The aim of the present study was to discriminate between distinct types of clay units by applying multivariate statistical techniques, which have seldom been applied to the exploitation of ceramic clays. At the outcrop scale, texturally similar argillaceous or clayey layers of different ceramic types cannot be effectively distinguished, which can result in the misuse and loss of raw materials. Representative samples of clayey raw materials from central Portugal Cenozoic deposits with potential use in the manufacture of structural clay products were first assessed for granulometric, mineralogical, chemical, and technological properties. Based on those properties and the use of multivariate statistical techniques, i.e., factor analysis (FA) and cluster analysis (CA), a novel statistical approach that combined all these variable properties was produced. This approach made it possible to distinguish the ceramic suitability and perceive which parameters most influence that suitability. The use of R-mode FA made it feasible to differentiate and group samples based on the most influential variables: the contents of Al2O3, Fe, illite, quartz, feldspars, and K2O. The use of R-mode CA substantiated the FA results in the identification of influential variables, such as Al2O3, Fe, and illite. The use of Q-mode CA established two main clusters: clayey-silt samples and sandy and/or feldspathic samples, the clayey-silt samples encompassed three sub-clusters. These three sub-clusters match ceramic types with different suitabilities and relate sample stratigraphic setting to the encompassing stratigraphic units. Diagrams that relate the grain size, the content of different oxides, the content of different minerals, and the plasticity to the ceramic suitability illustrate the CA groupings. An adequate blend of sand and clay for red stoneware (bricks and tiles) manufacture was indicated as a major requirement for most raw materials of the clayey-silt cluster. Raw materials represented by the sandy and/or feldspathic cluster can either be used to blend with materials that lack sand or to blend with excessively plastic samples.


Patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) can have chemotherapy with oxaliplatin postoperatively. Oxaliplatin can cause acute and chronic neurotoxicity. It is important to be aware of neurotoxic side effects so they can be documented and action taken at an early stage. The study aimed to identify and explore neurotoxic side effects documented in the medical records of patients with colorectal cancer treated with oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Data in this study were medical records; presenting documentation about patients treated at the University Hospital in the south of Sweden between 2009 and 2010. A summative content analysis approach was used to explore the neurotoxic side effects. Identification and quantification of the content of medical records were carried out by using a study-specific protocol. "Cold sensitivity" and "tingling in the hands" were the most frequently documented neurotoxicity-related terms in the medical records. This identification was followed by interpretation. Three categories were identified in the interpretive part of the study: acute, chronic, and degree of neurotoxicity. The results show the importance of awareness of neurotoxic side effects so that they can be documented and action taken at an early stage. The documentation could be more reliable if patient-reported structured measurements were used, combined with free descriptions in the medical records. Being able to follow the progression of the symptoms during and after treatment would improve patient's safety and also quality of life. The protocol that we developed and used in this review of medical records may be helpful to structure the documentation in the electronic system for documentation of neurotoxicity side effects.


On page 4510, the pioneering work by K.-H. Jeong and co-workers experimentally reveals a universal and quantitative correlation between plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals by using a novel active plasmonic device with a large tuning span and precise tuning resolution, termed a deformable nanoplasmonic membrane. The image shows the variation in SERS gain under precise tuning of the plasmon resonance by 1 nm over the Raman Stokes shift range.


This paper presents a comparison study of popular clustering and mapping heuristics which are used to map task-flow graphs to message-passing multiprocessors. To this end, we use task-graphs which are representative of important scientific algorithms running on data-sets of practical interest. The annotation which assigns weights to nodes and edges of the task-graphs is realistic. It reflects current trends in processor, communication channel, and message-passing interface technology and takes into consideration hardware characteristics of state-of-the-art multiprocessors. Our experiments show that applying realistic models for task-graph annotation affects the effectiveness and functionality of clustering and mapping techniques. Therefore, new heuristics are necessary that will take into account more practical models of communication costs. We present modifications to existing clustering and mapping algorithms which improve their efficiency and running-time for the practical models adopted.<<ETX>>


Brian Norman uncovers a curious phenomenon in American literature: dead women who nonetheless talk. These characters appear in works by such classic American writers as Poe, Dickinson, and Faulkner, as well as in more recent works by Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Tony Kushner, and others. These figures are also emerging in contemporary culture, from the film and best-selling novel "The Lovely Bones" to the hit television drama "Desperate Housewives". "Dead Women Talking" demonstrates that the dead, especially women, have been speaking out in American literature since well before it was fashionable. Norman argues that they voice concerns that a community may wish to consign to the past, raising questions about gender, violence, sexuality, class, racial injustice, and national identity. When these women insert themselves into the story, they do not enter precisely as ghosts but rather as something potentially more disrupting: posthumous citizens. The community must ask itself whether it can or should recognize such a character as one of its own. The prospect of posthumous citizenship bears important implications for debates over the legal rights of the dead, social histories of burial customs and famous cadavers, and the political theory of citizenship and social death.


Abstract : The letter that follows takes us on a darkly imagined excursion into the future. A military coup has taken place in the United States-the year is 2012-and General Thomas E. T. Brutus, Commander-in-Chief of the Unified Armed Forces of the United States, now occupies the White House as permanent Military Plenipotentiary. His position has been ratified by a national referendum, though scattered disorders still prevail and arrests for acts of sedition are underway. A senior retired officer of the Unified Armed Forces, known here simply as Prisoner 222305759, is one of those arrested, having been convicted by court-martial for opposing the coup. Prior to his execution, he is able to smuggle out of prison a letter to an old War College classmate discussing the "Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012." In it, he argues that the coup was the outgrowth of trends visible as far back as 1992. These trends were the massive diversion of military forces to civilian uses, the monolithic unification of the armed forces, and the insularity of the military community. His letter survives and is here presented verbatim. It goes without saying (I hope) that the coup scenario above is purely a literary device intended to dramatize my concern over certain contemporary developments affecting the armed forces, and is emphatically not a prediction.


Construction management is the art of managing a co
nstruction project as efficiently as
possible. However, it is well known, that the posit
ion of the construction manager might
have some differences in the role they play dependi
ng on the country in which one is
located.
In 2007, a study was conducted at Illinois Institut
e of Technology in Chicago, whose
objective was to collect information from the many
parties involved in the construction
process in order to record and compare their expect
ations relative to the duties of
construction managers in the US. In order to do tha
t, they designed a questionnaire, and
this questionnaire was sent to the different partie
s. With the data collected, they were
able to see the differences in the expectations and
define the duties of construction
managers according to the majority.
In the wake of the 2007 investigation, another inve
stigation was conducted in 2014.
Two Universities in two different countries, United
States and Spain, have run the
research. The universities are the Illinois Institu
te of Technology (IIT) in Chicago and
the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) in Ba
rcelona. The objective of the study
was to undertake the same investigation conducted i
n the United States in 2007 but this
time in Spain. The questionnaire was adapted to Spa
nish conditions and translated into
Spanish. It was then sent to the construction manag
ers in Spain. With the data collected,
the expectations regarding the duties of constructi
on managers in Spain were defined
and a comparison between the two countries was made. When comparing two countries from two different con
tinents, culture is an important
factor to consider. Therefore, a cultural compariso
n between the two countries was also
made using Hofstede's dimensions.
In order to analyze the collected data in the Spani
sh questionnaire in 2014 and the
retrieved data from 2007, The Mann-Whitney U test (
non-parametric statistical
analysis) was performed. Moreover, the cultural dif
ferences between the countries were
also taken into account.
All in all, the findings suggested that there are d
ifferences regarding the responsibilities
between Spanish and American CMs. Most of the disag
reements are related to CM
duties performed in the design and pre-design phase
of projects. On the other hand,
fewer disagreements were observed in the duties per
formed in the construction phase. In
both countries the average respondent considered to
be of priority those duties that CMs
perform in the construction phase and of least relevance those that are performed in the
design and pre-design phases.


Many adolescent refugees and asylum seekers have experienced traumatic events. They often suffer from intrusions of these events, and report avoidance behaviors, sleeping problems and hyperarousal. On top of that, they are dealing with many daily stressors caused by their new and marginal social position in the Netherlands. How do these adolescents keep up in the Dutch society? A long waiting time for a resident permit and uncertainty about the future have a negative influence on their quality of life. However, it is a misinterpretation to qualify these adolescents as passive victims. They also show remarkably high levels of (individual) resilience and even personal growth. Young refugees display, for example, positive changes in interpersonal relationships and self perception. They describe high feelings of responsibility and they are actively engaged with performing at school and participating in the new society to move on and live a meaningful life in the host country. In this dissertation, we investigated the construct of resilience in adolescent refugees and asylum seekers in the Netherlands. We integrated data from qualitative evidence, questionnaires and DNA analyses. The results demonstrate that these individual adolescents and their social context are very much interrelated. Consequently, resilience in young refugees is influenced by different variables on numerous levels (e.g., individual, family, community). Furthermore, the results showed that not all groups benefit similarly from the same (protective) factors. In the last chapter of this dissertation, we critically review the usefulness of the concept 'resilience' in research and in practical work with young refugees and asylum seekers.


