Like millions who love college basketball, John Feinstein was first drawn to the game because of its intensity, speed and intelligence. Like many others, he felt that the vast sums of money involved in NCAA basketball had turned the sport into a division of the NBA, rather than the beloved amateur sport it once was. He went in search of college basketball played with the passion and integrity it once inspired, and found the Patriot League. As one of the NCAA's smallest leagues, none of these teams leaves college early to join the NBA and none of these coaches gets national recognition or endorsement contracts. The young men on these teams are playing for the love of the sport, of competition and of their schools. John Feinstein spent a season with these players, uncovering the drama of their daily lives and the passions that drive them to commit hundreds of hours to basketball even when there is no chance of a professional future. He offers a look at American sport at its purest.


Purpose: Recent studies demonstrate that addition of neoadjuvant (NA) carboplatin to anthracycline/taxane chemotherapy improves pathologic complete response (pCR) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Effectiveness of anthracycline-free platinum combinations in TNBC is not well known. Here, we report efficacy of NA carboplatin + docetaxel (CbD) in TNBC. Experimental Design: The study population includes 190 patients with stage I–III TNBC treated uniformly on two independent prospective cohorts. All patients were prescribed NA chemotherapy regimen of carboplatin (AUC 6) + docetaxel (75 mg/m2) given every 21 days × 6 cycles. pCR (no evidence of invasive tumor in the breast and axilla) and residual cancer burden (RCB) were evaluated. Results: Among 190 patients, median tumor size was 35 mm, 52% were lymph node positive, and 16% had germline BRCA1/2 mutation. The overall pCR and RCB 0 + 1 rates were 55% and 68%, respectively. pCRs in patients with BRCA-associated and wild-type TNBC were 59% and 56%, respectively (P = 0.83). On multivariable analysis, stage III disease was the only factor associated with a lower likelihood of achieving a pCR. Twenty-one percent and 7% of patients, respectively, experienced at least one grade 3 or 4 adverse event. Conclusions: The CbD regimen was well tolerated and yielded high pCR rates in both BRCA-associated and wild-type TNBC. These results are comparable with pCR achieved with the addition of carboplatin to anthracycline–taxane chemotherapy. Our study adds to the existing data on the efficacy of platinum agents in TNBC and supports further exploration of the CbD regimen in randomized studies. Clin Cancer Res; 23(3); 649–57. ©2016 AACR.


Principal curves are defined as self-consistent smooth curves passing through the middle of the data, and they have been used in many applications of machine learning as a generalization, dimensionality reduction and a feature extraction tool. We redefine principal curves and surfaces in terms of the gradient and the Hessian of the probability density estimate. This provides a geometric understanding of the principal curves and surfaces, as well as a unifying view for clustering, principal curve fitting and manifold learning by regarding those as principal manifolds of different intrinsic dimensionalities. The theory does not impose any particular density estimation method can be used with any density estimator that gives continuous first and second derivatives. Therefore, we first present our principal curve/surface definition without assuming any particular density estimation method. Afterwards, we develop practical algorithms for the commonly used kernel density estimation (KDE) and Gaussian mixture models (GMM). Results of these algorithms are presented in notional data sets as well as real applications with comparisons to other approaches in the principal curve literature. All in all, we present a novel theoretical understanding of principal curves and surfaces, practical algorithms as general purpose machine learning tools, and applications of these algorithms to several practical problems.


The demand for accurate, high resolution bathymetric maps has risen with increases in utilization of offshore resources. This demand has been met with advances in technology. However, surveyors must trade-off between high data quality and minimizing survey costs. Outer beams of modern multi-beam SONAR systems, particularly when wide-beam swaths are used, return the most errors, as opposed to the nadir of a survey track-line. This is due, in part, to the inherently wider beams and the greater amount of time required for the outer angled pings to reach their destination and return. This study closely examined the accuracy of the Kongsberg EM302 outer beams during a survey in a fjord environment aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. An area within Nootka Sound, British Columbia, Canada was surveyed first with a control and then the outer beams of both wide-beam and narrow-beam swaths were aligned with the center line (nadir) of the control survey. Beam spacing was also adjusted between equidistant and equal angle modes during narrow swaths, to determine if a difference between the two were significant. The processed surveys were examined for significant differences in depth. The results of this investigation illustrate that the outer beams of a wide-beam survey produce a significant number of errors compared to the nadir beams and that sound velocity is a contributing factor to post-processing error.


An anionic indabenzene was synthesized via the transmetallation of an aluminacyclohexadiene with bulky silyl substituents, and fully characterized using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The observed structural features are consistent with the formal criteria of aromaticity. Additionally, the results of DFT calculations suggested contributions from an ambiphilic resonance structure, similar to the corresponding aluminum and gallium derivatives.

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Two alternative mechanisms are suggested for nitrite accumulation in the oxy- genated oligotrophic water column: (1) excretion by phytoplankton or (2) microbial oxidation of ammonium (nitrification). This study assessed the role of these 2 mechanisms, based on seasonal and high-resolution diurnal depth profiles of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) species (nitrite, ammonium, nitrate) and chlorophyll a in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Both mechanisms operated in the water column, but in different seasons; nitrification was the prime process respon- sible for nitrite accumulation during the stratified summer season and phytoplankton nitrite excre- tion operated during winter mixing. At the onset of summer stratification two N peaks developed below the photic zone, an ammonium maximum (AM) and below it the primary nitrite maximum (PNM). Both peaks were located at a depth range where phytoplankton are thought to be inactive and not excreting nitrite. During summer stratification, the water column deep chlorophyll maxi- mum (DCM), AM, PNM and the nitracline were ordered by a downward increase in N oxidation state similar to the temporal order of the N-species during nitrification. This similarity, together with the diurnal stability of the PNM and its co-existence with oscillating chlorophyll profiles above the DCM, is consistent with nitrification as the key process forming the PNM. We suggest that transport and reaction control the vertical order and separation of N-species in the water col- umn. The ratios between the rate constants for ammonification, ammonium oxidation, nitrite oxi- dation and nitrate assimilation were estimated by a simple box model to be 1:3:1.5:0.15, respec- tively. These field estimates are similar to the ratios between the rate constants measured in laboratory experiments.


A 14 month pilot-scale coagulation optimization study was conducted at the Peterborough Water Treatment Plant (Ontario, Canada) to compare treatment performance resulting from the application of aluminum sulfate vs. polyaluminum chloride (PACl). This paper describes results obtained from applying a statistical analysis approach to evaluate impacts on pH, turbidity, total organic carbon (TOC), ultraviolet absorbance (UVA), particle counts, chlorine residuals, filter head loss, flow rate, trihalomethanes (THMs), and nine haloacetic acids (HAA 9 ). To allow a direct comparison, parallel pilot trains were operated such that they achieved equal settled water TOC by adjusting PACl dose, (52–74% of the alum dose by weight). Settled water turbidity was significantly higher (on average 0.23 NTU) in the alum treated water when compared to PACl. For equivalent filter run-times, head loss was greater by 0.002–0.011 m h −1 when applying alum. An increase in pH by approximately 0.7 units when using PACl was observed to cause a significant increase in THM formation (10–30%).


Dexmedetomidine is a highly selective and potent alpha2-adrenoreceptor (AR) agonist offering dosedependent sedation, anxiolysis and analgesia. It is a relatively new drug, approved for sedation for up to 24 hours in mechanically ventilated post-cardiac surgery patients. Yet, because of its unique drug profile, it has been increasingly studied and used in various clinical settings, albeit off label, with promising results. The purpose of this review is to discuss dexmedetomidine in terms of its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and to focus on its various clinical applications. A PubMed search, using the keyword "dexmedetomidine", identified approximately 1,000 articles, the earliest being animal studies published in 1988.


The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith)(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important agricultural pest of the Western Hemisphere noted for its broad host range, long distance flight capabilities, and a propensity to develop resistance to pesticides that includes a subset of those used in genetically modified corn varieties. These characteristics exacerbate the threat fall armyworm poses to agriculture, with the potential that a resistance trait arising in one geographical location could rapidly disseminate throughout the hemisphere. A region of particular concern is the Caribbean, where a line of islands that extends from Florida to Venezuela provides a potential migratory pathway between populations from North and South America that could allow for consistent and substantial genetic interactions. In this study, surveys of populations from Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Trinidad & Tobago expand on previous work in South America that indicates a generally homogeneous population with respect to haplotype markers. This population differs from that found in most of the Lesser Antilles where a combination of genetic and meteorological observations is described that indicate fall armyworm migration from Puerto Rico to as far south as Barbados, but does not support significant incursion into Trinidad & Tobago and South America. Air transport projections demonstrate that the wind patterns in the Caribbean region are not conducive to consistent flight along the north-south orientation of the Lesser Antilles, supporting the conclusion that such migration is minor and sporadic, providing few opportunities for genetic exchanges. The implications of these findings on the dissemination of deleterious traits between the two Western Hemisphere continents are discussed.


Demand for 5-axis machine tools has grown rapidly with the appearance of high-performance machines and growing requirements for high-efficiency to enhance competitiveness. To meet market needs, FANUC provides innovative CNCs, including the FS30i-A and FS31i-A5, that control up to 24 axes simultaneously with maximum paths of 10 enabling high-speed and high-precision multiple-axis and path control. FANUC's wide-ranging functions developed for powerful 5-axis machining include tool center point control and tilted working plane command, which enable high-precision complex shape machining minimizing changeover. Nano smoothing, interpolation for generating smooth curves on a nanometer scale, enables high-quality workpiece machining. 3D interference checking enhances the safety of machines whose motion has become increasingly complex. Operability has also been improved to facilitate programming and simulation for 5-axis machining. This report presents the latest control technologies maximizing 5-axis machine tool performance.


TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) is a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine that regulates the permeability of blood and lymphatic vessels. The plasma concentration of TNF-α is elevated (> 1 pg/mL) in several pathologies, including rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, cancer, pre-eclampsia; in obese individuals; and in trauma patients. To test whether circulating TNF-α could induce similar alterations in different districts along the vascular system, three endothelial cell lines, namely HUVEC, HPMEC, and HCAEC, were characterized in terms of 1) mechanical properties, employing atomic force microscopy; 2) cytoskeletal organization, through fluorescence microscopy; and 3) membrane overexpression of adhesion molecules, employing ELISA and immunostaining. Upon stimulation with TNF-α (10 ng/mL for 20 h), for all three endothelial cells, the mechanical stiffness increased by about 50% with a mean apparent elastic modulus of E ~5 ± 0.5 kPa (~3.3 ± 0.35 kPa for the control cells); the density of F-actin filaments increased in the apical and median planes; and the ICAM-1 receptors were overexpressed compared with controls. Collectively, these results demonstrate that sufficiently high levels of circulating TNF-α have similar effects on different endothelial districts, and provide additional information for unraveling the possible correlations between circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and systemic vascular dysfunction.


The conscious crafting of an honest history by a state commission is a rare enough event to justify our calling your attention to South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But this writing of history is incomplete, in the same degree as the process of change in South Africa. Certain brute facts are ignored and avoided, and this avoidance was the condition of the bargain accepted by the ANG. As per South Africa's Freedom Charter, now it can in some meaningful sense be said that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white." But what belongs to whom is the question left unaddressed as the very condition of the transition negotiations, transferring its tension into all aspects of that transition, not least any permitted debate over present remedies for a history of injustice. The amnesty provisions of the Constitutional compromise are also the source of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As Beth Lyons asks, was amnesty too high a political price to pay to gain the possibility of a transition to majority rule while averting civil war? When considering this fascinating and hotly debated topic, do not forget the forbidden question that gives it force. Was placing the pre-existing structure of ownership and economic control beyond the bounds of permitted question too high a price to pay? The displacement of the (prohibited) second question into the (permitted) first question is the secret of the process on which we focus. - The EditorsThis article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


Historians have commonly characterized Puritan family life as joyless, repressive, even brutal. By such accounts, Puritan parents disciplined their children mercilessly, crushed their wills, responded callously to their deaths, and routinely sent them out of the home to be raised by cold-hearted surrogates. The diary of Samuel Sewall (1652-1730) contradicts this grim portrait of the Puritan household. Although Sewall was an exceptional Puritan father and not a representative one, his judicial, civic, religious, and business activities projected him far beyond his own privileged and respectable circumstances. As a record of the family and social life of New England's third generation, his remarkable journal, which spans fifty-five years, is rivaled only by that of his friend Cotton Mather. Sewall provides rich details about the home where his and Hannah Sewall's fourteen children were born, and the six who survived infancy were raised. He takes the reader through the streets and byways of Boston, to the meetinghouse, to the places where his children were educated and apprenticed, and to the homes of friends, neighbors, and kin. Judith S. Graham's close reading of Sewall's diary and family papers reveals that warmth, sympathy, and love often marked the Puritan parent-child relationship. She suggests that the special nature of childhood was a concept that parents understood well, and that there was a practical and clear purpose for the "putting out" of children. Graham provides a much-needed balance to accepted scholarship on Puritan life and offers new insights into the history of both early New England and the family.


Although several genetic and environmental factors have been identified as risk factors of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the influence of dietary intake has not been elucidated. We evaluated the association between AIS and dietary habits among female students. Junior high school girls aged 12 to 15 years in the Tokyo metropolitan area who underwent a second school screening for scoliosis were recruited. AIS was diagnosed by orthopedic surgeons specializing in scoliosis, using standing whole spine radiography. Students with a Cobb angle of ≥15° were classified into the AIS group, and others were considered healthy controls. Dietary assessment was performed using a validated diet history questionnaire. Dietary intakes were categorized into quintiles based on distribution, and crude and multivariable odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for AIS for each quintile category of dietary variable were calculated, with the lowest quintile category used as a reference. In total, 2431 subjects were included in the analysis, and 47.8% of them were diagnosed with AIS. None of the selected nutrients or food groups was significantly associated with AIS. In conclusion, dietary habits may not be associated with AIS.


We address the multiple testing problem under the assumption that the true/false hypotheses are driven by a Hidden Markov Model (HMM), which is recognized as a fundamental setting to model multiple testing under dependence since the seminal work of Sun and Cai (2009). While previous work has concentrated on deriving specific procedures with a controlled False Discovery Rate (FDR) under this model, following a recent trend in selective inference, we consider the problem of establishing confidence ∗email@example.com 1 ar X iv :2 10 5. 00 28 8v 1 [ st at .M E ] 1 M ay 2 02 1 bounds on the false discovery proportion (FDP), for a user-selected set of hypotheses that can depend on the observed data in an arbitrary way. We develop a methodology to construct such confidence bounds first when the HMM model is known, then when its parameters are unknown and estimated, including the data distribution under the null and the alternative, using a nonparametric approach. In the latter case, we propose a bootstrap-based methodology to take into account the effect of parameter estimation error. We show that taking advantage of the assumed HMM structure allows for a substantial improvement of confidence bound sharpness over existing agnostic (structure-free) methods, as witnessed both via numerical experiments and real data examples.


Approaches for the automatic analysis of security policies on source code level cannot trivially be applied to binaries. This is due to the lacking high-level semantics of low-level object code, and the fundamental problem that control-flow recovery from binaries is difficult. We present a novel approach to recover the control-flow of binaries that is both safe and efficient. The key idea of our approach is to use the information contained in security mechanisms to approximate the targets of computed branches. To achieve this, we first define a restricted control transition intermediate language (RCTIL), which restricts the number of possible targets for each branch to a finite number of given targets. Based on this intermediate language, we demonstrate how a safe model of the control flow can be recovered without data-flow analyses. Our evaluation shows that that makes our solution more efficient than existing solutions.


In this response, I will first summarize my 1988 argument on the issue of expectancy. Second, I will re-evaluate that argument in the light of the findings made by Sommer et al. and by others. Third, I will describe some other problems with the 1988 views. Fourth, I will outline the direction in which I feel that a hypothesis on the P3 complex should be pursued further.


In  Hope Draped in Black  Joseph R. Winters responds to the enduring belief that America follows a constant trajectory of racial progress. Such notions—like those that suggested the passage into a postracial era following Barack Obama's election—gloss over the history of racial violence and oppression to create an imaginary and self-congratulatory world where painful memories are conveniently forgotten. In place of these narratives, Winters advocates for an idea of hope that is predicated on a continuous engagement with loss and melancholy. Signaling a heightened sensitivity to the suffering of others, melancholy disconcerts us and allows us to cut against dominant narratives and identities. Winters identifies a black literary and aesthetic tradition in the work of intellectuals, writers, and artists such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, and Charles Burnett that often underscores melancholy, remembrance, loss, and tragedy in ways that gesture toward such a conception of hope. Winters also draws on Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno to highlight how remembering and mourning the uncomfortable dimensions of American social life can provide alternate sources for hope and imagination that might lead to building a better world.


Irregular algorithms are organized around pointer-based data structures such as graphs and trees, and they are ubiquitous in applications. Recent work by the Galois project has provided a systematic approach for parallelizing irregular applications based on the idea of optimistic or speculative execution of programs. However, the overhead of optimistic parallel execution can be substantial. In this paper, we show that many irregular algorithms have structure that can be exploited and present three key optimizations that take advantage of algorithmic structure to reduce speculative overheads. We describe the implementation of these optimizations in the Galois system and present experimental results to demonstrate their benefits. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first system to exploit algorithmic structure to optimize the execution of irregular programs.


In striking contrast to any other service industry, lawyers generally do not use even the most rudimentary methods for finding out how their clients experience the services they provide and thus have no way of measuring "how the needle moves" even if they seek to improve client satisfaction. The failure of the legal profession to gather data about client satisfaction in a systematic way may be attributable to a widespread assumption among lawyers that clients care primarily about outcomes not process, an assumption inconsistent with growing evidence from social science research that the quality of lawyer-client communication is an extremely important determinant of client satisfaction. The Effective Lawyer-Client Communication (ELCC) project was initiated in 1998 and its long-term goal is to determine whether international and interdisciplinary collaboration on the issue of lawyer-client communication can actually change basic institutional practices and beliefs in the legal profession. Analogous experience in the health care field indicates that the critical first step is to develop a practical and cost-effective method to assess the effectiveness of lawyer-client communication that correlates that assessment with the degree of client satisfaction. We have selected the first meeting between lawyer and client for our pilot study. The initial interview is, of course, the one unit of service that is constant across all forms of legal service delivery. It is also one of the most critical units of service. Unlike many social science studies of lawyer-client communication, the purpose of this project is to actively intervene in the way lawyers communicate with their clients. We believe that such social science research can affect the behavior of lawyers if designed, implemented and explained in ways that lawyers themselves find relevant in terms of client satisfaction and more effective representation.


