It is a privilege to have been named the new associate editor of research for the Journal of Mental Health Counseling (JMHC), and an honor to have the opportunity to work with my esteemed colleagues Dr. James Rogers and Dr. Heather Trepal. As I transition into my new role, I would also like to acknowledge the dedicated work of my predecessor, Dr. Mercedes Schneider. Dr. Rogers, during his time as associate editor of research, wrote "Research is important to the identity, health, and vitality of the profession of mental health counseling" (2002, p. 195). Eight years later, his words seem more relevant than ever. More and more, professional counselors must justify the efficacy of their programs and demonstrate that they are using evidenced-based best practices. They can no longer simply assert that their counseling is effective; they must provide data or results to demonstrate their efficacy with clients. For the past three years I have had the opportunity to serve as an editorial board member for JMHC. During that time, I have been encouraged by the quality of the research submissions I have had the opportunity to review. I have also been pleased at the increasing number of submissions that utilize research methodology. Although the quality of submissions has been generally encouraging, I have also noticed some recurrent problems with some submissions. As incoming associate editor I feel a need to address some of the more common quandaries associated with conducting quality research and provide basic guidelines for research-based submissions. Suggestions for Quantitative Submissions Dr. Schneider's editorial (2009) reviewed basic guidelines for quantitative submissions. I would add to her thoughts by expanding upon the idea of reporting significance related to quantitative research. Although sound research is certainly important, it is also equally important that the research and its results have meaning to the journal readership. In their Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD) editorial, Trusty, Thompson, and Petrocelli (2004) noted the discrepancy between those who typically publish in JCD (doctoral-level professionals) and the journal's intended audience (master's-level counselors). Because the primary audience for JMHC is primarily master's-level counselors, I concur with the suggestions of Trusty et al., especially describing the significance of findings for counseling practice and presenting findings in ways readers will easily understand. Potential JMHC contributors might find it helpful in designing and implementing credible quantitative research to consult these resources: Hancock and Mueller's recent publication (2010) provides detailed information on numerous quantitative methodologies; Granello's editorial (2007) in Counselor Education and Supervision provides general guidelines for the preparation of quantitative manuscripts; Prieto (2005) and Schneider (2009) each discuss creating credible research for publication in JMHC; and Trusty et al. (2004) provide guidelines for reporting effect size information. Suggestions for Qualitative Submissions I believe strongly that qualitative submissions based on strategies to ensure trustworthiness and credibility are also important. As a reviewer for JHMC, I have unfortunately encountered qualitative submissions that lacked those elements. As an instructor, I am often frustrated when I hear students express their mistaken belief that qualitative research is somehow easier because it does not involve statistical tests or mathematical abilities. Those of us who identify as qualitative researchers take exception to the idea that our research is somehow less difficult simply because it does not incorporate computations. True qualitative research requires the researcher to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the underlying paradigms that guide qualitative research. For example, a common mistake in JMHC qualitative submissions is use of the constant comparison method of data analysis using methodologies other than grounded theory. …


A financial crisis is an event in which the holders of short-term debt come to question the collateral backing that debt. So, the resiliency of the financial system depends on the quality of that collateral. We show that there is a shortage of high-quality collateral by examining the convenience yield on short-term debt, which summarizes the supply and demand for short-term safe debt, taking into account the availability of high-quality collateral. We then show how the private sector has responded by issuing more (unsecured) commercial paper at shorter maturities. The results suggest that there is a shortage of safe debt now compared to the pre-crisis period, implying that the seeds for a new shadow banking system to grow exist.


Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) show a remarkable result in sequence learning, particularly in architectures with gated unit structures such as Long Short-term Memory (LSTM). In recent years, several permutations of LSTM architecture have been proposed mainly to overcome the computational complexity of LSTM. In this dissertation, a novel study is presented that will empirically investigate and evaluate LSTM architecture variants such as Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU), Bi-Directional LSTM, and Dynamic-RNN for LSTM and GRU specifically on detecting network intrusions. The investigation is designed to identify the learning time required for each architecture algorithm and to measure the intrusion prediction accuracy. RNN was evaluated on the DARPA/KDD Cup'99 intrusion detection dataset for each architecture. Feature selection mechanisms were also implemented to help in identifying and removing nonessential variables from data that do not affect the accuracy of the prediction models, in this case Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the RandomForest (RF) algorithm. The results showed that RF captured more significant features over PCA when the accuracy for RF 97.86% for LSTM and 96.59% for GRU, were PCA 64.34% for LSTM and 67.97% for GRU. In terms of RNN architectures, prediction accuracy of each variant exhibited improvement at specific parameters, yet with a large dataset and a suitable time training, the standard vanilla LSTM tended to lead among all other RNN architectures which scored 99.48%. Although Dynamic RNN's offered better performance with accuracy, Dynamic-RNN GRU scored 99.34%, however they tended to take a longer time to be trained with high training cycles, Dynamic-RNN LSTM needs 25284.03 seconds at 1000 training cycle. GRU architecture had one variant introduced to reduce LSTM complexity, which developed with fewer parameters resulting in a faster-trained model compared to LSTM needs 1903.09 seconds when LSTM required 2354.93 seconds for the same training cycle. It also showed equivalent performance with respect to the parameters such as hidden layers and time-step. BLSTM offered impressive training time as 190 seconds at 100 training cycle, though the accuracy was below that of the other RNN architectures which didn't exceed 90%.


On-line hyphenated methods between Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) and a variety of introduction techniques (liquid and gas chromatography, laser ablation…) provide transient signals with specific time-windows. It is now well-known that the isotope ratio drift which is observed during transient signal acquisition is generated from the MC-ICPMS detection system, the introduction techniques, or a combination of both parameters. In this work, the Nd isotope ratios were investigated through a coupling of MC-ICPMS with Liquid Chromatography (LC). The purpose was to dissociate the isotopic drift coming from the detection system from the drift caused by the introduction technique by using raw isotope data. To this end, the time constants of the MC-ICPMS amplifiers were used, and the isotope drift generated by the detection system was successfully corrected. After this correction, the isotope drift coming exclusively from the LC was highlighted. The use of the Method of Internal Signal Synchronization (MISS) allowed the correction of the chromatographic drift and the calculation of a time lag between the Nd isotopes of 0.0036 s amu−1. This is the first time that for an isotope fractionation caused by a specific physicochemical process the time lag between the isotopes was calculated. We believe that the calculation of time lag values between the isotopes could be a simple and robust method opening up new possibilities for the study of isotope fractionations generated by different introduction techniques directly coupled with MC-ICPMS.


BACKGROUND: Exposure to media reporting on suicide can lead to suicide contagion and, in some circumstances, may also lead to help-seeking behaviour. There is limited evidence for which specific characteristics of media reports mediate these phenomena. METHODS: This observational study examined associations between putatively harmful and protective elements of media reports about suicide in 13 major publications in the Toronto media market and subsequent suicide deaths in Toronto (2011–2014). We used multivariable logistic regression to determine whether specific article characteristics were associated with increases or decreases in suicide deaths in the 7 days after publication, compared with a control window. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2014, there were 6367 articles with suicide as the major focus and 947 suicide deaths. Elements most strongly and independently associated with increased suicides were a statement about the inevitability of suicide (odds ratio [OR] 1.97, confidence interval [CI] 1.07–3.62), about asphyxia by a method other than car exhaust (OR 1.72, CI 1.36–2.18), about suicide by jumping from a building (OR 1.70, CI 1.28–2.26) or about suicide pacts (OR 1.63, CI 1.14–2.35), or a headline that included the suicide method (OR 1.41, CI 1.07–1.86). Elements most strongly and independently associated with decreased suicides were unfavourable characteristics (negative judgments about the deceased; OR 1.85, CI 1.20–2.84), or mentions of railway (OR 1.61, CI 1.10–2.36) and cutting or stabbing (OR 1.59, CI 1.19–2.13) deaths, and individual murder-suicide (OR 1.50, CI 1.23–1.84). INTERPRETATION: This large study identified significant associations between several specific elements of media reports and suicide deaths. It suggests that reporting on suicide can have a meaningful impact on suicide deaths and that journalists and media outlets and organizations should carefully consider the specific content of reports before publication.


The collision between 'official', elite and state-sanctioned conservation schemes and those reliant on the use of the land and its resources for their livelihood has long been a touchstone of North American environmental history. In the still emergent environmental history movement in the UK, however, such concerns remain obscure. This paper offers a departure. Drawing on Karl Jacoby's concept of 'moral ecology' developed in the context of dispossessions enacted in the making of US national parks, the paper examines three 'moments' when, in the name of 'conservation', elites attempted to delimit and restrict customary ways of being in rural Gloucestershire. In so doing, the paper not only shows that such schemes were resisted and were a critical way in which demotic-elite and local-central relations were shaped, but also that externally imposed conservation schemes placed nature-culture relations as a critical wellspring of protest and politics in the countryside. Moral ecology therefore allows for a close attention to the importance of the material – and discursive framings of the material – in the study of conflict and protest past and present, and forces historians of the countryside to take seriously the ways in which vernacular environmental ethics shaped both past landscapes and social relations.


