The present study examined genuine and simulated suicide notes aiming to identify the measures of content that best differentiate between the two. Thirty- three genuine and thirty-three simulated suicide notes were content-analysed and data subjected to Smallest Space Analysis (SSA), a Multidimensional Scaling Procedure. The core of all suicide notes was discovered to be constructed with the use of three variables: expressions of love , positive construction of partner and apologies . Furthermore, four different genuine suicide note themes ('planned escape', 'negative affect and self-mitigation', 'positive affect and failed relationship', 'lack of self-acceptance') and three simulated suicide note themes ('escape', 'positive affect and self-blame', 'purposeless life') were identified revealing that authentic suicide note themes were more internally consistent and clearer to interpret.


This text offers medical students a case-based approach to learning the mechanisms of renal disease. Each chapter covers a disease, beginning with a patient case and followed by a discussion of the pathophysiology of the disease. Issues of differential diagnosis and therapy are linked to pathophysiologic mechanisms. Short questions interspersed throughout the text require students to apply their knowledge. Detailed answers to the questions are included. New to this edition: full-color artwork and design; new color photomicrographs of clinical conditions; additional end-of-chapter summaries; and up-to-date information based on new medical findings.


This study reconsiders the empirical question of whether men's earnings increase because of children. Large Norwegian register data are used for brother and twin pairs who are followed over their life cycle from their first entry into the labour market. The data permit family-fixed effects to be modeled in various ways, as well as observing earnings growth before and after having children. The simple conditional correlation between children and earnings is positive. When only variation from between-sibling differences is used, the earnings effect post entry into first-fatherhood declines. The effect becomes small and non-significant when we use twins.


We reconsider the black hole firewall puzzle, emphasizing that quantum error- correction, computational complexity, and pseudorandomness are crucial concepts for understanding the black hole interior. We assume that the Hawking radiation emitted by an old black hole is pseudorandom, meaning that it cannot be distinguished from a perfectly thermal state by any efficient quantum computation acting on the radiation alone. We then infer the existence of a subspace of the radiation system which we interpret as an encoding of the black hole interior. This encoded interior is entangled with the late outgoing Hawking quanta emitted by the old black hole, and is inaccessible to computationally bounded observers who are outside the black hole. Specifically, efficient operations acting on the radiation, those with quantum computational complexity polynomial in the entropy of the remaining black hole, commute with a complete set of logical operators acting on the encoded interior, up to corrections which are exponentially small in the entropy. Thus, under our pseudorandomness assumption, the black hole interior is well protected from exterior observers as long as the remaining black hole is macroscopic. On the other hand, if the radiation is not pseudorandom, an exterior observer may be able to create a firewall by applying a polynomial-time quantum computation to the radiation.


ABSTRACT Surface and airborne gas monitoring programs are becoming an important part of environmental protection in areas favorable for subsurface storage of carbon dioxide. Understanding structural architecture and its effects on the flux of fluids, specifically CO 2 and CH 4 , in the shallow subsurface and atmosphere is helping with designing and implementing next-generation monitoring technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An important aspect of this research is using subsurface fracture data to inform the design of flight pathways for UAVs in the Farnsworth oil unit of the Anadarko Basin. The target zone for CO 2 storage and enhanced oil recovery in the Farnsworth oil unit is in the upper Morrow sandstone at subsurface depths greater than 2000 m (6562 ft). Field study reveals that sandstone and chert in the High Plains Aquifer contain numerous joints that provide crucial insight into aquifer architecture and subsurface flow pathways. Properties of more than 1700 joints were measured in the field and in high-resolution satellite images. Two distinctive joint systems interpreted as a conjugate pair were identified in the study area. Joint spacing follows a lognormal statistical scaling rule. These fractures appear to be the product of an east–northeast regional compressive stress and may have a significant effect on flow in the High Plains Aquifer system. Based on the results of this research, design of UAV flight paths should be oblique to fractures in a way that maximizes the likelihood of CO 2 and CH 4 flux of systematic joints and cross joints.


Text summarization aims to generate a short summary for an input text. In this work, we propose a Non-Autoregressive Unsupervised Summarization (NAUS) approach, which does not require parallel data for training. Our NAUS first performs edit-based search towards a heuristically defined score, and generates a summary as pseudo-groundtruth. Then, we train an encoder-only non-autoregressive Transformer based on the search result. We also propose a dynamic programming approach for length-control decoding, which is important for the summarization task. Experiments on two datasets show that NAUS achieves state-of-the-art performance for unsupervised summarization, yet largely improving inference efficiency. Further, our algorithm is able to perform explicit length-transfer summary generation.


We examine the effect of introducing price stickiness into a stochastic growth model subject to a cash in advance constraint. As has been previously documented the introduction of price rigidities provides a substantial source of monetary non-neutrality, leads to a strong positive correlation between inflation and output and contributes significantly to output volatility. However, we find that this increased volatility arises mostly at the higher than business cycle frequencies, leads to lower persistence in output fluctuations and causes a deterioration in the ability of the model to explain UK data at all frequencies but especially over the business cycle. As noted by Chari, Kehoe and McGratten (1996) this failure of exogenous price stickiness to cause persistent output fluctuations is due to strongly pro-cyclical marginal costs. Our results clearly show that in the context of our model adding price rigidities is not sufficient to account for business cycle fluctuations.