Primary bullous keratopathy is a pathological condition of the cornea characterized by bullae formation within the stroma, the primary cause being an endothelial dystrophy. Fluid accumulation results in progressive corneal oedema, that can affect vision. The condition will become painful when the epithelium is affected and ulceration develops. There are a variety of medical and surgical options to alleviate the pain and reduce the corneal oedema. This article reviews these treatment options, with some emphasis on thermokeratoplasty and the use of hyperosmotic solutions. Thermokeratoplasty is a surgical procedure that uses heat for shrinking the collagen of the corneal stroma, in this way preventing further fluid accumulation. Topical hyperosmotic preparations can be used as a symptomatic treatment for bullous keratopathy. They can decrease the extent of epithelial oedema and bullae formation,but do not decrease the stromal oedema. In this study, 5% sodium chloride in hylan protective eye drops was used for supportive treatment in bullous keratopathy in several dogs.


Motivated by ubiquitous surveillance cameras in a smart city, a monitoring service can be provided to citizens. However, the rise of privacy concerns may disrupt this advanced service. Yet, the existing cloud-based services have not clearly proven that they can preserve Wth-privacy in which the relationship of three types of information, i.e., who requests the service, what the target is and where the camera is, does not leak. We address this problem by proposing a content-centric privacy platform (C2P2) that enables the construction of a Wth-privacy-preserving monitoring service without cloud dependency. C2P2 uses an image classification model of a target serving as the key to access the monitoring service specific to the target. In C2P2, communication is based on information-centric networking (ICN) that enables privacy preservation to be centered on the content itself rather than relying on a centralized system. Moreover, to preserve the privacy of bystanders, C2P2 separates the sensitive information (e.g., human faces) from the non-sensitive information (e.g., image background), while the privacy-aware forwarding strategies in C2P2 enable data aggregation and prevent privacy leakage resulting from false positive of image recognition. We evaluate the privacy leakage of C2P2 compared to that of the cloud-based system. The privacy analysis shows that, compared to the cloud-based system, C2P2 achieves a lower privacy loss ratio while reducing the communication cost significantly.


Lithium-ion batteries are currently being produced and used in large quantities in the automobile sector as a clean alternative to fossil fuels. The thermal behavior of the battery pack is a very important criterion, which is not only essential for safety but also has an equally important role in the capacity and life cycle of the batteries. The liquid battery thermal management system is a very efficient type of thermal management system, and mini-channel-based liquid cooling systems are one of the most popular type of the battery thermal management system and have been researched extensively. This paper mainly intends to study the effects of tapering, the addition of grooves to the channel, the use of different nanofluids, and the flow direction of coolant on the thermal performance of the battery pack using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model. The results suggest that converging channels can be used to control the temperature rise, while diverging channels can be used to control the temperature deviation. The addition of grooves and the use of nanofluids were beneficial in reducing the temperature rise. The final setups were able to reduce the maximum temperature rise by 2.267 K with a substantial pressure drop increase and by 1.513 K with an increase in pressure drop of only 19.92%.


100+ Practical jQuery Recipes for Solving Your Real-World Web and Mobile Development Challenges! В jQuery makes it easier than ever for developers to build exceptionally robust, cross-platform websites and mobile apps. jQuery, jQuery UI, and jQuery Mobile: Recipes and Examples is a practical "cookbook," packed with realistic, easy-to-use solutions for making the most of jQuery Core, jQuery UI, plugins, and jQuery Mobile. В This guide brings together more than one hundred self-contained, downloadable examples, each with an in-depth explanation of how the code works and how to adapt it for your own needs. Pioneering web/mobile developers Adriaan de Jonge and Phil Dutson present examples you can apply immediately in virtually any web or mobile app, and with any server-side platform, including PHP, .NET, Java, Ruby, Node.js, or Python. This extremely useful guide will help youВ Test browser support and provide for graceful degradation Fine-tune DOM element selection and manipulate your siteвЂTMs DOM structure Master the newest techniques for event handling and binding Communicate with web servers: AJAX, page errors, redirects, XML, and more Use advanced UI widgets, from accordions and autocomplete to sliders and tabs Build mobile-optimized sites with the jQuery Mobile library Write and smoothly incorporate new plugins Integrate powerful third-party plugins, such as the Twitter Bootstrap frameworkВ The authorsвЂTM proven "code first, explain later" approach supports developers at all levels who want to start experimenting immediately. Their exceptionally readable examples never take shortcuts or compromise quality,and their detailed walk-throughs are ideal for anyone who wants to thoroughly understand their code. If you have a working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and basic JavaScript, youвЂTMll feel right at home immediately; if not, de Jonge and DutsonвЂTMs careful explanations and full HTML page layout examples will get you up to speed quickly. В Covers jQuery 1.6.4 and 1.7, with Tips for 1.8


ON MAY 11, 1995, THE BITTER CONflict raging throughout the Kashmir Valley claimed new victims. The shrine of Sheik Nooruddin Wali and the town surrounding it, Charar-i-Sharief, were burned to the ground. The five hundre-year-old shrine of Kashmir's patron saint was the most holy place in the Valley, and its destruction was unusually severe--even for the already savage struggle between Pakistani-backed Muslim militants and Indian government troops. Each side blamed the other for the loss. The popular protests that erupted across the Valley in response to the devastation of Charar-i-Sharief once again demonstrated India's lack of popularity and credibility inside Kashmir. The protests, combined with the strength of the militants, forced the federal government to postpone a planned local election. Strengthened by widespread Kashmiri anger towards India, the militants have stalemated the numerically superior Indian army, as this Hindu-Muslim conflict, now in its sixth year, shows no signs of abating. The Road to Rebellion The current war over the Valley is only the latest installment of a larger conflict begun in 1947 with the British partition of the Indian sub-continent. British India at the time included a number of nominally independent princely states whose rulers were given the choice of accession to either Pakistan or India. Kashmir then, as now, presented a problem. On the border between Pakistan and India, Kashmir was a tinderbox, a largely Muslim state ruled by a Hindu leader and characterized by a strong sense of independence. Before the issue of accession could be resolved, Muslim tribesmen from Pakistan invaded Kashmir in an attempt to seize it, forcing the Kashmiri ruler to turn to the Indian government for support. In the war that followed, Indian forces repulsed the Pakistanis, leaving them with approximately one third of the state's territory. The partition of Kashmir between India and Pakistan failed to resolve the situation, for the Indian portion of Kashmir still retained a restive Muslim majority. The Kashmir Valley, the largest of the three regions of Indian Kashmir with just over half the total population, is overwhelmingly Muslim (94 percent as of 1981) and serves as the focus of the rebellion. The other two districts are Jammu, which is almost as populous as the Valley and mainly Hindu, and Ladakh, which is sparsely populated and mostly Buddhist. The patchwork of ethnicities and religions which comprised Kashmir after the war almost guaranteed that the region would not stay quiet, though the intense conflict that exists now is a fairly recent occurrence. Although the first militant group traces its roots back to the 1960's, the true starting point of the struggle was the failed elections in 1987, which many Muslims in the Valley believed were rigged by the Indian government. Prodded by their increasing mistrust of the government, Kashmiris began to turn in large numbers to the militant groups. A series of Indian miscalculations (abetted by Pakistani provocateurs) turned the situation into a powder-keg, and the imposition of direct rule from New Delhi in 1990 lit the fuse. For a time, the intensity of the rebellion raised fears of a fourth war between India and Pakistan. Instead, the current conflict over Kashmir has evolved into a bloody and deadlocked internal war. The Current Confusion The prevailing standoff is testimony to the strength and determination of the insurgents, as India has inundated the Valley with soldiers and paramilitary central police. However, the Indian government has met with little success in dispersing the militants. By the summer of 1995, estimates of the total number of Indian troops in Kashmir ranged from 300,000 to 500,000. While many of those troops guard the border with Pakistan, the number devoted to crushing the rebellion is still extraordinary, given that the total population of the Kashmir valley according to the 1981 census was only 3. …


Mixed corticomedullary adrenal tumours (MCMT) are rare. We describe the second reported case of a male patient presenting with hypertension and Cushing syndrome with MCMT. A man aged 48 years presented with hypertension and signs of Cushing syndrome. 24-hour urine cortisol was elevated, with detectable adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). A high-dose dexamethasone suppression test indicated an adrenal or ectopic Cushing syndrome. Plasma metanephrines were normal. A 3 cm left adrenal mass was identified without potential ectopic sources of ACTH on imaging. After induction of anaesthesia for laparoscopic adrenalectomy, the patient developed resistant hypertension with stress-dose hydrocortisone administration. Surgery was cancelled and repeat testing revealed elevated plasma metanephrines. α-Blockade was administered for a presumed coexisting pheochromocytoma, and the patient underwent adrenalectomy. Pathology revealed an MCMT. This case highlights the importance of a thorough biochemical evaluation in patients with adrenal masses to rule out multiple hormone producing tumours.