INTRODUCTION
Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic systemic disorder characterised by oral and genital ulcerative lesions, ocular and cutaneous manifestations. Cytokines are the major mediators of immunologic and inflammatory reactions. Nitric oxide is reactive nitrogen intermediate which plays a key role in pathogenesis of many inflammatory and autoimmune skin diseases. The study was conducted to determine serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and nitric oxide levels in relation to the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Serum IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-alpha levels were measured with test kits by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, while serum nitric oxide levels were determined with a test kit by colorimetric method. Serum IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha and nitric oxide concentrations in 27 patients with Behcet's disease and in 16 healthy controls were determined by extrapolation from their standard curves. The significance of the mean differences between the 2 groups was assessed by the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS
The serum levels of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and nitric oxide concentrations in patients with BD were significantly higher than those of the controls (P <0.001).

CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that elevated levels of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and nitric oxide in Behcet's disease appear to be related to the disease.


On an average the temperatures in the UK are low and drive the need for space heating, to maintain thermal comfort in built environments. As per the climate change act of 2008, by year 2050 UK committed to reducing its GHG (Green House Gases) emissions by 80% from a baseline of 1990 [4] with an intermediate goal for year 2020 to reducing emissions from homes by 29% from a baseline of 2008 [5]. There have been significant developments in legislation, energy efficiency of building innovation in insulation but it is important to investigate the trends and improvements in the heating systems themselves.

The losses in central heating systems are due to intermittent heating - accounting for approximately 10%, distribution losses - accounting for approximately 5% and losses due to separate hot water storage requirements to meet hot water demands from the same boiler - approximately 2kW. Another significant loss factor is heat loss from the network of pipes carrying hot water to the radiators.

Stand-alone radiators have presented themselves as a viable alternative to central heating systems by providing modularity, flexibility and controllability. Although there are several systems commercially available there is no product or research available on water filled stand-alone radiator systems.

A systematic study on viability of water filled stand-alone radiator is undertaken and a new stand-alone water filled radiator has been developed which offers the benefit of a central heating radiator system without the complexity of plumbing, installation and maintenance. In the new product development process, both mechanical and hydraulic considerations have been accounted for to ensure a safe, robust and commercially viable product is developed.

Detailed experimental evaluations of radiators under different flow configurations and flow rates for two radiator sizes have been carried out. The results obtained from the investigation have been quantified and graphically represented. Two key parameters to quantify pressure loss and pressure variations in a radiator have been developed. Relationship of pressure drop to flow velocity has been developed and a non-dimensional parameter, loss co-efficient K for radiators has been developed.

Detailed CFD based analysis to quantify the effect of radiator size and the port diameter under different flow configurations and flow rates has been carried out. The results obtained from the investigation have been quantified and graphically represented. A non-dimensional geometric factor has been developed to account for the effect of radiator size on performance parameters. A unique relationship has been established between loss co-efficient and port diameter to quantify the influence of inlet and out port diameters.

A detailed investigation of the various costs involved in heating a room using a stand-alone radiator system has been carried out and a radiator sizing and cost estimation process has been developed for stand-alone radiator. A methodological approach to predict cost for water filled stand-alone system has been developed which accounts for manufacturing cost and operation cost. A cost comparative study of central heating system and a stand-alone has been conducted to quantify cost benefit of one system to the other.


We recently acquired a continuous set of multichannel seismic reflection profiles off the Pacific margin of West Antarctica, in order to link the seismic network of the Amundsen Sea with that of the Ross Sea. An approximate 2000 km long transect within the dataset, now enables the first regional stratigraphic correlation of major seismic horizons across the Ross Sea – Amundsen Sea – Bellingshausen Sea region. This stratigraphic correlation presents a foundation for understanding deep sea sediment supply before and since the first advances of the Western Antarctic ice sheet to the continental shelf. At least three high amplitude reflectors are prominent along the entire transect length. These are mostly horizontal, continuous and undisturbed, and interpreted to represent depositional processes driven by pre-glacial, transitional, and glacially dominated regimes. A clear basement reflection can be traced along the entire transect at 6 to 8 s TWT, and its morphology varies from rugged to smooth. We observe a minimum total sediment thickness of 0.6 s two-way-time (TWT) over a basement high in front of the Ross Sea, and maximum total sediment thickness, of 2.6 s TWT (~ 3-4 km thick) near the centre of the transect, corresponding to a basement low in the Amundsen Sea. Although our derived stratigraphic model is limited due to the absence of boreholes, it provides a framework for understanding the dynamics and distribution of sediments from the two major Pacific glacial outlet basins into the deep sea.


The largest recorded earthquake in Kansas occurred northeast of Milan on 12 November 2014 ( M w 4.9) in a region previously devoid of significant seismic activity. Applying multistation processing to data from local stations, we are able to detail the rupture process and rupture geometry of the mainshock, identify the causative fault plane, and delineate the expansion and extent of the subsequent seismic activity. The earthquake followed rapid increases of fluid injection by multiple wastewater injection wells in the vicinity of the fault. The source parameters and behavior of the Milan earthquake and foreshock–aftershock sequence are similar to characteristics of other earthquakes induced by wastewater injection into permeable formations overlying crystalline basement. This earthquake also provides an opportunity to test the empirical relation that uses felt area to estimate moment magnitude for historical earthquakes for Kansas.


Central banks around the world differ in their functions, size, efficiency and status. In this article, Sir Howard Davies, a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, discusses the development of central banking over the last few years, and where it might go in the future. His main focus is the political setting within which central banks operate, and their institutional structure and governance.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SLAVERY WAS WIDESPREAD and legally sanctioned for most of human history. Chattel slavery--the legal ownership of one person by another--was its most common form. Gradually, and especially in the 19th century, the growing condemnation of chattel slavery and the slave trade by an increasing number of individuals, groups, and eventually states culminated in widespread legal prohibitions against it. However, non-chattel slavery, including practices such as involuntary child labor and the trafficking of women for prostitution, continued in various places and guises. The persistence of these forms of involuntary servitude into the 20th century led to international agreements and efforts to eradicate them. Nevertheless, human trafficking remains a problem, one that often arises in areas of lawlessness and armed conflict and thus is of concern to military professionals. A Short History of Slavery The historian John Keegan notes that no one knows how and when slavery and the slave trade began, but he speculates that it was probably a common part of the social order for early pastoralists and steppe peoples, and it likely intensified with the advent of the war chariot in the second millennium BCE. (1) Slavery was prevalent throughout the ancient world, the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman civilizations developed laws and customs to legitimize and regulate it. Slavery was also extensively practiced in northern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, pre-Islamic Arabia, Southeast Asia, and Japan, and it existed, though was not widespread, in the Western Hemisphere until the modern colonial era. Ancient laws and customs deemed that a slave was the legal property of another person. Identification of the slave as the property of the slave owner is chattel slavery. This characteristic distinguished slaves from other persons whose freedom may have been formally limited, such as prisoners of war or felons. (Through much of this period, however, felons and prisoners of war were sent or sold into slavery.) The power of the owner over chattel slaves was often unlimited, owners of slaves could resell, free, and even kill their slaves without legal restrictions. On the other hand, in some ancient societies such as Greece and Rome, slaves did have limited legal rights, including the right to own and transfer property, to marry, and to be protected against unreasonable treatment, although these rights were in all respects inferior to those of free persons. Slavery in the ancient world served primarily military and economic purposes. The military frequently forced individuals into service as soldiers or galley slaves. Slaves also labored in public works construction in ancient Greece or in agricultural or mine work in Mesopotamia and in the Roman Empire. Others were personal and household servants for wealthy families and often provided sexual services to their masters or mistresses. As Europe transitioned from the Roman Empire to the modern era, slavery persisted. One could become a slave, as before, by being taken prisoner during wars and invasions, or by being born of a slave parent. It became increasingly common for destitute parents to sell their children into slavery and for slavery to be the penalty for committing a crime or failing to pay a debt. The slave trade was a significant economic activity in many towns along the Scandinavian, English, and Italian coasts. During the feudal period, Europe's population was comprised of freemen, serfs, and slaves, and both secular and Church authorities recognized slavery as a natural, if regrettable, institution. They justified this view by quoting Biblical sources and emphasizing humankind's moral sinfulness and slavery's economic benefits. With the demise of European feudalism, conditions became increasingly unfavorable to the institution of slavery: maintaining slaves was expensive, and a growing population increased the availability of cheap labor, making slavery economically less desirable. …


We analyze the physical processes in the nonlinear wavelength conversion stages of a recently demonstrated red-green-blue (RGB) laser source, which generated > or = 8 W of average power in each color. The system is based on an infrared femtosecond mode-locked laser and contains a frequency doubler, a parametric generator, a parametric amplifier, and two sum-frequency conversion stages. It does not require any resonant cavities, external laser amplifiers, or nonlinear crystals operated at elevated temperatures; therefore it appears to be more practical than other previously demonstrated RGB laser sources. However, the optimization of the overall system is nontrivial, because pump depletion, birefringence, and temporal walk-off in the first conversion stages lead to spatial and temporal distortion of the interacting beams in the subsequent nonlinear conversion stages. This leads to the interaction of spatially and temporally distorted beams in the later conversion stages. By using a numerical simulation of the nonlinear conversion processes based on a Fourier-space method in one temporal and two transverse spatial dimensions, we can fully take into account these effects. We analyze and discuss the physical effects in the different conversion stages and describe the optimization of the overall system performance.


