In this article the concepts of statist medicine and subaltern therapeutics are used to provide insight into the debates over the therapeutic use of marijuana in cases of serious or terminal illness. In 2015 medical marijuana gained public attention in Aotearoa New Zealand as cases of people facing life-threatening conditions who wished to use marijuana for therapeutic purposes were given voice in the popular media. In Aotearoa New Zealand marijuana use is illegal for recreational purposes, but theoretically patients with particular conditions could gain access to medicinal forms of marijuana if health professionals, the Ministry of Health and the relevant government minister approved. This approval process is embedded within statist medicine's regulatory regimes, where access can be provided on condition that the medication meets standards of safety and efficacy. Patients faced with the difficulty of negotiating the processes of statist medicine to access medical marijuana often reverted to illegal means of accessing the plant. Access to illegal forms of marijuana for medical purposes could be through 'green fairies', people who provided the plant for therapeutic purposes in a way that was distant from the criminalised recreational use of the drug obtained through 'dealers'. The process of the state, patients and marijuana providers negotiating the regulation of therapeutic uses of marijuana provides insights into the role of statist medicine and subaltern therapeutics. The case of medical marijuana alerts us to the possibilities of other subaltern therapeutic practices that operate beyond the gaze of the state.


We present a new approach for efficient approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) search in high dimensional spaces, extending the idea of Product Quantization. We propose a two level product and vector quantization tree that reduces the number of vector comparisons required during tree traversal. Our approach also includes a novel highly parallelizable re-ranking method for candidate vectors by efficiently reusing already computed intermediate values. Due to its small memory footprint during traversal the method lends itself to an efficient, parallel GPU implementation. This Product Quantization Tree (PQT) approach significantly outperforms recent state of the art methods for high dimensional nearest neighbor queries on standard reference datasets. Ours is the first work that demonstrates GPU performance superior to CPU performance on high dimensional, large scale ANN problems in time-critical real-world applications, like loop-closing in videos.


The Middle to Upper Ordovician Deslandes, Cloridorme and Garin Formations in the eastern Gaspé Peninsula, Québec, are some of the most extensively exposed foredeep successions along the northern Appalachian portion of the Taconic–Caledonian orogen. Their depositional and biostratigraphic frameworks (N. gracilis to C. spiniferus Zones, approximate correlatives to the N. gracilis to D. clingani British Zones) indicate that foredeep evolution spanned c. 10 Ma and was essentially synchronous with the convergence and accretion of the Popelogan arc to the Laurentian margin during the Caradoc (c. 458–449 Ma). These results, when combined with metamorphic and radiometric age data synthesized from across the Laurentian segments of the northern Appalachian and northwestern Ireland Taconic–Caledonian orogen, further substantiate that orogenesis consisted of several short‐lived (c. 10–20 Ma) deformational episodes confined to Arenig through Ashgill time (c. 485–440 Ma). This indicates that the total duration of orogeny, as recorded by arc magmatism, metamorphism and Laurentian foredeep development, spanned no more than c. 45 Ma. In that the Scottish Caledonides are a consanguineous part of this orogen, their tectonostratigraphic evolution, i.e., Grampian Orogeny, should be similar. Accordingly, the results detailed above are geodynamically compatible with and thereby support tectonic models that define the Grampian Orogeny in Scotland as a mostly Early to Mid‐Ordovician (c. 480–460 Ma) tectonic episode of short, rather than long duration.


In this paper, we establish a zero-sum, hybrid state stochastic game model for designing defense policies for cyber-physical systems against different types of attacks. With the increasingly integrated properties of cyber-physical systems (CPS) today, security is a challenge for critical infrastructures. Though resilient control and detecting techniques for a specific model of attack have been proposed, to analyze and design detection and defense mechanisms against multiple types of attacks for CPSs requires new system frameworks. Besides security, other requirements such as optimal control cost also need to be considered. The hybrid game model we propose contains physical states that are described by the system dynamics, and a cyber state that represents the detection mode of the system composed by a set of subsystems. A strategy means selecting a subsystem by combining one controller, one estimator and one detector among a finite set of candidate components at each state. Based on the game model, we propose a suboptimal value iteration algorithm for a finite horizon game, and prove that the algorithm results an upper bound for the value of the finite horizon game. A moving-horizon approach is also developed in order to provide a scalable and real-time computation of the switching strategies. Both algorithms aims at obtaining a saddle-point equilibrium policy for balancing the system's security overhead and control cost. The paper illustrates these concepts using numerical examples, and we compare the results with previously system designs that only equipped with one type of controller.


Experimental and theoretical investigations into the generation of internal gravity waves by monochromatic progressive surface waves are presented. Using the method of nonlinear resonant interactions, a triad consisting of a single surface wave and two oblique internal waves in a two–layer model is considered. A multiple scales analysis is adopted and the boundary value problem is expanded in a power series of the surface–wave steepness. At the leading order, the linear harmonics are obtained and the conditions for resonance are determined. A second–order analysis is then used to derive temporal evolution equations for the internal–wave amplitudes. As a consequence of having a single generating train of the surface waves, two oblique trains of internal waves of much shorter wavelength are found to be resonated exponentially in time. Both linear and nonlinear bounds on surface–wave frequency, density ratio and interaction angle are found, demonstrating that the instability is highly narrow banded. It is found that the internal waves grow most rapidly at the linear cut–off values. Experimental evidence is presented and demonstrates good agreement with the theoretical results. Discussion of an application of the theory to the nonlinear energy transfer between very–low–frequency waves in the deep ocean is then provided.


Applications in areas such as logistics, cargo delivery, and collective transport involve the management of fleets of vehicles that are expected to travel along known routes according to schedules. There is a fundamental need by the infrastructure surrounding the vehicles to know the actual status of the vehicles. Since the vehicles deviate from their schedules due to road construction, accidents, and other unexpected conditions, it is necessary for the vehicles to communicate with the infrastructure. Frequent updates introduce high communication costs, and server-side updates easily become a bottleneck. This paper presents techniques that enable the tracking of vehicle positions and arrival times at scheduled stops with little communication, while still offering the desired accuracy to the infrastructure of the status of the vehicles. Experimental results with real GPS data from buses show that the proposed techniques are capable of reducing the number of updates significantly compared to a state-of-the art approach where vehicles issue updates at pre-defined positions along their routes.


The data quality evaluation is essential towards designing a data assessment method for any company because data is an important asset. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop the data quality evaluation method for a transportation agency in Malaysia in order to quantify the quality of data in the SIKAP licensing system. This can benefit the transportation agency to improve the quality of data for the use of reporting, forecasting business operations and data integration with other agency's systems. The relevant data evaluation dimensions have been identified from literature study and relative data evaluation framework which are necessarily required by the transportation agency to maintain high data quality in the SIKAP system. The process design for the proposed method involves data dimension identification, capturing the relevant database structure, subjective evaluation with a questionnaire and objective evaluation with data profiling. From the design process, the result shows that data evaluation method for a transportation agency must have a minimum of six data quality dimensions. SIKAP, the legacy system is in the process to revamp into a new system. Thus, this research contributes to enhance the current system's data quality during revamping process and data migration into the new system.


In this study we document the unexpected discovery of multiple coronaviruses and a BSL-3 pathogen in agricultural cotton and rice sequencing datasets. In particular, we have identified a novel HKU5-related Merbecovirus in a cotton dataset sequenced by the Huazhong Agricultural University in 2017. We have also found an infectious clone sequence containing a novel HKU4-related Merbecovirus related to MERS coronavirus in a rice dataset sequenced by the Huazhong Agricultural University in early 2020. Another HKU5-related Merbecovirus, as well as Japanese encephalitis virus, were identified in a cotton dataset sequenced by the Huazhong Agricultural University in 2018. An HKU3-related Betacoronavirus was found in a Mus musculus sequencing dataset from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in 2017. Finally, a SARS-WIV1-like Betacoronavirus was found in a rice dataset sequenced by the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in 2017. Using the contaminating reads we have extracted from the above datasets, we were able to assemble complete genomes of two novel coronaviruses which we disclose herein. In light of our findings, we raise concerns about biosafety protocol breaches, as indicated by our discovery of multiple dangerous human pathogens in agricultural sequencing laboratories in Wuhan and Fouzou City, China.


The first Ordovician foraminifers in South America are described from Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian)strata of the upper part of the San Juan Formation, Argentina. The foraminifers are found together with conodonts of the Eoplacognathus pseudoplanus /Dzikodus tablepointensis Zone that enhances the stratigraphic significance of the foraminifers. The assemblage of foraminifers described includes the agglutinated genera Lakites, Amphitremoida, Lavella, Ordovicina and Pelosina. The distribution of the genera Lakites and Lavella, previously known only from the Lower Ordovician, Floian (Tetragraptus phyllograptoides graptolite Zone), now can be extended up into the Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian). The find of representatives of the xenophyophorean genus Pelosina extends the first appearance of this genus down into the Middle Ordovician.


