The large Cerro de Pasco Cordilleran base metal deposit in central Peru is the result of three successive mineralizing stages comprising both low- and high-sulfidation mineral associations: (A) several pyrrhotite pipes grading outward to sphalerite and galena replacement bodies, (B) a massive, funnel-shaped pyrite-quartz replacement orebody, and (C) E-W–trending Cu-Ag-(Au-Zn-Pb) enargite-pyrite veins and well-zoned Zn-Pb-(Bi-Ag-Cu) carbonate-replacement orebodies. This superposition of hydrothermal events leads to complex replacement textures and crosscutting relationships. A detailed study of the textures and mineral composition of the up to 15-m-wide replacement front existing between the pyrrhotite pipes and the pyrite-quartz body allows for clarification of the relative chronology of the hydrothermal events. The results show that, in contrast to previous interpretations, the emplacement of the pyrrhotite pipes and their Zn-Pb mineralized rims precedes that of the pyrite-quartz body. The replacement textures affecting pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite and the nature of the newly formed minerals have been used as a qualitative way to track the evolution of fS2, fO2, and pH of the mineralizing fluids. Two steps of pyrrhotite replacement have been recorded. The first one takes place under moderate acidity and relatively reduced to moderately oxidized conditions and is marked by replacement of pyrrhotite by euhedral nonporous pyrite. The second step occurs under more acidic and oxidized conditions and is characterized by replacement of pyrrhotite by porous marcasite and replacement of arsenopyrite by pyrite. Subsequently, marcasite is partly replaced by fine-grained euhedral nonporous pyrite. LA-ICP-MS trace element analyses of the replaced pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite and of the newly formed marcasite and pyrite support dissolution-reprecipitation as the main mechanism for replacement. Positive correlations between some of the elements (e.g., Pb-Sb, Pb-Ag) are indicative of the possible presence of nanoscale solid inclusions as main carriers for those elements; however, coupled substitutions and incorporation of some of the elements at a ppm level into the pyrite and marcasite structures cannot be excluded. The obtained As, Sb, Pb, and Bi values in pyrite are systematically higher than published data of pyrite in epithermal and porphyry systems. Nature and trace element content of the newly formed minerals yield information on the physicochemical conditions during their precipitation, the initial trace element content of replaced minerals, and the subsequently dissolved neighboring phases. The results show that the metal concentration of the fluid is locally influenced by the composition of the dissolved minerals. This study leads to a simpler interpretation of the fluid evolution than previously proposed, with a progressive increase of fS2, fO2, and pH as a result of decreasing wall-rock buffering during the three successive mineralizing stages at Cerro de Pasco.


Reinforced concrete coupled walls are a common lateral load resisting system used in multi-storey buildings. The effect of the coupling beams can improve seismic performance, but at the same time adds complexity to the design procedure. A case study coupled wall building is designed using Force-Based Design (FBD) and Direct Displacement-Based Design (DDBD) and in the case of the latter a step by step design example is provided. Distributed plasticity fibre-section beam element numerical models of the coupled walls are developed in which coupling beams are represented by diagonal truss elements and experimental results are used to confirm that this approach can provide a good representation of hysteretic behaviour. The accuracy of the two different design methods is then assessed by comparing the design predictions to the results of non-linear time-history analyses. It is shown that the DDBD approach gives an accurate prediction of inter-storey drift response. The FBD approach, in accordance with NZS1170.5 and NZS3101, is shown to include an impractical procedure for the assignment of coupling beam strengths and code equations for the calculation of coupling beam characteristics appear to include errors. Finally, the work highlights differences between the P-delta considerations that are made in FBD and DDBD, and shows that the code results are very sensitive to the way in which P-delta effects are accounted for.


The aerospace industry is committed to improving the performance of aircraft whilst reducing emissions and weight. Part of this goal can be achieved with the use of new types of composite materials, such as non-crimp fabric composites.

These new composites, still under development, are made from dry fabrics and combine in theory the excellent in-plane behaviour of the unidirectional pre-impregnated tape composites with better out-of-plane behaviour and lower cost of the woven fabric composites. In practice, however, due to several parameters associated with the different stages of manufacturing of the non-crimp fabric laminates, some in-plane and out-of-plane waviness at the mesoscopic scale is introduced. This waviness (typically called crimp) is responsible for lowering the in-plane behaviour and causing specific failure models.

A new method to efficiently model the fibre crimp of the tows in mesoscopic scale 3D finite element models of non-crimp fabric laminates is presented in this study. This method consists of modelling the fibre crimp using straight meshes and �rotating� the mechanical properties according to the actual direction of the fibres. In order to ensure the validity of this method, it has been compared with previously developed methods in which the mesh is curved along the fibres direction.

The new method allowed the creation of complex parametric 3D FE models which in turn have been used to predict the apparent in-plane stiffness properties and to study the compressive behaviour and the in-plane shear behaviour of a non-crimp fabric laminate.


ObjectiveTo assess the detection and quantitation of HIV-1 from tampon eluents in comparison with cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) and plasma specimens from the same women. MethodsNinety-seven tampon, 105 CVL, and 104 plasma specimens from 105 HIV-1 seropositive women were analyzed using Version 3 of the Chiron bDNA assay, with sensitivity of 50 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml. Data analyses used McNemar's test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and Mantel–Haenszel chi-squared and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals to assess differences in proportions. ResultsIn women for whom both plasma and genital specimens were available, HIV-1 was detected less frequently in genital specimens: [tampons (33/97, 34%) and CVL (48/104, 46%)] than plasma specimens (86/104, 83%) (P < 0.001 for both plasma versus tampon and for plasma versus CVL). However, the proportion of genital specimens with detectable virus did not differ significantly by collection method (P = 0.14). Among women with detectable virus using both collection methods (n = 23), viral load was similar for tampon eluents (median, 355 copies/ml; range, 52–120 898) and CVL specimens (median, 265 copies/ml; range, 61–35 637;P = 0.88). ConclusionTampon eluent specimens are slightly less sensitive than CVL specimens in the detection of genital HIV-1, although quantification of viral load, when detectable by both methods, was similar.


The quantification and sizing of filamentous cyanobacteria in environmental samples or cultures is a time consuming process often performed by manual or semi-automated microscopic analysis. Automation by conventional image analysis is difficult because filaments may exhibit large variation in length and patchy autofluorescence. Moreover, individual filaments frequently cross each other on microscopic preparations, as can be deduced by modelling. This study presents a novel approach based on object oriented image analysis to simultaneously retrieve (a) filament number, (b) individual filament lengths, and (c) cumulative filament length of unbranched cyanobacterial morphotypes on fluorescence microscopic images in a fully automated high-throughput manner. Special emphasis was put on the correct detection of overlapping objects by image analysis and on the appropriate coverage of filament length distribution by using large composite images. The method was validated on a dataset of Planktothrix rubescens from field samples and compared with manual filament tracing, the line intercept method, and the Utermöhl counting approach. The described computer program features batch processing of large images from any appropriate source and annotation of detected filaments. It requires no user interaction, is freely available and might thus be a useful tool for basic research and drinking water quality control. Automated quantification and sizing of unbranched 1 filamentous cyanobacteria by model based object oriented 2


The rise of the modern absolutist monarchies in Europe constitutes in many ways the birth of the modern historical epoch. Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism, the companion volume to Perry Anderson's highly acclaimed and influential Lineages of the Absolutist State, is a sustained exercise in historical sociology to root the development of absolutism in the diverse routes taken from the slave-based societies of Ancient Greece and Rome to fully-fledged feudalism. In the course of this study Anderson vindicates and refines the explanatory power of a Marxist conception of history, whilst casting a fascinating light on Greece, Rome, the Germanic invasions, nomadic society, and the different patterns of the evolution of feudalism in Northern, Mediterranean, Eastern and Western Europe.


College researchers are looking at the effect of welfare reform on child protective services during the early 1990s. Their findings could guide policy as states implement welfare programs. Economic and Social Well-Being--Then and Now Promoting economic and social well-being for families and communities has been a goal of the college since its origin. Two fields--consumer economics and human services--have served as the focus of those efforts. Beginning in 1925 when the School of Home Economics became a college, studies on topics such as the cost of living for rural families in New York State, household budgets, the relation of national income to families, and home improvements that promote family well-being were conducted. Before World War II, faculty worked with local defense committees to study the production and distribution of consumer goods and services. During the war years they led efforts to improve the efficiency of time and resource management in the home and to help families adjust to changes in the marketplace and the need for women to work outside the home. After the war, their efforts helped families deal with savings, investments, and debt as well as changes in the availability, price, and quality of consumer goods. Consumer economics became prominent in the 1960s, and President Kennedy formed the Consumer Advisory Council. Helen Canoyer, then dean of the college, was appointed chair of the council, and she also served on the President's Council on Consumer Interests. Faculty pursued studies to help inform consumers about financial management, the dollar value of household work, home buying and financing, housing needs of the aged, credit, and purchasing power. Human services came to the forefront in 1969 when, with the reorganization of the college, the Department of Community Service Education was formed. The nucleus of this department was the former home economics education program, which had taught teaching methods and provided field experience for home economics educators since 1947. Within the larger program of human ecology, Community Service Education was recognized as the "methods department," and its focus was on the practical application of knowledge for the human services professions. The program offered professional preparation for people planning careers in health and social work as well as home economics education. Although its name was subsequently changed to Department of Human Service Studies, the program remained the same. The social work program, with courses in human behavior, social policy, and research methods as well as more traditional courses in social work methods and a field practicum, gained national status and was one of a small group of such programs that received national accreditation in the late seventies. Besides undergraduate education, the program was also recognized for its professional development curriculum for social workers in public and private agencies throughout New York State. In the mid-nineties, to refocus the educational offerings of the college, the social work program was phased out, and the Department of Consumer Economics and Housing merged with the Department of Human Service Studies to form the current Department of Policy Analysis and Management. For six years before passage of the federal welfare reform act of 1996--officially, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act--states were given preliminary opportunities to experiment with their welfare programs, to make changes to program requirements, and to adjust time limits and income allowances. How did children in poor families fare as the states experimented with welfare reform? A team of Human Ecology researchers want to find out. Rosemary Avery and Elizabeth Peters, professors of policy analysis and management, and John Eckenrode, professor of human development, believe important lessons can be learned from the results, especially because the 1996 act has since turned all aspects of welfare programs over to individual states. …


