Jeremy Salt, The Unmaking of the Middle East: A History of Western Disorder in Arab Lands. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. ISBN 9780520255517. Jeremy Salt claims that his purpose in writing this book is to inform the general reader about the background to events in the Middle East. He begins his discussion on the assumption that the strategic and commercial issues of certain Western governments have been the cause of confrontations in the Middle East. He dismisses discussions of cultural, civilizational and political differences between the West and the Middle East as no more than justification for Western strategic and economic interests. However in so doing he fails to take into consideration the very factors which help the observer to understand the causes and consequences of events as they unfold. Furthermore much historical information is left out so that what comes across is a very one-sided view, most evidently in his treatment of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The purpose is to leave no doubt in the mind of the reader that the West, in particular Britain and the US, is the cause of aggression. In the first chapter the author provides an extensive overview on the debates on civilizational differences. He takes great issue with the term "clash of civilizations," used by Bernard Lewis and Samuel Huntington to describe the cultural and religious differences between Muslims and the West in particular. The chapter concludes that Huntington's use of the term "Islam's bloody borders" is untrue. In Huntington's view the Muslim manner of dealing with the "clash of civilizations" is, more often than not, to resort to violence. Salt then continues to give a descriptive account of the relations between the West and Middle Eastern countries with the sole purpose it seems of proving that it is in fact Britain and the United States that are the cause of military conflict. Salt begins his narrative with a description of how the actions of the European powers led to the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. He gives a lot of detail of the suffering and casualties of Muslims during the First World War and the conflicts leading to the Great War. Attention is then turned to the settlement of Jews in Palestine and the development of hostilities between Jews and Palestinians. It is in this section that the bias is most apparent. He asserts that Britain lacked a susceptible minority in Palestine, "so Britain created one by fostering Zionist settlement". Anyone with any knowledge of modern Jewish history would immediately be aware of the absurdity of this statement. The distortions are too numerous to elaborate in this review. It is only possible to give a couple of examples. At one stage Salt provides detailed figures on Jewish immigration from the 1920s through to the 1940s. He does note that the numbers increased markedly after the National Socialist party came to power in Germany, but he gives no explanation for the Jews' departure from Europe. The point of the documentation of the growth in population is to explain the anger of the Arab population. Of course this gives only a part of the picture. The statistics have no meaning without an explanation of the displacement of these Jews and of the antisemitism which led to the Holocaust. …


This paper investigates the pricing of step-up bonds, i.e. corporate bonds with provisions stating that the coupon payments increase as the credit rating level of the issuer declines. To assess the risk-neutral rating transition probabilities necessary to price these bonds, we introduce a new calibration method within the reduced-form rating-based model of Jarrow, Lando, and Turnbull (1997). We also treat split ratings and adjust for rating outlook. Step-up bonds have been issued in large amounts in the European telecom sector, and we find that, through most of the sample, step-up bonds issued by the two largest issuers have traded at a discount relative to comparable fixed-coupon bonds from the same issuers. Our findings cannot be attributed to traditional liquidity factors, and they suggest that issuing step-up bonds increased the cost of capital for the issuers.


Life skills help young people navigate the
challenges of everyday life. They enable them to
develop into healthy, responsible, and productive
adults. Adolescent life skills are central to
psychological theories that aim to understand
how skills and competencies develop. From a
practical standpoint, the promotion of life skills
has been identified as a key resource for enhancing
positive and productive development in
youth. This chapter gives an introduction to the
development of life skills in youth. After providing
a working definition of life skills, four core
dimensions of life skills are identified, and examples
for each dimension are provided. Next,
major life skill frameworks for youth development
are outlined. These frameworks include
the Positive Youth Development framework and
the Developmental Risk and Resiliency framework.
Finally, implications for the monitoring and
evaluation of intervention programs are elaborated.


We present and test chemical models for three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of galaxies. We explore the effect of changing key parameters such as metallicity, radiation and non-equilibrium versus equilibrium metal cooling approximations on the transition between the gas phases in the interstellar medium. The microphysics is modelled by employing the public chemistry package KROME and the chemical networks have been tested to work in a wide range of densities and temperatures. We describe a simple H/He network following the formation of H$_2$, and a more sophisticated network which includes metals. Photochemistry, thermal processes, and different prescriptions for the H$_2$ catalysis on dust are presented and tested within a one-zone framework. The resulting network is made publicly available on the KROME webpage. We find that employing an accurate treatment of the dust-related processes induces a faster HI--H$_2$ transition. In addition, we show when the equilibrium assumption for metal cooling holds, and how a non-equilibrium approach affects the thermal evolution of the gas and the HII--HI transition. These models can be employed in any hydrodynamical code via an interface to KROME and can be applied to different problems including isolated galaxies, cosmological simulations of galaxy formation and evolution, supernova explosions in molecular clouds, and the modelling of star-forming regions. The metal network can be used for a comparison with observational data of CII 158 $\mu$m emission both for high-redshift as well as for local galaxies.


Title of Document: NANOGAP JUNCTIONS AND CARBON NANOTUBE NETWORKS FOR CHEMICAL SENSING AND MOLECULAR ELECTRONICS Gokhan Esen, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Directed By: Associate Professor, Michael S. Fuhrer, Department of Physics This thesis work may be divided into two parts. The first part (chapters 2-7) focuses on the fabrication of a particular test structure, the electromigration (EM) formed metal nanogap junction, for studying the conduction through single molecules and for hydrogen sensing. The second part (chapters 8 and 9) focuses on carbon nanotube networks as electronic devices for chemical sensing. Chapters 2-4 discuss the formation of nanogap junctions in thin gold lines fabricated via feedback controlled electromigration. Using a feedback algorithm and experimenting on thin gold lines of different cross sections, I show that the feedback controls nanogap formation via controlling the temperature of the junction. Chapters 5 and 6 discuss the background and my experimental efforts towards fabricating superconducting electrodes for single molecule electronics research. Chapter 7 discusses the application of the techniques of chapters 2-4 to form palladium nanogaps via electromigration. I show that such devices can be used as hydrogen sensors, but suffer from slow response times (on the order of minutes). The results are discussed in the context of the in-plane stress buildup between the palladium metallization and the SiO2 substrate. The use of nanotube networks as chemical sensors is discussed in the second part of the thesis (chapters 8 and 9). I show measurements of the resistance and frequency-dependent (50 Hz 20 KHz) gate capacitance of carbon nanotube thin film transistors (CNT-TFTs) as a function of DC gate bias in ultra-high vacuum as well as low-pressure gaseous environments of water, acetone, and argon. The results are analyzed by modeling the CNT-TFT as an RC transmission line. I show that changes in the measured capacitance as a function of gate bias and analyte pressure are consistent with changes in the capacitive part of the transmission line impedance due to changes in the CNT film resistivity alone, and that the electrostatic gate capacitance of the CNT film does not depend on gate voltage or chemical analyte adsorption to within the resolution of my measurements. However, the resistance of the CNT-TFT is enormously sensitive to small partial pressure (< 10 Torr) of analytes, and the gate voltage dependence of the resistance changes upon analyte adsorption show analyte-dependent signatures. NANOGAP JUNCTIONS AND CARBON NANOTUBE NETWORKS FOR CHEMICAL SENSING AND MOLECULAR ELECTRONICS


ON WOMEN'S ACTIVISM AND THE SUBTLE SHAPING OF SOCIAL LIFE Activism typically connotes large-scale social action, as in its forceful use to accomplish political ends such as voting rights for women or economic parity in the marketplace. In an art world context, activism can be intended to provoke critical reaction to global events, drawing the audience into the art and engendering an emotional response, as described in a recent review of antiwar art (Robertson 2006). Taking my lead from women potters in the First Mesa community of the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, through an analysis of their pottery I explore the informal activism of their everyday lives as the power to shape the world on their terms. Such a perspective addressing activism on a more fundamental level is akin to what some feminists have termed "mundane activism" (Shahin 2006), although here "creative activism" is more appropriate. In this subtler vein I want to consider the capacity of these women to intervene materially in the world and influence social life on the individual level that ramifies outward into wider social relations: to produce things (i.e., Hopi pots) that foster and enhance the sociality they hold dear.1 While participation in a market economy has fostered increasing individuation over the course of a century, pottery making remains first and foremost a social activity. Hopi women consider their pottery activities (making, using, and even selling their pots to non-Hopis) more productive when these derive from "close" social relations. What Hopis mean by "close" and understanding how the concept is manifested and reproduced in pottery, then, poses a problem in its own right, which I address through the ethnography of intimacy. To paraphrase Robertson (2006, 30) on art activism, I argue that the effect of this Hopi women's art is to engage its audience, whether in their home communities or in more distant social spheres of the art market, in social relationships that encourage mutualities of sentiment, laying the emotive groundwork for flourishing collective action. Hopi pots embody and engender their concept of "closeness" or intimacy in whatever context they enter, promoting the warm, positive affect that underlies all productive relationships and ensuring the reproduction of this value in the world. Importantly, potters intend that these objects circulate to transform the world in this way, an intention that signifies their understanding of activism. Concerned with how potters represent the cultural significance of pottery and the activity of pottery making, I pay particular attention to their emphasis on the construction of "closeness" in interpersonal relationships as demonstrated by pottery making. While the iconography of painted pottery has received most attention in the literature and indeed is the basis by which this work has been assessed as art (e.g., Bernstein 1994: Brody 1979), plainware pottery, specifically the piki bowl, best illustrates Hopis' conceptual and symbolic links among activism, intimacy, and emotion in this art (Fig. 1). Plainware pottery especially reveals how Hopi concepts of intimacy and the value of close relations are manifested as aesthetic dimensions of their world. In turn, I explore how these aesthetic qualities orient persons who encounter this art to a way of being in the world, inducing social relations of a particular character, cast, or quality. While my intent is to point a direction for "rethinking" Hopi ethnography (Whiteley 1998), because of space limitations I can only sketch those parameters here. EMBODIMENT, GENDER, INTIMACY, AND POWER Principally but not exclusively produced through women's labor, Hopi pots comprise a root metaphor about social beings and their phenomenological existence in the world.2 They index larger cosmological ideas of Hopi life set out "at the beginning" that specify the basis of human relationships at the same time that their pots and pottery making help to realize that world in the present. …