This paper describes a new algorithm for feature extraction in hyperspectral images based on independent component analysis (ICA). The improvement introduced aims at reducing the computation times without decreasing the accuracy. Instead of using the entire image, we perform ICA processing on a subset of representative pixel vectors obtained through spectral screening. Spectral screening is a technique that measures the similarity between pixel vectors by calculating the angle between them. In multispectral/hyperspectral imagery, the independent components can be associated with features present in the image. ICA projects them in different image frames. The features are separated using an algorithm involving gradient descent minimization of the mutual information between frames. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm (SSICA) has been tested by performing target detection on data from the Hyperspectral Digital Imagery Collection Experiment (HYDICE). Small targets present in the image are separated from the background in different frames and the information pertaining to them is concentrated in these frames. Further selection using kurtosis, skewness and histogram thresholding lead to automated detection of the targets allowing a quantitative assessment of the results. When compared with a target detection ICA algorithm previously introduced by the authors, SSICA achieves similar accuracy, and, at the same time, considerable speedup is obtained.


We present strontium isotopic (88Sr/86Sr and 87Sr/86Sr) results obtained by 87Sr–84Sr double spike thermal ionization mass-spectrometry (DS-TIMS) for several standards as well as natural water samples and mineral samples of abiogenic and biogenic origin. The detailed data reduction algorithm and a user-friendly Sr-specific stand-alone computer program used for the spike calibration and the data reduction are also presented. Accuracy and precision of our δ88Sr measurements, calculated as permil (‰) deviations from the NIST SRM-987 standard, were evaluated by analyzing the NASS-6 seawater standard, which yielded δ88Sr = 0.378 ± 0.009‰. The first DS-TIMS data for the NIST SRM-607 potassium feldspar standard and for several US Geological Survey carbonate, phosphate, and silicate standards (EN-1, MAPS-4, MAPS-5, G-3, BCR-2, and BHVO-2) are also reported. Data obtained during this work for Sr-bearing solids and natural waters show a range of δ88Sr values of about 2.4‰, the widest observed so far in terrestrial materials. This range is easily resolvable analytically because the demonstrated external error (±SD, standard deviation) for measured δ88Sr values is typically ≤0.02‰. It is shown that the "true" 87Sr/86Sr value obtained by the DS-TIMS or any other external normalization method combines radiogenic and mass-dependent mass-fractionation effects, which cannot be separated. Therefore, the "true" 87Sr/86Sr and the δ87Sr parameter derived from it are not useful isotope tracers. Data presented in this paper for a wide range of naturally occurring sample types demonstrate the potential of the δ88Sr isotope tracer in combination with the traditional radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr tracer for studying a variety of biological, hydrological, and geological processes.


BACKGROUND
Characteristic features of hypokinetic dysarthria develop in Parkinson disease (PD). We hypothesized that quantified acoustic changes of voice might provide a correlate of disease severity.

OBJECTIVE
To determine if there are significant differences in acoustic measures of voice between mild and moderate PD; 2) To evaluate correlations between acoustic parameters of voice and subtests of the UPDRS in mild and moderate PD.

METHODS
Twenty six participants with PD underwent vocal acoustic testing while off PD medication, for comparison to 22 healthy controls. Participants with PD were divided into two groups based upon UPDRS activities of daily living (ADL) ratings: summed scores were used to define mild and moderate PD. Participants voiced /i/ ("ee") at comfort, high, and low pitch (3 trials/pitch). The CSpeech Waveform Analysis Program was used to analyze cycle-to-cycle frequency ("jitter") and amplitude ("shimmer") irregularities of the vocal signal, signal-to-noise ratio, and maximum phonation frequency range converted to semitones. Sections of UPDRS scores were correlated to acoustic variables of voice.

RESULTS
Key findings included a significant difference between the semitone range of the control subjects and the moderate PD group (p = 0.036). Further analyses revealed significant differences in semitone range for males between the controls vs. mild PD (p = 0.014), and controls vs. moderate PD (p = 0.005). Significant correlations were also found between acoustic findings and both the ADL and motor portions of the UPDRS.

CONCLUSIONS
Acoustic analysis of voice, particularly frequency range, may provide a quantifiable correlate of disease progression in PD.


Large racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) differences in health persist in the United States. Eliminating these health disparities is a public health challenge of our time. This article addresses what is needed for social and behavioral interventions to be successful. We draw on important insights for reducing social inequalities in health that David Mechanic articulated more than a decade ago in his article "Disadvantage, Inequality, and Social Policy." We begin by outlining the challenge that interventions that have the potential to improve health at the population level can widen social inequalities in health. Next, given that there are racial differences in SES at every level of SES, we review research on race/ethnicity-related aspects of social experience that can contribute to racial inequalities in SES and health. We then explore what is needed for social and behavioral interventions to be successful in addressing disparities and consider the significance of race/ethnicity in designing and developing good policies to address this added dimension of inequality. We conclude that there is a pressing need to develop a scientific research agenda to identify how to build and sustain the political will needed to create policy to eliminate racial/ethnic health disparities.