Abstract:  We tested whether chronic melatonin administration in the drinking water would reduce the brain mitochondrial impairment that accompanies aging. Brain mitochondria from male and female senescent prone (SAMP8) mice at 5 and 10 months of age were studied. Mitochondrial oxidative stress was determined by measuring the levels of lipid peroxidation and nitrite, glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio, and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities. Electron transport chain activity and oxidative phosphorylation capability of mitochondria were also determined by measuring the activity of the respiratory chain complexes and the ATP content. The results support a significant age‐dependent mitochondrial dysfunction with a diminished efficiency of the electron transport chain and reduced ATP production, accompanied by an increased oxidative/nitrosative stress. Melatonin administration between 1 and 10 months of age completely prevented the mitochondrial impairment, maintaining or even increasing ATP production. There were no major age‐dependent differences between males in females, although female mice seemed to be somewhat more sensitive to melatonin treatment than males. Thus, melatonin administration as a single therapy maintained fully functioning brain mitochondria during aging, a finding with important consequences in the pathophysiology of brain aging.


&NA; The distribution of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula, a warm affinity species, has been expanding in the Mediterranean Sea. To address questions on potential for future success of this species in the region, the thermotolerance of larval development was investigated in context of regional warming. The larvae were reared in present day spawning period (20 °C) and warming conditions (+4 = 24 and +6 = 26 °C). As the calcifying larvae of sea urchins are vulnerable to stunted growth caused by ocean acidification, the impact of lower pH (−0.3 pH units) on larval development was also investigated in combination with warming. Morphological traits of the larvae, post‐oral length arms, overall length of larvae and body length, were affected by increased temperature across pH treatments, indicating that for the larvae of southern Mediterranean population here, 24 °C appears to approximate the optimal temperature for development. A slightly negative effect of pH was evident. Increased temperature ameliorated the stunting effect of acidification on growth. The thermal tolerance of A. lixula development overlaps with projections for warming in the region by 2100 and also indicates that this species has acclimatized or adapted its reproductive biology to the broad environmental conditions of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the broad thermal range (˜10 °C) of development of A. lixula across its distribution, this species is likely to be a winner in the climate change stakes. The broad thermal tolerance of the larvae is likely to assure population connectivity between Mediterranean sub‐basins populations. The continued success of A. lixula can have a strong consequences for the ecological structure of Mediterranean rocky habitat.


Aim/Purpose In this work, the authors propose an augmented model for human-centered Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C) product design and evaluation, which is supported by previous theoretical work. Background Although the goal of implementing UC&C in an organization is to promote and mediate group dynamics, increasing overall productivity and collaboration; it does not seem to provide a solution for effective communication. It is clear that there is still a lack of consideration for human communication processes in the development of such products. Methodology This paper is sustained by existing research to propose and test the application of an augmented model capable of supporting the design, development and evaluation of UC&C services that can be driven by the human communication process. To test the application of the augmented model in UC&C service development, a proof-of-concept mobile prototype was elaborated upon and evaluated, making use of User Experience (UX) and user-centred methods and techniques. A total of nine testing sessions were carried out in an organizational communication setup and recorded with eye tracking technology. An Augmented Infocommunication Model for UC&C 78 Contribution The authors argue that UC&C services should look at the user's (human) natural processes to improve effective infocommunication and thus enhance collaboration. Authors believe this augmented version of the model will pave the way improving the research and development of useful and practical infocommunication products, capable of truly serving users' needs. Findings On evaluation of the prototype, qualitative data analysis uncovered structural problems in the proposed prototype which hindered the augmented model's elements and subsequently, the user experience. Five out of eighteen identified interaction issues are highlighted in this paper to demonstrate the proposed augmented model's validity, applied in UC&C services evaluation. Recommendations for Practitioners Considering and respecting the user's natural communication processes, practitioners should be able to propose and develop innovative solutions that truly enable and empower effective organizational collaboration. UC&C functionalities should be designed, taking the augmented model's proposed elements and their pertinence in representing the human interpersonal communication phenomena into consideration, namely: Social Presence; Immediacy of Communication; Concurrency and Synchronicity. Recommendations for Researchers This paper intends to demonstrate that the adoption and use of UTAUT technology characteristics, in conjunction with Synchronicity proposition, can be considered as a reference for human-centric design and the evaluation of UC&C systems. Impact on Society To highlight the need to develop further research on this important topic of human collaboration mediated by technology inside organizations. Future Research This research focused its attention on communication functionalities. However, collaboration can potentially be affected by other services that may be included in a UC&C system, such as scheduling, meetings or task management. Future research could consider employing this augmented model to evaluate such systems or proof-of-concept prototypes.


The concept of tax expenditure refers to the revenue the treasury foregoes as a result of applying preferential tax regimes with a view to aiding or stimulating certain economic sectors, activities, regions, or agents. Defined in this way, tax expenditures are additional tools for governments to utilize in state intervention, which aim to achieve similar results to those that can be obtained through direct public expenditure. As such, they should be subject to the same controls and transparency criteria as the latter. The general objective of this paper is to develop a methodology to estimate tax expenditures at a regional level, based on the particular case of Colombia.


The insects are the world's most amazing animals and comprise over eighty-five percent of the known animal species. Insects of the Great Lakes Region is the first comprehensive guide to document the rich and diverse insect fauna of the Great Lakes region. In Insects of the Great Lakes Region, educators, insect enthusiasts, and the general public will find high-quality, well-presented, easy-to-understand information with over 250 illustrations of the insects found in yards, gardens, fields, and forests. Among the topics discussed are the geological, biological, and entomological history of the Great Lakes region, the distributional patterns of insects in the Great Lakes region, and insect classification and identification. Appendixes guide the reader to entomological organizations, entomological periodicals, public insect collections, regulations on collecting insects from public lands in the Great Lakes region, as well as rare, threatened, and endangered insects. This guide shows the amateur entomologist everything he needs to know, from where to collect milkweed bugs to how often to feed his pet tarantula. Gary Dunn is Executive Director and Editor, Young Entomologists' Society, Inc., International Headquarters, Lansing, Michigan.


This book provides the first comprehensive account of English-German pragmatic contrasts in written discourse and their effects on English-German translations. The novel and multi-dimensional corpus-based studies of business communication and popular science writing presented in this book combine quantitative and qualitative approaches and focus on the use of evaluative adjectives and epistemic modal markers. They provide empirical evidence that English and German differ in systematic ways and that translations, while being adapted to target audience's preferences to a large extent, are clearly susceptible to source language interference when it comes to more fine-grained differences. The book discusses which general factors determine the degree of impact of source language features on translations and also comments on the possibility of source language influence on target language norms via translations. The book is of interest to researchers and students in a variety of fields, such as pragmatics, translation studies, genre analysis and stylistics.


This article aims at studying the impact of the colors of e-commerce websites as an atmospheric variable of the interface, on the viewer's memorization and intent to buy. Relying on a literature re-view as well as on investigations provided by an exploratory qualitative analysis followed by a con-firmatory quantitative analysis, we wish to introduce the theoretical and methodological bases ad-dressing this issue. The interaction of hue and brightness, using chromatic colors for the dominant (background) and dynamics (foreground) ones, supports the memorizing and the intent of purchase when contrast rests on a weak situation of brightness. The emotional state (emotions and mood) shows that a negative mood causes a better memorizing but a decreasing intent of purchase, just as stimulation acts positively on the intent of purchase. This research contributes in reinforcing our knowledge of e-commerce and of the effects of the interface on consumer perception and behaviour. Its main contribution lies on the complete analyses that we have performed as well as in the manipu-lation of the color components rather than in a warm vs. cold color comparison.


The plasma pentraxin proteins serum amyloid P component (SAP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) bind specifically to nuclear autoantigens. There is a blunted acute phase response of human CRP in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and of mouse SAP in NZB/W murine SLE. SAP deficiency in (129/Sv X C57BL/6)F2 mice is associated with spontaneous antinuclear autoimmunity. The pentraxins may thus function in preventing autoimmunity. Pure line C57BL/6 SAP knockout mice, studied here for the first time, spontaneously developed broad spectrum anti-nuclear autoimmunity resembling human SLE, and, females in particular had proliferative immune complex glomerulonephritis but without proteinuria or renal failure. Mice hemizygous for the SAP gene deletion had an intermediate autoimmune phenotype. Injected apoptotic cells and isolated chromatin were more immunogenic in SAP-/- than in wild-type mice. Extrinsic chromatin was catabolised predominantly in hepatocytes, Kupffer's cells and renal parenchymal cells. Plasma clearance of long chromatin and core particles was marginally slower in SAP-/- mice, with significantly greater splenic uptake of nucleosome core particles, which may have immunological significance. SAP bound to apoptotic cells but had no effect on their phagocytosis in mice in vivo, or by human macrophages in vitro. CRP also bound to apoptotic cells but did not compete with SAP, indicating recognition of different ligands. In contrast, to the C57BL/6 strain, pure line 129/Sv SAP knockout mice did not produce autoantibodies. Formation of antinuclear autoantibodies is thus markedly strain dependent. Interestingly, transgenic expression of human SAP in the C57BL/6 SAP knockouts did not abrogate the autoimmune phenotype. Transgenic reconstitution of the knockouts with mouse SAP is currently in progress to confirm that autoimmunity is caused by SAP deficiency and not by 129/Sv genes transferred into the C57BL/6 background during homologous recombination, or by disruption of loci associated with murine SLE that are close to the mouse SAP gene.


