Comparisons of recent California, New York, and Illinois civil law precedent concerning the juvenile "age of consent" for sexual activity reveal that states treat adolescent "consent" erratically. The new neuroscience and psychosocial evidence of adolescent development adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Graham v. Florida supports the movement to treat adolescents different from more developmentally mature adults. Moreover, adult prejudice and judicial bias against sexually active teenagers places teenagers at risk for sexual harassment and predation.Conflicts between law and science, as well as between state civil and criminal law, mandate a revision of legal approaches to teenage "consent," and perhaps not just with respect to consent to sexual activity. Drawing wisdom from recent scientific discoveries and traditional legal guidance, this presentation introduces a new mechanism to replace adolescent "consent," legal assent. Legal assent presumes no threshold legal capacity but affords teenagers autonomous decision-making authority, as well as protection following misguided decisions. It highlights that recognition of legal assent might reduce legal bias, better protect teenagers, and encourage their responsible decision-making as they are "developing capacity."


Malinau District, established through partition in 1999, is the largest district in East Kalimantan and contains some of its largest tracts of forest. With decentralization, the district has sought to generate revenues from its forests, but these efforts have been handicapped by a concurrent lack of institutional capacities to manage rapid forest exploitation and conflicts over claims. Timber extraction and utilization permits (Izin Pemungutan dan Pemanfaatan Kayu or IPPK) have been the main instrument for revenue generation, with 39 IPPK covering 56,000 ha. expected to generate revenues equivalent to roughly nine times the district 's 2000 budget. The IPPKs have enabled local entrepreneurs and communities to gain access to forest land and benefits previously controlled by centrally allocated concessions, however conflict has increased significantly where IPPK 's overlapped with concessions and where IPPKs did not fulfill contractual obligations to communities. Overlapping adat or customary-based claims to land have fueled further conflict. While districts now enjoy more control and economic benefits from forests, there is a high risk of reconcentration of power at the district level, especially as government officials lack accountability to villagers and communities still lack secure legal rights to resources.


A guide to the literature of pyroelectricity is presented with the majority of the 179 references published in 1979 and 1980. Each reference is briefly described in the text. Following this section is a complete bibliography, an alphabetical author list, and a Key-Word-in-Context Index to the titles.


Chapter one gives an overview of single cage heteroborane chemistry, particularly the areas of 12and 13-vertex metallacarboranes and their isomerisations. Also included is the chemistry of bis(carboranes), with recent developments on chelating derivatives of 1,1-bis(o-carborane), as well as reduction/metallation of bis(o-carborane). Chapter two describes metallation of the [7-(1′-1′,2′-closo-C2B10H11)-7,8-nidoC2B9H10] 2– dianion with various {NiPP}, {PdNN} or {NiP2} 2+ fragments (PP = chelating diphosphine; NN = chelating diamine; P = monodentate phosphine or phosphite) and which leads either to unisomerised 3,1,2-MC2B9 species or to isomerised 4,1,2-MC2B9 or 2,1,8-MC2B9 species, all with a pendant C2B10 substituent. The products were fully characterised spectroscopically and crystallographically as appropriate. Overall the results suggest that an important factor in a 3,1,2 to 4,1,2 isomerisation is the relief gained from steric crowding, whereas a 3,1,2 to 2,1,8 isomerisation appears to be favoured by strongly electron-donating ligands on the metal. Chapter three describes capitation of the [7-(7′-7′,8′-nido-C2B9H10)-7,8-nido-C2B9H10] 4– tetraanion with {NiPP} and {BX} fragments (PP = chelating diphosphine; X = Br, I, Ph). This results in examples of MC2B9-MC2B9 architectures (3′,1′,2′-3,1,2; 4′,1′,2′-3,1,2) or bis(carborane) derivatives. Thermal isomerisation of the bis(nickelacarboranes) is studied. Unexpected interconversion is observed between bis(nickelacarborane) diastereoisomers (rac and meso isomers of 3′,1′,2′-NiC2B9-3,1,2-NiC2B9) ligated by dmpe and the mechanism of this interconvesion is considered. A stereospecific product was observed in the nickelacarborane ligated by dppe and this is rationalised by DHB. Formation of 4′,1′,2′-NiC2B9-4,1,2-NiC2B9 and 2′,1′,8′-NiC2B9-4,1,2-NiC2B9 isomers on thermolysis of 3′,1′,2′-3,1,2 or 4′,1′,2′-3,1,2 MC2B9-MC2B9 precursors is elucidated in terms of DHB. Finally a new naming convention is introduced for these 12-vertex/12vertex bis(nickelacarboranes) to distinguish the chirality between cages. Chapter four elaborates the thermolysis of a rac/meso mixture of the species [1-(1′-4′-Cp4′,1′,6′-closo-CoC2B10H11)-4-Cp-4,1,6-closo-CoC2B10H11] to yield a rac/meso mixture of [1-(1′-4′-Cp-4′,1′,12′-closo-CoC2B10H11)-4-Cp-4,1,12-closo-CoC2B10H11]. Cage carbonatom identification is accomplished by both the VCD and BHD methods. Polyhedral expansion of the rac and meso isomers of 4′,1′,12′-CoC2B10-4,1,12-CoC2B10 was also attempted targeting 14-vertex metallacarborane/14-vertex metallacarborane derivatives. Chapter five contains the experimental procedures leading to, and characterisation details for, all new compounds reported herein. Crystallographic data is listed in the Appendix together with structure solution and refinement details.


BACKGROUND
The Mayo Clinic imaging classification of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) uses height-adjusted total kidney volume (htTKV) and age to identify patients at highest risk for disease progression. However, this classification applies only to patients with typical diffuse cystic disease (class 1). Because htTKV poorly predicts eGFR decline for the 5%-10% of patients with atypical morphology (class 2), imaging-based risk modeling remains unresolved.

METHODS
Of 558 adults with ADPKD in the HALT-A study, we identified 25 patients of class 2A with prominent exophytic cysts (class 2Ae) and 43 patients of class 1 with prominent exophytic cysts; we recalculated their htTKVs to exclude exophytic cysts. Using original and recalculated htTKVs in association with imaging classification in logistic and mixed linear models, we compared predictions for developing CKD stage 3 and for eGFR trajectory.

RESULTS
Using recalculated htTKVs increased specificity for developing CKD stage 3 in all participants from 82.6% to 84.2% after adjustment for baseline age, eGFR, BMI, sex, and race. The predicted proportion of class 2Ae patients developing CKD stage 3 using a cutoff of 0.5 for predicting case status was better calibrated to the observed value of 13.0% with recalculated htTKVs (45.5%) versus original htTKVs (63.6%). Using recalculated htTKVs reduced the mean paired difference between predicted and observed eGFR from 17.6 (using original htTKVs) to 4.0 ml/min per 1.73 m2 for class 2Ae, and from -1.7 (using original htTKVs) to 0.1 ml/min per 1.73 m2 for class 1.

CONCLUSIONS
Use of a recalculated htTKV measure that excludes prominent exophytic cysts facilitates inclusion of class 2 patients and reclassification of class 1 patients in the Mayo classification model.


Sport has increasingly been used as a vehicle for Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) awareness programmes, and the use of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) has become evident in the performance assessment of sport and development as well as HIV/AIDS programmes. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of selected Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in monitoring and evaluation of their sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes in South Africa. A qualitative study was carried out among employees of 5 selected NGOs that integrate sport with delivering HIV/AIDS awareness programmes in South Africa. Data were collected through a review of documents, key informant interviews (N=7) and a focus group discussion (N=7). Thematic approach following a descriptive framework was used to analyse data. The findings revealed that the selected NGOs in this study focus on similar HIV prevention messages linked to the key priorities highlighted in the current National Strategic Plan for HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis of South Africa. However, monitoring and evaluation of outcomes of the NGOs' HIV/AIDS awareness programmes remain a challenge. Of the five selected NGOs, only one has proven to have substantial documents and reports on monitoring and evaluation outcomes. Lack of M&E functions, as well as outcomes indicators, are critical elements limiting NGOs in demonstrating the outcomes of these HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. Capacity building on M&E is required to support the NGOs in being able to reflect accurate information on their sport-based HIV/AIDS activities and improve the M&E of their programmes. Keywords : evaluation, monitoring, NGOs, outcomes, sport-based HIV/AIDS programmes


In autumn deep convection in the Mediterranean region is a common phenomenon. The local events characterized by deep convection are still a difficult task even for high resolution numerical weather prediction. Three flood cases, produced by convection either embedded in a large scale system or locally developed, occurring in Italy, are presented. All these case were not correctly forecasted: Sardinia (Cagliari, 13 November 1999); Calabria (Soverato, 7 September 2000) and Sicily (Catania, 16 September 2003). The first case occurred during the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) campaign, therefore a lot of data are available; for the second one only data from SSM/I and local rain-gauge are available; the third one occurred during the operational experimentation of the TOUGH project. The last one was not well predicted even using the operational assimilation of ground based GPS. To improve the forecast of these cases the assimilation of several data is tested. The variational assimilation performed using 3DVAR of GPS, SSM/I and surface and upper air data is applied to improve the Initial Conditions of the Sicily case. The Sardinia case is improved using either GPS and surface data, whereas for the Soverato case only ZTD is assimilated. The experiments are performed using the MM5 model from Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU/NCAR); the model is initialized using the new Initial Conditions produced by the variational assimilation of conventional and non conventional data. The results show that the assimilation of the retrieved quantities does produces large improvement in the precipitation forecast. Large sensitivity to the assimilation of surface data and brightness temperature from SSM/I is found.