Soil erosion under future climate change is very likely to increase because of increases in occurrence of heavy storms. The objective of this study is to quantify the effects of common cropping and tillage systems on soil erosion and surface runoff during 2010 to 2039 in central Oklahoma. A combination of 18 cropping and tillage systems is evaluated using the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model for 12 climate change scenarios projected by four global climate models (GCMs) under three emissions scenarios. Tillage systems include conventional, reduced, delayedno tillage. Cropping systems include continuous monocultures of winter wheat, soybean, sorghumcotton and double crops of wheat and soybeans. Compared with the present climate, overall t tests show that the future mean precipitation will decrease by some 6% (>98.5% probability), daily precipitation variance increase by 12% (>99%), and mean temperature increase by 1.36°C (>99%). Despite the projected precipitation declines, the overall averaged runoff and soil loss will increase by 19.5 and 43.5% because of increased occurrence of large storms. Soil erosion is positively related to the degree of tillage disturbances in all cropping systems. Compared with the conventional till, reduced, delayedno tillage substantially reduce soil erosion, showing that adoption of conservation tillage will be effective in controlling soil erosion in the next 30 yr. Cropping systems decrease runoff and soil loss from continuous cotton to soybean to sorghum to wheat in all tillage systems under climate change, indicating a preference of winter wheat for controlling runoff and soil loss in the region.


A two-step pattern in the extinction of larger foraminifers is recorded in the upper Cenomanian shallow-water carbonates of the southern Apennines (Italy). The first step eliminated the alveolinids, the most extreme oligotrophs, and reduced dramatically the diversity of larger foraminifers. The second step wiped out the few survivors, seemingly able to tolerate mesotrophic conditions, leaving a disaster fauna dominated by small heterotrophs. This pattern of extinction parallels the ecological succession of shallow-water benthic foraminiferal assemblages along a gradient of increasing nutrient availability. High-resolution carbon isotope stratigraphy shows that the extinction of alveolinids was contemporaneous with the extinction of rotaliporid planktic foraminifers, the drowning of certain Tethyan carbonate platforms, and an episode of thermal instability recorded in sea-surface temperature in the open ocean. Ocean stratification, during the first phase of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2, would have promoted oligotrophic conditions in surface tropical waters and maximum diversity of larger foraminifers. Following this, ocean overturning caused by surface-water cooling is credited with delivering to shallow-water environments the excess nutrient loads previously stored at depth, triggering the environmental changes leading to stepwise extinction of larger foraminifers.


Similarities between fiber bandwidth spectra and loss spectra are found to occur. Wavelength-dependent far-field radiation patterns were used to deduce that high OH ion concentrations, near the center of the core, caused differential attenuation of low-order modes. This resulted in bandwidth peaks at the same wavelengths where water absorption loss peaked.


Studies have been performed to assess stress levels of students enrolled at universities across the United States (Jemmott and Magloire, 1988; Whitman et al. 1984). However, very few studies have been performed to assess stress levels of graduate students, and to our knowledge, there have been no such studies conducted on fisheries science graduate students. Students within the field of fisheries are often required to obtain an advanced degree, especially a Master of Science or Master of Arts, in order to obtain employment in their chosen field. Therefore, the pressure to be successful in obtaining this degree is a factor that could possibly be stressful for these students. The objective of this study was to determine those facets of the fisheries graduate program of study at Tennessee Technological University which may be perceived as stressful to fisheries graduate students. In performing this study, an assumption was that fisheries graduate programs at other universities may be similar with respect to these facets. Methods All sixteen graduate students with a specialization in fisheries science in the Tennessee Technological University Biology Department volunteered to be interviewed to determine levels of stress while going through their programs of study. Of the students interviewed, 13 were males and 3 were females. All students had been in the program from 1 to 2.5 years. Interviews were conducted privately and individually either in the student's office or in the Counseling Center at Tennessee Technological University. All interviews were performed by the Director of the Counseling Center, a licensed psychologist with no direct organizational connection to the Biology Department. Prior to questioning, all students were asked to sign a voluntary consent form. Eighteen questions were asked of each student. All questions were designed to be of an unobtrusive nature and to cover all aspects of their graduate program (Table 1). Table 1 Graduate student survey 1. Why did you decide to seek a graduate degree in Biology at Tennessee Tech? 2. How long have you been a graduate student at Tennessee Tech? 3. Do you feel that graduate studies in Biology at Tennessee Tech are stressful to you? 4. Do you feel stressed in the classes that you take for your degree objective? 5. Do you feel threatened by, members of the graduate faculty? Why? 6. Do you expect to feel stressed, or were you stressed, during your graduate seminar? 7. Do you feel that other graduate students are stressed during their graduate seminar? 8. If the answers to questions 6 or 7 were yes, what aspect(s) of the graduate seminar do you think result in these feelings? 9. Do you feel stressed about conducting independent research? Is this the first time that you have conducted independent research? 10. If the answer to question 9 is yes, why do you feel this way? 11. Do you feel that graduate faculty assist you enough with your research? Does this result in any stress for you? 12. Do you feel stressed about writing a thesis concerning your research? How do you plan to handle this stress? 13. Do you feel that graduate faculty should encourage graduate students to publish the results of their research? Would this be stressful for you? Why? 14. Do you expect to feel stressed when you have your oral defense at the end of your graduate program? Are there specific aspects of the defense that seem stressful to you? 15. If the answer to question 14 is yes, how do you plan to handle this stress? 16. If graduate school is stressful to you, would you recommend that other students pursue a graduate degree in Biology at Tennessee Tech? 17. What things could be done to reduce the level of stress in Biology graduate students at Tennessee Tech? 18. Do you feel that Tennessee Tech Biology graduate students are under an abnormal amount of stress as compared to Biology graduate students at other schools, and why? …


Turki, O, Chaouachi, A, Behm, DG, Chtara, H, Chtara, M, Bishop, D, Chamari, K, and Amri, M. The effect of warm-ups incorporating different volumes of dynamic stretching on 10- and 20-m sprint performance in highly trained male athletes. J Strength Cond Res 26(1): 63–72, 2012—Recently, athletes have transitioned from traditional static stretching during warm-ups to incorporating dynamic stretching routines. However, the optimal volume of dynamic drills is yet to be identified. The aim of this repeated-measures study was to examine varying volumes (1, 2, and 3 sets) of active dynamic stretching (ADS) in a warm-up on 10- and 20-m sprint performance. With a within-subject design, 16 highly trained male participants (age: 20.9 ± 1.3 years; height: 179.7 ± 5.7 cm; body mass: 72.7 ± 7.9 kg; % body fat: 10.9 ± 2.4) completed a 5-minute general running warm-up before performing 3 preintervention measures of 10- to 20-m sprint. The interventions included 1, 2, and 3 sets of active dynamic stretches of the lower-body musculature (gastrocnemius, gluteals, hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip flexors) performed approximately 14 times for each exercise while walking (ADS1, ADS2, and ADS3). The active dynamic warm-ups were randomly allocated before performing a sprint-specific warm-up. Five minutes separated the end of the warm-up and the 3 postintervention measures of 10- to 20-m sprints. There were no significant time, condition, and interaction effects over the 10-m sprint time. For the 0- to 20-m sprint time, a significant main effect for the pre-post measurement (F = 10.81; p < 0.002), the dynamic stretching condition (F = 6.23; p = 0.004) and an interaction effect (F = 41.19; p = 0.0001) were observed. A significant decrease in sprint time (improvement in sprint performance) post-ADS1 (2.56%, p = 0.001) and post-ADS2 (2.61%, p = 0.001) was observed. Conversely, the results indicated a significant increase in sprint time (sprint performance impairment) post-ADS3 condition (2.58%, p = 0.001). Data indicate that performing 1–2 sets of 20 m of active dynamic stretches in a warm-up can enhance 20-m sprint performance. The results delineated that 3 sets of ADS repetitions could induce acute fatigue and impair sprint performance within 5 minutes of the warm-up.


In the global world diabetes and mitochondrial disease is expected to cost the developing world in the next 30 years US $400 million. In diabetes an absent peripheral sink amyloid beta clearance pathway is now relevant to amyloid beta induced mitochondrial apoptosis. The quality of food consumed has raised major concerns with increased levels of plasma bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that induces amyloid beta aggregation and mitochondrial apoptosis with programmed cell death linked to non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and many organ diseases. The amount, nature and time of day of fat consumption in diabetes has become important with relevance to caffeine metabolism, brain toxic amyloid beta oligomer formation and neuron apoptosis. To prevent programmed cell death dietary fat and caffeine consumption need to be revised to allow rapid hepatic caffeine and amyloid beta metabolism with the prevention of global mitophagy associated with diabetes, NAFLD and neurodegenerative diseases.


