Background and Objective: Today, nanotechnology is being used by many industries and universities to develop new, safe manufacturing procedures for nanostructures, polymeric nanocomposites, polymer photonic components and devices, and other revolutionary biomedical devices and systems with nanoscale functions. Nanotechnological innovations are the key to the safe application of these procedures in science and engineering. Our goal in this study is to minimize the human health risks associated with emergent products and the replacement of existing, harmful products with non-toxic nanomaterials and non-destructive nanodevices. Methods: We propose the use nanofabrication techniques, along with production of new nanomaterials, as a potential avenue to enhance the two fastest growing fields of science and industry, biomedical research and renewable energy. An example of nano- applications in connection with these two very different scientific fields is the use of photon production techniques. We use photon production techniques to harvest energy capable of enhancing solar energy grids, enhancing nanochemical material's ability to absorb heat in nuclear reactors, and to stimulate nanorobotic labeled nanoparticles to kill cancer cells. These photons are produced from two mean light sources--the sun's rays (UV) and lasers. Result: In this study, our data clearly shows the effect of photons on labeled nanomaterials on the surface of nanorobotic devices and shows the ability of these devices to locate and differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells. Parallel to these studies, we are still in the process of collecting data in relation to photons' effect on nanomaterials and their ability to manipulate nanoparticles, allowing for safe energy production in nuclear power reactors. These same photons also have the ability to augment nanomaterials on solar grids, enhancing solar energy production. Conclusion: Data analysis shows that advances in nanotechnology methodologies will play a critical role in achieving greater environmental gains in renewable energy, including safer, more efficient nuclear energy production. Methods of photon applications on nanostructures in biomedical research can be adapted to similar interactions between photons and nanoparticles, leading to the evolution of current energy production processes.


This study investigated the superiority of mobile-based collocation words learning in comparison with classical paper-based collocation words learning. 80 students from a high school in Ardabil were chosen randomly. After the pre test 10 participants were excluded from study, because of their partial knowledge of collocation words. Then they were divided into two groups: mobile-based(n=35) and paper-based(n=35). The pre-test was administered in order to identify the level of participants' prior knowledge of collocation words. The result of pre-test showed that there was no significant differences between the participants . In treatment sessions, the mobile-based group received a list of unfamiliar collocation words via SMS while, the paper-based group received the same list on sheets of paper. After treatment sessions, the result of post -test indicated the superiority of mobile –based group over paper based group.


Vols 1 & 2: "An Account of the Life and Writings of James Beattie, LLD", Sir William Forbes - 421/431pp, 1806 ed. Vol 3: "An Account of the Life and Writings of Hugh Blair", John Hill - 227pp, 1807 ed. Vol 4: "An Account of the Life and Writings of John Home, Esq", Henry Mackenzie - 184pp, 1822 ed. Vol 5: "Literary and Characteristical Lives of John Gregory, Henry Home, Lord Kames, David Hume, and Adam Smith", William Smellie - 450pp, 1800 ed. Vol 6: "Account of the Life and Writings of William Robertson, DD", Dugald Stewart - 307pp, 1858 ed. Vols 7 & 8: "An Account of the Life, Lectures and Writings of William Cullen, MD", John Thomson - c.600pp, 1859 ed. Vol 9: "Account of the Life and Writings of John Erskine", Sir Henry Moncrieff Wellwood - 546pp, 1818 ed.


Background: Abram needle used for pleural biopsy since 1955, which used by both hands during the procedure. A new Esmat pleural biopsy needle has been invented 2013 that can be used with one hand with no assistance to take care of the wound during the procedure. Objectives: evaluate the diagnostic yield of new esmat pleural biopsy needle in diagnosis of exudative pleural effusion. Methods: prospective study of blind pleural biopsy for 20 patients with exudative pleural effusions not diagnosed by full analysis of the fluid using new Esmat pleural biopsy needl. Design: 20 patient with undiagnosed pleural effusion after full analysis of the pleural fluid, they underwent parietal pleural biopsy using the new Esmat pleural biopsy needle with follow up for 2 months after the procedure. Results: 20 patients: 12male and 8females with age mean ± SD is 53.5 ± 14.48 yrs. The diagnostic yield of Esmat pleural biopsy in tuberculous effusion, methothelioma and metastsatic adenocarcinoma were 100%, 71%, and 50% respectively. With total75% diagnostic yield in tubercolous and malignant effusions. 2 patients had rim of pneumothorax by chest x-ray that resolved spontaneously within 3 days, 4 patients complained of local chest pain for 2 days after the procedure. Conclusion: the new Esmat pleural biopsy needle is safe, simple, easily used with one hand with a good diagnostic yield with low risk of complications.


Centimetre-scale laminae in tusk and molar dentine of late Pleistocene mastodonts and mammoths have been interpreted as annual growth bands produced, in part, by seasonal variation in growth rate. To test this interpretation, we measured the oxygen isotope composition (δ 18 O) of the CO 3 fraction of dentinal hydroxyapatite from samples covering consecutive inferred years of growth in tusks. In mammals, changes in the δ 18 O value of dental tissues within individuals predominantly reflect variation in the δ 18 O value of body fluids, which is controlled mainly by the isotopic composition of ingested water. In Northern Hemisphere continental regions, winter precipitation has substantially lower δ 18 O values than does precipitation in other seasons. If ingested water tracks focal precipitation, then seasonal variations in dentinal isotope composition should result, the lowest δ 18 O values representing winter growth. We demonstrate that there are substantial variations in the oxygen isotope composition of proboscidean dentinal apatite, and that isotopic identifications of winter (i.e., low δ 18 O values) coincide with those based on growth rate (i.e., slow-growth zones). Finally, the potential of oxygen isotope analyses of terrestrial mammals for assessing the seasonality of paleoclimates is considered.


In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, governments are taking a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). These measures include interventions as stringent as strict lockdown but also school closure, bar and restaurant closure, curfews and barrier gestures i.e. social distancing. Disentangling the effectiveness of each NPI is crucial to inform response to future outbreaks. To this end, we first develop a multi-level estimation of the French COVID-19 epidemic over a period of one year. We rely on a global extended Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered (SIR) mechanistic model of the infection including a dynamical (over time) transmission rate containing a Wiener process accounting for modeling error. Random effects are integrated following an innovative population approach based on a Kalman-type filter where the log-likelihood functional couples data across French regions. We then fit the estimated time-varying transmission rate using a regression model depending on NPI, while accounting for vaccination coverage, apparition of variants of concern (VoC) and seasonal weather conditions. We show that all NPI considered have an independent significant effect on the transmission rate. We additionally demonstrate a strong effect from weather conditions which decrease transmission during the summer period, and also estimate increased transmissibility of VoCs.


Diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe, FF) molecules, which can self-assemble into highly ordered nano/microstructures, have increasingly aroused intense interests due to their special optical properties. In this review, recent advances in photoluminescence (PL) of supramolecular architectures of FF-based peptide and the underlying mechanisms are highlighted. Mainly deep ultraviolet emission at around 285 nm and/or blue emission at ≈450 nm are observed in various FF peptide structures and its derivatives, which are primarily interpreted by quantum confinement effects, shallow radiative traps, and electron delocalization via hydrogen bonds in β-sheet structures. Furthermore, current applications of such fluorescent peptide nano/microstructures are also reviewed here, e.g., probing the number of water molecules confined in FF, temperature sensing, and visualization of deep ultraviolet beam. Yet, the PL mechanism is still under fierce debate and the application based on fluorescence is constantly under exploration. Thus, this review is endeavored to boost future explorations on the PL of the bioinspired FF peptide nano/microstructures.


I review how some influential nemertean systematistshave perceived and illustrated phylogenetic trees andargue that the nineteenth century nemerteantaxonomists still influence many contemporarynemertean taxonomists to a high degree. By showing hownineteenth century systematics differs from moremodern views on trees, I hope to convey the advantagesof a cladistic approach to tree-thinking and nemerteansystematics. Furthermore I propose a systematizationof the Eureptantia that illustrates the cladisticapproach to tree-thinking but, more importantly, isalso a better representation of eureptantic phylogenythan previous classifications.


During the early Islamic empire, gold and silver were necessary for minting coins for the single currency of the Caliphate to facilitate trade from the western Mediterranean to eastern Persia. Iron, copper and tin were also necessary to equip the armies needed to defend and expand the empire, as well as for construction and domestic use. Although people have focused on the Arab-Islamic expansion in terms of military, religious and trade aspects, the internal production of the state has been largely neglected (i.e. mining and making things, the physical basis of the civilization). Thus, studying mining settlements as a model of internal production settlements is necessary to enrich our understanding of mining activity and its role in Islamic civilization and the medieval world.
The importance of this study lies in studying the characteristics of the mining landscape in the region of Al-Baha, by analysing the mining activities taking place at the mining settlement of Asham, one of the most famous mining settlements mentioned by several classical Arab writers. These mining sites were surveyed generally and the mining tools examined. After completing the general survey, Asham settlement was surveyed intensively and excavated with six archaeological trenches to study the stratigraphy of the settlement in order to present an overview of the successive occupation levels and to expose more mining evidence. Materials recovered include over 1112 pieces of pounders and grinders, and 2153 fragments of pottery, soapstone and glass.
The study of the mining landscape in Al-Baha region indicates that there were at least three metals mined there during the Islamic era: copper, gold and silver. These metals were processed in three patterns of settlements of different compositions and functions with evidence of state supervision and integration with regional and international trade routes. The research critically analysed the classical Arab-Islamic narratives with regard to the archaeological evidence of tools and facilities.
The evidence confirms the extensive scale of mining activities in Al-Baha and its importance to the broader Arab-Islamic world. Rudimentary patterns of mining settlement were overhauled with extensive investment and state involvement during the classical Islamic civilization (c. 630-1100 CE), in the context of the great fillip Arabian trade received under the Umayyad and early Abbasid Caliphates which enabled full and stable exploitation of the natural factors amenable to mining in Al-Baha. The decline of the mining settlements was related to the political disintegration of the Abbasid Caliphate and the rise of a series of Turkic dynasties from the Seljuks onwards, reflected in the fact that the natural conditions still facilitate modern mining in the region, which poses a great threat to the important archaeological remains.