The longboard skateboard has a longer, and usually wider, deck than the standard skateboard to provide greater support of the rider during the higher speeds attained on this version of the skateboard. Fourteen volunteer subjects participated in downhill and uphill longboarding trials. Heart rates were monitored during both trials, and the downhill and uphill average heart rates were compared with resting heart rates and then compared with accepted intensity recommendations for health and fitness benefits. The study questions were: Does longboarding have an acute effect on heart rates? If so, will longboarding uphill and/or downhill cause heart rate changes to levels recommended to improve cardiorespiratory health and fitness?   With these questions as guidance we developed four hypotheses. With an average resting heart rate of 59.9 beats/minute, average downhill heart rate of  131.4 beats/minute and average uphill heart rate of 167.8 beats/minute statistical analysis showed statistically significant p values < .0001 and each null hypothesis was rejected in favor of their respective research hypotheses.  Based on average age and average resting heart rate, average age-predicted maximum heart rate was 193.2 beats/minute and heart rate reserve was 133.2 beats/minute. The average percentages of heart rate reserve for the downhill section (131.4 beats/minute) and the uphill section (167.8 beats/minute) were 54% and  81%, respectively. Downhill heart rates are within moderate intensity levels, 40% to  60% of heart rate reserve, and uphill heart rates are within vigorous intensity levels, greater than 60 % of heart rate reserve. These results indicate that longboarding can increase heart rate to suggested levels suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine for improving cardiovascular health and fitness.


Research on US public concern about environmental issues finds ideology or political party are the most consistent background predictors. Party is commonly defined by three groups: Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Here, using statewide New Hampshire survey data, we elaborate this approach to distinguish a fourth group: respondents who say they support the Tea Party movement. On 8 out of 12 science- or environment-related questions, Tea Party supporters differ significantly from non–Tea Party Republicans. Tea Party supporters are less likely than non–Tea Party Republicans to trust scientists for information about environmental issues, accept human evolution, believe either the physical reality or the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change, or recognise trends in Arctic ice, glaciers, or CO2. Despite factual gaps, Tea Party supporters express greater confidence in their own understanding of climate change. Independents, on the other hand, differ less from non–Tea Party Republicans on most of these questions—although Independents do more often accept the scientific consensus on climate change. On many science and environmental questions, Republicans and Tea Party supporters stand farther apart than Republicans and Independents.


********** It is often said that the infant mortality rate (IMR) is an indicator of a country's civilization (Brosco, 1999; Gortmaker & Wise, 1997; McCloskey et al, 1999). If this is true, how well are we doing? The United States claims to have the best and most technologically advanced health care system in the world. Our infant mortality would suggest another conclusion. In 1996 the United States ranked 26th in the world for infant mortality (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2001), behind many developing countries. Infant mortality has been subdivided into three major categories to clarify understanding of risk factors. Infant mortality encompasses two subgroups: neonatal (birth to 27 days) and postneonatal (28 days to 364 days). Child mortality applies to one-to-18 years olds. A thorough discussion of each category would exceed the limits of this column. In this article, I review the status of infant mortality in the United States, including a discussion of key issues and future agendas. HISTORICAL CONTEXT Rates of infant mortality have shown significant improvement since the early 1900s ("Healthier Mother and Babies," 1999; Sable W Zylke, 1989). In 1915 the rate of infant death was 100 infants per 1,000 live births, declining to 7.2 per 1,000 live births by 1997. This translated into a decline of almost 90 percent. Much of the decline in the IMR has been attributed to improvements related to urban living (for example, sanitation, pasteurization, improved water and sewage, reduced fertility rates, and improved economic and educational levels) followed by technological and public health strategies ("Healthier," 1999). Three distinct periods of technological advancements in health care treatment have been noted: The period from 1930 to 1950 witnessed the development of antibiotics and fluid replacement techniques (for example, electrolyte replacement and blood transfusions); the 1970s saw the expansion of neonatal intensive care units to treat birth complications. In the 1980s, artificial pulmonar y surfactant treatment was introduced to treat respiratory distress, common to low birthweight (LBW) (less than 2,500 grams) infants. Access to care improved with the enactment of Medicaid legislation in the 1960s and the regionalization of perinatal services in the 1970s. Public health initiatives also share in the success. Two campaigns are of significant note:(1) efforts to improve immunization rates for children, and (2) the reduction of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by placing babies on their backs to sleep. MAJOR THEMES Several themes emerge from a review of the abundant research and scholarly work on infant mortality. Although much of the research is inconclusive, several factors continue to be identified with poor birth outcomes: low birthweight, preterm delivery, smoking, substance abuse, maternal age, pregnancy intent, attitudes about pregnancy, stress, poverty, and domestic violence. A thorough discussion of risk factors is beyond the scope of this column, although I highlight several in the following discussion. Most of these factors fall within the psychosocial domain, highlighting the important role social work has and will continue to play. Statistical Reporting Statistical analysis for infant mortality often is based on population data, primarily collected from birth and death records. Consequently, how indices are defined influences comparative analysis, particularly when gross indicators such as IMR are used. Countries, states, counties, and health care personnel may use different criteria for determining a live birth. For some, if the infant takes one breath, it is considered a live birth; for others, a predetermined period of time must elapse before a determination of a live birth is established. Sowards (1999) pointed out that this presents specific problems to the study of prematurity. Petrini and colleagues (1989) uncovered a similar concern in relation to racial and ethnic factors. …