Doctoral students' research presentations were investigated for the way in which the students articulated their rationales for data selection for their research projects. Rather than look for genre-related characteristics, though still working within the area of academic discourse (spoken), the objective of this study was to identify a set of possible data selection rationales, for subsequent use by future doctoral students and their advisers. Presentations from two groups of doctoral students were analysed: part-time students on an Applied Linguistics 'thesis and coursework' PhD programme at a UK university, and student nurses on a doctoral programme at the University of Michigan (whose presentation transcripts were already publicly available). The result was a substantial set of data selection rationales, including availability of data, good quality (various types), professional concern, paradigm-relatedness, originality and generalisability. These were provisionally ranked in terms of 'research awareness'.


Rapid expansion of groundwater irrigation has transformed the rural economy in regions around the world, leading to significant increases in agricultural productivity and rising incomes. Farmer investment in wells and pumps has driven this expansion on the demand side; however, the supply of cheap agricultural energy—usually electrical power—is a critical though often overlooked driver of the groundwater boom. One serious outcome in numerous regions around the world has been groundwater overdraft; where pumping exceeds aquifer recharge, water tables have declined and water quality has deteriorated. India and Mexico are two of the largest users of groundwater in the world and both face critical overdraft challenges. The two countries are compared, given that electrical energy supply and pricing are primary driving forces behind groundwater pumping for irrigation in India and Mexico alike. Both countries have attempted regulatory measures to reduce groundwater overdraft. However, with low energy costs and readily available connections, there are few financial disincentives for farmers to limit pumping. The linkages between energy and irrigation are reviewed, comparing and contrasting India and Mexico. Examples of legal, regulatory and participatory approaches to groundwater management are assessed. Finally, the implications of linking electrical power pricing and supply with ongoing groundwater regulation efforts in both countries are explored.


Recent advances in image-based 3D human shape estimation have been driven by the significant improvement in representation power afforded by deep neural networks. Although current approaches have demonstrated the potential in real world settings, they still fail to produce reconstructions with the level of detail often present in the input images. We argue that this limitation stems primarily form two conflicting requirements; accurate predictions require large context, but precise predictions require high resolution. Due to memory limitations in current hardware, previous approaches tend to take low resolution images as input to cover large spatial context, and produce less precise (or low resolution) 3D estimates as a result. We address this limitation by formulating a multi-level architecture that is end-to-end trainable. A coarse level observes the whole image at lower resolution and focuses on holistic reasoning. This provides context to an fine level which estimates highly detailed geometry by observing higher-resolution images. We demonstrate that our approach significantly outperforms existing state-of-the-art techniques on single image human shape reconstruction by fully leveraging 1k-resolution input images.


Sulfation and glucuronidation are two parallel pathways for the metabolism of phenolic substrates. Gentisamide (GAM) was used as a model compound to examine the effects of parallel competing pathways on drug disappearance and metabolite formation in the once-through perfused rat liver preparation. GAM was found to form one glucuronide (GAM-5G) and two sulfate (GAM-2S and GAM-5S) conjugates. These GAM conjugates were biosynthesized in recirculating rat liver preparations, and were isolated by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Specific incorporation of 35S-sodium sulfate and [14C]glucose into GAM sulfate and glucuronide conjugates revealed corresponding elution patterns as labeled GAM metabolites. Their identities were characterized by enzymatic and acid hydrolyses and by NMR spectroscopy. Gentisamide-5-sulfate (GAM-5S) and gentisamide-5-glucuronide (GAM-5G) are major metabolites, and gentisamide-2-sulfate (GAM-2S) is a minor metabolite. Single-pass rat liver perfusions were used to examine the effect of stepwise increases/decreases of input GAM concentration (CIn) on the extraction ratio (E) of GAM and formation of metabolites. The E of GAM remained constant (about 0.89) at input concentrations from 0.9 to 120 microM and decreased at CIn greater than 120 microM. Metabolite patterns, however, changed with GAM CIn, even when E was constant at CIn up to 120 microM. GAM-5S was present as the major metabolite of GAM at all GAM CInS in most liver preparations but the proportions of GAM-5S and GAM-2S decreased at increasing CIn; the proportion of GAM-5G, a minor metabolite at low CIn, increased with increasing CIn. Biliary excretion rates at steady state accounted for 5.3 +/- 2.7% (mean +/- S.D.) of the input rate: GAM-5G was the predominant metabolite found. Fitting the metabolic data (sum of the rates of efflux in bile and perfusate at steady state) and the logarithmic average drug concentration at the various CIn to the Michaelis-Menten equation furnished parameter estimates for the three metabolic pathways. The estimated Km and Vmax values were quite comparable: for GAM-2S formation, 22 microM and 287 nmol/min; for GAM-5S formation, 26 microM and 978 nmol/min; for GAM-5G formation, 71 microM and 1062 nmol/min, indicating that sulfation and glucuronidation are effective competing pathways of each other. In viewing the fate of GAM over the CIn range, a changing metabolic fate of GAM over a constant E was noted at CIn less than 120 microM: the sum of the rates of metabolite formation was proportional to CIn.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Many tertiary institutions have embraced digital learning through the use of online learning platforms and social networks. However, the research about the efficacy of such platforms is confused, as is the field itself, in part because of the rapidly evolving technology, and also because of a lack of clarity about what constitutes a learning platform. In this study, two early career academics and instructors examined the effectiveness of using Google Classroom for final year primary teacher education students to encourage student voice and agency, and to consider how the platform might influence future pedagogies at the tertiary level. The data showed that Google Classroom increased student participation and learning and improved classroom dynamics. It also revealed concerns around pace and user experience. This data was used to construct a framework to evaluate of the use of online platforms; it identifies four concepts (pace, ease of access, collaboration and student voice/agency) that explore the usefulness of other online learning platforms, as well as pedagogical practice.


Many competitive industries find it challenging to identify their competition set, and despite the widely accepted importance of competition set to strategy development and daily operations, few data-driven approaches have been developed to address this challenge. In this paper, we propose a simple and intuitive methodology to identify true competitors from the customer perspective using online search and click-stream data. We use data from the hotel industry to build two competition networks: one based on our customer-centric approach, and the other based on price-matching patterns from the hotelier perspective. The customer-based competition network has an average degree of six to eight, consistent with the average number of competitors found in hotel managers surveys. Our approach also reveals a property of the competition network in hotel industry | small degree of separation. A hotel is connected with another within three steps of competitive links, which has important implications for how price perturbations travel through competitive links. Comparing the two networks, we find a 50% mismatch, with hoteliers tending to ignore independent and distant hotels while over-emphasizing branded and nearby hotels. This result is robust to many alternative measures of competition. Finally, this proposed methodology can easily be applied to many other industries to aid businesses in identifying their key competitors and to enrich our understanding of networked competition.


Abstract According to ICD 10, nonorganic hypersomnia is defined as "a condition of either excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks (not accounted for by an inadequate amount of sleep) or prolonged transition to the fully aroused state upon awakening. When no definite evidence of organic etiology can be found, this condition is usually associated with mental disorders". The severe hypersomnia in the course of schizoaffective disorder is rather a rare phenomenon. The paper presents the case of 41-year-old female patient with severe hypersomnia during the course of the schizoaffective disorder. The course of hypersomnia was severe. The patient slept constantly day and night and was awoken by her family for about three-hour period of time. The duration of hypersomnia was about one year until the onset of treatment. The patient was successfully treated with light therapy that caused gradual resolution of the symptoms of hypersomnia. The patient is also treated as prior to the onset of hypersomnia with antipsychotics and the mood stabilizers for schizoaffective disorder. Since that time there were six-year-period of follow up when the patient was free of any symptoms of hypersomnia.


The Supreme Court's most recent regulatory takings decisions suggest that, despite the notorious indeterminacy of the Penn Central analysis, a more predictable Penn Central framework is slowly emerging. This article offers a comprehensive description of the modern Penn Central analysis based on the latest guidance from the Supreme Court, in particular the decision in Lingle v. Chevron USA. Consideration of the "economic impact" factor should focus on whether a claimant has suffered a very substantial diminution in value ("well in excess of 85%," in the language of one leading opinion) based on a comparison of the value of the property with and without the regulation at issue, and/or whether the claimant is able to recoup his original investment in the property. Under the "reasonable investment-backed expectations" factor, notwithstanding the rejection of the absolute "notice rule" in Palazzolo, a taking claim should almost always fail if the claimant purchased the property with notice of the regulation. Otherwise, the expectations analysis should focus on whether the claimant has been able to carry out her original intentions in purchasing the property, the nature of the regulatory environment at the time of purchase, and the forseeability of public concerns associated with the claimant's proposed property use. The analysis of the "character factor," generally considered the most amorphous aspect of the Penn Central framework, should focus primarily on whether the regulation is targeted or general in application, the likely magnitude of the reciprocal benefits generated by the regulation, and whether the regulation is designed to protect other citizens or the community from harm.


Discover the truth behind the myth in The Complete Jack the Ripper by Paul Begg and John Bennett. Whitechapel, 1988: a spate of brutal murders becomes the most notorious criminal episode in London's history. The killer, chillingly nicknamed 'The Whitechapel Murderer', 'Leather Apron' and, most famously, 'Jack the Ripper', is never brought to justice for the slaughter and mutilation of at least five women in the slums of East London. But the mystery is deepened by a letter sent "From Hell" to Scotland Yard, accompanied by half of a preserved human kidney...In this comprehensive account of London's most infamous killer, the foremost authorities on the case explore the facts behind the most grisly episode of the Victorian era. Setting the scene in the impoverished East End, the authors' meticulous research offers detailed accounts of the lives of the victims and an examination of the police investigation. The Complete Jack the Ripper is the definitive book by Paul Begg and John Bennett, exploring both the myth and reality behind the allusive killer. Paul Begg and John Bennett are researchers and authors, widely recognized as authorities on Jack the Ripper. Paul Begg's books include Jack the Ripper: The Facts, Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History, and he is a co-author of The Jack the Ripper A to Z. John Bennett has written numerous articles and lectured frequently on Jack the Ripper and the East End of London. He has acted as adviser to and participated in documentaries made by television channels worldwide and was the co-writer for the successful Channel 5 programme Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Story. He is author of E1: A Journey Through Whitechapel and Spitalfields and co-author of Jack the Ripper: CSI Whitechapel.