The union membership rate has declined steadily in Australia since the 1950s. Some have suggested that this decline has caused a fall in the bargaining power of workers, which in turn has contributed to low wages growth in recent years. We test this hypothesis using a newly available source of micro data, covering all enterprise agreements federally registered between 1991 and 2017. We find that changing unionisation patterns are unlikely to account for much of the recent low wages growth. This conclusion reflects three key results. First, there has been no decline in the share of employees covered by enterprise agreements negotiated with union involvement even as union membership has declined. Second, the 'union wage growth premium' in the private sector has been stable over time. Third, spillover effects from union involvement in enterprise agreement negotiations onto wage outcomes in other enterprise agreements exist, but have not changed materially over time.


A returnee entrepreneur playing an important role in China market is a notable phenomenon. While their advanced knowledge and overseas networking in developed countries have advantages over local counterparts, their lack of local knowledge and connection may mitigate their advantages. This study explores the research questions how and why external management control of returnee entrepreneur is inferior to local counterpart. Based on the data collected in year 2002 from Chinese technology venture companies in Zhongguancun Science Park (ZSP), we find that the performance of returnee entrepreneur's firms is lower when they have more local subsidiaries and when they are owned by foreigners. It implies that returnee entrepreneurs may be less effective in management control over local subsidiaries which may indicate a low level of headquarters control. It also implies that foreign ownership gives rise to increase in agency conflicts between returnee entrepreneurs and foreign investors and thus has a negative impact on firms' innovation performance.


This paper investigates the syntax of coordinate structures in Korean. The proposed analysis is consistent with the direction taken by most current theories of coordination, which hold to the assumption that phrase structure is fundamentally asymmetric. The resemblance of syntactic asymmetries found in so-called Acrossthe-Board (ATB) questions to those found in parasitic gap constructions provides an empirical justification for the adjunction analysis advanced here, where a conjunction phrase koP (constituting the first conjunct plus the conjunctive suffix -ko) is assumed to be adjoined to the final conjunct. On this analysis, conjoined wh-questions in Korean are not so "across-the-board" as traditionally assumed; rather, there is only one A-bar movement chain, namely that of a null operator into Spec,koP. The proposed analysis departs in significant ways from Munn's (1993) adjunction analysis of English ATB sentences. Most significantly, the wh-phrase in Korean is analyzed to be base-generated in the left periphery and also to bind pro in the second conjunct. These differences are described as syntactic reflexes of more general typological differences between the two languages including word order and the (un)availability of pro. A particularly important consequence of the proposal is discussed, namely the reformulation of the Coordinate Structure Constraint as a kind of parallelism requirement on conjuncts, i.e., phrases of the same category/size (here, TPs). This working paper is available in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: http://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/ vol20/iss1/21 Adjoined koP in Korean Clausal Coordination: Implications for the Across-the-Board Analysis


In addition to mediating the transcriptional response to hypoxia, HIF-1α also inhibits proliferation under oxygen-limiting conditions. This Podcast features an interview Gregg Semenza and Maimon Hubbi, authors of a paper that appears in the 12 February 2013 issue of Science Signaling. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a heterodimeric protein that mediates the transcriptional response to hypoxia, the decreased availability of oxygen. One of the outcomes of HIF-1–mediated gene regulation is activation of genes encoding proteins that inhibit cell proliferation. Hubbi et al. report that the α subunit of HIF-1 (HIF-1α) also inhibits cell proliferation in response to hypoxia by inhibiting the activity of a DNA helicase that is required for DNA replication.


This study was carried out to investigate the allelopathic effect of aqueous extracts derived from leaves and stems of Acacia saligna (Labill.) H.L.Wendl. upon two agricultural crops, wheat and canola. Seed germination (%), shoot and root elongation, fresh and dry weight, vigor index and phytotoxicity parameters were estimated. Leaf extract exhibits higher inhibitory effect than stem extract. Wheat seeds were more tolerant to the allelopathic action of A. saligna extracts than canola. Canola germination minimized to 8.33% at concentration 10% of leaf extract but the percent of germination was 60% in the case of stem extract. At 10% leaf extract, 76.67% of wheat seeds germinated; but at 10% stem extract, 93.33% of the seeds were germinated. The other growth parameters as shoot and root length, fresh and dry weight and vigor index also showed continued decrease with the increasing of allelopathic extract concentration. Leaf extract exhibits the stronger allelopathic effect. The phytotoxic effect was stronger on the germination of canola compared with wheat. It reached up to 91.76% inhibition at concentration 10%, but reached up only 23.33% in the case of wheat, respectively.


It is the intent of this paper to present current state of the art thrust restraint design, present a basis for calculating required lengths of restraint, and to offer some practical suggestions based on full-size field tests, model tests, experience, and some measure of common sense. While understanding of the design of many varied forms of concrete reaction blocking is essential to the design Engineer, this field is in general well developed and well understood. Therefore, this paper is for the most part devoted to a discussion of systems involving restrained joint pipe, which admittedly can involve much more complicated concerns.


"Terrible Honesty" is a portrait of the soul of a generation, the story of the men and women who made New York the capital of American literature, music, and language in the 1920s. Ann Douglas's magnificent account of "mongrel Manhattan" focuses especially on brilliant and diverse artists - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Eugene O'Neill, Walter Winchell, Ernest Hemingway and Irving Berlin among them - and on those who influenced them most strongly, the powerful figures of Sigmund Freud, William James and Gertrude Stein. Ann Douglas argues that when, after World War I, the United States began to assume the economic and political leadership of the West, American artists and thinkers determined to break with what they saw as the false and derivative cultural tradition of Europe and the past. New York became the heart of that daring and accomplished historical transformation when blacks and whites, men and women together created the new American culture.


Folding clothes is a current trend in robotics. Previously to folding clothes, they have to be unfolded. It is not realistic to perform model-based unfolding, as every garment has a different shape, size, color, texture, etc. In this paper we present a garment-agnostic algorithm to unfold clothes that works using 3D sensor information. The depth information provided by the sensor is converted into a grayscale image. This image is segmented using watershed algorithm. This algorithm provide us with labeled regions, each having a different height. In this labeled image, we assume that the highest height region belongs to the fold. Starting on this region, and ending in the garment border, tentative paths are created in several directions to analyze the height profile. For each profile, a bumpiness value is computed, and the lowest one is selected as the unfolding direction. A final extension on this line is performed to create a pick point on the fold border, and a place point outside the garment. The proposed algorithm is tested with a small set of clothes in different positions.


[Abstract] The objective of this paper is to explore the attitudes of accountants about the level of compliance with AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions) accounting standards. Understanding the basic principles of accounting standards for Islamic Finical Institutions (IFIs) has become increasingly important among most Shari'ah scholars and researchers towards the implementation of accounting standards for IFIs. Currently, IFIs are one of the fastest growing sectors locally and globally. A review of the current framework of AAOIFI was undertaken to determine the level of compliance with AAOIFI accounting standards; the AAOIFI Framework for IFIs is currently the subject of much discussion and review. The findings of this paper, therefore, indicate that, Islamic banks of Bahrain have fully adopted the AAOIFI accounting standards. However, the contribution of this paper is to understand the conceptual framework of AAOIFI accounting standards and could benefit future research. [Keywords] Islamic accounting; accounting standards; AAOIFI; Islamic banks Research Overview The Kingdom of Bahrain acting as the hub for many Islamic financial organizations to develop the Islamic banking and finance industry, including the International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) and the Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA), the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), and the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (Ernst & Young, 2011). Islamic banks operate mainly in developing countries in the Middle East, Africa and South-East Asia and are facing some difficulties adopting unique accounting standards into their practice due to the absence of a legal framework and inconsistency of financial reporting. For instance, financial institutions in some countries, such as Jordan, the UAE and Qatar, are officially required to comply with the International Accounting Standards (IASs). Meanwhile, in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the authorities require compliance with both IAS and local accounting standards. In Malaysia, there are national accounting standards, which are based on IAS (Ahmed, 2002). In Bahrain, the authorities require compliance with both AAOIFI and IFRS as requested by central bank of Bahrain (CBB). The dilemma currently experienced in term of the divergence of accounting standards implementations poses a great threat to the sustainability of IFSs. For example, some of the Islamic banks treat investment accounts that are based on the mudarbah contract as liabilities and report them unbalance sheet (e.g. Jordan Islamic Bank, Bahrain Islamic Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank). Other banks treat investment accounts as fiduciary investments and, accordingly, report them as off-balance sheet (e.g. Al Rajhi Bank and Shamil Bank of Bahrain) (Ahmed, 2002). For those reasons, researchers in the area of financial reporting for Islamic financial institutions have conducted a considerable number of studies to investigate the issues of compliance with accounting standards and the need for a unique of accounting standards to be adopted by IFIs. For instance, Karim (1987), Abdel Magid (1981), Pomeranz (1997), Hameed, Alrazi and Nazli (2006), Che Pa (2006) and Shadia Rahman (2007) researchers have examined the understanding, acceptability, and level of compliance with accounting standards for Islamic financial institutions. The Afghani of the Islamic bank economist, Abdul Haqiqi, recommends that the establishment of accounting standards for of Islamic banks and a focus on auditing could possibly address the issue of accounting, conformity to Islamic and Arab social and religious objectives, and a coordinated and unified approach to the interpretation of pertinent Islamic law (Pomeranz, 1997). However, currently, the level of compliance with AAOIFI requirements is unknown and needs to be investigated because the absence of specific accounting standards for Islamic financial institutions being adopted globally could create some difficulties for users of financial reporting. …