This study examined verb and argument structure retrieval in 18 individuals, nine with Down syndrome (DS), ages 11 years, 11 months (11;11) to 32;10 and nine language age-matched typically-developing (TD) children ages 3;2 to 13;6. It was hypothesized that individuals with DS would exhibit a specific deficit in verb and argument structure retrieval. Results from verb and noun comprehension tasks, verb and noun naming tasks, grammaticality judgments, and narrative tasks were compared between groups. Neither single verb comprehension nor single verb naming differentiated the DS and TD groups. Individuals with DS performed significantly worse than TD individuals when asked to judge sentence grammaticality. Individuals with DS omitted verbs in elicited narratives significantly more often than TD individuals, specifically when productions of two-place and three-place verbs were attempted. Individuals with DS also omitted other necessary elements of argument structure, such as subjects, in sentences containing two-place and three-place verbs significantly more often than TD individuals.


The Department of Engineering Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology established the Unmanned Vehicle Laboratory fall 2010. The goal is to have students develop a fully functional autonomous aerial vehicle over time as part of projects and master's theses. A range of projects were carried out fall 2010, among others the report General Platform for Unmanned Autonomous Systems was written on the topic of hardware, operating systems and peripheral interfacing. This master's thesis continues where the previous report left suggestions for further work, and covers the topics of a software framework, sensor error detection, actuator and sensor interfacing, that is now part of the autonomous flight system. A highly modular software framework has been constructed, applicable far beyond the unmanned vehicle domain. Due to the high level of encapsulation and modularity it is especially valuable in projects where there is a high mobility of the workforce, such as student projects and theses. It acts as a middleware layer, with language independent, separately compilable modules, communicating with one another to achieve the desired functionality. To prevent unrealistic or erroneous sensor readings from spreading through the system, a software detection unit catches signal anomalies based on statistics and alerts subscribing modules. The algorithm has been interfaced into the software framework, and is applicable to numerous sensors. Hardware was designed, constructed and tested to handle sensor interfacing, power supply demands and real-time critical actions such as actuator control. The design is performed from an aerial vehicle application point of view, but general to such an extent that is usable in a wide range of autonomous crafts. The framework, filter and hardware are merged together and tested on an embedded system, verifying the system functionality with a feedback loop from measurements to actuators. Utilizing the previous work along with all three elements of this thesis, a fully functional system for vehicle control is achieved.


We present a novel network-level behavioral malware clustering system. We focus on analyzing the structural similarities among malicious HTTP traffic traces generated by executing HTTP-based malware. Our work is motivated by the need to provide quality input to algorithms that automatically generate network signatures. Accordingly, we define similarity metrics among HTTP traces and develop our system so that the resulting clusters can yield high-quality malware signatures.

We implemented a proof-of-concept version of our network-level malware clustering system and performed experiments with more than 25,000 distinct malware samples. Results from our evaluation, which includes real-world deployment, confirm the effectiveness of the proposed clustering system and show that our approach can aid the process of automatically extracting network signatures for detecting HTTP traffic generated by malware-compromised machines.


A Eurozone fiscal buffer fund could be set up to finance transfers to countries triggered by the cyclical movements in their unemployment rate. Countries would contribute a fixed share of their GDP to the fund in good times. The receipts from the fund are found to significantly mitigate the fiscal contractions during downturns and thus help bolster the stability of the Eurozone economy by counteracting the pro-cyclicality of fiscal policies. To quantify the extent of macroeconomic stabilisation thus achieved, estimates for the 'fiscal multipliers' are superimposed on the assumed change in fiscal policies. It suggests that a Eurozone buffer fund would have significant stabilisation properties.The computations are carried out using two databases – the European Commission's AMECO database and the OECD Economic Outlook database -- by way of a robustness check.


Data have been collected on those crucial aspects of the biology of Blue and King Threadfins, Estuary Rockcod, Malabar Grouper and Mangrove Jack that are required to develop appropriate management plans for conserving the stocks of these five commercially and recreationally important species. The following biological data have been obtained. (1) The size and age at which each species reaches sexual maturity. (2) The size and age at which the two species of threadfin change from male to female and the Estuary Rockcod and Malabar Grouper change from female to male. Note that, unlike the above four species, the Mangrove Jack is not hermaphroditic and thus does not change sex. (3) The habitats, size and age compositions, duration and location of spawning, and mortality of each species. As the two threadfin species are largely restricted to areas over bare substrate in nearshore waters, they are particularly accessible to fishers. Our results indicate that, currently, the Blue Threadfin is fully exploited and the King Threadfin is over-exploited, whereas the fisheries for the Estuary Rockcod, Malabar Grouper and Mangrove Jack are apparently sustainable at current fishing levels. However, our results emphasize that fishing mortality has a very marked adverse impact on the abundance of the ultimate sex of the four hermaphroditic species, and this needs to be considered when specifying legal lengths for retention. Managers also need to monitor the status of the stocks of Mangrove Jack which, because of its high value, is attracting an increasing amount of attention from the recreational, commercial and charter boat fishing sectors. Finally, the results of this study emphasize the pressing need to develop better methods for determining the natural mortality of fish species and thus being able to derive more robust estimates of fishing mortality.


The only pillow basalt in synorogenic sedimentary rocks at the exterior margin of the Taconic orogen in eastern North America is at Stark's Knob in eastern New York. Earlier reported as extrusive into allochthonous Ordovician slope and rise facies, this small lens (ca. 125+ m long, 39 m thick) is a fault-bounded block in Upper Ordovician melange under the Taconian frontal thrust. Its N-MORB (normal mid-ocean ridge basalt) basalt geochemistry and spinel composition are characteristic of oceanic ridge settings at a water depth of 2 km or more. Abundant limestone lenses on pillows and lava shelves within pillows yielded a middle Late Ordovician gastropod. The limestones are reconciled with this extrusion depth and with limited early Paleozoic pelagic carbonate production by lime mud transport from the Laurentian platform or abiotic carbonate precipitation with sea-water heating during basalt extrusion. A genetic relationship between the parautochthonous Stark's Knob basalts and the allochthonous Jonestown volcanics in slope and rise facies of the Hamburg klippe, eastern Pennsylvania, is likely. Both are Ordovician MORB basalts that reflect volcanism on the subducting outer trench slope prior to the Taconic arc - Laurentia collision. Taconic orogenesis may have led to basalt production on the subducting plate by (1) the setting up of orogen-parallel, predominantly strike-slip motion on the subducting slab with MORB basalt generated at offsets in a setting analogous to the Gulf of California or (2) development of faults in a flexure-induced extensional regime. By either process, mafic volcanism appears to be a rare but tectonically significant process on outer trench slopes as continental margins or oceanic plates enter subduction zones. Resume : L'unique basalte a coussinet dans les roches sedimentaires syntectoniques a la bordure exterieure de


The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has selected in 2006 a proposal based on ultra-intense laser fields with intensities reaching up to 1022–1023 W cm−2 called 'ELI' for Extreme Light Infrastructure. The construction of a large-scale laser-centred, distributed pan-European research infrastructure, involving beyond the state-of-the-art ultra-short and ultra-intense laser technologies, received the approval for funding in 2011–2012. The three pillars of the ELI facility are being built in Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. The Romanian pillar is ELI-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP). The new facility is intended to serve a broad national, European and International science community. Its mission covers scientific research at the frontier of knowledge involving two domains. The first one is laser-driven experiments related to nuclear physics, strong-field quantum electrodynamics and associated vacuum effects. The second is based on a Compton backscattering high-brilliance and intense low-energy gamma beam (<20 MeV), a marriage of laser and accelerator technology which will allow us to investigate nuclear structure and reactions as well as nuclear astrophysics with unprecedented resolution and accuracy. In addition to fundamental themes, a large number of applications with significant societal impact are being developed. The ELI-NP research centre will be located in Măgurele near Bucharest, Romania. The project is implemented by 'Horia Hulubei' National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH). The project started in January 2013 and the new facility will be fully operational by the end of 2019. After a short introduction to multi-PW lasers and multi-MeV brilliant gamma beam scientific and technical description of the future ELI-NP facility as well as the present status of its implementation of ELI-NP, will be presented. The science and examples of societal applications at reach with these electromagnetic probes with much improved performances provided at this new facility will be discussed with a special focus on day-one experiments and associated novel instrumentation.


The techniques of repeated CSF withdrawal and intracerebral dialysis are described. They were used to monitor 5HT metabolism in the brains of freely moving rats. Evidence indicates that results obtained proportionately reflect changes of 5HT metabolism in whole brain (CSF method) and in the striatum (intracerebral dialysis). The potential value of the methods is illustrated by two behavioral studies. The first suggested that 5HT turnover values (determined two weeks prior to behavioral testing by the CSF method) were predictive for neck + body biting in a social interaction test. The second study showed a consistent pattern of change of hypothalamic dialysate 5HIAA concentration associated with feeding in rats on a restricted food intake schedule.


Microglial cells maintain the immunological integrity of the healthy brain and can exert protection from traumatic injury. During ischemic tissue damage such as stroke, peripheral immune cells acutely infiltrate the brain and may exacerbate neurodegeneration. Whether and how microglia can protect from this insult is unknown. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are a prominent immunologic infiltrate of ischemic lesions in vivo. Here, we show in organotypic brain slices that externally applied invading PMNs massively enhance ischemic neurotoxicity. This, however, is counteracted by additional application of microglia. Time-lapse imaging shows that microglia exert protection by rapid engulfment of apoptotic, but, strikingly, also viable, motile PMNs in cell culture and within brain slices. PMN engulfment is mediated by integrin- and lectin-based recognition. Interference with this process using RGDS peptides and N-acteyl-glucosamine blocks engulfment of PMNs and completely abrogates the neuroprotective function of microglia. Thus, engulfment of invading PMNs by microglia may represent an entirely new mechanism of CNS immune privilege.