The critics against the land use of sewage sludge in Germany lead the research institutions to investigate methods for nutrient recovery. Current research proved that the nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus can be recovered. Though, the costs still must be reduced to compete with the conventional production using fresh raw material. Recovery products are not listed in current legislations concerning fertiliser use, therefore the land use of the recovered products require some legislative replenishments. The paper portrays the current situation concerning the above discussions with an overview on the actual recovery technologies


Governments around the world have undertaken reparations programs following historically recent experiences of serious human rights violations. This chapter uses tort theory to defend monetary payments as a constituent of national repair. It argues that paying money to victims comports with feminism too. Once accepted in principle, this measure raises a new question: What is the best way to convey pecuniary reparations in transitional settings? With due heed for the reality that circumstances always vary from country to country, the chapter argues for "microfinance" (as distinguished from "microcredit") as the preferred mode for transitional governments designing new national reparations programs. The chapter works with, while also trying to deepen, a conventional wisdom that microfinance advances the social and economic status of women.


Memristors are an attractive option for use in future memory architectures due to their non-volatility, high density and low power operation. Notwithstanding these advantages, memristors and memristor-based memories are prone to high defect densities due to the non-deterministic nature of nanoscale fabrication. The typical approach to fault detection and diagnosis in memories entails testing one memory cell at a time. This is time consuming and does not scale for the dense, memristor-based memories. In this paper, we integrate solutions for detecting and locating faults in memristors, and ensure post-silicon recovery from memristor failures. We propose a hybrid diagnosis scheme that exploits sneak-paths inherent in crossbar memories, and uses March testing to test and diagnose multiple memory cells simultaneously, thereby reducing test time. We also provide a repair mechanism that prevents faults in the memory from being activated. The proposed schemes enable and leverage sneak paths during fault detection and diagnosis modes, while still maintaining a sneak-path free crossbar during normal operation. The proposed hybrid scheme reduces fault detection and diagnosis time by ~44%, compared to traditional March tests, and repairs the faulty cell with minimal overhead.


In science as well as technology, the diffusion of new ideas influences innovation and productive efficiency. With this as motivation we use citations to scientific papers to measure the diffusion of science through the U.S. economy. To indicate the speed of diffusion we rely primarily on the modal or most frequent lag. Using this measure we find that diffusion between universities as well as between firms and universities takes an average of three years. The lag on science diffusion between firms is 3.3 years, compared with 4.8 years in technology for the same companies using the same methodology. Industrial science diffuses fifty per cent more rapidly than technology, and academic science diffuses still faster. Thus the priority publication system in science appears to distribute information more rapidly than the patent system, although other interpretations are possible. We also find that the speed of science diffusion in the same field varies by a factor of two across industries. The industry variation turns out to be driven by frictional publication lags and firm size in R&D and science. Friction increases the lag, but firm size in R&D and science decrease it. Industries having a lot of R&D or science and composed of fields with little friction exhibit rapid diffusion. Industries where the reverse is true exhibit slow diffusion.


The imbalance of supply and demand for special education faculty continues to be a national concern (Smith, Pion, Tyler, & Gilmore, 2003; Smith, Pion, Tyler, Sindelar, & Rosenberg, 2001). While the number of earned doctoral degrees awarded in special education in the United States has remained steady since 1992, at approximately 250 per year, fewer than half of recent graduates chose to pursue careers in higher education. With the number of vacancies for special education junior faculty averaging over 200 per year, more than one third of all job searches fail, resulting in the elimination of some positions, thus diminishing the nation's training and research capacity (Pion, Smith, & Tyler, 2003; Smith et al., 2001). The discrepancy between the demand for special education faculty and the limited supply of qualified individuals has been attributed to several factors. The first factor is graduate immobility. In a national survey of 1,267 special education doctoral candidates, three-fourths of students applied to only one doctoral program at a university within 100 miles of their residence (Tyler, Smith, & Pion, 2003). Given that the median age for special education doctoral candidates is 42, unwillingness to relocate has been frequently cited by graduates as an issue in both doctoral program selection and job consideration upon graduation (Smith & Tyler, 1999). A second factor is the large number of competing career opportunities which can offer graduates a significantly higher salary than they would receive as assistant professors. With beginning faculty salaries ranging from $35,000 to $50,000 per year, many recent graduates have rejected higher education careers (Hardman & West, 2003). Because of decreased federal funding for doctoral studies, many graduates face repayment of large student loans, providing motivation to look for higher paying positions outside of academia. Additional disincentives to higher education careers include the increased demands placed on new faculty members, such as heavy teaching loads (Pion et al, 2003) and the pressure to obtain outside funding (Smith et al., 2001). These issues heighten ongoing concerns about the aging of the special education professoriate (Smith & Salzberg, 1994; Tawney & DeHaas-Warner, 1993). While the shortage of special education faculty is a nationwide concern, the problem is particularly acute in a number of regions in the country. In 2001, four Midwest states Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana (with a total population of 40 million residents), had 328 enrolled special education doctoral students. By comparison, four West Coast states with the same size population, California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada, had a combined doctoral enrollment of 157 students. Low doctoral enrollments were also reported in the central mountain states including Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska, as well as northern New England, and southern states such as Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. In 2001, California, with a population of over 35 million residents, had only 54 special education doctoral candidates in the pipeline. By comparison, the states of New York and Texas (with a combined population equal in size to California) had, respectively, 162 and 135 doctoral students (Smith et al., 2001). California has a geographic area larger than New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania combined, yet there are only seven institutions of higher education (IHEs) which offer a doctorate in special education, all with small enrollments. Between 1994 and 2000, these programs produced six special education doctorates per year for the entire state; only two graduates per year pursued careers in higher education (Smith et al., 2001). There are 42 colleges and universities in California offering one or more state-approved special education credentials. In 2002-03, more than 20 faculty openings in special education were advertised statewide, primarily at the assistant professor level in the area of high incidence disabilities. …


This paper describes an initiative at North Carolina State University in which the undergraduate software engineering class was restructured in layout and in presentation. The change was made from a lecture-based coursed that followed the waterfall method to a lab-oriented course emphasizing practical tools and agile processes. We examine the new course layout from the perspective of Myers-Briggs personality types and Felder-Silverman learning styles to discuss how the new software engineering class format appeals to a wide variety of students. The new course format resulted in some of the highest student evaluations in recent course history. It is now the standard for the undergraduate software engineering course at the university and has since been used in other North Carolina institutions.


Mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum k13 (Pfk13) gene are linked to delayed parasite clearance in response to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in Southeast Asia. To explore the evolutionary rate and constraints acting on this gene, k13 orthologs from species sharing a recent common ancestor with P. falciparum and Plasmodium vivax were analyzed. ABSTRACT Mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum k13 (Pfk13) gene are linked to delayed parasite clearance in response to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in Southeast Asia. To explore the evolutionary rate and constraints acting on this gene, k13 orthologs from species sharing a recent common ancestor with P. falciparum and Plasmodium vivax were analyzed. These comparative studies were followed by genetic polymorphism analyses within P. falciparum using 982 complete Pfk13 sequences from public databases and new data obtained by next-generation sequencing from African and Haitian isolates. Although k13 orthologs evolve at heterogeneous rates, the gene was conserved across the genus, with only synonymous substitutions being found at residues where mutations linked to the delayed parasite clearance phenotype have been reported. This suggests that those residues were under constraint from undergoing nonsynonymous changes during evolution of the genus. No fixed nonsynonymous differences were found between Pfk13 and its orthologs in closely related species found in African apes. This indicates that all nonsynonymous substitutions currently found in Pfk13 are younger than the time of divergence between P. falciparum and its closely related species. At the population level, no mutations linked to delayed parasite clearance were found in our samples from Africa and Haiti. However, there is a high number of single Pfk13 mutations segregating in P. falciparum populations, and two predominant alleles are distributed worldwide. This pattern is discussed in terms of how changes in the efficacy of natural selection, affected by population expansion, may have allowed for the emergence of mutations tolerant to ACTs.