We propose a novel method to test the gravitational interactions in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. When gravity is modified, this is typically accompanied by the introduction of an additional scalar degree of freedom, which mediates an attractive fifth force. The presence of an extra gravitational coupling, however, is tightly constrained by local measurements. In chameleon modifications of gravity, local tests can be evaded by employing a screening mechanism that suppresses the fifth force in dense environments. While the chameleon field may be screened in the interior of the cluster, its outer region can still be affected by the extra force, introducing a deviation between the hydrostatic and lensing mass of the cluster. Thus, the chameleon modification can be tested by combining the gas and lensing measurements of the cluster. We demonstrate the operability of our method with the Coma cluster, for which both a lensing measurement and gas observations from the X-ray surface brightness, the X-ray temperature, and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect are available. Using the joint observational data set, we perform a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis of the parameter space describing the different profiles in both the Newtonian and chameleon scenarios. We report competitive constraints on the chameleon field amplitude and its coupling strength to matter. In the case of f(R) gravity, corresponding to a specific choice of the coupling, we find an upper bound on the background field amplitude of |fR0| < 6 × 10−5, which is currently the tightest constraint on cosmological scales.


Cellular mechanisms, both destructive and protective, that are associated with cerebral ischemia are reviewed in this paper. Central to understanding the evolution of stroke are the concepts of ischemic core and surrounding penumbral region damage, delayed neuronal death, and neuronal rescue. The role of spreading depression in the evolution of subsequent ATP depletion, ion shifts, glutamate release, activation of glutamate receptors, intracellular Ca2+ changes, and generation of reactive oxygen species in the penumbra in relationship to neuronal and glial cell damage are discussed. We conclude that the most fruitful areas for future stroke research include traditional approaches as well as novel approaches. Traditional approaches include stroke prevention and examination of the effects of combinations of proven and promising effective therapeutic interventions. Novel approaches include delineating mechanisms whereby growth factors and compounds such as deprenyl and staurosporine afford neuroprotection, ultimately leading to direct manipulation of the signal transduction pathways that lead to neuronal dysfunction and death. This includes determining which genes are activated and repressed in specific response to hypoxia-ischemia and determining how such alterations in gene expression affect survival and function of neurons. We also suggest that advantage be taken of the blood-brain barrier compromise during stroke in designing neuroprotective therapies.


Background: Defects in lymphoproliferative responses to mitogens/antigens in women >45 years old with a persistent type-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have been reported. Methods: To determine whether these defects were associated with altered cytokine profiles, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture supernatants from 50 cases (oversampled for their reduced lymphoproliferative ability) and 50 uninfected controls (oversampled for their robust lymphoproliferative ability) were examined for 24 cytokines using multiplexed bead–based immunoassays and ELISA. Results: The following plasma cytokines were significantly increased in cases relative to controls (cases versus controls; median pg/mL): interleukin (IL)-6, 393.1 versus 14.5; IL-8, 1,128.5 versus 43.9; tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), 164.1 versus 9.2; macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), 1,368.9 versus 25.5; granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), 13.8 versus 7.3; IL-1β, 8.3 versus 1.6 (all P < 0.0001); and IL-1α, 218.2 versus 169.5 (P = 0.02). We focused our analysis on the cytokines IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and MIP-1α due to their high fold change (>10) and highly statistically significant difference between cases and controls. Length of persistence or type of infection (high risk and low risk) did not affect these differences. IL-6, TNF-α, and MIP-1α levels were also increased in unstimulated PBMC culture supernatants from cases compared with controls (P < 0.05), however, the cytokine levels from phytohemagglutinin-stimulated PBMC culture supernatants were significantly lower in the cases (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Persistent HPV infection in older women with evidence of immune deficit is associated with an increase in systemic inflammatory cytokines. Impact: Future studies are needed to determine whether the inflammatory profile is age dependent and to examine the role that inflammatory cytokines play in HPV-induced progression from infection to cervical cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(8); 1954–9. ©2010 AACR.


While classical experiments on spike-timing dependent plasticity analyzed synaptic changes as a function of the timing of pairs of pre- and postsynaptic spikes, more recent experiments also point to the effect of spike triplets. Here we develop a mathematical framework that allows us to characterize timing based learning rules. Moreover, we identify a candidate learning rule with five variables (and 5 free parameters) that captures a variety of experimental data, including the dependence of potentiation and depression upon pre- and postsynaptic firing frequencies. The relation to the Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro rule as well as to some timing-based rules is discussed.


Background: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is described as the presence of cardiac dysfunction in cirrhotic patients. In children with chronic liver disease, CCM has been very rarely investigated. The Aim of the Study: Is to evaluate the cardiac function of cirrhotic children to identify those with CCM. Patients and Methods: Fifty-two cirrhotic patients and 53 age and sex matched controls were assessed using serum brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), conventional echocardiography, and tissue Doppler imaging. Results: Patients′ mean ages were 7.66 ± 4.16 years (vs. 6.88 ± 3.04 years for the controls). The study included 27 males and 25 females (28 and 25 respectively for the controls). Patients had larger left atrium and right ventricle (RV) (P value 0.05) and increased LV posterior wall thickness than controls (P value 0.04). They had higher late atrial diastolic filling velocity (A) of tricuspid valve (TV) inflow (0.59 ± 0.17 vs. 0.5 ± 0.1 m/s P < 0.001) and lower ratios between the early diastolic filling velocity (E) and A wave velocity (E/A) of both mitral valve and TV inflow (1.7 ± 0.35 vs. 1.87 ± 0.34 and 1.3 ± 0.3 vs. 1.5 ± 0.3 P < 0.005 and 0.0008, respectively). Patients had significantly longer isovolumic relaxation time of LV (45.5 ± 11.1 vs. 40.5 ± 7.7 ms P0.008), higher late diastolic peak myocardial velocity (AͲ) (11.8 ± 3.6 vs. 9.5 ± 2.7 ms P 0.0003) and systolic velocity (SͲ) of the RV (14.5 ± 2.7 vs. 13.2 ± 2.9, P 0.01) and significantly higher myocardial performance index of both LV and RV (P 0.001 and 0.01). BNP levels were significantly higher in cases than controls (5.25 ng/l vs. 3.75 ng/l, P < 0.04) and was correlated with the E wave velocity of the TV (r 0.004) and the E/EͲ ratio of the RV (r 0.001). None of the clinical or laboratory data were correlated with the BNP level. Conclusion: Cirrhotic children have cardiac dysfunction mainly in the form of diastolic dysfunction. There is a need that CCM be more accurately described in children.


Barite can precipitate in microenvironments in the water column (marine barite), from supersaturated pore fluids at the oxic-anoxic boundary within marine sediments and where Ba-rich pore fluids are expelled and come into contact with sulfate-rich seawater (diagenetic barite), or from hydrothermal solutions (hydrothermal barite). Barite is relatively resistant to alteration after burial and has been used in paleoceanographic studies to reconstruct seawater chemistry and productivity through time. For such applications it is very important to determine the origin of the barite used, because both diagenetic and hydrothermal barite deposits may not accurately record the open-ocean contemporaneous seawater chemistry and productivity. We show here that it is possible to distinguish between the different types of barite by using Sr and S isotopes along with crystal morphology and size characteristics.