Monaurally deaf people lack the binaural acoustic difference cues in sound level and timing that are needed to encode sound location in the horizontal plane (azimuth). It has been proposed that these people therefore rely on spectral pinna cues of their normal ear to localize sounds. However, the acoustic head-shadow effect (HSE) might also serve as an azimuth cue, despite its ambiguity when absolute sound levels are unknown. Here, we assess the contribution of either cue in the monaural deaf to two-dimensional (2D) sound localization. In a localization test with randomly interleaved sound levels, we show that all monaurally deaf listeners relied heavily on the HSE, whereas binaural control listeners ignore this cue. However, some monaural listeners responded partly to actual sound-source azimuth, regardless of sound level. We show that these listeners extracted azimuth information from their pinna cues. The better monaural listeners were able to localize azimuth on the basis of spectral cues, the better their ability to also localize sound-source elevation. In a subsequent localization experiment with one fixed sound level, monaural listeners rapidly adopted a strategy on the basis of the HSE. We conclude that monaural spectral cues are not sufficient for adequate 2D sound localization under unfamiliar acoustic conditions. Thus, monaural listeners strongly rely on the ambiguous HSE, which may help them to cope with familiar acoustic environments.


ABSTRACT: This article evaluates the inherent ambiguity of the landmark Park Hill housing estate in Sheffield, England. Incorporating Foucault's theories on governmentality and biopolitics, this article explores how techniques of power and control radically affected the way this building was both used and viewed. It shows how conflicting discourses about human needs and desires influenced the way that subjects were housed, managed and regulated in Sheffield during the supposedly homogeneous welfare-state years.


The interactions of lethal and non-lethal genes and their contributions to the viability of Drosophila inversion karyotypes are not well understood. This is especially true under variable environmental conditions. Here we examine the viability of natural chromosomal O-inversion homo- and heterokaryotypes in a D. subobscura population from Avala Mountain, Serbia. The observations we report were performed at a range of temperatures over several years. The heterotic effect of O-lethal heterozygotes on viability was found to be independent of the effects of inversion backgrounds and temperature. Positive epistatic interactions of lethal, mildly deleterious (subvital) and quasinormal (normal) genes were found in O-inversions in heterokaryotypes but not in homokaryotypes. These interactions were independent of temperature. This finding could explain the limitation of the genetic load in D. subobscura populations. In the population analyzed, annual fluctuations in the frequencies of certain chromosomal arrangements, karyotypes and non-lethal chromosomes under cold-stress temperatures seemed to indicate a correlation between these polymorphisms and environmental conditions. Our results indicate that there is a response in tolerance to extreme temperatures that may be due to natural selection. The differences in mean viability between some O-inversion karyotypic combinations indicate that there are differences in their tolerance to variable temperatures. All our results suggest that both frequency-dependent and supergene selection are mechanisms that protect O-chromosomal inversions. Chromosomal inversions may be genetically differentiated and coadapted complexes in D. subobscura populations.


Dynamic discrete choice models usually require a general specification of unobserved heterogeneity. In this paper, we apply Bayesian procedures as a numerical tool for the estimation of a female labor supply model based on a sample size which is typical for common household panels. We provide two important results for the practitioner: First, for a specification with a multivariate normal distribution for the unobserved heterogeneity, the Bayesian MCMC estimator yields almost identical results as a classical Maximum Simulated Likelihood (MSL) estimator. Second, we show that when imposing distributional assumptions which are consistent with economic theory, e.g. log-normally distributed consumption preferences, the Bayesian method performs well and provides reasonable estimates, while the MSL estimator does not converge. These results indicate that Bayesian procedures can be a beneficial tool for the estimation of dynamic discrete choice models.


Abstract. The number and quality of ocean pH measurements have increased
substantially over the past few decades such that trends, variability, and
spatial patterns of change are now being evaluated. However, comparing pH
changes across domains with different initial pH values can be misleading
because a pH change reflects a relative change in the hydrogen ion
concentration ([H+], expressed in mol kg−1) rather than an
absolute change in [H+]. We recommend that [H+] be used in
addition to pH when describing such changes and provide three examples
illustrating why.


A University-wide Survey of Female Faculty, Administrators, Staff, and Students Introduction Much of the existing research examining sexual harassment was conducted when awareness of sexual harassment was low and policies were uncommon. Several factors in recent years may have affected the prevalence of sexual harassment on university campuses. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protected employees (including student employees) at academic institutions from sexual harassment, however, sex discrimination against students was not prohibited. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the struggle against sex bias and discrimination in schools and universities intensified (see Shoop, 1997). This led to the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which applied Title VII standards to Title IX. Specifically, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities that receive federal financial aid. Although Title IX law has evolved slowly and had Little early enforcement, it is now the primary tool against sexual harassment ( Shoop, 1997). Beginning in 1976 with students from Yale University, students have sued their institutions for failing to stop discriminatory behavior including sexual harassment (see McKinney & Maroules, 1991; Sandler, 1997; Shoop, 1997, Watts, 1996). More recently, in Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that institutions could be sued for compensatory damages for intentional violation of Title IX. As a result of litigation and changes in the law, as well as recent events such as the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, the Navy "Tailhook" scandal, accusations of sexual harassment toward female military recruits, and sexual harassment allegations against President Clinton, academic institutions increasingly have responded by developing policies concerning sexual harassment. The purpose of the present research was to examine the experiences of women in academia in a university that has a publicized policy and procedures regarding sexual harassment. Prevalence of Sexual Harassment in Academia Most studies report that between 20% and 40% of undergraduate and graduate women experience some form of sexual harassment while a student (Benson & Thomson, 1982; Cammaert, 1985; Dziech & Weiner, 1984; Fitzgerald et al., 1988; Glaser & Thorpe, 1986; McKinney, Olson, & Satterfield, 1988; see Rubin & Borgers, 1990; Sandler, 1997). In her study of 356 graduate women at a major East Coast public university, Schneider (1987) reported that 60% of female graduate students surveyed reported having been sexually harassed by a male professor. Although the figures reported by Schneider are higher than found in most studies, this is not the only research to report higher percentages (e.g., Wilson & Krauss, 1983). Studies of both male and female faculty members report that anywhere between 6% and 50% experience behaviors that they consider sexual harassment at some point in their careers (Carroll & Ellis, 1989; Fitzgerald et al., 1988; Grauerholz, 1989, 1996; Gruber, 1990; McKinney, 1990; Seals, 1997). Combining the prevalence of male and female faculty members may be misleading, however, because women experience more sexual harassment than men, and women are more likely to consider gender harassment and sexual attention as harassment than are men (Adams, Kottke, & Padgitt, 1983; Carroll & Ellis, 1989; Fitzgerald & Ormerod, 1991; Lott, Reilly, & Howard, 1982; Malovich & Stake, 1990; Padgitt & Padgitt, 1986; Valentine-French & Radtke, 1989). Seals (1997) suggests that approximately 40% of female faculty at colleges or universities report experiencing sexual harassment by other faculty members or staff at some point in their tenure, whereas Fitzgerald and Shullman (1993) estimate that as many as one-half of all female f aculty experience sexual harassment during the course of their education or academic career. …


Abstract India has a long history of left-wing extremism. The largest and most powerful left-wing extremist group today is the Communist Party of India (CPI) (Maoist), which is active in many states across the country. Its ultimate goal is to capture power through a combination of armed insurgency and mass mobilisation. In recent times, the southern state of Andhra Pradesh has achieved notable success in counterinsurgency operations against the Maoists. This article outlines the 'Andhra model', which involves a mix of security, development and political approaches. It also examines whether this model can be replicated in other Indian states affected by left-wing extremism.


Chirped quasi-phasematching (QPM) optical devices offer the potential for ultrawide bandwidths, high conversion efficiencies, and high amplification factors across the transparency range of QPM media. In order to properly take advantage of these devices, apodization schemes are required. We study apodization in detail for many regimes of interest, including low-gain difference frequency generation (DFG), high-gain optical parametric amplification (OPA), and high-efficiency adiabatic frequency conversion (AFC). Our analysis is also applicable to second-harmonic generation, sum frequency generation, and optical rectification. In each case, a systematic and optimized approach to grating construction is provided, and different apodization techniques are compared where appropriate. We find that nonlinear chirp apodization, where the poling period is varied smoothly, monotonically, and rapidly at the edges of the device, offers the best performance. We consider the full spatial structure of the QPM gratings in our simulations, but utilize the first order QPM approximation to obtain analytical and semi-analytical results. One application of our results is optical parametric chirped pulse amplification; we show that special care must be taken in this case to obtain high gain factors while maintaining a flat gain spectrum.


This study presents the findings of a 2001 survey of state kinship foster care policies, a follow-up to those conducted in 1997 and 1999. The results show that many states are continuing to offer kin leeway in, or alternatives to, the traditional foster care licensing process, yet simultaneously striving to meet the safety requirements of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA). Almost all states give preference to kin over non-kin foster parents, although states differ in how they assess and support kinship care families. Many states have instituted a stricter policy since the implementation of the ASFA final rule, and there are many kin caring for children in foster care who are not eligible to receive foster care payments.