A new polypeptide-human endomannosidase 25, the polynucleotide for coding it, the process for preparing this polypeptide by DNA recombination, the application of said polypeptide in treating several diseases such as cancer, hematopathy, HIV infection, etc., the antagonist against the said polypeptide and its therapeutic action, and the application of said polynucleotide for coding this new human endomannosidase 25 are disclosed.


We demonstrate a method for the measurement of femtosecond optical pulses in the focal point of a high-NA lens, using interferometric autocorrelation through two-photon absorption. A chirp-free input pulse of 47 fs is found to broaden by ≈50% after focusing by a well-compensated objective. With proper prechirp compensation, the actual pulse width in the focus of such a lens system can be restored to (almost) its initial value. The unique value of the presented two-photon autocorrelation technique is its capability of measuring the actual pulse width at the focal point of a high-NA lens, an aspect that is of direct importance to two-photon imaging approaches, for example.


While University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Libraries has an extensive first-year library instruction program, our significant population of transfer students have not taken part in this initiative. Librarians often teach 300- and 400-level courses to students who have a diverse range of educational experiences, and it became clear that this meant students came to UNCG with just as diverse a variety of information literacy skills. We were unable to identify how much information literacy instruction transfer students have had or how skilled they are with library research when they arrive on campus. A literature search on transfer students and information literacy skills yielded scant results at that time that we could use as a basis for our understanding of this population. Since we wanted to serve this population in a more focused manner, three librarians in the Research, Outreach, and Instruction department formed a research team and surveyed all incoming transfer students in the fall of 2014. The goal of the research study was to identify the information literacy skills and needs of our incoming transfer students to find opportunities to provide needed outreach and instruction to help these students succeed. We asked basic demographic questions, gave several "test" questions related to information literacy, and asked the students what skills they believed they needed help obtaining.


This article suggests that the scope and meaning of human rights, and its relationship to religion, is anything but settled, and that this gives an opportunity to those who support a role for religion in public life to intervene. Such intervention should address four main issues. First, it should ensure that judges engage in attempting to understand religious issues from a cognitively internal viewpoint. Secondly, it should articulat a justification for freedom of religion that fully captures the core of the significance of religious belief, and the importance of the religious principles in the public sphere. Thirdly, it should ensure engagement and dialogue between the churches and others on the meaning of human dignity, given its centrality to religious and secular perspectives on rights. Lastly, the churches should consider more carefully what it means to give 'public reasons' in the political and cultural context, and how it can engage in the process of 'public reasoning' regarding human rights.


The energy crises, mainly the rapid depletion of fossil fuels are considered as an important global problem.
Thus it necessitates to search for an alternative source of fuel to meet the energy demand. Energy can be produced from
different sources among which vegetable oils, non-edible oils and organic waste are considered as potential feed stock for producing biodiesel. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel and it solves the problem of depending on the non-renewable resources. But the major concern with the biodiesel production is that it involves high production cost, purification of the final product and technical constraints associated with the process. Therefore in the recent time, lot of improvements are done with respect to biodiesel production process and the attention is paid for developing process intensification technologies to address the above problems. Various modified methods for producing biodiesel are pyrolysis, supercritical process, ultrasound, reactive distillation, reactive separation, microwave technique and membrane separation. Thus in the current study the biodiesel production from these methods were discussed and the benefits and the drawbacks of these processes were reviewed.


We describe the results of six years of experimentation with the collaborative teaching of scientific writing to college undergraduates at both beginning and advanced levels. Our goal was to devise a two-course sequence for students interested in health and natural sciences, with emphasis on information literacy and analysis, effective reading, drafting and revising strategies. Beginning science students need help with many basic aspects of college-level writing and information-seeking skills, as well as an introduction to the most common types of writing assigned in introductory science courses -- the lab report and the short review paper. Advanced students are ready to learn sophisticated approaches to scientific information retrieval as well as the style and format of professional journal articles. They are also in a position to appreciate the ways in which scientific writing is molded and constrained by the scientific method, by the diversity of ways in which scientists communicate both formally and informally, and by the impact of the digital revolution on scholarly communication. Both courses are organized around peer review of student work-in-progress, with the submission of a portfolio of writing twice during the semester. We employ information technology as appropriate. Together we plan and teach all aspects of both courses in order to model the interrelated nature of research and writing. This collaboration by science and library faculty, we feel, holds exciting prospects for the future.


The energy efficiency of production processes for components of solar energy systems is an important issue. Other factors which are important for the production of products such as black selective solar coatings include production speed, cycle time and homogeneity of the coating, as well as the minimization of the quantity of the needed chemical precursors. In this paper a new energy efficient production process is presented for production of optically selective coatings for solar thermal absorbers. The latter should ideally behave as a black body, absorbing a maximum of the incoming solar radiation, while minimizing energy losses by infrared radiation, acting as an infrared mirror. The used method to produce such coatings is sol-gel dip-coating. The optical and morphological properties of the Cu-Co-Mn-Si-O based triple layer have been characterized by spectrophotometry, electron microscopy and time of flight secondary electron microscopy. After optimization of the multilayer design, a solar absorptance of 0.95 and a thermal emissivity of 0.12 at 100°C have been achieved. The intermediate Cu-Co-Mn-Si-O layer was analyzed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The likewise obtained images show an agglomeration of crystalline grains with 10-20nm in diameter. Therefore, we can consider that the Cu-Co-Mn-Si-O phase is nanocrystalline. In order to roughly estimate the corrosion resistance of the coating in an acidic environment, a simple corrosion test in harsh conditions was designed. With respect to a commercially available durable black chrome coating, this test of corrosion resistance confirmed the durability of the novel sol-gel coating in an acidic environment. Moreover, the excellent stability at elevated temperatures in ambient air makes the coating an interesting candidate for solar applications involving concentrated solar radiation, such as the generation of solar electricity (concentrated solar power), industrial process heating and solar cooling. For that reason, prototype coatings consisting of stacks of three individual layers were deposited on 2 meter long stainless steel tubes.


The present system of labelling changes made to published articles is confusing, inconsistently applied, and out of step with digital publishing. It carries negative connotations for authors, editors, and publishers. Is there a way to efficiently and neutrally flag a change to a published article in a way that says what happened that is separated from why it happened? Virginia Barbour, Theodora Bloom, Jennifer Lin and Elizabeth Moylan propose a new system for dealing with post-publication changes that focuses on moving away from the current, confusing, stigmatising terms, differentiating the scale of changes, and differentiating versions of articles. While some hold the view that post-publication corrections must be tied to punishment of "offenders", the role of journals is to be neutral, to maintain the integrity of the literature and not to punish researchers.


Heavy metals have multiple effects on plant growth and physiology, including perturbation of plant water status. These effects were assessed by exposing the unique Cd-tolerant and Cd-accumulating pea (Pisum sativum L.) mutant SGECd(t) and its wild-type (WT) line SGE to either cadmium (1, 4 μM CdCl2) or mercury (0.5, 1, 2 μM HgCl2) in hydroponic culture for 12 days. When exposed to Cd, SGECd(t) accumulated more Cd in roots, xylem sap, and shoot, and had considerably more biomass than WT plants. WT plants lost circa 0.2 MPa turgor when grown in 4 μM CdCl2, despite massive decreases in whole-plant transpiration rate and stomatal conductance. In contrast, root Hg accumulation was similar in both genotypes, but WT plants accumulated more Hg in leaves and had a higher stomatal conductance, and root and shoot biomass compared with SGECd(t). Shoot excision resulted in greater root-pressure induced xylem exudation of SGECd(t) in the absence of Cd or Hg and following Cd exposure, whereas the opposite response or no genotypic differences occurred following Hg exposure. Exposing plants that had not been treated with metal to 50 μM CdCl2 for 1h increased root xylem exudation of WT, whereas 50 μM HgCl2 inhibited and eliminated genotypic differences in root xylem exudation, suggesting differences between WT and SGECd(t) plants in aquaporin function. Thus, root water transport might be involved in mechanisms of increased tolerance and accumulation of Cd in the SGECd(t) mutant. However, the lack of cross-tolerance to Cd and Hg stress in the mutant indicates metal-specific mechanisms related to plant adaptation.