In the development of the English Novel, one of the recognizable trends is the gradually emerging conception of the novel as Art. From Richardson, Austen, Eliot, Meredith, to James and Conrad, the critic can trace the increasing involvement of the novelist in the discovery and perfection of techniques which would make it possible to represent in the novel life as it appears to the intelligent observer. Ford Madox Ford followed this trend in the novel and carried the form to new heights through the methods he evolved. -- Surrounded by artists and writers from birth, Ford naturally took up a career in writing. Strongly encouraged by his maternal grandfather, Ford Madox Brown, he found early success in the publication of a fairy-tale, The Brown Owl (1892). A second fairy-tale, The Feather, and his first novel, The Shifting of the Fire, were produced within the same year. During the following eight years, Ford published two volumes of poems, a third fairy- story, a biography of Ford Madox Brown, and The Cinque Ports, the first of a series of studies on significant areas of England. -- By 1900, Ford was established as a stylist of note. In that year he met Joseph Conrad and by the next year was involved in writing The Inheritors, the first of their three collaborations. This proved to be a turning point in Ford's career, for Conrad's absorption in his creative writings drew Ford away from the indolent, desultory approach he had had and forced him to formulate his theory of fiction. After working with Conrad, Ford knew much about the techniques he believed should be implemented in his craft, but he had not crystallized what he wanted to say. -- During the following decade he produced fifteen novels. Notable among them is his historical trilogy of Henry VIII's fifth queen, published under the titles The Fifth Queen (1906), Privy Seal (1907), and The Fifth Queen Crowned (1908). It was justifiably hailed by the critics of his day, for Ford's insight into the historical personages, his remarkable recreation of the sixteenth- century milieu, and the obvious command he wielded over the tools of his craft, raised the genre of historical fiction to new heights. The medieval period fascinated Ford so much that he wrote four other novels devoted to the folklore and superstitions of that time. The "Half Moon" (1909), presents the power of witch-craft in the period; Ladies Whose Bright Eyes (1911, and revised in 1935), gives a fascinating account of a twentieth-century man transferred back into the fourteenth century, who gains new understandings by which to measure his own way of life; and The Young Lovell (1913), is a pleasing study of knight-errantry. A fourth historical novel, The Portrait (1910), presents an unsuccessful account of the wits and fops of the reign of William and Mary. -- But it was in his novels of 'small circles' that Ford really began to develop his particular view of life. In The Benefactor (1905), and, much more thoroughly, in A Call (1910), he explored the peculiar situation of individuals caught at cross purposes in the conflict between the dictates of passion, an apparently outmoded code of behaviour, and the necessity to preserve some surface acceptable to the society within which they move. He attempted to broaden the field of his explorations through social satires including large groups of people in Mr. Apollo (1908), The Simple Life Limited (1911), The New Humpty-Dumpty (1912), and Mr. Fleight (1913). Only the first of these is in any way appealing, having sympathetically drawn characters revealed with depth, and an attractive philosophy of faith persuasively presented; whereas the remaining three novels give characters much more superficially drawn, with a philosophy of expediency chiefly distinguished by its coldness and harshness. Stimulated by the crucial events of 1914, Ford formulated what he wanted to say. After the many experiments of the preceeding novels, he had perfected the technique of point of view, time-shift, selection, justification, le mot juste and progression d'effet, which enabled him in The Good Soldier (1915), to state, with overwhelming power and truth, the plight of twentieth-century man, terrifyingly alone in an incomprehensible situation, with all systems of communication broken down. In making explicit 'the saddest story', joining psychological insight with consummate artistry, Ford achieves the stature of a great novelist. -- Eight years later, he published The Marsden Case, a disappointing novel when compared to The Good Soldier, but interesting for the study it provides of Ford's attempt to broaden the scope of the material he used in The Good Soldier, to widen the 'small circle' to include a larger segment of society. The novel fails chiefly because of the inadequacy of the single point of view through which all events must be seen. However, the experiment proved fruitful, for in the next year, 1924, Ford published Some Do Not, the first of the Tietjens tetralogy. In 1925 No More Parades was published, followed by A Man Could Stand Up (1926), and The Last Post (1928). In the tetralogy, Ford gives fullest expression to his view of twentieth-century man alienated from all that gave stability, coherence, and contentment to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, unable to find within his society any foundations on which to build a new way of life, caught in a personal struggle that mirrors, and is mirrored in, the public struggle of World War I. The breadth and depth of psychological study, the emotional power and artistry with which Ford makes his statement, emphasizes the fact that The Good Soldier was no flash-in- the-pan, that Ford was indeed capable of producing more than one masterpiece. The Tietjens series proves this as it brings the twentieth-century world into focus, allowing the reader to see much about his society that perhaps he had only dimly perceived before, or of which he had been totally unaware. -- After The Last Post, Ford wrote six novels. None of them measures up to the standard of his two masterpieces. Most of them show flashes of the creative genius that is so apparent in his greatest works, but all of them give evidence of haste and lack of involvement of the author. In the last period of his life, Ford was mainly concerned with critical works and memoirs, dashing off novels in between them that must be dismissed, then, as potboilers. -- However, it is enough that Ford has given the world, not one, but two great works. In The Good Soldier, he presents a novel perfect in every aspect of its form; in the Tietjens tetralogy, he gives, if not an entirely flawless performance, a work of compelling power. Both rank with the best that has been produced in this century.


Estero Bay, which lies on the central California coast, has rocky headlands at both ends and sandy beaches within it. The shoreline of the bay has adjusted to be in equilibrium with the predominant wave climate, which is from the northwest. Because of its present shoreline configeration, the net southward littoral transport found along much of the California coast does not occur within Estero Bay. Instead, the sand primarily moves onand offshore with a reversing longshore component. This sand transport pattern produces a littoral cell within Estero Bay even though there is no submarine canyon in the area. The primary sand sinks for this cell appear to be the sand spit south of Morro Rock and the entrance to Morro Bay itself, although this opinion was not experimentally verified. Field work during one summer (1978) and the following winter (1979) produced baseline data on the profile of and grain-size distribution across the littoral zone. In the offshore part of the littoral zone we also studied ripple size and type, internal structure, depth of erosion, and mineralogy. Although these data, which were collected along nine transects spaced 2 km apart, are inadequate to yield transport and energy rates, they indicate a northward decrease in wave energy within Estero Bay and a mixing of the sediments in the offshore. Box core and rod height data from grid points in seven meters of water showed that on the order of a meter of erosion occurred in the central part of the bay between the two sampling periods. Offshore, the data were incomplete, but at one station, in 17 m of water, at least 20 cm of erosion occurred.


Reliable crop type maps from satellite data are an essential prerequisite for quantifying crop growth, health, and yields. However, such maps do not exist for most parts of Africa, where smallholder farming is the dominant system. Prevalent cloud cover, small farm sizes, and mixed cropping systems pose substantial challenges when creating crop type maps for sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we provide a mapping scheme based on freely available Sentinel-2A/B (S2) time series and very high-resolution SkySat data to map the main crops—maize and potato—and intercropping systems including these two crops on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria. We analyzed the spectral-temporal behavior of mixed crop classes to improve our understanding of inter-class spectral mixing. Building on the Framework for Operational Radiometric Correction for Environmental monitoring (FORCE), we preprocessed S2 time series and derived spectral-temporal metrics from S2 spectral bands for the main temporal cropping windows. These STMs were used as input features in a hierarchical random forest classification. Our results provide the first wall-to-wall crop type map for this key agricultural region of Nigeria. Our cropland identification had an overall accuracy of 84%, while the crop type map achieved an average accuracy of 72% for the five relevant crop classes. Our crop type map shows distinctive regional variations in the distribution of crop types. Maize is the dominant crop, followed by mixed cropping systems, including maize–cereals and potato–maize cropping; potato was found to be the least prevalent class. Plot analyses based on a sample of 1166 fields revealed largely homogeneous mapping patterns, demonstrating the effectiveness of our classification system also for intercropped classes, which are temporally and spatially highly heterogeneous. Moreover, we found that small field sizes were dominant in all crop types, regardless of whether or not intercropping was used. Maize–legume and maize exhibited the largest plots, with an area of up to 3 ha and slightly more than 10 ha, respectively; potato was mainly cultivated on fields smaller than 0.5 ha and only a few plots were larger than 1 ha. Besides providing the first spatially explicit map of cropping practices in the core production area of the Jos Plateau, Nigeria, the study also offers guidance for the creation of crop type maps for smallholder-dominated systems with intercropping. Critical temporal windows for crop type differentiation will enable the creation of mapping approaches in support of future smart agricultural practices for aspects such as food security, early warning systems, policies, and extension services.


Debates about statutory interpretation - and especially about the role of the canons of construction and legislative history - are generally framed in one-size-fits-all terms. Yet federal judges - including most Supreme Court Justices - have not approached statutory interpretation from a methodologically uniform perspective. This Article presents the first in-depth examination of interpretive approaches taken in two distinct subject areas over an extended period of time. Professors Brudney and Ditslear compare how the Supreme Court has relied on legislative history and the canons of construction when construing tax statutes and workplace statutes from 1969 to 2008. The authors conclude that the Justices tend to rely on legislative history for importantly different reasons in these two fields. The Court regularly invokes committee reports and floor statements in the workplace law area for the traditional role of identifying and elaborating on the legislative bargain that Congress reached. By contrast, the Justices often rely on the legislative history accompanying tax statutes to borrow expertise from key committee actors. The Court's use of tax legislative history for expertise borrowing purposes relates to the distinctive nature of how tax legislative history is produced, featuring regular cross-party and interbranch cooperation that is virtually unimaginable in the workplace law setting. Although most Justices have appreciated the special character of tax legislative history, Justice Scalia remains steadfast in his unwillingness to do so.With respect to the use of canons, Brudney and Ditslear find that the Court makes comparatively heavier use of the whole act rule and related structural canons in its tax majorities. The authors suggest that the Justices may recognize the Internal Revenue Code to be more of a coherent and self-contained regulatory scheme than the series of workplace law statutes scattered across multiple titles of the U.S. Code. As for substantive canons, the Justices are much more likely to invoke tax-based judicial policy norms than to rely on canons grounded in the specifics of workplace law. The authors contend that the Court's use of these tax law canons should be viewed as a derivative form of expertise borrowing.Finally, Brudney and Ditslear explore the special role played by Justice Blackmun in the tax area. They demonstrate how Blackmun's expertise in tax law and his attentiveness to its rich legislative history anchored the Court's performance for twenty-four years. Since Blackmun's retirement, the other Justices have been less interested in reviewing tax cases and far less willing to use legislative history when they choose to decide such cases.The evidence that familiar interpretive resources play distinctive roles in the area of tax law contributes to a subtler and richer texture for statutory interpretation than is often captured in scholarly debates. At the same time, the authors' results also indicate that the Court since the late 1980s has exhibited greater uniformity in its reasoning in tax law and workplace law cases. Brudney and Ditslear wonder whether the philosophical arguments favoring a less flexible approach to statutory interpretation are beginning to trump a pragmatic orientation that is more sensitive to differences among particular subject matter areas of federal law.


Technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) has been used as a theoretical lens which identifies the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching. While there have been hundreds of studies that have used TPACK to examine what teachers need to know about technology as part of their classroom practice, there has been little research specifically investigating how in-service teachers acquire this knowledge. This paper builds on earlier reviews of workplace learning literature and suggests that Communities of Practice (CoP), in particular notions of a socially formed identity, may provide an alternate lens through which teachers' TPACK development can be understood.


Swiss banks have returned to their roots and pay an increasing amount of attention to differentiating themselves from others through good financial advisory services. This has led to a loudly publicized standardization of IT-advisory processes, but not to an increasing use of supporting IT tools. This paper uses interviews with Swiss advisors, sales managers and IT managers, as well as focus groups of users and a survey with users to identify reasons for non-usage. The analysis is based on a framework combining principal-agent theory, IT-business alignment, technology acceptance and information behaviour. We provide evidence that the key problem explanation is the incentive system of the advisors and that poor usability of the software and lack of engagement by sales managers also contribute to the non-usage of most tools.


Because of limited server and network capacities for streaming applications, multimedia proxies are commonly used to cache multimedia objects such that, by accessing nearby proxies, clients can enjoy a smaller start-up latency and receive a better quality-of-service (QoS) guarantee – for example, reduced packet loss and delay jitters for their requests. However, the use of multimedia proxies increases the risk that multimedia data are exposed to unauthorized access by intruders. In this paper, we present a framework for implementing a secure multimedia proxy system for audio and video streaming applications. The framework employs a notion of asymmetric reversible parametric sequence (ARPS) to provide the following security properties: (i) data confidentiality during transmission, (ii) end-to-end data confidentiality, (iii) data confidentiality against proxy intruders, and (iv) data confidentiality against member collusion. Our framework is grounded on a multi-key RSA technique such that system resilience against attacks is provably strong given standard computability assumptions. One important feature of our proposed scheme is that clients only need to perform a single decryption operation to recover the original data even though the data packets may have been encrypted by multiple proxies along the delivery path. We also propose the use of a set of encryption configuration parameters (ECP) to trade off proxy encryption throughput against the presentation quality of audio/video obtained by unauthorized parties. Implementation results show that we can simultaneously achieve high encryption throughput and extremely low video quality (in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio and visual quality of decoded video frames) for unauthorized access.


abstract:Organic Art (William Latham and Stephen Todd, 1987) was reincarnated by the same authors with programmer and artist Peter Todd as Mutator2 (2013); Mutator2 was transitioned into VR as Mutator VR (2016) with programmer and artist Lance Putnam. The authors describe the graphics and audio systems of these works, particularly the procedural generation and visual effects and the creative exploitation of these effects within an art installation. The authors mix "real" and "unreal" features and effects, inspired by surrealist art, to create highly immersive psychedelic organic experiences for the viewer-participant. Interface simplicity and discoverability is critical for VR exhibitions, as is the balance between an experience constrained by an artist's choices and a freer (but riskier) one with greater public choice. Public gallery installation of Mutator VR creates special challenges.


By applying learned rules, humans are able to accurately solve many problems with minimal cognitive effort; yet, this sort of habit-based problem solving may readily foster a type of cognitive inflexibility termed 'cognitive set'. Cognitive set occurs when an alternative – even more efficient – strategy is masked by a known, familiar solution. In this research, I explored how cognitive set differs between primate species and across human cultures, using a nonverbal computerized 'LS-DS' task, which measures subjects' ability to depart from a three-step, learned strategy (LS) in order to adopt a more efficient, one-step, direct strategy (DS or 'the shortcut'). First, I compared baboons', chimpanzees', and humans' abilities to break cognitive set and found that all baboon and chimpanzee subjects used the DS shortcut when it became available; yet, humans exhibited a remarkable preference for the LS. Next, in an effort to elucidate how cognitive set occludes alternative strategies, I tracked human participants' eye movements to identify whether better solutions are a) visually overlooked or b) seen but disregarded. Although human subjects saw the shortcut, they did not use it until their conceptualization of the problem constraints were altered. Lastly, to further distinguish between perceptual and conceptual influences on cognitive set, I compared shortcut-use between Westerners and the semi-nomadic Himba of northern Namibia. This study found that susceptibility to cognitive set varied across human cultures and presented further evidence that problem conceptualization, and not perceptual processing, influences individuals' ability to break set and use the alternative. Overall, this research provides a novel comparison of cognitive flexibility within the primate lineage and across human cultures. The implications for set-promoting influences, including the potentially mechanizing problem-solving methods typical of Western education, are discussed. INDEX WORDS: Cognitive flexibility, Evolution, Cross-cultural, Perception, Primates DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY WITHIN THE PRIMATE LINEAGE AND ACROSS HUMAN CULTURES: WHEN LEARNED STRATEGIES BLOCK BETTER ALTERNATIVES


Although a number of serious crimes have been recognized and defined as international in nature - most obviously genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity - no universal code of procedural law can be said to govern the conduct of international criminal trials. This important new book takes a giant step toward the development of such a code through an in-depth analysis of actual procedure before existing international and internationalized courts - the International Military Tribunal for Nuremberg and Tokyo (1945), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), and the East Timor Special Panels for Serious Crimes. The author also explores and clarifies the crucial role of human rights law, especially as it has evolved in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in the field of international criminal procedural law. In the course of his analysis, Dr. Knoops, defence counsel before international criminal tribunals and a distinguished authority in the field, sets forth detailed and interrelated commentary on such aspects as the following as they affect international criminal proceedings: stare decisis and civil law traits; practical implications of human rights law; jus cogens norms; transfer of jurisdiction from a national to an international court; prosecutorial powers to initiate international criminal proceedings; requirements for indictments; (pre)-trial traits; the claim of national security interests; rules of evidence; sentencing and enforcement; appeal; review; and state cooperation. Any professional, official, or academic concerned with ensuring the highest standards of international justice will find this book rewarding and useful. Practitioners and policymakers in any criminal justice system will appreciate the detailed practical evaluation and guidance provided here.


The hepatitis C virus now infects 170 million people worldwide. The majority of infected people develop viral persistence that may lead to increasing liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. Interferon therapy has been the mainstay of treatment for hepatitis C since the discovery of the virus in 1989. The introduction of a pegylated form of interferon that increases the half-life of interferon, and the concurrent use of ribavirin has significantly improved the likelihood of achieving long-term viral eradication. HCV genotype and viral load remain major determinants of response to interferons. However, very recently, host genetic polymorphisms linked to interferon-λ3 have also been shown to play a crucial role in clinical outcome. A significant body of evidence now exists showing that the hepatitis C virus has developed multiple strategies to subvert both the production and the antiviral effects of interferons. This review explores these strategies, the factors that determine the effectiveness of interferon therapy, and highlights novel interferons in development. Ultimately, given the significant side effect profile of interferon therapy, and the emergence of small molecules and therapeutic vaccines that may inhibit viral replication, the aim will be to achieve viral eradication without interferon treatment. © 2010 Rajoriya and Barnes, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.


The transition to cloud computing offers a large number of benefits, such as lower capital costs and a highly agile environment. Yet, the development of software engineering practices has not kept pace with this change. Moreover, the design and runtime behavior of cloud based services and the underlying cloud infrastructure are largely decoupled from one another.This paper describes the innovative concepts being developed by CloudWave to utilize the principles of DevOps to create an execution analytics cloud infrastructure where, through the use of programmable monitoring and online data abstraction, much more relevant information for the optimization of the ecosystem is obtained. Required optimizations are subsequently negotiated between the applications and the cloud infrastructure to obtain coordinated adaption of the ecosystem. Additionally, the project is developing the technology for a Feedback Driven Development Standard Development Kit which will utilize the data gathered through execution analytics to supply developers with a powerful mechanism to shorten application development cycles.


Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is a genetic syndrome characterized by a variety of cognitive impairments, including difficulty with attention. Methodological confounds within the research investigating visual attention in individuals with 22q11DS make it difficult to understand temporal attention processing both in isolation and in a developmentally meaningful way. The current study addresses limitations of previous work by studying a specific temporal visual attention phenomenon, the attentional blink (AB), within a categorical rapid serial visual presentation task, and by utilizing developmentally appropriate sample matching procedures. Findings reveal that AB performance in individuals with 22q11DS is on par with two groups of typically developing control participants, one matched by chronological age and one matched by mental age. Individuals with 22q11DS performed similarly to both control groups on all measures of the AB, with the exception of reduced accuracy in reporting the first of two targets (T1 accuracy). These results suggest that aspects of temporal attention processing are intact in individuals with 22q11DS, and that attentional difficulties reported in previous research may be largely due to complexities in the spatial domain and/or difficulties sustaining attention in this population. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.