The identification of 'legal highs' is challenging as they often do not match their label claim and contain a wide range of impurities and/or adulterants. In addition, there is a need for techniques to be on-site, rapid and non-destructive. The feasibility of using the in-built algorithms of handheld near-infrared (NIR), Raman and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform-infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy for the identification of 'legal high' substances was investigated. Spectral libraries were constructed using three substances found in 'legal highs' (i.e., dextromethorphan, 2-aminoindane and lidocaine) and their 50 : 50 mixtures with caffeine. Model dilution mixtures with caffeine (i.e., 5–95% m/m) and seven 'legal high' Internet products were used to test the method. The 'legal high' constituents in most of the model mixtures were identified within a minimum range of 30–60% m/m for NIR, 20–75% m/m for Raman, and 41–85% m/m for ATR-FT-IR. This demonstrates that simple library mixtures could be used to identify test substances when the concentrations are variable. Below and above these levels, the test mixtures often correlated to the component in higher concentration. Collectively, the instruments identified the main constituents in the seven Internet products with varying correlation criteria. The NIR and ATR-FT-IR provided complementary information compared to Raman when carbohydrate cutting agents were added to the product, yet the Raman showed a high fluorescence signal for three products hindering identification. These initial studies indicate the suitability of three complementary techniques for rapid identification of 'legal high' products. Further development of spectral libraries, algorithms, and use of alternative Raman excitation wavelengths is needed to provide adequate tools for in-field analysis by non-experts.


A comprehensive study is undertaken to assess and calibrate the force reduction factors (R) adopted in modern seismic codes. Refined expressions are employed to calculate the R factors "supply" for 12 buildings of various characteristics represent a wide range of medium-rise RC buildings. The "supply" values are then compared with the "design" and "demand" recommended in the literature. A comprehensive range of response criteria at the member and storey levels, including shear as a failure criterion, alongside a detailed modelling approach and an extensively verified analytical tool are utilised. A rigorous technique is employed to evaluate R factors, including inelastic pushover and incremental dynamic collapse analyses employing eight natural and artificial records. In the light of the information obtained from more than 1500 inelastic analyses, it is concluded that including shear and vertical motion in assessment and calculations of R factors is necessary. Force reduction factors adopted by the design code (Eurocode 8) are over-conservative and can be safely increased, particularly for regular frame structures designed to lower PGA and higher ductility levels.


Previous reports have shown that an Ebola outbreak can be slowed, and eventually stopped, by placing Ebola patients into settings where there is reduced risk for onward Ebola transmission, such as Ebola treatment units (ETUs) and community care centers (CCCs) or equivalent community settings that encourage changes in human behaviors to reduce transmission risk, such as making burials safe and reducing contact with Ebola patients. Using cumulative case count data from Liberia up to August 28, 2014, the EbolaResponse model previously estimated that without any additional interventions or further changes in human behavior, there would have been approximately 23,000 reported Ebola cases by October 31, 2014. In actuality, there were 6,525 reported cases by that date. To estimate the effectiveness of ETUs and CCCs or equivalent community settings in preventing greater Ebola transmission, CDC applied the EbolaResponse model to the period September 23-October 31, 2014, in Liberia. The results showed that admitting Ebola patients to ETUs alone prevented an estimated 2,244 Ebola cases. Having patients receive care in CCCs or equivalent community settings with a reduced risk for Ebola transmission prevented an estimated 4,487 cases. Having patients receive care in either ETUs or CCCs or in equivalent community settings, prevented an estimated 9,100 cases, apparently as the result of a synergistic effect in which the impact of the combined interventions was greater than the sum of the two interventions. Caring for patients in ETUs, CCCs, or in equivalent community settings with reduced risk for transmission can be important components of a successful public health response to an Ebola epidemic.


We study the phase retrieval (PR) technique using through-focus intensity measurements and explain the dependence of PR on the defocus distance. An optimal measurement plane in the out-of-focus region is identified where the intensity distribution on the optical axis drops to the first minimum after focus. Experimental results confirm the theoretical predictions and are in good agreement with an independent phase measurement.


An analytical approximate solution of the electromagnetic field on a subwavelength elliptical hole in a thin perfectly conducting screen is presented. Illumination is a linear polarized, normally incident plane wave. A polynomial development method is used and allows one to obtain an easy-to-use analytical solution of the fields, which can be used to build analytical expressions of aperture fields for apertures in anisotropic structures.


We consider the Bellman residual minimization approach for solving discounted Markov decision problems, where we assume that a generative model of the dynamics and rewards is available. At each policy iteration step, an approximation of the value function for the current policy is obtained by minimizing an empirical Bellman residual defined on a set of n states drawn i.i.d. from a distribution µ, the immediate rewards, and the next states sampled from the model. Our main result is a generalization bound for the Bellman residual in linear approximation spaces. In particular, we prove that the empirical Bellman residual approaches the true (quadratic) Bellman residual in µ-norm with a rate of order O(1/ √ n). This result implies that minimizing the empirical residual is indeed a sound approach for the minimization of the true Bellman residual which guarantees a good approximation of the value function for each policy. Finally, we derive performance bounds for the resulting approximate policy iteration algorithm in terms of the number of samples n and a measure of how well the function space is able to approximate the sequence of value functions.


Various gradient compression schemes have been proposed to mitigate the communication cost in distributed training of large scale machine learning models. Sign-based methods, such as signSGD, have recently been gaining popularity because of their simple compression rule and connection to adaptive gradient methods, like ADAM. In this paper, we analyze sign-based methods for non-convex optimization in three key settings: (i) standard single node, (ii) parallel with shared data and (iii) distributed with partitioned data. For single machine case, we generalize the previous analysis of signSGD relying on intuitive bounds on success probabilities and allowing even biased estimators. Furthermore, we extend the analysis to parallel setting within a parameter server framework, where exponentially fast noise reduction is guaranteed with respect to number of nodes, maintaining $1$-bit compression in both directions and using small mini-batch sizes. Next, we identify a fundamental issue with signSGD to converge in distributed environment. To resolve this issue, we propose a new sign-based method, {\em Stochastic Sign Descent with Momentum (SSDM)}, which converges under standard bounded variance assumption with the optimal asymptotic rate. We validate several aspects of our theoretical findings with numerical experiments.


Modern superscalar microprocessors need sizable register files to support a large number of in-flight instructions for exploiting instruction level parallelism (ILP). An alternative to building large register files is to use a smaller number of registers, but manage them more effectively. More efficient management of registers can also result in higher performance if the reduction of the register file size is not the goal. Traditional register file management mechanisms deallocate a physical register only when the next instruction writing to the same destination architectural register commits. In this paper, we propose several techniques for deallocating physical registers much earlier. Our designs rely on the use of a checkpointed register file (CRF), where a local shadow copy of each bitcell is used to temporarily save the values of the early deallocated registers should they be needed to recover from branch mispredictions or to reconstruct the precise state after exceptions or interrupts. The proposed techniques try to release registers as soon as possible and are more aggressive than the previously proposed schemes for early deallocation of registers


Durability and impermeability in a water-retaining structure are of prime importance if the structure is to fulfill its function over its design life. In addition, serviceability cracking tends to govern the design of water retaining structures. This research concentrates on load-induced cracking specifically that due to pure bending and to direct tension in South African reinforced concrete water retaining structures (WRS). As a South African design code for WRS does not exist at present, South African designers tend to use the British codes in the design of reinforced concrete water-retaining structures. However, with the release of the Eurocodes, the British codes have been withdrawn, creating the need for a South African code of practice for water-retaining structures. In updating the South African structural design codes, there is a move towards adopting the Eurocodes so that the South African design codes are compatible with their Eurocode counterparts. The Eurocode crack model to EN1992 (2004) was examined and compared to the corresponding British standard, BS8007 (1989). A reliability study was undertaken as the performance of the EN1992 crack model applied to South African conditions is not known. The issues of the influence of the crack width limit and model uncertainty were identified as being of importance in the reliability crack model. Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za


Aloesin is an active constituent of the herb aloe vera and plays a crucial role in anti-inflammatory activity, ultraviolet protection, and antibacterium. We investigated the role and possible mechanisms of aloesin in the cell growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer. It was found that aloesin inhibited cell viability and cell clonality in a dose-dependent manner. It arrests the cell cycle at the S-phase and induced apoptosis in SKOV3 cells. In an in vivo experiment, it was observed that aloesin inhibited tumor growth. Moreover, it inhibited migration and invasion of cancer in SKOV3 cells. Interestingly, members from the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling family became less phosphorylated as the aloesin dose increased. This suggests that aloesin exerts its anticancer effect through the MAPK signaling pathway. Our data also highlights the possibility of using aloesin as a novel therapeutic drug for ovarian cancer treatment.