Drought is a widespread natural hazard. In this study, the potential factors affecting spatiotemporal changes of drought in the Tarim River Basin (TRB), China, were investigated using the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and multiple hydro-meteorological indicators such as the standardized precipitation index (SPI), standardized soil moisture index (SSI), and terrestrial water storage (TWS). The following major conclusions were drawn. (1) Inconsistent variations between SPIs/SSIs and TWS in the TRB indicate a groundwater deficit in 2002–2012. (2) The results of EOF indicate that soil moisture in the TRB was significantly affected by precipitation. However, the variations between the EOFs of SSIs and those of TWS were not identical, which indicates that soil water had less effect on TWS than groundwater. (3) Drought evaluations using SPI and SSI showed that a long drought duration occurred over a long accumulation period, whereas a high frequency of drought was related to a short accumulation period. (4) Hydrological features related to extreme soil moisture conditions in the TRB could also be influenced by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. The findings of this study are significant for use in drought detection and for making water management decisions.


A model of dynamic capital structure is proposed. Even though the optimal strategy is implemented over an arbitrarily large number of restructuring-periods, a scaling feature inherent in the framework permits simple closed-form expressions to be obtained for equity and debt prices. When a firm has the option to increase future debt levels, tax advantages to debt increase significantly, and both the optimal leverage ratio range and predicted credit spreads are more in line with what is observed in practice. Copyright 2001 by University of Chicago Press.


The prevalence of diabetes, a chronic illness, is expected to substantially rise over the next fifteen years (Whiting, Guariguata, Weil, & Shaw, 2011). One approach to ease the burden on the US health care system is the involvement and participation of family in care of the hospitalized adult. There is increasing evidence that involvement of family during exacerbations and hospitalizations increases client and family satisfaction during admissions and may also decrease length of stay and therefore cost (Powers & Rubenstein, 1999). The purposes of this study were to examine family members' perceptions of family functioning, family health and the social support received from nurses when an older adult family member with diabetes is hospitalized. Also examined were nurses' critical appraisals of their family nursing practice, as well as their experiences of the reciprocity and interaction in the nurse-family relationship. This study further explored the relationships between nurses' critical appraisals of their family nursing practice and nurses' experiences of the interaction and reciprocity in the nurse-family relationship with families' perceptions of family function, family health and perceived social support from nurses. Finally, this study examined if nurses' critical appraisal of their family nursing practice, and nurses' experience of the interaction and reciprocity in the nurse-family relationship, differed across nursing units, and what the impact was on families' perceptions of family function, family health and social support received. Wright and Leahey's Calgary Family Intervention Model (CFIM) (1994) undergirded this descriptive study, which was conducted on four medical-surgical units in a community hospital. Sixty registered nurses and sixty family members of older adult patients participated. Two instruments were used to address the variables of interest in this study. Family member participants completed the Family Function, Family Health and Social Support Instrument (Astedt-Kurki, Tarkka, Paavilainen, & Lehti, 2002; Astedt-Kurki, Tarkka, Rikala, Lehti, & Paavilainen, 2009) as well as a demographic questionnaire. Registered Nurse participants completed demographics and the Family Nursing Practice Scale (Simpson & Tarrant, 2006). Significant variation was found across the four study units in how nurse participants reflected on their experiences with interaction and reciprocity in the nurse-family relationship. However, family member participants had no significant variation in their perceptions of family functioning, family health and social support received from nurses. This research informs practice by providing insight into nurses' perceptions regarding the advantages and the disadvantages of working with families. Additionally, this study contributes evidence of what nurses are currently doing to include families in their nursing practice. More research is needed which focuses on collaboration and inclusion of families in care of their loved one.


The aim of this thesis is to study some of the challenges that the Kurdish language and its standardization face, and offer a bottom-up solution through the "collective intelligence" and "good faith collaboration" of Wikipedia. Therefore, the fragmentation in the Kurdish language—caused by both external factors and those that are inherent to the language itself— is discussed and analyzed. Furthermore, this thesis describes some of the efforts that have been made to unify the Kurdish language, its dialects and its different writing systems. Even though these issues exist both in the physical world as well as online, they are rendered more conspicuous on the Internet. As a result, the problems in Kurdish cross-dialect communication are more pronounced. In spite of that, web 2.0 and its favored platforms for online collaboration provide ample opportunity for the general user of the language to participate in solving such linguistic problems. An overview of Wikipedia, as the world's most successful platform for online collaboration, is presented along with some of its rules and policies. Additionally, an account of the current Kurdish Wikipedia in three dialects of Kurdish: Kurmanji, Sorani and Zazaki is provided. The situation and shortcomings of Kurdish versions of Wikipedia are examined through two case studies based on two Wikipedia articles in Kurdish and their English and Persian counterparts. Moreover, I argue that a robust Kurdish Wikipedia can be a viable solution for standardizing the language, encouraging orthographic consistency, and unifying Kurdish writing systems and knowledge/information dissemination in Kurdish.


The paper examines what can be learnt about the 'valuation' of freedoms and opportunities (or capabilities) using a general population social survey data source on values. On the assumption that rights can be understood as protecting underlying critical freedoms and opportunities, social survey data on public attitudes towards the rights that people "should have" is interpreted as providing empirical evidence on the 'valuation' of freedoms and opportunities by individuals and groups. The paper addresses the extent to which data of this type provides empirical evidence of the 'valuation' of the 10 domains of freedom and opportunity that are specified in the capability lists for adults and children that have been developed and applied in previous projects (namely, Life; Health; Physical security; Legal security; Standard of living; Education and learning; Productive and valued activities; Individual, family and social life; Identity and self-respect; Participation, influence and voice). Particular emphasis is put on moving beyond the 'legalistic' methodology for deriving a 'human rights-based capability list' applied in previous projects, and examining whether empirical research on values provides an alternative, overlapping or supplementary informational base for deriving a list of this type. The research findings can be interpreted as providing broad empirical underpinnings for the 'valuation' of nine out of the ten domains of freedom and opportunity specified in the capability lists that have been developed and applied in previous projects. The Life domain was effectively not covered by the research exercise, since the underlying social survey data did not include questions on public attitudes towards the right to life.


The authors present an efficient approach to evaluate the large-signal (LS) parametric sensitivity of active semiconductor devices under quasi-periodic operation through accurate, multidimensional physics-based models. The proposed technique exploits efficient intermediate mathematical models to perform the link between physics-based analysis and circuit-oriented simulations, and only requires the evaluation of dc and ac small-signal (dc charge) sensitivities under general quasi-static conditions. To illustrate the technique, the authors discuss examples of sensitivity evaluation, statistical analysis, and doping profile optimization of an implanted MESFET to minimize intermodulation which makes use of LS parametric sensitivities under two-tone excitation.


Using Schrodinger-Maxwell formalism, we propose and analyze a continuous-wave four-wave mixing (FWM) scheme for the generation of coherent light in a six-level atomic system based on electromagnetically dual induced transparency. We derive the corresponding explicit analytical expressions for the generated mixing field. We find that the scheme greatly enhances FWM production efficiency and is also capable of inhibiting and delaying the onset of the detrimental three-photon destructive interference by choosing the proper decay rate in the second electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) process. In addition, such an optical process also provides possibilities for producing short-wave-length coherent radiation at low pump intensities.


We report the implementation of an image sensor chip, termed wavefront image sensor chip (WIS), that can measure both intensity/amplitude and phase front variations of a light wave separately and quantitatively. By monitoring the tightly confined transmitted light spots through a circular aperture grid in a high Fresnel number regime, we can measure both intensity and phase front variations with a high sampling density (11 µm) and high sensitivity (the sensitivity of normalized phase gradient measurement is 0.1 mrad under the typical working condition). By using WIS in a standard microscope, we can collect both bright-field (transmitted light intensity) and normalized phase gradient images. Our experiments further demonstrate that the normalized phase gradient images of polystyrene microspheres, unstained and stained starfish embryos, and strongly birefringent potato starch granules are improved versions of their corresponding differential interference contrast (DIC) microscope images in that they are artifact-free and quantitative. Besides phase microscopy, WIS can benefit machine recognition, object ranging, and texture assessment for a variety of applications.


In this paper a slightly modification is proposed to the original Wong and Goto's ATA method for the computation of elementary functions in IEEE 754 single precision. The identification of a trade-off leads to the proposition of a different chunk of the mantissa that in turn brings a reduction in the length of the tables. Results are reported for usual elementary functions based on exhaustive simulations. A mixed framework including VHDL and Matlab R © is used for those simulations.


Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease affecting over 10,000 people in the UK. It has no cure, but there are many treatments to help improve health. Randomised controlled trials are the gold standard for establishing treatment efficacy, but most trials for CF treatments have no more than one year of follow-up. In practice treatments are commonly used for many years, and it is therefore important to evaluate their long-term effectiveness. The UK CF Registry collects annual data on almost all people with CF in the UK. The overall aim of this work is to investigate how data from such registries can be harnessed to provide insights into the effects of long-term treatment use. My research illustrates the potential of registry data by investigating two CF treatments: DNase and ivacaftor. DNase is a common CF treatment and generally, once started, it continues to be used indefinitely. Despite this, no studies have investigated its long-term effects. Estimating these effects using registry data is difficult due to time-dependent confounding. I investigate five methods that can account for this: sequential conditional mean models, inverse probability weighting of marginal structural models (MSM), history-adjusted MSM, gcomputation formula and g-estimation of structural nested models. The performance of these methods is assessed through simulation studies, where it is shown that all methods perform similarly under correct model specification, suggesting that more than one method could be applied to assess consistency of results. My analysis of the UK CF Registry data suggests that DNase provides a step-change improvement in lung function only in individuals with ppFEV1 < 70% (e.g. for a person starting DNase with ppFEV1 of 20%, the one-year treatment effect was a 1.6% absolute difference in ppFEV1, 95% CI 0.4, 2.8). However, the slope of lung function decline over five years remained unchanged. Ivacaftor was introduced in the UK in 2012, but it is only available to people with a gating mutation. In this subgroup, it appears to be so beneficial that almost all eligible people are now receiving it. In this situation, it is difficult to estimate the treatment effect, because there are no eligible people not receiving treatment. Two possible comparator groups were identified: 1) those currently receiving ivacaftor, but using their data from years prior to its introduction, 2) those ineligible to receive ivacaftor due to their genotype. This work shows how analyses using negative controls can be used to assess the comparability of the different groups, and how differences between groups not due to treatment can be mitigated. Our analysis suggests that these two groups are comparable to people who are currently receiving ivacaftor, and the results of the analysis show that ivacaftor not only provides an initial step-change improvement in lung function (5.9% absolute difference in ppFEV1, 95% CI 4.7, 7.1), but also decrease the rate of lung function decline (0.5% absolute decrease in ppFEV1 decline per year, 95% CI 0.02, 1.0).


For some time the Glaciology section of the Australian Antarctic Division has
operated a land-based radar to measure the depth of glacial ice in Antarctica. The
radar was mounted on a sled and towed around the Lambert glacier by bulldozer at
5km per hour. High power radio frequency pulses are transmitted down into the
glacial ice, propagate through the ice and reflect off the bedrock below. The
reflected pulses are picked up by a receiver, amplified and passed on to a signal
processing section. The waveforms from the signal processing section are logged
and displayed. The time taken from pulse transmission to detection, which is
proportional to ice depth, may then be obtained. Signal averaging capabilities were
required to improve the system signal to noise ratio and enable ice depths of over
3km to be observed. The ground based display and logging system used a digital
oscilloscope with signal averaging capabilities to digitise and process incoming
radar return echoes. Up to 256 radar return echo waveforms were averaged, the
result being displayed and downloaded to an IBM PC via an 1EEE488 link. Future
ice depth measurements will involve airborne operations increasing the travelling
speed from 5km per hour to 180km per hour. This speed increase will require
greater data rates of the display, and logging system In addition the airborne
antenna, being carried by a helicopter, is physically smaller than the antenna
mounted on the 60 tonne overland system. A smaller antenna leads to smaller
antenna effective area, which in turn reduces the radar range. The high-speed digital
signal processor (DSP) and high-speed analogue to digital converter (A to D) circuit
board forms part of the ice radar display and logging system, replacing the slower
digital oscilloscope system. The DSP will have sufficient speed to keep pace with
the data rates required for airborne operation and provide improved signal
processing power to compensate for reduced radar antenna gain.
As no suitable 'off the shelf' product was found the new system would utilise a
custom designed high-speed DSP and high-speed A to D converter electronic circuit
board. This document concerns the design of a high-speed DSP and A to D circuit
board for an ice radar application.


The importance of controlling respirable dust and methane gas levels in underground coal mining cannot be underestimated. While respirable dust can significantly affect the occupational health of underground coal miners, methane gas accumulations pose significant safety concerns for these same workers. Water sprays and machine mounted dust scrubbers offer effective control of respirable dust exposures and methane gas accumulations. Water must not only be applied carefully to avoid dust rollback to the machine operator but must create sufficient turbulence to remove dead zones that could contain high concentrations of methane gas. While the flooded-bed dust scrubber has been generally responsible for decreased worker exposures to respirable dusts, this device has proved effective in controlling methane levels at the face. This paper reviews practical applications of water sprays and dust scrubbers to control respirable dust and methane gas on continuous miner faces.


The presence of water in the pavement structure causes early deterioration and leads to less pavement durability as a result of loss of bond between aggregate and binder and may causes loss of strength and stability in mixture, The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of various polymer additives on permeability of asphalt concrete mixture. The surface wearing coarse type IIIA was chosen in this study. Three types of polymer additives were used in this study; (7% Latex Emulsion (LE), 7% Poly Vinyl Acetate with 4% Styrene Butadiene Styrene (PVA + SBS) and 8% Ethylene Diamine (ED)). The results appeared that the permeability average of all mixtures were (27.745, 17.18, 7.773 and 11.409 * 10 -5 cm/s) for (control blend, LE, PVA+SBS and ED) and the percent of decreasing in permeability were (48.52%, 74.547% and 58.312%) for (LE, (PVA + SBS) and ED) respectively.


Introduction We have shown that Tregs expanded with rapamycin from FACS-sorted Crohn's Disease (CD) peripheral blood (PB) CD4+CD25hiCD127loCD45RA+ precursors, yield an epigenetically stable FOXP3+ cell population that is resistant to pro-inflammatory cytokine expression.1 We will utilise this for a first in man clinical trial of Treg therapy for Crohn's disease. We wished to optimise the expression of gut homing molecules on these cells as Tregs are required at the site of action for optimal suppressive ability. Methods Tregs were isolated from peripheral blood of CD patients and healthy controls. Retinoic acid (RA) and Rapamycin supplementation was tested in standard culture conditions as well as the addition of short chain fatty acids (SCFA). The effect of SCFA was assessed on ex-vivo expanded Tregs from CD4+CD25hiCD127loCD45RA+ precursors and induced Tregs (iTreg) from naïve T cell precursors. The expression of gut homing molecules integrin b7 and GPR15 was assessed by flow cytometry. Suppressive ability was tested in vitro using autologous effector T cells (Teff). Parametric and non-parametric data were calculated as the mean±s.d. and median (interquartile range, IQR) respectively. For comparison of parametric and non-parametric data, t- test, one- or two-way ANOVA. Results In comparison to Rapamycin treated cells, the addition of RA significantly increased the expression of integrin beta 7 (38.7%±11.78% Rapamycin alone vs 72.26%±8.98% Rapamycin + RA p = 0.04, N = 7). RA treatment also significantly increased GPR15 expression. Cells treated with RA maintained their superior suppressive ability compared to Rapamycin treated Tregs (95.8%±3.5% vs 91.15%±10.1% p=ns; at Treg:Teff 1:1 ratio). SCFA treatment led to diminished cell viability and did not induce the expression of colonic homing molecule GPR15 in CD4+CD25hiCD127loCD45RA+ Tregs (74.4%±13.2% Rapamycin and RA treated culture vs 43.4%±17% with the addition of SCFA). Conclusion Contrary to existing evidence in mouse, SCFA did not increase the proportion of CD4+FOXP3+ Tregs in human iTreg cultures. In conclusion, the addition of Retinoic acid not SCFA provides the optimal conditions for ex-vivo Treg expansion for cell based therapy of Crohn's disease. Reference 1 Canavan JB, Scotta C, Vossenkamper A, Goldberg R, Elder MJ, Shoval I, et al. Developing in vitro expanded CD45RA+ regulatory T cells as an adoptive cell therapy for Crohn's disease. Gut. 2015. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


ABSTRACT Nineteen genera of Recent brachiopods, i.e. Discradisca Stenzel, 1964, Novocrania Lee & Brunton, 2001, Basiliola Dall, 1908, Cryptopora Jeffreys, 1869, Gryphus Megerle von Mühlfeldt, 1811, Dallithyris Muir-Wood, 1959, Stenosarina Cooper, 1977, Xenobrochus Cooper, 1981, Terebratulina d'Orbigny, 1847, Chlidonophora Dall, 1903, Eucalathis Fischer & Oehlert, 1890, Macandrevia King, 1859, Frenulina Dall, 1895, Jolonica Dall, 1920, Argyrotheca Dall, 1900, Phaneropora Zezina, 1981, Nipponithyris Yabe & Hatai, 1934, Megerlia King, 1850 and Megerella n. gen. have been identified in the material collected during three French cruises MAINBAZA, MIRIKY and ATIMO VATAE to the Mozambique-Madagascar area during the years 2009–2010. One genus and four species are described as new: the genus Megerella n. gen. with type species M. hilleri n. gen., n. sp. and the species Eucalathis daphneae n. sp., Eucalathis malgachensis n. sp. and Macandrevia emigi n. sp. Eucalathis daphneae n. sp. differs from congeneric species in having an incomplete loop. It is ornamented by single, broad, rounded costae. Eucalathis malgachensis n. sp. is characterized by a fascicostate surface with strong ribs triangular in cross-section. Macandrevia emigi n. sp. differs from other species of the genus by its triangular outline and much smaller size. Megerella hilleri n. gen., n. sp. is a small kraussinid with a bifurcate loop with distal extensions uniting to form a complete ring. The genus Macandrevia and the species Frenulina sanguinolenta (Gmelin, 1971) are recorded for the first time from the Indian Ocean. While minor regional differences occur within the three study regions of Madagascar, a comparison of the overall Madagascar brachiopod biota with those of other parts of the Indian Ocean shows a strong similarity to faunas from southern Africa, with 12 out of 25 species common to both areas.