Scatterplots are a common tool for exploring multidimensional datasets, especially in the form of scatterplot matrices (SPLOMs). However, scatterplots suffer from overplotting when categorical variables are mapped to one or two axes, or the same continuous variables are used for both axes. Previous methods such as histograms or violin plots for these cases aggregate marks, which makes brushing and linking difficult. To improve this, we propose gatherplots, an extension of scatterplots to manage overplotting for categorical data, while keeping individual object identities. In gatherplots, every data point that maps to the same position coalesces to form a stacked entity, thereby making it easier to see the overview of data groupings. The size and aspect ratio of data points can also be changed dynamically to make it easier to compare the composition of different groups. In the case of a categorical variable vs. a categorical variable, we propose a heuristic to decide bin sizes for optimal space usage. This means that make better use of visual space to show the overall distribution. To validate our work, we conducted a crowdsourced user study that shows that gatherplots enable users to judge the relative portion of subgroups more quickly and more correctly than when using jittered scatterplots.


I introduce a reduced form two-sided market model to study prediction and identification in two-sided markets. The model generates the hallmark features of two-sided markets: potentially below cost or even negative prices to one side of the market, and the "see-saw" or "waterbed" effect of a tendency for price movements across sides to be negatively correlated. I show that the standard "one-sided" model of complements is a special case of the two-sided model, and that it generates those same hallmark features of two-sided markets. The model of complements also performs well in predicting price effects even when the data is actually generated by the two-sided market model; the "wrong" model often delivers the right answers and can be used to estimate market power and pass through rates. I show that even a naive one-sided model that ignores any relationship across goods/sides can perform well when prices to one side of the market are censored at zero, a very common outcome in two-sided markets. The main cost to using a model of complements to estimate cross-group effects in a two-sided market is that it invites the use of invalid instruments. I show that these findings are consistent with the empirical regularities and identification strategies in the existing two-sided market and indirect network effects literatures. I conclude by discussing the general difficulty of separately identifying whether price differences across subgroups of users of a platform are driven by pricing of network effects or simple price discrimination based on price elasticity.


The Arkitsa-Kamena Vourla area of central Greece occupies a zone of accommodation between the two tectonic provinces of the North Aegean Trough (the extension of the North Anatolian fault system) and the Gulf of Corinth and is characterized by a series of very prominent tectonic landforms, notably the large (ca. 1000 m elevation) footwall ridge of the Arkitsa-Kamena Vourla fault system. Despite the highly prominent nature of this footwall ridge and the presence of very fresh tectonic landforms, this fault system is not known to have hosted any major historical earthquakes, and the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of the Arkitsa-Kamena Vourla area remains poorly constrained. This article utilizes a combined geomorphological, sedimentological, and macro-/microfossil approach to evaluate the Late Quaternary evolution of the Arkitsa area, in the eastern part of the fault system, focusing on prominent uplifted terraces present in the hanging wall of the Arkitsa fault. Three distinct raised glaciolacustrine terraces and previously reported uplifted marginal marine deposits suggest sustained uplift of the coastline at a rate of 1–1.5 mm/yr over the past at least 40,000 yr, possibly dating to 75,000 BP. While movement on an offshore normal fault strand may explain more recent coastal uplift, purely fault-driven, longer-term uplift at this rate requires anomalously high fault-slip and extension rates. Consequently, the development of the terraces and other geomorphic indicators of uplift may be at least partly due to nonfaulting processes, such as Quaternary (intrusive and/or extrusive) volcanic activity associated with evolution of the nearby Lichades volcanic center.


The Supreme Court's recent decision in MedImmune v. Genentech shifts the balance of power in license agreements from patent holders to their licensees. This iBrief outlines the potential implications of the new rules on all stages of patent prosecution and protection. Further, it evaluates remedial contract provisions patent holders may include in future license agreements and how these provisions may mitigate the decision's effects on preexisting commercial relationships.


The objectives of this research are, first, to establish if the extraordinary acupuncture meridian known as Chōng $$ Penetrating Vessel or Sea of Blood, is in essence a description of certain macroscopic parts of the underlying vascular system and, second, by extension, to show that it is likely that cadaveric dissection would have been used as a tool to arrive at this understanding. Generally accepted scholarly opinion holds that the ancient Chinese rarely used dissection in order to explore the anatomy of the human body, and that the meridians are therefore invisible metaphysical structures corresponding to lines drawn on the body. However, the seminal text, 'The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine', describes using palpation to examine the living and dissection to examine the dead. This implies that the original authors of these texts were observing physical structures visible to the naked eye. Dissection has therefore been used to compare the descriptions of the Chōng meridian in 'The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine' with the vascular anatomy of the human body. Fifteen acupuncture points located on various different ordinary meridians but bearing the same name, Chōng $$ were also examined to see if they bore any relationship to the vascular system. The dissections clearly show that the Chōng meridian correlates to certain main blood vessels in the body, in particular the vena cava. Similarly, most Chōng acupuncture points have a strong correspondence with blood vessels, marking terminal arteries on the hands, feet and forehead and anastomoses on the face, body and feet. These findings strongly suggest that the ancient Chinese texts relating to this meridian are likely to have been a 'description' of the vascular system. Furthermore, the ancient Chinese apparently had a high degree of anatomical skill in the practice of dissection and acute powers of observation.


The aim of this paper is to review the extent to which Human Factors methods are able to analyse complex accidents that involve the interaction of multiple systems. The case of the Black Hawk Friendly Fire Shoot Down is taken as it exemplified a System of Systems incident, comprising Black Hawk helicopters, the F-15 jets, the AWACS and the TAOR. The emergent behaviour from the interaction of multiple systems is difficult to anticipate and can have disastrous consequences. The four Human Factors methods applied to the examination of Black Hawk Friendly Fire Shoot Down were AcciMaps, Human Factors Analysis Classification System (HFACS), Systems Theory Accident Model and Process (STAMP) and Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST). The analysis shows that the four methods are judged to perform differently across eleven evaluation criteria. In conclusion, the EAST method appears to perform best of the four methods. Future research should seek to establish which of the System of Systems methods could be used for both retrospective analysis (that is, after an accident has occurred) as well as prospective analysis (that is, to predict the resilience of systems to accidents).


Currently, wind power production is undergoing rapid growth due to the escalating interest in green energy generation. As a result, generators are now choosing to locate wind turbine generators (WTGs) in areas where there is more lightning activity, and earthing problems can be exacerbated further by the soil resistivity being higher than where turbines are usually located. In addition, the desire to capture more energy from the wind has given way to larger WTGs, further increasing the probability of lightning strikes to the structure. This heightened regularity has emphasized the need for an effective grounding system, capable of dissipating the large currents discharged by the lightning into the lightning protection system. This "effective grounding system" must offer a low impedance by limiting the ground potential rise, which is critical due to the wider frequency content of the lightning discharge currents (ranging from DC to several MHz).  The design of an effective grounding system for WTGs depends on the calculation of the minimum length of the earth electrodes, soil resistivity and its frequency-dependency, and the impact of WTG foundation. The calculation of the length of earth electrodes needs an accurate measurement of soil resistivity and modeling of the measured resistivity. Hence, this research considers the measured soil resistivity values of an Australian wind farm and presents an analysis of the soil stratification to identify the optimum soil models. The influence of the soil layers on the WTG grounding system is also investigated to install the earth electrodes. As the resistivity of the soil is frequency-dependent, an analysis is performed to evaluate the effect of the frequency-dependent soil parameters on the WTG grounding system at various frequencies of lightning discharge current. In addition, the impact of the rebar of the WTG foundation on the grounding system is evaluated as the rebar shares the lightning discharge currents. The effective length of the earth electrodes is frequency-dependent, and rebar determines the impedance of the grounding system at high-frequencies. The next step in the grounding design is the design of earth electrodes.  The current dissipating capacity of the earth electrodes depends on soil resistivity, dimensions of the earth electrodes, and burial depth of the electrodes. However, the traditional practice of designing earth electrodes is based on the soil resistivity alone, considering the uniform soil resistivity model. The conventional method of designing earth electrodes based on the uniform soil resistivity is not practical due to non-homogeneous behavior of the soil resistivity. To enhance the WTG earthing system design, this research proposes a novel method to calculate the minimum length of an earth electrode for uniform and two-layer based soil models considering electrode dimensions and burial depth. The grounding impedance achieved when electrode lengths are calculated using the proposed method is compared to grounding impedance values computed using the conventional method. This comparison shows that the proposed method is an improvement on the current convention. In particular, the proposed method gives a grounding impedance value of less than 10 Ω at low frequencies for all soil resistivity values. This results in a reduction in the potential rise of up to 64% compared to the peak potential value in the conventional method. The benefits offered by the proposed method mean that it can be employed to calculate electrode lengths for the required resistance values based on soil resistivity, electrode dimensions, and burial depth. Such a design may serve as a starting point for an engineer wishing to design a WTG earthing system.  Another challenge noted is the practice of assessing the effectiveness of the WTG grounding system. The conventional method is based on achieving a low-frequency resistance of 10 Ω according to the standard IEC 61400-24 and the performance of the grounding system at high frequencies is not considered. Hence, identification of the high-frequency components of the relevant lightning discharge currents is important to understand the performance of the grounding system. An analysis of the wind turbine earthing system for different lightning discharge current wave shapes is performed considering the lightning current waveforms and parameters mentioned in the IEC 61400-24 standard and evaluated the various frequency components and their influence on the WTG grounding system. It is identified that the impedance of the grounding system is minimum for the first short positive stroke current parameters for all the soil resistivity values compared to the first short negative and the subsequent short current wave shapes, although the peak current magnitude is highest for this wave shape. From the analysis of WTG grounding system based on various parameters, this research presents a procedure for assessing the effectiveness of WTG lightning protection system with a focus on the grounding system. It is identified that the effectiveness of the grounding system can be improved by proper design of earth electrodes, optimum soil stratification, and selecting low resistivity soil sites. Finally, various earth electrode configurations are evaluated to identify the better electrode configuration for WTG grounding system.  This thesis provides an in-depth analysis of WTG grounding systems to protect WTGs from lightning strikes. The contributions of this research will help wind farm architects to design effective grounding systems leading to effective lightning protection systems. Finally, the contributions will help to increase the adoption of wind power, resulting in more renewable energy generation. The outcome of this research can be realized to reduce the downtime of WTGs by incorporating the effectiveness of lightning protection system component into the wind farm optimization process. Also, a generalized procedure for calculating the minimum length of earth electrodes for all the soil models can be developed in the future.


