Efficient systems for determining the precise position and orientation of airborne sensors will have a great impact in different remote sensing activities, with consequences in their productivity and therefore substantially increasing their cost effectiveness. In the scope of national and international projects, the authors have developed and tested an airborne system built with multiple GPS receivers and a low cost inertial unit. The methodology is based on the integrated processing of raw inertial measurements and GPS data collected from two receivers on board the aircraft and one, or possibly more, reference stations. The algorithm for processing GPS and IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) raw data was implemented in an integrated feedback loop. The position determination is based on DGPS with OTF ambiguity fixing, using on-line processed inertial data to validate and increase position reliability, especially during GPS outages and when the aircraft is far away from the nearest GPS reference station. For the attitude angles, the IMU raw data is processed using absolute GPS position/velocity updates for continuous alignment. Also, by processing L1 and L2 carrier phase measurements in differential mode between two GPS antennas on the aircraft (without resorting to ground reference station data), a partial estimate of the aircraft attitude is obtained. This is critical to align the low cost inertial platform in heading either when the aircraft is stopped or in stable flight. The inertial system also provides high rate (DGPS filtered) position and velocity estimates that can be valuable during GPS signal outages and for the robustness of the ambiguity fixing procedures. By using the proposed methodology it was possible to explore the entire potential of a low cost GPS/IMU system. The position and attitude values are obtained from all the measurements through an Extended Kalman Filter. Decimeter accuracy was achieved for the positions, while the estimated accuracy for the aircraft orientation is 0.01o for roll and pitch and 0.05o for heading (maximum values). The basic idea was to develop a low cost system that can supply position and attitude with a level of accuracy and reliability similar to more expensive systems, such us gimbaled and ring laser gyro based inertial systems. The final tests of this GPS/IMU system took place during this summer. The inclusion of a radio link between a reference station and the aircraft enabled the system to operate in real time. It proved to be successful in navigating the aircraft during all flight phases, including runway approach and landing. Furthermore, aerial photographs were taken in order to have an independent evaluation of the system accuracy. Results from the airborne campaigns and the performance of this system are presented. Its potential for different applications is discussed.


The pursuit of audiences, and the nature of journalistic practices and news values, lead to some clear patterns in how the media cover risk. Key factors are:
 Body counts and 'whose body counts' – the news media will tend to focus on risks which kill, injure, or threaten many people at one time, rather than have a cumulative effect over the years. Threats to 'people like us' gain more attention, as will attractive or famous victims or unattractive sources of threat;
 Human interest angles and 'relevance' – ideas about relevance are crucial both to the media's decision to cover a story, and the nature of the responses from audiences. Journalists seek out the 'human face' of science and of risk. Emphasis on 'the victim's story' can mean that personal accounts may allow a risk to enter the media in spite of official denials; and the absence of existing 'victims' may make a story less newsworthy;
 Location – a geographically bounded event will provide a more media friendly crisis than one without a 'news centre'. Geographical or social distance between journalists and their assumed audience also impacts on coverage;
 Visuals – the media, especially television, are attracted by the 'spectacular spectacle'. Such visuals also often have a very powerful impact on audiences; Evidence of 'harm' is usually more newsworthy than evidence of 'benefits' or lack of harm. Exceptions to this are when reports of 'safety' or 'lack of danger' go against received wisdom or when there are other reasons for a particular media outlet to oppose central government declarations of danger;
 The importance of events – news reporting tends to be 'event' orientated rather than issue orientated. This means, for example, that a 'leak' or 'spill' will make a story but background pollution/radiation does not;
 Official procedures – in the absence of a 'disaster event', the news media will often examine a 'risk' through official procedures such as permit application, regulatory decisions or an inquiry;
 The impact of conflict, 'cover-ups' and blame – in the absence of a clear disaster prompting risk coverage, then conflict and blame are often key criteria in media attention to risk;
 The spiral of concern – the media can create a self-perpetuating spiral of concern, with risk stories growing once they enter diverse parts of the news (e.g. a science story becoming a political story). One part of the media can help to keep the story on the agenda of other parts of the media. Policy and audience responses to the agenda set by the media can also help keep an issue in the headlines.


We need to see the future more clearly if we are to stay within ecosystem limits. Our new ability to uncover facts brings with it new opportunities and challenges for evidence, particularly in the area of environmental compliance. Satellites and other remote sensing technologies are revolutionizing our ability to visualize and simulate the potential consequences of our environmental and resource management decisions. These advances are enabling scientists, governments and industry to peer into the remotest corners of the globe, with a perception far beyond human senses. Our challenge is to determine the most efficient way to establish technologies and processes that will enable us to better manage critical ecosystems through the integration of digital earth system science, including remote sensing data, into legal systems at all levels of resource management. Professor Durwood Zaelke (1) I. INTRODUCTION Emerging technologies are revolutionizing the collection, organization, application, storage, and distribution of earth science information and enabling more cost-effective decision-making and better environmental protection. Satellite remote sensing and digital systems, including geographic information systems (GIS), provide powerful tools for visualizing and solving complex legal and environmental problems. The use of digital technologies in performing tasks or making decisions that are vulnerable to legal dispute presents significant challenges to the courts in understanding how the information was derived, processed, and presented and in weighing the probative value of the information against its potential to confuse. Despite the tremendous opportunity for technologies to enable more informed, cost-effective decisions, issues of credibility, acceptability, and other evidentiary hurdles are impeding the integration of these technologies into the routine operations performed by public and private environmental stewards. Until scientists and attorneys work together to educate triers of fact to develop protocols for general acceptance, courts will be reluctant to work through the associated complex science and mathematics necessary to assign evidentiary value to the information. Thus, uncertainty about the information's viability in court will stifle the growth of the commercial remote sensing market and delay the development of applications, which will confirm that remote sensing and digital information systems can greatly improve environmental management. This article (1) describes the basic technologies and capabilities of earth science satellites and digital information systems to open readers' minds to possible applications, (2) evaluates evidentiary hurdles to the acceptance of remotely-sensed and other digital information in the courts, (3) presents an analysis of opportunities to integrate these systems in environmental assessment and resource management, and (4) concludes that the removal of evidentiary impediments will improve environmental protection, result in cost-saving or cost-avoidance in decision-making, and accelerate the growth of commercial remote sensing and GIS industries. II. THE PROCESS, TECHNOLOGY, APPLICATION, AND MARKET OF REMOTE SENSING DATA This section describes the basic technologies and capabilities of satellite remote sensing and the data flow processes from collection through presentation. The potential for error during each process is highlighted, establishing bases for evidentiary challenges. Part II. A details the remote sensing data collection process, Part II. B describes historic and currently available remote sensing satellites, Part II. C provides examples of how practitioners are applying remote sensing technologies to environmental problems, and Part II. D presents an overview of the commercial remote sensing markets. A. The Remote Sensing Basics 1. …


In a typical Genetic Association Study (GAS) several hundreds to millions of genomic variables are measured and tested for association with a given set of a phenotypic variables (e.g., a given disease state or a complete expression profile), with the aim of identifying the genetic background of complex, multifactorial diseases. These highly varying requirements resulted in a number of different statistical tools applying different approaches either bayesian or non-bayesian, model-based or conditional. In this paper we evaluate dedicated GAS tools and general purpose feature subset selection (FSS) tools including a Bayesian model-based tool BMLA in a GAS context. In the evaluation we used an artificial data set generated from a reference model with 113 genotypic variables that was based on a real-world genotype data.


The convention that the Attorney General should be independent from Cabinet when making prosecutorial decisions is particularly strong in Canada and has in recent years been recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada as a constitutional principle. Some of the important issues and dilemmas of prosecutorial independence and accountability will be explored in this article by focusing on the roles of prosecutors, Directors of Public Prosecution (DPPs), Attorneys General (AGs) and a range of Ministers in terrorism prosecutions. I will focus on the Canadian situation with respect to terrorism prosecution and suggest that the 2006 enactment of the Director of Public Prosecutions Act has added unforeseen and unfortunate complexities to terrorism prosecutions by interjecting an independent DPP into most terrorism prosecutions. I will argue that it would be wrong, contrary to constitutional convention and unnecessary to allow governments or the Cabinet to assume direct responsibility for the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in terrorism cases. In my view, the traditional position associated with Lord Shawcross's famous statement about the ability of AGs to consult with but not be bound by government colleagues, coupled with the reality that the AG can lose the confidence of the Prime Minister, still provides an adequate means to reconcile the demands of independence with political accountability in terrorism prosecutions.