An investigation of the InP(001) surface and the characterization of thin Fe films grown on this substrate at 150 and 300 K are presented. As substrates, highly ordered P-rich (2×4) reconstructed surfaces obtained by Ar + ion bombardment at 570 K were used. The growth of Fe films in the submonolayer thickness range and the magnetic properties of thin Fe films grown on P-rich (2×4) InP(001) are reported. We observe a uniaxial in-plane magnetic anisotropy up to an Fe thickness of 14 monolayers, which is related to the uniaxial character of the InP(001) reconstruction. From the magnetization behavior we obtained the surface/ interface contribution to the uniaxial anisotropy, and deduced that very small, if any, magnetically dead layers form at the interface. Auger electron spectroscopy data reveal that about one monolayer of In segregates to the top of the growing Fe film at 300 K, but does not support a strong Fe-InP(001) intermixing, in contrast to the current belief. The current-voltage characterization of patterned Fe films grown on n-InP(001) shows nonrectifying contacts at room temperature.


In this work we present experiments by focusing 42 femtosecond laser pulses in air using three different focal length lenses: f=100, 30 and 5 cm. For the longest focal length, only the filament, which is a weak plasma column, is observed. When the shorter focal length lens is used, a high density plasma is generated near the geometrical focus and coexists with a weak plasma channel of the filament. Under the tightest focusing condition, filamentation is prevented and only a strong plasma volume appears at the geometrical focus.


The presence of unburned material in the ejecta of normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is investigated using early-time spectroscopy obtained by the Carnegie Supernova Project. The tell-tale signature of pristine material from a C+O white dwarf progenitor star is the presence of carbon, as oxygen is also a product of carbon burning. The most prominent carbon lines in optical spectra of SNe Ia are expected to arise from C ii. We find that at least 30% of the objects in the sample show an absorption at ≈6300 Å which is attributed to C ii λ6580. An alternative identification of this absorption as Hα is considered to be unlikely. These findings imply a larger incidence of carbon in SNe Ia ejecta than previously noted. We show how observational biases and physical conditions may hide the presence of weak C ii lines, and account for the scarcity of previous carbon detections in the literature. This relatively large frequency of carbon detections has crucial implications on our understanding of the explosive process. Furthermore, the identification of the 6300 Å absorptions as carbon would imply that unburned material is present at very low expansion velocities, merely ≈1000 km s−1 above the bulk of Si ii. Based on spectral modeling, it is found that the detections are consistent with a mass of carbon of 10−3 to 10−2 M☉. The presence of this material so deep in the ejecta would imply substantial mixing, which may be related to asymmetries of the flame propagation. Another possible explanation for the carbon absorptions may be the existence of clumps of unburned material along the line of sight. However, the uniformity of the relation between C ii and Si ii velocities is not consistent with such small-scale asymmetries. The spectroscopic and photometric properties of SNe Ia with and without carbon signatures are compared. A trend toward bluer color and lower luminosity at maximum light is found for objects which show carbon.


Frans van Schooten jr. (1615-1660) was one of the most influential Dutch mathematicians of the seventeenth century. He is best known for his two Latin editions (1649, 1659-61) of the Geometrie (1637) of Descartes, which originally appeared in French as an appendix to the Discours de la Methode. This thesis aims to study Van Schooten in the context of his own time and in connection with contemporary developments and practices, both mathematical and extra-mathematical. Van Schooten's ''mathematical life of learning in Leiden'' included his scholarly work, his private teaching, as well as his public lectures at the Duytsche Mathematicque, a program attached to Leiden University. The thesis consists of three parts: a biography of Van Schooten, a case study on his attitude towards Cartesian geometry, and an investigation of his teaching at the Duytsche Mathematicque. The biography is partly based on unpublished archival material and reveals new information on his life and works. For example, Van Schooten's appointment as professor of the Duytsche Mathematicque in 1646 was the result of a well-considered strategy of the Van Schooten family which had its roots in the ten years before. The second part of the thesis investigates Van Schooten's attitude towards Cartesian geometry and the legacy of Descartes by means of a case study of the so-called ''Pappus problem'', one of the key problems in the Geometrie of Descartes. However, Descartes's solution was incomplete and subsequently criticized by contemporary mathematicians with whom Van Schooten was in contact. At first, Van Schooten tried to explain the criticisms away. After this strategy had failed, he contrivedly tried to reconcile Descartes's original text with the criticisms. Van Schooten identified himself with Descartes to such an extent that he was unable to cope with legitimate criticisms of Descartes's solution. The case study further gives new insights in the way Descartes and Van Schooten employed algebraic notations. A tension between tradition and innovation is seen in Van Schooten's public teaching at the Duytsche Mathematicque, a mathematics program at Leiden University which was taught in the Dutch language. The program had been founded in 1600 in order to train engineers for the army but the audience widened in the course of time and included craftsmen and merchants. Van Schooten's courses at the Duytsche Mathematicque have been investigated in this thesis on the basis of unpublished manuscripts. Hitherto historians have believed that the program was static, but it turns out that Van Schooten made several innovations. He increased the role of theory in his lectures in order to simplify the courses for his students. He revised the existing courses on arithmetic and fortification and he introduced new subjects to the curriculum such as perspective, logarithms and algebra. Van Schooten's algebraic approach to problem solving in arithmetic and geometry was innovative, but he adhered to the old 16th-century algebraic notation and nowhere mentioned the new notation introduced by Descartes. The thesis concludes with a detailed inventory of sixteen unpublished mathematical manuscripts in the University of Groningen Library. Most of these manuscripts are related to Van Schooten and his family.


The European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ), once abundant throughout much of Europe and North Africa, has recently been classified as critically endangered. Information on its biology from the eastern Mediterranean is lacking, especially in relation to spawner quality. Therefore, silver eels were sampled during their seaward spawning migration from Vistonis Lake in Greece. Characteristics linked to reproductive output and success ( i.e. body size and condition, sex ratio, silvering, Anguillicola crassus infection, fecundity and oocyte diameter) were examined. The lake produced large (687–1138 mm), exclusively female silver eels, 61.7% of which were infected by A. crassus . Silver eel fecundity, the first estimates from the southern part of the species range, was positively related to body length ( R 2 = 0.693; P < 0.001) and body weight ( R 2 = 0.731; P < 0.001). Fecundity did not differ between A. crassus infected and uninfected silver eels, but Greek silver eels were significantly more fecund than those in north-west Europe. The reproductive potential of Vistonis Lake silver eels and their contribution to the A. anguilla spawning stock is discussed.


T he Squatters' Movement in Spain has been developing along more than twenty years. Beyond the figures of involved buildings and activists, evictions, demonstrations and so on, a rich experience in terms of political struggle at the municipal level was accumulated. How can be explained this "success"? Part is due to structural conditions according to laws, repression, bonds between social movements, etc. Another part depends on the capacities of the movement for recreating, in practice, a counterculture that stems from the libertarian and utopian ideals from the 1960s and even from previous anarchist ideological frames. What is interesting to note is that, simultaneously, this is a post-leftist movement (and, for some, a post-modern and just life-style one) with no clear appeal neither to immediate revolution, to political parties, labour unions nor to the power of State. Therefore, I will argue that Spanish Squatters were fed by utopian and neo-anarchist ideas and they could put them in practice in very everyday life and communal terms, but, on the other hand, they broke up with the very idea of utopia in terms of its application to the whole society, political system or even the city and municipalities. Work instability, spatial nomadism and fast replacement of activists are some of the evidences that support the latter statement. The former is mainly proven by the experience of collective self-management of squatted buildings, and the opposition to institutional ways of political action. Documents, observant participation and interviews are the sources of the information used for this aim. Finally, we sustain that the social and political creativity of this minority urban movement, its persistence along the years and the flow of messages disseminated within society and the alter-globalisation movement, require a careful attention to the utopian frames of meaning that feed back the movement once and again.


In this paper, we investigate the benefit of instruction set extensions for software implementations of all five SHA-3 candidates. To this end, we start from optimized assembly code for a common 16-bit microcontroller instruction set architecture. By themselves, these implementations provide reference for complexity of the algorithms on 16-bit architectures, commonly used in embedded systems. For each algorithm, we then propose suitable instruction set extensions and implement the modified processor core. We assess the gains in throughput, memory consumption, and the area overhead. Our results show that with less than 10% additional area, it is possible to increase the execution speed on average by almost 40%, while reducing memory requirements on average by more than 40%. In particular, the Grostl algorithm, which was one of the slowest algorithms in previous reference implementations, ends up being the fastest implementation by some margin, once minor (but dedicated) instruction set extensions are taken into account.


The Bedouins of Egypt hold a unique intangible cultural heritage (ICH), with distinct cultural values and social practices that are rapidly changing as a consequence of having settled after having been nomadic for centuries. We present our attempt to develop a bottom-up approach to document Bedouin ICH. Grounded in participatory design practices, the project purpose was two-fold: engaging Egyptian Engineering undergraduates with culturally-distant technology users and introducing digital self-documentation of ICH to the Bedouin community. We report the design of a didactic model that deployed the students as research partners to co-design four prototypes of ICH documentation mobile applications with the community. The prototypes reflected an advanced understanding for the values to the Bedouins brought by digital documentation practices. Drawing from our experience, three recommendations were elicited for similar ICH projects. Namely, focusing on the community benefits; promoting motivation ownership, and authenticity; and pursuing a shared identity between designers and community members. These guidelines hold a strong value as they have been tested against local challenges that could have been detrimental to the project.