Steel-to-glass laminated connections, which have recently been developed, limit stress intensifications on the glass and combine strength and transparency. Transparent Structural Silicone Adhesive (TSSA) connections have been used in several projects worldwide; however, the hyperelastic and viscoelastic nature of the material has to date not been fully investigated. In this work, the first objective is to investigate the mechanical response of TSSA connections under static and cyclic loading by means of experimental tests. Firstly, the shear behaviour of TSSA circular connections is characterized by means of monotonic and cyclic loading tests. The adhesive exhibits significant stress-softening under repeated cycles that becomes more severe as the maximum load increases. Secondly, TSSA circular connections are subjected to monotonic and cyclic tensile loading of increasing maximum load. The way whitening propagates on the adhesive surface shows some consistency comparing the cases of static and cyclic loading. The second objective is to analytically describe the deformation behaviour of the adhesive based on hyperelastic prediction models. Uniaxial and biaxial tension tests are combined with the simple shear tests, for the material characterization of TSSA. The hyperelastic material parameters are calibrated by a simultaneous multi-experiment-data-fit based on the nonlinear least squares optimization method. The softening behaviour observed in shear tests is modeled based on a simplified pseudo-elastic damage model proposed by Ogden–Roxburgh. A first attempt is also made to model the actual softening response of the adhesive. A less conservative approach proposed by Guo, also based on the theory of pseudo-elasticity, proved to give a good approximation of the actual cyclic response of the adhesive.


From our examination of the relation of behavioral science research to the right to privacy, we have been led to the following conclusions. 1) While most current practices in the field pose no significant threat to the privacy of research subjects, a sufficient number of exceptions have been noted to warrant a sharp increase in attention to procedures that will assure protection of this right. The increasing scale of behavioral research is itself an additional reason for focusing attention in this area. 2) Participation by subjects must be voluntary and based on informed consent to the extent that this is consistent with the objectives of the research. It is fully consistent with the protection of privacy that, in the absence of full information, consent be based on trust in the qualified investigator and the integrity of his institution. 3) The scientist has an obligation to insure that no permanent physical or psychological harm will ensue from the research procedures, and that temporary discomfort or loss of privacy will be remedied in an appropriate way during the course of the research or at its completion. To merit trust, the scientist must design his research with a view to protecting, to the fullest extent possible, the privacy of the subjects. If intrusion on privacy proves essential to the research, he should not proceed with his proposed experiment until he and his colleagues have considered all of the relevant facts and he has determined, with support from them, that the benefits outweigh the costs. 4) The scientist has the same responsibility to protect the privacy of the individual in published reports and in research records that he has in the conduct of the research itself. 5) The primary responsibility for the use of ethical procedures must rest with the individual investigator, but government agencies that support behavioral research should satisfy themselves that the institution which employs the investigator has effectively accepted its responsibility to require that he meet proper ethical standards. 6) Legislation to assure appropriate recognition of the rights of human subjects is neither necessary nor desirable if the scientists and sponsoring institutions fully discharge their responsibilities in accommodating to the claim of privacy. Because of its relative inflexibility, legislation cannot meet the challenge of the subtle and sensitive conflict of values under consideration, nor can it aid in the wise decision making by individuals which is required to assure optimum protection of subjects, together with the fullest effectiveness of research.


Darwin's appeal to sexual selection in his Descent of Man was motivated by the need to explain traits not obviously of survival value – sexually dimorphic and ornamental traits. After Darwin, there was little interest in sexual selection until the 1970s. Since then there has been much progress due to first, what we now know about sexual reproduction and human evolution in general; second, theoretical developments related to runaway processes, parental investment, mating systems and sexual conflicts and cooperation; third, new empirical data about actual mating preferences in humans and closely related species. Three issues have motivated the debates about sexual selection: the explanatory scope of sexual selection; the nature and existence of sexual selection; the relation between natural survival selection and sexual selection. One recent approach combines survival and sexual selection in the idea that many distinctively human capacities and behaviour are the products of sexual selection on fitness indicators.

Key Concepts:

The explanatory scope of a theory or hypothesis is the range of phenomena it can potentially explain.

Human fitness indicators are those traits that are possible only in highly fit individuals, and are therefore indicative of high fitness.

Parental investment is the amount of resources a parent devotes to the production and care of offspring, in development from the generation of gametes to birth, and to the feeding, education and support of offspring.

Sexual selection is a result of the struggle to reproduce, and is to be distinguished from natural selection and the struggle to survive.

Surplus abilities in humans are those abilities not obviously explainable in terms of natural survival selection and advantages for survival, such as we see in advanced mathematics, poetry, dancing, music and more.

Keywords:

selection;
sexual selection;
sexual reproduction;
natural selection;
sexual dimorphism;
human evolution


Abstract. A simple storm loss model is applied to an ensemble of ECHAM5/MPI-OM1 GCM simulations in order to estimate changes of insured loss potentials over Europe in the 21st century. Losses are computed based on the daily maximum wind speed for each grid point. The calibration of the loss model is performed using wind data from the ERA40-Reanalysis and German loss data. The obtained annual losses for the present climate conditions (20C, three realisations) reproduce the statistical features of the historical insurance loss data for Germany. The climate change experiments correspond to the SRES-Scenarios A1B and A2, and for each of them three realisations are considered. On average, insured loss potentials increase for all analysed European regions at the end of the 21st century. Changes are largest for Germany and France, and lowest for Portugal/Spain. Additionally, the spread between the single realisations is large, ranging e.g. for Germany from −4% to +43% in terms of mean annual loss. Moreover, almost all simulations show an increasing interannual variability of storm damage. This assessment is even more pronounced if no adaptation of building structure to climate change is considered. The increased loss potentials are linked with enhanced values for the high percentiles of surface wind maxima over Western and Central Europe, which in turn are associated with an enhanced number and increased intensity of extreme cyclones over the British Isles and the North Sea.


Abstract. Changes in the abundance and area of mountain lakes in the Djungarskiy (Jetysu) Alatau between 2002 and 2014 were investigated using Landsat imagery. The number of lakes increased by 6.2 % from 599 to 636 with a growth rate of 0.51 % a−1. The combined areas were 16.26 ± 0.85 to 17.35 ± 0.92 km2 respectively and the overall change was within the uncertainty of measurements. Fifty lakes, whose potential outburst can damage existing infrastructure, were identified. The glacier bed topography version 2 (GlabTop2) model was applied to simulate ice thickness and subglacial topography using glacier outlines for 2000 and SRTM DEM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model) as input data achieving realistic patterns of ice thickness. A total of 513 overdeepenings in the modelled glacier beds, presenting potential sites for the development of lakes, were identified with a combined area of 14.7 km2. Morphometric parameters of the modelled overdeepenings were close to those of the existing lakes. A comparison of locations of the overdeepenings and newly formed lakes in the areas de-glacierized in 2000–2014 showed that 67 % of the lakes developed at the sites of the overdeepenings. The rates of increase in areas of new lakes correlated with areas of modelled overdeepenings. Locations where hazardous lakes may develop in the future were identified. The GlabTop2 approach is shown to be a useful tool in hazard management providing data on the potential evolution of future lakes.


Deep reinforcement learning (RL) policies are known to be vulnerable to adversarial perturbations to their observations, similar to adversarial examples for classifiers. However, an attacker is not usually able to directly modify another agent's observations. This might lead one to wonder: is it possible to attack an RL agent simply by choosing an adversarial policy acting in a multi-agent environment so as to create natural observations that are adversarial? We demonstrate the existence of adversarial policies in zero-sum games between simulated humanoid robots with proprioceptive observations, against state-of-the-art victims trained via self-play to be robust to opponents. The adversarial policies reliably win against the victims but generate seemingly random and uncoordinated behavior. We find that these policies are more successful in high-dimensional environments, and induce substantially different activations in the victim policy network than when the victim plays against a normal opponent. Videos are available at this https URL.


ABSTRACT International comparisons of languages have shown how mathematical concepts can be expressed and conceptualised in different languages. For multilingual students, these findings raise the question of how the interplay of languages and conceptualisations shape multilingual learning processes. This paper presents an investigation of case studies of bilingual learning processes of Turkish–German speaking students in Grade 7. Investigating the conceptual learning pathways of 14 focus students reveals that multilingual students navigate between different conceptualisations of fractions across both languages. To account for how these multilingual resources can provide opportunities for deepening conceptual understanding of fractions, two bilingual modes are distinguished and empirically substantiated: (1) The complementarity mode, in which code switching occurs for combining different nuances of a conceptualisation, and (2) the connection mode, in which (a) nuances travel across the languages or (b) languages are locally combined in translanguaging practices. Both modes contribute to multiperspective views on the part-whole concept.


Good management in animal production systems is becoming of paramount importance. The aim of this paper was to develop a dynamic monitoring system for farrowing rate. A farrowing rate model was implemented using a dynamic generalized linear model (DGLM). Variance components were pre-estimated using an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm applied on a dataset containing data from 15 herds, each of them including insemination and farrowing observations over a period ranging from 150 to 800 weeks. The model included a set of parameters describing the parity-specific farrowing rate and the re-insemination effect. It also provided reliable forecasting on weekly basis. Statistical control tools were used to give warnings in case of impaired farrowing rate. For each herd, farrowing rate profile, analysis of model components over time and detection of alarms were computed. The model provided a good overview of the development of the parity specific farrowing rate over time and the control charts were able to detect impaired results. Suggestions for future improvements include addition of parity-specific control charts, calibration of the charts for use in practice and inclusion of a sow effect in the farrowing model. & 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Interest in non-traditional fuel sources, carbon dioxide sequestration, and cleaner combustion has brought attention on gasification to supplement fossil fueled energy, particularly by a fluidized bed. Developing tools and methods to predict operation and performance of gasifiers will lead to more efficient gasifier designs. This research investigates bed fluidization and particle decomposition for fluidized materials. Experimental methods were developed to model gravimetric and energetic response of thermally decomposing materials. Gravimetric, heat flow, and specific heat data were obtained from a simultaneous thermogravimetric analyzer (DSC/TGA). A method was developed to combine data in an energy balance and determine an optimized heat of decomposition value. This method was effective for modeling simple reactions but not for complex decomposition. Advanced method was developed to model mass loss using kinetic reactions. Kinetic models were expanded to multiple reactions, and an approach was developed to identify suitable multiple reaction mechanisms. A refinement method for improving the fit of kinetic parameters was developed. Multiple reactions were combined with the energy balance, and heats of decomposition determined for each reaction. From this research, this methodology can be extended to describe more complex thermal decomposition. Effects of particle density and diameter on the minimum fluidization velocity were investigated, and results compared to empirical models. Effects of bed mass on pressure drop through fluidized beds were studied. A method was developed to predict hydrodynamic response of binary beds from the response of each particle type and mass. Resulting pressure drops of binary mixtures resembled behavior superposition for individual particles.