Periodontal disease (PD) is an inflammatory pathology highly prevalent both in humans and in dogs, which is characterized by destruction of the periodontal ligament, cementum and alveolar bone. The development of new therapies, such as Tissue Engineering strategies, is mandatory due to the inefficacy of conventional therapies currently used. Dog is a very relevant animal model to study several human diseases, such as PD and simultaneously an important subject in veterinary medicine. Adipose derived stem cells have a great potential for application in cell based therapies, such as tissue engineering. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of the canine adipose tissue derived stem cells (cASCs) to differentiate into osteoblasts and chondroblasts and study the anatomical origin and cell passaging effect on the cASCs stemness and osteogenic potential. In addition, we aimed at assessing the behavior of cASCs when cultured onto a newly developed double layer scaffold, specifically designed for the regeneration of periodontal defects. The adipose tissue was harvested from the abdominal subcutaneous layer and from the greater omentum from adult healthy dogs, according to the animal welfare Portuguese legislation. cASCs were isolated by an enzymatic method and expanded along 4 passages in basal medium. cASCs were cultured using either osteogenic medium or chondrogenic medium. The stemness and osteogenic differentiation was followed by real time RT-PCR analysis of typical markers of MSCs, namely CD73, CD90 and CD105, and osteoblasts, like COLIA1, RUNX2 and Osteocalcin. The behavior of the cASCs was then evaluated on a previously developed double layer scaffold based on a starch and polycaprolactone (SPCL) blend that comprises a functionalized 3D fiber mesh to promote osteogenesis (an thus support alveolar bone regeneration) combined with a membrane aiming at acts as a physical barrier and promote periodontal ligament regeneration. The cellular proliferation was assessed by dsDNA quantification and SEM observation. The gene expression of MSCs/osteogenic typical markers was assessed by real time RT-PCR. The obtained data revealed that cASCs exhibit a progressively decreased expression of the MSCs markers along passages and also a decreased osteogenic differentiation potential. Moreover, the results showed that the anatomical origin of the adipose tissue has an evident effect in the differentiation potential of the cASCs. The resemblances with the human ASCs make the canine ASCs a suitable cell model for study new cell therapies for humans. Additionally, we reported the high potential of a newly developed scaffold combined with ASCs for periodontal tissue engineering.


The 18th and final primary mirror segment is installed on what will be the biggest and most powerful space telescope ever launched. The final mirror installation Wednesday at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland marks an important milestone in the assembly of the agency's James Webb Space Telescope.


This Expert Guidegivesyou the knowledge, methods and techniques to develop and manage embedded systems successfully. It shows that teamwork, development procedures, and program management require unique and wide ranging skills to develop a system, skills that most people can attain with persistence and effort. With this book you will: Understand the various business aspects of a project from budgets and schedules through contracts and market studiesUnderstand the place and timing for simulations, bench tests, and prototypes, and understand the differences between various formal methods such as FMECA, FTA, ETA, reliability, hazard analysis, and risk analysisLearn general design concerns such as the user interface, interfaces and partitioning, DFM, DFA, DFT, tradeoffs such as hardware versus software, buy versus build, processor choices, and algorithm choices, acquisition concerns, and interactions and comparisons between electronics, functions, software, mechanics, materials, security, maintenance, and support Covers the life cycle for developing an embedded system: program management, procedures for design and development, manufacturing, maintenance, logistics, and legal issuesIncludes proven and practical techniques and advice on tackling critical issues reflecting the authors expertise developed from years of experience


There are plenty of libraries (among them many university and research libraries) which do not provide adequate work-places. Chairs may have been selected for their stylish look rather than for their physical comfort. Desk lamps may have been deemed unnecessary (they might have distorted the overall impression which the reading room was expected to make) And so on. I keep wondering how many librarians have spent some time in their libraries as readers, and have assessed their reading rooms from the user's point of view. Have they been in a cubicle? Or have they read a book under glaring neon lights? Do they know how well their air-conditioning works? I know a library in which the only window that can be opened is in the librarian's office.


Background Early changes in the large muscular arteries are already associated with risk factors as hypertension and obesity in adolescence and young adulthood. The present study examines the association between arterial stiffness measurements, pulse wave velocity and augmentation index and lifestyle-related factors, body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness, in young, healthy, Swedish adults. Design This study used a population-based cross-sectional sample. Methods The 834 participants in the study were self-reported healthy, non-smoking, age 18–25 years. Augmentation index and pulse wave velocity were measured with applanation tonometry. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured by ergometer bike test to estimate maximal oxygen uptake. Body mass index (kg/m2) was calculated and categorised according to classification by the World Health Organisation. Results Young Swedish adults with obesity and low cardiorespiratory fitness have significantly higher pulse wave velocity and augmentation index than non-obese young adults with medium or high cardiorespiratory fitness. The observed U-shaped association between pulse wave velocity and body mass index categories in women indicates that it might be more beneficial to be normal weight than underweight when assessing the arterial stiffness with pulse wave velocity. The highest mean pulse wave velocity was found in overweight/obese individuals with low cardiorespiratory fitness. The lowest mean pulse wave velocity was found in normal weight individuals with high cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness had a stronger effect than body mass index on arterial stiffness in multiple regression analyses. Conclusions The inverse association between cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial stiffness is observed already in young adults. The study result highlights the importance of high cardiorespiratory fitness, but also that underweight individuals may be a possible risk group that needs to be further studied.


Lawrence John Hayns (1094 -1970) was born in the U.K. and served in the army during the Great. war. He married Mary Margaret Crane in 1921 in Leicester. A book of his notes on wool, cotton and principles of weaving and knitting suggests that he might have been apprenticed there to a textile or hosiery business. However in the 1920 he migrated to Tasmania as an orchardist. He also worked as a stockman to a George Town butcher, as a ploughman, at Kellsall and Kemp' s Factory, Invermay, and finally was a lighthouse keeper. In 1951 he was head keeper of Swan Island light house. His son Maxwell Ernest (1924-1948), attended Launceston Grammar School, joined the RAAFin world War II and was killed in a car accident in 1948.


Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstones in the Shelburne subbasin and Fundy Basin offshore Nova Scotia, are poorly known but are of current interest for petroleum exploration. The goal of this study is to determine the provenance of sandstones and shales, which will contribute to a better understanding of regional tectonics and paleogeography in the study area. Mineral and lithic clast chemistry was determined from samples from conventional cores and cuttings from exploration wells, using scanning electron microscopy and an electron microprobe. Whole-rock geochemical composition of shales was used to test the hypotheses regarding provenance of Mesozoic clastic sedimentary rocks in the SW Scotian Basin. Lower Jurassic clastic sedimentary rocks in the Fundy Basin contain magnetite, biotite, and chlorite, suggesting local supply from the North Mountain Basalt and Meguma Terrane, whereas pyrope and anthophyllite suggest small supply from distant sources. In the SW Scotian Basin, detrital minerals, lithic clasts, and shale geochemistry from Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous indicate a predominant Meguma Terrane source and transport by local rivers. Rare spinel and garnet grains of meta-ultramafic rocks, only in the Middle Jurassic at the Mohawk B-93 well, suggest minor supply from the rising Labrador rift, via the same river that transported distant sediments to the Fundy Basin. Lower Cretaceous sandstones from the Mohican I-100 well contain minor garnet, spinel, and tourmaline from meta-ultramafic rocks, characteristic of sediment supplied to the central Scotian Basin at that time. The dominant Meguma Terrane provenance precludes thick deep-water sandstones in the eastern part of the Shelburne subbasin, but the evidence of Middle Jurassic distant river supply through the Fundy Basin is encouraging for deep-water reservoir quality in the western part.


Harmonic progression is one of the cornerstones of tonal music composition and is thereby essential to many musical styles and traditions. Previous studies have shown that musical genres and composers could be discriminated based on chord progressions modeled as chord n-grams. These studies were however conducted on small-scale datasets and using symbolic music transcriptions.

In this work, we apply pattern mining techniques to over 200,000 chord progression sequences out of 1,000,000 extracted from the I Like Music (ILM) commercial music audio collection. The ILM collection spans 37 musical genres and includes pieces released between 1907 and 2013. We developed a single program multiple data parallel computing approach whereby audio feature extraction tasks are split up and run simultaneously on multiple cores. An audio-based chord recognition model (Vamp plugin Chordino) was used to extract the chord progressions from the ILM set. To keep low-weight feature sets, the chord data were stored using a compact binary format. We used the CM-SPADE algorithm, which performs a vertical mining of sequential patterns using co-occurence information, and which is fast and efficient enough to be applied to big data collections like the ILM set. In orderto derive key-independent frequent patterns, the transition between chords are modeled by changes of qualities (e.g. major, minor, etc.) and root keys (e.g. fourth, fifth, etc.). The resulting key-independent chord progression patterns vary in length (from 2 to 16) and frequency (from 2 to 19,820) across genres. As illustrated by graphs generated to represent frequent 4-chord progressions, some patterns like circle-of-fifths movements are well represented in most genres but in varying degrees.

These large-scale results offer the opportunity to uncover similarities and discrepancies between sets of musical pieces and therefore to build classifiers for search and recommendation. They also support the empirical testing of music theory. It is however more difficult to derive new hypotheses from such dataset due to its size. This can be addressed by using pattern detection algorithms or suitable visualisation which we present in a companion study.


Picture your twenty-first birthday. Did you have a party? If so, do you remember who was there? Now step back: how clear are those memories? Should we trust them to be accurate, or is there a chance that you're remembering incorrectly? And where have the many details you can no longer recall gone? Are they hidden somewhere in your brain, or are they lost forever? Such questions have fascinated scientists for hundreds of years, and, as Alison Winter shows in "Memory: Fragments of a Modern History", the answers have changed dramatically in just the past century. Tracing the cultural and scientific history of our understanding of memory, Winter explores early metaphors that likened memory to a filing cabinet; later, she shows, that cabinet was replaced by the image of a reel of film, ever available for playback. That model, too, was eventually superseded, replaced by the current understanding of memory as the result of an extremely complicated, brain-wide web of cells and systems that together assemble our pasts. Winter introduces us to innovative scientists and sensationalistic seekers, and, drawing on evidence ranging from scientific papers to diaries to movies, explores the way that new understandings from the laboratory have seeped out into psychiatrists' offices, courtrooms, and the culture at large. Along the way, she investigates the sensational battles over the validity of repressed memories that raged through the 1980s and shows us how changes in technology-such as the emergence of recording devices and computers-have again and again altered the way we conceptualize, and even try to study, the ways we remember. Packed with fascinating details and curious episodes from the convoluted history of memory science, "Memory" is a book you'll remember long after you close its cover.