The reliability of a distributed processing system (DPS) can be expressed by the analysis of distributed program reliability (DPR) and distributed system reliability (DSR). One of the good approaches to formulate these reliability performance indexes is to generate all disjoint file spanning trees (FSTs) in the DPS graph such that the DPR and DSR can be expressed by the probability that at least one of these FSTs is working. In the paper, a unified algorithm to efficiently generate disjoint FSTs by cutting different links is presented, and the DPR and DSR are computed based on a simple and consistent union operation on the probability space of the FSTs. The DPS reliability related problems are also discussed. For speeding up the reliability evaluation, nodes merged, series, and parallel reduction concepts are incorporated in the algorithm. Based on the comparison of number of subgraphs (or FSTs) generated by the proposed algorithm and by existing evaluation algorithms, it is concluded that the proposed algorithm is much more economic in terms of time and space than the existing algorithms. >


Several structures of sharing wavelength converters (WCs) have been proposed for wavelength interchanging cross connects, including share-per-node (SPN), share-per-link (SPL), and share-per-wavelength (SPW). Among them, SPN has the highest sharing efficiency but at the expense of a complex switch fabric. In this paper, we investigate the Clos-type SPN and SPL structures and propose a novel structure, which is termed as C-SPW, to share fixed WCs based on the Clos network. The comparative simulations show that the sharing of fixed WCs in C-SPW can achieve similar drop probability (DP) with the sharing of tunable ones in Clos-type SPN under synchronous uniform traffic. The reason is that the fixed WCs in C-SPW can be accessible by all incoming packets, instead of a subset of them. Furthermore, an analytical model is derived to calculate the DP and converter utilization rate when C-SPW is operated in a synchronous mode under uniform traffic. The proposed analytical model fits well with the simulation results.


Thirty years of empirical research on visual aids have produced inconsistent results--perhaps because the quality and color of those visuals were inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to determine what effects quality and color of instructional transparencies used in an informative speech have on listener recall and attitudes toward speaker and speech. A total of 709 community college and university students in 36 intact classes were randomly assigned to one of four visual treatment groups (poor-quality black/white, high-quality black/white, poor-quality color, or high-quality color) or one of two control groups (no-speech or no-visuals). A videotaped speech was projected onto a large screen at the right of the room; visual aids (each shown for approximately 30 seconds) were projected onto another screen set immediately to the left. Recall was measured by a 10-item multiple choice test; attitude toward speech and speaker were each measured by six seven-item semantic differential scales. Analysis of variance indicated that the type of transparencies used in an informative speech have a definite effect on immediate recall and attitude toward the speech, but no effect on attitude toward speaker. All four treatment groups scored significantly higher on recall than the no-speech and no-visual control groups. Log percent of change showed poor color to produce the lowest scores (still 13% better than control) and quality color to produce the highest scores (19.5'% better). Analysis found listeners to have a more positive attitude toward the speech when quality color, quality black/white, or poor black/white visuals were used. It appears that any visual (even a poor quality one) produces better recall than no visuals. Speakers with the time to produce quality visuals should add color; speakers who pay little attention to quality would be advised to use black/white visuals. Implications for future research are suggested.


The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CA-HSI) is a consortium of eight institutions that is committed to increasing the number of Hispanics who earn baccalaureate and advanced degrees in computing. CA-HSI is implementing and promoting the development of peer-led team learning (PLTL) in the computing curriculum as one of its interventions to increase the number of students who succeed in computing gatekeeper courses. PLTL is a proven strategy for retention and motivation of students having already shown its effectiveness in other disciplines. It utilizes student-driven focus groups to confront issues of lack of academic and social support. CA-HSI is creating a repository for support materials for PLTL implementation and it is also promoting implementation within the Alliance as well as other institutions. This paper discusses the materials and mechanisms for implementations, and it presents initial results of the intervention. At least 2,000 computing students have used these materials to date.


In a statement too strong even to summarize his own views, Jean-Paul Sartre famously declares in "Existentialism is a Humanism" that "man is nothing other than what he makes of himself." It is bad faith, according to him, to attribute what I am to my family, culture, condition, etc., because through awareness of what I am and have been, I can determine whether what I am will continue into the future. Human being, as a result, is nothing but what he or she has chosen or decided.  In "On the Necessity and Impossibility of Being a Jew," Jean Amery rejects that view.He explicitly rejects the idea that "I am what I am for myself and in myself, and nothing else." In doing so, he is one of a group of Jewish thinkers, including Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida, who reject Sartre's ideas about Jewish identity and identi ty more generally, ideas expressed particularly in Reflections on the Jewish Question but amplified by views expressed in "Existentialism is a Humanism" and Being and Nothingness .Those in the group go out of their way to express their gratitude to Sartre f or writing on "the Jewish question" after the war --Sartre who wrote because he saw no mention of the 77,000 Jews in France who were deported and murdered by the Nazis.


In order to determine the quantitative relationship between sheet strength and lignin coverage at the fiber surface, CTMP was blended with softwood bleached kraft pulp (BKP), refined softwood BKP, and hardwood BKP. The morphology of the fibers, fibers properties, fiber surface components and relative bonded area of sheets were investigated. Multi-linear regression equations of tensile strength index and internal bond strength were established. The results indicated that unbleached aspen CTMP fiber surfaces were covered by granules of lignin, and BKP fiber surfaces were predominated covered by microfibrils. Fiber properties have a significant impact on tensile strength index. RBA had a greater impact on IBS than lignin coverage. For the pulp samples tested, a 1% increase in lignin coverage at fiber surfaces would lead to a 0.48N·m/g decrease in tensile strength index and 5.32×10-3 J/m2 decrease in internal bond strength.


Travelling over 14,000 miles by bus and train to the farthest reaches of China, the authors of this narrative explore the minority peoples who dwell there, talking to farmers in their fields, monks in their monasteries, fishermen on their skiffs, and herders on the steppe. Closely observing daily life in these remote regions, they document the many lifestyles and adventures of the Chinese natives -- they visit an old Catholic fisherman at a church that has been without a priest for 40 years; they hike around high-altitude Lugu Lake to farm with the matriarchal Mosuo women; and they descend into a dry riverbed to hunt for jade with Muslim Uyghur merchants. This account uncovers surprising truths about China's hidden minorities and their complex position in Chinese society through real discussions, including a heated debate with Ewenki village cadres on human rights and talks with ageing hajjis about the Chinese government's razing of their mosque.


OBJECT
The precise preoperative assessment of the complex nerve-vessel relationship at the root exit zone (RExZ) of the facial nerve is important when planning microvascular decompression (MVD) in patients with hemifacial spasms. The authors have developed an imaging technique-the fusion of 3D magnetic resonance (MR) cistemography and coregistered 3D MR angiography images-that allows clear visualization of the spatial relationship between the vessels and the rootlet of the facial nerve at the brainstem.

METHODS
The authors reconstructed 3D MR cisternograms and 3D MR angiograms by using a perspective volume-rendering algorithm that they applied to the volumetric data sets of the following modalities: MR cisternography (a T,-weighted 3D fast spin echo sequence) and coregistered MR angiography (a 3D time-of-flight sequence). The complex anatomical relationship between the offending vessels and the facial nerve RExZ was inspected preoperatively by examining the fusion images from various perspectives within the cerebellopontine angle cistern, within the affected facial nerve, and through the simulated surgical route. The reconstructed 3D findings of the nerve-vessel relationship were compared with the intraoperative findings. Postoperatively, the fused 3D MR imaging technique was used to confirm that microsurgical dissection and the interposed prosthesis had succeeded in maintaining the causative vessels in a position away from the RExZ.

CONCLUSIONS
The fusion of 3D MR cisternograms and 3D MR angiograms may prove useful in the pre- and postoperative assessment of MVD in patients with hemifacial spasm.


SUMMARY New Zealand flax Phormium tenax was introduced to Tristan da Cunha, an island in the central South Atlantic Ocean, in the 1800s. During the following century it was transferred to two other islands in the Tristan archipelago: Inaccessible and Nightingale Islands. Although not an aggressive invader, flax spread on both islands threatening their status as among the least disturbed temperate islands remaining in the Southern Ocean. In 2004 an eradication programme was initiated on both islands to clear flax using a combination of uprooting, cutting, crushing and spraying with herbicide. Despite some regrowth, follow-up operations greatly reduced the number of flax plants. Established plants are now confined to about 300 m of cliffs at the Waterfall on Inaccessible Island where clearing is hampered by the steep terrain. Further follow-up management is planned until the plant is eradicated from both islands.