This research focuses on analysing knowledge processes of the design process, especially the early phases of the design process that can be called concept design. It aims at developing a body of knowledge that builds on the relevant issues toward user-centred design in a form of a framework. This is intended to apply, organise and synthesise processes, theories and concepts from the separate but linked disciplines of knowledge management and humancomputer interaction, hence addressing one of the most essential topics and goals of system design, i.e. how to define what is needed in the system and how the system should mediate human activities—for the purposes of this research, in the context of interest-based communities and mobile technology. The framework is based on the following propositions: (1) The participants of design process include designers and users as actors, both of which are seen to possess knowledge needed toward successful design; (2) this knowledge is proposed to be context-specific, hence being specific for certain users using certain technology; (3) for the user as well as for the design professional there are some things that are known but have not been articulated; and (4) the knowledge processes transforming tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge by users and designers are linked and need to be combined, finally (5) toward knowledge embedded into concepts, products, or services. Overall, the research highlights how knowledge processes enable user involvement and capturing tacit (and novel) user knowledge toward successful concept design/design.


The revolts sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East in 2011 have shaken long-held truths about the region. Most strikingly, the sustainability of these regimes has proved a chimera. The events in the region and the many truths they uncovered call for a serious rethink in Western policies towards the region. The aim of this paper is to explore what such a rethink might entail for the European Union. Reviewing the European Neighbourhood Policy by revamping the benefits on offer, reconsidering the effective use of conditionality, establishing adequate monitoring mechanisms and engaging with a plethora of partners both within and beyond the region is imperative. Such a review is contingent on the recognition of a reversed hierarchy of priorities, induced by the force of historical events unfolding in the region. To reverse policy priorities is no small feat, considering the entrenched logic that has sustained Euro-Med policies so far. Nonetheless, various dynamics press for a new way of thinking. The proposals contained in this study constitute concrete steps to rethink the EU's Mediterranean policies in line with the fundamental rights and principles which the Union seeks to advance in its external action.


Recently mesoporous materials have drawn great attention in fuel cell related applications, such as preparation of polymer electrolyte membranes and catalysts, hydrogen storage and purification. In this mini-review, we focus on recent developments in mesoporous electrocatalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, including metallic and metal-free catalysts for use as either anode or cathode catalysts. Mesoporous Pt-based metals have been synthesized as anode catalysts with improved activity and durability. Mesoporous carbons together with other inorganic materials are better supporting materials than conventional carbon black, which have a large surface area, high porosity and synergistic effect with metal particles. Pt supported on these materials has a small particle size, uniform distribution and good access to fuels, which performs better as fuel cell catalysts than commercial Pt/C. Some efforts such as further improvement in the conductivity and chemical stability of mesoporous carbon by chemical doping are stated. Moreover, metal free cathode catalysts based on heteroatom modified mesoporous carbon are also summarized.


Background: The contemporary management of ambulatory ulcerative colitis (UC) continues to be challenging with ∼20% of children needing a colectomy within childhood years. We thus aimed to standardize daily treatment of pediatric UC and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)-unclassified through detailed recommendations and practice points. Methods: These guidelines are a joint effort of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO) and the Paediatric IBD Porto group of European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN). An extensive literature search with subsequent evidence appraisal using robust methodology was performed before 2 face-to-face meetings. All 40 included recommendations and 86 practice points were endorsed by 43 experts in Paediatric IBD with at least an 88% consensus rate. Results: These guidelines discuss how to optimize the use of mesalamine (including topical), systemic and locally active steroids, thiopurines and, for more severe disease, biologics. The use of other emerging therapies and the role of surgery are also covered. Algorithms are provided to aid therapeutic decision-making based on clinical assessment and the Paediatric UC Activity Index (PUCAI). Advice on contemporary therapeutic targets incorporating the use of calprotectin and the role of therapeutic drug monitoring are presented, as well as other management considerations around pouchitis, extraintestinal manifestations, nutrition, growth, psychology, and transition. A brief section on disease classification using the PIBD-classes criteria and IBD-unclassified is also part of these guidelines. Conclusions: These guidelines provide a guide to clinicians managing children with UC and IBD-unclassified management to provide modern management strategies while maintaining vigilance around appropriate outcomes and safety issues.


SUMMARY: This paper describes the seasonal and geographical distribution of mackerel (Scomber scombrus, L.) and horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus, L.) in the northern coast of Spain (ICES Division VIIIc and Sub-division IXa North), based on commercial catches and bottom trawl surveys. Mean monthly commercial catches were mapped by ICES statistical rectangle, and the quarterly distribution by age group (0,1,2 and >2 years) and by Sub-division (Sub-division VIIIc East, VIIIc West and IXa North) are presented for the period 1989 to 1994 in the case of mackerel, and 1990 to 1994 for horse mackerel. Series of catch per unit effort by age are also analysed for some commercial fleets.The age group distribution (0,1,2 and >2 years) in autumn, based on information from bottom trawl surveys, is presented for the whole area studied.The data analysis reflects clear seasonality of mackerel in the northern coast of Spain. Nevertheless, in the case of horse mackerel in the same area, seasonality is not so evident. These results are discussed with respect to spawning and feeding migrations of these species in the Northeast Atlantic.


In Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, BookVI (published in 1596), Sir Calidore, the patron knight of courtesy, is commissioned to baffle the Blatant Beast of slander and repair the damage he has caused. In an ecclesiastical context, it appears that Spenser primarily identifies the Blatant Beast with iconoclasm: Through all estates he found that he had past, In which he many massacres had left, And to the Clergy now was come at last; In which such spoile, such hauocke, and such theft He wrought, that thence all goodnesse he bereft, That endlesse were to tell. The Elfin Knight, Who now no place besides vnsought had left, At length into a Monastere did light, Where he him found despoyling all with maine and might.1 There is an allusion here to the despoiling of the monasteries by Henry VIII, in which slander-a cynical expose, as his critics maintained, of monkish corruption-played a central role. But Spenser, writing at much the same time as Richard Hooker's defense of tradition against the Puritans Walter Travers and Thomas Cartwright, is also concerned about a mean spirit of detraction, a ruthless determination to leave nothing standing of the old order.2 And behind this he detects something even more comprehensively threatening. Book VI of The Faerie Queene takes Spenser's meditation on the nature and conditions of moral virtue into new territory. It is not enough, he seems to be arguing, for a person to be righteous, for temperance to go beyond mediating between extremes; it is not enough to harness natural energies and respond to the beauty deep down things, to unite with the like-minded and resist public and private evil. Such virtues are explored with great subtlety in the first five books of the poem. Book Six implies that they are limited in their power unless recognition is super-added. The beauty of holiness needs to be respected, treated with courtesy, or it will not be able to radiate out and transform the world. That is why envy, slander, detraction, the spirit of carping and faultfinding, are so destructive. Spenser is at pains to register the fragility of his vision of goodness. Not even Calidore, approaching the dance of the Graces, is sensitive enough to prevent them vanishing. Colin Clout, the figure of the poet himself, breaks his pipe in frustration.3 Robert Persons the Jesuit was not, one would think, a kindred spirit with the convinced Protestant Edmund Spenser, but he shared the horror of slander as a form of iconoclasm, the destruction of an image. Unlike Spenser, he was himself a prime target of a smear campaign, so his strictures on detraction were even less disinterested,4 but his selfvindication in the fierce appellant controversy of 1598-1602 makes for a fascinating case study of engaging with the Blatant Beast. In March, 1598, the Cardinal Protector of England, Enrico Caetani, proposed that the persecuted Church of Rome in England should be placed under the authority of an archpriest. George Blackwell was appointed, and the Jesuit superior, Henry Garnet, reported that there "was general acceptance among the clergy. Perhaps. But a relatively small but determined group of secular priests-just how representative they were of a wider feeling it is hard to establish-protested against the imposition, as they saw it, of an unwanted and unfamiliar form of church government.5 Fundamentally, they were disaffected with the Jesuits, whom they believed to be behind the move and would stand to gain from it. That disaffection, in turn, stemmed from perceived Jesuit domination of the English seminaries, Jesuit promotion of Spanish political interest (incurring the wrath of the English authorities on all Catholics), and Jesuit involvement in the notorious Wisbech Stirs. Father William Weston, Garnet's predecessor as Jesuit superior, had entered the community of jailed Catholic clerics at Wisbech Castle in 1588; in December, 1594, he withdrew to his room in disgust over the lax behavior of some of his fellow inmates, and the community was split. …


Examining the world of popular healing in South Asia, this book looks at the way that it is marginalised by the state and medical establishment while at the same time being very important in the everyday lives of the poor. It describes and analyses a world of 'subaltern therapeutics' that both interacts with and resists state-sanctioned and elite forms of medical practice. The relationship is seen as both a historical as well as ongoing one.

Focusing on those who exist and practice in the shadow of statist medicine, the book discusses the many ways in which they try to heal a range of maladies, and how they experience their marginality. The contributors also provide a history of such therapeutics, in the process challenging the widespread belief that such 'traditional' therapeutics are relatively static and unchanging. In focusing on these problems of transition, they open up one of the central concerns of subaltern historiography. This is an important contribution to the history of medicine and society, and subaltern and South Asian studies.


This paper describes six stylized patterns among housing markets in the United States that potential explanations of the housing boom and bust should seek to explain. First, individual housing markets in the U.S. experienced considerable heterogeneity in the amplitudes of their cycles. Second, the areas with the biggest boom-bust cycles in the 2000s also had the largest boom-busts in the 1980s and 1990s, with a few telling exceptions. Third, the timing of the cycles differed across housing markets. Fourth, the largest booms and busts, and their timing, seem to be clustered geographically. Fifth, the cross sectional variance of annual house price changes rises in booms and declines in busts. Finally, these stylized facts are robust to controlling for housing demand fundamentals - namely, rents, incomes, or employment - although changes in fundamentals are correlated with changes in prices.