Significance Honesty affects almost every aspect of social and economic life. We conducted experiments in which participants could earn considerable amounts of money by cheating on a die-rolling task. Cheating was substantial but decreased by more than one-half during transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This stimulation-induced increase in honesty was functionally specific: It did not affect other types of behavioral control related to self-interest, risk-taking, and impulsivity. Moreover, cheating was only reduced when it benefited the participants themselves rather than another person. Thus, the human brain implements specialized processes that enable us to remain honest when faced with opportunities to cheat for personal material gain. Importantly, these processes can be strengthened by external interventions. Honesty plays a key role in social and economic interactions and is crucial for societal functioning. However, breaches of honesty are pervasive and cause significant societal and economic problems that can affect entire nations. Despite its importance, remarkably little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms supporting honest behavior. We demonstrate that honesty can be increased in humans with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Participants (n = 145) completed a die-rolling task where they could misreport their outcomes to increase their earnings, thereby pitting honest behavior against personal financial gain. Cheating was substantial in a control condition but decreased dramatically when neural excitability was enhanced with tDCS. This increase in honesty could not be explained by changes in material self-interest or moral beliefs and was dissociated from participants' impulsivity, willingness to take risks, and mood. A follow-up experiment (n = 156) showed that tDCS only reduced cheating when dishonest behavior benefited the participants themselves rather than another person, suggesting that the stimulated neural process specifically resolves conflicts between honesty and material self-interest. Our results demonstrate that honesty can be strengthened by noninvasive interventions and concur with theories proposing that the human brain has evolved mechanisms dedicated to control complex social behaviors.


Despite the prevalence of work spouses, scarce empirical research has focused on the communication occurring within these relationships, leaving managers with little understanding as to whether organizations can or should communicate support for employees forming these relationships and how privacy is navigated among work spouses. Building on McBride and Bergen's conceptualization of the work-spouse relationship, we used Communication Privacy Management theory (CPM) to understand what, if any, privacy rule decision criteria individuals used as they negotiated disclosures within their work-spouse relationships. Analysis of interviews with 41 people in work-spouse relationships suggests that participants recognized both their own core privacy rule decision criteria and when these criteria were similar to or different from the criteria influencing their work spouse's. Furthermore, work-spouse relationships formed despite organizational efforts to keep them at bay. Theoretically, the findings add to CPM theory, such that they establish the need to examine catalyst criteria as current and previous, as well as argue for the addition of confirming criteria to account for situations in which catalysts reinforce routinized privacy rules. Overall, the findings from this study advance the literature on communication in the work-spouse relationship and CPM theory and highlight the role that workplaces play in fostering these types of relationships.


This study is concerned with current and emerging transportation problems in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory. The major objective is to identify and characterize the main challenges confronting mobility in the capital territory and propose a viable institutional framework for effective transportation management in FCT. The study is based on information arising from field auditing and evaluation of Abuja Master Plan. Information on extent of implementation of the transportation plan, level of distortion to and deviations from the plan, observable anomalies in traffic management and bottlenecks to traffic flow, provision and conditions of transport furniture and other relevant information from FCDA published materials provided the required data for the study. The study identifies the current challenges to include non-development of transit ways to major activity centres, emergence of illegal bus stations, poor parking facilities, absence of pedestrian walkways, widespread use of low-occupancy vehicles for public transport, city-wide traffic congestion, growth of squatter and shanty settlements, safety and administrative challenges. The study notes that the challenges are due to the inefficiency of the present institutional mechanism for managing transport in the city. Based on this premise, the study recommends the establishment of Abuja Area Transportation Authority as a sustainable transportation management strategy for FCT.


In thin-disk MOPA laser a seed laser beam is propagated through a pumped thin-disk for power scaling. Since the disk active material is very thin, it is necessary to reimage the laser beam for several times onto the thin-disk to enhance the amplification coefficient. This requires an optical multi-pass system. The main feature of multi-pass is forming unique spot size on the disk at each pass. In this paper the scientific report of designing and analyzing an eight passes optical system is presented. At first, the optical and mechanical consideration are extracted and then a numerical code is developed to obtain the eight-passes parameters. Due to examining and analyzing the designed optical system, it is simulated by Zemax and Oslo optical software. Spot size of beam onto the different optical elements and astigmatism aberration as well as beam specification variation caused by changes in the thin-disk radius of curvature, are examined and the results prove that the designed eight passes optical system is optically and mechanically acceptable.


Crucible Rex M2 is a general-purpose high-speed tool steel that contains tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, and vanadium as principal alloying elements. It is suitable for a wide variety of cutting tools that require moderate feeds and speeds. For cold work applications, Rex M2 offers higher hardness and wear resistance than Type D2 tool steel. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, and elasticity. It also includes information on low and high temperature performance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, and surface treatment. Filing Code: TS-801. Producer or source: Crucible Industries LLC.


Nuclear and isotopic techniques are unique tools for studying mercury contamination and cycling in various environments. Therefore, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been supporting the use of nuclear and complementary analytical techniques (mainly neutron activation analysis, inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrometry), and application of radioactive and enriched stable isotopes in its member states since many years. The main mechanisms of support have been technical cooperation and coordinated research projects. Whilst the technical cooperation projects have helped in solving technical problems and providing know-how in the developing member states, the research projects have supported both basic and applied research. So far, participants from 18 IAEA member states have taken part in projects concerned with non-marine environments. In this paper, IAEA's supportive mechanisms are presented and the results of recently finished and on-going projects are discussed. As an important part of the IAEA activities, several interlaboratory comparison exercises were organised and reference materials characterised for both total and methylmercury issued.


Strings of beads and amulets hang from rear-view mirrors, swaying as the driver negotiates his taxi through Bangkok's chaotic streets. Statuettes of Buddha glued to dashboards sit patiently beside flower garlands and beribboned objects. Buddhist ritual patterns adorn the ceilings, and photos of monks are everywhere. Dale Konstanz, artist, freelance designer, illustrator, and academic has spent over three years documenting the interiors of Bangkok taxis, photographing the iconography and asking what it means to the drivers. In this book he recollects and ruminates about these mini-altars, photographs the myriad of talismans, sacred objects and icons and documents the various explanations and beliefs of the Bangkok cabby.


The ideal of punishment proportionate to wrongdoing creates a criminal justice system that deters prevention. An alternative ideal is that crime should always be confronted with a presumption for mercy that is conditional upon participation in a truth-seeking process that identifies paths to prevention. Informally rewarding reconciliation and prevention is the basis of a more compelling rational choice account of crime control than proportionate formal punishment. A rational and emotionally intelligent criminal justice system might look something like the airline safety system.


Biotechnology, in its voyage from ancient times into the expanding frontier areas of today's world of scientific research, has revealed itself as the gene of diplomacy and international cooperation in the relationships between nations ( DaSilva, 2002 ). Economic and biotechnological considerations, strong elements in themselves, drive policy implementation that draws upon the support and sustenance of the public's logic and understanding of science obtained through the avenues of art and culture. More and more scientists are teaming up with artists to harness the world of microbes and biotechnology in the pursuit of one's natural well-being, of the conservation of environmental heritage, and of human comradeship and welfare. Art and culture in revealing the human face of biotechnology help engender solidarity amongst different cultures. Furthermore, they nurture individual solidarity and collective commitment in especially young children ---tomorrow's architects in the quest of the culture of a sustainable peace.


This study deals with the biodiversity and distribution of cavernicolous Amphipoda in caves of the Arabika massif (Western Caucasus). The Sarma, Trojka and Orlinoe Gnezdo caves were explored during speleological expeditions over the years 2011–12. Two new species of Amphipoda were found: a sub-surface dweller Zenkevitchia sandroruffoi sp. nov. is reported from the Sarma, Trojka and Orlinoe Gnezdo caves at depths from -30 m to -350 m; the second one, a deep dweller Adaugammarus pilosus gen. et sp. nov. is reported from the Sarma Cave at depths of -1270 to -1700 m. Adaugammarus gen. nov. shares similarities with Typhlogammarus Schaferna, 1907 and Zenkevitchia Birstein, 1940. The species Anopogammarus birsteini Derzhavin, 1945 is also re-described herein based on new samples that suggest close affinity of this species with the family Gammaridae. The original taxonomic combination is resurrected for Zenkevitchia revazi Birstein & Ljovuschkin, 1970, comb. resurr. (from Anopogammarus Derzhavin, 1945). To accommodate morphologically different species in the genus Zenkevitchia , two new groups are proposed. These are the admirabilis -group ( Z. admirabilis Birstein, 1940 and Z. yakovi Sidorov, 2015) and the sandroruffoi -group ( Z. sandroruffoi sp. nov. and Z. revazi ). An updated molecular (mt-cox1) phylogeny, an identification key to the genera and a distribution map for the typhlogammarid amphipod species of Transcaucasia are provided.


