio (SER) performance of AJM-GSM is superior to GSM and SM. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to validate the performance of AJM-GSM.


ABSTRACT: Observations in the field of psychotherapy give us every reason to believe that experiences before and during birth remain present in our awareness of our own bodies and in our inner states of experience as a constant background of experience. During external and internal crises and conflict situations, this background experience can be activated in the form of fantasies and emotional states and can then influence images and ideas about ourselves and the world. Cultural development is determined by various forms of expression between primary experience and how the world is later experienced. In mythical philosophies of life, primary experience is projected outwards and is experienced as external reality, for instance in the symbols of water and the tree of life. The cultural change that has taken place in the twentieth century is determined by the fact that primary experience is increasingly felt to belong to our own life-histories and personal development. This is expressed in the concepts of prenatal psychology, but also in the symbolism of modern literature, art and philosophy. Some artists, such as Dali and Beckett, have directly regarded experiences before and during birth as a source of their art. INTRODUCTION Research in prenatal psychology has shown us that human beings, especially in their striving for self-understanding, have always been occupied with their pre- and perinatal experiences (Bowling 1988, 1990, Irving 1990, DeMause 1982, etc.). We find expressions of these first experiences in rituals and myths. In searching for his identity, Man has always had to face a basic experience of two worlds, the world before and the world after birth. The prebirth world appeared as a world beyond, the influence of which upon this world was conjured up and realized in rituals and myths. Only the continuity and interconnection of both worlds in our experience enables our life to feel complete; only this is experienced as healing. The Hero in myths, who symbolizes the adolescent, gains his full identity through a regressive journey to the uterine Waters of Life and the placental Tree of Life, followed by a return to the real world. He demonstrates his new identity by fulfilling special tasks which verify that he can come and go between both of these worlds and realities (Janus 1990, 1991). In each generation, the relationship between the postnatal world and the experience of life before birth has to be determined afresh. My theory is that the appearance of prenatal psychology itself is the expression of a culture shift, a new configuration of the relationship between pre- and postnatal experience. This can be seen in the fact that the months of life before birth and the experience of birth itself are now being interpreted as a proper part of biography. Previously, these stages of life were projected into myths about Creation and the World or accommodated in religious imaginations. I see even our modern conception of the eternal Laws of Nature as determined by fascination for the prenatal experience of omnipotence. In order to make plain what has been said, firstly the expression of pre- and perinatal experience will be described in the realm of myths, of monotheistic religion and then in the rational-scientific world-view. This will then allow what is slowly being taken as self-evident in our century, the increasing awareness of the fact of birth, of having been born, to be illustrated through examples from art, literature, music and philosophy. THE MYTHICAL WORLD-VIEW For the sake of example, I will take German mythology. In it, prebirth experience is projected as a world beyond, which precedes the Earth-World so that events here are dependent upon its influence. The exchange, which touches every individual, of the prenatally experienced womb for the world of postnatal experience is projected in Cosmogony and is described as the formation of the World out of the gigantic body of a primeval being, Ymir: "The World was made from Ymir's flesh, And out of the blood, the turbulent sea, The mountains from the bones, the trees from the hair; From the skull, the protecting roof of the Heavens. …