Today, there are an estimated 150 securities exchanges trading stocks around the world. Tomorrow (or at least within the reasonably foreseeable future), this number is likely to shrink radically. The two great forces reshaping the contemporary world - globalization and technology - impact the world of securities markets in a similar and mutually reinforcing fashion: (1) they force local and regional markets into more direct competition with distant international markets; (2) they increase overall market capitalization and lower the cost of equity capital, as issuers are enabled to access multiple markets; and (3) they permit order flow and liquidity to migrate quickly from local markets to international "super-markets," sometimes with adverse consequences for smaller domestic markets. In overview, these consequences follow because globalization has lowered the barriers to cross-border capital flows, including in particular traditional restrictions on foreign investments in domestic stocks, while technology has made instantaneous information flows feasible, thereby enabling electronic securities markets to link dealers and markets participants around the world in continuous world-wide trading.


This is the second paper in our trilogy focusing on persistent expansion in unsecured consumer lending in Japan, leading to increasing over-indebtedness and then major judicial and legislative responses particularly from 2006. The Japanese experience provides important lessons particularly in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, as the world reassesses how and why financial markets develop and more appropriate goals and means in regulating them. The rise and partial fall of unsecured consumer lending in Japan seem to challenge two still widely-held views about the Japanese, and especially Japanese consumers: they do not like debt, and they do not like law. In fact, such views - especially about the alleged Japanese aversion to law - are only some among a set of influential and quite distinctive schools of thought that have come to dominate the English language world of Japanese law studies. Part II conducts a thought experiment of how some of these diverse schools of thought might explain not only the growth of consumer credit markets in Japan, in the light of legal and socio-economic institutions, but also the recent re-regulation. Specifically, Part II.A develops caricatures of two culturalist accounts (communitarianism and liberalism); Part II.B, three economic theories (Chicago School, information economics, and behavioural economics); and Part II.C, two more political explanations. Part III argues that the most convincing explanations for the rise of unsecured consumer lending derive mainly from revamped (not particularly 'Confucian') culturalist theory and newer (especially behavioural) economics. But the partial fall around 2006 illustrates the increasingly less 'patterned pluralism' - perhaps even populism - of contemporary Japanese politics. These conclusions should be helpful not only in describing other contemporary developments in Japanese law and its political economy, but also when comparing other countries in fields raising similar issues. (A shorter version of this paper was subsequently published in J Niemi-Kiesilainen et al (eds) Consumer Credit, Debt and Bankruptcy: National and International Dimensions, Hart, 2009.) Our analysis also uncovers possible normative implications, explored more fully in our third paper.


This paper details a simulation intended to explore the viability of storage systems where data is placed intelligently depending on data-specific quality of service requirements and the characteristics of the underlying storage devices. Our implementation provides a framework for the automatic profiling of a virtualised storage system, specification of data-level quality of service requirements, simulation of data streams acting on the storage system and visualisation of the results. We demonstrate that an intelligent data placement algorithm can achieve a good match between desired and offered storage system quality of service.


Since the beginning of the 1990s Australia has experienced a gradual but far-reaching process of labour market deregulation. Labour market deregulation has proceeded primarily through the dismantling of the distinctive system of awards-the main avenue of external, protective regulation in Australia for much of the 20th century. This paper examines labour market deregulation and its implications for the Australian workforce. It situates the changes in terms of their institutional starting point in the award system and the growing pressures in the 1980s for increased labour market flexibility. It argues that labour market deregulation is amplifying existing trends to growth in precarious employment, wage dispersion and the development of a low-pay sector amongst full-time employees. In addition, it is sponsoring a significant fragmentation of working-time arrangements.


Recently, some cyclopenta-fused polyaromatic hydrocarbons, an environmentally relevant subclass of chemicals, have been shown to have carcinogenic activity in animals. It has been suggested that benz[l] aceanthrylene (I), an active member of this subclass with a gulf region, has a trans dihydrodiol metabolite that is nonplanar and has two distinct spatial configurations. We have used MMP2(85) and AM1 to investigate the three-dimensional structure of this dihydrodiol and other similar derivatives of (I) and have found that although (I) is somewhat nonplanar the relevant derivatives are all nearly planar. Further, we have computed potential functions for the bending of the angular ring in the gulf region using MMP2(85), AM1, and ab initio computed energies for AM1 spatial configurations and find that these molecules all have only a single potential minimum. We have performed the same calculations for benzo[c]phenanthren and its 1,12 dimethyl derivative, molecules with a similar gulf region for which crystallographic data exists. In agreement with that data, we find that two distinct spatial configurations exist separated by significant barries. The differences between the results generated by the three different methods of computation will be discussed.


Based on prior evidence of coordinated multiple leaf trait scaling, we hypothesized that variation among species in leaf dark respiration rate (Rd) should scale with variation in traits such as leaf nitrogen (N), leaf lifespan , specific leaf area (SLA), and net photosynthetic capacity (A,,,). However, it is not known whether such scaling, if it exists, is similar among disparate biomes and plant functional types. We tested this idea by examining the interspecific relationships between Rd measured at a standard temperature and leaf lifespan , N, SLA and A max for 69 species from four functional groups (forbs, broad-leafed trees and shrubs, and needle-leafed conifers) in six biomes traversing the Americas: alpine tun-forest, South Carolina; and tropical rain forest, Ama-zonas, Venezuela. Area-based Rd was positively related to area-based leaf N within functional groups and for all species pooled, but not when comparing among species within any site. At all sites, mass-based Rd (Rd_mass) decreased sharply with increasing leaf lifespan and was positively related to SLA and mass-based A,,, and leaf N (leaf N,,,,). These intra-biome relationships were similar in shape and slope among sites, where in each case we compared species belonging to different plant functional groups. Significant R~_mass-Nmass relationships were observed in all functional groups (pooled across sites), but the relationships differed, with higher Rd at any given leaf N in functional groups (such as forbs) with higher SLA and shorter leaf lifespan. Regardless of biome or functional group, Rd_mass was well predicted by all combinations of leaf life increasing SLA and/or decreasing leaf lifespan. The relationships between Rd and leaf traits observed in this study support the idea of a global set of predictable interrelationships between key leaf morphological, chemical and metabolic traits.


The traditional Sockets API is showing its age, and no longer provides effective support for modern networked applications. This has led to a proliferation of non-standard extensions, alternative APIs, and workarounds that enable new features and allow applications to make good use of the network, but are difficult to use, and require expert knowledge that is not widespread. In this paper, we present Post Sockets, a proposed new standard network API, that is designed to support modern network transport protocols and features, while raising the level of abstraction and enhancing usability. Specifically, Post Sockets aims to give portable applications the ability to use a clear, messages based, interface to multi-path and multi-stream transports, rendezvous and connection racing, and fast connection re-establishment.


Investors, industry firms, and regulators all rely on vital public records to assess risk and evaluate securities industry personnel. Despite the information's importance, an arbitration-facilitated expungement process now regularly deletes these public records. Often, these arbitrations recommend that public information be deleted without any true adversary ever providing any critical scrutiny to the requests. In essence, poorly informed arbitrators facilitate removing public information out of public databases. Interventions aimed at surfacing information may yield better informed decisions. Although similar problems have emerged in other contexts when adversarial systems break down, the expungement process to purge information about financial professionals provides a unique case study.

Multiple interventions may combine to more effectively surface information and generate better informed decisions. In quasi-ex-parte proceedings, traditional attorney ethics rules must yield to a higher duty of candor. Yet adjudicators should not rely on duty alone. Adversarial scrutiny may emerge by designating an advocate to independently and critically engage in circumstances where no party has any real incentive to oppose an outcome. Ultimately, addressing adversarial failures may require a shift away from adversarial adjudication to a more regulatory framework.


This study explored the relationship between attributions and emotional responses to poor performance in golf. On the day of an important regional competition, 86 golfers reported their emotional states prior to competition and completed measures of attribution and emotion immediately after the competition. Our findings showed that after unsatisfactory performance, anger and dejection were significantly elevated whereas excitement and happiness were significantly reduced from pre-competition levels. Causal attributions contributed to the intensity of these emotions. High levels of anger emerged when poor performance was attributed internally, and intensified when the cause was also perceived as relatively stable over time. Golfers also reported higher levels of dejection and lower levels of happiness when the causes of poor performance were perceived as personally controllable and unstable than when the causes were perceived as personally controllable and stable. Our findings suggest that golfers' emotions are intricately linked with the explanations provided for poor performance. In order to create effective emotion regulation interventions, sport psychology consultants should first consider the interactive nature of attribution dimensions.


Face pareidolia is the spontaneous misperception of illusory faces in inanimate objects. As a natural error of face detection, investigation of face pareidolia has potential to reveal new insight into the mechanisms underlying face and object recognition in the primate brain. To understand the temporal dynamics of illusory face perception, here we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure the brain activation patterns of 22 human participants in response to 32 illusory faces in inanimate objects, 32 similar non-face objects, and 32 human faces. We compared the time-varying brain activation patterns to the representations of the stimuli obtained with common pre-trained deep neural networks and computational models of visual saliency. Whereas the saliency models showed an early and limited correlation with the MEG data peaking at ~100ms after stimulus onset, the deep neural networks showed a greater and sustained correlation across the time-course which generally increased with layer depth. However, both forms of computational model were outperformed by a simple model which grouped stimuli by category (faces versus objects). Together the results highlight that the dynamic response of the human brain to complex natural stimuli is only partially captured by existing computational models.