Abstract Motivation Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is a common tool for obtaining low-rank approximations of non-negative data matrices and has been widely used in machine learning, e.g. for supporting feature extraction in high-dimensional classification tasks. In its classical form, NMF is an unsupervised method, i.e. the class labels of the training data are not used when computing the NMF. However, incorporating the classification labels into the NMF algorithms allows to specifically guide them toward the extraction of data patterns relevant for discriminating the respective classes. This approach is particularly suited for the analysis of mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) data in clinical applications, such as tumor typing and classification, which are among the most challenging tasks in pathology. Thus, we investigate algorithms for extracting tumor-specific spectral patterns from MSI data by NMF methods. Results In this article, we incorporate a priori class labels into the NMF cost functional by adding appropriate supervised penalty terms. Numerical experiments on a MALDI imaging dataset confirm that the novel supervised NMF methods lead to significantly better classification accuracy and stability as compared with other standard approaches. Availability and implementaton https://gitlab.informatik.uni-bremen.de/digipath/Supervised_NMF_Methods_for_MALDI.git Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Musical rhythm is a complex experiences, which is structured in time. Furthermore, every musical event has a distinct sound. Thus, it is plausible that investigations in rhythm have to consider its sound, too. Commonly, sounds are discriminated by their timbre. Therefore, rhythm can be described as succession of distinct timbres. We developed a method to model drum patterns in such a manner. Timbre is approximated as a one-dimensional feature consisting of weighted spectral centroid. An onset detection algorithm based on fractal geometry determines the time frames of measurement within the input audio file. The resulting time series is used to train an m-state Hidden Markov Model. The model's transition probability matrix serves as a fingerprint of the sample's rhythm. This method can therefore be used to compare music quantitatively and to reveal and cluster musical similarities in sound recording archives.


In 2010, after grappling with a decade of structural deficits and two years of recession, Maryland's Spending Affordability Committee (SAC) questioned its 30-year record on limiting state spending: "Recent years have sorely tested the budgetary concepts customarily employed to account for spending for spending affordability purposes. The combination of huge mid-year spending reductions, massive federal assistance and extensive reliance on one-time supports makes it impossible to clearly establish a basis for calculating a limit without arbitrary judgments about what should be in or out." The new approach called for by the SAC charges the General Assembly and Governor with the task of reducing the state's structural deficit. The call for spending discipline by the SAC, a committee created to recommend prudent spending limits to Maryland's Legislature and Governor, highlights the design flaws and erratic application of Maryland's three decades-long SAC experiment. Maryland's unsuccessful approach to limiting spending can be evaluated against the experience of other states with tax and expenditure limits. The SAC process is subjective, subject to gaming, and ties spending growth to anticipated revenue growth, functioning more as a spending target rather than a cap. The SAC should be abolished and replaced with a clear, transparent, and easy to evaluate spending rule to guide the General Assembly's and Governor's budget deliberations.


Pulses of 20-TW peak power have been generated at 1064 nm using the chirped-pulse-amplification technique with a 90-mm output-aperture Nd:silicate glass amplification line. This system delivers 60 J of energy in a chirped pulse of 600-psec duration, with a capacity to maintain a 3.5-nm output bandwidth. These chirped pulses are compressed to 1.2 psec with an energy of 24 J by using large holographic gold-coated 1740-lines/mm diffraction gratings.


This book considers the emerging technologies and methodologies of the application of computational intelligence to smart grids. From a conceptual point of view, the smart grid is the convergence of information and operational technologies applied to the electric grid, allowing sustainable options to customers and improved levels of security. Smart grid technologies include advanced sensing systems, two-way high-speed communications, monitoring and enterprise analysis software, and related services used to obtain location-specific and real-time actionable data for the provision of enhanced services for both system operators (i.e. distribution automation, asset management, advanced metering infrastructure) and end-users (i.e. demand side management, demand response). In this context, a crucial issue is how to support the evolution of existing electrical grids from static hierarchal systems to self-organizing, highly scalable and pervasive networks. Modern trends are oriented toward the employment of computational intelligence techniques for deploying advanced control, protection and monitoring architectures that move away from the older centralized paradigm to systems distributed across the field with an increasing pervasion of intelligence devices. The large-scale deployment of computational intelligence technologies in smart grids could lead to a more efficient tasks distribution amongst energy resources and, consequently, to a sensible improvement of the electrical grid flexibility. Readership: Graduate students and researchers interested in smart grids and advanced power networks.


Indirect testing of analog and RF integrated circuits is a widely studied approach, which has the benefits of relaxing requirements on test equipment and reducing industrial test cost. It is based on machine-learning algorithms to train a regression model that maps an indirect and low-cost measurement space to the performance parameter space. In this work, we explore the benefit of using ensemble learning. Rather than using one single model to estimate targeted parameters, ensemble learning consists of training multiple individual regression models and combining their outputs in order to improve the predictive power. Different ensemble methods based on bagging, boosting or stacking are investigated and compared to classical individual models. Results are illustrated and discussed on three RF performances of a LNA for which we have production test data.


Abstract Background: Recent literature on addiction and judgments about the characteristics of agents has focused on the implications of adopting a "brain disease" versus "moral weakness" model of addiction. Typically, such judgments have to do with what capacities an agent has (e.g., the ability to abstain from substance use). Much less work, however, has been conducted on the relationship between addiction and judgments about an agent's identity, including whether or to what extent an individual is seen as the same person after becoming addicted. Methods: We conducted a series of vignette-based experiments (total N = 3,620) to assess lay attitudes concerning addiction and identity persistence, systematically manipulating key characteristics of agents and their drug of addiction. Conclusions: In Study 1, we found that U.S. participants judged an agent who became addicted to drugs as being closer to "a completely different person" than "completely the same person" as the agent who existed prior to the addiction. In Studies 2–6, we investigated the intuitive basis for this result, finding that lay judgments of altered identity as a consequence of drug use and addiction are driven primarily by perceived negative changes in the moral character of drug users, who are seen as having deviated from their good true selves.


Background: The authors want to evaluate the efficacy of fibrillary tabotamp dressing in skin graftdonor site. A comparison was made with Vaseline gauzes. Tabotamp is an absorbable haemostatic product of Ethicon (Johnson and Johnson) obtained by sterile and oxidized regenerated cellulose (Rayon). It is used for mild to moderate bleeding. Materials and methods: 276 patients were subject to skin graft and divided into two group: Group A and Group B. The donor site of patients in Group A was medicated with fibrillary tabotamp, while the patients of Group B were medicated only with Vaseline gauze. We recorded infection, timing of healing, number of dressing change, the pain felt during and after the dressing change with visual analog scale (VAS) and a questionnaire. Results: Patients allocated in Group A healed faster than the Group B. Questionnaires and VAS analysis showed lower pain felt, lower intake of pain drugs and lower infection rate in the Group A than the Group B. Analysis of coast showed lower dressing change in Group A than the Group B. Conclusion: We believe that the use of tabotamp is a very viable alternative to improve healing. (www.actabiomedica.it)


3725 DATA SUMMARY This map was produced from several larger digital datasets. Topography was derived from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) 85-meter digital data. Gaps in the original dataset were filled with data digitized from contours on 1:200,000-scale Soviet General Staff Sheets (1978–1997). Contours were generated by cubic convolution averaged over four pixels using TNTmips1 surface-modeling capabilities. Minor artifacts resulting from the auto-contouring technique are present. Streams were auto-generated from the SRTM data in TNTmips as flow paths. Flow paths were limited in number by their Horton value on a quadrangle-by-quadrangle basis. Peak elevations were averaged over an area measuring 85 m by 85 m (represented by one pixel), and they are slightly lower than the highest corresponding point on the ground. Cultural data were extracted from files downloaded from the Afghanistan Information Management Service (AIMS) Web site (http://www.aims.org.af). The AIMS files were originally derived from maps produced by the Afghanistan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office (AGCHO). Because cultural features were not derived from the SRTM base, they do not match it precisely. Province boundaries are not exactly located. This map is part of a series that includes a geologic map, a topographic map, a Landsat natural-color-image map, and a Landsat false-color-image map for the USGS/AGS (Afghan Geological Survey) quadrangles covering Afghanistan. The maps for any given quadrangle have the same open-file number but a different letter suffix, namely, -A, -B, -C, and -D for the geologic, topographic, Landsat natural-color, and Landsat false-color maps, respectively. The present map series is to be followed by a second series, in which the geology is reinterpreted on the basis of analysis of remote-sensing data, limited fieldwork, and library research. The second series is to be produced by the USGS in cooperation with the AGS and AGCHO. Geospatial analysis software developed by MicroImages, Inc., Lincoln, NE 68508-2010. Base from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) 85-meter digital data Cultural data from digital files from AIMS Web site (http://www.aims.org.af) Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator, zone 42, WGS 84 Datum AFGHAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Afghanistan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office Under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency


Querying inconsistent ontologies is an intriguing new problem that gave rise to a flourishing research activity in the description logic (DL) community. The computational complexity of consistent query answering under the main DLs is rather well understood; however, little is known about existential rules. The goal of the current work is to perform an in-depth analysis of the complexity of consistent query answering under the main decidable classes of existential rules enriched with negative constraints. Our investigation focuses on one of the most prominent inconsistency-tolerant semantics, namely, the AR semantics. We establish a generic complexity result, which demonstrates the tight connection between classical and consistent query answering. This result allows us to obtain in a uniform way a relatively complete picture of the complexity of our problem.


From the Publisher:
B> From modest beginnings, advertising on the Internet quickly has become a multibillion dollar business. This book discusses the power and potential of the Internet as an advertising medium and focuses on how the Internet can be utilized best to deliver effective messages. Just a Click Away: Advertising on the Internet is the first in a series of three books that look at various aspects of mass communication and the Internet. An accompanying Website, which will support all three books, provides further information and updates material in this ever-changing field. The book offers a multitude of valuable information as it draws from current sources that include trade periodicals, daily newspapers, academic journals, magazines, industry newsletters, conference presentations and, of course, the Web itself. Anyone interested in advertising on the Internet.