Exchange Market Pressure refers to money market disequilibrium that arises due to non-zero
excess demand for domestic currency in the foreign exchange market. Exchange rate changes
reflect the extent of market pressure in the absence of Central Bank intervention. It is argued
that nominal exchange rate changes have consequences for domestic macroeconomic
variables. These include domestic output growth, increase in domestic prices, balance of trade,
firms' price-setting behaviour in high inflation countries, foreign debt burden of the country,
balance of payments and the stability of the domestic financial system. It has been observed
that the Central Banks generally intervene in the foreign exchange market to avoid these
undesirable consequences of exchange rate changes. In this thesis, we construct exchange
market pressure and intervention index for Pakistan using Weymark's (1995) approach. The
basic objective is to identify whether it is downward or upward pressure that has remained
dominant over the entire sample period. Based on intervention index values, we evaluate the
Central Bank's monetary policy over the given sample period. In addition, we also calculate
the actual exchange rate and predicted exchange rate using one period lagged exchange rate.
We check whether monetary policy is successful in its objective of reducing exchange rate
volatility. Finally, we also evaluate the determinants of exchange market pressure in a panel of
ten countries. The first empirical chapter utilises difference data and the two-stage least square
approach. In the second empirical chapter we adopt Johansen's (1988) cointegration approach.
Both of these provide evidence of downward pressure and active Central Bank intervention.
Furthermore, these chapters show that the Central Bank's foreign exchange intervention policy
is fairly successful in achieving its objective of reducing exchange rate volatility. The initial
empirical chapters use a fixed parameter approach. This has the disadvantage that it does not
allow the estimated parameters to take account of structural changes. A third empirical chapter
addresses this issue and uses the Kalman Filter Time Varying Parameter approach. This has the advantage of allowing the parameters to take account of the effects of structural changes
on parameter constancy. The results show unstable estimated parameters. The constructed
exchange market pressure and intervention index show downward pressure and the active
Central Bank intervention. Thus, this chapter further confirms our earlier findings of
downward pressure and active Central Bank intervention. However, despite unstable estimated
parameters, Central Bank intervention policy is successful in reducing exchange rate volatility
which is unexpected. In the earlier empirical chapters, we assumed direct Central Bank
intervention. However, there may be the case that Central Bank may use interest rate for
fending off speculative attack. In such a case it is better to include interest rate as component
of exchange market pressure to truly reflect the extent of foreign exchange market
disequilibrium. Last empirical chapter overcomes this issue and uses Eichengreen et al. (1996)
approach for constructing exchange market pressure. It consists of percent changes in
exchange rate, relative interest rate differential and relative percent changes in foreign
exchange reserves. Furthermore, in this chapter, we evaluate the determinants of exchange
market pressure in a panel of ten countries. The results indicate the relevancy of some
macroeconomic variables and measures of openness.


This paper discusses problems in image processing, pattern recognition and control associated with the guidance and control of automated surface vehicles. An overview of work done by others is presented first. This is followed by a discussion on obstacle detection and avoidance methods and a description of existing and specially developed algorithms to be applied to guidance. A brief description is presented of the model to be used for the discrete control of the dynamic system. It is needed to determine such things as the optimal control law and most important, it allows calculation of the necessary sampling rate for stability which is the time available for real time computation between samples. Navigation is a complicated problem which may make use of stored information about the highway. Guidance and safety are problems which must be solved in real time under widely variable weather, seasonal and road conditions. Its complete solution will require a relatively long time, but some useful results may be obtained in the near future.


Seeds are coated for ease of handling, singulation, precise placement, and the incorporation of beneficial chemicals or microbials. Coated seeds are accepted widely as a standard product for many crops. Quality demands for seed suitable for coating have improved knowledge of physiological seed quality. Higher, better-defined quality standards in the seed and coating industry, combined with additional quality demand for enhanced seed, will continue to improve stand establishment potential for growers.


Microelectrode arrays which could record approximately in nerve cell size from large nerve cell clusters encourages visual prosthesis design and application studies. Choosing useful information among recorded neural waveforms' analysis precisely with least computational complexity is of critical importance for compactness, energy efficiency of the electronics placed in intraocular region and data reduction for communication bandwidth. As a first step of neural signal analysis, spike identification phase is performed offline in silico using neural waveforms which is obtained from in vitro rabbit retina ganglion cell layer. It is concluded that custom made approach including thresholding followed by labeling process used for ease to use and less complexity is sufficient for neural signals with high signal to noise ratio.