Rising atmospheric CO2 reduces seawater pH causing ocean acidification (OA). Understanding how resilient marine organisms respond to OA may help predict how community dynamics will shift as CO2 continues rising. The common slipper shell snail Crepidula fornicata is a resilient marine gastropod native to eastern North America, which has been a successful invader along the western European coastline and elsewhere. To examine its potential resilience to OA, we conducted two controlled laboratory experiments. First, we examined several phenotypes and genome-wide gene expression of C. fornicata in response to pH treatments (7.5, 7.6, 8.0) throughout the larval stage and then tested how conditions experienced as larvae influenced juvenile stages (i.e. carryover effects). Second, we examined genome-wide gene expression patterns of C. fornicata larvae in response to acute (4, 10, 24 and 48 hours) pH treatment (7.5, 8.0). Both C. fornicata larvae and juveniles exhibited resilience to OA and gene expression responses highlight the role of transcriptome plasticity in OA resilience. Larvae did not exhibit reduced growth under OA until they were at least 4 days old. These phenotypic effects were preceded by broad transcriptomic changes, which likely serve as an acclimation mechanism for combating reduced pH conditions frequently experienced in littoral zones. Delayed metamorphosis was observed for larvae reared at reduced pH. Although juvenile size reflected larval rearing pH conditions, no carryover effects in juvenile growth rates were observed. Transcriptomic analyses suggest increased metabolism under OA, which may indicate compensation in reduced pH environments. Time course transcriptomic analyses suggest energetic burdens experienced under OA eventually dissipate, allowing C. fornicata to reduce metabolic demands and acclimate to reduced pH. This study highlights the importance of assessing the effects of OA across life history stages and demonstrates how transcriptomic plasticity can allow highly resilient organisms, like C. fornicata, acclimate to reduced pH environments.


Some nematode species are economically important parasites of livestock, while others are important human pathogens causing some of the most important neglected tropical diseases. In both humans and animals, anthelmintic drug administration is the main control strategy, but the emergence of drug-resistant worms has stimulated the development of alternative control approaches. Among these, vaccination is considered to be a sustainable and cost effective strategy. Currently, Barbervax® for the ruminant strongylid Haemonchus contortus is the only registered subunit vaccine for a nematode parasite, although a vaccine for the human hookworm Necator americanus is undergoing clinical trials (HOOKVAC consortium). As both these vaccines comprise a limited number of proteins there is potential for selection of nematodes with altered sequence or expression of the vaccine antigens. Here we compared the transcriptome of H. contortus populations from sheep vaccinated with Barbervax® with worms from control animals. Barbervax® antigens are native integral membrane proteins isolated from the brush border of the intestinal cells of the adult parasite and many of them are proteases. Our findings provide no evidence for changes in expression of genes encoding Barbervax® antigens in the surviving parasite populations. However, surviving parasites from vaccinated animals showed increased expression of other proteases and regulators of lysosome trafficking, and displayed up-regulated lipid storage and defecation abilities that may have circumvented the vaccine effect. Implications for other potential vaccines for human and veterinary nematodes are discussed.


A bone mineral density (BMD) test involves the process of measuring one's bone strength, which helps predict the chances of getting a spinal fracture. In this study, we examined how BMD may be associated with risk factors such as alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), milk consumption and age. We were also interested in whether gender is associated with the chances of suffering from a spinal fracture. We analyzed the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2008 (NHANES 2007-2008). Our studies suggested that the results for men and women were quite similar for BMD and milk consumption but not for age and alcohol consumption. As men aged, the probability of getting a spinal fracture decreased, while for women, it increased considerably. For alcohol consumption, the higher intake of alcohol increased the chance of a spinal fracture for men, while for women, it decreased the chance of a spinal fracture. For both men and women, a higher BMI resulted in a higher BMD, which reduced the risk of a spinal fracture. The same occurred between men and women with milk consumption.


Intergenerational transfers and relations in sub-Saharan Africa are only poorly understood, despite the alleged importance of family networks and family resource transfers to ameliorate the implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the effect of the epidemic on the availability of kin and the structure of multi-generational families. Our analyses fill an important niche in the literature by using innovative longitudinal data from rural Malawi that includes extensive information on intergenerational transfer relations across three generations living in a context characterized by high poverty, a generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic and high levels of morbidity and mortality. We estimate the age patterns of transfers and the multiple directions of transfer flows—from prime-aged respondents to their elderly parents as well as their co-residing and non-coresiding adult children age 15+. Our major findings include that: (1) Financial net transfers are strongly age-patterned and the middle generations are net providers of transfers to their adult children and elderly parents; (2) Non-financial transfers are based on mutual assistance rather than reallocation of resources to worse-off family members; and (3), Provision and receipt of transfers are generally not related to the health status of our adult respondents, including HIV+ status and perception of HIV infection despite widespread perceptions that HIV+ status is primary determinant of such transfers. Abstract Intergenerational transfers and relations in sub-Saharan Africa are only poorly understood, despite the alleged importance of family networks and family resource transfers to ameliorate the implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the effect of the epidemic on the availability of kin and the structure of multi-generational families. Our analyses fill an important niche in the literature by using innovative longitudinal data from rural Malawi that includes extensive information on intergenerational transfer relations across three generations living in a context characterized by high poverty, a generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic and high levels of morbidity and mortality. We estimate the age patterns of transfers and the multiple directions of transfer flows—from prime-aged respondents to their elderly parents as well as their co-residing and non-coresiding adult children age 15+. Our major findings include that: (1) Financial net transfers are strongly age-patterned and the middle generations are net providers of transfers to their adult children and elderly parents; (2) Non-financial transfers are based on mutual assistance rather than reallocation of resources to worse-off family members; and (3), Provision and receipt of transfers are generally not related to the health status of our adult respondents, including …


The present study attempts to evaluate the initiatives taken by India to make its intellectual output accessible for all by publishing in Open Access resources like Open Access journals. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is the most accepted and authoritative list of scholarly, peer-reviewed, fully Open Access journals. It also highlights various facets related to open access publishing in India on the bases of data collected from DOAJ. The position of India in terms of number of journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is fourth well ahead of countries such as Germany, Spain, Canada. Most of the Indian open access journals listed in DOAJ were started in the beginning of 21st century.


Horticulture is one of the main pathways of deliberate introduction of non-native plants, some of which might become invasive. Of the 914 commercial ornamental outdoor plant species sold in Spain, 700 (77%) are non-native (archaeophytes excluded) marketed species. We classified these into six different lists based on their invasion status in Spain and elsewhere, their climatic suitability in Spain and their potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts. We found sufficient information for 270 species. We provide a Priority List of eight regulated invasive species that were still available on the market. We also established an Attention List with 68 non-regulated invasive and potentially invasive species that might cause various impacts. To prioritise the species within the Attention List, we further assessed the risk of invasion of these species by using an adaptation of the Australian WRA protocol and the level of societal interest estimated from values of the Google Trends tool. We also propose a Green List of seven species with probably no potential to become invasive, a Watch List with 27 potentially invasive species with few potential impacts and an Uncertainty List with 161 species of known status but with insufficient information to include them in any of the previous lists. We did not find sufficient information for 430 (61%) of the marketed non-native plant species, which were compiled into a Data Deficient List. Our findings of prohibited species for sale highlight the need for stronger enforcement of the regulations on invasive plant species in Spain. In addition, our results highlight the need for additional information on potential impacts and climate suitability of horticultural plants being sold in Spain, as insufficient information could be found to assess the invasion risk for most species.


Area minimization of mixed-polarity Reed-Muller (MPRM) logic circuits is an important step in logic synthesis. While previous studies are mainly based on various artificial intelligence algorithms and not comparable with the results from the mainstream electronics design automation (EDA) tool. Furthermore, it is hard to verify the superiority of intelligence algorithms to the EDA tool on area optimization. To address these problems, a multi-step novel verification method was proposed. First, a hybrid simulated annealing (SA) and discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO) approach (SADPSO) was applied to optimize the area of the MPRM logic circuit. Second, a Design Compiler (DC) algorithm was used to optimize the area of the same MPRM logic circuit under certain settings and constraints. Finally, the area optimization results of the two algorithms were compared based on MCNC benchmark circuits. Results demonstrate that the SADPSO algorithm outperforms the DC algorithm in the area optimization for MPRM logic circuits. The SADPSO algorithm saves approximately 9.1% equivalent logic gates compared with the DC algorithm. Our proposed verification method illustrates the efficacy of the intelligence algorithm in area optimization compared with DC algorithm. Conclusions in this study provide guidance for the improvement of EDA tools in relation to the area optimization of combinational logic circuits.