The consumer search costs theory has dominated discussion of trademark law for the last several decades. According to this theory, trademark law aims to increase consumer welfare by reducing the cost of shopping for goods or services, and it accomplishes this goal by preventing uses of a trademark that might confuse consumers about the source of the goods with which the mark is used. This conceptual frame is wrong, and it is complicit in most of trademark law's extraordinary expansion. "Search costs" is not sufficiently precise; many types of search costs are irrelevant to consumer behavior, and even when search costs are relevant, it is not clear that consumers always want them reduced. Yet precisely because the category of search costs is so broad, and because courts' traditional focus on consumer confusion seemed so compatible with search cost language, courts overwhelmingly have equated confusion and search costs. As a result, they have felt compelled to respond whenever a mark owner can describe the defendant's use in confusion-based terms. But trademark law is not, and never has been, an all-purpose tool for reducing search costs or eliminating confusion. It is instead a limited intervention in the market that prevents certain kinds of deceptive acts that have certain kinds of effects. If it is to have meaningful limits, courts need to recover this sense of modesty and limit trademark law to circumstances in which the defendant's use of a mark is likely to deceive consumers in ways that will interfere with purchasing decisions. Reframing trademark law's purpose in this way has significant ramifications for almost every part of trademark doctrine, from a variety of theories of infringement to the likelihood of confusion analysis, defenses, and even the scope of injunctive relief. It is, to put it simply, a better view of trademark law, and one that can identify reasonable limits in an area sorely lacking limits of any kind.


A variety of transmembrane proteins, such as transforming growth factor‐α (TGF‐α), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and L‐selectin, undergo shedding, i.e. cleavage of the ectodomain, resulting in release of a soluble protein. Although the physiological relevance of ectodomain shedding is well recognized, little is known about the signaling mechanisms activating this process. We show that growth factor activation of cell surface tyrosine kinase receptors induces ectodomain cleavage of transmembrane TGF‐α through activation of the Erk MAP kinase signaling cascade without the need for new protein synthesis. In addition, expression of constitutively activated MEK1 or its downstream target Erk2 MAP kinase was sufficient to stimulate TGF‐α shedding. The basal cleavage level in the absence of exogenous growth factor stimulation was due to p38 MAP kinase signaling. Accordingly, a constitutively activated MKK6, a p38 activator, activated TGF‐α shedding in the absence of exogenous stimuli. In addition to TGF‐α shedding, these mechanisms also mediate L‐selectin and TNF‐α cleavage. Thus, L‐selectin shedding by neutrophils, induced by N‐formylmethionyl‐leucyl‐phenylalanine, was strongly inhibited by inhibitors of Erk MAP kinase or p38 MAP kinase signaling. Our results indicate that activation of Erk and p38 signaling pathways may represent a general physiological mechanism to induce shedding of a variety of transmembrane proteins.


Labour migration in the Asia-Pacific is dynamic and growing. Variable economic growth, deepening regional integration, and growing disparities in wealth, both within and among countries, have created strong incentives for workers to relocate across borders. Patterns of migration are also becoming more complex: the traditional concept of labour migration as being from 'South' to 'North' is no longer accurate to capture the nuanced patterns of flows across the Asia-Pacific. There is a broad consensus that international labour mobility can contribute positively to development and poverty reduction under certain conditions. The ability to earn higher salaries abroad is broadly good for migrants and their families, and for communities remaining behind in the sending countries. Further, contrary to widespread beliefs that inward migration is socially and economically harmful, receiving countries can also benefit from the skills and economic dynamism brought by new arrivals. But there are also costs involved with migration including: high transaction costs for migrants themselves, low levels of protection for workers' rights, and high human and social costs associated with distance from places of origin. Migration, when not well-managed, can also raise social tensions. Unlike international trade, mechanisms for international governance of migration are underdeveloped. However, some regional initiatives, including regional trade agreements, are increasingly including provisions on migration. This paper reviews recent labour migration trends in the Asia-Pacific region. This is followed by a discussion of the main channels which link labour migration and development combined with analysis of policies that can enhance the developmental impact of migration. Finally, regional co-operation initiatives in the area of migration are summarized and proposals for reform at the regional and bilateral level are advanced.


BACKGROUND
Iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has been reported in patients who use immunosuppressive regimens for the treatment of autoimmune disorders, malignant neoplasms, and organ transplant rejection. However, iatrogenic KS in the setting of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) has been infrequently observed. The conventional treatment strategy for iatrogenic KS has focused on reducing immunosuppression, which carries a poor prognosis owing to a substantial risk for exacerbation of the primary disease.

OBSERVATIONS
A 49-year-old man developed KS on his wrist after 2 years of long-term immunosuppressive therapy with prednisone, methotrexate, and dapsone for well-controlled PV. Three months after the substitution of methotrexate with sirolimus, the KS gradually resolved. With the patient on a maintenance regimen of sirolimus, in conjunction with low-dose prednisone and dapsone therapy, KS and PV have remained in remission, without further recurrence, during a 24-month follow-up period.

CONCLUSION
The present case introduces a novel therapy for this patient population, highlighting the efficacy of sirolimus in treating iatrogenic KS without sacrificing the immunosuppression necessary to maintain control of PV.


The Psalmist wrote, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness" (King James Version 100:2). When Vaughn Ward passed away on December 7, 2001, we can be reassured that the angels welcomed her with thunderous noise. I had known of Ward since the early 1970s. In the short time I knew Ward in the 1990s, her passion, energy, sincerity, and curiosity proved infectious and heartening. Ward was born on February 11, 1939, in Clayton, New Mexico, in the northeast part of the state. During her childhood, she also had homes in the piney woods of Timmons, Texas, and Hinton, Oklahoma. After graduating high school, Ward enrolled in the English program at the University of New Mexico, where she graduated in 1961. She then headed east to teach, explore community life, and meet her life-mate, George. George had been trained as a lawyer, although that was not his passion. Rather, folklore and folksong were. By the time he and Ward married in 1964, their colleague in folksong, Ken Goldstein, suggested they enroll in the folk studies program at Cooperstown, which they did. Ward completed the required coursework for the master's but did not receive the degree. Politics were involved, a subject for another paper on the dynamics of gender in graduate school. Ward taught English throughout the country, focusing on high school. With each class, she infused folklore into her curriculum, and she made sure that her use of folklore was consonant with school standards wherever she went. Like her predecessor, Dorothy Howard, Ward knew that, in order to have successful programs that utilized nonstandard materials, the prog am would need to have a connection with the culture of the school. By 1967, the Wards were settled in the Schenectady are . Ward continued to hone her craft in teaching and writing by enrolling in the Bread Loaf School at Middlebury College (Vermont). Founded in 1920, the Bread Loaf School provided teachers and writers with a progressive perspective-a perfect environment for the ever-thoughtful and curious Ward. Ward's approach to education and folklore was unique and revolutionary. Her healthy respect for her students enabled them to use English classes to collect folklore at h me and in the community, and her understanding of how schools worked enabled her to make connections between school standards and folklore. She was a revolutionary who wore many hats. Her interest in folk music put her at the forefront of the Fox Hollow Folk Festival. And with her students, she created the Niskayuna Fes ival, or Nisky Day. Her support of musicians brought her to assist in the founding of Caf6 Lena in Saratoga Springs, New York. Ward's interest in community br ught her to found the Adirondack Liar's Club and the currently operating Black Crow Network, which ser es tradition bearers as they pursue their heritage. In her own ight, Ward made quite a joyful noise, up until the last day when s e and her family ate India food and told stories. By the next morning at 6:15 A.M., Ward passed in peace.


The objective of this research was to quantify the contribution of public transport to economic productivity. Based on our review of the literature we decided to extend and apply Venablesr microeconomic model of the productivity benefits of transport improvements, which considers the interplay between commuting costs and agglomeration economies. We extended Venablesr model in two ways: first, we incorporated non-linear congestion costs that are typical of major urban centres in which public transport tends to operate. Second, we allowed for space previously used for car parking to be reallocated, primarily for employment, which in turn would generate additional agglomeration economies. The model was subsequently applied to two transport case studies and we found additional productivity benefits in the order of 3 per cent to 19 per cent of conventional transport benefits. These findings have implications for the economic evaluation of public transport improvements and transport funding priorities.


Causal inference is the study of how actions, interventions, or treatments affect outcomes of interest. The methods that have received the lion's share of attention in the data science literature for establishing causation are variations of randomized experiments. Unfortunately, randomized experiments are not always feasible for a variety of reasons, such as an inability to fully control the treatment assignment, high cost, and potential negative impacts. In such settings, statisticians and econometricians have developed methods for extracting causal estimates from observational (i.e., nonexperimental) data. Data scientists' adoption of observational study methods for causal inference, however, has been rather slow and concentrated on a few specific applications. In this article, we attempt to catalyze interest in this area by providing case studies of how data scientists used observational studies to deliver valuable insights at LinkedIn. These case studies employ a variety of methods, and we highlight some themes and practical considerations. Drawing on our learnings, we then explain how firms can develop an organizational culture that embraces causal inference by investing in three key components: education, automation, and certification.