We present a brief review of recent scientific and technical advances at the Infrared Optical Telescope Array (IOTA). IOTA is a long-baseline interferometer located atop Mount Hopkins, Arizona. Recent work has emphasized the use of the three-telescope interferometer completed in 2002. We report on results obtained on a range of scientific targets, including AGB stars, Herbig AeBe Stars, binary stars, and the recent outburst of the recurrent nova RS Oph. We report the completion of a new spectrometer which allows visibility measurements at several high spectral resolution channels simultaneously. Finally, it is our sad duty to report that IOTA will be closed this year.


We present a photometric stereo method for non-diffuse materials that does not require an explicit reflectance model or reference object. By computing a data-dependent rotation of RGB color space, we show that the specular reflection effects can be separated from the much simpler, diffuse (approximately Lambertian) reflection effects for surfaces that can be modeled with dichromatic reflectance. Images in this transformed color space are used to obtain photometric reconstructions that are independent of the specular reflectance. In contrast to other methods for highlight removal based on dichromatic color separation (e.g., color histogram analysis and/or polarization), we do not explicitly recover the specular and diffuse components of an image. Instead, we simply find a transformation of color space that yields more direct access to shape information. The method is purely local and is able to handle surfaces with arbitrary texture.


ABSTRACT Aims: Children with mobility related disabilities often experience limited participation and access to social interactions. An emerging pediatric powered mobility device are modified ride-on cars that provide self-directed mobility experiences to children with disabilities. This study aimed to determine: (1) the feasibility of a modified ride-on car intervention during an inclusive playgroup, (2) the effect of a modified ride-on car intervention on the play behaviors of children with and without mobility related disabilities. Method: A single-subject research design was implemented. Thirteen children participated in a weekly inclusive playgroup. The five children with mobility related disabilities were provided modified ride-on cars during the intervention. Children's play behaviors were classified with Howes' Peer Play Scale. Intervention effects were examined using nonoverlap of all pairs (NAP). Results: The intervention was feasible based on participants' good attendance, retention rates, and successful use of modified ride-on cars. Overall children did not experience significant changes in play behaviors, with a few exceptions for decreased solitary, and increased parallel play, and/or direct peer interaction, among children with mobility related disabilities. Future research could examine modified ride-on car use by children with mobility related disabilities focusing on changes in unique play interactions between children with and without disabilities.


This study aims to analyze the attributes considered in choosing rural sites for tourism purposes by city dwellers and the market segmentation of rural tourism from a rural tourism demand perspective. For this purpose, this study investigates the attributes of rural areas considered in the selection of rural tourism destinations by urban dwellers using a conjoint model as a stated preference model. Based on literature reviews, two questionnaire surveys are conducted. The first questionnaire survey is performed in the 4 cities of Seoul, Daejeon, Suwon and Chuncheon with 408 urban residents. The second questionnaire survey is performed in the 5 cities of Seoul, Chuncheon, Daejeon, Cheonju and Busan with about 1,060 urban residents. The study results suggest that according to part-worth and vector models, the most important attributes in selecting rural areas for tourism are experience programs and facility convenience. The fitness level of the model ranges from 0.917 to 0.986, which is very significant. Among the 5 attribute's levels, the rural residents' obliging service, the traditional and the ecological programs and the facilities about information and accommodation are more critical factors than other levels. Utilities of each level decrease as cost and arrival time increase. Regarding the result of market segmentation, respondents having intention to visit can be divided into 4 groups; (1) facility/program-oriented group, (2) service-oriented group, (3) time-oriented group, and (4) simple participants group. These results can provide insightful information for regional planning strategies, such as selection of market segment type and the key factor of facility and space planning.


Computing a ranking over choices using consumer data gathered from a heterogenous population has become an indispensable module for any modern consumer information system, e.g. Yelp, Netflix, Amazon and app-stores like Google play. In such applications, a ranking or recommendation algorithm needs to extract meaningful information from noisy data accurately and in a scalable manner. A principled approach to resolve this challenge requires a model that connects observations to recommendation decisions and a tractable inference algorithm utilizing this model. To that end, we abstract the preference data generated by consumers as noisy, partial realizations of their innate preferences, i.e. orderings or permutations over choices. Inspired by the seminal works of Samuelson (cf. axiom of revealed preferences) and that of McFadden (cf. discrete choice models for transportation), we model the population's innate preferences as a mixture of the so called Multi-nomial Logit (MMNL) model. Under this model, the recommendation problem boils down to (a) learning the MMNL model from population data, (b) finding am MNL component within the mixture that closely represents the revealed preferences of the consumer at hand, and (c) recommending other choices to her/him that are ranked high according to thus found component. In this work, we address the problem of learning MMNL model from partial preferences. We identify fundamental limitations of any algorithm to learn such a model as well as provide conditions under which, a simple, data-driven (non-parametric) algorithm learns the model effectively. The proposed algorithm has a pleasant similarity to the standard collaborative filtering for scalar (or star) ratings, but in the domain of permutations. This work advances the state-of-art in the domain of learning distribution over permutations (cf. [2]) as well as in the context of learning mixture distributions (cf. [4]).