The transformation of state media to public service media (PSM) is one of the most ambitious endeavors in the field of media development. Not many efforts to free the national media from government control have succeeded in the past decades. In this paper the comparatively promising cases of Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Moldova and Serbia are discussed. The PSM in these countries all have a new legal basis, including a public service remit and a relatively independent governing body in which civil society is represented. The services delivered to the public by these media are analyzed according to a number of societal functions which are assembled under two general headings: "creating a public sphere" and "supporting integration". Based on this analysis, a differentiation between "PSM in initial transformation" and "PSM in advanced transformation" is suggested. In all cases studied, different actors successfully used windows of opportunity: general political agendas to reform the media, a specific engagement from the management as well as support from the population and civil society. Media development actors here helped to advance the processes of change in different ways. Recommendations for future media development include strategic planning, inclusion of local actors, the pooling of legal expertise as well as structured processes of organizational development and capacity building.


Three experiments were conducted at the Dairy Farm,
Department of Animal Sciences , Universiti Pertanian Malaysia ,
Serdang , using four cross-bred dairy bulls , Jersey O X Local
Indian Dairy Q. The main objective o f the study was to evaluate
the effects of nitrogen fertilization and supplementation with
urea and leucaena on the nutritive value and utilization of
Setaria sphacelata var . splendida in cattle . The indices measured
included rumen degradability , in vivo digestibility , feed intake
and the concentration of ammonia-N in the rumen liqour . In the
balance studies , nitrogen intake and nitrogen balance were
determined .
The results o f Experiment I showed that the yields o f dry
matter and nitrogen of the fertilize d were higher than those of the unfertilized forages , but the response ( kg per kg nitrogen
applied) in both dry matter and nitrogen was decreasing with
increasing nitrogen fertilization . The highest response in dry
matter was recorded at 26 . 6 kg/kg N applied; while that for crude
protein was 4 . 0 kg/kg N applied . The highest nitrogen recovery
was found to be 64 . 2 kg N / 100 kg applied . These were achieved at
the fertilization rate o f 250 kg N/ha per year .


Blood pleurodesis has been used to treat pneumothorax and persistent postoperative air leak following pneumonectomy. However, the indications for this procedure and the exact technique to be followed remain poorly defined. Having reviewed the current literature, a protocol is proposed for the technique and its complications and long-term outcomes are discussed.


This paper considers how weaving—an activity traditionally emblematic of classical feminine virtues such as modesty, chastity, and obedience—is used by Homer and Ovid to symbolize women's resistance to the mores of a social patriarchy. Homer's Penelope and Ovid's Philomela and Arachne all use weaving to redefine themselves and their roles within a limited—and limiting—social environment. The women use this traditional symbol of a woman's domestic role to wield power that has repercussions far beyond the domestic sphere. Not only do Homer and Ovid challenge the conventional idea of womanly virtue in the classical world, but they recast these women as authors of their own destinies, resisting social pressures, challenging patriarchal and Olympic authority, and defying the expectations of those who would exert control over them. By using weaving as a metaphor for resistance, Ovid and Homer demand that we re-examine our understanding of social power in the classical world. Though their environment and social roles limit their authority within the public sphere, Penelope, Philomela, and Arachne defi ne on their own terms how they will respond to their physical circumstances. Wielding a shuttle is not quite like wielding a sword, but by exercising traditional roles in untraditional ways, Homer and Ovid's female characters still wield extraordinary social power, with profound social consequences.


The South Georgia region supports a large biomass of krill that is subject to high inter-annual variability. The apparent lack of a locally self-maintaining krill population at South Georgia means that understanding the mechanism underlying these observed population characteristics is essential to successful ecosystem-based management of krill fishery in the region. Krill acoustic-density data from surveys conducted in the early, middle and late period of the summers of 2001 to 2005, together with krill population size structure over the same period from predator diet data, were used with a krill population dynamics model to evaluate potential mechanisms behind the observed changes in krill biomass. Krill abundance was highest during the middle of the summer in 3 years and in the late period in 2 years; in the latter there was evidence that krill recruitment was delayed by several months. A model scenario that included empirically derived estimates of both the magnitude and timing of recruitment in each year showed the greatest correlation with the acoustic series. The results are consistent with a krill population with allochthonous recruitment entering a retained adult population; i.e. oceanic transport of adult krill does not appear to be the major factor determining the dynamics of the adult population. The results highlight the importance of the timing of recruitment, especially where this could introduce a mismatch between the peak of krill abundance and the peak demand from predators, which may exacerbate the effects of changes in krill populations arising from commercial harvesting and/or climate change.


A model-based experimental design is formulated and solved as a large-scale NLP problem. The key idea of the proposed approach is the extension of model equations with sensitivity equations forming an extended sensitivities-state equation system. The resulting system is then totally discretized and simultaneously solved as constraints of the NLP problem. Thereby, higher derivatives of the parameter sensitivities with respect to the control variables are directly calculated and exact. This is an advantage in comparison with proposed sequential approaches to model-based experimental design so far, where these derivatives have to be additionally integrated throughout the optimization steps. This can end up in a high-computational load especially for systems with many control variables. Furthermore, an advanced sampling strategy is proposed which combines the strength of the optimal sampling design and the variation of the collocation element lengths while fully using the entire optimization space of the simultaneous formulation. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 4169–4183, 2013


Contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the southwest Caspian Sea was assessed by examination of 45 sediment samples, collected from the coasts of the Guilan Province in 2012 and analyzed for 29 PAHs. The concentrations of PAHs were in the range of 232.1-1,014 ng g(-1) dry weight (mean 520±246.4 ng g(-1)). The predominance of alkyl-substituted naphthalenes and phenanthrenes and the higher contributions of petrogenic compounds (NPD=35.4-74.4%) compared to pyrogenic PAH compounds (COM=18.1-47.4%) reveal a petrogenic source for PAHs with ubiquitous distribution in the study area. Offshore increase of total PAH concentrations was found to be correlated with increase of organic matter content of sediments, but no correlations with particle size fractions were found. The evaluation of ecotoxicological risk by sediment quality guidelines indicated that total PAH concentrations at all sites were below the effects range-low (ERL), but some individual petrogenic PAHs at some stations were significantly above their ERL and likely to adversely affect benthic biota. According to the diagnostic ratios used, most stations revealed the major source of the PAHs to be petrogenic, but some stations suggested a mixed petrogenic-pyrogenic source.


A series of experiments were conducted at Research Area of Student's Farm, Department of Agronomy, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam during 1989-1990 and 1990-1991. The experiments were laidout in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with factorial arrangement consisting four replications. The soil of the experimental area was clay loam in texture, non-saline in nature, slightly alkaline in reaction (pH= 8.1-8.3), low in organic matter (0.58-0.54%) and poor in available phosphorus (3.00-3.50 mg kg-1). The experiment included crop sequences (C1 = wheat-soybean-wheat and C2 =cotton-berseem-cotton). Fertilizer levels for cotton and wheat were 50, 100 and 150 N kg ha-1. The P was applied in the form of DAP uniformly to all the treatments. The findings of study revealed that wheat planted after legumes produced taller plants (77.25 cm), more tillers (4.56), longer spikes (8.99 cm), higher spikelets per spike ( 17.80), more grains per spike (44.93), heavier seed index (35.21 g), better biological yield (6470.33 kg ha-1), maximum harvest index (42.14%), rich in grain protein (11.64%), increased leaf area index (4.20m2), accumulated more dry matter (7244 kg ha-1), and satisfactory grain yield (2763.33 kg ha-1) and higher N uptake (119.26 kg ha-1). The increased level of fertilizer at 150 N kg ha-1 progressively increased wheat plant height (72.62 cm), tiller production per plant (4.60), spike length (9.24 cm), spikelets per spike (17.31), number of grains per spike (44.14), seed index (36.98g), biological yield (7235.50kg ha-1), harvest index 44.18%), grain protein content (10.091%), leaf area index (4.80m2) , grain yield (3198.19 kg ha-1) and N uptake (14.01 kg ha-1). Most of the yields contributing parameters were positively correlated with grain yield. The coefficient of determination for tillers per plant (44%), spike length (59%), grain per spike (43%), seed index (63%) and harvest index (76%) signifies that the total variation in grain yield was due to increase in these characters. Cotton, when the crop was sown after legume, it produced tall plants (99.41 cm), higher production of monopodia per plant (2.68), sympodia per plant (14.10), more bolls per plant (24.83), greater picked bolls per plant (21.04), heavier seed index (6.83 g), maximum GOT (34.47%), better staple length (28.83mm), higher oil content ( 22.87% ), higher dry matter (3303.00 kg ha-1) superior seed cotton yield (2428 kg ha-1) and N uptake increased upto 91.17 kg ha-1. The incorporation of NP fertilizer significantly affected crop parameters. Among the tested fertilizer regimes 150 N kg ha-1 recorded maximum plant height (102.63 cm), monopodia per plant (2.61), sympodia per plant (13.70), bolls per plant (26.40), picked bolls per plant (21.73), seed index (6.83g), GOT (34.57%), staple length (28.65mm), oil content (23.10%), dry matter (3955.50 kg ha-1), seed cotton yield (2538.25 kg ha-1) and N uptake (113.43 kg ha-1). The coefficient of determination for sympodial branches (75%), number of bolls (81%), number of picked bolls (70%), seed index (80%) accounted for total variation in seed cotton yield due to these characters. It is concluded that nitrogen fertilizer is essential nutrient for achieving satisfactory crop yield. The increased soil productivity and fertility for crop production could be obtained by the inclusion of leguminous crop at least once in a two year cropping sequence, because leguminous crops enrich soil fertility by fixing environmental nitrogen in their root nodules, which in turn supply residual food nutrients to the succeeding crop. Thus, it is recommended that (i) continuous cropping in the sequence of wheat-cotton be avoided, (ii) the higher yields of cotton and wheat could be achieved in the farming system which includes legumes in crop rotation, (iii) the application of 150 N kg ha-1 gave better results as compared to 50 and 100 kg N ha-1 application and (iv) the use of in-organic nitrogenous fertilizers could be minimized by including legume crops in the crop sequence