Perpendicular exchange bias (PEB), particularly when it persists in nanomaterials to room temperature, is highly useful for applications in spintronic devices and for advancing the development of high-information-density magnetic random access memory. A complete mechanistic and theoretical understanding of exchange bias has evaded scientists. The quest to discover novel materials for magnetic and spintronic device applications has stimulated investigation into nanomaterials having optimal and/or tailored magnetic properties that are based on the exchange bias effect. In this study, pulsed laser deposition was used to grow epitaxial PEB systems of ferromagnetic FePt thin film layers that are interfaced with antiferromagnetic NiO thin film layers. Different phases of FePt were grown on a single crystal MgO substrate and overlain with NiO in order to investigate the exchange bias effect between the two magnetic layers. The magnetic ordering and spin-spin interactions at the FePt-NiO thin film interface results in the orthogonal/perpendicular exchange bias due to the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of FePt and orientation of the NiO antiferromagnetic planes. Using XRD, TEM, HAADF imaging, and TEM-FFT analyses, it was determined that the FePt and NiO layers were grown epitaxially on the (100) surface of the MgO substrate. HAADF imaging and TEMEDS confirm the thin films have minimal diffusion between the layers. SQUID magnetometry data measured from the thin film samples in both in-plane and out-ofplane orientations show that the chemical ordered L10 FePt exhibits PEB effects.


This Article contributes to the First Amendment corporate privacy debate by identifying the relevance of agriculture security legislation, or ag-gag laws. Ag-gag laws restrict methods used to gather and disseminate information about commercial food cultivation, production, and distribution and potentially create a "right" to control or privatize nonproprietary information about animal and agribusinesses. Yet, corporate privacy rights are unrecognized as a matter of U.S. constitutional law, which implicates the sufficiency of the justification for ag-gag laws. This Article ponders whether "security" acts as a proxy for an unrecognized right to corporate privacy in the ag-gag context. Part I of this Article surveys the ag-gag landscape. Part II of this Article describes the corporate privacy debate. Part III of this Article hypothesizes how ag-gag laws arguably expand corporate privacy for animal and agribusinesses to a degree that threatens the marketplace of ideas about the industry.


Anisotropy in unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is saturation‐dependent. Accurate characterization of soil anisotropy is very important in simulating flow and contaminant transport (e.g., radioactive nuclides at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site). A tensorial connectivity–tortuosity (TCT) concept describes the hydraulic conductivity tensor of the unsaturated anisotropic soils as the product of a scalar variable, the symmetric connectivity tortuosity tensor, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity tensor. In this study, a model based on the TCT concept is used to quantify soil anisotropy in unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. The TCT model can describe different types of soil anisotropy; for example, the anisotropy coefficient can monotonically increase or decrease with saturation and can vary from greater than unity to less than unity and vice versa. Soil anisotropy is independent of soil water retention properties and can be characterized by the ratio of the saturated hydraulic conductivities and the difference of the tortuosity–connectivity coefficients in two directions. The anisotropy coefficient is log‐linearly proportional to the effective saturation. This log‐linear relationship allows the saturation‐dependent anisotropy to be determined using regression with the measurements of the directional hydraulic conductivities at a minimum of two water content levels, one of which may be at full saturation. The model was tested using measured or simulated directional hydraulic conductivities.


The rise in popularity of e-books is expected to erode the market share of printed books significantly. However, the demand for e-books has not been as great as initially hoped, especially in developing countries. While it would appear that customer apathy is the foremost obstacle in the growth and use of e-books, more research is necessary in order to understand the broader complexities behind this issue. This study analyses the behavioural intention of students in selected South African tertiary intuitions to use e-books. The study is based on theory rooted in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. Data were collected from 439 participating students from five tertiary institutions in South Africa.The results suggest that, with regard to students in South Africa, performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions are significant antecedents of behavioural intention towards e-book use. Surprisingly, gender differences did not moderate the relationships between the factors examined and behavioural intention, whilst use experience only moderated the relationship between effort expectancy and behavioural intention. The findings of this study do not only provide useful guidelines for the development and promotion of the acceptance of e-books in South Africa, but also make an important contribution to the extant body of literature on e-book acceptance.


The language of classical Greek literature has been extensively studied since the Renaissance, and the most generally admired approach to Greek grammar and syntax has long been K. W. Kruger's "Griechische Sprachlehre." In this translation Guy L. Cooper III accepts Kruger's simple and transparent organization, but greatly expands the substance of the earlier work by increasing the total number of citations from the original texts. Research since 1875, especially the contributions of Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, is incorporated so as to create a reference work, in English, which covers the full range of this complex subject.Kruger's original paragraph numbering has been maintained so that references in previously published works can be followed directly in the new work. However, every paragraph and chapter has been revised and expanded, opening up new subheadings within Kruger's format. The English has moved away from Kruger's laconic style to a more flowing, readable presentation, without jargon and unexplained technical language. A complete index of passages cited and the impressive number of citations make the work a running syntactic commentary on the whole range of Attic prose literature. The net result is a new comprehensive reference work, an essential reference for libraries and personal collections alike.Guy L. Cooper III is Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of North Carolina at Asheville."


Direct social contact and social interaction affect speech development in human infants and are required in order to maintain perceptual abilities; however the processes involved are still poorly known. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that social segregation during development would prevent the proper development of a central auditory area, using a "classical" animal model of vocal development, a songbird. Based on our knowledge of European starling, we raised young female starlings with peers and only adult male tutors. This ensured that female would show neither social bond with nor vocal copying from males. Electrophysiological recordings performed when these females were adult revealed perceptual abnormalities: they presented a larger auditory area, a lower proportion of specialized neurons and a larger proportion of generalist sites than wild-caught females, whereas these characteristics were similar to those observed in socially deprived (physically separated) females. These results confirmed and added to earlier results for males, suggesting that the degree of perceptual deficiency reflects the degree of social separation. To our knowledge, this report constitutes the first evidence that social segregation can, as much as physical separation, alter the development of a central auditory area.


This paper presents an approach to object view management for relational databases. Such a view mechanism makes it possible for users to transparently work with data in a relational database as if it was stored in an object-oriented (OO) database. A query against the object view is translated to one or several internal queries against the relational database from which the answer is formed. The object view can also store its own data and therefore it must be possible to process queries that combine local data residing in the object view with data retrieved from the relational database. We discuss the key issues when object views of relational databases are developed , namely: how to map relational structures to subtype/supertype hierarchies in the view; how to represent relational database access in OO query plans; how to provide the concept of object identity in the view; how to handle the fact that the extension of types in the view depends on the state of the relational database; and how to optimize queries against the object view. The results are based on experiences from a running prototype implementation.


We demonstrate suspended micrometer-scale ring resonators with quality factors exceeding 15,000. The high quality factor is achieved by using a suspension method where the disturbance of the optical mode due to the support arms is minimized. We show an insertion loss of less than .02dB per suspension bridge.


ABSTRACT Multiple Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analysis is widely used in drug discovery for lead identification. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) protease is one of the key targets for the treatment of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). One of the major challenges for the design of HIV-1 protease inhibitors (HIV PRIs) is to increase the inhibitory activities against the enzyme to a level where the problem associated to drug resistance may be considerably delayed. Herein, chemometric analyses were performed with 346 structurally diverse HIV PRIs with experimental bioactivities against a sub-type B mutant to develop highly predictable QSAR models and also to identify the effective structural determinants for higher affinity against HIV PR. The QSAR models were developed using OCHEM-based machine learning tools (ASNN, FSMLR, KNN, RF, MANN and XGBoost), with descriptors calculated by eight different software packages. Simultaneously, a Monte Carlo optimization-based QSAR modelling was performed using SMILES and graph-based descriptors to understand fragment and topochemical contributions. To validate the actual predictability of all these models, an additional set of 104 compounds (also with known experimental activities) with slightly different chemical space were employed. This ligand-based study serves as a crucial benchmark for further development of the HIV protease inhibitors with improved activities.


Plant–soil feedbacks is becoming an important concept for explaining vegetation dynamics, the invasiveness of introduced exotic species in new habitats and how terrestrial ecosystems respond to global land use and climate change. Using a new conceptual model, we show how critical alterations in plant–soil feedback interactions can change the assemblage of plant communities. We highlight recent advances, define terms and identify future challenges in this area of research and discuss how variations in strengths and directions of plant–soil feedbacks can explain succession, invasion, response to climate warming and diversity‐productivity relationships. While there has been a rapid increase in understanding the biological, chemical and physical mechanisms and their interdependencies underlying plant–soil feedback interactions, further progress is to be expected from applying new experimental techniques and technologies, linking empirical studies to modelling and field‐based studies that can include plant–soil feedback interactions on longer time scales that also include long‐term processes such as litter decomposition and mineralization. Significant progress has also been made in analysing consequences of plant–soil feedbacks for biodiversity‐functioning relationships, plant fitness and selection. To further integrate plant–soil feedbacks into ecological theory, it will be important to determine where and how observed patterns may be generalized, and how they may influence evolution. Synthesis. Gaining a greater understanding of plant–soil feedbacks and underlying mechanisms is improving our ability to predict consequences of these interactions for plant community composition and productivity under a variety of conditions. Future research will enable better prediction and mitigation of the consequences of human‐induced global changes, improve efforts of restoration and conservation and promote sustainable provision of ecosystem services in a rapidly changing world.