Not many books have a single project that lives and evolves through the entire narrative. The reason not many books do this is because it is difficult to do well. Important toolkit features get shoehorned in weird places because the author didnt do enough up-front design time. This book, though, takes you from design, to a prototype, to the Real Deal. And then it goes further. Mark Dalrymple, cofounder of CocoaHeads, the international Mac and iPhone programmer community; author of Advanced Mac OS X Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide Learning iPad Programming, Second Edition, will help you master all facets of iPad programming with Apples newest tools. Its in-depth, hands-on coverage fully addresses the entire development process, from installing the iOS SDK through coding, debugging, submitting apps for Apples review, and deployment. Extensively updated for Apples newest iOS features and Xcode 4.x updates, this book teaches iPad programming through a series of exercises centered on building PhotoWheel, a powerful personal photo library app. As you build PhotoWheel, youll gain experience and real-world insights that will help you succeed with any iPad development project. Leading iOS developers Kirby Turner and Tom Harrington introduce the essentials of iOS development, focusing on features that are specific to iPad. Youll find expert coverage of key topics many iOS development books ignore, from app design to Core Data. Youll also learn to make the most of crucial iOS and Xcode features, such as Storyboarding and Automatic Reference Counting (ARC), and extend your app with web services and the latest iCloud synching techniques. Learn how to Build a fully functional app that uses Core Data and iCloud synching Use Storyboarding to quickly prototype a functional UI and then extend it with code Create powerful visual effects with Core Animation and Core Image Support AirPrint printing and AirPlay slideshows Build collection views and custom views, and use custom segues to perform custom view transitions Download the free version of PhotoWheel from the App Store today! Import, manage, and share your photos as you learn how to build this powerful app.


By Jo Ann S. Barefoot Consumer protection laws are designed to protect consumers. Business customers are exempt. So commercial loan departments needn't worry about cumbersome compliance, right? Not always. Most consumer regulations differentiate in some way between smaller loans to individuals and large loans to individuals, loans to businesses, and loans to individuals for business purposes. As a result, it is the exception for commercial lenders to deal with these regulations. Therefore, they don't tend to learn the regulations well, and it is not uncommon for commercial lenders to take a somewhat negative attitude toward consumer regulations. The combination of a lack of expertise, a lack of routine procedure, and a negative attitude is a prescription for major compliance problems. In fact, commercial loan departments tend to contribute far more than their fair share of violations. Remember, too, that the loans made by your business lending department tend to be larger than those made in your consumer areas. They also tend to involve more sophisticated borrowers. Both factors can lead to greater liability. The following questions and answers can serve as a checklist to help assure that your commercial lenders comply with the law. Regulation B (Equal Credit Opportunity Act) Contrary to what many commercial lenders may think, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B have always applied to business credit. Lenders may not discriminate on any loan on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, marital status, and age (provided the borrower is of age to enter into a contract). Also barred from consideration is whether the borrower receives public assistance or exercises rights in good faith under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. Traditionally, Reg B has been more liberal in its procedures for business credit, compared to those for consumer loans. For example, it has been permissible to inquire about marital status for business-purpose loans. In addition, business credit has been exempt from most of the adverse action notification and recordkeeping requirements that Reg B applies to consumer credit. These rules have changed as a result of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988, enacted to give small businesses, and particularly women entrepreneurs, the same ECOA rights afforded to consumer borrowers. For a detailed review, see the box elsewhere in this department.) Q. Are you prepared to give adverse action notification on commercial loans? Banks must give covered loan applicants oral or written notice of action taken within 30 days of receiving a completed application. If the action is adverse, you must notify covered applicants in writing of their right to receive the reasons for the bank's decision. One exception: notices of adverse action for applications taken by telephone can be delivered orally. However, should you choose this procedure, develop a script lenders can routinely use. This ensures that no critical point will be left out. Furthermore, being able to demonstrate that the script is routinely used will serve as documentation against a charge that you didn't comply. Notice of rights after adverse action can either be given after denial or provided to all applicants with the application. In the latter case, it must be in a form the customer can keep. Q. Have you trained your people and changed your commercial loan forms to follow the new rules on marital status inquiries? The old Reg B exempted business-purpose credit from its prohibition on inquiring about the applicant's marital status. Nonetheless, lenders were barred from considering marital status in making the credit decision. The new rule treats commercial loans as consumer credit has been treated in the past. Accordingly, banks may only inquire about marital status in two situations. …


This handbook is filled with over 50 illustrations and descriptions of approximately 250 plants which are used for herbal medicine. It includes the most current information available today on medicinal plants ranging from Abies spectabilis to Zizyphus vulgaris. The purpose of this handbook is to make available a reference for easy, accurate identification of these herbs. Derived from India, "Ayurveda" is the foundation stone of their ancient medical science. Approximately 80 percent of the population of India and other countries in the East continue to utilize this system of medicinal treatment. It is believed that the key to successful medication is the use of the correct herb. This is an indispensable resource for all physicians, pharmacists, drug collectors, and those interested in the healing art.