OF THESIS FARM FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF KENTUCKY FARMS This study examines farm financial performance of Kentucky farms using Kentucky Farm Business Management data from 1998-2010. Logit models are used to estimate the likelihood of farm characteristics affecting whether financial ratios fall into critical zones or not. The results show that large farms in terms of total gross returns and total assets are less likely to experience repayment capacity problems. Total gross returns significantly affect all five financial measures. These findings will help farmers and lenders understand what factors influence farm financial performance. Profitability migration is tested to see if the migration probabilities differ across business cycles. Migration drift is also tested to determine if the Markov property of independence is violated. Results show substantial retention in return on equity (ROE) performance over time, and a tendency for trend-reversal if ROE changes occur. Results are compared to previous literature using ARMS data and Illinois FBFM.


Objective: To assess the feasibility of collaboration and retrospective data harmonization among three multiple sclerosis (MS) registries by investigating employment status. Methods: We used the Maelstrom guidelines to facilitate retrospective harmonization of data from three MS registries, including the NARCOMS (North American Research Committee on MS) Registry, German MS Register (GMSR), and United Kingdom MS (UK-MS) Register. A protocol was developed based on the guidelines, and summary-level data were used to combine results. Employment status and a limited set of factors associated with employment (age, sex, education, and disability level) were harmonized. A meta-analytic approach was used to pool estimates using a weighted average of logistic regression estimates and their variances in a random effects model. Results: Employment status, age, sex, education, and disability were mapped. The overall employment rate was 57% (11,143 employed out of 19,562 persons with MS) with the GMSR having the highest proportion of participants employed (66.2%), followed by the UK-MS (55.2%) and NARCOMS (43.0%) registries. As disability level increased, the odds of not being employed increased. Conclusion: Harmonization across registries was feasible. The Maelstrom guidelines provide a valuable roadmap for conducting high-quality harmonization projects. The pooling of data sources has the potential to be an important mechanism for conducting research in MS.


........................................................................................................3 Introduction.....................................................................................................5 Review of the Literature......................................................................................5 Theoretical Framework/Evidence Based Practice Model...............................................11 Problem Statement...........................................................................................14 Methods........................................................................................................15 Results..........................................................................................................22 Discussion.....................................................................................................24 Ethical Considerations/Protection of Human Subjects and Funding....................................26 Summary and Conclusion...................................................................................26 References.....................................................................................................28 Appendix.......................................................................................................31 Appendix A..........................................................................................31 Appendix B..........................................................................................32 Figure 1: Policy Process Framework....................................................32 Figure 2: Population Health Framework.................................................32 Appendix C..........................................................................................33 Figure 1: An Act to Reduce Youth Cancer Risk........................................33 Figure 2: Jamie Lowery's Written Testimony..........................................37 Appendix D..........................................................................................39 RESTRICT INDOOR TANNING FOR MINORS 3 Abstract Background: Melanoma is the deadliest and the most common type of cancer in individuals age 15 to 29. Evidence has shown that ultraviolet radiation overexposure at younger ages significantly increases the risk of developing non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer in later years. Despite these concerns, approximately 1.6 million minors under the age of 18 participate in the use of indoor tanning devices annually. The high prevalence of skin cancer in the United States continues to be a public health issue that warrants continued preventative and regulatoryBackground: Melanoma is the deadliest and the most common type of cancer in individuals age 15 to 29. Evidence has shown that ultraviolet radiation overexposure at younger ages significantly increases the risk of developing non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer in later years. Despite these concerns, approximately 1.6 million minors under the age of 18 participate in the use of indoor tanning devices annually. The high prevalence of skin cancer in the United States continues to be a public health issue that warrants continued preventative and regulatory action. In spite of the health risks associated with indoor tanning, the state of Maine does not restrict the use of tanning devices for minors, as 18 states now do. Therefore, the aim of this DNP project was to implement a health policy change initiative with the goal of restricting access to commercial indoor tanning devices for minors. Methods: The policy process framework and population health framework were used as models for implementing the health policy initiative. The population health framework was used to develop an argument for the public health implications of excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation and provides rationale for restricting UV exposure among minors. The policy process framework was used to guide and evaluate the legislative work of this project. The legislative work was accomplished in collaboration with Maine Representative Anne Perry and other stakeholders. Purpose/Implementation Plan: The purpose of this DNP project was to implement a substantive health policy change, that being the restriction of minors under the age of 18 from the use of commercial indoor tanning devices. The health policy change process included the following steps: 1. Create awareness of long-term health risks of indoor tanning devices among key legislators, constituents, and interest groups, 2. Work with legislators to bring a bill forward to restrict access to indoor tanning devices, 3. Evaluate the process and develop a proposal for RESTRICT INDOOR TANNING FOR MINORS 4 sustainable action, if the legislation fails. The overall objective of this initiative was to decrease the risk of skin cancer among Maine's youth. Results: A proposal for the policy change was presented to stakeholders and was developed in support of the initiative. LD #1297, An Act to Reduce Youth Cancer Risk was introduced through the efforts of the coalition. The first public hearing for LD #1297 was held on April 3, 2019 with the Health and Human Services Committee (HHS) in Augusta, Maine with support from the stakeholders. A work session was held on April 16, 2019 where the bill was voted "ought to pass" 7 to 3 by members of the HHS committee. Conclusion: The population health framework and application of the policy process framework to guide legislative efforts, resulted in greater support for LD #1297 by the HHS committee. Policy engagement to address the upstream causes of disease such as skin cancer is a professional responsibility of doctorally prepared nurse practitioners. This can be achieved by engaging in coalition building and enacting legislative initiatives for public health challenges such as the serious public health threat of indoor tanning by minors.


What is the highest responsibility of African artists? Is it to the work of art itself—to pursue an object perceived as an island of form or symbol with little or no reference to other life experiences that lends itself to urgent, relevant social interpretation; is it to identify and promote one's self as an individual seeking recognition and/or commendation, to prove humanity and/or worthiness to others, or to advance the total liberation of all African/Black people? This profound, yet volatile question shapes and adds intellectual ballast to my thesis entitled, The Soul of a People Is Found In Their Art: A Critical Examination of African/Black Creative Expressions. This decidedly theoretical endeavor primarily concerns itself with African/Black artistic expressions (literary art, performance art, visual art) within white-dominated North American society, focusing on African/Black descendants born or living in the United States. The goal of this study is to contribute to the ever-evolving conversation regarding the creative works of Africans/Blacks in North America that includes not only a historical overview of the earliest extant "African American" cultural productions, but also an evaluation of the socio-historical and political context in which African/Black artists—with distinctive attention on musicians—flourished within the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including those contemporary artists who continue to thrive in the twenty-first century.


Abstract: Describing and understanding growth patterns in tropical forests is crucial to assessing their role in carbon balance. Growth and vital rates of a protected gallery forest in central Brazil were estimated, based on six measurement intervals between 1985 and 2009. The sample consisted of all stems ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height measured in 151 permanent plots (10 × 20 m), distributed in 10 transects perpendicular to the watercourse and 100 m apart from each other. Statistical significance of changes in density, basal area, growth and vital rates were tested using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Vital rates oscillated during the study period. Growth, recruitment and turnover rates fluctuated, but had a net decrease over the whole study period, whereas mortality seemed to be affected by a high disturbance event during the 1994–1999 period. The oscillatory behaviour of growth suggests that the forest is pulsating around a stable state (dynamic equilibrium). Nonetheless, persistence of decelerating growth trends may force the site's carrying capacity to a lower density or biomass state.