Our laboratory has previously shown that some gefitinib-insensitive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines exhibit dominant autocrine fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling. Herein, we deployed a whole-genome loss-of-function screen to identify genes whose knockdown potentiated the inhibitory effect of the FGFR inhibitor, AZ8010, in HNSCC cell lines. Three HNSCC cell lines expressing a genome-wide small hairpin RNA (shRNA) library were treated with AZ8010 and the abundance of shRNA sequences was assessed by deep sequencing. Under-represented shRNAs in treated cells are expected to target genes important for survival with AZ8010 treatment. Synthetic lethal hits were validated with specific inhibitors and independent shRNAs. We found that multiple alternate receptors provided protection from FGFR inhibition, including receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), v-erb-b2 erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog 2 (ERBB2), and hepatocyte growth factor receptor (MET). We showed that specific knockdown of either ERBB2 or MET in combination with FGFR inhibition led to increased inhibition of growth relative to FGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment alone. These results were confirmed using specific small molecule inhibitors of either ERBB family members or MET. Moreover, the triple combination of FGFR, MET, and ERBB family inhibitors showed the largest inhibition of growth and induction of apoptosis compared with the double combinations. These results reveal a role for alternate RTKs in maintaining progrowth and survival signaling in HNSCC cells in the setting of FGFR inhibition. Thus, improved therapies for HNSCC patients could involve rationally designed combinations of TKIs targeting FGFR, ERBB family members, and MET.


Introduction: Homeopathy is a widely used therapy in different parts of the world. However, its effectiveness has not been scientifically proven. Objective: To assess the factors associated with the perception of homeopathy scientific validity in Peruvian general practice (GP) physicians. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional analytical study. A group of GP physicians who attended training and career guidance courses on medical specialties and residencies offered by Colegio Medico del Peru (Medical Association of Peru) in 2017 were asked to complete a self-administered survey. The main study variable was evaluated using the following question: Do you consider that homeopathy effectiveness has been scientifically proven? Prevalence ratios (PR) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR), as well as their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated to assess the factors associated with considering homeopathy effectiveness as scientifically proven. Results: 285 GP physicians completed the survey (55.1% were women; median age: 28 years); 67.4% reported having heard about homeopathy, and out of these, 22.5% considered that homeopathy effectiveness was scientifically proven. Perceiving this type of therapy as scientifically valid was more frequent in women (aPR:1.80, 95%CI:1.03-3.16) and less frequent in those who had published at least one scientific paper (aPR:0.23, 95%CI:0.06-0.88). Conclusions: Some respondents consider that homeopathy effectiveness has been scientifically proven. This might be caused by gaps in their medical training regarding alternative and complementary medicine therapies, and the influence that non-formal education has on decision-making in young physicians.


This article deals with Pierre Bourdieu's concept of "symbolic" or "soft" violencein Margaret Drabble's latest novel, The Pure Gold Baby (2013). The novel is about a young anthropologist student, who becomes pregnant whilst in a relationship with her married professor. Her promising academic career and dreams of being a field anthropologist and of returning to Africa are put to one side and she becomes a desk-bound anthropologist in north London while caring for her daughter, the "pure gold baby" of the title, who suffers from serious developmental problems. The article reflects the importance of the ambiguity of narration in the novel in which soft violence is practiced by the author, the narrator, the protagonist, the educational and religious institutions, as well as through the class structure. It shows a complex and interrelated thematic and theoretical strands, discussing the novelist as anthropologist, narration as controlling authorial act, the shift from victimhood to perpetration of violence in the exploration of gender, education and sexuality.It explores the soft violence of racism and colonial exploitation and domination.


This paper focuses on computing first-order theories under either stable model semantics or circumscription. A reduction from first-order theories to logic programs under stable model semantics over finite structures is proposed, and an embedding of circumscription into stable model semantics is also given. Having such reduction and embedding, reasoning problems represented by first-order theories under these two semantics can then be handled by using existing answer set solvers. The effectiveness of this approach in computing hard problems beyond NP is demonstrated by some experiments.


Non-indigenous species continue to be dispersed to new environments and in recent decades the Chinese mitten crab ( Eriocheir sinensis ) continues to be introduced to new environments, including the east coast of North America. A risk assessment was undertaken in order to determine the potential risk posed by Chinese mitten crab to Canadian waters, including both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts (and adjacent inland waters). Most global introductions of mitten crabs either have been attributed to commercial shipping activities or intentional introductions (e.g., as a food source). Chinese mitten crab has been reported from several locations in eastern Canada but the extent of the invasion is not well known. Based on impacts of Chinese mitten crab elsewhere and non-indigenous species in general, there is considerable concern about the potential biological, habitat, and genetic impacts if this species becomes established and spreads in Canada. Life history characteristics of Chinese mitten crab could enhance long-distance natural dispersal and further dispersal via ballast water is probable, but a number of other potential vectors exist. Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a national risk assessment to determine the potential risk posed by this non-indigenous crab in Canada. This assessment included evaluating the probability of arrival, survival, reproduction and spread and associated consequences as a measure of risk. In addition, the risk posed by potential pathogens, parasites or fellow travelers (e.g. other invasive species) was evaluated should Chinese mitten crab be introduced. These components were assessed in an expert peer-review workshop held in February 2008 using the best available information on biology, potential vectors of introduction, and impacts in both native and introduced ranges of Chinese mitten crab. The assessment concluded that Chinese mitten crab generally posed a moderate risk on both coasts although habitat impacts such as riverbank erosion were deemed higher risk. For pathogens, parasites or fellow travelers the risks also were moderate. However, as little is known about many potential pathogens, parasites and fellow travelers of this crab species, with the exception of a lung fluke that could infect humans, there was considerable uncertainty about potential hitchhiking organisms.


Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood. Children with CP often develop abnormal gait patterns such as a shorter and slower step, a limited range-of-motion of the ankle, knee, and hip joints, and abnormal muscle spasticity and activation patterns. Wholebody vibration (WBV) is a new intervention paradigm that has demonstrated its effectiveness in clinical populations such as adults with stroke and children with CP. However, the effect of WBV frequency and amplitude and the optimal intervention dosage have not been fully understood in children with CP. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute effect of singlesession WBV with two different amplitudes on (a) muscle spasticity, spatiotemporal gait parameters, and standing posture, and (b) joint kinematics and muscle activation patterns during walking in children with CP. Ten children with spastic CP aged 7-17 years participated in this study. Two WBV sessions were presented with the same frequency of 20Hz but two amplitudes (low amplitude: 1mm and high amplitude: 2mm). Each vibration session included 6 sets of 90-second vibration exposure and 90-second rest. Modified Ashworth scale, overground walking, and 60second quiet standing tasks were performed at baseline and after each WBV session. Four muscles were studied including lateral gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, vastus lateralis, and biceps femoris from the affected side for those with hemiplegia diagnosis and from the less affected side for those with diplegia diagnosis. For data analysis, participants were categorized into either a high-response (increasing stride length after WBV intervention) or a low-response subgroup (no change in stride length). Both subgroups reduced spasticity after both WBV sessions, and the high-response subgroup displayed a decreased postural sway during standing after the high-amplitude WBV. Both subgroups, especially the high-response subgroup, displayed increased ankle range-of-motion and decreased muscle activity during overground walking, which might be due to the reduced spasticity. Our results suggest that a single-session of WBV intervention with a higher amplitude can induce an acute effect on reducing muscle spasticity and improving motor function in some children with CP. INDEX WORDS: Whole-body vibration; cerebral palsy; gait patterns; balance; joint kinematics; leg muscle activation. EFFECT OF SINGLE-SESSION WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION ON SPASTICITY AND MOTOR FUNCTION OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY


This paper examines how vertical agreements are analysed under Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It observes that, in spite of modernization and the Commission's promise to adopt a more 'effects-based' approach towards vertical agreements, Article 101 analysis has not evolved as might have been anticipated. Rather, it argues that the legal system still fails adequately to reflect, and is out of kilter with, the economic logic of vertical restraints. Not only does it continue to rely heavily on broad presumptions of illegality which are not justified by economic theory or experience (creating a risk of Type I errors), but the dearth of decided cases has meant that a transparent structure for analysing and balancing the competitive harms and benefits of vertical arrangements (especially new online distribution practices) has not developed. This uncertainty has been compounded by the disparities in approach to enforcement emerging at the national level.
The paper considers how best to align EU law with mainstream economic thinking and proposes an approach which focuses more closely on the concepts underpinning the rules than the historic categories of analysis that have, to date, been relied upon. It also suggests how these changes might be effected and an administrable system governing vertical restraints put in place. It argues that, in order to achieve this change, the Commission should publish some carefully selected decisions in relation to vertical agreements, especially more complex effects cases. Such decisions will provide the opportunity for scrutiny of the Commission's policy by the EU courts and ensure that the law in this important area is elucidated, particularly as distribution practices adapt to the challenges presented by the online environment and growth of e-commerce. These decisions, along with the information gathered in the course of the Commission's e-commerce sector inquiry, may provide the crucial foundations for a necessary review and revision of the current regime and guidelines governing vertical agreements in the EU.