Due to its unique location, the endothelial surface glycocalyx (ESG) at the luminal side of the microvessel wall may serve as a mechano-sensor and transducer of blood flow and thus regulate endothelial functions. To examine this role of the ESG, we used fluorescence microscopy to measure nitric oxide (NO) production in post-capillary venules and arterioles of rat mesentery under reduced (low) and normal (high) flow conditions, with and without enzyme pretreatment to remove heparan sulfate (HS) of the ESG and in the presence of an endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). Rats (SD, 250–300g) were anesthetized. The mesentery was gently taken out from the abdominal cavity and arranged on the surface of a glass coverslip for the measurement. An individual post-capillary venule or arteriole was cannulated and loaded for 45 min with 5 μM 4, 5-Diaminofluorescein diacetate, a membrane permeable fluorescent indictor for NO, then the NO production was measured for ~10 min under a low flow (~300 μm/s) and for ~60 min under a high flow (~1000 μm/s). In the 15 min after switching to the high flow, DAF-2-NO fluorescence intensity increased to 1.27-fold of its baseline, DAF-2-NO continuously increased under the high flow, to 1.53-fold of its baseline in 60 min. Inhibition of eNOS by 1 mM L-NMMA attenuated the flow-induced NO production to 1.13-fold in 15 min and 1.30-fold of its baseline in 60 min, respectively. In contrast, no significant increase in NO production was observed after switching to the high flow for 60 min when 1 h pretreatment with 50 mU/mL heparanase III to degrade the ESG was applied. Similar NO production was observed in arterioles under low and high flows and under eNOS inhibition. Our results suggest that ESG participates in endothelial cell mechanosensing and transduction through its heparan sulfate to activate eNOS.


Studies in the UK and elsewhere have identified that flooding comes with diverse impacts, ranging from significant financial costs (tangible) to social (intangible) impacts on households. However, it is not feasible for government spending on structural flood defences to adequately protect all at risk properties. Hence, the need for homeowners to take action in the form of investing in property level flood risk adaptation (PLFRA) measures to protect their properties has since been the subject of debate. However, the take-up of PLFRA measures remains low, due to factors such as financial constraints, aesthetics, emotional issues, and a lack of information on the actual cost and financial benefit of investing in the measures. Notably, previous research in this area has failed to include the value of intangible impacts such as health effects, meaning that the existing models do not reflect the full benefits of PLFRA measures. This in part is due to the inherent difficulty in monetising such intangible impacts. Nevertheless, evidence from the literature, indicates that knowledge of such impacts may be important in determining whether to invest in PLFRA measures.
Based on a synthesis of the literature, a conceptual framework of the costs and benefits of PLFRA measures was developed. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of homeowners who had experienced flood damage to their properties during the 2007 summer flood event. This data was combined with secondary data of the actual cost of reinstatement incurred in the aftermath of the 2007 flood event. By analysing these two data sets, the additional costs of resistance and resilience measures for four property types were established. The value of the intangible benefits of investing in PLFRA measures was found to be £653 per household per year representing an increase of 8% for resistance and 9% for resilience measures.
Decision support lookup tables (DSLT) were developed so that homeowners can determine the cost effectiveness of PLFRA measures as pertaining to individual buildings; insurers can assess the level of potential financial benefit of adopting PLFRA measures by their customers, and perhaps offer incentives by way of premium reduction to encourage homeowners to invest in the measure. Flood risk assessment surveyors can determine the benefit cost ratio of taking up of PLFRA measures for their individual clients; thereby, enhancing the robustness of their professional advice. Most importantly, the DSLT has the potential to complement Government's effort in encouraging homeowners to invest in PLFRA measures.


Watercolor paintings have a unique look that mixes subtle color gradients and sophisticated diffusion patterns. This makes them immediately recognizable and gives them a unique appeal. Creating such paintings requires advanced skills that are beyond the reach of most people. Even for trained artists, producing several copies of a painting is a tedious task. One can resort to scanning an existing painting and printing replicas, but these are all identical and have lost an essential characteristic of a painting, its uniqueness. We address these two issues with a technique to fabricate woodblocks that we later use to create watercolor prints. The woodblocks can be reused to produce multiple copies but each print is unique due to the physical process that we introduce. We also design an image processing pipeline that helps users to create the woodblocks and describe a protocol that produces prints by carefully controlling the interplay between the paper, ink pigments, and water so that the final piece depicts the desired scene while exhibiting the distinctive features of watercolor. Our technique enables anyone with the resources to produce watercolor prints.


Introduction: Primary care risk stratification (RS) has been shown to help practices better understand their patient populations' needs and may improve health outcomes and reduce expenditures by targeting and tailoring care to high-need patients. This study aims to understand key considerations practices faced and practice experiences as they began to implement RS models. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews about experiences in RS with 34 stakeholders from 15 primary care practices in Oregon and Colorado and qualitatively analyzed the data. Results: Three decisions were important in shaping practices' experiences with RS: choosing established versus self-created algorithms or heuristics, clinical intuition, or a combination; selecting mechanisms for assigning risk scores; determining how to integrate RS approaches into care delivery. Practices using clinical intuition found stratification time-consuming and difficult to incorporate into existing workflows, but trusted risk scores more than those using algorithms. Trust in risk scores was influenced by data extraction capabilities; practices often lacked sufficient data to calculate their perceived optimal risk score. Displaying the scores to the care team was a major issue. Finally, obtaining buy-in from care team members was challenging, requiring repeated cycles of improvement and workflow integration. Discussion: Practices used iterative approaches to RS implementation. As a result, procedural and algorithmic changes were introduced and were influenced by practices' health IT, staffing, and resource capacities. Practices were most successful when able to make iterative changes to their approaches, incorporated both automation and human process in RS, educated staff on the importance of RS, and had readily accessible risk scores.


This study presents a novel method to classify the brain tumors by means of efficient and integrated methods so as to increase the classification accuracy. In conventional systems, the problem being the same to extract the feature sets from the database and classify tumors based on the features sets. The main idea in plethora of earlier researches related to any classification method is to increase the classification accuracy.The actual need is to achieve a better accuracy in classification, by extracting more relevant feature sets after dimensionality reduction. There exists a trade-off between accuracy and the number of feature sets. Hence the focus in this study is to implement Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) on the brain tumor images for various classes. Using DCT, by itself, it offers a fair dimension reduction in feature sets.Later on, sequentially K-means algorithm is applied on DCT coefficients to cluster the feature sets. These cluster information are considered as refined feature sets and classified using Support Vector Machine (SVM) is proposed in this study. This method of using DCT helps to adjust and vary the performance of classification based on the count of the DCT coefficients taken into account. There exists a good demand for an automatic classification of brain tumors which grealtly helps in the process of diagnosis. In this novel work, an average of 97% and a maximum of 100% classification accuracy has been achieved. This research is basically aiming and opening a new way of classification under compressed domain. Hence this study may be highly suitable for diagnosing under mobile computing and internet based medical diagnosis.


Abstract Red wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) are generally more dormant and sprout resistant than white wheats. Whether this is caused by pleiotropic effectsof the red grain colour genes (R) on dormancy and coat colour, or to tight linkage between R and dormancy genes has not been fully resolved. To directly determine the effect of the R1 allele on dormancy, mutations were induced with sodium azide in a pure line selection of the red genotype (R1R1r2r2r3r3) Chinese Spring wheat. Two white mutants (CSW01, CSW02) were recovered from M3 caryopses derived from approximately 20,000 M2 plants. Both mutants were shown to be allelic to a domesticwhite genotype (r1r1r2r2r3r3). Except for seed coat colour, CSW01 and CSW02 are morphologically indistinguishable from the wild type and are presumed to be near isogenic lines of Chinese Spring. Freshly harvested grainsproduced under four different environments were evaluated for post-harvest dormancy. In all environments, intact caryopses of all three isolines exhibited high temperature dormancy typical of cereal species, although the red wild type consistently exhibited greater dormancy than the white mutant isolines. Dormancy was dissipated by afterripening in dry storage at 37°C in a similar manner for the red and white isolines. Excised embryos of the three isolines exhibited similar levels of dormancy and sensitivities to exogenous abscisic acid. These results indicate a functional R1 allele is not absolutely required for dormancy in wheat, but does enhance its expression in caryopses with dormant (sensitive) embryos


Regardless of current web 2.0 and 3.0 trends, there are still a lot of websites made in web 1.0 style. These websites have fixed pages which are editable only by owner and not by community. It is normal for a lot of cases, but looks like not modern and engaging approach. Are there any ways to make these sites closer to life? This paper is devoted to open input technique, a way for websites of web 1.0 era to grow and evolve community. The idea of open input, in general, means that anybody from the web can add information to any section of the website even without registration on that website. People can add news, billboard announcements, testimonials, questions, pictures, videos etc - whatever site owner permitted. We have tested this idea in practice and have positive results approving that open input is a vital approach for collaboration on the web.


CONTEXT
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided trucut biopsy (EUS TCB) has a lower yield than fine needle aspiration (FNA) in pancreatic masses but the additional use of TCB to FNA may improve the diagnostic accuracy over FNA alone.

OBJECTIVE
To compare the yield of EUS FNA alone or combined with EUS TCB for diagnosis of pancreatic masses.

DESIGN
Single center retrospective case control study conducted at academic tertiary center. Study conducted between March 2004 and April 2007.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 126 consecutive patients referred for EUS guided biopsy of pancreatic mass; three patients excluded from analysis, final cohort comprised 123 patients (108 malignant and 15 benign). EUS FNA was performed in 72 patients and EUS FNA+TCB was performed in 51 patients.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The diagnostic performance of EUS FNA versus EUS FNA+TCB was compared.