This paper provides a decentralized data model and associated algorithms for peer data management systems (PDMS) based on the DL-LITER description logic. Our approach relies on reducing query reformulation and consistency checking for DL-LITER into reasoning in propositional logic. This enables a straightforward deployment of DL-LITER PDMSs on top of Some Where, a scalable propositional peer-to-peer inference system. We also show how to use the state-of-the-art Minicon algorithm for rewriting queries using views in DL-LITER in the centralized and decentralized cases.


Alternative splicing is an important mechanism of generating protein diversity and accelerated genome evolution. The mode of the selection acting in constitutive, major alternative and minor alternative regions of human genes is different. Whereas constitutive and major alternative regions tend to evolve under negative (stabilizing) selection, alternatively spliced exons from minor isoforms experience lower selective pressure at the amino acid level accompanied by weak selection against synonymous sequence variation. The McDonald–Kreitman test uses the nucleotide variation for a gene or a set of genes between and within species to detect the positive Darwinian selection in the presence of negative selection. The results of the test suggest that alternatively spliced exons are also subject to positive selection, with up to 27% of amino acids fixed by positive selection.

Key concepts

Alternative splicing is an important mechanism of generating protein diversity and accelerated genome evolution.

Alternatively spliced regions are often evolutionarily young.

There is a difference in the selection mode in constitutive, major alternative, and minor alternative regions of human genes.

Constitutive and major alternative regions evolve under negative (stabilizing) selection.

Up to 27% of positions in minor alternative regions may be experiencing positive selection.

Keywords:

alternative splicing;
positive selection;
human genome;
molecular evolution;
McDonald–Kreitman test


Big cities in developing countries often have problems managing their domestic wastewater. Indonesia as the fourth most-populated country in the world also faces many challenges regarding domestic wastewater management. Surabaya and Bandung are the second and third most-populated city in Indonesia, with a population of 2,765,908 and 2,393,633 respectively. As demand for urban domestic wastewater treatment systems increases, the decentralized wastewater treatment system is considered as an alternative which has big potential for implementation. This paper provides a brief review of urban domestic wastewater treatment approaches in Indonesia, especially in Surabaya and Bandung, and their potential of application in cities with similar characteristics. The alternative technologies reviewed in this paper include locally developed and accepted technology (such as septic tanks) and some new promising concepts which have not yet been well established in Indonesia (such as DEWATS or ecosan systems). Studies showed that despite high hygienic risk potential and low environmental performance, septic tanks were still most preferred by the community. It is crucial to ensure social, financial and technical sustainability of the alternative approaches, so that the option chosen to be applied can really be sustainable.


Recently, sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) has been recognized as an important marker of sperm quality that can be used as a predictive factor for fertility in men. Although some controversies exist regarding the role of SDF in infertility, the fact remains that semen from infertile men possess a higher level of SDF than fertile controls (1,2). Elevated SDF may not only contribute to higher rates of failed fertilizations and spontaneous pregnancy loss, but it can also affect assisted reproductive techniques (ART) outcomes in terms of oocyte fertilization, embryo quality, clinical pregnancy and live birth rate. However, controversy still exists regarding the association between SDF and the outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (3,4).


Aim: To determine the applicability of Carrea's index in arches with normal tooth position and diastema and to evaluate its use in the maxillary arch. Methods: 51 pairs of plaster models made by dental students from the Federal University of Paraiba were analyzed. The arches and hemiarches were divided according to dental position and measured with a manual caliper and a digital caliper. With these measurements, maximum and minimum heights were estimated, comparing the values to the real height of the subjects. The data were then submitted to Pearson's chi-square test and Fischer's Exact test (CI = 95%). Results: In the mandibular hemiarches, there was statistically significant difference (p=0.017) between the types of dental position only in women, with crowded teeth obtaining the highest number of hits (95.2%), followed by diastema (50.0%). Only the left hemiarch was significantly different (p=0.049) and crowded teeth had the highest index of hits (82.6%), whereas diastema accounted for 40.0%. In the maxillary arch, the error percentage was 100% in the three types of dental position. Conclusion: Carrea's index is applicable in normal and crowded teeth. However, it was not efficient in the maxillary arch and in hemiarches with diastema.


Abstract Background Neonates undergoing heart surgery for CHD are at risk for postoperative gastrointestinal complications and aspiration events. There are limited data regarding the prevalence of aspiration after neonatal cardiothoracic surgery; thus, the effects of aspiration events on this patient population are not well understood. This retrospective chart review examined the prevalence and effects of aspiration among neonates who had undergone cardiac surgery at the time of their discharge. Introduction This study examined the prevalence of aspiration among neonates who had undergone cardiac surgery. Demographic data regarding these patients were analysed in order to determine risk factors for postoperative aspiration. Post-discharge feeding routes and therapeutic interventions were extracted to examine the time spent using alternate feeding routes because of aspiration risk or poor caloric intake. Modified barium swallow study results were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the test as a diagnostic tool. Materials and methods A retrospective study was undertaken of neonates who had undergone heart surgery from July, 2013 to January, 2014. Data describing patient demographics, feeding methods, and follow-up visits were recorded and compared using a χ2 test for goodness of fit and a Kaplan–Meier graph. Results The patient population included 62 infants – 36 of whom were male, and 10 who were born with single-ventricle circulation. The median age at surgery was 6 days (interquartile range=4 to 10 days). Modified barium swallow study results showed that 46% of patients (n=29) aspirated or were at risk for aspiration, as indicated by laryngeal penetration. In addition, 48% (n=10) of subjects with a negative barium swallow or no swallow study demonstrated clinical aspiration events. Tube feedings were required by 66% (n=41) of the participants. The median time spent on tube feeds, whether in combination with oral feeds or exclusive use of a nasogastric or gastric tube, was 54 days; 44% (n=27) of patients received tube feedings for more than 120 days. Premature infants were significantly more likely to have aspiration events than infants delivered at full gestational age (OR p=0.002). Infants with single-ventricle circulation spent a longer time on tube feeds (median=95 days) than infants with two-ventricle defects (median=44 days); the type of cardiac defect was independent of prevalence of an aspiration event. Conclusions Aspiration is common following neonatal cardiac surgery. The modified barium swallow study is often used to identify aspiration events and to determine an infant's risk for aspirating. This leads to a high proportion of infants who require tube feedings following neonatal cardiac surgery.


Soil water content measurement using ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) requires an appropriate petrophysical relationship between the dielectric permittivity and volumetric water content of the soil. The suitability of different relationships for GPR soil water content estimation has not been thoroughly investigated under natural field conditions for a complete range of seasonal soil conditions. In this study, we examined the ability of various empirical relationships, volumetric mixing formulae, and effective medium approximations to predict near‐surface volumetric soil water content using high‐frequency direct ground wave (DGW) velocity measurements for three soil textures. The estimated water contents were compared with values obtained from gravimetric sampling. The accuracy of soil water content predictions obtained from the various relationships ranged considerably. The best predictions for the overall data set in terms of RMSE were obtained with a differential effective medium approximation based on a coated sphere model (RMSE = 0.045 m3 m−3); however, an empirical relationship (RMSE = 0.052 m3 m−3) and a volumetric mixing formula (RMSE = 0.048 m3 m−3) also performed well. These best‐fitting relationships do exhibit some degree of textural bias that should be considered in the choice of petrophysical relationship for a given data set. Further improvements in water content estimates were obtained using our best‐fit third‐order polynomial relationship (RMSE = 0.041 m3 m−3) and our three‐phase volumetric mixing formula with geometric parameter α = 0.36 (RMSE = 0.042 m3 m−3); these optimized relationships were developed using the DGW permittivity and soil water content data collected in this study.