Neutron diffraction has been used to investigate the weld residual stresses and the intergranular residual strains in butt-welded 316H pipes. Measurements have been made on pipes subjected to varying degrees of plastic pre-straining before welding, in order to assess the effects of plastic strain on the weld residual stresses and the intergranular strains in the material. The intergranular strains following plastic deformation will also be affected by the annealing effect of the welding. Pipes were initially prepared with plastic strain of 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25% plastic deformation. Thereafter, the pipes were cut in half and welded with a circumferential butt-weld. Bar specimens were extracted from the remote end of the 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25% pre-strained and welded pipes. Cross-weld bar specimens were also machined from the 0 and 20% pre-strained and welded pipes. Neutron diffraction measurements were made at ENGIN-X, ISIS and FRM-II, Munich. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the intergranular strains developed after pre-straining from measurements made in remote bar specimens from the remote-end of the pipes. The annealing effect of the welding cycle on the intergranular strains is also studied, with measurements done at several points on cross-weld bar specimens, obtaining the strain response of different hkl lattice planes. The results show that the {200} and {220} planes are at the extremes of response during loading. Furthermore, the welding thermal cycling relaxed the intergranular strains from the prior plastic deformation.


Background Weight loss and anorexia are symptoms of cancer cachexia syndrome. They are experienced by up to 80% of patients with advanced cancer and can be distressing for both patients and their family members. A Post Doctoral Fellowship funded by Macmillan Cancer Support (2008–11) has enabled the development of the first psycho-educational family intervention for cachexia-related problems: the Family Approach to Weight loss and Eating (FAWE). Aim To report a Phase I proof of concept study of FAWE, with scope as defined by the Medical Research Council's guidelines for developing a complex intervention. Methods The study was a mixed-methods investigation of the acceptability and feasibility of FAWE, including observation of its benefits and potential harms. The study protocol was completed by 16/20 purposively selected patient-family carer community-dwelling dyads in the South of England in 2010/11. Research interviews, which included the FAWE intervention, were of 30–135 min duration (median 72 min) and conducted in the dyads' homes. A User Involvement Group (consumers, dietitians, clinical psychologists, nurses specialists, family therapists and academics) were engaged across the course of the study, so that expert opinion informed data analysis and refinement of the FAWE intervention. Results The patient-family carer dyads comprised seven female and nine male patients (age range 41–84 years) and their carers. The techniques used in the three step FAWE intervention were observed to facilitate the intended talk, without apparent adverse consequences. Patient-family carer dyads were found accepting of and to express satisfaction with a nurse delivered intervention that provides both information about eating well with cancer cachexia and that aids perspective taking, talk about food and feelings and talk about how family members help each other with cachexia-related problems. Conclusion FAWE should now be tested in a pilot trial for effect on emotional health outcomes in patients and their family carers.


BACKGROUND
The present study was designed to compare hand function in autistic children with history of upper extremity trauma with that of autistic children those who do not have history of trauma.

METHODS
The study group included total of 65 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and was divided into 2 groups: children with trauma history (Group I) and control group (Group II) (Group I: n=28; Group II: n=37). Hand function was evaluated with 9-Hole Peg Test and Jebsen Hand Function Test. Somatosensory function was evaluated using somatosensory subtests of Sensory Integration and Praxis Test. Results were analyzed with Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test using SPSS version 20 software.

RESULTS
Hand function and somatosensory perception test scores were statistically significantly better in children without upper extremity trauma history (p<0.05). When association between hand function tests and upper extremity somatosensory perception tests was taken into account, statistically significant correlations were found between all parameters of hand function tests and Manual Form Perception and Localization of Tactile Stimuli Test results (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
Autistic children with upper extremity trauma history had poor somatosensory perception and hand function. It is important to raise awareness among emergency service staff and inform them about strong relationship between somatosensory perception, hand function, and upper extremity trauma in children with ASD in order to develop appropriate rehabilitation process and prevent further trauma.


Abstract. High concentrations of organic matter accumulated in marine sediments during Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) in the Cretaceous. Model studies examining these events invariably make use of global ocean circulation models. In this study, a regional model for the North Atlantic Basin during OAE2 at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary has been developed. A first order check of the results has been performed by comparison with the results of a recent global Cenomanian CCSM3 run, from which boundary and initial conditions were obtained. The regional model is able to maintain tracer patterns and to produce velocity patterns similar to the global model. The sensitivity of the basin tracer and circulation patterns to changes in the geometry of the connections with the global ocean is examined with three experiments with different bathymetries near the sponges. Different geometries turn out to have little effect on tracer distribution, but do affect circulation and upwelling patterns. The regional model is also used to test the hypothesis that ocean circulation may have been behind the deposition of black shales during OAEs. Three scenarios are tested which are thought to represent pre-OAE, OAE and post-OAE situations. Model results confirm that Pacific intermediate inflow together with coastal upwelling could have enhanced primary production during OAE2. A low sea level in the pre-OAE scenario could have inhibited large scale black shale formation, as could have the opening of the Equatorial Atlantic Seaway in the post-OAE scenario.


This paper examines an economy in which agents with private information about their own productive capabilities seek to raise capital to fund their investment projects. We employ an equilibrium concept which is closely related to Coalition Proof Nash Equilibrium. In equilibrium, all agents who succeed in raising capital (entrepreneurs) are pooled; they all receive the same contract or consumption schedule. Entrepreneurs, however, are separated from those who fail to raise capital. This separation results in productive efficiency for the economy. If the economy has no viable alternative investment opportunity (other than agents' projects) then equilibrium allocations can be supported by a (non-intermediated) securities market. If there is a viable alternative, the equilibrium allocations can only be supported through the formation of a form of financial intermediary coalition. ; A preliminary draft of this paper was presented at the 1990 meeting of the WEA. We would like to thank Paul Fisher for his comments on that earlier draft. We have also benefited from extensive discussions with Charles Kahn. His comments, and those of Nicholas Yannelis and other participants in the University of Illinois Microeconomic Theory workshop and the Purdue Macroeconomics workshop are greatly appreciated. As the authors retain mutual responsibility for all errors, past, present and future, comments continue to be appreciated. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond or the Federal Reserve Board.


Dynamic load balancing strategies for minimizing the execution time of single applications running in parallel on multicomputer systems are discussed. Dynamic load balancing (DLB) is essential for the efficient use of highly parallel systems when solving non-uniform problems with unpredictable load estimates. With the evolution of more highly parallel systems, centralized DLB approaches which make use of a high degree of knowledge become less feasible due to the load balancing communication overhead. Five DLB strategies are presented which illustrate the tradeoff between 1) knowledge - the accuracy of each balancing decision, and 2) overhead - the amount of added processing and communication incurred by the balancing process. All five strategies have been implemented on an Inter iPSC/2 hypercube. >


ABSTRACT This paper assesses coordination as a salient capability of international interventions in complex settings characterised by weak stakes, the dominance of political elites whose interest in reforms is questionable and multiple local and international stakeholders. It focuses on the challenge of integrating a range of national and international actors and multiple policy domains, assessing this operational capability in terms of a Whole-of-Society approach. Using the example of the EU's intervention in Kosovo through the mechanisms of the EULEX mission, and the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, the paper argues that the EU's impact in Kosovo was weakened by its limited ability to include and engage a broad range of local stakeholders. While a Whole-of-Society approach could address this weakness, the paper also argues that a better understanding of the context-specific opportunities and limitations placed on international organisations like the EU is needed.


The paper finds Okun's coefficient for Kenya to be 0.12 over the period 1991-2012, instead of 0.3. This implies that to reduce unemployment rate in Kenya by 1 percent, real GDP must grow by at least 10 percent. Given the real GDP targets for the period 2012-2018, it is feasible for Kenya to achieve 4 percent unemployment rate in the 5 years but if the economy continues to consistently grow at 4.6 percent realized in 2013 it will take at least 10 years to achieve it that is by 2022. The study used cointegration and error correction model having found that the series were normal and integrated of order 1. Cointegration was confirmed by using Engle-Granger two stages process. The recovery rates of errors were found to be 55 percent and 38 percent in the short run and long run respectively. It is recommended that Kenya should target 4 percent unemployment rate by 2018, place or strengthen strategies controlling structural and seasonal unemployment, and encourage an annual 10 percent increase in consumption, investment and government spending.


Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in the warm areas of South Asia is severely affected by spot blotch caused by Cochliobolus sativus. There are several inoculum sources suspected to harbor C. sativus during the off season. This study was conducted to determine survival and potential sources of C. sativus inoculum from rice stubble, wheat seed, soil and weeds in three cropping systems (wheat-rice, wheat-fallow and wheat-green manure) during the 2004 and 2005 wheat growing seasons at Rampur, Nepal. Wheat seed, soil and rice stubble in the field, and weed plants in and around research plots were examined for the presence of the pathogen. Koch's postulates were applied to verify representative strains. The pathogen was found in the wheat seed at moderate to high levels, but was absent in soil samples and rice stubble collected from the field before wheat was sown after rice. Weeds such as Blumea sp., Dichanthium annulatum, Digitaria ciliaris, Phalaris minor, Saccharum officinarum, Axonopus compressus, Brachiaria mutica, Eleusine coracana, Panicum sp., Paspalum scrobiculatum, Pennisetum purpureum, Setaria italica, Zea mays and Zizania aquatica harbored C. sativus. The C. sativus strains isolated from these weeds infected wheat by producing typical spot blotch symptoms. It is concluded that the weeds prevalent in different cropping sequences and on adjacent uncultivated land can serve as secondary hosts for C. sativus. This study presents important new information that could assist in better understanding spot blotch epidemiology and in developing integrated management strategies for spot blotch of wheat in the warmer growing regions of South Asia.