Abstract Sex offenders are sometimes offered or required to undergo pharmacological interventions intended to diminish their sex drive (anti-libidinal interventions or ALIs). In this paper, we argue that much of the debate regarding the moral permissibility of ALIs has been founded on an inaccurate assumption regarding their intended purpose—namely, that ALIs are intended solely to realise medical purposes, not correctional goals. This assumption has made it plausible to assert that ALIs may only permissibly be administered to offenders with their valid consent, in line with the approach taken to most other interventions with a medical aim. However, we argue that, contrary to this assumption, the state's intention in relation to at least some ALIs is, at least in part, to achieve correctional objectives. We evaluate two legal regimes for ALI provision—section 645 of the California Penal Code and the mental health regime in England and Wales. In each case, we identify the state's implicit purpose in imposing ALIs and argue that the Californian and English regimes both serve as counterexamples to the view that ALIs are intended solely for medical purposes. While the moral implications of our argument are not straightforward, it raises the question whether consent is required for permissible imposition of ALIs, and more generally, whether the moral permissibility of crime-preventing interventions using medical means should be assessed against the standards of medical ethics or against those of criminal justice ethics.


We proposed a simple method to evaluate local effects on a strain seismogram, and applied the method to investigation of the effects at Matsushiro Seismological Observatory, Japan Meteorological Agency, central Japan, for a Love wave in a period range of 170-400 sec. First, we took a ratio of EW to NS component strain for a Love wave on a time-frequency plane. Although NS and EW component strain for a Love wave travelling in any direction have the same amplitude theoretically, the ratio of observed EW to NS component strain was 0.7. Next, we compared the strain seismogram with a velocity seismogram recorded with STS-1 broadband seismometer. A ratio of a partial derivative of a displacement field with respect to time to that with respect to wave propagation direction equals a phase velocity of the wave theoretically. Utilizing the fact, we estimated the phase velocity of a Love wave using the observed velocity and strain seismogram, after NS component strain had been multiplied by 0.7. The result was 24% smaller than the theoretical phase velocity. Finally, we compared the velocity seismogram with other velocity seismograms recorded by STS-1 seismometers at F-net observation stations near Matsushiro and by STS-2 seismometer at Matsushiro, and found that the every deviation from Matsushiro was less than 10%. From these results, we conclude that the EW and NS component strain seismograms have been amplified by factors of 1.32 and 1.88 for a Love wave, respectively. This fact, which may be because of local geology and/or topography effects, must be taken into account when the strain seismogram is used for seismological applications such as the CMT inversion and research on earth's free oscillations.


Book synopsis: The first encyclopedia of Islamic political thought from the birth of Islam to today, this comprehensive, authoritative, and accessible reference provides the context needed for understanding contemporary politics in the Islamic world and beyond. With more than 400 alphabetically arranged entries written by an international team of specialists, the volume focuses on the origins and evolution of Islamic political ideas and related subjects, covering central terms, concepts, personalities, movements, places, and schools of thought across Islamic history. Fifteen major entries provide a synthetic treatment of key topics, such as Muhammad, jihad, authority, gender, culture, minorities, fundamentalism, and pluralism. Incorporating the latest scholarship, this is an indispensable resource for students, researchers, journalists, and anyone else seeking an informed perspective on the complex intersection of Islam and politics.

Includes more than 400 concise, alphabetically arranged entries
Features 15 in-depth entries on key topics
Covers topics such as:
Central themes and sources of Islamic political thought: caliph, modernity, knowledge, shari'a, government, revival and reform
Modern concepts, institutions, movements, and parties: civil society, Islamization, secularism, veil, Muslim Brotherhood
Islamic law and traditional Islamic societies: justice, taxation, fatwa, dissent, governance, piety and asceticism, trade and commerce
Sects, schools, regions, and dynasties: Mu'tazilis, Shi'ism, Quraysh, Mecca and Medina, Baghdad, Indonesia, Nigeria, Central Asia, Ottomans
Thinkers, personalities, and statesmen: Mawardi, Shafi'I, Saladin, Tamerlane, Akbar, Ataturk, Nasser, Khomeini
Contains seven historical and contemporary maps of Muslim empires, postcolonial nation-states, populations, and settlements
Guides readers to further research through bibliographies, cross-references, and an index


Although the ability of plant-parasitic nematodes to survive in a dehydrated or anhydrobiotic state for long periods of time has been well documented, the ability of free-living nematodes has not. Here we report on the survival of a free-living nematode, Panagrolaimus sp., from Armenia in the anhydrobiotic state for 8.7 years. This Panagrolaimus sp. can be cultured and maintained readily and may provide a good system for studying anhydrobiosis in nematodes.


This study investigates whether Chinese speakers can acquire the local binding characteristics of English reflexives and the obligatory status of English objects. Chinese allows both the long-distance (LD) and the local binding of reflexives, whereas English only allows the local binding of reflexives. Similarly, Chinese allows both overt and null objects, whereas English only allows overt objects. Even though the two properties involve different types of antecedent-anaphora and operator-variable binding relations, both of them are likely to cause poverty of stimulus for Chinese learners of English. The results of the experiment suggest that the learners' interpretation of binding of reflexives is more or less native-like because of the availability of the triggering data but the obligatory status of English objects is not acquirable because of the lack of the relevant triggering data.


Richter's transformation, or Richter's syndrome, is an uncommon clinicopathological condition observed in about 5% to 10% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). "Richter's transformation" refers to the development of aggressive lymphoma during the course of CLL. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma occurs in the majority of cases of Richter's transformation. Clinically, patients with Richter's transformation present with an aggressive disease course with rapidly enlarging lymph nodes, hepatosplenomegaly, and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase levels. Specific risk factors for the development of Richter's transformation in a patient with CLL have yet to be identified; however, TP53 disruption, c-MYCabnormalities, unmutated immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGHV) < 2%, non-del13q cytogenetics, CD38 gene polymorphisms, stereotypy, and VH4-39 gene usage may predispose to Richter's transformation. The prognosis is generally poor, with a median survival of about 10 months. Development of rituximab (Rituxan)-containing intensive chemotherapy regimens and chemo-immunotherapy regimens (eg, R-HyperCVAD [rituximab plus hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and dexamethasone] or OFAR [oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), fludarabine, and ara-C]) have improved response rates but have not clearly affected long-term outcomes. Allogeneic stem-cell transplantation may offer a chance for prolonged survival.


Designed to create tangible materials which support the demands of this context, the INCLUDEED Erasmus+ project aims to integrate migrants and refugees through one of Europe's greatest assets - their languages. This guide aims to become an ally of both those who wish to deepen their knowledge of the migration phenomenon and those who wish to facilitate the integration process of these groups. Developed from the experience that the Universities of the consortium have in this field (University of Salamanca, University of Bologna, University of Coimbra, University of Heidelberg, University of Poitiers and Trinity College Dublin), this document emanates from a common effort as well as from the will to form an egalitarian society in terms of integration. However, this would not have been possible without the support of various non-governmental organisations (Red Cross, ACCEM, CEPAIM Foundation and Sierra-Pambley Foundation) which, dedicated to the reception and integration of migrants and refugees throughout Europe, have facilitated the identification of difficulties and enabled bridges to be built between different perspectives and joint efforts to converge in the same direction. This guide addresses the various challenges that emerge during the integration period of these groups and proposes solutions that can help this complex process to be successful. Designed as a useful vade mecum for the performance of the tasks of the various groups (language teaching professionals or volunteers, non-governmental organisations and national and supranational public institutions), it is a support tool that guides the actions of those involved in the process of linguistic integration of newly arrived people. It provides them with a better understanding of the situation in which these groups find themselves and of the tools available to achieve this. In short, it is a document that seeks to bring together, through informative but rigorous text, the theoretical advances in this field and to offer various resources that can be put into practice in real life. Finally, we would like to emphasise that the contents of this guide should be understood as suggestions arising from the experience and commitment of those who have worked on its development and as a tool that will help to answer some of the questions that arise in the process of integration of migrant groups. These questions are currently being answered thanks to the committed engagement of all those who are participating in this project. In addition, information from all the countries in the consortium can be found throughout these pages, which broadens the perspective of most of the tools created so far, making this guide truly an international reference work.


There is compelling evidence supporting the critical role of high-quality coaching practice in supporting talented youth athletes through and beyond the talent pathway. The purpose of this study was to explore the coaching philosophies of ex-talent pathway athletes and how the meaning and purpose of their coaching in a talent pathway was influenced by their previous pathway experience. Nine participants were purposefully sampled based on their prior involvement as a youth athlete in a talent pathway and current involvement coaching in a talent pathway. The participants identified how their pathway experience influenced their coaching philosophy and applied coaching practice. Specifically, the participants described how their own youth sport experience influenced their current coaching practice through the formation of a developmental coaching philosophy, through their applied coaching practice orientated towards supporting individual development, and by using their previous pathway experience to support coaching success. These findings suggest that the philosophy underpinning talent pathway coaches' practice was influenced by their own pathway experience, and the purpose of their practice was orientated to positively impact youth development for and beyond sport. Thus, talent pathways in sport have the capability to be recognised as positively influencing the developmental experiences of future coaching practitioners.