RESULTS
The sensitivity, specificity and frequency of cases correctly identified for malignancy of FNA alone were 87.1% (54/62), 100% (10/10) and 88.8% (64/72), while for the combination of FNA+TCB they were: 95.7% (44/46), 100% (5/5) and 96.0% (49/51), respectively (P=0.184, 1.000, and 0.193 FNA versus FNA+TCB). No major complication occurred in either group.

CONCLUSION
FNA+TCB can be safely performed in selected lesions but sensitivity is not statistically improved over FNA alone (95.7% versus 87.1%).


This article examines Chinese manual motor metaphors involving manual object manipulation as the source domain. Specifically, we use corpus data to investigate two transitive constructions, [抓紧 zhuājǐn 'grab tightly, clutch' NP] and [把住 bǎzhù 'grasp firmly' NP], and a causative construction, [把 bǎ NP 捧 pěng COMPL] 'lift NP with deliberation', where the referent of the np does not lend itself to manual manipulation in the literal sense and must be interpreted as metaphoric in the unity of semantic domains. Results from both quantitative and qualitative analyses show that the two transitive grasping actions are systematically used to abstract actions requiring a keen sense of urgency and/or importance, and that the causative action of lifting systematically conceptualises over-promotion of an undeserving entity. The findings point to the bodily origin of social cognition and the embodiment of conceptualisation.


Background: Ethiopia has been implementing immunization programs for the past four decades. However, coverage remains low, especially in pastoral and semi-pastoral regions. Among the obstacles to achieving immunization targets is the level of health workers' readiness to provide immunization services, measured in terms of levels of motivation, capacity and involvement.
Objective: To assess the extent of healthcare providers' readiness to provide immunization services at primary healthcare units in pastoral and semi-pastoral areas of Ethiopia.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 1,283 healthcare providers involved in immunization services in 233 health centers, and 699 health posts in the health center catchment areas. From five CORE Group Polio Project intervention regions in Ethiopia, interviews were held with personnel in each health center – an Extended Program on Immunization focal person, a midwife, and the medical director or head. From each health post, interviews were held with one health extension worker. Data were collected using a selfadministered questionnaire facilitated by woreda and zonal health and CORE Group staff. The outcome variable of interest, readiness, was measured using three indicator variables – high to very high levels of self-reported motivation and involvement in immunization service provision, and having received at least one immunizationrelated training in the last two years. In addition to health care workers' background characteristics, where workers were based – in pastoral or semi-pastoral areas – were included as factors for readiness. Data were entered into EpiData and exported to STATA version 12 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to identify independent factors associated with readiness, and p<0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.
Results: Among health center respondents, those with a diploma were 2.3 times more likely to be ready compared to those with a first degree. Similarly, nurses and those who claimed higher satisfaction with supportive supervision were 2.1 and 6.2 times more likely to be ready to provide immunization services compared to midwives and those with a medium level of satisfaction, respectively. Among health post staff, being female (AOR=2.2), having more than five years of work experience (AOR=2.2) and having a high level of satisfaction with supportive supervision (AOR=4.5) showed higher readiness levels compared to males, those with less than or equal to two years of service, and those with a medium level of satisfaction, respectively.
Conclusions: To ensure health care workers' readiness to provide immunization services, providing ongoing inservice training and improving supportive supervision, particularly for men in health posts, should be prioritized. [Ethiop .J. Health Dev. 2019; 33(Special issue):37-45]
Key words: Primary healthcare unit, readiness, immunization, health workers, pastoral and semi-pastoral, Ethiopia


This paper outlines the main benefits of using Internet technologies for the remote monitoring of railway equipment. We present two prototypes of a remote monitoring tool for railway equipment. The first has a 2-tier architecture and is based on Java technology and Java RMI as a communication protocol. The second has a 3-tier architecture and is based on XML/XSL technology and HTTP as a communication protocol. We compare both systems and we give some conclusions from the actual work. This paper is intended for people concerned with industrial applications on the Internet and especially for those developing remote monitoring tools for embedded systems.


Theoretical pressure distributions on nonlifting circular-arc airfoils in two-dimensional flows with high subsonic free-stream velocity are found by determining approximate solutions, through an iteration process, of an integral equation for transonic flow proposed by Oswatitsch. The integral equation stems directly from the small-disturbance theory for transonic flow. This method of analysis possesses the advantage of remaining in the physical, rather than the hodograph, variable and can be applied in airfoils having curved surfaces. After discussion of the derivation of the integral equation and qualitative aspects of the solution, results of calculations carried out for circular-arc airfoils in flows with free-stream Mach numbers up to unity are described. These results indicate most of the principal phenomena observed in experimental studies.


"I don't know if you'll be able to reach her," the student said. I was in the first year of my master's program, preparing to be a teaching assistant by contacting students who had taken the course in previous years. This student had recommended that I connect with the graduate student who had taught the course when he took it, but now he was backtracking. "She was pregnant when she taught the class. She must be on leave now." There was some curiosity in his voice, mixed with what I perceived as a hint of judgment. I should probably keep the fact that I am a single parent to myself, I thought.

![Figure][1]

ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER

> "I need to make myself visible as a single parent and to advocate for change."

I had my daughter several years before I had any thoughts of pursuing a scientific career. My marriage didn't work out, and I moved with my daughter from Russia to the United States. I started working at a tech company, where having a family did not feel out of the ordinary.

Once I entered the academic world, on the other hand, I found that speaking about my daughter with my colleagues and professors usually elicited surprise—or worse. When I finished my master's degree and decided to apply for a Ph.D., for example, a professor told me that pursuing a doctoral degree would be challenging in my "situation."

In some ways, that professor was right. It is impossible to support myself and my daughter on the standard Ph.D. stipend. My university offers a student parent supplement, which helps, but I still struggle to pay the bills. I miss many social and professional development activities because I want to spend time with my daughter, and academic culture does not leave much room for personal time. Even if the events are scheduled at times when I can attend, going means that I have to work at night or on weekends to catch up.

Even so, I want to do science. Academic research shouldn't only be for people who have the privilege of time and money. So I'm pushing forward with my academic training.

I have also decided that, despite my discomfort and the potential for backlash, I need to make myself visible as a single parent and to advocate for change. I am not shy about telling people that sometimes I don't have money to pay rent. I started bringing my daughter to some social activities. I wrote an open letter to my department about the challenges that student parents face. I created a survey to gather more information about other student parents in the department.

I think my efforts are making some headway. (And, to be fair, my department is much more family-friendly than some others.) Emails about social events are now more likely to include explicit statements that family members, including kids, are welcome. My department chair is always willing to discuss any problems I might be having. Members of my department's graduate student association emailed me recently to ask for input about how they could use university wellness funds to support student parents.

Yet I still worry that my efforts make me more visible as a parent than as a scientist. In August, a fellow Ph.D. student wished me a happy Mother's Day. He is from Costa Rica, where they celebrate mothers at the end of the summer, and he thought that I would appreciate the sentiment—which I did. But it didn't alleviate my concerns about the reputation I'm creating for myself. Studies show that academic mothers tend to be viewed as less serious, whereas fathers are seen as more grounded and more organized.

I figure that, for a while, I will have to accept the fact that my role as a mother may be more interesting to some of my colleagues than my research. But I hold on to the hope that one day, thanks to my efforts and those of many others, grad student parenthood won't seem remarkable at all.

 [1]: pending:yes


The growth and integration of national and global markets should make the world more competitive and antitrust policy less important. Instead, globalization has produced a veritable antitrust proliferation. When corporate transactions routinely cross borders, anti-competitive practices in one jurisdiction invariably affect producers and consumers in another. A system in which each affected jurisdiction gets to apply its own competition rules to those transactions poses a danger of grave political conflicts and, moreover, intolerable costs for producers, who must comply with the often conflicting demands of multiple jurisdictions. Moreover, states have powerful incentives to permit domestic industries to exploit outsiders, or even to facilitate such practices. High-profile antitrust conflicts, from the prosecution of Microsoft in state, national, and international forums to the transatlantic disagreement over the European Union's merger policy, illustrate the difficulties. Possible solutions to these problems range from improved intergovernmental cooperation, to direct policy harmonization, to a new regime of "structured competition" in antitrust policy modeled on U.S. corporation law.


Much can be at stake depending on the choice of words used to describe citizen science, because terminology impacts how knowledge is developed. Citizen science is a quickly evolving field that is mobilizing people's involvement in information development, social action and justice, and large-scale information gathering. Currently, a wide variety of terms and expressions are being used to refer to the concept of 'citizen science' and its practitioners. Here, we explore these terms to help provide guidance for the future growth of this field. We do this by reviewing the theoretical, historical, geopolitical, and disciplinary context of citizen science terminology; discussing what citizen science is and reviewing related terms; and providing a collection of potential terms and definitions for 'citizen science' and people participating in citizen science projects. This collection of terms was generated primarily from the broad knowledge base and on-the-ground experience of the authors, by recognizing the potential issues associated with various terms. While our examples may not be systematic or exhaustive, they are intended to be suggestive and invitational of future consideration. In our collective experience with citizen science projects, no single term is appropriate for all contexts. In a given citizen science project, we suggest that terms should be chosen carefully and their usage explained; direct communication with participants about how terminology affects them and what they would prefer to be called also should occur. We further recommend that a more systematic study of terminology trends in citizen science be conducted.