Efforts to foster ethics in government should begin at the local, rather than state or national, level. City officials and employees make a broad range of decisions that affect the welfare of citizens in many ways. Those actions determine to a large extent whether, on an everyday basis, people have equal access to the benefits and opportunities that government provides. Focusing efforts on city government ethics may also be the best way to build public support for high standards of conduct at all levels of government. If the public comes to expect (and demand) fair treatment and ethical conduct from city officials and employees, they are more likely to have the same expectations for those who hold the reins of power in state and national arenas. However, building an effective legal regime for regulating ethics in city government is a task that is neither simple nor inexpensive. Further, it is an endeavor which cannot even ensure good government. If the persons who hold public positions are unwilling to aspire to high standards and act in furtherance of the common good, no ethics code can fully substitute for that lack of moral ambition.Yet, the enactment and enforcement of a good ethics code can be an important step in treating individuals fairly, encouraging business growth, fostering institutional strength, and empowering the citizenry. For these reasons, it is appropriate for a city to spend valuable resources on adopting and periodically revising a good ethics code, teaching officials and employees about their responsibilities, and enforcing high standards for the conduct of public officials.


The development of quantum computational techniques has advanced greatly in recent years, parallel to the advancements in techniques for deep reinforcement learning. This work explores the potential for quantum computing to facilitate reinforcement learning problems. Quantum computing approaches offer important potential improvements in time and space complexity over traditional algorithms because of its ability to exploit the quantum phenomena of superposition and entanglement. Specifically, we investigate the use of quantum variational circuits, a form of quantum machine learning. We present our techniques for encoding classical data for a quantum variational circuit, we further explore pure and hybrid quantum algorithms for DQN and Double DQN. Our results indicate both hybrid and pure quantum variational circuit have the ability to solve reinforcement learning tasks with a smaller parameter space. These comparison are conducted with two OpenAI Gym environments: CartPole and Blackjack, The success of this work is indicative of a strong future relationship between quantum machine learning and deep reinforcement learning.


Abstract Celik, K., Darcan, N., Guney, O. and Firat, M.Z. 1999. Effect of diet with different lasalocid sodium levels on the fattening performance and carcass characteristics of crossbred male kids. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 16: 195–200. To determine the effect, of different lasalocid sodium levels on fattening performance and, carcass characteristics of male kids, 40 German Fawn x Hair crossbred, kids, (75% German Fawn, 25% Hair) divided into 4 groups, were fed on diets containing 0, 25, 50 or 75 mg lasalocid sodium per kg in groups A, B, C or D, respectively for 9 weeks. They were slaughtered at the end of this period. The carcasses were split in 5 anatomical regions by using Colomer-Rocher Standard. Method. At the end. of the study, there was significant difference among daily weight gain, feed efficiency, dressing percentage and. some carcass characteristics of groups (p<0.05). The kids in group D used feed more efficiently, grew faster and had some carcass characteristics which were better than others.


Collecting data via a questionnaire and analyzing them while preserving respondents' privacy may increase the number of respondents and the truthfulness of their responses. It may also reduce the systematic differences between respondents and non-respondents. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving method for collecting and analyzing survey responses using secure multi-party computation. The method is secure under the semi-honest adversarial model. The proposed method computes a wide variety of statistics. Total and stratified statistical counts are computed using the secure protocols developed in this paper. Then, additional statistics, such as a contingency table, a chi-square test, an odds ratio, and logistic regression, are computed within the R statistical environment using the statistical counts as building blocks. The method was evaluated on a questionnaire data set of 3158 respondents sampled for a medical study and simulated questionnaire data sets of up to 50 000 respondents. The computation time for the statistical analyses linearly scales as the number of respondents increases. The results show that the method is efficient and scalable for practical use. It can also be used for other applications in which categorical data are collected.


The prospect of applying the ordinary law of intellectual property-which many associate with the technology of Johannes Gutenberg-to twenty-first century innovations bothers many people. Why be tied to the past? Why not achieve a new and better future through new and better law? Frightened by the idea of a patent on the human genome and drugs developed from it? Just declare that all such knowledge and products are in the public domain,1 or require scientists and drug developers to license their discoveries and products at "reasonable" (= low) prices. Unsettled by the prospect that books and articles distributed over the Internet will be tagged or encrypted so that the authors or publishers can collect payment each time they are read or redistributed? Just forbid the newfangled devices (or contracts that consent to them), declaring that authors cannot be allowed to violate the rules for "fair use" or to profit from information that "ought" to be available to everyone for free.2 Frustrated by a software license that forbids the disassembly of object code in search of the source code, which could help other programmers write competing or complementary products? Just tell the author that in the public interest the law will not enforce onerous terms, which conflict with the public's presumptive right to engage in reverse engineering-and leave it to the judiciary to determine which terms are too onerous.3 I am a skeptic about the proposition that new developments in technology imply the need for new laws or rules.4 I am skeptical for two fundamental reasons. First, we know so little about the effects of our current intellectual property regime on the production and use of traditional intellectual property that it is silly to suppose that we have the information essential to prescribe new regimes for new kinds of intellectual property. Second, when flailing around in the dark, it is much easier to come up with "solutions" that harm the development of intellectual property than it is to devise rules that help. Ignorance thus should lead us to leave well enough alone. (As Edmund Burke remarked: Don't talk to me of reform; things are bad enough already.) I shall develop both of these propositions briefly. Consider for a moment the world of perfect competition in classical economics. Price everywhere equals marginal cost, so all decisions about producing, purchasing, and using goods are both privately and socially optimal. Now consider the problem for intellectual property: an idea, a book, a poem, or a piece of software can be used without being used up. The marginal cost of producing a new example, after the work has been created, is not zero, but it is low-substantially below average total cost. To recover its investment, a producer of intellectual property must be able to sell at average total cost or more; but if marginal cost is under average total cost, the price is "too high" to be socially optimal, for the high price discourages at least some purchases even though the consumer values the work at more than the cost of producing an extra copy. That is the problem with which the law of intellectual property grapples,5 and no solution can be praised unconditionally. Patent law, copyright law, trademark law, and the law of contracts (of which trade secrets are a branch) create or employ property rights in information so that the producer of intellectual property can charge more than marginal cost, and thus cover the total cost of producing and disseminating the works. Would-be consumers who value the work at more than marginal cost but less than average total cost lose out; but if the law were otherwise different consumers would lose (and lose even more) because producers would not develop and distribute as many innovations, plays, drugs, and programs. Just horn much above marginal cost should the price be? No one knows. A patent gives the inventor the right to exclude competition for twenty years, and thus to collect an enhanced price for that period. …


Studying time is at the core of the historian's research. For the statistician, time is usually a supplementary parameter or a supplementary variable which the models he develops have to take into account. This manuscript is the result of a collaboration between historians and mathematicians, having time as the starting point of a joint work. We are interested in studying a specific time-series, reporting the production of law related to military logistics of the Duchy of Savoy, during the XVIth and XVIIth centuries. The expected outcome is a better understanding of the temporality and of the functioning of the state. Two models based on hidden Markov chains and taking into account the specificities of the data are introduced. They are then estimated on the historical data and provide interesting results, which either confirm the existing historical hypothesis on the subject or bring new insights on the studied period.


Gut-associated lymphoid tissues are enriched in CCR6+ Th17-polarized CD4+ T cells that contribute to HIV-1 persistence during antiretroviral therapy (ART). This raises the need for Th17-targeted immunotherapies. In an effort to identify mechanisms governing HIV-1 permissiveness/persistence in gut-homing Th17 cells, we analyzed the transcriptome of CCR6+ versus CCR6- T cells exposed to the gut-homing inducer retinoic acid (RA) and performed functional validations in colon biopsies of HIV-infected individuals receiving ART (HIV+ART). Although both CCR6+ and CCR6- T cells acquired gut-homing markers upon RA exposure, the modulation of unique sets of genes coincided with preferential HIV-1 replication in RA-treated CCR6+ T cells. This molecular signature included the upregulation of HIV-dependency factors acting at entry/postentry levels, such as the CCR5 and PI3K/Akt/mTORC1 signaling pathways. Of note, mTOR expression/phosphorylation was distinctively induced by RA in CCR6+ T cells. Consistently, mTOR inhibitors counteracted the effect of RA on HIV replication in vitro and viral reactivation in CD4+ T cells from HIV+ART individuals via postentry mechanisms independent of CCR5. Finally, CCR6+ versus CCR6- T cells infiltrating the colons of HIV+ART individuals expressed unique molecular signatures, including higher levels of CCR5, integrin β7, and mTOR phosphorylation. Together, our results identify mTOR as a druggable key regulator of HIV permissiveness in gut-homing CCR6+ T cells.


This paper presents quantitative analyses of variation in selected areas of the grammar of Nigerian Pidgin as spoken by educated speakers (who also have a good command of English, the lexifier): tense/aspect marking, copula forms and verbal negation. The background is the theory going back to work by DeCamp and Bickerton in the 1970s on Jamaica and Guyana, respectively, that a linguistic continuum inevitably develops in certain situations of contact between a pidgin/creole and its lexifier. The data presented here, however, do not indicate the existence of a pidgin-to-English continuum in Nigeria. This may be taken as evidence that the Caribbean creole continua have arisen due to specific sociohistorical circumstances and that such continua are not bound to develop elsewhere.


Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Brazil. With the advent of immediate breast reconstruction, several techniques with many benefits for patients were introduced, including the use of alloplastic materials. A seroma is a frequent complication in all surgical procedures, and several methods have been developed to prevent it, which include the use of vacuum suction drains and adhesion sutures, as proposed by Baroudi. This study aims to demonstrate the advantages of the use of adhesion sutures between subcutaneous tissue and the muscle flap in breast reconstruction using implants or expanders after mastectomy. Methods: Patients who underwent breast reconstruction using implants or expanders after mastectomy were followed up for 5 months . Patients were divided into a control group treated without adhesion sutures, and a Baroudi group treated with adhesion sutures. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed with the use of adhesion sutures, with a lower incidence of seroma, reduced drain permanence, less need to return to the clinic, and faster recovery. There was no increase in surgical complications. Conclusion: The use of adhesion sutures in breast reconstruction is an effective option that reduces the occurrence of seroma and associated complications, resulting in faster recovery and return to normal activities. ■ ABSTRACT


In this paper, we illustrate a method for identifying clusters of semantic roles by cross-linguistic comparison. On the basis of data from 25 languages drawn from the ValPaL (Valency Patterns Leipzig) database, we show how one can visualize coexpression tendencies using quantitative methods (in particular, multidimensional scaling). Traditionally, the coexpression of semantic microroles (such as the breaker and the broken thing of the 'break' verb, the helper and the helpee of the 'help' verb, etc.) has been studied for particular languages, with generalized macroroles such as "agent", "actor", and "undergoer" being compared across languages in a next step. We set up a conceptual space of 87 microroles based on their coexpression tendencies, i.e. the extent to which they are expressed identically (via flagging and indexing) across our languages. The individual coding means (cases, adpositions, index-sets) can then be mapped onto this conceptual space, revealing broader alignment patterns.


ANALYSIS OF MACHINE LEARNING BASED METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING MICRORNA PRECURSORS By Steve Ikeoka MicroRNAs are a type of non-coding RNA that were discovered less than a decade ago but are now known to be incredibly important in regulating gene expression despite their small size. However, due to their small size, and several other limiting factors, experimental procedures have had limited success in discovering new microRNAs. Computational methods are therefore vital to discovering novel microRNAs. Many different approaches have been used to scan genomic sequences for novel microRNAs with varying degrees of success. This work provides an overview of these computational methods, focusing particularly on those methods based on machine learning techniques. The results of experiments performed on several of the machine learning based microRNA detectors are provided along with an analysis of their performance.


In October 2005, the Maltese Government embarked on a new phase of its national educational reform; primarily re-organising all State maintained schools into semi-autonomous regional colleges, sustaining partnerships between the schools, the parents and the wider community and re-structuring the education authorities into two Directorates. This thesis reports research into inter-school working that Malta, as in other countries, was actively promoting. The research aims were to: •analyse the nature of collaboration in a policy context that required joint working within and by individual schools; •explore the implications for educational leadership, governance and accountability within and between the institutions involved. Case studies of four colleges were carried out. Key participants were interviewed and documents analysed. The cases were analysed individually and a cross-case analysis was also undertaken. The classification and interpretation of the data focuses on the four key themes: - collaboration, (presented by the 2006 Education Act as a meta-concept and the basis for the success of the Colleges reform), educational leadership, governance and accountability. The data helped me to appreciate the importance of tradition, history and time which are necessary to understand how reforms impact differently on schools in general and school life in particular. The results show that in spite of a highly centralised system, we were used to examples of collaboration that had existed, albeit in informal and ad hoc ways. Many respondents felt that their school leaders lacked leadership qualities and failed to foster a culture of shared leadership. At the same time there was growing concern about the growing administrative responsibilities facing school management. There was consensus that the move to devolve greater responsibilities to the schools through inter-school working and the college system was a move in the right direction. This, in turn, was fostering an ethos of collective accountability within and across schools.


INTRODUCTION
Female genital sexual pain (GSP) is a common, distressing complaint in women of all ages that is underrecognized and undertreated. Definitions and terminology for female GSP are currently being debated. While some authors have suggested that GSP is not per se a sexual dysfunction, but rather a localized genial pain syndrome, others adhere to using clearly sexually related terms such as dyspareunia and vaginismus.

AIM
The aims of this brief review are to present definitions of the different types of female GSP. Their etiology, incidence, prevalence, and comorbidity with somatic and psychological disorders are highlighted, and different somatic and psychological assessment and treatment modalities are discussed.

METHODS
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) committee was composed of a chair and five additional experts. No corporate funding or remuneration was received. The authors agreed to survey relevant databases, journal articles and utilize their own clinical experience. Consensus was guided by systematic discussions by e-mail communications. MAIN OUTCOME/RESULTS: There is a clear lack of epidemiological data defining female GSP disorders and a lack of evidence supporting therapeutic interventions. However, this international expert group will recommend guidelines for management of female GSP.

CONCLUSIONS
GSP disorders are complex. It is recommended that their evaluation and treatment are performed through comprehensive somato-psychological multidisciplinary approach.


In this paper a new integrated Chua's circuit is implemented through switched-capacitor techniques. Recent studies on complex systems made of vast arrays or matrices of Chua's cells motivate the need for experimental verifications which could be easily accomplished by an integrated version of the array. Design efforts have been devoted to the reduction of the chip area consumption. The cell layout, realized in CMOS technology, is presented and experimental results confirm the validity of our chip implementation. The implementation presented allows the user to generate a wide gallery of complex behaviors. The system is in fact programmable: both the chaotic attractor generated by the single cell and the frequency range of the chaotic oscillations can be easily set via external control pins.


Newly identified baryonychine teeth from the UK Wealden illustrate the morphologic variability and stratigraphic range of this taxon. Whilst common in the formations in which they occur, their distinctive fluted and finely serrated teeth are often misidentified as crocodilian, which are superficially similar in appearance. Fourteen teeth from mainland Weald collections of the British Museum of Natural History (some collected over 150 years ago, all stored with goniopholid specimens) demonstrate the presence of baryonychines in the Hauterivian and possibly Valanginian stages of the Early Cretaceous: the oldest record of this group. An unusual laterally compressed, posteriorly recurved, and fluted tooth from the Purbeck Limestone (Late Jurassic – earliest Cretaceous) may extend the range of baryonychines even further. Some specimens from the Barremian Wessex Fm (Isle of Wight, UK) and older mainland deposits show both lingual and labial fluting, previously seen only in teeth from Spain. Spanish specimens can no longer be considered phylogenetically distinct based on this character. The fluted premaxillary and anterior dentary teeth of Ceratosaurus (and to a lesser extent, some other ceratosaurs e.g. Masiakasaurus) bear remarkable similarity to the fluted teeth of baryonychines. Whether this represents convergence or a real phylogenetic signal requires further analysis. However, isolated teeth identified as Ceratosaurus sp. from the Late Jurassic of Tendaguru, Tanzania, can no longer be assigned with confidence to this taxon and should be reassessed, especially as ceratosaur lateral teeth are unknown from these strata. The observed phylogenetic trend towards reduced denticle size in baryonychines through to spinosaurines suggests that the hypothetical ancestral condition possessed larger denticles, similar to typical theropods and what is seen in the Tendaguru teeth. A ceratosaur origin for baryonychines has been previously suggested and subsequently rejected by recent workers. However, this relationship should be critically reassessed considering the similarity between these taxa, and recent phylogenetic analyses placing Ceratosaurus closer to the Tetanurae.


Statins form the pharmacologic cornerstone of the primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In addition to beneficial cardiovascular effects, statins seem to have multiple non-cardiovascular effects. Although early concerns about statin induced hepatotoxicity and cancer have subsided owing to reassuring evidence, two of the most common concerns that clinicians have are myopathy and diabetes. Randomized controlled trials suggest that statins are associated with a modest increase in the risk of myositis but not the risk of myalgia. Severe myopathy (rhabdomyolysis) is rare and often linked to a statin regimen that is no longer recommended (simvastatin 80 mg). Randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses suggest an increase in the risk of diabetes with statins, particularly with higher intensity regimens in people with two or more components of the metabolic syndrome. Other non-cardiovascular effects covered in this review are contrast induced nephropathy, cognition, cataracts, erectile dysfunction, and venous thromboembolism. Currently, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines indicate that the cardiovascular benefits of statins generally outweigh non-cardiovascular harms in patients above a certain threshold of cardiovascular risk. Literature is also accumulating on the potential non-cardiovascular benefits of statins, which could lead to novel applications of this class of drug in the future.


Complex negotiations seem indeterminate. In constellations with many negotiation parties, each consisting of internal factions, varying internal decision rules and more or less defined organizational boundaries, bargaining over multiple issues over more than one sequence, make outcomes unpredictable. Despite providing useful abstract representations of such processes, game theory is often limited to highly stylized set-ups. Relying on the behavioral assumptions of the Zeuthen-Harsanyi process model we propose a dynamic simulation model. We explicitly take into account of preferential and informational determinants of governments' risk attitudes. We empirically confront predicted outcomes with actual negotiation outcomes, using quantitative data for the complex multi-lateral, multi-level, multi-issue negotiation system of the EU intergovernmental conference of 1996, which resulted in the Amsterdam treaty.