AIMS
Although obesity is associated with increased mortality, epidemiologic studies in heart failure have reported lower mortality in obese patients compared with matched nonobese patients (the 'obesity paradox'). However, the relationship between survival and extreme (morbid) obesity (BMI ≥ 40) is poorly understood. We evaluate survival in low ejection fraction patients across a range of BMI categories, including extreme obesity.

METHODS
In a retrospective review, 12 181 consecutive patients receiving nuclear stress testing at a tertiary care center were stratified based on BMI and ejection fraction. Eight-year mortality data were collected using the social security death index.

RESULTS
Normal ejection fraction patients (internal control, ejection fraction ≥50%) exhibited the J-shaped association between mortality and BMI that is observed in the general population. Among patients with reduced ejection fraction (<50%), survival improved as obesity increased (P < 0.0001). Those with extreme obesity had the lowest mortality (n = 1134, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
In this cohort of reduced Ejection fraction patients, the obesity paradox was observed in all weight categories, with the highest survival of all observed in the extremely obese BMI category. This further supports hypotheses that an obesity-related physiologic phenomenon affects mortality in reduced ejection fraction patients.


In the teaching of modern European languages such as German and English, there has been renewed interest in engaging with foreign language (FL) literature in order to develop knowledge of the culture in which the text is located and to raise awareness of intercultural attitudes, values and beliefs. However, there has been a reluctance to correspondingly reconsider theories of reading and literary interpretation. In pedagogic textbooks, reading is still theorised almost exclusively in terms of cognitive or psycholinguistic approaches, especially »exemplar models« such as schema theory (Barsalou, Cognitive Processes 18: 2003, 517–519). Although less widely promulgated, approaches derived from hermeneutics and phenomenology such as reader response theory (Iser, The Implied Reader. Patterns of Communication in Prose Fiction from Bunyan to Beckett, 1974; The Act Of Reading. A Theory of Aesthetic Response, 1978; Prospecting: From Reader Response to Literary Anthropology, 1989; How to Do Theory, 2006) have also been used to describe the reading of FL literature. While there are similarities between exemplar models and reader response theory – for example, they are modular in their architecture, amodal in their systems of representation and are situated rather than abstract systems (after Barsalou, Cognitive Processes 18: 513–562, 2003), there are also crucial differences. First, exemplar models are taxonomic in their organisational principles since they employ a hierarchical conceptual framework. By contrast, response theory exhibits a synthetic, linear organisation whereby the meaning of the text is produced through an imaginative engagement with the signifiers of the text itself. Second, the structure of textual comprehension in exemplar models is paradigmatic. Higher level schemata search for evidence of fit from lower level schemata and so on, down to the lowest level of sensory data. By contrast, the synthesis of narrative in response theory is syntagmatic. As the reader progresses through the narrative, his/her consciousness flows from one perspective to the next: just as the present ›horizon‹ is made up of ›themes‹ that have preceded the one with which the reader is currently engaged, so the present theme will become subsumed into an emerging horizon. Third, the ontology of exemplar models is dualist. In positing a mental structuration of knowledge which precedes comprehension of the text, exemplar models are predicated on an empirical reality that exists independent of the mind. By contrast, the ontology of response theory is monist in as much as an imaginary object of the literary text does not have an exterior existence, but rather the reader is given over to the text through subsequent phases of reading in a way which transcends the subject/object dichotomy. Fourth, exemplar models are relatively stable. The same set of exemplars is available to the reader to be applied consistently in every instance of comprehension. By contrast, response theory is dynamic, since it suggests that each moment of reading entails a transformation of the reader's experience and his/her perceptions of the cultural milieu from which the text has arisen. This paper therefore argues that the two theories are indeed incommensurable and, furthermore, exemplar models appear less adequate for the description of features of FL literary texts. Not only do they fail to distinguish between denotative and connotative texts, but they also fall short of offering an account of the specific aesthetic and affective effects of a literary text. Finally, reader response theory serves to legitimate a diversity of interpretations by readers from heterogeneous cultural and linguistic backgrounds. However, it is Wofgang Iser's (The Act Of Reading. A Theory of Aesthetic Response, 1978; Prospecting: From Reader Response to Literary Anthropology, 1989) description of negation, blanks and negativity that is particularly applicable to reading FL literature, particularly with respect to its capacity to describe the generation of (inter)cultural meanings. First, through heightening the reader's awareness, negation enables him/her to problemize the normative system of mores encountered in the text. Negation produces a dislocation between the familiar and the unfamiliar through which the reader can generate an emergent transitional space which constitutes the meaning of the text. Second, as the reader progresses through the text, s/he continually switches from a segment which represents one point of view to another which represents a different perspective. During this process, gaps emerge which give rise to an indeterminacy of meaning and necessitate acts of ideation on the part of the reader in order to connect the different segments. Third, blanks suspend the as-yet-unformulated connections between the different perspectives in the text so that the reader transforms them into reciprocal projections. The connections that then emerge between these perspectives enable the reader to produce a determinate relationship between each segment which gives rise to an aesthetic effect. Negation and blanks thus constitute a ›double‹ of the text, or negativity. Negativity problematizes the reader's prior assumptions through realizing the failure and deformation of human endeavour, thus impelling the creation of an as-yet-unformulated idea as to their origin; it also generates the unfamiliar elements in the text through the removal of external conditions from their real context. It is this conceptualisation of reading in terms of the aesthetic and potentially transformative experience of negativity that renders a phenomenological description of reading particularly applicable to the ›intercultural reader‹ who engages with FL literary texts.


(150 words) This paper introduces a group of politically-charged Twitter users that deviates from elite and ordinary users. After mining 20M tweets related to nearly 200 instances of political protest from 2009 to 2013, we identified a network of individuals tweeting across geographically distant protest hashtags and revisited the term serial activists. We contacted 191 individuals and conducted 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews thematically-coded to provide a typology of serial activists and their struggles with institutionalized power. We found that these users have an ordinary following, but bridge disparate language communities and facilitate collective action by virtue of their dedication to multiple causes. Serial activists differ from influentials or traditional grassroots activists and their activity challenges Twitter scholarship foregrounding the two-step flow model of communication. The results add a much needed depth to the prevalent data-driven treatment of political Twitter by describing a class of extraordinarily prolific users beyond influentials and the twittertariat.


Slurry Infiltrated Fiber CONcrete (SIFCON) is a unique material, containing 5 to 18 percent, by volume, of steel fibers; in contrast, standard Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) usually contains 0.5 to 2 percent fibers, SIFCON exhibits high compressive and tensile strengths (up to 35 ksi and 5 ksi, respectively), extremely high ductility, and its response is strongly dependent upon the random orientation distribution of the fibers. To represent these unique characteristics, a constitutive model, based on the theory of mixtures, is proposed.


Abstract Transparent ZnO ceramics are of interest for use as material for high-efficiency fast scintillators. Doping ZnO ceramics in order to improve complex of their properties is a promising direction. In the present research, the role of indium in the ZnO nanopowders surface interactions and in the change of microstructures and photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of sintered cera-mics is considered. Undoped and 0.13 wt% In doped ZnO ceramics are obtained by hot pressing sintering. It has been found that indium leads to the transition of initially faceted ZnO particles to rounded, contributing to good sintering with formation of diffusion active grain boundaries (GBs). Unlike ZnO ceramics, ZnO:In ceramics microstructure is characterised by the trans-crystalline mode of fracture, faceted GBs with places of zig-zag forms and predominant distribution of In at the GBs. Such indium induced modifications of GBs promote removal of point defects and reduce PL parameter α = Idef/Iexc in comparison with the undoped ceramics. Results characterise ZnO:In cera-mics with improved GBs properties as a prospective material for scintillators.


1. The familial resemblance in causal blood pressure was studied in material derived from an ophthalmic population survey. The population consisted of 1078 individuals forming 373 families and 1410 pairs divided into groups with different relationships. In order to adjust for age, the difference between the logarithm of the systolic blood pressure and that of the value expected from a linear regression on age was used instead of the observed pressure. 2. There was no significant correlation between spouses. Children did not resemble their fathers at all. Sons and daughters were significantly correlated with their mothers. The resemblance between siblings was even greater and highly significant. The familial resemblance was not dependent on synchronized pressure readings or on a common household and was not related to the time available for cumulation of effects. 3. Together these findings formed a pattern strongly suggesting long-lasting maternal effects on the systolic blood pressure.