The Definitive Guide to Ubuntu--Covers Ubuntu 8.04 LTSMaximize the powerful features of Ubuntu with expert guidance, tips, and techniques from bestselling Linux author Richard Petersen. Packed with clear explanations and detailed examples, this comprehensive volume shows you how to get off the ground with Ubuntu, set up hardware and Internet connections, and use the latest system and network administration utilities.Ubuntu: The Complete Reference covers the desktops, shells, and administration tools for users, printers, services, and networks. Get full details on the latest Ubuntu-compatible office, mail, Web, and multimedia software, along with remote access (Vinagre), virtualization (KVM and Xen) and service managment (Upstart).You'll also learn how to interoperate with Windows networks and deploy reliable security using PolicyKit, Seahorse, AppArmor, SELinux, netfilter, and the Secure Shell.Install Ubuntu using Live CDs, the Install DVD, or Wubi Windows virtual diskConfigure printers, devices, and network connectionsAccess Linux using GNOME, KDE, KDE4, and XFce desktopsManage software with Synaptic Package Manager and APTWork with the BASH shell command, configuration, and file management capabilitiesUse office, Web (Firefox 3), mail, and multimedia applications (PulseAudio)Manage file systems including RAID and LVMSecure Ubuntu using PolicyKit authentication, Seahorse encryption, SSH and Kerberos security, AppArmor access controls, and Firestarter and UFW firewallsUse SAMBA and NFS to share network resources


Background
Experimental studies in animals have shown that exposure to general anaesthesia in infancy can cause loss of cells in the central nervous system and long-term impairments in neurocognitive function. Some human epidemiological studies have shown increased risk of learning disability after repeated anaesthesia exposure in early childhood. Thus, we investigated in a highly translational rhesus monkey model, whether repeated exposure in infancy to the inhalation anaesthetic sevoflurane is associated with impaired visual recognition memory during the first two yr of life.

Methods
Rhesus monkeys of both sexes were exposed to sevoflurane inhalation anaesthesia on approximately postnatal day 7 and then again 14 and 28 days later, for four h each time. Visual recognition memory was tested using the visual paired comparison task, which measures memory by assessing preference for looking at a new image over a previously-viewed image. Monkeys were tested at 6-10 months of age, again at 12-18 months of age, and again at 24-30 months of age.

Results
No memory impairment was detected at 6-10 months old, but significant impairment (reduced time looking at the novel image) was observed at 12-18 and 24-30 months old.

Conclusions
Repeated exposure of infant rhesus monkeys to sevoflurane results in visual recognition memory impairment that emerges after the first yr of life. This is consistent with epidemiological studies that show increased risk of learning disability after repeated exposure to anaesthesia in infancy/early childhood. Moreover, these deficits may emerge at later developmental stages, even when memory performance is unaffected earlier in development.


Deformable interfaces offer new possibilities for gestures, some of which have been shown effective in controlled laboratory studies. Little work, however, has attempted to match deformable interfaces to a demanding domain and evaluate them out of the lab. We investigate how musicians use deformable interfaces to perform electronic music. We invited musicians to three workshops, where they explored 10 deformable objects and generated ideas on how to use these objects to perform music. Based on the results from the workshops, we implemented sensors in the five preferred objects and programmed them for controlling sounds. Next, we ran a performance study where six musicians performed music with these objects at their studios. Our results show that (1) musicians systematically map deformations to certain musical parameters, (2) musicians use deformable interfaces especially to filter and modulate sounds, and (3) musicians think that deformable interfaces embody the parameters that they control. We discuss what these results mean to research in deformable interfaces.


In 1955, Adorno attributed antisemitic sentiments voiced by Germans to a paradox projection: The only latently experienced feelings of guilt were warded off by antisemitic defense mecha- nisms. Similar predictions of increases in antisemitic prejudice in response to increased Holo- caust salience follow from other theoretical apparatuses (e.g., social identity theory as well as just-world theory). Based on the – to the best of our knowledge – only experimental evidence for such an effect (published in Psychological Science in 2009), the present research reports a series of studies originally conducted to better understand the contribution of the different assumed mechanisms. In light of a failure to replicate the basic effect, however, the studies shifted to an effort to demonstrate the basic process. We report all studies our lab has con- ducted on the issue. Overall, the data did not provide any evidence for the original effect. In addition to the obvious possibility of an original false positive, we speculate what might be responsible for this conceptual replication failure.


Current design standards ignore any contribution of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars in concrete in a state of compression. This paper challenged this convention by testing 30 cylinders of 36 MPa concrete to failure in pure axial compression. The testing matrix consisted of control groups of plain and steel-reinforced concrete specimens which were used to benchmark groups of concrete specimens reinforced with commercial and modified GFRP bars. Cylinders were built in 4, 6, and 8 bar arrangements with nominal diameters of 10M or 13M and with concrete cover 25 mm, cylinder diameter 150 mm and height 300 mm. The GFRP bars were found to exhibit crushing failure long after the concrete in the cylinders had been crushed. Commercial GFRP bars significantly increase the toughness of the specimens over unreinforced concrete, outperforming both steel and modified GFRP reinforcement in this metric. However, steel reinforcement proved to increase peak load the most over unreinforced concrete, with commercial and modified GFRP reinforcement increasing peak load by less than half as much as steel.


Conclusions * The social and political disintegration in Burundi has prompted calls from the United States for intervention by an all-African force. The concept of an African force for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations has substantial support in Africa and in important outside countries. Yet it is not realistic to rely upon an all-African military force for Burundi. * Africans have serious problems with the idea of being used by outsiders who will not participate directly themselves. For Burundi, they also worry about the exact nature of the mission. Regardless of their political will, potential African contributors seriously lack a number of military capabilities that would be essential for success if they were thrown into Burundi today. * A sound strategy for Burundi and other African contingencies in the near-term must continue to be based upon the leadership of the United States and other Western powers, including some participation as part of any force. This participation is required not just for political reasons (such as guaranteeing the non-alignment of any African military force). Several African states can make substantial contributions to an African force, but they will require international assistance with key personnel and equipment, as well as assurances that their contingents will be paid. * Burundi offers an important opportunity to begin developing an all-African peace force. If the international community were to take a strategic view of regional stability, it could participate in a joint operation in Burundi in order to improve the capabilities of African contributors and, by extension, the long-term prospects for a regional solution to future African problems. Background In confronting the growing crisis in Burundi before it turns into another genocidal upheaval, the United States, the international community, and the UN have been exploring the establishment of an all-African contingent for peace operations. It was not possible to mobilize such a force for Rwanda and it probably will not be possible for Burundi. However, the idea of an African peace force for future contingencies is very much alive. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) is expanding its conflict resolution capabilities while the United States, France, United Kingdom, and Nordic countries have a number of on-going programs to develop peace operations capabilities across the continent. Political considerations will play a large role in determining which African countries participate in future peace operations. However, political factors will ultimately be irrelevant to the development of a viable African military force for peace operations if the Africans cannot field adequate military capabilities. This paper summarizes the present and prospective military capabilities and limitations of such a force. It also considers means of strengthening the capacity of African military establishments to respond to future crises. Why An All-African Force for Peace Operations? A stand-by force of African military units ready to respond to peace operations and humanitarian disasters on the continent is the logical extension of several developments. One is the UN's and the international community's increasing emphasis on regional solutions for regional problems. Like CARICOM in Latin America and the Baltic Battalion in the Baltics, an all-African force could become an important institutional mechanism for fostering greater regional integration and conflict resolution. Second, by promoting regional stability-the prerequisite to virtually every other U.S. objective in AfricaCan all-African force capable of humanitarian and peace operations would underwrite the Clinton Administration's National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement. An important by-product of an international effort to train and equip such a force would be an improvement in the professionalism of participating militaries, thereby building greater respect for civilian control and stable demo-cracies. …


Coinductive definitions, such as that of an infinite stream, may often be described by elegant logic programs, but ones for which SLD-refutation is of no value as SLD-derivations fall into infinite loops. Such definitions give rise to questions of lazy corecursive derivations and parallelism, as execution of such logic programs can have both recursive and corecursive features at once. Observational and coalgebraic semantics have been used to study them abstractly. The programming developments have often occurred separately and have usually been implementation-led. Here, we give a coherent semantics-led account of the issues, starting with abstract category theoretic semantics, developing coalgebra to characterize naturally arising trees and proceeding towards implementation of a new dialect, CoALP, of logic programming, characterised by guarded lazy corecursion and parallelism.


This research reports the initial findings of a statewide study that looks at health, insurance, and access to health care among families leaving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) for work. Most national and state-level evaluation projects focus primarily on the employment characteristics of TANF leavers and pay little or no attention to health and access to health care. The quantitative data are from a sample of 637 adults in Oregon leaving TANF for work, and they are personalized by qualitative data from a subsample of 90 respondents. Our findings reveal significant barriers to accessing the health care system, even at a time when Medicaid enrollment is considered automatic, in a state with a relatively generous expanded Medicaid program.