ABSTRACT. Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (common reed), already one of the world's most widespread plant species, has realized rapid range expansion in coastal wetlands of North America in the past century, but little is known about P. australis range expansion in inland wetland systems. We used genetic analyses, aerial photographs, field surveys, and a greenhouse experiment to study the extent and mechanism of nonnative P. australis invasion of Utah wetlands. We collected and genetically analyzed 39 herbarium samples across the state and 225 present-day samples from northern Utah's major wetland complexes. All samples collected before 1993 and all samples collected outside the major wetlands of northern Utah, including some as recent as 2001, were identified as native (haplotypes A, B, D, and H). Only 10 (4%) of the present-day samples were native, each from small, discrete, low-density stands; the remaining samples were nonnative (haplotype M). Our earliest nonnative sample was collected near the Great Salt Lake in 1993. Around the Great Salt Lake, which contains 40% of Utah's wetlands, P. australis cover has increased from 20% to 56% over the past 27 years—an increase that appears attributable to the nonnative strain. In a 3-month-long greenhouse experiment, the nonnative haplotype grew taller, had more aboveground biomass, and had a greater above- to belowground biomass ratio than the native haplotypes regardless of nitrogen, phosphorus, or water availability. Nonnative P. australis is rapidly invading the wetlands of northern Utah. Areas in Utah where the native P. australis remains should be identified and protected.


Maritime communications is fast becoming a growing area of interest. Use of a "commercial-off-the-shelf" (COTS) integration approach to system design, increasing interest in maritime security and demanding bandwidth requirements of sensors make understanding the effects of the sea on the communications channel an important design consideration when developing reliable and high bandwidth communications links. Conventional VHF communications are being replaced with SATCOM and cellular technologies for a variety of vehicular, sensor, life craft, and survival suit systems. Considering this occurrence, the marine communications channel and the effects of the sea surface have remained an area of limited study, particularly in comparison to the efforts placed on research for terrestrially-based communications channels. Urban environments, mountainous terrain, seasonal issues, and foliage are well studied in regard to effects on communications channels. To support design of systems for marine applications, the contribution of this research effort is the development of communications channel models by novel theoretical and numerical methodologies. The results of these efforts are models suitable for use in quantifying sea surface shadowing effects on communication channel performance in fully developed deep sea locations. -- First, a theoretically-based marine geometrical theory of diffraction (Marine GTD) model is developed, whereby a diffraction methodology is devised specifically for single sea surface waves. For this segment, a sea surface wave is considered as an obstructing object between transmitter and receiver creating a shadowing condition. The physical sea surface attributes are studied using the modified Pierson-Moskowitz model for the north North Atlantic such that a novel Geometrical Theory of Diffraction wedge is synthesized based exclusively upon sea surface height. The wedge is thus physically representative of a fully-developed deep sea surface wave, and may be used to estimate diffraction loss. Complete formulations of the generalized model are given such that path loss effects due to diffraction are easily determined requiring only the height of the sea and the positions of the transmitter and receiver. -- Second, a marine communications channel modeling methodology is developed using transient electromagnetic simulation methods to simulate overwater propagation of VHF to 3 GHz signals above a realistic fully developed random deep sea surface. The field of computational electromagnetics is focused upon use of numerical methods to obtain solutions to Maxwell's equations for problems not addressed easily analytically, or for which no analytic solution is possible. This is very much the case with the marine propagation environment. The complexity of the sea surface makes analytical solutions extremely difficult, and the stochastic nature of the surface makes detailed knowledge of the sea over the entire physical channel at the precise time of measurement nearly impossible. The proposed methodology of using the Finite Difference - Time Domain (FDTD) method allows high accuracy propagation analysis over a well-known realistic random sea surface. In the post analysis segment of the FDTD simulation effort, conventional wireless communications channel measurement analysis methods are applied to characterize channel performance using the path loss equation. This proposed methodology solves the key historical problem of conducting marine propagation studies. Specifically, propagation analysis can hereafter be conducted whereby detailed knowledge of the sea surface over which propagation occurs is readily available. From the collective analysis of multiple communications channels consisting of various random sea surfaces, novel parameterized channel models are developed. The end result of the numerical segment of this research is compact generalized models that are functions of both frequency and wave height that quantify marine communications channel performance during sea surface shadowing conditions. -- For both analytical and numerical methods, the Pierson-Moskowitz sea surface spectral functions are used to develop the required sea surface physical profile and subsequent random sea surfaces. Although this research effort has been conducted in support of the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for maritime surveillance, the proposed methods may be used to estimate channel performance for any wireless technology operating in the marine environment, however, the Pierson-Moskowitz model is regionally specific to the north North Atlantic. The results are suitable within that geography for circumstances as outlined per the channel topology with considerations to the frequency limitations of the geometrical theory of diffraction and the conducted FDTD simulations. Both models are verified for validity by direct comparison to the well-known analytic knife edge diffraction model.


Youth drowning remains a primary cause of injury and death in the United States, particularly within demographic disparities involving: (a) sex, (b) ethnicity, (c) socioeconomic status, and (d) geographic location. Research has examined knowledge acquisition for injury prevention, but little has been done to understand impact on future behavior. This study examined a learn-to-swim and water safety education program using the Reasoned Action Approach to predict future behavior in/around the water. Youth participants ages 5 to 11 at summer camp programs completed a 55-question survey designed to test 7 competencies through the lens of attitudes, intentions, perceived norms, and self-efficacy. Results indicated that several safety messages are not predicted to produce the desired behavior. These include actions related to concepts such as "rescue" and "calling for help". Information derived from this study calls for researchers and practitioners to examine water safety programs for efficacy as an injury prevention tool.


We present an approach for highly accurate bottom-up object segmentation. Given an image, the approach rapidly generates a set of regions that delineate candidate objects in the image. The key idea is to train an ensemble of figure-ground segmentation models. The ensemble is trained jointly, enabling individual models to specialize and complement each other. We reduce ensemble training to a sequence of uncapacitated facility location problems and show that highly accurate segmentation ensembles can be trained by combinatorial optimization. The training procedure jointly optimizes the size of the ensemble, its composition, and the parameters of incorporated models, all for the same objective. The ensembles operate on elementary image features, enabling rapid image analysis. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the presented approach outperforms prior object proposal algorithms by a significant margin, while having the lowest running time. The trained ensembles generalize across datasets, indicating that the presented approach is capable of learning a generally applicable model of bottom-up segmentation.


ABSTRACTAs China is receiving an economic boom, PM (particulate matter) pollutions not only have become a serious regional problem but also frequently impacted its neighboring counties, e.g., Korea and Japan. In addition to its adverse effects on human health, the on- and off-road engines operated in ambient can also be affected. In this study, a simple system for generating simulated ambient bimodal PMs comprising fine (PM2.5), coarse (PM2.5–10) particles was developed for evaluating the initial efficiency of seven respirator and four engine intake filters. In addition to the size fractional efficiency curves for each filter media determined from the SMPS (scanning mobility particle sizer) and APS (aerodynamic particle sizer), both number and mass based efficiency of these filters for PM2.5, PM2.5–10 and PM10 were also obtained to evaluate their performances against ambient PM pollutions. Data showed that the engine intake filters had a low efficiency for both mass and number based PM2.5, which was only about 25–30%. However, there was a large difference between their number and mass based PM10 efficiency. The former was much lower than the latter because these filters are with high efficiency only for coarse particles. Besides, the most of particles in number is resided in the fine size range while the mass is in coarse size range. For the respirator filtration tests, results showed that most of them can effectively remove both PM2.5 and PM10, in which the mass efficiency was always higher than that of number. The PM2.5 number efficiency results showed there are three out of seven respirator filters are with N-95 rated level, in which the efficiency of their most penetrating particle size is higher than 95%. The current simple experimental system could be applied to examine different purpose filters which protect human health and outdoor engines against ambient PM2.5 and PM10.