Abstract We investigated the incorporation of hydrogen into zircon at 1650 and 1550 °C, and pressures of 2.5 and 1.5 GPa under water-saturated conditions in a piston-cylinder apparatus. Concentrations were determined by polarized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using the zircon absorption coefficient εi = 36 241 cm-2 per mol H2O/L and range from ~90 to 200 ppm H2O by weight. Crystals grown in the presence of Ti4+ or Th4+ do not differ significantly in their H2O content. We also synthesized zircons with various concentrations of Lu2O3 and Al2O3 to characterize changes in band positions and hydrogen concentrations related to coupled substitutions in zircon. Trivalent cations correlate in a nearly 1:1 molar fashion with hydrogen highlighting a potentially important coupled substitution in high water activity environments. Bands from undoped and doped zircons in the OH stretching region of the infrared spectrum show broad agreement when compared to spectra from natural samples. Heating experiments at 1 atm and 1000 °C produce a decrease in the integrated area; while some bands disappeared entirely, others are particularly stable with little decrease in integrated area after 128 h at 1000 °C. Results presented here help eliminate uncertainties that arose from Fourier transform infrared studies of natural zircons and provide further clarification for the origin of band positions in natural samples. In addition to the water activity of the crystallizing medium, the H2O content of natural grains will likely be significantly influenced by trivalent cation concentrations. In crustal zircons especially, trivalent atomic contents generally exceed those of phosphorus, meaning that hydrogen may be particularly important for trivalent cation charge compensation. An unanticipated result of this study was the development of a reasonably effective technique that produces relatively homogenous zircons doped with minor impurities. This technique could potentially be utilized in studies aimed at developing zircon standards, because it yields crystals that appear to be more homogenous than those produced by the flux method, and are generally free of inclusions.


by Shannon C. Thompson Oxbows are portions of former river or stream channels that have become separated from the main channel over time. Despite a common origin they can be very different from each other because of unique hydrological conditions and distinctive soil conditions potentially resulting in the development of distinctive plant communities. Few ecological studies of oxbows have been conducted within Missouri. The primary purpose of this study was to survey and characterize oxbow wetland plant communities along Clearfork Creek floodplain, Knob Noster State Park, Johnson County, Missouri. A stratified random sampling was used to sample the herbaceous, shrub and sapling, and tree strata. Species cover estimates were determined for all vascular plant taxa. Communities were evaluated through relative important values, cluster analysis, and indicator species analysis. A total of 77 vascular plant species was identified during the course of the study comprising 60 dicot and 17 monocot species representing 37 plant families and 60 genera. The number of non-native species across the sites was 9. The average Coefficient of Conservatism (CC) value for all plants identified was 3.54. Noteworthy taxa with CC values of 7 or higher were Muskingum sedge (Carex muskingmensis Schwein.)(CC = 9), palegreen orchid (Platanthera flava (L.) Lindl.) (CC = 10), and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor Willd)(CC = 7). There were differences in plant species composition among oxbow wetlands (P < 0.01). Analyses of 246 quadrats revealed five canopy and five herbaceous plant communities. PLANT COMMUNITIES OF OXBOW WETLANDS IN KNOB NOSTER STATE PARK, JOHNSON COUNTY, MISSOURI


We propose a new approach to the study of diffusion dynamics in vibrated granular systems. The dynamic of a granular material is mainly defined by dry friction interactions. This type of interaction is difficult to model for a large quantity of particles. In this work, we study a granular system by analyzing the angular position time series of an immersed torsion oscillator and of an identical, torsionally unconstrained probe. In order to interpret the behavior of our mechanical system, the experiments are compared to simulations. We generate simulated time series using a simple model of a confined random walk. The global properties of the recorded signals, both experimental and simulated, are extracted by applying fractal signal processing analysis. We show that the Hurst exponent of the time series can be employed to discriminate the dynamics of the system. We conclude that the immersed probe behaves as a Brownian particle that can switch between three distinct dynamical regimes, depending on the strength of the torsional constraint applied to it. If the probe is strongly constrained, its trail can be described with a fractal Brownian motion showing anomalous diffusion (subdiffusive behavior). As the strength of the constraint is reduced, the system 'unjams' in a ordinary Brownian motion (normal diffusion). Finally, as the constraints are further reduced, we observe the onset of convection phenomena, which in turn induce a superdiffusive behavior.


Road traffic injuries (RTI) are the leading cause of death in Qatar with one in eight deaths from all causes due to RTIs. Furthermore, motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are becoming a growing public health problem and the use of seatbelt is universally low throughout the nation. The aim of our study was to investigate and highlight potential socio-demographic risk factors that contribute to seatbelt non-compliance. A prospective cross-sectional survey of all adults admitted with orthopaedic injuries following a MVC was conducted. A physician-administered questionnaire was used to interview all patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the association of various risk factors and seatbelt compliance. One hundred and seventy one patients were interviewed over a twelve-month period. Of the 171 patients, 103 patients (60%) (92 males, 11 females) were not wearing a seatbelt compared to 68 patients (59 males, 8 females) wearing a seatbelt. The mean age of the non-compliant patients was 32.8 years compared to 33.8 years of the compliant patients. Seatbelt compliance was associated with gender (OR: 11.3), nationality (ORs: 7.6 and 1.9), position in the car (OR: 14.2), education of the patient (ORs: 25.9 and 30.5), time of the injury (OR: 3.3), marital status (OR: 6.5), awareness of seatbelt campaign (OR: 5.9) and owner of a vehicle (OR: 11.2). The majority of non-compliant patients were single males from a Middle Eastern background that we involved in a MVC during the weekend. The majority of patients admitted with orthopaedic injuries following MVCs were not wearing seatbelts. The majority of non-compliant patients were driving 4WD vehicles and had crashes on main roads. A further national seatbelt campaign is required to promote the importance of seatbelt compliance amongst young male drivers with more stringent traffic penalties. 0


The successful development of environmentally benign technologies for the control and eradication of pests often requires strong information and communication support, involving concerted action among various international stakeholders. ICTs are becoming indispensable tools in classical biological control as well as in integrated pest management (IPM) strategies aimed at bringing pest infestations down to manageable thresholds, or at total eradication. They have proven invaluable in the speedy diagnosis and confirmation of pests, in planning and designing effective responses, in the deployment of the most suitable eradication technology, and in post-campaign quarantine operations.

The Carambola fruit fly project, led by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has successfully employed both state-of-the-art communication technologies as well as traditional information exchange to eradicate this pest, which affects the livelihoods of smallholder fruit farmers throughout Suriname and French Guiana.

In the mid-1990s, the presence of the Carambola fruit fly (CFF) represented a major threat to the production and marketing of fruits and vegetables throughout tropical and subtropical Central and South America and the Caribbean. Entomologists identified 236 different species of host fruit, and surveys found that the initial spread of the CFF was linked with increased fruit cultivation and the transportation and marketing of infected material. It was also discovered that the CFF is highly mobile, and can migrate distances of more than 50 km.

Various ICTs were employed to determine the range of the pest, but the simple fax machine proved to be the most effective means of distributing information, such as survey data, bulletins, aerial photographs and maps. It was found that the fly is not constrained by natural barriers such as dense forests, or by the isolated pockets of fruit tree cultivation. In view of the steady increase in the volume of unofficial trade in fruit across countries in the region, the situation demanded an immediate response.

Central to the pest control strategy has been the male annihilation technique (MAT), which involves the use of a powerful male attractant mixed with a bioinsecticide. As male flies are attracted to the lure and are killed by the insecticide, the male population is reduced to the point where reproduction is no longer possible, eventually leading to eradication. Fibre blocks impregnated with the mixture are dispersed from ultralight aircraft equipped with a simple geographical information system (GIS)/global positioning system (GPS) unit to ensure comprehensive coverage of the infested area, which straddles several countries.

The ICT-based approach - using technologies ranging from written materials to multimedia and remote sensing - has undoubtedly contributed to the efficiency and effectiveness of the eradication programme. ICTs were also used to support a public relations campaign and an extension programme to ensure that rural communities understand and participate in the programme. Radio, TV and group video sessions were used to build the local institutional capacity, including training, environmental monitoring, and research to provide information for the development of techniques for fruit fly detection, control and eradication.

The lynchpin of the CFF campaign has been the establishment of an efficient regional organizational framework for a concerted effort to detect, monitor and eradicate the CFF. An ICT platform using modern electronic information exchange, combined with conventional knowledge networks, have been indispensable in ensuring the coordination of inputs of scientists, technicians and administrators. Although the project has been remarkably successful in reducing pest populations to zero in most infested areas, future funding is uncertain. It would be unfortunate if the effort is abandoned before the Carambola fruit fly is fully eradicated from the few remaining hot spots.

For further information on IFAD´s biocontrol programmes, visit the http://www.ifad.org/events/past/anniv/bio.htm

IFAD website.

Shantanu Mathur is coordinator of research grants at IFAD (email: mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com

firstname.lastname@example.com).


It is an open question whether the prohibition on employment discrimination in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects plaintiffs who have not attempted to mitigate the effect of their disability on their ability to work. Suppose, for example, that a job applicant has severely impaired vision because of a corneal disease. He can have corneal transplant surgery that his doctors recommend and expect will allow him to see much more clearly, but he does not want to have the surgery because of the complications sometimes associated with the operation and the possibility that the surgery will not work. He applies for a job that has been structured for people who can see clearly, and asks the employer to purchase work equipment (like a new computer) that will enable him to perform the job with limited eyesight. Purchasing this equipment will be costly, and the employer asks why it should have to bear those costs when the applicant could have surgery to enable him to see better. The question raises a core issue of rights and responsibilities under a civil rights law. But Title I of the ADA, which protects a qualified individual with a disability from employment discrimination based on his disability, never indicates whether there is a duty to mitigate, either by undergoing medical procedures, using medication, pursuing physical therapy, losing weight, abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes, or taking other measures to improve health and eliminate obstacles to employment. The Supreme Court has not yet considered the question, and legal commentators have all but ignored it. The few lower courts to address a duty to mitigate under Title I are divided on whether mitigation should be required, and those in favor of the duty have not developed a clear standard for when that duty should apply. To the extent that the decisions supporting a duty to mitigate imply any principle for implementing the duty, most appear to suggest that Title I plaintiffs are obligated to mitigate whenever mitigation is possible. I reject both extremes of the existing debate. This Article argues that plaintiffs seeking Title I protection should be under a duty to mitigate, but that this duty should require plaintiffs to pursue only those mitigating measures that could reduce their need for workplace accommodation and that a reasonable person in the same situation would pursue.