There is a limited understanding as to how specific genes impact addiction risk. Applying a developmental framework and research domain criteria (RDoC) to identify etiological pathways from genetic markers to addiction may have utility. Prior research has largely focused on externalizing pathways to substance use. Although internalizing mechanisms have received less attention, there is strong support that addiction is a longer term consequence of using substances to cope with internalizing as well as externalizing problems. This study tests whether temperament and depression mediate the association between specific genetic variants and substance use. The sample consisted of 426 adolescents from the Michigan Longitudinal Study (70.9% boys, 84.0% White). Four specific genetic variants were examined: SLC6A4 (5HTTLPR), BDNF (rs6265), NPY (rs3037354), and CRHBP (rs7728378). Childhood resiliency and behavioral control were examined as potential mediators, in addition to early adolescent depression, using a multiple-mediator path model. Resiliency and depression were supported as mediators in the association between genetic risk and later substance use. Important differences emerged across substances of abuse. Indirect effects via depression were not significant with the inclusion of aggression. Early difficulties with emotional coping may represent nonspecific neurobiological underpinnings for an internalizing pathway to addiction.


Partial-label learning (PLL) is a typical weakly supervised learning problem, where each training instance is equipped with a set of candidate labels among which only one is the true label. Most existing methods elaborately designed learning objectives as constrained optimizations that must be solved in specific manners, making their computational complexity a bottleneck for scaling up to big data. The goal of this paper is to propose a novel framework of PLL with flexibility on the model and optimization algorithm. More specifically, we propose a novel estimator of the classification risk, theoretically analyze the classifier-consistency, and establish an estimation error bound. Then we propose a progressive identification algorithm for approximately minimizing the proposed risk estimator, where the update of the model and identification of true labels are conducted in a seamless manner. The resulting algorithm is model-independent and loss-independent, and compatible with stochastic optimization. Thorough experiments demonstrate it sets the new state of the art.


This experimental study of consecutive interpreting investigates whether: (1) there is any correlation between assessments of its fluency and accuracy; (2) judged fluency can be predicted from computer-based measurements like articulation rate. Ten raters judged six criteria of accuracy and fluency in two consecutive interpretations of the same recorded source speech, from Chinese A into English B, by 12 trainee interpreters (seven undergraduates, five MA students). The recorded interpretations were examined with the speech analysis tool PRAAT. From a computerized count of the pauses thus detected, together with disfluencies identified by raters, 12 acoustic measures of fluency were calculated. The advanced students were more fluent than the beginners; both groups were less fluent in the initial interpretation. Statistical analysis shows: (1) a strong positive correlation between judged accuracy and judged fluency; (2) strong correlations between judged fluency and objective fluency variables; (3) the usefulness of effective speech rate (number of syllables, excluding disfluencies, divided by total duration of speech production and pauses) as a predictor of judged fluency. Other important determinants of judged fluency were the number of filled pauses, articulation rate, and mean length of pause. Potential for developing automatic fluency assessment in consecutive interpreting is discussed, as are possible training implications.


The first 60Co-contaminated rebar building was discovered in Taipei city in 1992. As of 18 July 1997, 144 buildings with 1,327 housing units were confirmed to contain 60Co-contaminated rebars. All these reinforced concrete buildings were constructed between 1982 and 1984. Thousands of residents have been exposed to ionizing radiation of various degrees. Preliminary assessments by the Atomic Energy Council showed that the accumulated maximal doses ranged from a few mSv to several Sv. The purpose of this work was to reconstruct more reliable individual doses for epidemiologic and medical uses. This reconstruction provided the best estimated doses as well as conceivable upper and lower bounds. The variation of residential day-life activities by individual members in a family was considered according to their sex, age, profession, etc. Intensive data on exposure rates were collected using thermoluminescent dosimeters positioned at 1 m height and 1 m x 1 m intersections with additional measurements at special locations such as bed, sofa, dining table, etc. Thermoluminescent dosimeter measurements were performed in all 24 residences studied in this work. This showed that the Atomic Energy Council maximal doses were 2-6 times higher than the present best estimated doses. Among all family members, elders and housewives received the highest doses; children received the lowest doses. The difference in doses among all family members belonging to different cohort categories is within a factor of two.


Herklotsichthys punctatus (Ruppell) which contributes a. significant percentage to
the clupeid catches in the Andaman Islands is a carnivorous surface plankton feeder, its
diet being composed entirely of zooplankton. Copepods, especially Pseudodiaptomus spp.,
form the main item of its diet. The euphausiid Pseudeuphausia sp. and megalopa occupy the
second and third places in its diet. Other copepods like species of Pontella, Temora,
Calanus, Tortanus, Euterpina, Corycaeus, Anamalocera, Sapphirina, Epilabidocera and
Microsetelia contribate, a minor percentage to the diet. Larvae of Penaeus%-p., mysid,
Lucifer and fish, and the pteropod Cavolina and the heteropod Atlanta were also found to
form the food. Generally intense feeding activity was noticed during June to September
corresponding to the south-west monsoon period. The feeding intensity was also found
to be generally higher during the early hours of the day than during the afternoon hours.
Fish in the size group 65-90 nun (total length) feed mainly on small organisms like copepods.
As the fish grow there is a change in the feeding habit, fishes of larger size (120-140
mm) feeding on larger organisms like euphausiids, megalopa and pteropods. Mature fish
occurring in the commercial catches exhibit a high feeding intensity during April and
August-September and this coincides with the pre-spawning period of the fish.


Scholars have long documented unequal access to the benefits of science among different groups in the United States. Particular populations, such as low-income, non–white people, and Indigenous people, fare worse when it comes to health care, infectious diseases, climate change, and access to technology. These types of inequities can be partially addressed with targeted interventions aimed at facilitating access to scientific information. Doing so requires knowledge about what different groups think when it comes to relevant scientific topics. Yet data collection efforts for the study of most science-based issues do not include enough respondents from these populations. We discuss this gap and offer an overview of pertinent sampling and administrative considerations in studying underserved populations. A sustained effort to study diverse populations, including through community partnerships, can help to address extant inequities.


Current estimates are that more than nine million PCs in the U.S. are part of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing overlay networks on the Internet. These P2P hosts generate about 20% of the traffic on the Internet and consume about 7.8 TWh/yr equal to $630 million per year. File search in a P2P network is based on a wasteful paradigm of broadcasting query messages. Reducing P2P overhead traffic to reduce bandwidth waste and enabling power management to reduce electricity usage are clearly of great interest.
In this dissertation, two new search paradigms with reduced overhead traffic are investigated. The new Targeted Search method uses statistics from previous searches to target future searches. Targeted Search is shown to reduce query overhead traffic when compared to broadcast-based search used by Gnutella. The new Broadcast Updates with Local Look-up Search (BULLS) protocol enables new capabilities including power management and reduces overhead traffic by enabling a local look-up of shared files. BULLS hosts periodically broadcast changes in their list of files shared and build a table of shared files by all other hosts.
Power management in P2P networks is studied as an application of the minimum set cover problem. A reduction in overall energy consumption is achieved by powering down hosts that have all of their shared files fully shared (or covered) by other hosts. A new set cover heuristic—called the Random Map Out (RMO) algorithm—is introduced and compared to the well-known Greedy heuristic. The algorithms are evaluated for minimum set cover size and computational complexity (number of comparisons). The RMO algorithm requires significantly less comparisons than Greedy and still achieves a set cover size within a few percent of that of Greedy. Additionally, the RMO algorithm can be distributed and independently executed by each host with reduced complexity per host where the Greedy heuristic does not reduce in complexity by being distributed. With RMO there is a non-zero probability of a given file being "lost" (not in set cover). The probability of this event is modeled and numerical results show that the probability of a file being lost is practically insignificant.


Viscous fingering is ubiquitous in miscible displacements in porous media, in particular, oil recovery, contaminant transport in aquifers, chromatography separation, and geological CO2 sequestration. The viscosity contrasts between heavy oil and water is several orders of magnitude larger than typical viscosity contrasts considered in the majority of the literature. We use the finite element method (FEM)-based COMSOL Multiphysics simulator to simulate miscible displacements in homogeneous porous media with very large viscosity contrasts. Our numerical model is suitable for a wide range of viscosity contrasts covering chromatographic separation as well as heavy oil recovery. We have successfully captured some interesting and previously unexplored dynamics of miscible blobs with very large viscosity contrasts in homogeneous porous media. We study the effect of viscosity contrast on the spreading and the degree of mixing of the blob. Spreading (variance of transversely averaged concentration) follows the power law t 3 . 34 for the blobs with viscosity ∼ O ( 10 2 ) and higher, while degree of mixing is found to vary non-monotonically with log-mobility ratio. Moreover, in the limit of very large viscosity contrast, the circular blob behaves like an erodible solid body and the degree of mixing approaches the viscosity-matched case.