Calcium influx through presynaptic calcium channels triggers transmitter release, but many of the details that underlie calcium-triggered secretion are not well understood. In an attempt to increase our understanding of this process, synaptic transmission at the frog neuromuscular junction has been investigated using physiological experiments and computational modeling. Pharmacological manipulations ((R)-roscovitine and DAP) were used as tools to modulate presynaptic calcium influx and study effects on transmitter release. I showed that (R)-roscovitine predominately slowed deactivation kinetics of calcium current (by 427%), and as a result, increased the integral of calcium channel current evoked by a physiological action potential waveform (by 44%). (R)-roscovitine also increased the quantal content of acetylcholine released from the motor nerve terminals (by 149%) without changing paired-pulse facilitation under low calcium conditions. In contrast, exposure to 3,4-diaminopyridine (which affects transmitter release evoked by partially blocking potassium channels, altering the amplitude of the presynaptic action potential, and indirectly increasing calcium entry) increased paired-pulse facilitation (by 23%). In normal calcium conditions, both pharmacological treatments showed relatively similar effects on paired-pulse facilitation. I used a computational model, constrained by previous reports in the literature and my physiological measurements, to simulate my experimental data. This model faithfully reproduced calcium current with a single action potential, the average number of released synaptic vesicles, and the effects of (R)-roscovitine and DAP on calcium influx and vesicle release. Using this model, I made several predictions about the mechanisms underlying transmitter release. First, calcium ions originating from one or two voltage-gated calcium channels most often contributed to cause the fusion of each vesicle. Second, the calcium channel closest to a vesicle that fuses, provides 77% of calcium ions. My simulation of paired-pulse facilitation using the present model needed more adjustments, and in the process of adjusting the model parameters, various hypotheses that might explain observed short-term synaptic plasticity, including the effects of changes in buffer conditions, the effects of uneven calcium channel distribution, reducing terminal volume by adding vesicles to a storage pool, changes in the second action potential waveform, and possible persistent changes in vesicle release machinery were explored.


This working paper considers in detail how the hosts of and listeners to one call-in radio programme in Zambia were influenced by, resisted and co-opted the agendas of the sponsor that paid for its production. It develops a detailed case-study covering fifteen episodes of, 'Let's Be Responsible Citizens', broadcast on Phoenix FM in Lusaka in late 2011 and right through 2012. It shows how the original aspirations of the show's sponsor, Lusaka City Council, can be understood in terms of nurturing popular subjectivities that might enable the state to impose market solutions to the provision of social goods. The Council hoped that this might in turn have enabled them to survey and bring a particular kind of order to the unruly spaces of the capital city. The Council also aimed to evangelise a model of city governance that shifts power away from the dense networks of representative political structures that exist in the city towards consensus-oriented, technocratic modes of assessing social needs and distributing resources. However, the programme struggled to attract audience participation in episodes framed in these ways and, in accepting that they needed to bring the show closer to the concerns of the listeners, the Council enabled the host and callers to 'Let's Be Responsible Citizens' to subvert the show's original intentions. Negotiations over the show's agenda provide a window on how debates about political accountability, legitimate authority and who has the responsibility to meet social needs play out in increasingly media-saturated societies.


Background and Objective: Toxoplasmosis is a common parasitic infection worldwide. The infection can be caused via consumption of contaminated meat and motherto-child (congenital) transmission, causing changes in central nervous system tissue, eye irritation and sometimes death. The human form of the disease is often asymptomatic and may be accompanied with general discomfort and swelling of the lymph nodes when associated with chorioretinitis. Acute infection in immunocompromised individuals could lead to mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of antiToxoplasma gondii antibodies in serum of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) referred to the MS Center in city of Ahvaz, southeastern Iran. Methods: Blood samples were taken from 100 patients with MS and 100 healthy control participants. After separating the serum, presence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies (IgG, IgM) was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Frequency of anti-Toxoplasma IgG was 38% and 21% in the patients and controls, respectively. Toxoplasma IgM antibodies were not detected in any of the study groups. Pearson correlation coefficient showed a significant association between Toxoplasma


The distribution of (elastic) lattice strains following plastic deformation of an aluminium alloy is examined using finite element simulations of aggregates with individually resolved crystals. The aggregates consist of face centred cubic crystals with initial orientations assigned by sampling the measured crystallographic texture. The simulations show that the lattice strains within the crystals are influenced by various microstructural features, material parameters and modelling assumptions. A hierarchy among these various effects is established, based on applications where low probability events are crucial, such as in fatigue or fracture problems. The simulation results are discussed in detail and compared with experimental data for the macroscopic stress, the lattice strains in the unloaded state and the associated uncertainties.