Electrostatic desalting is the industrial standard method for removing salt from crude oil. In this study a techno-economic analysis of a crude oil desalting plant is presented. A complete process simulation was conducted using Aspen HYSYS in parallel with a simulation in Microsoft Excel in order to account for salt concentrations. An economic assessment of the proposed design was performed to within ±30%. Subsequent cost-benefit analysis indicated an approximate internal rate of return (IRR) of over 400%, due to reduced corrosion and fouling in downstream equipment, heat integration, and wastewater minimisation. Varying the density of crude oil in the process simulation indicated that the ability to use heavier crude oils would result in higher economic savings. Given the high IRR and trends indicating a market low in light crudes, companies that have the ability to process heavier and less expensive crudes will be strategically positioned for the future.


The design, fabrication, and measurement of photonic-band-gap (PBG) waveguides, resonators and their coupled elements in two-dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) slabs have been investigated. We have studied various loss mechanisms in PBG waveguides and have achieved a very low propagation loss (~1 dB/mm). For these waveguides, we have observed a large group delay (>100 ps) by time-domain measurement. As regards PBG resonators, we realize very high-Q and small volume resonators in PhC slabs by appropriate design. Finally, we demonstrate various forms of coupled elements of waveguides and resonators: 2-port resonant-tunneling transmission devices, 4-port channel-drop devices using the slow light mode, and 3-port channel-drop devices using the resonant-tunneling process.


Abstract: The "presentation" of the infant Jesus in the temple is a well-known image. But what is happening in Luke 2:22-24? The article explains that in contemporary literature such a presentation is not known. It does not belong to the purification of the mother, nor is it part of the ceremonies of circumcision or of the redemption of the firstborn son. A semantic analysis of paristanai, used in Luke 2:22, gives new theological insight in the meaning of the passage. Luke does not confuse different ceremonies, but shows how Jesus is placed in the service of the Lord, at the same time fulfilling the words he is quoting from Exodus 13.


ABSTRACT This article examines the evolution of Canadian Arctic policy during Sir Wilfrid Laurier's years as prime minister (1896–1911). Explorer Joseph Elzéar Bernier, who commanded three government expeditions in this period, vigorously promoted the idea that he himself had roused the sluggish government to action. He also alleged that Laurier had promised to sponsor a Canadian voyage to the North Pole, a promise that was later broken. However, archival documents show that neither of these claims is true. Instead, Laurier and other members of his government first showed their determination to assert Canada's northern sovereignty in 1897, a year before Bernier came on the scene. Although Bernier hoped that his first northern voyage might be turned towards the pole, there was no promise from Laurier. Subsequent policy developments were often haphazard due to interdepartmental conflicts and personality clashes, but by the end of the Laurier years a reasonably effective Arctic programme had been created. Though Bernier played an important part in carrying out the government's agenda, many of his actions (most notably his famous July 1909 sector claim) were aimed more at enhancing his own fame than at securing Canada's title to the Arctic. The article places Bernier's Arctic career in its proper context, and at the same time highlights the contributions of other men who lacked his flair for publicity. It thus provides a more accurate factual basis for future work on the period.


Background and Purpose: Surgery is a stressful situation and this study aimed to evaluate the effect of negative emotions coping styles training on mental health of the patients undergoing open-heart surgery. Methods: This study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design on the patients undergoing open-heart surgery during a course of six months in Mazandaran Heart Center, Sari, Iran in 2014. In total, 30 patients were selected using non-random sampling method, who were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups (15 cases in each group). In the intervention group, seven training sessions of coping strategies (inc. stress and anger management, dealing with anxiety, and depression) were individually held for the participants. Data collection was performed, using General Health Questionnaire by Goldberg and Hiller (1970) and coping strategies scale by Lazarus and Folkman (1985), which showed the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.84 and 0.80, respectively. Data analysis was performed, using ANOVA and Conflicting t. Results: In this study, the results of ANOVA were indicative of a significant difference between the groups, which suggest the positive effects of coping strategies on mental health (P=0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study negative emotions coping styles training had a positive impact on mental health of the patients, which was more significant in the intervention group.


The rich tapestry, breadth, and intricate interconnections between the topic of the future and the myriad dimensions of human reality afford the opportunity to teach the future and enhance future consciousness through multiple academic disciplines. In this paper I describe a variety of interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches to futures education. I draw upon both the distinctive methods and content areas of these various disciplines. I present these approaches to futures education in a narrative form, explaining and chronicling how each of them has emerged in my teaching over the years. The educational approaches are not incompatible and can be used in combination with each other in a variety of educational venues.


The electronic structures of dithienoarsoles, which were prepared through a facile and safe synthetic procedure, were tuned in multiple ways: structural modification of the π-conjugated system and reactions of the arsenic atom. Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction proceeded without coordination to the catalyst or oxidation during the reaction, though the lone pair of the arsenic atom was not protected. As a result, the emission color was successfully controlled. Moreover, oxidation and coordination of the arsenic atom effectively changed the electronic structures, resulting in emission color change. Theoretical calculations revealed that the LUMO levels were significantly lowered by oxidation and coordination. High air-stability and moderate coordination ability of a trivalent arsenic atom enabled various such transformations for emission color tuning.


The cost of energy as part of the total production costs in the cement industry is significant, warranting attention for energy efficiency to improve the bottom line. Historically, energy intensity has declined, although more recently energy intensity seems to have stabilized with the gains. Coal and coke are currently the primary fuels for the sector, supplanting the dominance of natural gas in the 1970s. Most recently, there is a slight increase in the use of waste fuels, including tires. Between 1970 and 1999, primary physical energy intensity for cement production dropped 1%/year from 7.3 MBtu/short ton to 5.3 MBtu/short ton. Carbon dioxide intensity due to fuel consumption and raw material calcination dropped 16%, from 609 lb. C/ton of cement (0.31 tC/tonne) to 510 lb. C/ton cement (0.26 tC/tonne). Despite the historic progress, there is ample room for energy efficiency improvement. The relatively high share of wet-process plants (25% of clinker production in 1999 in the U.S.) suggests the existence of a considerable potential, when compared to other industrialized countries. We examined over 40 energy efficient technologies and measures and estimated energy savings, carbon dioxide savings, investment costs, and operation and maintenance costs for each of the measures. The report describes the measures and experiences of cement plants around the world with these practices and technologies. Substantial potential for energy efficiency improvement exists in the cement industry and in individual plants. A portion of this potential will be achieved as part of (natural) modernization and expansion of existing facilities, as well as construction of new plants in particular regions. Still, a relatively large potential for improved energy management practices exists.


This study undertakes to establish the relationship that exists between public investment and private investment in Kenya during the period of 1971-2011. The study adopts the flexible accelerator model using the time series data for the period in consideration. Variables in the model are real GDP, inflation, interest rate, domestic credit, exchange rate, exports and external debt. The data for these variables was collected from various sources including The Central Bank of Kenya, Economic Surveys, Statistical Abstract and International Financial statistics. Using econometric techniques, the empirical results show domestic credit, real gross domestic product and exports have positive impact on private investment both in the long run and short run while exchange rate, external debt had both short run and long run negative impact on private investment. This study recommend the use of efficient and modern technologies in the manufacturing and agricultural sector to increase their productivity, more domestic credit to the private sector, debt relief among other policies are suggested to boost private investment in Kenya. Keywords: Private and Public investment


Combining television studies, archival studies and cultural history, this thesis asks the question to what extent public broadcasters in the Netherlands are keeping substantive and operational records that would allow for cultural accountability. Because of the unique setup of the Dutch public broadcasting system, there is no centralized archival system for written records of broadcasting organizations. Even though the broadcasters fulfil a central position in Dutch cultural society and provide a public service, they are not legally required to keep the records that give account of their actions and functioning. Only the governing body NPO has to comply with the Public Records Act and is thus required to carry out archival policies. Using a functional approach, this thesis explores the archival practices for written records in the Dutch public broadcasting system by comparing the situation at the NPO to that at the broadcasters. The research is framed in a concise historiographic account of Dutch public broadcasting and its history, followed by an analysis of recordkeeping practices and their purposes within public broadcasting organizations, explaining why archiving public broadcasting is important, even though this is not one of broadcasting's priorities. At the end, the potential for a heritage institution like the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision as a repository for broadcasting's written records is briefly examined.


We experimentally demonstrate that imaging of the degree of polarization (DOP) can be achieved from a single intensity image acquired under coherent illumination. This computational technique is based on the analysis of the speckle characteristics in a statistically homogeneous neighborhood of the pixel. Over a variety of samples obtained experimentally, we show that a simple calibration step allows this method to quickly and simply provide correct estimated values of the DOP, with precision in agreement with theoretical predictions. It is shown that unlike linear polarimetric contrast imaging, this method remains valid on birefringent samples.