Due to an ever-increasing global population and limited resource availability, there is a constant need for detection of both natural and anthropogenic hazards in water, air, food, and material goods. Traditionally a different instrument would be used to detect each class of contaminant, often after a concentration or separation protocol to extract the analyte from its matrix. Raman spectroscopy is unique in its ability to detect organic or inorganic, airborne or waterborne, and embedded or adsorbed analytes within environmental systems. This ability comes from the inherent abilities of the Raman spectrometer combined with concentration, separation, and signal enhancement provided by drop coating deposition Raman (DCDR) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Herein the capacity of DCDR to differentiate between cyanotoxin variants in aqueous solutions was demonstrated using principal component analysis (PCA) to statistically demonstrate spectral differentiation. A set of rules was outlined based on Raman peak ratios to allow an inexperienced user to determine the toxin variant identity from its Raman spectrum. DCDR was also employed for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) detection in environmental waters at environmentally relevant concentrations, after pre-concentration with solid-phase extraction (SPE). In a cellulose matrix, SERS and normal Raman spectral imaging revealed nanoparticle transport and deposition patterns, illustrating that nanoparticle surface coating dictated the observed transport properties. Both SERS spectral imaging and insight into analyte transport in wax-printed paper microfluidic channels will ultimately be useful for microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) development. Within algal cells, SERS produced 3D cellular images in the presence of intracellularly biosynthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNP), documenting in detail the molecular vibrations of biomolecules at the AuNP surfaces. Molecules involved in nanoparticle biosynthesis were identified at AuNP surfaces within algal cells, thus aiding in mechanism elucidation. The capabilities of Raman spectroscopy are endless, especially in light of SERS tag design, coordinating detection of analytes that do not inherently produce strong Raman vibrations. The increase in portable Raman spectrometer availability will only facilitate cheaper, more frequent application of Raman spectrometry both in the field and the lab. The tremendous detection power of the Raman spectrometer cannot be ignored.


Coexistence mechanisms that require environmental variation to operate contribute importantly to the maintenance of biodiversity. One famous hypothesis of diversity maintenance under disturbance is the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH). The IDH proposes patterns of peaked diversity under intermediate disturbance regimes, based on a tension between competitively superior species and species which can rapidly colonize following disturbance. We review the literature, and describe recent research that suggests that more than one underlying mechanism can generate this unimodal diversity pattern in disturbed environments. Several exciting emerging research areas are identified, including interactions between disturbance types, operation of the IDH in multi-trophic systems, and changes in disturbance regimes. However, empirical work is still focussed on describing the IDH pattern, with little emphasis on identifying its mechanistic basis. We discuss how to extend methods for identifying different coexistence mechanisms, developed in the theoretical literature, to experimental research. In an attempt to operationalize these various ideas we outline a hypothetical IDH research programme. A solid understanding of the life history attributes of the component species and their responses to disturbance will facilitate identification of the coexistence mechanism(s) underlying the IDH pattern, and provide a framework by which empirical and theoretical results can be more fully integrated.


The time of deposition of the rocks of the Karasjok Greenstone Belt, the most continuous and longest, linear Precambrian terrane in northern Norway, remains poorly dated. The belt is composed of several volcanic and sedimentary formations including a continuous unit of calcite and dolomite marbles. Most rocks have been strongly deformed and altered under amphibolite-facies metamorphism. Carbon isotope chemostratigraphy has been applied to provide an apparent depositional age of carbonate units and associated sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Thirty-eight samples representing marbles in four different locations in the northern part of the belt show high δCcarb values, hence recording the Palaeoproterozoic Lomagundi–Jatuli isotopic event. The least-altered δCcarb values suggest the presence of two isotopically different assemblages (+8 to +9‰ and +12 to +14‰) whose apparent time of deposition can be constrained between 2220 and 2140 Ma, and between 2220 and 2110 Ma, respectively.


The focus of this thesis was the disease senile dementia and in particular the impact that this condition has on the family carers of elderly people with dementia who live in the community.

The study has two main aims. Primarily it set out to identify the stressful situations which carers were facing on a daily basis and to establish how they were coping with them. It also took this issue of coping further and attempted to quantify and measure the specific techniques used in the course of their general caring duties.

Secondly, the study explored the concept of expressed emotion (EE) in this group of carers and linked this to coping. It was thought that those carers who were less able to cope with the situation may also have had a high level of EE. The EE concept has been shown to be a useful indicator of relapse in schizophrenia and it was thought that it may also have had predictive value in the outcome of care for the dementing elderly and their carers.

The data was collected from 100 semi-structured interviews with carers of elderly people with dementia. The longitudinal aspect of this study allowed outcome data to be looked at one year after the initial interview.

The results showed that carers identified stressful situations which were characterised by, inappropriate behaviour as a consequence of disorientation; refusal to co-operate with caregiving activities; incorrect interpretation of people or events; and provocative or hurtful comments. The carers dealt with these situations by, verbal action; practical action or withdrawal, which could be either physical or psychological. Running parallel to this was very often a lot of anger and frustration although this seemed to change over time.


A practical case-based review for neurosurgical oral board preparation An ideal resource for board exam preparation, this review distills the essentials of neurosurgery in a user-friendly question and answer format. Divided into three main sections, this text presents a comprehensive collection of cases covering intracranial pathology, spinal and peripheral nerve pathology, and neurology. Each chapter opens by detailing the clinical presentation of a problem frequently encountered in everyday practice followed by a list of questions and answers designed to test the reader's knowledge of diagnostic techniques, imaging, surgical indications, treatment options, potential complications, and outcomes. Highlights: Contributions from internationally recognized authorities in the main subspecialties of neurosurgery, including neurosurgical oncology, skull base surgery, vascular neurosurgery, spine surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, and epilepsy surgery Succinct bullet-point format and consistent presentation in each chapter for rapid review of essential concepts Detailed coverage of common and rare neurologic pathologies More than 380 high-quality images, including 76 fullcolor illustrations that demonstrate important concepts Valuable references to current evidencebased scientific data This book is an indispensable tool for neurosurgeons, residents, and fellows preparing for their oral board or recertification examinations. With its highly accessible presentation, this book will also be a valuable refresher for clinicians and a useful reference for students preparing for rounds.


Proteins in the eukaryotic plasma membrane mediate many different functions and are largely partitioned into clusters. Using the SNARE protein syntaxin 1 as an example, Sieber et al. (see the Perspective by White) investigate the mechanism of clustering using high-resolution optical imaging, quantitative biochemistry, and molecular dynamics simulations. Weak protein-protein interactions are balanced by steric repulsion to give densely crowded clusters containing about 75 syntaxins. Proteins within the cluster are immobile but can exchange with freely diffusing molecules. This conceptual framework likely applies to many other membrane proteins. J. J. Sieber, K. I. Willig, C. Kutzner, C. Gerding-Reimers, B. Harke, G. Donnert, B. Rammner, C. Eggeling, S. W. Hell, H. Grubmüller, T. Lang, Anatomy and dynamics of a supramolecular membrane protein cluster. Science 317, 1072-1076 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text] S. H. White, Crowds of syntaxins. Science 317, 1045-1046 (2007). [Summary] [Full Text]


The Canadian Media Concentration Research Project is releasing the final iteration of this report on the state of
mobile wireless markets in Canada.
The
first
draft
was
presented
at
a
panel
on
"The
State
of
Competition
in
Canada
'
s
Telecommunications
Sector
"
at
the
International
Institute
of
Communications
(IIC)/Canadian
Wireless
Telecommunications
Association
(CWTA)
conference
on
November
17
and
18
th
at
the
Ottawa
Conference
centre.
W
e
we
re
delighted
to
offer
our
views
and
to
debate
the
issue
of
wheth
er
mobile
wireless
markets
in
Canada
are
highly
competitive
or
badly
concentrated
at
the
conferen
c
e
.
We
arg
u
e
in
favour
of
the
latter
claim
.
This
report
offer
s
a
fairly
comprehensive,
long
-‐
term
body
of
data
that
places
trends
in
Canada
in
a
comparative
i
nternational
context.
It
shows
that
Canada
shares
a
similar
condition
with
many,
indeed,
almost
all
countries
that
we
have
studied:
high
levels
of
concentration
in
mobile
wireless
markets.
Canada
is
not
unusual
in
this
regard,
and
indeed
no
matter
whether
we
look
at
things
from
the
perspective
of
19
countries
,
the
34
OECD
countries
,
or
57
countries
that
account
for
four
-‐
fifths
of
the
world's
population
,
the
answer
is
pretty
much
the
same
in
all
cases:
concentration
levels
in
mobile
wireless
markets
are
"
ast
onishingly
high
everywhere
"
(Noam,
2013)
.


Article focuses on analysis of peculiarities at the II (second) level, I (first) stage in Lithuanian territorial administrative reform. As the result of this reform in Marijampolė District Municipality new Kalvarija Municipality was founded. Author concentrates on problems and advantages of new municipality in the context of administrative reform. Hereby legal acts regulating the realisation of reform are reviewed, actions of interest groups, which encouraged and discouraged the reform were analysed too. Author not just examines opinion of Municipality residents concerning the reform but also formulates conclusions about further implementation of Lithuanian territorial administrative reform in municipalities.


In a closed economy general equilibrium model, Hopenhayn and Rogerson (1993) find large welfare gains to removing firing restrictions. We explore the extent to which international trade alters this result. When economies trade, labor market policies in one country spill over to other countries through a change in the terms of trade. This reduces the incentive to reform labor markets. In a policy game over firing taxes between countries, we find that countries optimally choose positive levels of firing taxes. A coordinated elimination of firing taxes yields considerable benefits. This insight provides some explanation for recent efforts toward labor market reform in the European Union


We present new brightness monitoring observations of the 4 components of gravitationally lensed system Q2237+0305, which show detection of an intrinsic quasar brightness fluctuation at a time of subdued microlensing activity, between June 27 and October 12, 2003. These data were used to determine the time delays between the arrivals of the four images. The measured delays are τ BA -6, τ CA 35, and τ DA 2 h, so they confirm that the long history of brightness monitoring has produced significant detection of microlensing. However the error bars associated with the delays, of order 2 days, are too large to discriminate between competing macro-imaging models. Moreover, our simulations show that for the amplitude of this intrinsic fluctuation and for photometric errors intrinsic to optical monitoring from our 1.5-m telescope or from the OGLE monitoring, a daily sampled brightness record cannot produce reliable lags for model discrimination. We use our simulations to devise a strategy for future delay determination with optical data. Nevertheless, we regard these first estimates to be significant, since they are the first direct measurements of time delays made for this system from ground-based observations in the visual wavelengths. The detected highly correlated fluctuations of the four quasar images provide an extra confirmation of the gravitational-lens nature of Q2237+0305, and give observational justification to the extensive literature which attributes the quasar's previously observed brightness fluctuations to microlensing.