The objective of this thesis is to determine the optical properties of ZnO thin films with spectroscopic ellipsometry in a wide spectral region covering the both regimes of below and above the ZnO bandgap. Three dispersion models, namely, Sellmeier dispersion model, Cauchy model and Forouhi-Bloomer model, were used and evaluated to determine the optical constants of ZnO thin films below the energy band gap. On the other hand, two ellipsometric models, namely, two-phase model and three-phase pointby-point fit, were used to determine the optical constants above the band gap. Cauchy model is found to be the most suitable model for extracting the optical constants for photon energies below the ZnO bandgap while the point-by-point fit with the refractive index and extinction coefficient calculated from the two-phase model as the initial values can be used to reliably determine the optical constants for photon energies above the bandgap. Based on the above studies, the optical properties including optical constants, dielectric functions, reflectance, and absorption coefficient in the wavelength range of 250 1100 nm, covering both regions of below and above the bandgap, have been determined. Annealing effects on the optical properties and the structures of ZnO thin films have also been studied. It is observed that annealing causes a large reduction in the refractive index and the real part of the dielectric function. Atomic force microscopic study reveals that annealing changes the surface roughness, grain size and size distribution of the ZnO thin films significantly. The reduction in refractive index and dielectric function may be attributed to the increase of the volume fraction of voids in the thin films as a result of annealing, vii ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library


Make Information Governance Work : Best Practices, Step-by-Step Tasks, and Detailed Deliverables Most enterprises recognize the crucial importance of effective information governance. However, few are satisfied with the value of their efforts to date. Information governance is difficult because it is a pervasive function, touching multiple processes, systems, and stakeholders. Fortunately, there are best practices that work. Now, a leading expert in the field offers a complete, step-by-step guide to successfully governing information in your organization. Using case studies and hands-on activities, Anthony Giordano fully illuminates the who, what, how, and when of information governance. He explains how core governance components link with other enterprise information management disciplines, and provides workable job descriptions for each project participant. Giordano helps you successfully integrate key data stewardship processes as you develop large-scale applications and Master Data Management (MDM) environments. Then, once youve deployed an information asset, he shows how to consistently get reliable regulatory and financial information from it. Performing Information Governance will be indispensable to CIOs and Chief Data Officersdata quality, metadata, and MDM specialistsanyone responsible for making information governance work. Coverage Includes Recognizing the hidden development and operational implications of information governanceand why it needs to be integrated in the broader organization Integrating information governance activities with transactional processing, BI, MDM, and other enterprise information management functions Establishing the information governance organization: defining roles, launching projects, and integrating with ongoing operations Performing information governance in transactional projects, including those using agile methods and COTS products Bringing stronger information governance to MDM: strategy, architecture, development, and beyond Governing information throughout your BI or Big Data project lifecycle Effectively performing ongoing information governance and data stewardship operational processes Auditing and enforcing data quality management in the context of enterprise information management Maintaining and evolving metadata management for maximum business value


This paper reconsiders the long-run economic relationship between health care expenditure and income using a panel of 20 OECD countries observed over the period 1971-2004. In particular, the paper studies the non-stationarity and cointegration properties between health care spending and income. This is done in a panel data context controlling for both cross-section dependence and unobserved heterogeneity. Cross-section dependence is modelled through a common factor model and through spatial dependence. Heterogeneity is handled through fixed effects in a panel homogeneous model and through a panel heterogeneous model. Our findings suggest that health care is a necessity rather than a luxury, with an elasticity much smaller than that estimated in previous studies.


"Suicides in general, including farmers' suicides, are a sad and complex phenomenon. Hence, their underlying causes need to be addressed within an equally complex societal framework. Here, we provide a specific case study on the potential link between technological choices and farmer suicides in India. Although officially recognized for having increased production and farmers' income, Bt cotton, genetically-modified, insect-resistant cotton, remains highly controversial in India. Among other allegations, it is accused of being the main reason for a resurgence of farmer suicides in India. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of evidence on Bt cotton and farmer suicides, taking into account information from published official and unofficial reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, published studies, media news clips, magazine articles, and radio broadcasts from India, Asia, and international sources from 2002 to 2007. The review is used to evaluate a set of hypotheses on whether or not there has been a resurgence of farmer suicides, and the potential relationship suicide may have with the use of Bt cotton. We first show that there is no evidence in available data of a "resurgence" of farmer suicides in India in the last five years. Second, we find that Bt cotton technology has been very effective overall in India. However, the context in which Bt cotton was introduced has generated disappointing results in some particular districts and seasons. Third, our analysis clearly shows that Bt cotton is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the occurrence of farmer suicides. In contrast, many other factors have likely played a prominent role. Nevertheless, in specific regions and years, where Bt cotton may have indirectly contributed to farmer indebtedness, leading to suicides, its failure was mainly the result of the context or environment in which it was planted. We close the paper by proposing a conceptual framework for empirical applications linking the different agricultural and institutional factors that could have contributed to farmer suicides in recent years in certain districts of Central and Southern India." from authors' abstract


Recently, a new method for the specific covalent labeling of fusion proteins in vitro and in living cells has been developed. This method is based on the unusual mechanism of a DNA repair protein: the O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (AGT). In addition to its natural substrate, O6-alkylated guanine incorporated in DNA, the AGT protein can transfer the benzyl group of O6-benzylguanine to a reactive cysteine residue, leading to its irreversible alkylation. The labeling system relies on the fact that affinity or fluorescent tags can be attached to the para position of the benzyl ring and thus be transferred to the AGT protein, leading to its covalent labeling. Although this system has already been successfully applied, it still suffers from two major drawbacks: the low reactivity of the protein toward O6-benzylguanine derivatives and the limitation to cells deficient in endogenous AGT. The work reported here describes directed evolution strategies that were developed to overcome these drawbacks. The first goal was to increase the labeling efficiency in living cells by increasing the reactivity of AGT toward O6-benzylguanine derivatives. Structural data available on AGT and the results of docking experiments pointed out four residues, 140, 157, 159 and 160, which are close enough to the O6-benzylguanine to allow interactions with this substrate. Therefore, these four positions were fully randomized and selections were performed using a phage display system based on the phagemid technology. Two mutants, PGEAhAGT and PGEGhAGT, showed a 15- and 20-fold increase in the reaction rate in vitro. It has subsequently been shown that this increase in reaction rate in vitro is also reflected in living cells by a more efficient labeling of AGT fusion proteins. In conclusion, the selected mutant proteins allow for a highly efficient covalent labeling of AGT fusion proteins in vitro as well as in living cells and therefore should become an important tool for studying protein function. The second aim was to enable the selective labeling of AGT fusion proteins in living cells in the presence of endogenous AGT. For this purpose, four positions, 131, 132, 134 and 135, which are believed to interfere with N9-substituted O6-benzylguanines were simultaneously completely randomized. Phage display selections allowed the identification of a clone, AGT54, with increased reactivity toward O6-benzylguanine and complete resistance toward an N9-substituted O6-benzylguanine. This mutant was further engineered to render the protein more stable, non-DNA binding and to decrease the overall protein size, leading to the so-called MAGT. This new mutant therefore allowed the specific labeling of fusion proteins in living cells in presence of endogenous AGT by simply pre-incubation with the N9-substituted O6-benzylguanine. In conclusion, the possibility to specifically label AGT fusion proteins in the presence of endogenous protein should significantly broaden the scope of application of AGT fusion proteins for studying protein function in living cells. Finally, a transcription-based yeast three-hybrid system was adapted and successfully employed to identify clones with a 2-fold increased activity toward O6-benzylguanine out of an error prone library based on MAGT.


Polymorphism is a widespread phenomenon occurring in many solid materials having important effects in many scientific disciplines. Since molecular packing can determine the functional properties of materials but is often difficult to control, polymorphism has usually been considered a drawback for technological applications. Thanks to advances in its control over the past few years, polymorphism is now often considered more as an opportunity because it allows a much wider range of functionality in, for example, a solid molecular material, where a corresponding packing type can be selected or even promoted. This tutorial review introduces the reader to the most representative progress in applications of polymorphism as an additional functionality of materials especially in its current promise for technological applications. In addition, it examines the most powerful strategies to control and fully exploit the intrinsic properties of polymorphism and transitions between its various metastable states, through fine-tuning of molecular packing in a reproducible manner. The aim is to create awareness about polymorphism as a novel enabling technology rather than as a problem.


This chapter assesses Article 28 of the ICDR Rules. It is not uncommon for a party to raise objections to the arbitration based on non-compliance with the relevant institutional rules. However, when not raised promptly, such an objection can derail an arbitral proceeding and create potential grounds on which to challenge the award. Article 28 requires that where a party knows of any non-compliance with the ICDR Rules or the parties' arbitration agreement, but instead proceeds with the arbitration without promptly objecting in writing, it will be deemed to have waived the right to object. This general principle is also echoed in the ICDR Rules in the specific context of challenges to arbitrators and objections to jurisdiction. Ultimately, the revisions to Article 28 in the 2014 ICDR Rules reflect best practices in international arbitration and potentially broaden the effect of the waiver provision.


Anthropogenic climate change is an undeniable threat to the future of the natural world and human civilization. These shifts will have profound impacts on vegetation, especially for species endemic to isolated regions or sensitive to climate change factors. However, species resilience can predict success into the next century. Resilience is defined as the ability to withstand climate change factors, whereas vulnerability is defined as susceptibility to climate induced stress or damage. Chaparral and coastal scrub ecosystems within the Bay Area of California provide a unique context for examining resilience, as many species are adapted to high temperatures, drought, and wildfire—all elements predicted to increase with impending climate change. Through a comparative analysis of three species, the physiological and geographic adaptations that lend to resilience were assessed, along with estimations for potential range shifts and population decline. The three species are: 1. Chamise ( Adenostoma fasciculatum) – A dominant shrub species projected to increase in biomass in climate change scenario models 2. Marin Manzanita ( Arctostaphylos virgata) – A rare, endemic shrub species with declining populations 3. Hoary Manzanita ( Arctostaphylos canescens) – A species with paleo-ecological records traced to northern, cooler regions Of these chosen species Adenostoma fasciculatum was determined to be the most resilient due to a high threshold tolerance of climate change factors and small seed size. This species will likely spread throughout the Bay Area and become increasingly dominant as a result. Arctostaphylos canescens was determined to be the most vulnerable due to projected heat stress, likely drought stress, and large seed size. Potential refugia for the species within the study area exists in San Mateo County and assisted migration is a potential option to ensure success into the future. Lastly, Arctostaphylos virgata was determined to be en situ refugia, and therefore will likely persist in its current range . Although it is the most sensitive species, it exhibits resilience because its range is within an area where projected temperatures are lower than the suitability threshold. Results were determined by comparing species suitability traits to coarse climate projections as well as comparing factors of recruitment, temperature, fire disturbance, temperature exposure risk, water uptake risk, and plant height. Of the resiliency traits examined in literature review, seed mass and species adaptability were determined as the most important for discerning future success by allowing species to expand in range and move into suitable habitat. This research framework can be replicated to analyze vulnerability or resilience for most vegetation in most ecosystems.