Accounting information for decision making needs to be reliable, unless the information is audited, it cannot be regarded as reliable. Therefore, although extensive research in the area of accounting in general, and auditing in particular, has been conducted in the developed countries, similar investigations within developing countries have so far been relatively limited. Moreover, global financial crises, the most recent in 2007/8, have increased the pressures for better regulations with the aim of harmonising the auditing profession globally. This study therefore aims to help fill the gap in research and to provide recommendations to the governing body of the Libyan auditing profession, in order to address the difficulties faced by the profession, and advance and improve the quality of professional auditing practice.This study is predominantly positivist in essence, but, based on the nature of the problem and research questions, a mixed methods approach to gathering data from stakeholders in the auditing profession is adopted. A questionnaire (196 respondents), and a set of semi-structured interviews (nine participants), represent the quantitative and qualitative instruments of the study respectively. The research sample for both empirical exercises is comprised of individuals from five different groups representing the Libyan auditing profession stakeholders. This wide spread of participants is selected in order to generate valid, reliable, generalizable, and meaningful data, and conclusions.The overall conclusion drawn from the analysis is that the Libyan audit profession regulations are considered inadequate by the profession itself, since they fall short of meeting international standards, as supported by the fact that many foreign companies invest in Libya, and they insist on their auditing using ISAs as a guarantee of transparent and high quality auditing. The Libyan audit profession is unwilling to implement these international standards, and this weakness needs to be addressed. Furthermore, issues relating to licensing, accounting and auditing education, examination for entry to the profession, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) must all be reviewed. In addition, a new regulatory framework, that involves government supervision, and the use of internationally-recognised standards in the performance of auditing duties, must be introduced.In terms of the most appropriate regulatory approach, the results indicated that the independent regulator model is preferred; and with respect to auditing standards, the study finds that the preferred approach is to harmonise all auditing standards used in Libya, and to adopt the ISAs with certain modifications that suit the Libyan context. Furthermore, the study sample identified six factors that impact positively on the adoption of the ISAs, and a further six factors that had negative influences.This research contributes to the body of literature by filling the gap regarding the Libyan auditing profession in general, and identifying factors that have an impact on the adoption of ISAs in particular. Recommendations are provided to the authority responsible for supervising the Libyan auditing profession that essentially require the upgrading of all professionals, and perseverance to ensure national and international development of the profession in particular, and to other countries with similar characteristics in general.


This paper provides a conceptual and discussion framework for answering what the obstacles to diffusion of CASE-technology may be. CASE is viewed in a tool-external context and with focus on the negative aspects of CASEtechnology, as the goal is to discuss the obstacles to diffusion of CASE. The paper is mainly based on literature reviews and serves as a point of departure for further empirical research. Application of CASE-tools has consequences for the individual work process of the systems developers and for the r6les of the development team members. These consequences may cause resistance against the use of CASE-tools. Successful use of CASE-tools is also determined by the basic approach to development of software. Moreover CASE-tools influence the communication between developers and end-users. Increased quality of design and productivity of the development process depend on correctly understanding of the requirements, which reflects the quality of this communication. An important condition of diffusion is solving of the so-called software crisis: lack of productivity and quality increases of software development. Productivity and quality increases necessitate efforts in the initial development phases and better support of the user-developer communication. These are areas, which are not seriously improved by the application of CASE-tools.


Recent studies have recommended leveraging on the potency of media advocacy in attaining the goals of sustainable safe water as key to healthy and prosperous communities. This paper describes the experience of trialling a 6-week radio pilot focussed on water resources management and tracking its effectiveness using SMS technology and field interviews with radio listener groups. Despite a short broadcast period, the radio pilot registered measurable traction with audiences due to a 56% response rate to the SMS tracking system, evidence of behaviour change at village-level and cases of unsolicited queries from the general public demanding for more information. Though effective, any radio-based intervention, at-scale, has to be complemented with field support to receptive communities that could act as model villages. This could be achieved through close collaboration with local government extension networks and the establishment of a community of practise to act as a referral system for queries.


The Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between aryl fluorides and primary amines was enabled by the 1,2-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)benzene (DCYPBz) or 1,2-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)ethane (DCYPE) ligands. Both N-alkyl- and N-aryl-substituted primary amines participated in the selective reaction to form secondary amines. This protocol would potentially be useful for late-stage diversification of fluorinated compounds with complex structures for the synthesis of functionally interesting aniline derivatives.

publisher-specific, author manuscript: http://rsc.li/journals-terms-of-use


Crop species and varietal diversity on farm have the potential to trigger multiple regulating and provisioning ecosystem services. The latter is commonly assessed through targeted studies covering a select number of geographies and crop species, precluding comparisons across crops and at scale. This study draws on a large dataset on the varietal release dynamics for 11 major food crops in 44 countries of Asia and Africa to assess trends in diversity across crops and regions with a 50-year perspective. Our results show an increasing reduction of crop varietal diversity linked to the spatial displacement of traditional landraces. This trend occurs at a faster rate in Asia than in Africa. So-called mega varieties tend to increasingly dominate agricultural landscapes, adding to spatial homogeneity. We further found a negative association between varietal richness and its relative abundance, challenging the relationship between crop improvement and varietal diversity. Our results show that among cereal, pulse, and root and tuber crops, varietal diversity is lowest for cereals in Asia and highest for root and tubers in Africa. The analysis contributes new information useful to prioritize crops for which increasing varietal diversity may lead to more sustainable food systems.


Background and methods: Ring chromosomes are often associated with abnormal phenotypes because of loss of genomic material at one or both ends. In some cases no deletion has been detected and the abnormal phenotype has been attributed to mitotic ring instability. We investigated 33 different ring chromosomes in patients with phenotypic abnormalities by array based comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). Results: In seven cases we found not only the expected terminal deletion but also a contiguous duplication. FISH analysis in some of these cases demonstrated that the duplication was inverted. Thus these ring chromosomes derived through a classical inv dup del rearrangement consisting of a deletion and an inverted duplication. Discussion: Inv dup del rearrangements have been reported for several chromosomes, but hardly ever in ring chromosomes. Our findings highlight a new mechanism for the formation of some ring chromosomes and show that inv dup del rearrangements may be stabilised not only through telomere healing and telomere capture but also through circularisation. This type of mechanism must be kept in mind when evaluating possible genotype–phenotype correlations in ring chromosomes since in these cases: (1) the deletion may be larger or smaller than first estimated based on the size of the ring, with a different impact on the phenotype; and (2) the associated duplication will in general cause further phenotypic anomalies and might confuse the genotype–phenotype correlation. Moreover, these findings explain some phenotypic peculiarities which previously were attributed to a wide phenotypic variation or hidden mosaicism related to the instability of the ring.


Ionic liquids (ILs) can be used to replace one or more phases in conventional oil/water emulsions including Pickering emulsions—surfactant-free emulsions which utilize nanoor micron-sized particles to stabilize the immiscible liquid-liquid interface. Due to the extreme tunability of both the ILs and particles used, the study of IL-based Pickering emulsions yields novel emulsion morphologies and insights into the ionic liquid-liquid-particle interactions present. This work discusses extensive experimental work on IL-based Pickering emulsions and IL/liquid interfaces, emphasizing unique phenomena—such as "bridging" between emulsion droplets and spontaneous particle transport across the interface—never observed in more conventional Pickering emulsions. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of particles at the IL/liquid interface are also discussed, and fundamental insights from these simulations are used to enhance understanding of the unique interface behavior revealed by experiment.


During World War II, Gathie and Marie Barnett, along with their parents and other Jehovah's Witnesses, challenged the constitutionality of compelling school children to pledge allegiance and salute the American flag. Their Supreme Court victory, West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943) (misspelling their surname), and Justice Robert H. Jackson's eloquent opinion for the Court in the case, is a constitutional law landmark. In 2006, the Robert H. Jackson Center and the Supreme Court Historical Society cosponsored a Barnette event involving its protagonists. These proceedings, as edited and published here, begin with welcoming remarks by Mr. Peterson and Mr. Prettyman. Dr. Peters, author of a leading history of the persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses and their litigation seeking judicial protection for constitutional rights, discusses the social and legal events leading to Barnette. In a roundtable discussion, the "Barnette" sisters and Mr. Boskey, who was Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone's chief law clerk from 1941-43, discuss personal, legal and historical aspects of "their" case. Professor Barrett, in closing remarks, discusses Justice Jackson and aspects of his background, including his upbringing in a region of free thought and belief and his experiences with religious difference, that seem relevant to the principles he articulated so well in Barnette.


We suggest a set of visualization-based exploratory tools to support analysis and comparison of different spatial development scenarios, such as results of simulation of various spatially related processes. We have applied a task-analytical approach to tool selection and design, that is, we have first considered what analytical tasks may potentially emerge in the course of investigating and comparing scenarios. We have revealed a set of multifarious tasks, which can be grouped into four categories: 1) analysis in the attribute dimension; 2) analysis in the spatial dimension; 3) analysis in the temporal dimension; 4) spatio-temporal analysis. Then we have evaluated the techniques typically used for visualization of spatial and temporal data, such as (animated) maps or time graphs, from the perspective of supporting different task types. We have extended these techniques, mostly in the direction of increasing interactivity, and combined them for providing a better coverage of the task space. Using examples from the domains of forest management and agriculture, we illustrate how the resulting software tools help in fulfilling various tasks in the course of exploring and comparing scenarios. At the end, we set an explicit correspondence between the task types and the appropriate tools.