South Africa is an important supplier of stone fruit to the northern hemisphere in the months of November to March. The voyage by sea to the main markets in the UK and Continental Europe necessitates production of cultivars that are able to maintain an acceptable eating quality for a period of at least four weeks from the time of harvest. Four Japanese plum (Prunus salicina) cultivars were examined with the view to extend their storage life under regular atmosphere (RA) conditions at -0.5°C following either RA or controlled atmosphere (CA) shipping, using either the commercial dual temperature (-0.5°C, 7.5°C, -0.5°C) or a single high temperature (7.5°C) regime. The cultivars included the locally bred 'Sapphire', 'Songold' and 'Laetitia' as well as 'Angeleno' which is well known in plum producing countries internationally. Storage life of all four cultivars could be extended for an additional two to three weeks under RA conditions at -0.5°C without adverse effects on quality, provided that CA was applied during the shipping phase, either under the dual or single high temperature regimes. Fruit firmness was best retained under CA (dual temperature) conditions. These fruit also showed the lowest respiration rates, ethylene production rates and internal ethylene content. Skin colour development was better under single high than under dual temperature conditions, and also better under RA than CA shipping.


This study explores the role of language contact as an inhibitor of language change through the historical analysis of several features that are characteristic of the Spanish in contact with Catalan in the island of Majorca. The analysis reveals that (i) these features are attested in Majorcan Spanish at least since the 1700s and (ii) they had some sort of existence in monolingual varieties of Spanish at the time when the language was introduced to the island. The historical data suggest that these features of Majorcan Spanish are not, as traditionally believed, contact-driven innovations, but the result of the preservation of structures that are recessive in monolingual Spanish but in Majorca have been reinforced by the existence of a parallel Catalan structure.


The worst recession in U.S. postwar history, starting in late 2007, confronted low- and moderate-income families and individuals with distinct challenges. To address the severe lack of data on the "LMI," population, the Kansas City Fed launched its LMI Survey in 2009. ; Distributed to more than 700 organizations that provide services to the LMI population, the Survey elicits a wealth of qualitative reporting. It also produces quantitative data, including several quarterly indexes that track changes in LMI financial conditions over time. ; Edmiston summarizes insights from the Survey on how the recession and anemic recovery have affected job availability for the LMI population, affordable housing, access to credit and demand for basic services. The findings are useful for policymakers seeking to promote financial success among the 30 million U.S. families classified as LMI.


Summer itch or insect bite hypersensitivity is common problem during summer in all animals. Some horses are allergic to insect saliva. A 13 year old mare kept for riding purpose at livestock farm FVS, BZU, Multan was examined with a condition characterized by little bumps, papules and abrasions on neck, abdomen, thighs and tail, anaemic mucous membranes, concentrated urine, partial anorexia and generalized emaciation. There was a history of chronic lesion of about more than one year old and many therapies were tried but all non-responsive. A mixed biting infection of Tabanus spp. and Stomoxys spp. was identified. On the basis of clinical sign(s), history and fly identification a diagnosis of insect bite hypersensitivity was detected. Treatment protocol was done in two rounds i.e. first round of treatment was done with dexamethasone along & vitamin E administrated through intramuscular route for 5 days and followed by 10 mg dexamethasone orally for one month. Animal respond the treatment and there was full recovery from condition and on follow up no relapse of the condition was observed.


Background & Objective: Diabetes Mellitus is an abnormality in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism that can lead to hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. This study aimed at assessing the effect of hydro-alcoholic leaf extract of Mespilus germanica on the blood levels of glucose and lipids in diabetic male rats. Materials & Methods: In this experimental study 48 adult male rats were randomly divided into six groups of eight. These groups are included: control group which left untreated; sham group which received distilled water; treated control group received only 4000mg/kg leaf extract; diabetic control group receiving only streptozocine; and two diabetic experimental groups of one and two which received 2000 and 4000 mg/kg extract respectively. The extract dosages were administered through gavageing method for sixteen days. Blood samples were taken from all groups and serum levels of glucose and lipids were measured by an auto analyzer. The data were analyzed by SPSS-20 software using ANOVA test. Results: In the experimental groups of 1 and 2, concentration of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-C decreased significantly in respect to diabetic control group, whereas the serum level of HDL-C showed a significant elevation in these groups. As expected, the levels of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-C increased significantly in diabetic control group, while, the serum level of HDL-C declined in respect to control group. Conclusion: The results show that the hydro-alcoholic leaf extract of Mespilus germanica may be effective in the treatment of diabetes. This effect can be due to the presence of flavonoieds and their antioxidant features.


Abstract An analysis of seismic coda phases recorded by five small aperture arrays in Kazakhstan and Russia is performed. The characteristics of the coda phases are obtained using array processing providing estimates of direction of propagation, frequency content, and apparent propagation velocity of coherent arrivals propagating through the arrays. A statistical analysis, using the coda characteristics of the whole dataset (far‐regional earthquakes) recorded by the arrays, is performed leading to a time‐azimuth distribution of the detected waves. Long Lg ‐coda wavetrains clearly dominate the far‐regional seismic records. The later part of an Lg ‐coda wavefield is generally expected to consist of omnidirectional and multiple scattered waves; still, in the present study, preferential propagation directions of scattered waves are identified in seismic signals, even for a lapse time larger than 1200 s. The comparison of the Lg ‐coda characteristics for two different groups of earthquakes and for the different arrays shows that the geometrical configuration of the event array strongly influences the back‐azimuthal distribution of detected waves. More precisely, temporal variations of the Lg ‐coda characteristics are identified: (1) as a transitory regime in the early part of the coda where arrival directions deviate from the epicenter back azimuth (eastward or westward); (2) as a final regime where the later part of the Lg coda observed by the two northern arrays exhibits incoherent phases with random propagation directions; and (3) as a final regime for the three southern arrays, which reveals coherent arrivals propagating from array‐specific back azimuths not related to the epicenter back azimuth. Electronic Supplement: Figures showing frequency content of detections.


In the 2000s, Sweden has experienced a veritable explosion of feminist performing arts. Although feminist actions, theatre, shows and performance existed previously, feminist events with a distinct political and activist approach have emerged strongly in the current decade. Feminist culture festivals are held in rapid succession, and feminist performance, dance and theatre occasionally attract broader audiences. This popularization of feminist performing arts is related to the lively feminist activism in Sweden, but also to other social movements and community art projects openly criticising the right-wing political practices and promoting alternatives. In this paper, I will discuss a few examples of feminist activist performance in Sweden today.Current issues such as the decline of the Swedish welfare state, the aggressive neoliberal policies and its consequences, the US invasion of Iraq, globalisation, trafficking and so on, have led to a new collective political mobilisation and to new political coalitions where feminists and queer activists work together with the Swedish antiracist movement. To examine inequality in the vast field of race-related, class-based and sexuality-orientated gender and performance studies is linked to the intersectional perspective that has in recent years become a debated and, at least in theory, popular concept in Sweden. This paper connects this theoretical concept with politics and performance in contemporary Sweden.


The widely application of XML has increasingly required high security. XML security confronts some challenges that are strong relating to its features. XML data integrity needs to protect element location information and contextreferential meaning as well as data content integrity under fine-grained security
situations. XML data authentication must satisfy a signing process under a dependent and independent multi-signature generation scenario. When several different sections are encrypted within the XML data, it cannot query the
encrypted contents without decrypting the encrypted portions. The technologies relating to XML security demand further development.

This thesis aims to improve XML security relative technologies, and make them more practicable and secure. A novel revocation information validation approach for X.509 certificate is proposed based on the XML digital signature technology. This approach reduces the complexity of XKMS or PKI systems because it eliminates the requirement for additional revocation checking from XKMS or CA. The communication burden between server and client could be alleviated.

The thesis presents the context-referential integrity for XML data. An integrity solution for XML data is also proposed based on the concatenated hash function. The integrity model proposed not only ensures XML data content integrity, but also protects the structure integrity and elements' context relationship within an XML data. If this model is integrated into XML signature technology, the signature
cannot be copied to another document still keeping valid.

A new series-parallel XML multi-signature scheme is proposed. The presented scheme is a mixed order specified XML multi-signature scheme according to a dependent and independent signing process. Using presented XML data integrity-checking pool to provide integrity-checking for decomposed XML data, it makes signing XPath expression practicable, rather than signing XML data itself.

A new labeling scheme for encrypted XML data is presented to improve the efficiency of index information maintenance which is applied to support encrypted XML data query processing. The proposed labelling scheme makes maintenance
index information more efficient, and it is easy to update XML data with decreasing the number of affected nodes to the lowest. In order to protect
structural information for encrypted XML data, the encrypted nodes are removed from original XML data, and structural information is hidden.

A case study is carried out to demonstrate how the proposed XML security relative approaches and schemes can be applied to satisfy fine-grained XML
security in calibration certificate management.


An Adverse drug reaction cannot be avoided especially with drugs like antipsychotics which are the mainstay for the treatment of schizophrenia, a chronic disease, as well for the treatment of psychosis. Hence monitoring of adverse drug reactions is the key factor in ensuring patient compliance and safety. This study was a prospective, descriptive, follow up study. The reported ADRs were assessed for causality using both WHO causality assessment scale and Naranjo's algorithm. The severity of the reported reactions was assessed using Modified Hartwig and Siegel scale. The predictability and preventability of the reported ADRs was assessed using developed criteria for determining predictability of an ADR and Modified Schumock and Thornton scale respectively. A total of one hundred and forty three adverse drug reactions were observed from One hundred and two patients that were recruited. ADR's were noted and the majority of these adverse reactions was seen with Olanzapine and Risperidone. These include weight gain, sedation, tremors, drug induced parkinsonism and disturbances in menstrual cycle. Mild ADR's using Hartwig scale were fatigue, dry mouth, insomnia, weight gain and GI disturbances. Moderate ADR's were tardive dyskinesia, pill rolling movements, drug induced parkinsonism and hyper salivation. Severe reactions included disturbances in lipid profile, delirium, menstrual disturbances and hypertension Of the ADR's, 92% were predictable and 7.4% unpredictable. 67.8% ADR's were not preventable, 29.6% ADR's were definitely preventable and 3.70% probably preventable. WHO causality assessment revealed 55.5% ADR's to be certain, 29.6% to be probable and 14.8% to be possible. Need of the hour is active surveillance of adverse drug reaction with an efficient pharmacovigilance centre in every established hospital. Key words: Adverse drug reaction, World Health Organization, Pharmacovigillance, Atypical antipsychotics, Schizophrenia.