SIR,-The excellent article by Wing Commander H F Oxer (20 September, p 692) has drawn attention to the problems involved in aeromedical flights. Having assessed a patient as suitable for transportation by air the doctor or hospital is often faced with the problem of organising a suitable flight. The St John Ambulance aeromedical service operates a unique voluntary 24-hour international emergency travel service by air ambulance charter or by airline scheduled flights for the escort of patients to or from any part of the world and within the UK. Air ambulance flights are particularly useful for seriously ill patients who may require considerable in-flight care. There is the additional advantage of being able to land at a much greater number of airports, the patient thus having to travel shorter road distances between airport and hospital. The St John aeromedical service charters the following aircraft: HS 125 jets, Cessna Golden Eagles, Navajo Chieftains, Islanders, Aztecs, and Senecas. Each aircraft has advantages and disadvantages compared with the others but with the range of aircraft available a comprehensive service is provided. On every flight a volunteer team of two or three air attendants (selected from a register of doctors, nurses, and lay members, all of whom have undergone additional aeromedical training) take standard medical packs which include oxygenation, automatic ventilation, resuscitation, intubation, and intravenous equipment. At present the service covers the whole of Western Europe and North and West Africa. When escorting cases on airline scheduled services the St John service makes the necessary booking arrangements for stretcher fittings or sitting patients and for dealing with customs and immigration, the Foreign Office, embassies, and consuls. All St John air attendants carry the necessary international health documents. Patients are escorted to or from any part of the world and the air attendant will, if necessary, accompany the patient from the hospital bed in Britain to the hospital bed in the destination country or vice versa. I should be pleased to supply further information on request.


"Harvesting Coffee, Bargaining Wages" offers an insightful scrutiny of rural market behavior and a convincing explanation of why farmers fail sometimes to manage their laborers in ways predicted by market models--and how power imbalances and social conditions can impair the ability of laborers to attain a fair market contract during lax labor market periods.This empirical study, based on interviews with both farmers and laborers, covers a fifteen-year period characterized by the modernization of production. Ortiz compares three localized coffee labor markets, expanding the analysis by contrasting the strategies used by the coffee farmers in her study areas with those that farmers in other parts of the world adopt in order to cope with similar problems. Her data challenge prevalent generalizations about the consequences of agricultural modernization on laboring families by showing that management practices and contractual arrangements are ultimately molded by local conditions--cultural perceptions of a fair exchange, familial obligations and roles, availability of housing, bargaining power in the home and in the market, kin networks, and information flows--in interaction with national and global influences."Harvesting Coffee, Bargaining Wages" will be of primary interest to anthropologists and sociologists, geographers, political scientists interested in explicit and implicit contract formats, and economists intrigued by the possibility of integrating social variables as contextual aspects of management strategies.Sutti Ortiz is Associate Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Boston University.


This article endeavors to clarify the current requirements and status of regulatory approval for chemoprevention (risk reduction) drugs and discusses possible improvements to the regulatory pathway for chemoprevention. Covering a wide range of topics in as much depth as space allows, this report is written in a style to facilitate the understanding of nonscientists and to serve as a framework for informing the directions of experts engaged more deeply with this issue. Key topics we cover here are as follows: a history of definitive cancer chemoprevention trials and their influence on the evolution of regulatory assessments; a brief review of the long-standing success of pharmacologic risk reduction of cardiovascular diseases and its relevance to approval for cancer risk reduction drugs; the use and limitations of biomarkers for developing and the approval of cancer risk reduction drugs; the identification of individuals at a high (er) risk for cancer and who are appropriate candidates for risk reduction drugs; business models that should incentivize pharmaceutical industry investment in cancer risk reduction; a summary of scientific and institutional barriers to development of cancer risk reduction drugs; and a summary of major recommendations that should help facilitate the pathway to regulatory approval for pharmacologic cancer risk reduction drugs. Cancer Prev Res; 4(3); 311–23. 2011 AACR. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


First, the chapter presents a novel design of electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) absorber with the characteristics of broad bandwidth, low profile, and polarization‐independence to a normal incident electromagnetic wave. The absorber is composed of three consecu ‐ tive octagon or decagon loops, and highly‐resistive frequency selective surface (FSS) layers. Second, based on the feature of the designed absorber unit, a broadband, meta‐ material absorber‐bounded, wireless inter/intrachip (WIIC) communication channel is constructed at the center frequency of 60 GHz. Third, in order to validate the developed methodology used in WIIC analysis, a wired channel on a conventional PCB has been measured, simulated, and analyzed. Fourth, with the extracted S‐parameters of the WIIC system and wired PCB channel, the system impulse responses and transfer functions of the investigated channels have been further extracted, which are used for validation and BER analysis of the WIIC system. Finally, it has been shown that based on the derived BER results, the performance of the designed WIIC channel is close to that of an additive Gaussian white noise (AWGN) channel when the WIIC transceivers are built in with the functionalities of forward error control (FEC), channel estimation, and equalization.


Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are massive data parallel processors. High performance comes only at the cost of identifying data parallelism in the applications while using data parallel processors like GPU. This is an easy effort for applications that have regular memory access and high computation intensity. GPUs are equally attractive for sparse matrix vector multiplications (SPMV for short) that have irregular memory access. SPMV is an important computation in most of the scientific and engineering applications and scaling the performance, bandwidth utilization and compute intensity (ratio of computation to the data access) of SPMV computation is a priority in both academia and industry. There are various data structures and access patterns proposed for sparse matrix representation on GPUs and optimizations and improvements on these data structures is a continuous effort. This paper proposes a new format for the sparse matrix representation that reduces the data organization time and the memory transfer time from CPU to GPU for the memory bound SPMV computation. The BLSI (Bit Level Single Indexing) sparse matrix representation is up to 204\% faster than COO (Co-ordinate), 104\% faster than CSR (Compressed Sparse Row) and 217\% faster than HYB (Hybrid) formats in memory transfer time from CPU to GPU. The proposed sparse matrix format is implemented in CUDA-C on CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) supported NVIDIA graphics cards.


OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to establish the frequency of unlicensed and off label drug use in infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Tygerberg Hospital. METHOD This was a prospective descriptive survey conducted over 3 consecutive months (September 2011-November 2011) of all medicine charts of neonates admitted during this time period to the NICU. Data collected included demography, diagnoses, medicines prescribed according to dose, frequency, route of administration and indication. Medicine use was defined as unlicensed, licensed or off label use according to the latest South African Medicines Formulary (2012) and the manufacturer's package insert. Unlicensed drug use is per definition a drug not registered with South African Medicine Control Council (SA MCC) for children and off label drug use is where the use is outside of its authorized license with SA MCC. RESULTS There were 112 neonates enrolled in the study, of whom 51% were preterm and 49% term infants. The most common diagnoses on admission for the preterm babies were hyaline membrane disease (33%) and sepsis (21%), while it was hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (42%) and post-operative care (22%) for term infants. There were 759 drug events of which 37% were licensed and followed all the licensing terms, 51% were prescribed in an off label manner and the remaining 12% were of unlicensed drugs. The most common reasons off label drug use were for weight (74%), followed by age (44%), frequency (44%), indication (21%), or a route not described in the licensing terms (13%). There was a lack of pediatric data for 9% of the drugs prescribed. In 203 drug events (27%) a drug was used in an off label manner for more than one reason. Sixty one percent of the drugs used had no information on the use of the drug in neonates. CONCLUSION This is the first study conducted in an African NICU, according to our knowledge and the results are similar to studies conducted in Europe and America. Neonates are exposed to a vi Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za


Abstract Vector autoregressions (VARs) are flexible time series models that can capture complex dynamic interrelationships among macroeconomic variables. However, their dense parameterization leads to unstable inference and inaccurate out-of-sample forecasts, particularly for models with many variables. A solution to this problem is to use informative priors in order to shrink the richly parameterized unrestricted model toward a parsimonious naıve benchmark, and thus reduce estimation uncertainty. This paper studies the optimal choice of the informativeness of these priors, which we treat as additional parameters, in the spirit of hierarchical modeling. This approach, theoretically grounded and easy to implement, greatly reduces the number and importance of subjective choices in the setting of the prior. Moreover, it performs very well in terms of both out-of-sample forecasting—as well as factor models—and accuracy in the estimation of impulse response functions.