Purpose: To report the management and outcome of an unusual case of occupational perforating ocular industrial nail injury involving the posterior pole. Methods: Observational case report. A 48-year-old Chinese male construction worker presented with perforating industrial nail injury.Results: The patient underwent primary globe repair and foreign body removal followed by staged pars plana vitrectomy with endophotocoagulation and cyclopropane gas tamponade for repair of the vitreous incarceration at the posterior exit wound, a subsequent laser retinopexy with silicone oil tamponade for an inferior retinal detachment extending from the perforation site and finally silicone oil removal with a scleral fixated intraocular lens implant. His best-corrected visual acuity improved to 20/100 six months after the initial injury. Conclusion: Perforating ocular injuries involving the posterior pole often present with severe visual impairment and significant management challenges. We report a case of perforating ocular nail injury, which was managed successfully with staged surgical procedures.


Over 1 year, the NGO-led project provided more than 14,000 units of DMPA-SC, mostly in community settings and to a substantial proportion (43%) of young women. The share of injectables increased significantly, as did the volume of all methods provided, including short-acting, long-acting, and permanent methods. Over 1 year, the NGO-led project provided more than 14,000 units of DMPA-SC, mostly in community settings and to a substantial proportion (43%) of young women. The share of injectables increased significantly, as did the volume of all methods provided, including short-acting, long-acting, and permanent methods. ABSTRACT Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU), a local NGO, introduced subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC, brand name Sayana Press) in 4 districts of Uganda between April 2016 and March 2017. RHU trained public and private facility providers on all family planning methods including DMPA-SC; trained community health workers (known as village health teams, VHTs) to give family planning counseling, provide short-acting methods including DMPA-SC, and make referrals for long-acting and permanent methods; conducted mobile outreach and raised awareness of family planning; and provided family planning commodities. We used a retrospective cross-sectional evaluation design drawing on data from (1) in-depth interviews with 32 facility- and community-based providers; (2) key informant interviews with 7 policy makers and program staff; and (3) family planning program statistics from 4 RHU clinics, 26 mobile outreach sites, and 40 VHTs in 4 study districts. Data collection took place between April and June 2017. Over 12 months, 14,273 units of DMPA-SC were provided in RHU clinics, by mobile outreach teams, and by VHTs. DMPA-SC units were mostly administered in community settings either by VHTs (70%) or at mobile outreach events (26%). A substantial proportion (43%) of DMPA-SC units were administered to young people (<25 years), a significantly higher proportion compared with other methods provided to this age group through the project (P<.001), except condoms. In addition, a greater proportion of DMPA-SC units provided at the community level by VHTs were used by young people (45%) compared with units provided at outreach (36%) or in clinics (35%). Overall, injectables (DMPA-SC and intramuscular DMPA combined) came to represent 43% of all contraceptive methods provided, up from a baseline of 20%. This shift occurred despite significant increases in the volume of all other methods provided (P<.001). Qualitative data revealed various factors that facilitated introduction, including comprehensive training, commodity availability, strong referral links, and early community engagement. RHU's experience supports the viability of community-based delivery of DMPA-SC and identifies opportunities to strengthen this approach. There is further evidence that DMPA-SC may be popular with young people, especially in community settings.


On December 15, 2010, President Obama signed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA)1 into law. It was hailed as a bipartisan success and a significant reform of childhood nutrition policy. Indeed, on its surface the law appears to make a significant shift away from the food paradigm of the past. However, upon closer examination, it fails to unwind the tangled connections between domestic eating habits and longstanding farm subsidies.This Article breaks new ground in several ways: First, it is one of the first essays in the emerging and underexplored field of food law, a crosssection of health law, law and society, environmental law, and administrative law; second, this is the first Article to look in-depth at the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which is in some ways the most radical iteration of the Child Nutrition Act and National School Lunch Act in twenty-five years; third, I offer a unique critique of this legislation by pointing out the tacit juxtaposition between it and longstanding farm subsidies, which are up for renewal and reconsideration next year; and finally, relying on both of these observations, I outline what Congress should do to effectively reform the current regulatory regime and address the critical public health issue of obesity. Specifically, I argue Congress must reallocate or eliminate certain food subsidies through farm bill reform, closely monitor the USDA's exercise of discretion, limit loopholes relating to competitive foods, monitor potential preemption suits, reallocate the designation of dietary guidelines to a medical or health administrative agency, and allocate additional resources to the school meal infrastructure.


With the recent rise of social media, Arabic speakers have started increasingly using dialects in writing, which has constituted research in dialectal Arabic (DA) as a field of interest in natural language processing (NLP). DA NLP is still in its infancy, both in terms of its computational resources and in its tools, e.g. lack of dialectal morphological segmentation tools. In this work, we present a 2.7M-token collection of monolingual corpora of Gulf Arabic extracted from the Web. The data is unique since it is genre-specific, i.e. romance genre, in spite of the various sub-dialects of Gulf Arabic that it covers, e.g., Qatari, Emirati, Saudi. In addition to the monolingual Qatari data collected, we use existing parallel corpora of Qatari (0.47M-token), Egyptian (0.3M-token), Levantine (1.2M-token) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) (3.5M-token) to English to develop a Qatari Arabic to English statistical machine translation system (QA-EN SMT). We exploit the monolingual data to 1) develop a morphological segmentation tool for Qatari Arabic, 2) generate a uniform segmentation scheme for the various variants of Arabic employed, and 3) build a Qatari language model in the opposite translation direction. Proper morphological segmentation of Arabic plays a vital role in the quality of a SMT system. Using the monolingual Qatari data collected in combination with the QA side of the small QA-EN existing parallel data, we trained an unsupervised morphological segmentation model for Arabic, i.e. Morfessor, to create a word segmenter for Qatari Arabic. We then extrinsically compare the impact of the resulting segmentation (as opposed to using tools for MSA) on the quality of QA-EN machine translation. The results show that this unsupervised segmentation can yield better translation quality. Unsurprisingly, we found that removing the monolingual data from the training set of the segmenter affects the translation quality with a loss of 0.9 BLEU points. Arabic dialect resources, when adapted for the translation of one dialect are generally helpful in achieving better translation quality. We show that a standard segmentation scheme can improve vocabulary overlap between dialects by segmenting words with different morphological forms in different dialects to a common root form. We train a generic segmentation model for Qatari Arabic and the other variants used using the monolingual Qatari data and the Arabic side of the parallel corpora. We train the QA-EN SMT system using the different parallel corpora (one at a time) in addition to the QA-EN parallel corpus segmented using the generic statistical segmenter. We show a consistent improvement of 1.5 BLEU points when compared with their respective baselines with no segmentation. In the reverse translation direction, i.e. EN_QA, we show that adding a small amount of in-domain data to the language model used results in a relatively large improvement compared to the degradation resulted by adding a large amount of out-of-domain data.


Surgical site infections (SSIs) are unforeseen complications of surgeries as a result of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Often these SSIs are caused by bacteria that are naturally found on a person's body, specifically their own personal flora found in the nares. A method of eliminating this colonization is critical in decreasing rates of SSIs. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the best solution of nasal antisepsis to use in my nursing capstone preoperative unit in order to eliminate the colonies of nasal bacteria in patients undergoing surgeries involving implants. Two solutions were identified as most commonly used antiseptics: povidone-iodine and alcohol. Currently, povidone-iodine is being used per hospital policy at my capstone facility but for the purpose of bettering infection control, the facility is open to looking at both solutions. Bacterial death percentage, ease of use, length of effectiveness, cost to the facility, and patient compliance were elements considered for this research. The outcome of this research will be to provide the preoperative unit and the facility with the needed information in order to identify and implement the best nasal antiseptic in regards to decreasing the rate of infections following surgeries involving implants.


Osteoarthritis is a common rheumatologic disease. Several non operative interventions have been described for the treatment. But the available evidences of comparing the effectiveness of Virtual reality training over sensory motor training are very few. So, the purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Virtual reality training over sensory motor training in the treatment of Osteoarthritis. 60 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were divided into three Groups (1, 2 & 3) with randomized sampling method. Group 1 treated with Virtual reality training (VRT), Group 2 treated with sensory motor training (SMT) and Group 3 (control) treated with conventional exercise training (CET). The duration of the treatment was three times per week for 8 weeks in all the three groups. Subjects were assessed at baseline, at 4th and 8th week. Pain Intensity by Visual Analog scale (VAS), Joint Proprioception by Perception Sense, Functional Disability by WOMAC Score, and Quality of Life by HRQOL score were measured. A statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) difference between all the 3 groups were noted at the period of 8 week for pain intensity, joint proprioception, functional disability and quality of life. Group-1 treated with (VRT) shows more significant improvement in all parameters compared with Group-2 (SMT) and Group-3 (CET). In conclusion, the addition of virtual reality training to conventional training exercises could improve pain and proprioception which subsequently improve the functional level and quality of life of OA patients.