The foundation problems of the coastal region of the Gulf of Mexico are unique. Normally, a coastal region is thought of as the land area, such as a plain, adjacent to a body of water. Such a region usually is somewhat regular in its geology and because of the natural resources, terrain or climate may be given to a relatively common industry involving a somewhat similar development throughout. The coastal region of the Gulf of Mexico, as regards the United States, violates this criterion in a multitude of ways. The region is not limited to the coastal plain bordering the Gulf of Mexico, by any means, but, rather has been broadened by our commerce and the need for the development of natural resources to also embrace, the delta areas and offshore belt extending to the limit of the continental shelf, lying as far as 70 miles from the shore. The delta areas have long been avoided in the past by industry of all types that is, with the exception of the fishing industry, because of the unstable nature of the foundation media. Likewise the continental shelf area normally is not considered for industrial development because of the availability of the more desirable coastal plain. However, the quest for natural resources, like sulphur and petroleum, in spite of the efforts toward Federal Control, has made necessary the solution of very extraordinary foundation problems in this offshore area. In addition to the foregoing unusual aspects of the foundation problems of the Gulf Coast, the coastal plain is unusual in itself because this region at one time formed the floor of the Gulf of Mexico and, as the sea receded or the land was uplifted, the residual sedimentary soils have been drained and desiccated to result in unusual formations that serve as foundation media for the industrial and domestic developments of the region. The foregoing factors combine to make the foundation problems of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Region very interesting.


During the 1980s and the 1990s, private investment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has on average shown a decreasing or stagnant trend. This contrasts with the situation of the Asian economies, where private investment has always been more dynamic. In this paper, it is empirically shown for a panel of 39 developing economies--among which four MENA countries-that in addition to the traditional determinants of investment--such as the growth anticipations and the real interest rate--government policies explain MENA's low investment rate. Insufficient structural reforms--which have most of the time led to poor financial development and deficient trade openness--have been a crucial factor for the deficit in private capital formation. The economic uncertainties of the region have represented another factor of the firm's decisions not to invest. These uncertainties have consisted of the external debt burden and various measures of


Interface traps play an important role in the SiO2/4H-SiC interface. They are crucial issues for the current and trans-conductance in 4H-SiC MOSFET devices. In this thesis, we present a temperature and bias dependent model for simulations of trap occupation and also carrier concentration in a 4H-SiC MOSFET device. By fitting the Hall measurement data [1], we have various parameters for simulation, including the fixed oxide charge density and the interface trap density of states profile. These simulations enable us to observe temperature dependence of occupied trap densities and inversion layer carrier concentrations. In addition, bias dependence of trap density and occupation probability at different temperatures is also presented.


This study reviewed a body of literature largely written between the mid 1970s and 1990s that was concerned with the rhetorical structure of written expository text and its relationship to memory and comprehension. This dissertation follows from an argument that the earlier research often confused memory and comprehension and that it was limited in its attempt to clarify the relationship between text structure and reading comprehension. The current study sought to provide a fuller description of the manner in which schoolchildren of different ages and abilities employ rhetorical structure in the comprehension process. In contrast to the earlier research this study makes a distinction between the top-level structure of a text and the structure of the reader's meaning. It sought to discover what, if any, was the relationship between the structure of the reader's comprehension and the top-level structure of the text, the educational stage of the reader, and the reading comprehension ability of the reader. A sample of 229 schoolchildren from Years 5, 7, and 9, and further subdivided by reading ability, was given a task of reading three passages and carrying out an underlining task to identify the seven sentences in each passage that best captured the its overall meaning. The three passages employed were natural passages of text, each approximately 700 words in length, and each with a different top-level structure. Minor adjustments were made in respect of vocabulary and sentence length to match the different age groups within the sample. Each participant's sentence selections were analysed for a collective structure in an effort to discover any structure employed by the reader in constructing the meaning of the respective text. The effectiveness of structure usage was measured by the degree of coherence captured by the sentence selections. Structure strategy use in children's comprehension iii As might be expected, good readers and older children generally performed the task more successfully and effectively than poorer and younger readers. The results indicated, contrary to a common assumption of the earlier research, that the structures employed by the participants reflected two different and distinct categories: content structures which selected information based on association and rhetorical structures based on logical argument. It was subsequently considered that semantic information might be relatively more influential in using content structure whereas syntax might play the more significant role in the use of rhetorical structure. The more able readers generally maximised coherence by combining rhetorical and content structures in the construction of meaning except where a passage was limited to description only. There was a complex relationship between the structure of the text and the structure of the reader's meaning that reflected a constructivist explanation of reading comprehension. It was found that whilst many children of all ages and ability had a capacity to recognise the various content and rhetorical structures regardless of their relative complexity, that effective use was related to practice. Other factors that might complicate structure strategy use in reading comprehension were identified. Structure strategy use in children's comprehension iv


In this study we investigate the effects of active labour market policy measures on health and well-being and how these effects are connected with socioeconomic status. The data were collected among the participants (n = 212) in 24 conventional vocational training courses in Finland. According to the results, training was accompanied by improvements in health and well-being among participants with a higher socioeconomic status, whereas for blue-collar workers the changes were neutral or even detrimental. The results raise questions about the role of active labour market policy measures as a public service. There seems to be a risk that these types of measures maintain or even produce health differences between socioeconomic groups.


Biofouling increases frictional resistance and slows the water flow in fresh water canals and
pipes. It results in up to 10% reduction in the flow carrying capacity in hydropower canals in
Tasmania, Australia. This project investigated the effect of colour on the growth of biofouling in
open channels and the impact of biofouling in pipes and penstocks.
The effect of substratum colour on the growth of biofouling was studied by submerging mild
steel plates painted with four different coloured epoxy coatings in fresh water. The plates were
placed in a concrete lined canal for a period of time to allow biofouling to grow. Results show
that black was the favoured colour for the growth of biofouling whereas the white plates
developed the least amount. The amount of biofouling increases progressively from white to
grey to black at the settlement stage of biofouling. However, the effect of colour on the growth of
biofouling became less significant when the biofouling was fully developed. It was found that the
amount of light also affected the growth of biofouling. Under full sunlight and slow flow
conditions(1 m/s), plates with lower total light intensity and lower UV light exhibited higher levels
of biofouling.
In addition to open channels, biofouling also causes head losses in cooling water pipes and
penstocks in hydroelectric power stations. The influence of water quality on the growth of
biofouling was investigated by analysing water quality data of eight lakes used for hydroelectric
power generation. It was found that power stations with fewer biofouling problems in their
cooling pipes use water with a higher pH value and dissolved oxygen level, while having lower
water conductivity, water turbidity, iron, manganese, aluminium and nutrients.
A new pipe rig was designed and built to investigate the impact of biofouling on pipe flows.
Located in the hydraulics laboratory at the University of Tasmania, this consisted of a
removable test section that was placed in a purpose built field test rig installed in a hydropower
station canal. The pressure drop across the test section and velocity profiles under different flow
rates were measured for both clean and fouled conditions. Results show that biofouling
increased the head loss along the test section and changed the shape of the velocity profiles.
This data did not fit the widely used Colebrook-White equation.


Three‐dimensional vadose zone models are used more and more for solving hydrological problems on a broad range of scales with large amount of nodes. Currently, the problems we can solve in reasonable computational time may have up to 5 · 106 nodes. However, distributed models may need up to 1010 nodes to properly predict flow and transport at the watershed scale. The speed and efficiency of current flow and transport models therefore need to be improved. The parallelization of the code is one possible way to decrease the computational time by distributing a complex large geometry problem over multiple processors working in parallel. This is the solution we implemented by developing PARSWMS, a parallelized version of SWMS_3D (Simunek et al., 1995). The objective of this technical note is to describe the PARSWMS model, test its reliability, and show its performance and efficiency compared with single processor runs.


The stellar initial mass function (IMF) describes the distribution in stellar masses produced from a burst of star formation. For more than 50 yr, the implicit assumption underpinning most areas of research involving the IMF has been that it is universal, regardless of time and environment. We measure the high-mass IMF slope for a sample of low-to-moderate redshift galaxies from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey. The large range in luminosities and galaxy masses of the sample permits the exploration of underlying IMF dependencies. A strong IMF–star formation rate dependency is discovered, which shows that highly star-forming galaxies form proportionally more massive stars (they have IMFs with flatter power-law slopes) than galaxies with low star formation rates. This has a significant impact on a wide variety of galaxy evolution studies, all of which rely on assumptions about the slope of the IMF. Our result is supported by, and provides an explanation for, the results of numerous recent explorations suggesting a variation of or evolution in the IMF.