This dissertation concerns the development of a loosely coupled, finite element method for the numerical simulation of 2-D hypersonic, thermo-chemical equilibrium and nonequilibrium flows, with an emphasis on resolving directional flow features, such as shocks, by an anisotropic mesh adaptation procedure. Since the flow field of such problems is chemically reacting and molecular species are vibrationally excited, numerical analyses based on an ideal gas assumption result in inaccurate if not erroneous solutions. Instead, hypersonic flows must be computed by solving the gasdynamic equations in conjunction with species transport and vibrational energy equations. The number of species transport equations could be very high but is drastically reduced by neglecting the ionization, thus leaving one to represent the air by only five neutral species: O, N, NO, O$\sb2$ and N$\sb2.$ This system of equations is further simplified by considering an algebraic equation for conservation of the fixed nitrogen to oxygen ratio in air. The chemical source terms are computed according to kinetic models, with reaction rate coefficients given by Park's reaction models. All molecular species are characterized by a single vibrational temperature, yielding the well-known two-temperature thermal model which requires the solution of a single conservation equation for the total vibrational energy. In this thesis, the governing equations are decoupled into three systems of PDEs--gasdynamic, chemical and vibrational systems--which are integrated by an implicit time-marching technique and discretized in space by a Galerkin-finite element method. This loosely-coupled formulation maintains the robustness of implicit techniques, while keeping the memory requirements to a manageable level. It also allows each system of PDEs to be integrated by the most appropriate algorithm to achieve the best global convergence. This particular feature makes a partially-decoupled formulation attractive for the extension of existing gasdynamic codes to hypersonic nonequilibrium flow problems, as well as for other applications having stiff source terms. The hypersonic shocks are resolved in a cost-effective manner by coupling the flow solver to a directionally mesh adaptive scheme using an edge-based error estimate and an efficient mesh movement strategy. The accuracy of the numerical solution is continuously evaluated using a bound available from finite element theory. The Hessian (matrix of second derivatives) of a selected variable is numerically computed and then modified by taking the absolute value of its eigenvalues to finally produce a Riemannian metric. Using elementary differential geometry, the edge-based error estimate is thus defined as the length of the element edges in this Riemannian metric. This error is then equidistributed over the mesh edges by applying a mesh movement scheme made efficient by removing the usual constraints on grid orthogonality. The construction of an anisotropic mesh may thus be interpreted as seeking a uniform mesh in the defined metric. The overall methodology is validated on various relevant benchmarks, ranging from supersonic frozen flows to hypersonic thermo-chemical nonequilibrium flows, and the results are compared against experimental data and, when not possible, to other computational approaches.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the probability to produce yoghurt
containing live and active probiotic microorganisms as functional food with favorite sensorial
properties.
Material & Methods: The maintenance of Salmonella as a pathogen agent was evaluated under the
synergistic effects of simultaneous presence of Teucrium polium essential oil (EO) and Lactobacillus
acidophilus. For this purpose, 108-109 CFU/ml of L. acidophilus, 103 CFU/ml Salmonella
Typhimurium LT2, and different concentrations of Teucrium polium EO were added to yoghurt. The
products were kept for 28 days in 4°C refrigerator and evaluated for changes in organoleptic properties
and the maintenance of L. acidophilus and S. Typhimurium LT2. The presence of bacteria was
determined by culture in selective media and PCR methods.
Results: T. polium EO had the best Salmonella growth inhibition at 60 ppm and 80 ppm and in
synergistic combination with L. acidophilus. No Salmonella was isolated during the 28 days of
preservation of probiotic yoghurt or probiotic yoghurt containing different concentrations of T. polium
EO. However, Salmonella could be isolated and counted in days 1 and 7 from negative control group
and the groups containing T. polium EO. The best organoleptic properties of essential oil
concentrations were observed in groups containing L. acidophilus.
Conclusion: Using the combination of T. polium EO and L. acidophilus improved the hygienic and
organoleptic quality of yoghurt


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) comprise a collection of portable, wireless, interconnected sensors deployed over an area to monitor and report a variable of interest; example applications include wildlife monitoring and home automation systems. In order to cater for long network lifetimes without the need for regular maintenance, energy efficiency is paramount, alongside link reliability. To minimise energy consumption, WSN MAC protocols employ Clear Channel Assessment (CCA), to transmit and receive packets. For transmitting, CCA is used beforehand to determine if the channel is clear. For receiving, CCA is used to decide if the radio should wake up to receive an incoming transmission, or be left in a power efficient sleep state. Current CCA implementations cannot determine the device type occupying the media, leaving nodes unable to differentiate between WSN traffic and arbitrary interference from other devices, such as WiFi. This affects link performance as packet loss increases, and energy efficiency as the radio is idly kept in receive mode. To permit WSN deployments in these environments, it is necessary to be able to gauge the effect of interference. While tools exist to model and predict packet loss in these conditions, it is currently not possible to do the same for energy consumption. This would be beneficial, as parameters of the network could be tuned to meet lifetime and energy requirements. In this thesis, methods to predict energy consumption of WSN MAC protocols are presented. These are shown to accurately estimate the idle listening from environmental interference measurements. Further, in order to mitigate the effects of interference, it would be beneficial for a CCA check to determine the device type occupying the media. For example, transmitters may select back-off strategies depending on the observed channel occupier. Receivers could be made more efficient by ignoring all non-WSN traffic, staying awake only after detecting an incoming WSN transmission. P-DCCA is a novel method presented in this thesis to achieve this. Transmitters vary the output power of the radio while the packet is being sent. Receivers are able to identify signals with this characteristic power variation, enabling a P-DCCA check to reveal if the medium is currently occupied by WSN traffic or other interference. P-DCCA is implemented in a common WSN MAC protocol, and is shown to achieve high detection accuracy, and to improve energy efficiency and packet delivery in interference environments.


Symmetric X-couplers are analyzed using the supermode approach. Constraints for lossless propagation are presented. A simple analytic approximation for the total accumulated phase difference of the supermodes is found that enables the calculation of the coupling ratio of arbitrary symmetric X-couplers. Good agreement is found between results obtained with the proposed method and data calculated using a beam-propagation method. The impact of several design parameters on the coupling ratio is discussed. Due to the simplicity of the structure, X-couplers are well suited for being realized by direct light-writing techniques.


A considerable amount of literature on peer coaching suggests that the professional development of teachers can be improved through experimentation, observation, reflection, the exchange of professional ideas, and shared problem‐solving. Reciprocal peer coaching provides teachers with an opportunity to engage in such activities in an integrated form. Even though empirical evidence shows effects of peer coaching and teacher satisfaction about coaching, the actual individual professional development processes have not been studied extensively. This article offers a way to analyse and categorize the learning processes of teachers who take part in a reciprocal peer coaching trajectory by using the Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth as an analytical tool. Learning is understood as a change in the teacher's cognition and/or behaviour. The assumption underlying the Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth is that change occurs in four distinct domains that encompass the teacher's professional world: the personal domain, the domain of practice, the domain of consequence and the external domain. Change in one domain does not always lead to change in another, but when changes over domains do occur, different change patterns can be described. Repeated multiple data collection methods were used to obtain a rich description of patterns of change of four experienced secondary school teachers. The data sources were: audiotapes of coaching conferences, audiotapes of semi‐structured learning interviews by telephone, and digital diaries with teacher reports of learning experiences. Qualitative analysis of the three data sources resulted in two different types of patterns: including the external domain and not including the external domain. Patterns of change within a context of reciprocal peer coaching do not necessarily have to include reciprocal peer coaching activities. When, however, patterns do include the external reciprocal peer coaching domain, this is often part of a change process in which reactive activities in the domains of practice and consequence are involved as well. These patterns often demonstrate more complex processes of change.


In the frame of our long-term study of cetacean abundance and distribution in polar marine ecosystems begun in 1979, a drastic increase in the bowhead Balaena mysticetus North Atlantic "stock" was observed from 2005 on, by a factor 30 and more: from 0.0002 per count between 1979 and 2003 (one individual, n=5430 counts) to 0.06 per count from 2005 to 2014 (34 individuals, n=6000 counts); the most significant part of the increase occurred from 2007 on. Other large whale species ( Mysticeti ) showed a similar pattern, mainly blue Balaenoptera musculus , humpback Megaptera novaeanglia e and fin whales Balaenoptera physalus . This large and abrupt increase cannot logically be due to population growth, nor to survival of a hidden "relic" population, nor to a changing geographical distribution within the European Arctic, taking into account the importance of the coverage during this study. Our interpretation is that individuals passed through the Northwest and/ or Northeast Passages from the larger Pacific stock into the almost depleted North Atlantic populations coinciding with a period of very low ice coverage —at the time the lowest ever recorded. In contrast, no clear evolution was detected neither for sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus nor for Minke whale Balaenoptera acusrostrata . Citation: Joiris C R. Considerable increase in bowhead, blue, humpback and fin whales numbers in the Greenland Sea and Fram Strait between 1979 and 2014. Adv Polar Sci, 2016, 27: 117-125, doi:10.13679/j.advps.2016.2.00117


Coordinating multiple autonomous ground vehicles is paramount to many industrial applications. Vehicle trajectories must take into account temporal and spatial requirements, e.g., usage of floor space and deadlines on task execution. In this paper we present an approach to obtain sets of alternative execution patterns (called trajectory envelopes) which satisfy these requirements and are conflict-free. The approach consists of multiple constraint solvers which progressively refine trajectory envelopes according to mission requirements. The approach leverages the notion of least commitment to obtain easily revisable trajectories for execution.