Character identification is a task of entity linking that finds the global entity of each personal mention in multiparty dialogue. For this task, the first two seasons of the popular TV show Friends are annotated, comprising a total of 448 dialogues, 15,709 mentions, and 401 entities. The personal mentions are detected from nominals referring to certain characters in the show, and the entities are collected from the list of all characters in those two seasons of the show. This task is challenging because it requires the identification of characters that are mentioned but may not be active during the conversation. Among 90+ participants, four of them submitted their system outputs and showed strengths in different aspects about the task. Thorough analyses of the distributed datasets, system outputs, and comparative studies are also provided. To facilitate the momentum, we create an open-source project for this task and publicly release a larger and cleaner dataset, hoping to support researchers for more enhanced modeling.


Abstract Over 50 years of nuclear fuels and materials irradiation testing has led to many countries developing significant improvements in instrumentation to monitor physical parameters and to control the test conditions in material test reactors (MTRs). Recently, there is increased interest to irradiate new materials and reactor fuels for advanced pressurized water reactors and Gen-IV reactor systems, such as sodium-cooled fast reactors, very high temperature reactors, supercritical water–cooled reactors, and gas-cooled fast reactors. This review paper documents the current state of instrumentation technologies in MTRs in the world and summarizes ongoing research efforts to deploy new sensors. As described in this paper, a wide range of sensors is available to measure key parameters of interest during fuels and materials irradiations in MTRs. Ongoing development efforts focus on providing MTR users a wider range of parameter measurements with smaller, higher accuracy sensors.


The most awkward moment at that faculty meeting occurred when a certain senior colleague in the department replied, "Well, when my wife was pregnant, she gave birth during spring break and didn't miss a day of class." Despite backstage reassurances that these were unrealistic expectations, those who were pregnant experienced an unspoken pressure that failure to minimize the interference of impending parenthood on their careers threatened public impressions of their professionalism. The major component of this performance was the management of images and identities-the struggles of negotiating the integration and blurring of the boundaries between parent and professional; private lives and public roles; pregnant body and professional entity.


: The birthweights and daily liveweights for 87 male and 99 female pigs reared under drylot conditions were obtained over a 3-week period and used to construct a growth curve for the very young male and female pig. Analysis of variance was used to test litter and sex main effects and the litter x sex interaction effect on liveweight. The daily standard deviations of the 186 pig sample were calculated and are presented in graphic form. No significant difference between the growth of male and female pigs of this young age were found. The average birth and first-, second- and third-week liveweights and standard deviations were 1.1±.12, 2.0±.27, 3.3±.48 and 5.0±.74 kg., respectively, for the pooled male and female observations. Analysis of variance of the data indicated significant differences in growth due to litter effects for all of the 21 days of the experiment, but there was generally no significant difference due to sex and no sex x litter interaction.


Therapeutic drug monitoring is used to individualize cyclosporine A (CsA) dosing after transplantation. However, immunosuppressant concentrations within the graft may better predict clinical outcomes, including toxicity. This study aimed to develop a method suitable for CsA measurement using routine fine-needle biopsy samples. CsA was quantified retrospectively in kidney and liver tissues from 10 rats administered CsA, and 21 core needle kidney biopsies taken from renal transplant patients with suspected graft dysfunction. Dried biopsies were weighed (mean ± SD weights of 0.22 ± 0.18 mg), enzymatically solubilized, and then CsA was extracted and quantified using online 2-dimensional liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The method was linear (r2 > 0.997, n = 10), accurate, and precise (quality control and calibrator coefficient of variation and bias <15%), with minimal matrix effects (coefficient of variation and bias <15%). Reproducibility of tissue weight measurements was confirmed by retrospective DNA quantitation, with a significant linear correlation between weight and total DNA concentration (r2 = 0.988). In rats, there was a significant linear correlation between CsA concentrations in liver and kidney tissues (r2 = 0.996) but there was no correlation between blood (C0) and tissue CsA concentrations (Spearman r = 0.430 and 0.503, P > 0.05). Similarly, in 16 transplant patients, for whom blood CsA concentrations (C2) were available within 1 day of the renal biopsy being performed, there was no significant correlation between CsA concentrations in blood and kidney tissue (Spearman r = 0.168, P > 0.05). In situ CsA measurements acquired using this method could make an easy transition into clinical use due to their retrospective nature and minimal disruption to current clinical protocols and could provide an additional tool for optimizing clinical outcomes in the future.


The multiple linkages between gender and household food security in cities have been observed in diverse settings, at multiple scales, and through a variety of disciplinary lenses. The Hungry Cities Partnership is rooted in the importance of inclusive growth of cities, which includes a fundamental concern with genderbased injustices that reduce inclusivity, sustainability and food security by underpinning structural poverty. This discussion paper is motivated by the gap in policy-ready quantitative data needed to identify the ways in which gender inequality, food insecurity, and public policy are interconnected. Analysis of the 2014 survey of household food security in Maputo identified female headship as a household attribute closely associated with food insecurity and yet the employment and education status of the head largely mitigated the effect of female headship on food security. Using household survey data, this investigation defines the extent to which the relationship between the sex of the household head and food insecurity appears to be conditionally dependent upon employment and education. The findings provide further impetus to urban policy makers to operationalize gender-equality goals. For Hungry Cities researchers, it provides a model for gender-based analysis of household food security in other cities.


&NA; Epidemiologic studies suggest an inverse association of tea consumption with cardiovascular disease. The antioxidant effects of flavonoids in tea (including preventing oxidative damage to LDL) are among the potential mechanisms that could underlie the protective effects. Other possible mechanisms include attenuating the inflammatory process in atherosclerosis, reducing thrombosis, promoting normal endothelial function, and blocking expression of cellular adhesion molecules. Cocoa and chocolate can also be rich sources of flavonoids. Flavanols and procyanidins isolated from cocoa exhibit strong antioxidant properties in‐vitro. In acute feeding studies, flavanol‐rich cocoa and chocolate increased plasma antioxidant capacity and reduced platelet reactivity. Based on limited data, approximately 150 mg of flavonoids is needed to trigger a rapid antioxidant effect and changes in prostacyclin. Some dose‐response evidence demonstrates an antioxidant effect with approximately 500 mg flavonoids. Brewed tea typically contains approximately 172 mg total flavonoids per 235 ml (brewed for 2 min); hence, consumption of 1 and 3.5 cups of tea would be expected to elicit acute and chronic physiologic effects, respectively. Chocolate is more variable with some products containing essentially no flavonoids (0.09 mg procyanidin/g), whereas others are high in flavonoids (4 mg procyanidin/g). Thus, approximate estimates of flavonoid rich chocolate needed to exert acute and chronic effects are 38 and 125 g, respectively. Collectively, the antioxidant effects of flavonoid‐rich foods may reduce cardiovascular disease risk.


It is always a strong motivation for aeronautic researchers and engineers to reduce the aircraft emissions or even to achieve emission-free air transport. In this paper, the impacts of different game-changing technologies together on the reduction of aircraft fuel consumption and emissions are studied. In particular, a general tool has been developed for the technology assessment, integration and also for the overall aircraft multidisciplinary design optimization. The validity and robustness of the tool has been verified through comparative and sensitivity studies. The overall aircraft level technology assessment and optimization showed that promising fuel efficiency improvements are possible. Though, additional strategies are required to reach the aviation emission reduction goals for short and medium range configurations.


Declines in marine predator populations have been attributed to anthropogenic activity and environmental change. Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina are major consumers of biomass in the eastern region of the Southern Ocean and have been declining in numbers since the 1960s. Previous studies have identified evidence for habitat and diet partitioning over a range of spatial and temporal scales between juveniles and adults in the Macquarie Island population. We first analysed the stable isotopes (SI) of 6 entire vibrissae from a dead adult female southern elephant seal from Kerguelen Islands to determine moult and growth patterns. Secondly we analysed the SI from the vibrissae of 102 juvenile southern elephant seals to investigate diet. The results from the growth pattern analysis indicated that vibrissae do not grow or moult simultaneously. However, it is likely that at least part of the vibrissae will have been produced sometime during the most recent trip to sea and will give a broad indication of diet. The subsequent SI analysis confirmed that juveniles are consuming greater proportions of fish species, and identified myctophids as the primary component of juvenile diet. Myctophids are also consumed by king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus which have greatly increased in numbers recently in the Macquarie Island area. This may have presented the juvenile southern elephant seals with increased competition and may influence survival.