Rome is not one city but many, each with its own history unfolding from a different centre: now the trading port on the Tiber; now the Forum of antiquity; the Palatine of imperial power; the Lateran Church of Christian ascendancy; the Vatican; the Quirinal palace. Beginning with the very shaping of the ground on which Rome first rose, this book conjures all these cities, past and present, conducting the reader through time and space to the complex and shifting realities - architectural, historical, political and social - that constitute Rome. A multifaceted historical portrait, this richly illustrated work is as gritty as it is gorgeous, immersing readers in the practical world of each period. James McGregor's explorations afford the pleasures of a novel thick with characters and plot twists: amid the life struggles, hopes and failures of countless generations, we see how things truly worked, then and now; we learn about the materials of which Rome was built; of the Tiber and its bridges; of roads, aqueducts, and sewers; and, always, of power, especially the power to shape the city and imprint it with a particular personality - like that of Nero or Trajan or Pope Sixtus V - or a particular institution. McGregor traces the successive urban forms that rulers have imposed, from emperors and popes to national governments including Mussolini's. And, in archaeologists' and museums' presentation of Rome's past, he shows that the documenting of history itself is fraught with power and politics. In McGregor's own beautifully written account, the power and politics emerge clearly, manifest in the distinctive styles and structures, practical concerns and aesthetic interests that constitute the myriad Romes of our day and days past.


Governments around the world want to develop their ICT and digital industries. Policymakers thus need a clear sense of the size and characteristics of digital businesses, but this is hard to do with conventional datasets and industry codes. This paper uses innovative 'big data' resources to perform an alternative analysis at company level, focusing on ICT-producing firms in the UK (which the UK government refers to as the 'information economy'). Exploiting a combination of public, observed and modelled variables, we develop a novel 'sectorproduct' approach and use text mining to provide further detail on the activities of key sector-product cells. On our preferred estimates, we find that counts of information economy firms are 42% larger than SIC-based estimates, with at least 70,000 more companies. We also find ICT employment shares over double the conventional estimates, although this result is more speculative. Our findings are robust to various scope, selection and sample construction challenges. We use our experiences to reflect on the broader pros and cons of frontier data use.


The erosion of partisan identification (i.e. dealignment) and its impact on the declining support for traditional parties has been widely documented in Western countries. However, this phenomenon does not appear to be a Western peculiarity. Costa Rica, Latin America's most stable democracy, seems to be following a similar hitherto unstudied path. The present thesis analyses electoral change in this nation. The study assesses whether Costa Rica is undergoing a long-term electoral change; and if so, how the process could be classified and explained. Moreover, it also evaluates how well the theories developed to explicate electoral change in Western democracies illuminate the Costa Rican case. The thesis is divided into five parts. Part I poses the research's methodological and theoretical framework. Part II contextualises the problem via a historical account of political parties' development, and an assessment of the electoral system. After analysing the main evidence of change in citizens' electoral behaviour and political attitudes, Part III characterises the process. Then, Part IV concentrates on explaining it. Finally, the central findings are presented in Part V. The thesis concludes that: 1) Costa Rica is undergoing a long-term electoral change process. This process can be defined as secular dealignment. 2) In the case studied, the erosion of citizens' partisan identification (partisan dealignment) has resulted in a growing electoral flux and the decline of electoral support for the traditional parties (electoral dealignment). 3) Dealignment in Costa Rica is basically caused by the decline of the PLN's (the country's oldest, most important party) historical loyalties. 4) The PLN's partisan identification is eroding due to the combination and mutual influence of political factors and social transformations. While many of the sociological determinants of dealignment in Costa Rica find parallels in developed democracies, some political factors seem to be specific to this country and most probably to Latin American nations. In general terms, this thesis demonstrates the relevance of in-depth, context-sensitive case studies for comparative electoral research, shows that such studies can be undertaken in Latin America, and highlights the theoretical and empirical benefits of election studies outside advanced industrial democracies.


The World Wide Web is a promising medium for chemical education. The huge chemical databases, the threedimensional and dynamic graphics together with the computational and communicational power, offer exciting new ways to learn complicated chemical phenomena. However, to what extent do Web authors in chemistry utilize these powerful tools? Our research attempts to answer this question. We have developed a classification scheme, and examined 95 Websites that teach atomic structure. The results show that advanced communication means and graphical tools are rarely used. While the content of the majority of Websites can be considered reliable, their structure, level of graphics, and content resemble an online version of textbooks rather than a new, interactive, learning environment. These findings are discussed along with concrete examples.


These cutting-edge international essays challenge dominant narratives of queer youth predicated on oppression and victimization. As school systems address the emergence of Gay-Straight Alliances and calls to provide equal educational access, researchers, educators and youth workers are paying increasing attention to sexuality, gender and schooling. Yet present discourses are limited to liberal understandings of tolerance, safety, and equity that are defined by a separation of "queer" and "normal." This text documents and offers radical interpretations of the creativity of queer youth in challenging existing practices. Interdisciplinary analyses offer multiple vantage points for reconceptualizing adolescent sexual subjectivities and institutional and cultural practices.


The main topic of this paper is concentrated on collaborative robots. Specifically preparation of their implementation in terms of safety requirements specification in the Czech Republic. Firstly, the paper is concentrated on a description of collaborative robots, their advantages and disadvantages. Then the main subject of the paper is described in the analysis of the safety requirements in relation to the legislative conditions of the Czech Republic. Not respecting the safety requirements can have significant consequences for a company implementing collaborative robots. The paper describes three important parts of the safety requirements: technical standards related to machines, legislative machinery regulations and technical standards related to industrial robots and collaborative robots. The important parts of the safety requirements are mentioned specifically with references.


In this presentation, we will introduce the concept of higher symmetries, including both glide and twist symmetries. We will describe the remarkable properties of higher symmetries, such as their ability to produce both large bandgaps and low dispersive media. Higher-symmetry structures provide a new degree of freedom for the design of periodic structures, and find potential application for bandgap waveguide technology, ultra-wideband flat lenses, and low-dispersive leaky wave antennas.


Coherent high-order harmonic generation by an isolated two-level system is studied. A perturbative theory for the adiabatic regime is presented; the theory describes the plateau structure found experimentally in noble gases. Numerical results, without the rotating-wave approximation, are used to check the analytical predictions.


The business model construct has been widely used during the last decade, partly because of its potential to provide a holistic view of how companies do business. A test of how prefabrication could form the basis of a construction firm's business model can lead to an understanding of the potential for the competitiveness and profitability of industrialized building. The aim is to adapt a general business model construct and use it to empirically identify the most frequently used and the most viable business model. The theoretical perspective is employed to examine how a company does business and which activities and resources are mobilized through the distinction between strategic and operational effectiveness. The multiple case studies include five major Swedish companies that produce prefabricated timber building systems and the analysis is grounded in pattern-finding. The business model construct includes: market position, offering, and operational platform. The result indicates five business model elements: prefabrication mode, role in the building process, end-user segments, system augmentation and complementary resources. Applying this construct to the five case companies revealed that one out of seven models was found to be viable in terms of both 'market share' and decision-makers' opinions. One important conclusion is to take the prefabrication mode as the starting point for business model design and then adapt the other elements to a good fit.


Scotland, like other western jurisdictions, has recently witnessed the development of problem-solving courts aimed at responding more effectively to issues that underlie certain types of offending behaviour. The first to be established were two pilot Drug Courts, which drew upon experience of Scottish Drug Treatment and Testing Orders. In common with Drug Courts elsewhere, the Scottish pilots combined treatment, drug testing, supervision and judicial oversight. This article focuses upon the role of judicial involvement in the ongoing review of Drug Court participants' progress, drawing upon court observation and interviews with offenders and Drug Court professionals. Drug Court dialogues were typically encouraging on the part of sheriffs, aimed at recognizing and reinforcing the progress made by participants and motivating them to maintain and build upon their achievements to date, while participants were generally responsive to the positive feedback they received from the sheriffs as their orders progressed. Interactions within the Scottish Drug Courts reflect key features of procedural justice, including ethicality, efforts to be fair and representation. By contributing to enhanced perceptions of procedural justice, Drug Court dialogues may, it is argued, increase the perceived legitimacy of the court and by so doing encourage increased compliance with treatment and desistance from crime.


This introduction to the dossier "Wine, Economy, and Empire" surveys the place of economic history in the field of French Empire studies over the last twenty years. Drawing upon the concept of "economic life" as defined by William Sewell, the authors argue that a renewed focus on economic activity within the French Empire offers new opportunities to interrogate commonplace ideas about chronology, imperial forms, and structures of power. The article briefly examines some of the specific avenues of inquiry opened by a conception of economic life as socially "embedded," while highlighting recent works that exemplify the possibilities of this approach for scholars of empire.