Preface. 1. Environmental Dispute Resolution as a Management Issue towards new forms of decision-making P. Glasbergen. 2. Activating a Policy Network the case of the mainport Schiphol P. Driessen. 3. Strategies for Network Management in an Agricultural Region the case of the Gelre Valley P. Driessen, P. Glasbergen. 4. From Adversarial to Collaborative Interaction environmental problem solving in the Zealand Flanders Canal region P. Glasbergen, J. van der Veen. 5. The Role of Mediation in the Process of Integrated Planning environmental planning in the area of the world's biggest harbor B. van der Klundert, P. Glasbergen. 6. Government Control in a Polynuclear Metropolis the search for an effective management strategy J. van der Veen. 7. Project Management for Water Conflicts an analysis of factors conducive to success or failure P. Glasbergen. 8. Between Salt and Salmon network management in the Rhine catchment area C. Dieperink. 8. Forecasting Land Use Disputes network analysis of a nature development project R. Corvers, W. Slot. 10. Network Management in Perspective concluding remarks on network management as an innovative form of environmental management P. Driessen, W. Vermeulen. Bibliography. Subject Index.


1. Objective: Employee job satisfaction has been linked to respectful treatment, positive relationships between colleagues, ownership of their work, independence, recognition, advancement opportunities and employment equity (Gappa, Austin & Trice, 2007). This qualitative study examined these job satisfaction-related issues while taking into account traditional professional identities and values within academia, commitment to the faculty, continuous professional development and the transmission of knowledge to students. 2. Method: Lecturers (N=5) from a university in Ireland participated in a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews. The semi-structured interview questions focussed on the lecturers' roles, job contribution to career development, contribution to the faculty, work conditions, the experience of teaching, engagement in research, attitudes towards support staff, work pressures, aspects of the job itself, job satisfaction and role expectations for the future. 3. Results: Some of the themes that emerged from the interviews included the disconnect between faculty management and staff, the positive and negative aspects of the teaching experience, and the friction between the roles of teacher, researcher/ practitioner and administrator. 4. Conclusion: Thematic inter-relationships and background factor influences are discussed, alongside possible implications.


This is the Introduction to the Albany Law Review's 2009 symposium, "Defining Race." Professor Bonventre opens the symposium with a few remarks on the genesis and objectives of the day-long conference, and he shares some of his own perspectives on the concept of race. He relates personal experiences as a not-so-white Italian-American growing up in a very white neighborhood, attending school with teachers who viewed Italian-Americans as other than real Americans, and, even in professional life, confronting reminders -- friendly and otherwise -- that Italian-Americans were viewed as a separate and somewhat-dubious race. Not surprisingly, he, like many other Italian-Americans, considers himself simply to be that, or southern Mediterranean, and not white or Caucasian.


The debate surrounding the relationship between economic growth and income distribution continues to attract important discussion in the development literature. While the literature suggests that rapid growth causes income to be more unequally distributed, empirical evidence is mixed. It seems that the relationship between growth and inequality varies considerably depending on individual country characteristics and the determinants of growth. Malaysia is a pronounced pluralistic society and is often considered to have a dualistic economic structure. Ethnicity and regional imbalances play important roles in determining the pattern of poverty and inequality. Areas of greater than average dependence on agriculture appear to have lower income levels, and tend to be populated by Malaysia's indigenous races. Since the riots of May 1969, which were assumed to have some connection with economic development and economic imbalances, Malaysia has been pursuing redistribution through growth with the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP). Thus the purpose of this thesis is to examine the nature and extent of poverty and income inequality in Malaysia, with particular emphasis on the 1980s. This study first seeks to verify the presence of any systematic relationship between inequality and economic development. The trends in income distribution will then be examined by looking at overall, urban-rural and ethnic inequality for Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. Given the fact that certain areas are predominantly inhabited by certain ethnic groups, which form "pockets of poverty", the regional aspect of inequality will also be addressed. The discussion on poverty begins with an explanation of the calculation of the official Malaysian poverty line, followed by a demonstration of how it has been updated over the years and ends by sketching a profile of the poor. As the NEP was launched to re-unite and rebuild the country after the traumatic 1969 experience, this thesis concludes with an assessment of the impact of its policy prescriptions on poverty and income inequality.


Background Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a complex and heterogeneous hematopoietic tissue neoplasm caused by gene mutations, chromosomal rearrangements, deregulation of gene expression, and epigenetic modifications. DNA methylation is altered in leukemia and can affect cells in three main ways: hypomethylation, hypermethylation, and loss of imprinting. Global hypomethylation has frequently been reported in the blast cells, and it is postulated that this promotes transcription of oncogenes and genes concerned with cell replication. Studies of DNA methylation in AML have revealed a series of subgroups with specific methylation signatures. Patients and methods A total of 45 patients with newly diagnosed AML were included in the study. Moreover, 45 individuals matched for age and sex were selected as controls. Immunophenotyping, conventional cytogenetic analysis, and molecular detection of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) exon 23 mutations were performed. Patient follow-up was performed on day 28 after receiving induction therapy to evaluate the remission status. Results DNMT3A exon 23 mutations were identified in 17.8% of patients with AML. All the mutations were missense and heterozygous. DNMT3A exon 23 mutations were significantly associated with AML with monocytic differentiation (75%) than the wild-type group (27%) (P=0.01). All DNMT3A mutations were observed in patients with intermediate-risk karyotype. There was a statistically significant decrease in the probability of achieving complete remission with shorter overall survival in the mutated group compared with the wild type, whereas no statistically significant difference between both groups in the probability of disease-free survival (P=0.14). Conclusion DNMT3A mutations are associated with poor response to therapy conferring a poor outcome, and seem to add prognostic information in patients with AML harboring it with shorter overall survival. DNMT3A mutations can represent a valuable tool for making therapeutic decisions.


Cyprids of the barnacles Elminius covertus and Hexaminius popeiana were sampled in the water column at differing distances from the seaward edge within a mangrove forest and at different tidal elevations at the seaward edge of a mangrove forest in Sydney, Australia. At differing distances from the seaward edge of the forest, the density of settlers of E. covertus and H. popeiana was correlated with the density and availability of cyprids in the water column. The density of recruits was correlated with the density of settlers and the density of adults with the density of recruits. Cyprids of each species were most abundant in the water column during high tides that occurred during the night. Since most settlement of E. covertus occurs in winter, when nighttime tides are of greater amplitude than at other times of the year, this species has more frequent access to the landward parts of the forest than H. popeiana, which mainly settles in spring and summer. At different tidal elevations at the seaward edge of the mangrove forest, the density of settlers, recruits and adults of E. covertus was correlated with the density and availability of cyprids. In contrast, the density of settlers of H. popeiana among tidal levels was not in concordance with density or availability of cyprids. This is the first example of detailed sampling of cyprids and their survival in a mangrove habitat with calm wave action and a less harsh physical environment than found on rocky shores. In mangrove habitats, the density and availability of cyprids at differing distances from the seaward edge and in the vertical range for 1 species (E. covertus) constituted a good predictor of patterns of settlement.


Adjustment of the environmental acidity is a powerful method for fine-tuning the outcome of many chemical processes. Numerous strategies have been developed for the modification of pH in bulk as well as locally. Electrochemical and photochemical processes provide a powerful approach for on-demand generation of ion concentration gradients locally at solid-liquid interfaces. Spatially organized in individual way electrodes provide a particular pattern of proton distribution in solution. It opens perspectives to iontronics which is a bioinspired approach to signaling, information processing, and storing by spatial and temporal distribution of ions. We prove here that soft layers allow to control of ion mobility over the surface as well as processes of self-organization are closely related to change in entropy. In this work, we summarize the achievements and discuss perspectives of ion gradients in solution for information processing.


How do the Dutch spend their time? How much time for example do they devote
to remunerated work, care, reading or voluntary work? And: how is time
structured in Dutch society? To what extent is Sunday still a special day?

The Social and Cultural Planning Office has been participating in a survey
since 1975 that seeks to answer these questions. The most recent time use
survey was conducted in October 2000. This book sets out the most important
trends in time use and the structuring of time.

The Dutch lead significantly busier lives. More people are engaged in the
labour market, with an increase in average hours worked. Similarly, there has
been an increase in commitments - employment, household management and
education. More people are combining work and care. These people not only have
relatively little free time but also often feel under 'pressure'.

More commitments implies less time for leisure activities. Outdoor leisure
pursuits, in particular, have been cut back on, such as visiting, voluntary
work, sport and exercise. There has also been a decline in reading and
household social contacts. By contrast, the Dutch continue to watch as much
television as before. Computer use is clearly on the rise.

There is no question of a 24-hour economy. Despite the new Working Hours Act
the bulk of work is still performed during the day on weekdays. In 2000 a small
proportion of work was in fact performed during the evening, at night and at
weekends. In the case of household activities, however, there has been a slight
shift to evenings, nights and weekends. The traditional saying 'Monday -
washday' seems to be gradually losing its relevance. The new Shopping Hours Act
has enabled a growing group of consumers to perform their shopping in the
evening.