Corn (maize, Zea mays L.) is one of the world's most economically important grain crops. When exposed to heat, its starch-filled kernels pop and cook into puffs. The high demand for popcorn has spurred research to discover traits that dictate its idiosyncratic popping abilities. The purpose of this investigation is to study favorable popping traits and locate the regions on the maize chromosomes that show affiliation with such traits. Traits of interest include the kernel popping efficiency, the kernel popping expansion volume, the popping phenotype, and the average kernel size. In this study, kernel popping characteristics were assessed on 112 recombinant inbred corn lines from a large field population made by crossing B73 dent corn with popcorn line HP301. With a genetic marker linkage map available for the ten maize chromosomes, an analytical procedure called quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was done to determine chromosomal regions in the maize genome that may be important in the popping phenotype, based on the traits analyzed. QTL computer analysis revealed two QTLs for kernel popping efficiency on chromosomes 7 and 8, two additional QTLs for popping expansion volume on chromosomes 1 and 3, two QTLs for average kernel size on chromosomes 1 and 3, and one popping phenotype QTL on chromosome 2. The results of the QTL and maize phenotype correlation studies have relevance for better understanding the molecular basis of the popping phenotype. Furthermore, they could have practical applications in enhancing marketable popcorn.


This book consolidates scholarship on Gujarat in English and other European languages, notably, Dutch, German, French, Italian and Portuguese. It draws together well-known sources, as well as rare and under-exploited research material. Detailed bibliographical references are provided for books, chapters, periodical literature, dissertations, project-reports, other materials published since 1800; anonymous works and select government publications, such as gazetteers and census reports, are also included. The titles considered spread across the disciplinary boundaries of history, political and development studies, literature and the liberal arts, sociology, cultural and social anthropology. In these respects, the book is a comprehensive introduction to modern traditions of scholarship on Gujarat.

The reader is however also encouraged to treat the references as artefacts of power – each entry playing some role in the way we have come to know what we know about Gujarat today. Writing often has a social life, entertaining relations with other texts, with other authors, and with a readership. Annotations pointing to some of these connections are provided, especially when titles are uninformative, argument, data or provenance notable, or when serendipity has demanded. In this respect, the text can be read to trace the genealogy of certain ideas, regional traditions and preoccupations in the literature. Taken as a whole, the book can be read creatively as an alternative form of regional history, as a condensation of the literature from which current ideas about Gujarat have been formed.

The book also contains a substantial introduction based on new and original research on the key themes in the literature on Gujarat and how these themes spill into popular politics and life in the region at present.

Society and History of Gujarat since 1800: A Select Bibliography of the English and European Language Sources is an invaluable guide to anyone interested in modern Gujarat, an audience which will include activists, administrators, scholars, students and others with critically informed minds.


The verbal content of interactions (what was said and who said what) can be important as evidence and intelligence information. Across three empirical studies, we examined memory for details of an overheard (Experiment 1) or witnessed (Experiments 2 and 3) conversation using a timeline technique adapted for the reporting of conversations between multiple speakers. Although participants in all conditions received the same general instructions, participants assigned to timeline reporting format reported more verbatim information and made fewer sequencing errors than those using a free recall format. In Experiments 2 and 3, using an extended version of the technique, participants using the timeline reporting format also reported more correct speaker attributions and provided more information about the individuals involved, without compromising accuracy rates. With a large effect size across experiments, these findings suggest that timeline reporting formats facilitate the reporting of episodic memories and benefit the reporting of conversations.


For the past decade, western public discourse and the policy world have become increasingly concerned about 'irregular' migration and, to a slightly lesser extent perhaps, what driving role conflict and climate change play in triggering it. Addressing the causes and effects requires having a better understanding of the impacts that climate change has on multi-dimensional crises and the knock-on effect this has on migration. A key factor in understanding how these processes affect different women, girls, men, boys and other gender identities is gender. Much of the analysis, however, has tended to be based on relatively simplistic teleological models and gender stereotypes. Based on case studies, this article argues for more nuanced understandings of how gender and other societal markers affect people differently in different contexts of crisis and climate change-related migration to better formulate policy responses.


Self-concept refers to the totality of a complex, organized, and dynamic system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions that each person holds to be true about his or her personal existence. Parental upbringing, continuous failure, depression and internal self-critic are factors that influence the development of one's self-concept. A positive self-concept can be developed through behave objectively in knowing oneself, always appreciate oneself, be friend to oneself and always have a positive and rational thinking. Educational psychology can be referred to a distinct scientific discipline within psychology that includes both method of study and a resulting knowledge base. It is believed that the development of student's self-concept depends on the focus of educators in educational psychology in classroom practice. Educational psychology provides important background knowledge that pre-service and in-service educators can use as the foundation for professional practice. A positive self-concept can contribute to good academic achievement by student's optimistic personal expectations about himself or herself.


This paper proposes and experimentally validates a Bayesian network model of a range finder adapted to dynamic environments. All modeling assumptions are rigorously explained, and all model parameters have a physical interpretation. This approach results in a transparent and intuitive model. With respect to the state of the art beam model this paper: (i) proposes a different functional form for the probability of range measurements caused by unmodeled objects, (ii) intuitively explains the discontinuity encountered in the state of the art beam model, and (iii) reduces the number of model parameters, while maintaining the same representational power for experimental data. The proposed beam model is called RBBM, short for Rigorously Bayesian Beam Model. A maximum likelihood and a variational Bayesian estimator (both based on expectation-maximization) are proposed to learn the model parameters.

Furthermore, the RBBM is extended to a full scan model in two steps: first, to a full scan model for static environments and next, to a full scan model for general, dynamic environments. The full scan model accounts for the dependency between beams and adapts to the local sample density when using a particle filter. In contrast to Gaussian-based state of the art models, the proposed full scan model uses a sample-based approximation. This sample-based approximation enables handling dynamic environments and capturing multimodality, which occurs even in simple static environments.


This article is the result of research into the genesis and evolution of the modern state in England and France between the end of the Middle Ages and the close of the 17th century, in a Europe ripped apart by religious wars and dynastic crises, a Europe in the midst of the colonial 'adventure', torn between scientific and philosophical development and religious obscurantism. During a time when decisions by Popes end one war and start another, when Paris is well worth a mass and sometimes not, when the Turks threaten Catholic Europe from the East and when the Hapsburgs rule an empire where "the sun never sets", new powers rise from the ashes of the former giants of Europe, with the small United Provinces, densely populated France and insular England fighting the Crowns of Spain and Portugal and their respective professional armies for the dominion of the world. From an examination of macro-systemic and specific studies by current day professors, which focus primarily on economic and political issues but also on social and military matters, I have tried to present a clear, chronological reconstruction of how Valois, the Tudors, the Stuarts and the English revolution contributed to the creation of the national monarchy and the evolution of the idea of the state, a state which at the dawn of the 16th century is the private concern of the king and his circle of aristocratic warlords, and which, by the end of the 17th century, is governed by tried and tested bureaucratic systems.1


This paper presents HyperBone, an overlay network based on a virtual hypercube that offers services such as monitoring and routing, allowing the execution of distributed applications across the Internet hypercubes are scalable by definition, presenting several properties such as symmetry and logarithmic diameter, that are advantageous for distributed and parallel applications. HyperBone nodes run the distributed virtual hypercube algorithm (DiVHA) in order to maintain the topology. DiVHA keeps the hypercube properties even when the number of nodes is not a power of two, or under a dynamic fault situation, in which nodes fail and recover continuously, leaving and joining the system. HyperBone was implemented and experimental results are presented, obtained from the execution of a set of MPI parallel applications on a virtual hypercube spread across the world built with PlanetLab nodes.


This controlled descriptive study was designed to investigate the psychological status of couples who are engaged in advanced fertility treatments. A battery of psychological test instruments, including the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI), the Health Attribution Test (HAT), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS), was used to measure psychological variables that have been shown in the infertility research literature to be associated with the psychological experiences of infertility patients. The scores from the four assessment instruments were compared with those of pregnant couples in childbirth education classes to differentiate the impact of stress associated with fertility treatment from the stress experienced by third trimester pregnant couples. Eighty-five subjects (42 male and 43 female) volunteered for the study and completed packets of questionnaires. The groups were designated Treatment (infertile couples) and Control (pregnant couples). The resulting data were collected and analyzed on the basis of group mean scores on the test instruments.


"Cytochromes P450s are present in all forms of life and play an important role in the oxidative transformation of endogeneous and exogeneous molecules. P450 2E1 is a major isoform of cytochrome. The consumption of herbal products in the world is increasing greatly during last decade. The concurrent use of herbal products with prescription carries a risk for unanticipated adverse herb-drug pharmacokinetic interaction, particularly as a result of cytochrome P450 2E1 inhibition. In this research, the preparation and purification of extract of Green Tea, Goldenseal, Echinacea and Spilanthes was performed. In addition, P450 2E1 related activities were to be examined with respect to inhibition by four potential different inhibitors, including GTE, Goldenseal, Echinacea and Spilanthes. The objective of this research is to determine whether herbal products, such as GTE, Goldenseal, Echinacea and Spilanthes, inhibit the activity of the human P450 2E1 enzymes."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.


publishes original articles on the function of the nervous system. It is published 12 times a year Journal of Neurophysiology


It is my thesis that a cost-effective motion capture system for wireless 3D controllers can be developed through the use of low-cost inertial measurement devices and camera systems. Current optical motion capture systems require a number of expensive high-speed cameras. The use of such systems is impractical for many applications due to its high cost. This is particularly true for consumer-level wireless 3D controllers. More importantly, optical systems are capable of directly tracking an object with only three degrees of freedom. The proposed system attempts to solve these issues by combining a low-cost camera system with low-cost micromachined inertial measurement devices such as accelerometers and gyro sensors to provide accurate motion tracking with a full six degrees of freedom. The proposed system combines the data collected from the various sensors in the system to obtain position information about the wireless 3D controller with 6 degrees of freedom. The system utilizes a number of calibration, error correction, and sensor fusion techniques to accomplish this task. The key advantage of the proposed system is that it combines the high long-term accuracy and low frequency nature of the camera system and complements it with the low long-term accuracy and high frequency nature of the inertial measurement devices to produce a system with a high level of long-term accuracy with detailed high frequency information about the motion of the wireless 3D controller.