This paper proposes a dynamic structural model of labour market and childcare choices for couples within a collective model of decision making. We formalise explicitly the need for childcare as a function of the age structure of the children population in the household then examine the determinants of the decision to supply labour. The fraction of home-produced childcare to household childcare needs is considered to be a public good within the household, for which preferences are heterogeneous across households. An important feature of our framework, which introduces one of the dynamic dimensions of the decision, is that we take into account the implications of today's labour supply decision on future wage growth and future bargaining power. The decision to leave (partially or not) the labour market is often taken within a couple but, in the event of divorce, the impact of this decision may not be borne by both parties equally, which may render the initial decision inefficient. Using data from the BHPS, we then present a structural estimation of our model to quantify these various components of the choice of home childcare vs. labour supply. We are able to quantify each household's sensitivity to potential childcare policies and find that a large part of the dispersion in these responses comes from households' valuation of home-produced childcare.


Summary

1. Declining abundances of forage fish and the introduction and establishment of non-indigenous species have the potential to substantially alter resource and habitat exploitation by top predators in large lakes.

2. We measured stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in field-collected and archived samples of Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and five species of prey fish and compared current trophic relationships of this top predator with historical samples.

3. Relationships between δ15N and lake trout age were temporally consistent throughout Lake Ontario and confirmed the role of lake trout as a top predator in this food web. However, δ13C values for age classes of lake trout collected in 2008 ranged from 1.0 to 3.9‰ higher than those reported for the population sampled in 1992.

4. Isotope mixing models predicted that these changes in resource assimilation were owing to the replacement of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) by round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in lake trout diet and increased reliance on carbon resources derived from nearshore production. This contrasts with the historical situation in Lake Ontario where δ13C values of the lake trout population were dominated by a reliance on offshore carbon production.

5. These results indicate a reduced capacity of the Lake Ontario offshore food web to support the energetic requirements of lake trout and that this top predator has become increasingly reliant on prey resources that are derived from nearshore carbon pathways.


In the era of antiretroviral therapy, people living with HIV/AIDS live longer and are subject to co-morbidities that affect the general population, such as chronic kidney disease. An increasing number of people living with HIV/AIDS with end-stage renal disease are candidates for renal transplantation. Prior experience demonstrated that HIV-positive renal transplant recipients had acceptable survival but graft survival was decreased and rejection rates were increased, possibly due to suboptimal management of immunosuppressive medications in the face of drug interactions with antiretroviral therapy, particularly protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Integrase strand transferase inhibitors are advantageous since they avoid drug–drug interactions with immunosuppressive drugs such as calcineurin inhibitors. We report clinical outcomes of 12 HIV-positive patients who underwent 13 kidney transplantations at our institution between 2000 and 2015. Cumulative survival was 75%, one-year and three-year survival were 100% and 63%. Integrase strand transferase inhibitor-based regimens were used in nine patients, of which eight survived. In patients on integrase strand transferase inhibitor, there was 100% graft survival and two had allograft rejection. In contrast, graft failure occurred in three patients on non-integrase strand transferase inhibitor-based regimens. Based on our study findings and on previously published data, we conclude that integrase strand transferase inhibitor-based therapy, preferably instituted prior to transplantation, is the preferred antiretroviral regimen in HIV-positive renal transplantation.


In part I of this article the author identifies and criticizes a cluster of constitutional rights, which she argues does tremendous and generally unreckoned harm to civil society, and does so for reasons poorly articulated in earlier critiques. At the heart of the new paradigm of constitutional rights that the author believes these rights exemplify is a "right to exit." On this conception of individual rights, a constitutional right is a right to "opt out" of some central public or civic project. This understanding of what it means to have a constitutional right hit the scene a good two decades after civic republicans and critical legal theorists mostly had formed their respective critiques of individual rights. Consequently, such thinkers failed to incorporate the notion of constitutional rights into their critiques. The particular exit rights that she enumerates – that is, the rights to exit from the benefits and responsibilities of public projects, including public education, publicly funded policing, civil rights commitments, and public health projects – harm civil society in profound ways not appreciated by rights critics in the 1970s and 1980s. The harm these rights do, the author states, borrowing language from the title of Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein's recent book, has turned out to be even worse than it might have seemed in the heyday of our rights critiques. The author urges a reinvigorated rights critique that centers on these new rights and new harms.In part II the author discusses a countertrend: the expansion of civil rights beyond those enumerated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Some of our most newly created civil rights, generally created by Congress and state legislatures rather than announced by courts, in effect extend to individuals various rights to enter civil society, or some civil project close to its core. She calls these civil rights "rights to enter"– these include, for example, the right to a high quality and public education, the right to purchase health insurance at affordable costs, the right to a safe home and neighborhood free of gun violence, the right to nurture a newborn or sick family member while not losing one's job, the right to marry whom one loves regardless of sex, and the right to work and school environments free of discriminatory animus. All of these civil rights, imperfectly recognized in various statutes, invite participation in some core sphere of civil society: education, insurance markets, neighborhoods, family, marriage, or employment. These civil "rights to enter," which stand in contrast to constitutional "rights to exit," exemplify both an old idea that dates back to the early days of the republic, and a new idea that invites participation in a radically transformed civil society. Not only are these rights not harmful to civil society, they are integral to it.The author states that, generally, civil rights to enter are clearly not buttressed by constitutional rights to exit, and increasingly are threatened by them. First, both our historical and more modern civil rights to enter civil society – the various civil rights won in the nineteenth century by freed slaves and wives, and in the twentieth century by racial and religious minorities; women; the disabled; the elderly; school children; gay, lesbian and transgendered citizens; laborers; economically struggling parents; and the victims of hate crimes and private and domestic violence – are not constitutional rights at all, and for the most part the courts have declared as much. Although there exists a civil right to these societal benefits, there is no clearly defined constitutional right to an adequate public education, to a police force, to some measure of health care, to be free of private discrimination in employment, to safe and fairly remunerated labor, or to help with child care while employed. All of these rights, however, are at least arguably civil rights. And some of them are core civil rights. But increasingly the Constitution not only fails to protect these civil rights but also threatens to undermine them, insofar as it grants individuals and corporations the right to exit precisely those civil projects and legal institutions that civil rights seek to guarantee others the right to enter. Civil rights and constitutional rights are thus decidedly not co-constitutive of a unified constitutional tradition, or of an articulable American identity, or a distinctively American conception of the nature of rights. Rather, civil rights and constitutional rights are on a collision course.In both parts the author suggests that the almost ten-year-old constitutionally grounded, individual right to bear arms, particularly when combined with the broadened understanding of self-defense embodied in "stand your ground" laws, jointly constitute a paradigmatic, and maybe the paradigmatic, "exit right." By contrast, the civil rights to physical security, and to state protection against private violence that interrupts it, are at least as old as the Constitution itself, and exemplify the civil rights paradigm that she tries to describe: the right to state protection against private violence is the quintessential and foundational "right to enter." The author concludes with the observation that, while the constitutional right to own and use a gun and the civil right to protection from the state against private violence, are in obvious tension, the constitutional right to gun ownership recognized by the Supreme Court does not necessarily foreclose the possibility of a civil right to decent effective gun-control laws. Perhaps if we could spark a renewed civil rights movement, aimed at legislative activism rather than judicial activism, we might inspire a lawful and politically salient civil response to the threats to our safety and the tears to our social fabric that are occasioned by the Court's newfound constitutional right to own and use lethal weapons. The same may also be true more broadly. The author's general conclusion is that the way to repair the damage done to civil society by constitutional exit rights might be simply to reinvigorate our civil rights agenda.


"What is called 'making' in North America and Europe is, frankly, a luxurious pastime of wealthy people who rightly recognize that their lives are less full because they are alienated from material culture [...] All over what is called the Global South there are makers everywhere, only they are not called makers."

(Csikszentmihalyi, 2012; p9)

The context for making in the Global South is obviously different to the West. In this article we aim to explore what critical making in India might mean, and in particular how this debate and the practices around it can contribute to the development of digital humanities, particularly in the heritage/public history sector.

We consider two examples in order to demonstrate the role that design might play in helping digital humanities to take account of non-Western contexts. Firstly the Indian practice of jugaad - an indigenous combination of making-do, hacking, and frugal engineering - against the backdrop of making/DIY culture, and how local circumstances might shape intellectual explorations through critical making. Secondly we examine the case study of the design of an "Indian" videogame prototype, Meghdoot, produced as part of the interdisciplinary UnBox festival in New Delhi, 2013, which was used as an exploratory vehicle for what it means to make a culturally-specific digital game in India.

We demonstrate how cultural specificity and local context, with its emphasis on making culture - as opposed to localization and globalization - can contribute meaningfully to current understandings of the digital humanities, and extend the conversation to the Global South in an inclusive and relevant manner.