IntroductionHealth Resource Groups (HRGs) are bundles of care that absorb similar financial resources. Variations in hospital length of stay (LOS) of patients with the same admission diagnosis and assigned HRG may reflect differences in pre-admission primary care services received by patients.
Objectives and ApproachWe investigated whether within HRGs, variations of LOS of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admissions were associated with differences in COPD management services received in primary care. Individual-level primary and secondary care data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank of Wales was used for admissions in 2015 with high-volume (n>30) HRGs. Effects of selected COPD primary care quality surrogate measures and comorbidities on LOS were analysed using a linear regression model adjusted for a modified Charlson co-morbidity index. The effect of completed pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) was analysed in a separate dataset for the Cwm Taf Health Board.
ResultsWe included 77,791 COPD patients, with mean age of 73.4 [SD=11.0], and 51.6% of which were males. Patients who were referred for a PR course prior to admission stayed 0.58 less days (95% CI = [0.18, 0.98], p<0.01), while those who completed a PR course stayed 0.76 less days ([0.25, 1.27], p<0.01). Non-significant associations were found where female patients stayed 0.34 days longer than males ([-0.01, 0.68], p=0.05), patients given flu vaccination stayed 0.39 less days ([-0.07, 0.86], p=0.10), and patients with anxiety diagnosis stayed 0.43 more days ([-0.03, 0.88], p=0.06).
Conclusion/ImplicationsLOS for COPD could potentially be reduced with further targeted services provided in primary care. Countries using HRGs with access to linked primary and secondary care data can unlock care insights, enabling live monitoring of the effectiveness of primary care interventions. This approach can be also used for other conditions.


In this thesis, five dynamic Post-Keynesian corn-credit models are constructed as testbeds for numerical analysis experiments that generate traverse paths through historical time using computer simulation. The "corn-credit economy" is a synthesis of theoretical insights gleaned chiefly from the writings of Joan Robinson, Knut Wicksell, Michal Kalecki, John Maynard Keynes, Gunnar Myrdal, and Adolph Lowe.

The first Model A has a fixed corn price, money wage and interest rate. Each such constant is replaced by equations to become a variable in Models B, C and D, respectively, e.g. money expenditure directed at a given supply of foodcorn determines its price. The final Model E uses a conventional demand function for the same purpose.

Each 31st December, capitalist-farmers decide the flow of seedcorn invested, then store the balance of that year's harvest as foodcorn. On 1st January, this lagged seedcorn flow becomes the opening stock of seedcorn, which is sown by workers employed to raise the next crop. Likewise, the lagged foodcorn flow becomes the opening stock of foodcorn available for sale to consumers while the new crop is being tended.

The workers' fortnightly money wages, together with all profit and interest incomes, are partly saved but mainly spent on foodcorn released weekly from the granaries. The structural-form equation (common to all models) that determines the volume of seedcorn invested is crucial, since the reduced forms show that investment decisions drive the evolution of all other economic variables.

In turn, seedcorn invested is itself driven by a time-series of "profitability gaps" between the realised and required rates of return on capital stock, in a process of circular and cumulative causation. A constant "reaction coefficient" determines the rate of capital accumulation as a fraction of the profitability gap. Such positive feedback or path dependence is so pronounced in the complex structural form of Model E that no reduced form can be derived.

All models are solved numerically for a 100-year equilibrium stationary state, then a smooth exponential growth path is generated for all but Model E. These stationary and steady states are used as reference time paths or "basecases", from which specimen traverse paths are made to depart by perturbing the model's parameters.

A sensitivity matrix is constructed for Model E by initiating numerous convergent traverses connecting its initial with a final stationary state. This matrix shows the long-period effect of a change in each parameter upon every endogenous variable. By tracing "chains of causation" made visible by the matrix, these cause-effect elasticities confirm that Keynes's paradox of thrift and Rowthorn's paradox of costs operate in Model E. The most powerful parameters are the foodcorn demand elasticities, indicating a strong influence of sovereign consumers on the price, profitability and production of corn.

Certain key variable-pairs are scatter-plotted to see whether some conventional relationships used for comparative static analysis hold over the range of reaction coefficient values defining a viable corn-credit economy. Instead of the familiar curves, these scatter-plots reveal a sequence of well-defined patterns, resembling the evolution of a spiral galaxy such as our own Milky Way.

Due to the observed traverse behaviour of Model E being quite violent, a public sector is added and the modified Model E* is used to discover a policy mix that tames the laisser faire instability of a demographic shift from zero to positive workforce growth. This policy-constrained or "instrumental traverse", as defined by Adolph Lowe, successfully guides the economy onto a tranquil steady-state growth path with near-full employment.


In this stimulating book, a leading authority on the Spanish master Diego Velazquez discusses this enigmatic artist and explores the mysteries presented by his paintings. The essays collected here, written over the course of Jonathan Brown's distinguished career, include some which are published in English for the first time and one which has never before been published. Two themes unite them. The first concerns the changing relationship between Velazquez and his patron Philip IV, which provides a framework for Brown to interpret the painter's career. The centerpiece of this relationship is Velaquez's masterpiece, Las Meninas, and this painting is the subject of two essays. The second theme is the problem of attributions and the related issue of Velazquez's innovative technique. Since Velazquez was not a prolific painter, questions of authenticity become increasingly contentious. Brown considers this matter in its widest dimensions and participates in the debate about individual attributions.


After war broke out between Arab countries and Israel in October 1973, the U.S. government asked its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to do the unthinkable: establish an agreed position on an ongoing "out-of-area" crisis. Then, on 25 October, the United States unilaterally raised the alert level of its armed forces to DEFCON III, affecting the NATO area without consulting any allies. These actions constituted a radical departure from established NATO practice and angered the Europeans. U.S. officials, for their part, were upset at what they saw as a dismal European failure to support U.S. objectives in the Middle East crisis. In subsequent months, NATO frantically searched for ways to improve consultation, especially on out-of-area issues. The outcome in 1974 was the promulgation of the Atlantic Declaration, along with a series of functional reforms in alliance consultation procedures. The crisis forced NATO to adjust to the new trends of globalization that were rapidly becoming evident.


Wikification is the task of connecting mentions in texts to entities in a large-scale knowledge base, Wikipedia. In this paper, we present a pipeline system for Japanese Wikification that consists of two components, namely candidate generation and candidate ranking. We investigate several techniques for each component, using a recently developed Japanese Wikification corpus. For candidate generation, we find that a name dictionary using anchor texts of Wikipedia is more effective than other methods based on similarity of surface forms. For candidate ranking, we verify that a set of features used in English Wikification is effective in Japanese Wikification as well. In addition, by using a corpus that links mentions to Japanese Wikipedia entries instead of to English Wikipedia entries, we are able to acquire rich contextual information from Japanese Wikipedia articles, which leads to improvements for Japanese mention disambiguation. We take this advantage by exploring several embedding models that encode context information of Wikipedia entities. The experimental results demonstrate that they improve candidate ranking. We also report the effect of each feature in detail. To sum, our system achieves 81.60% accuracy, significantly outperforming the previous work.


Abstract Here, we describe and illustrate by transmitted light and scanning electron microscopy the first Australian Jurassic megaspore assemblages. The megaspores and other mesofossils were isolated from terrestrial deposits of the Marburg Subgroup (late Pliensbachian) at Inverleigh Quarry, Clarence-Moreton Basin, eastern Australia. Nine megaspore taxa are identified including one new species: Paxillitriletes rainei. Miospore assemblages recovered from the same samples at Inverleigh reveal a slightly higher diversity of lycophyte microspores. The collective megaspore suite from Inverleigh shares several genera with mid-Mesozoic assemblages from widely distributed parts of the world, but most of the Inverleigh species have subtle morphological differences from congeneric forms elsewhere. The megaspores accumulated in fluvial floodplain facies and are associated with mostly dissociated isoetalean leaf debris. Other mesofossils in the sampled interval include annelid egg cases, dispersed seeds and charcoal. Invertebrate burrows and possible vertebrate tracks also occur in this succession. Lycophyte macrofossils are otherwise known from only two other Australian Jurassic deposits. The richness of the megaspore and microspore suites attest to a significant diversity of lycophytes in the Australian Jurassic floras not hitherto appreciated from described macrofloras.


Using a cell-free system for UV mutagenesis, we have previously demonstrated the existence of a mutagenic pathway associated with nucleotide-excision repair gaps. Here, we report that this pathway can be reconstituted by using six purified proteins: UvrA, UvrB, UvrC, DNA helicase II, DNA polymerase III core, and DNA ligase. This establishes the minimal requirements for repair-gap UV mutagenesis. DNA polymerase II could replace DNA polymerase III, although less effectively, whereas DNA polymerase I, the major repair polymerase, could not. DNA sequence analysis of mutations generated in the in vitro reaction revealed a spectrum typical of mutations targeted to UV lesions. These observations suggest that repair-gap UV mutagenesis is performed by DNA polymerase III, and to a lesser extent by DNA polymerase II, by filling-in of a rare class of excision gaps that contain UV lesions.


Ultrasonic velocity along with the density and viscosity are highly functional parameters to understand various interactions, like solute-solute, solute-solvent and solvent-solvent for the binary and/or ternary systems. This may define the reactivity and effectiveness of the system for particular applications. In the present paper, such measurements were carried on an Aminoglycoside antibiotic namely Gentamicin sulphate in aqueous solution for different concentrations varying from 0.001 to 0.1 mol.kg-1at temperatures 298.15, 303.15 and 308.15K. The acoustic impedance (Z), adiabatic compressibility (β), free length (Lf), free volume (Vf), internal pressure ( ), Relaxation time ( ), Absorption coefficient ( ), Cohesive energy (C.E), Gibb's free energy ( ), Relative association ( ), Rao's constant ( ), Wada's constant ( ), Van deer Waal's constant ( were also calculated. It was found that there is a certain degree of variation in these parameters with the change in concentration and temperature. These variations have been interpreted in terms of solute –solvent interactions.