We have investigated the formation of porphyrin intermediates by isolated barley (Hordeum vulgare) plastids incubated for 40 min with the porphyrin precursor 5-aminolevulinate and in the presence and absence of a diphenylether herbicide that blocks protoporphyrinogen oxidase, the enzyme in chlorophyll and heme synthesis that oxidizes protoporphyrinogen IX to protoporphyrin IX. In the absence of herbicide, about 50% of the protoporphyrin IX formed was found in the extraplastidic medium, which was separated from intact plastids by centrifugation at the end of the incubation period. In contrast, uroporphyrinogen, an earlier intermediate, and magnesium protoporphyrin IX, a later intermediate, were located mainly within the plastid. When the incubation was carried out in the presence of a herbicide that inhibits protoporphyrinogen oxidase, protoporphyrin IX formation by the plastids was completely abolished, but large amounts of protoporphyrinogen accumulated in the extraplastidic medium. To detect extraplastidic protoporphyrinogen, it was necessary to first oxidize it to protoporphyrin IX with the use of a herbicide-resistant protoporphyrinogen oxidase enzyme present in Escherichia coli membranes. Protoporphyrinogen is not detected by some commonly used methods for porphyrin analysis unless it is first oxidized to protoporphyrin IX. Protoporphyrin IX and protoporphyrinogen found outside the plastid did not arise from plastid lysis, because the percentage of plastid lysis, measured with a stromal marker enzyme, was far less than the percentage of these porphyrins in the extraplastidic fraction. These findings suggest that of the tetrapyrrolic intermediates synthesized by the plastids, protoporphyrinogen and protoporphyrin IX, are the most likely to be exported from the plastid to the cytoplasm. These results help explain the extraplastidic accumulation of protoporphyrin IX in plants treated with photobleaching herbicides. In addition, these findings suggest that plastids may export protoporphyrinogen or protoporphyrin IX for mitochondrial heme synthesis.


Scaly fabrics are networks of anastomosing shear surfaces that are ubiquitous in deformed clay-rich sediments and fault gouges. Despite common occurrence, little is known about their behavior during deformation. It is not known whether they represent incremental slip on individual wavy shear surfaces, or whether multiple shear surfaces across a network deform simultaneously. We performed experiments on analog materials (oriented lentils) to observe the distribution of slip surfaces using a transparent shear box. We find that slip distributes through a network of anastomosing, transient slip surfaces that continually reorganize during shear. This is accompanied by local compaction and dilation so that volume changes caused by slip are balanced laterally between adjacent volumes. Lentils differ from equant granular materials because the shape inhibits grain rotation and facilitates interlocking. The self-perpetuating delocalization behavior of the system serves as a model for a conceptual understanding of how scaly fabrics deform and persist in natural clay-rich sediments and fault gouges.


West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging infectious disease that has widespread implications for public health practitioners across the world. Within a few years of its arrival in the United States the virus had spread across the North American continent. This research focuses on the development of a spatially explicit GIS-based predictive epidemiological model based on suitable environmental factors. We examined eleven commonly mapped environmental factors using both ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The GWR model was utilized to ascertain the impact of environmental factors on WNV risk patterns without the confounding effects of spatial non-stationarity that exist between place and health. It identifies the important underlying environmental factors related to suitable mosquito habitat conditions to make meaningful and spatially explicit predictions. Our model represents a multi-criteria decision analysis approach to create disease risk maps under data sparse situations. The best fitting model with an adjusted R2 of 0.71 revealed a strong association between WNV infection risk and a subset of environmental risk factors including road density, stream density, and land surface temperature. This research also postulates that understanding the underlying place characteristics and population composition for the occurrence of WNV infection is important for mitigating future outbreaks. While many spatial and aspatial models have attempted to predict the risk of WNV transmission, efforts to link these factors within a GIS framework are limited. One of the major challenges for such integration is the high dimensionality and large volumes typically associated with such models and data. This research uses a spatially explicit, multivariate geovisualization framework to integrate an environmental model of mosquito habitat with human risk factors derived from socio-economic and demographic variables. Our results show that such an integrated approach facilitates the exploratory analysis of complex data and supports reasoning about the underlying spatial processes that result in differential risks for WNV. This research provides different tools and techniques for predicting the WNV epidemic and provides more insights into targeting specific areas for controlling WNV outbreaks.


Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are configurable enterprise-wide information system packages that integrate information and information-based processes within and across functional areas in an organization. They have been widely adopted in many organizations and accepted as a de facto industry standard for the replacement of legacy systems. This paper analyzes and presents the costs and benefits of ERP systems for project-based industries, which have lagged behind other major industries in adopting ERP systems due to their project-centric nature and the high stakes involved in ERP implementation. The challenges during the process of ERP implementations are also identified as part of the effort to understand the implied costs of an ERP system. The evidence of the costs and benefits are drawn from previous studies and the analysis of the prevailing working practices in project-based firms. The classification of the costs and benefits constitutes a cost and benefit taxonomy which can be used to enable executives in project-based firms to make informed decisions on their ERP system investments.


Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Education for Practitioners in the Acute Care Setting by Eppie Ann LaBiche MS, University of Phoenix, 2001 BS, William Carey College, 1986 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University May 2019 Abstract During the last several decades, venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been identified as a preventable health condition. The gaps in clinical practice have led to an increasedDuring the last several decades, venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been identified as a preventable health condition. The gaps in clinical practice have led to an increased incidence of VTE. The lack of using existing evidence-based VTE prevention guidelines in practice has limited the implementation of VTE risk assessment stratifications and affected the appropriateness and timeliness of addressing pharmacologic and mechanical prophylaxis. The purpose of the scholarly project was to educate practitioners on existing VTE prevention practice guidelines. The practice-focused question explored whether an educational learning activity on evidence-based VTE prevention guidelines improved the awareness, knowledge, and compliance with existing evidence-based VTE guidelines of practitioners that assess and treat patients at risk for VTE. The theoretical framework for the project was Lewin's change process theory. A total of 38 participants comprised registered nurses (82%), physicians (5%), nurse practitioners (2%), and nonclinical personnel (11%). A program evaluation was provided to determine the effectiveness of the project. The findings showed that practitioners participated in the learning activity to improve knowledge (48%), increase VTE awareness (43%), and would change the management and treatment of patients at risk for VTE (39%). Hospitalized patients at risk for VTE can benefit from the results of this project through a change in clinical practice that might decrease the incidence of VTE and potentially bring about social change by reducing the number of preventable deaths. Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Education for Practitioners in the Acute Care Setting by


The paper provides historical and political context to current diplomatic and humanitarian developments in the Gaza Strip, and investigates the present and the future of the area. Special attention is given to the political, economic and security dimensions, as well as the relationship between this area and the broader region. The conclusions linger on whether or not the Arab– Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflict remains one of the cornerstones of regional tensions, and what this issue and its relationship with broader trends and developments tell us about the past and future configuration of the regional order in the Middle East.


Background: Cardiac syndrome X (CSX) encompasses the constellation of anginal chest pain in the presence of a pathological functional test and a normal coronary angiogram. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the peripheral circulation contribute to tissue vascularisation. Objective: To investigate the number and functional properties of circulating EPCs in patients with CSX. Methods: 17 patients with CSX and a referent population (n = 20) were matched for age, atherosclerotic risk factors and use of drugs. Numbers of EPCs were studied by FACS, and their functional properties, including their proliferative capacity, adherence to matrix and mature endothelial cells as well as their ability to support in vitro tube formation, were investigated. Levels of soluble markers that associate with peripheral mobilisation and homing were studied in the serum samples of all subjects. Results: Patients with CSX had significantly increased numbers of circulating EPCs as compared with the referent population (both CD34+/KDR and CD34+/CD133+). The proliferative capacity of EPCs and their ability to support in vitro tube formation were significantly impaired in patients with CSX as compared with the referent population. However, adhesiveness of EPCs from patients with CSX to fibronectin and cultured mature endothelial cells was enhanced as compared with the referent population. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor correlated with peripheral CD34+/KDR cell numbers, whereas serum concentration of erythropoietin correlated with the number of circulating CD34+/CD133+ cells Conclusion: Patients with CSX have a significantly altered circulating EPC phenotype that could potentially aid in understanding the complex pathogenesis of the syndrome.


Abstract Objective To study differences in the role of price and value in food choice between low-income and higher-income consumers and to study the perception of consumers about pricing strategies that are of relevance during grocery shopping. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted using structured, written questionnaires. Food choice motives as well as price perceptions and opinion on pricing strategies were measured. Setting The study was carried out in point-of-purchase settings, i.e. supermarkets, fast-food restaurants and sports canteens. Subjects Adults (n 159) visiting a point-of-purchase setting were included. Results Price is an important factor in food choice, especially for low-income consumers. Low-income consumers were significantly more conscious of value and price than higher-income consumers. The most attractive strategies, according to the consumers, were discounting healthy food more often and applying a lower VAT (Value Added Tax) rate on healthy food. Low-income consumers differ in their preferences for pricing strategies. Conclusions Since price is more important for low-income consumers we recommend mainly focusing on their preferences and needs.


I examine the "fiscal theory of the price level" according to which "non-Ricardian" policy and predetermined nominal government debt fiscally determine prices. I argue that the non-Ricardian policy assumption and, by implication, fiscal price level determination are inconsistent with an equilibrium in which all asset holdings reflect optimal household choices. In such an equilibrium, policy must be Ricardian even if, in some states of nature, the government defaults or commits to an arbitrary real primary surplus sequence. I propose an alternative to the fiscal theory of the price level, based on nominal flows instead of nominal stocks. While this alternative framework establishes a consistent link between fiscal policy and the price level, it does not introduce inflationary fiscal effects beyond those suggested by Sargent and Wallace.