The disposal of aquaculture waste from freshwater pond systems on the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, is causing serious pollution of waterways. Currently, there are few treatment options available for aquaculture wastes. This study investigates the use of vermicomposting to treat the solid component of the waste, aquaculture sludge (AS). Perionyx excavatus was used to vermicompost various proportions of AS, rice straw (RS) and water hyacinth (WH). Worm mortality rates ranged from 28 to 77% but there were no significant differences between treatments. Worm reproduction appeared to be increased where higher proportions (> 80%) of AS were used however the treatment with 100% AS had the lowest number of juvenile worms (1.3 ± 0.3 per 50 g substrate). Total N increased significantly with increasing bulking material and final values ranged from 0.4 to 0.9%. Total phosphorus (P), potassium (K), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and available P and K were significantly higher in treatments with WH than treatments with RS as a bulking material due to the initial composition of this material. It was concluded that AS from freshwater pond systems on the Mekong Delta can be effectively treated by vermicomposting and may have potential for subsequent use as an agricultural fertiliser.


The response of the international community to the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by a lack of transparency, substantial gaps in scientific understanding, inconsistent communication, lack of capacity for the manufacture of vaccines, substantial gaps in preparedness for diagnostics and personal protective equipment, absence to date of an effective treatment, and political conflict. What makes most of these problems the more glaring is that we understood the gaps well in advance, but we were not prepared to address them.

Regrettably for the international community, the pandemic struck during a confluence of political trends that culminated in strong nationalist and anti-science political movements.

Can International law provide a more resilient framework in which the decisions of national leaders during crisis are less likely to cause harm? A framework in which we are less susceptible to ad hoc and incoherent decision making? In a way we are asking whether international law can child-proof the working space of global public health, making it less susceptible to the transient ebb and flow of national political leaders?

A fully functioning global public health system would prepare us in advance to address viral and other pathogenic outbreaks in terms of robust R&D platforms and sound manufacturing infrastructure. It would alert us to an outbreak at the earliest possible date, and it would instruct us regarding the appropriate interim protective measures to take, all without triggering perceptions of personal insecurity that lead to social unrest and conflict.

While flagging some of the potential obstacles it is nevertheless worth considering the possibility for a comprehensive International arrangement to prepare for and address future pandemic outbreaks. Given the many interests implicated by pandemic outbreaks – which COVID-19 reminds us can have extensive and devastating impacts around the world – it might be well to envisage a self-standing regime, or a regime negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations. This would take into account the "political equality" of the principal multilateral institutions.

An international convention or other mechanism to address a pandemic must create winners. It cannot be perceived as depriving Party A to satisfy the needs of Party B.


MshB, a zinc-based deacetylase, catalyses a step in the mycothiol biosynthetic pathway that involves the deacetylation of 1-O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl)-D-myo-inositol (GlcNAc-Ins), via cleavage of an amide bond, to 1-O-(2-amino-2-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl)-D-myo-inositol (GlcN-Ins) and acetate. In this study, MshB was expressed, purified and crystallized. A new crystal form was encountered in 0.1 M sodium acetate, 0.2 M ammonium sulfate, 25% PEG 4000 pH 4.6. The crystals diffracted to 1.95 Å resolution and the resulting electron-density map revealed glycerol and the reaction product, acetate, in the active site. These ligands enabled the natural substrate GlcNAc-Ins to be modelled in the active site with some certainty. One acetate O atom is hydrogen bonded to Tyr142 and is located 2.5 Å from the catalytic zinc. The other acetate O atom is located 2.7 Å from a carboxylate O atom of Asp15. This configuration strongly suggests that Asp15 acts both as a general base catalyst in the nucleophilic attack of water on the amide carbonyl C atom and in its protonated form acts as a general acid to protonate the amide N atom. The configuration of Tyr142 differs from that observed previously in crystal structures of MshB (PDB entries 1q74 and 1q7t) and its location provides direct structural support for recently published biochemical and mutational studies suggesting that this residue is involved in a conformational change on substrate binding and contributes to the oxyanion hole that stabilizes the tetrahedral intermediate.


Research was undertaken in Christchurch, New Zealand to investigate motor vehicle behavior near bicycle facilities at signalized intersections. Motorists not keeping clear of such facilities may limit their usefulness and safety for bicyclists. The main research objective was to assess motorists' avoidance of colored facilities in comparison to uncolored ones. The research also investigated if wide combined bicycle and traffic lanes encourage drivers to queue side-by-side, thereby encroaching into bicyclist spaces. 18 sites were identified to evaluate the effect of colored surfacing and lane widths on the rate at which motorists encroach on marked bicycle spaces. The sites contained either Advanced Stop Lines (ASL) or Advanced Stop Boxes (ASB) and were a mix of colored and uncolored facilities with "narrow" and "wide" lane combinations. Manual surveys were carried out to observe the positions of motor vehicles in relation to the bicycle facilities. Four of the uncolored sites were then colored and "after" surveys conducted. The results showed that drivers were much less likely to encroach on colored bicycle spaces in comparison to uncolored ones, particularly ASLs. Motorists were also more likely to encroach on bicycle lanes in "wide" lane combinations. It is recommended that road agencies continue coloring new and existing bicycle facilities at intersections, with preference given to existing ASLs over ASBs and sites with wider approaches. Traffic and bicycle lane combinations greater than 5.0 m (16½ ft) should also be avoided if separate turning traffic lanes are not present.


Almost all bodily functions are dependent on the functioning of the autonomic nervous system– from the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal tract, the evacuative and sexual organs, to the regulation of temperature, metabolism and tissue defense. Balanced functioning of this system is an important basis of our life and well-being. The Integrative Action of the Autonomic Nervous System: Neurobiology of Homeostasis gives a detailed description of the cellular and integrative organization of the autonomic nervous system, covering both peripheral and central aspects. It brings to light modern neurobiological concepts that allow understanding of why the healthy system runs so smoothly and why its deterioration has such disastrous consequences. This broad overview will appeal to advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying the neurobiology of the autonomic nervous system within the various biological and medical sciences and will give access to ideas propagated in psychosomatic disease and alternative medicines.


This thesis is a study of patterns and differentials in nuptiality and marital fertility in Kenya using data from the Kenya Fertility Survey undertaken in 1977/78 jointly by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Kenya and the World Fertility Survey, London of the International Statistical Institute. Such a survey as this, like many others carried out by the World Fertility Survey in both developing and developed countries, has provided an unprecedented opportunity for greater understanding of the relationship between nuptiality and fertility on the one hand and nuptiality, fertility and socio-economic factors on the other. Such information is very crucial in the formulation and implementation of socio-economic and cultural development plans. The results of this study have confirmed that marriage is a universal and stable institution and that women marry young. Median age at marriage is 18,7 with education having the greatest influence on age at marriage as it provides alternative options to early marriage. However, polygamy is still widespread, accounting for about 30 per cent among all married women in the childbearing age range. Associated with this cultural phenomenon, most Kenyan women marry only once while men often marry women much younger than themselves and with either similar or lower level of education. The study has also confirmed that inspite of the recent rise in age at marriage especially among the young population during the last 15-20 years, corresponding to the expansion in education services and to increased urbanization, fertility remains one of the highest in the world. However, education and urbanization appear to have the greatest influence on fertility. Women with secondary and higher education experience the lowest fertility and women with lower primary education, the highest. Rural-urban differentials in fertility were found to be even more marked, with metro politan women having, on average, one child less than rural residents. This seems to be one of the few African countries south of the Sahara where there is convincing evidence of rural-urban differential in fertility in the expected direction. Polygamous women, too, were found to have lower fertility than their monogamous counterparts. The study of the proximate determinants of fertility (intermediate fertility variables) using Bongaarts model suggested that the proportion married among the population, level of use of contraception and postpartum infecundability (influenced by breastfeeding) are significant in explaining marital fertility differentials. Modernization in the form of education and urbanization has had offsetting effects upon the intermediate variables by reducing lactation and increasing contraception. However, the proportion using contraception (limited mainly among those with secondary and higher education and the metropolitan residents) is too small to have any significant impact on the overall level of fertility. The lower level of fertility observed particularly among the metropolitan, coast and Muslim categories of population may be accounted for by the prevalence of venereal diseases, unreported contraception and induced abortion.