The principal aim of this work was to investigate and develop modelling techniques capable of accurately and robustly analysing expansion anchor bolts in concrete under tensile loading. Of special interest was the influence of low edge distances on such devices. Since the 20th century increased demands for flexibility, safety and cost have lead to significant development of new anchor products. Modern design methods for new products follow a scientific approach but still rely on substantial and expensive programs of experimental testing. Current design methods for structural designers using anchors are based on semi-empirical approaches derived from extensive experimental testing. It is proposed that much of this experimental work can be replaced with numerical modelling. A number of suitable finite element constitutive models are considered. Initially a Multisurface Plasticity Model and a Traditional Crack Model using a Multiple Fixed Crack (MFC) formulation are considered. Both are shown to give satisfactory results when used to analyse a common, plane-stress benchmark problem. However, although the Plasticity Model gave a better post peak response a 3D implementation was not available within the chosen FE framework. Spurious stress accumulation was identified as the cause of the problems with the MFC Model and its various causes are investigated in detail. A Total Strain Based Rotating Crack Model was chosen as an alternative constitutive model and together with suitable modelling parameters was able to reduce these spurious stress accumulation effects to an acceptable level. 3D modelling of a non-expanding, fully bonded anchor at various distances to the free edge accurately predicted the expected reduction in strength and compared well with reduction factors supplied by anchor manufacturers. The study was extended to include the effect of two free edges and results allowed the strength reduction to be calculated for any arbitrary position rather than for just the single edge approach given in the anchor design guides. Modelling of anchor expansion was tackled on two fronts. Firstly anchor-concrete interfacial behaviour was considered. A Coulomb Friction Model applied to zero thickness structural interface elements to simulate the pressure dependant frictional bond. The role of FE model geometry and material properties in producing a realistic interfacial stress profile was studied in detail. For the kinematics of the expansion modelling of the expander mechanism as a contact problem was found to be the most accurate approach. However, limitations of the modelling framework required that the contact analysis be performed separately and resulting contact stress profile be applied to the existing, noncontact problem. This approach, although somewhat inflexible, provided a useful insight into the important factors pertaining to both the geometric and constitutive models. Results showed realistic crack patterns and demonstrated the effect of varying expansion pressures on the structural response of the anchor bolt. The modelling approach used in this study was highly complex in terms of the multiple non-linear material models and the associated solution process. This resulted in problems with robustness and stability. As an alternative and inherently stable modelling framework a Sequentially Linear (SL) Model was developed. In its isotropic form it proved fast, accurate and reliable for plane-stress anchor problems. Orthotropic fracturing and 3D analysis capabilities were introduced to the model and a number of rules for crack initiation and orientation were tested. Although limitations in the possible crack orientations produced significant mesh bias to the crack pattern, the model was able to capture the changes in anchor behaviour associated with reduced edge distance. The overall assessment is that that SL Model has great potential especially for highly nonlinear problems where stability and robustness are issues.


Abstract. The Regional Arctic System Model version 1 (RASM1) has been developed to
provide high-resolution simulations of the Arctic atmosphere–ocean–sea
ice–land system. Here, we provide a baseline for the capability of RASM to
simulate interface processes by comparing retrospective simulations from
RASM1 for 1990–2014 with the Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1)
and the spread across three recent reanalyses. Evaluations of surface and
2 m air temperature, surface radiative and turbulent fluxes, precipitation,
and snow depth in the various models and reanalyses are performed using
global and regional datasets and a variety of in situ datasets, including
flux towers over land, ship cruises over oceans, and a field experiment over
sea ice. These evaluations reveal that RASM1 simulates precipitation that is
similar to CESM1, reanalyses, and satellite gauge combined precipitation
datasets over all river basins within the RASM domain. Snow depth in RASM is
closer to upscaled surface observations over a flatter region than in more
mountainous terrain in Alaska. The sea ice–atmosphere interface is well
simulated in regards to radiation fluxes, which generally fall within
observational uncertainty. RASM1 monthly mean surface temperature and
radiation biases are shown to be due to biases in the simulated mean diurnal
cycle. At some locations, a minimal monthly mean bias is shown to be due to
the compensation of roughly equal but opposite biases between daytime and
nighttime, whereas this is not the case at locations where the monthly mean
bias is higher in magnitude. These biases are derived from errors in the
diurnal cycle of the energy balance (radiative and turbulent flux)
components. Therefore, the key to advancing the simulation of SAT and the
surface energy budget would be to improve the representation of the diurnal
cycle of radiative and turbulent fluxes. The development of RASM2 aims to
address these biases. Still, an advantage of RASM1 is that it captures the
interannual and interdecadal variability in the climate of the Arctic region,
which global models like CESM cannot do.


Stat3 causes mammary epithelial cells to become phagocytes to support involution of mammary glands after lactation ends. Within the acidic environment of lysosomes, cellular constituents are degraded by proteases, such as cathepsin. Permeabilization of lysosomal membranes can trigger cell death, such as occurs during the shrinking of milk-producing mammary epithelial cells when lactation ends, a process called involution. Involution of mammary tissues requires signaling through the transcription factor Stat3 to stimulate the expression of genes encoding cathepsin isoforms and repress the expression of a gene encoding a cathepsin inhibitor. Sargeant et al. (see also Krishna and Overholtzer) investigated how Stat3 triggers lysosomal membrane permeabilization. Large lysosomal vacuoles were more numerous in epithelial cells in involuting mammary glands of control mice compared to those of mice with a luminal epithelial-specific knockout of Stat3 (Stat3 KO mice). These vacuoles stained for cathepsin D and contained autophagic vesicles, milk proteins, and triglycerides. Oncostatin M, a cytokine that activates Stat3 during involution, triggered vacuole formation when applied to EpH4 cells, a mammary epithelial cell line. When mouse milk was added to the culture medium, vacuoles in EpH4 cells accumulated lipids and the cells died. The addition of bafilomycin A1, which prevents lysosomal acidification, prevented cell death in response to milk. Testing of various constituents in milk revealed that EphH4 cells died when exposed to oleic or palmitic acid. Incubation of cytosolic fractions with oleic acid triggered the release of cathepsins from lysosomes; the extent of cathepsin release was less with palmitic acid incubation. Application of oleic acid to purified lysosomes induced lysosomal permeabilization. Secreted milk fat globules are coated with butyrophilin 1A1 (BTN), and the involuting mammary glands of Stat3 KO mice took up fewer BTN-coated milk fat globules than those of control mice. BTN-coated milk fat globules were taken up by macropinocytosis and phagocytosis. However, mice lacking a protein required for phagocytosis showed decreased release of cathepsins during involution. These results suggest that Stat3 switches mammary epithelial cells from secretory cells to phagocytic cells during involution. Furthermore, the cellular uptake of milk fat globules, in particular oleic acid, triggers lysosomal permeabilization, leading to cathepsin release and cell death. T. J. Sargeant, B. Lloyd-Lewis, H. K. Resemann, A. Ramos-Montoya, J. Skepper, C. J. Watson, Stat3 controls cell death during mammary gland involution by regulating uptake of milk fat globules and lysosomal membrane permeabilization. Nat. Cell Biol. 16, 1057–1068 (2014). [PubMed] S. Krishna, M. Overholtzer, Milk makes lysosomes lethal. Nat. Cell Biol. 16, 1029–1031 (2014). [PubMed]


This article proposes a theoretical construct model, from an open-questions instrument in a qualitative research methodology and theoretical revision. This research was conducted among employees of the departments of marketing, production and logistics of some manufacturing companies in Colombia, between 2006 and 2007. The research objective was to generate theoretical constructs to investigate conflicts among marketing, production and logistics, in Colombian companies due the presence of conflicts among those areas and a lack of specific research at that time. In the methodology, several stages were established; these include: a) gatheringof relevant information, b) surveys of people who have worked or work in any area of interest, c) determination of the theoretical and conceptual framework from the perspective of authors specialized in this issue.


This major research paper investigates the practice of cross-platform brand storytelling by applying principles of narrative, transmedia, and marketing theory to a case study of American eyewear brand Warby Parker's content marketing campaigns. The following questions guided the study: Which elements of transmedia theory, narrative theory, and marketing theory can be used to effectively analyze and plan cross-platform brand stories? Which elements of digital brand content establish compelling "storyworlds" that aim to create a sense of consumer identification? A multimodal approach was used to analyze the narrative, transmedia, image, text, and interactive features of two content campaigns distributed on Warby Parker's Instagram account and corporate blog. The study led to the creation of an adaptable framework that can be used to plan cross-platform brand storytelling. The study also informed suggestions for further research, which could improve understanding of how users interact with and experience content marketing.


A 'new' phenomenon in the form of employing foreign domestic workers (FDW), or maids, whose jobs often include caring for children, appears to be an increasing global trend. Consequently, migrant women from developing countries provide an inexpensive and accessible child care alternative, which could be regarded as widespread in certain regions. Growth in the movement of population and mounting global interdependence, has also contributed to an increase in educational institutions labelled international schools. As an educator in five of these diverse institutions, I became aware that the trend of hiring maids, who because of their social position often do many basic tasks for children in their care, has entered the world of international schools in particular geographical areas. This has often concerned professionals. This small-scale study, therefore, explores the perceived social and educational implications of home/school differences in pedagogic orientation in children who have maids, bringing to light a matter of consequence, to certain international schools in particular, in more academic terms. Two very different schools in the Arabian Gulf, both regarded as operating in an international context, were the focus for this study. Drawing on Vygotskian and post-Vygotskian theories, I used sociocultural theory and Engestrom's model of activity theory as a theoretical framework from which to design the inquiry, and carry out the analysis. Using the two sample schools to access key-stakeholders, this inquiry involved multi-methods of mainly qualitative data collection, which explored a situation where maids are often heavily involved in children's upbringing. A range of nationalities were included. Important messages emerged, including the notion of maids appearing to be culturally embedded amongst a number of affluent host country nationals and expatriates in my context. Additionally, significant differences appear to exist between children with maids at home and those without, with implications for learning amongst 'maid children', which might be perceived as a result of maid intervention. The thesis concludes with recommendations for educationalists and parents. Views of most key stakeholders underpin a model which could guide new practice and go some way towards alleviating the consequences of such a situation.