The Dezful Embayment and Abadan Plain (SW Iran) contain major parts of the remaining Iranian oil reserves. These oil provinces are characterized by two types of structural closure: very gentle N–S- to NE–SW-trending basement-cored anticlines (Arabian-type highs) in the SE; and open to tight, NW–SE-trending thrust-related folds in the NE (Zagros Fold–Thrust Belt; ZFTB). Most deep-seated anticlines are upright and symmetrical in Cretaceous and older units. In some cases they reveal steep faults in their core which, in the light of regional observations, suggest that the basement is involved in the faulting. Untested plays around these anticlines include reefal build-ups, debris flows, truncated sedimentary sections and onlapping clastic units. The ZFTB shows a classic structural style, with overall shortening reflected in thrust displacement declining from the Dezful Embayment towards the frontal zone in the Abadan Plain. The Early Cambrian Hormuz Salt represents the fundamental sole for the fold–thrust belt and locates major fault-propagation folds in the southwestern Dezful Embayment. These folds represent the main petroleum target of the area. Another important unit is the Mid-Miocene Gachsaran Formation. This detachment reveals both in-sequence and out-of-sequence thrusting. Interaction of deep-seated anticlines and fold–thrust structures results in thrust imbrications and formation of duplexes within the Gachsaran Formation when thrusts abut deep-seated anticlines. Above the crest of the anticlines, thrusts are forced up-section into syn-tectonic deposits, whereas the forelimb reveals out-of-the-syncline thrusts. Several petroleum plays are identified in such zones of structural interaction, including anticlines above buttress-related duplexes, out-of-sequence imbricate thrust fans with associated folds above major anticlines, truncation of footwall layers below potentially sealing thrusts, and sub-thrust anticlines.


Biological warfare is the intentional use of micro-organisms, and toxins, generally of microbial, plant or animal origin to produce disease and death in humans, livestock and crops. The attraction of bioweapons in war, and for use in terroristic attacks is attributed to easy access to a wide range of disease-producing biological agents, to their low production costs, to their non-detection by routine security systems, and to their easy transportation from one place to another. In addition, novel and accessible technologies give rise to proliferation of such weapons that have implications for regional and global security. In counteraction of such threats, and in securing the culture and defence of peace, the need for leadership and example in devising preventive and protective strategies has been emphasised through international consultation and co-operation. Adherence to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention reinforced by confidence-building measures sustained by use of monitoring and verification protocols, is indeed, an important and necessary step in reducing and eliminating the threats of biological warfare and bioterrorism.


Metallic particles in various amounts are commonly used in the brake-pad-formulations to improve the friction, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, heat dissipation, fade etc. The same metallic particles, however, lead to increase in wear. To overcome the wear related problem and to improve the tribo-performance further, wettability/surface free-energy (SFE) of metallic particles needs to be improved so that they will not be easily dug out contributing to higher wear that without metal particles. Current era is of copper-free friction materials. Hence, in this work, stainless steel particles (SSPs) and copper particles were treated with low pressure argon plasma gas using optimised processing parameters (viz., gas- Argon, power- 500 W, treatment time-20 min.,). A series of four multi-ingredient brake-pads using identical composition but differing in the theme-ingredients (3 vol.%) was developed. First two types of brake-pads were based on untreated identical sized particles (SSPs and Cu) and another two types of brake-pads were based on plasma treated particles. One more type of brake-pad was developed without metallic particles. The developed brake-pads were evaluated for different physical, mechanical and chemical properties. Tribological performance was evaluated on a full-scale dynamometer following test schedule (JASO C406). Additionally, noise-vibration (NV) performance was evaluated on NV test rig following SAE J 2521 (partly) test schedule. Results revealed that most of the tribological properties along with NV properties were improved for treated particles in brake-pads. The topography of worn brake-pads was done to understand the wear mechanisms.


Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) reduces the power consumption of processors when peak performance is unnecessary. However, the achievable power saving by DVS alone is becoming limited as leakage power increases. In this paper, we show how the simultaneous use of adaptive body biasing (ABB) and DVS can be used to reduce power in high-performance processors. Analytical models of the leakage current, dynamic power, and frequency as functions of supply voltage and body bias are derived and verified with SPICE simulation. We then show how to determine the correct trade-off between supply voltage and body bias for a given clock frequency and duration of operation. The usefulness of our approach is evaluated on real workloads obtained using real-time monitoring of processor utilization for four applications. The results demonstrate that application of simultaneous DVS and ABB results in an average energy reduction of 48% over DVS alone.


Contract terms for cloud computing services are evolving, driven by users' attempts to negotiate providers' standard terms to make them more suitable for their requirements, as well as market developments, particularly among cloud integrators. This paper summarises our research into negotiated cloud contracts, where users have requested changes to providers' standard terms, and the extent to which providers agreed those changes, based on sources including interviews with cloud computing providers, users and other market actors. The terms that generated most negotiation were provider liability, service level agreements, data protection and security, termination rights, unilateral amendments to service features, and intellectual property rights. Changes to providers' standard terms are likely to filter down from large deals where users have negotiated amendments, and filter up from regulatory action affecting the consumer market. This paper suggests a multiplicity of approaches are emerging, rather than a de facto 'cloud' model, with market participants developing a range of cloud services with different contractual terms, priced at different levels, and embracing standards and certifications that aid legal certainty and compliance, particularly for SME users.


Poor outcomes in cancer therapy due to chemo-resistance remain a significant unmet clinical problem for many solid tumors and leukemias. VAL-083 (dianhydrogalactitol) represents a structurally unique first-in-class N7-bifunctional DNA alkylating agent. VAL-083 primarily mediates guanine N7 DNA cross-links, which separates it from other DNA alkylating chemotherapeutics (e.g. temozolomide) that have their primary cytotoxicity by targeting DNA at the O6 position of guanine. As expected from its mechanism, VAL-083 overcomes resistance associated with O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) overexpression in vitro. Furthermore, unlike other N7-acting drugs, such as cisplatin which primarily induces intrastrand crosslinks, VAL-083 mediates interstrand DNA crosslinks. When tested side-by-side in a standard syngeneic mouse fibrosarcoma model (RIF-1 cell-line in C3H mice), VAL-083 demonstrated superiority to cisplatin in tumor growth delay. For mice treated with a single injection of cisplatin of 4 mg/kg, the tumor growth delay was 1.45 days compared to untreated controls. Single IP injection of VAL-083 at a dose of 10 mg/kg delayed tumor growth by 5.6 days. Combination treatment of VAL-083 followed immediately by cisplatin produced a more than additive effect by delaying growth 8.65 days. VAL-083 readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, accumulates in brain tissue and is effective against brain tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo, and against brain cancer stem cells in vitro. VAL-083 is currently in Phase I/II clinical trials for glioblastoma and recurrent metastatic brain tumors. Studies are underway to further characterize the efficacy of VAL-083 in various tumor cell-lines resistant to chemotherapy. Previous clinical studies showing VAL-083 activity in several tumor models, combined with the new data on MGMT-chemo-resistance and synergy with cisplatin makes VAL-083 a promising alternative for both primary and secondary brain tumors as well as cisplatin-resistant tumors. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):B252. Citation Format: Anne Steino, Jeffrey A. Bacha, William J. Garner, Sarath Kanekal, Zahid H. Siddik, Dennis M. Brown. The unique mechanism of action of VAL-083 may provide a new treatment option for some chemo-resistant cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B252.


Much has been written about how job satisfaction may affect production, morale and quality of work. However, most job satisfaction studies have been conducted in the area of manufacturing and management, with none being conducted in the field of public horticulture. Job satisfaction was examined in 245 employees from 30 public horticulture institutions in the Mid-Atlantic region of the American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA) using the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) and Job in General (JIG). The purpose of the research was to determine if differences in job satisfaction existed based on an individual's job (management, horticulture, or other), gender, or other demographic information. In general, public horticulture employees reported satisfaction with Work on Present Job, Supervision, Co-Workers, and Job In General; dissatisfaction with Opportunities for Promotion; and are ambivalent about Present Pay. However, significant differences (p < 0.05) were seen between men and women on satisfaction with Present Pay, and between management, horticulture and other staff on Work on Present Job, Present Pay, and Opportunities for Promotion.


Objective: To characterize saccadic eye movements, as a marker of decision-making processes, in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Methods: Saccadometry was performed on a cross-section of patients with FTD, using a portable saccadometer, and results compared to matched control subjects. We used the Linear Approach to Threshold with Ergodic Rate model to generate measures of decision-making speed and incidence of early saccades. Patterns of cortical atrophy were related to decision-making processes using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Results: A total of 45 subjects (22 FTD: 10 with behavioral variant FTD and 12 with primary progressive aphasia, and 23 controls) were studied. A measure of decision-making speed, μ, was reduced in FTD, resulting in prolonged saccadic latency, but the incidence of early saccades was increased compared to controls. In addition, performance on an antisaccade task was poor in FTD compared to controls. Decision-making speed and the incidence of early saccades were independently correlated with atrophy of the left frontal eye field, and decision-making speed also correlated with atrophy of the left cingulate eye field. Conclusion: Saccades are abnormal in FTD, reflecting reduced decision-making speed, and these abnormalities related to atrophy of the left frontal eye field. In addition, patients with FTD had an increased incidence of early saccades, which may be due to reduced inhibition of primitive responses.


The authors present evidence of the difficulties facing human taxonomists/ecologists in identifying marine dinoflagellates. This is especially important for work on harmful algal blooms in marine aquaculture. It is shown that it is difficult for people to categorise specimens from species with significant morphological variation, perhaps with morphologies overlapping with those of other species. Trained personnel can be expected to achieve 67 to 83% self-consistency and 43% consensus between people in an expert taxonomic labelling task. Experts who are routinely engaged in particular discriminations can return accuracies in the range of 84 to 95%. In general, neither human nor machine can be expected to give highly accurate or repeatable labelling of specimens. It is also shown that automation methods can perform as well as humans on these complex categorisations.