There is a wealth of research addressing falls aetiology in older persons. This may be framed within western world, ageing demographics and financial concerns that require evidence of effective bio-medical interventions (Kingston 2000). Drawing on older persons' falls narratives and building on a small body of work (see, for example, Horton and Arber 2004; Kingston 2000; McKee et al 1999; Yardley 2004), this paper highlights ways in which fallers view falls and calls for complementary, social and cultural analyses. In so doing, negative culturally and linguistically embedded notions of falling in relation to ageing, usefulness, personal control, autonomy, social embarrassment and social standing, may be challenged. In turn, the 'faller' may position him- or herself beyond connotations of 'loss of control' and decline (Horton and Arber 2004; McKee et al 1999). The falls narratives have been collected as part of an ongoing, multi-sited and multi-disciplinary Irish study Technologies for Independent Living (TRIL) that is addressing physical, cognitive and social consequences of ageing. Narrative data collection is part of an ethnography underpinning this large study.* This includes falls histories taken at the time of telephone recruitment by a clinical nurse manager and during a comprehensive medical assessment within a clinic setting and an audio recorded, qualitative interview in study participants' homes. Collection of falls narratives is ongoing and the following discussion is developed from the recruitment and medical falls history-taking of twenty TRIL participants and the qualitative interviews of eight further participants. Exploration of falls narratives offers insights into negative and pervasive associations between ageing and falling that can culturally inform clinicians' understanding of falls. The paper also reflects on how this understanding is being used to develop falls prevention technologies.


In this study, we present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the geometry, electronic structure, morphology, and photoluminescence properties of CaZrO3:Eu 3+ materials. The polymeric precursor method was employed to synthesize CaZrO3:Eu 3+ crystals, while density functional theory calculations were performed to determine the geometrical and electronic properties of CaZrO3:Eu 3+ in its ground and excited electronic states (singlet and triplet). These results were combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements to elucidate the local structural changes induced by the introduction of Eu in the crystal lattice. This process results in the formation of intermediate levels in the band-gap (Egap) region, narrowing its width. The PL emissions were rationalized by characterizing the electronic structure of excited singlet and triplet electronic states, which provided deep insight into the main structural and electronic fingerprints associated of [CaO8], [EuO8], and [ZrO6] clusters. In addition, the Wulff construction, obtained from the first-principles calculations, was used to clarify the experimental morphologies. These results extend our fundamental understanding of the atomic processes that underpin the Eu doping of CaZrO3.


The present research aims to examine the effect of teaching studying methods of reading and comprehension, note-taking and writing, and exam techniques and stress management with emphasis on cognitive and metacognitive strategies on academic achievement and motivation achievement among Iranian students with residency in Tajikistan. For this purpose, using empirical method and multi-group pre-test and post-test design, 80 students were considered in four groups (3 experimental groups and 1 control group). Response was given to Herman's achievement motivation questionnaire by the students at four groups and their Grade Point Average for previous year was registered, and the individuals in the experimental groups were trained during 10 sessions. After intervention, Herman's achievement motivation questionnaire was refilled by the students and their new Grade Point Average was registered. Ultimately, the research data were analyzed via Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results of statistical analyses indicated that training studying techniques of reading and comprehension, note-taking and writing, and exam techniques and stress management affect achievement motivation and academic achievement.


Tax limitations (TLs) represent a class of lawmaking that often pits voters against the incentives of their elected representatives. Thus, are voter backed TLs successful in changing state government fiscal behavior? Using agency theory, we discuss how TLs will likely be ineffective at their stated goals in the face of hostile legislative interests. We test the effectiveness of these measures through use of the Synthetic Control Method presented by Abadie, Diamond, and Hainmueller (2010), which allows us to analyze the passage of TLs in each state individually by comparing them to constructed counterfactuals that estimate what constant-level taxes would have been in each state had its TL never been passed. Using this approach, we show that these TLs are almost always ineffective at reducing taxes or expenditures. This result is consistent with recent studies that highlight the ineffectiveness of initiatives. We will argue that the ineffectiveness of TLs is also true generally, for the same reasons that initiatives are typically ineffective in that there is no means for the people to implement, oversee, or enforce the limits and legislatures will often be unwilling to enforce these limitations themselves.


A reissue of a classic that represents the culmination of over 40 years in Schoenberg's life devoted to the teaching of musical principles to students and composers in Europe and America. For his classes, he developed a manner of presentation in which "every technical matter is discussed in a very fundamental way, so that at the same time it is both simple and thorough". This book can be used for analysis as well as for composition. On the one hand, it has the practical objective of introducing students to the process of composing in a systematic way, from the smallest to the largest forms; on the other hand, the author analyzes in detail, with numerous illustrations, those particular sections in the works of the masters which relate to the compositional problem under discussion.


The law grants parents a great deal of leeway in their child-rearing decisions, including choices in the context of their children's internet use. But there is a harm about which many parents and state and federal governments are unaware: reputational harm. Children and teenagers' current internet use put them at risk of permanently harming their reputations, and there are no protective measures in place, whether educational or regulatory. They are posting personal information on the internet at an alarming rate mostly via social networking sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com without an awareness of the present and long-term consequences, such as the ease of dissemination and the enduring nature of internet content. The risk that children's present internet activity could irreparably harm their reputations in the future as they pursue higher education, professional careers, and even personal relationships, is sufficiently weighty that the government should step in as parens patriae to combat it and protect our children's long-term freedom. To ensure our children and teenagers have the opportunity to develop their identities without the internet prematurely creating it for them, we must develop narrow regulations bolstered by education-based initiatives to protect the young from long-term consequences of their immature speech. While our current parental rights and First Amendment jurisprudence addresses most of the concerns that we have about children and teenager's internet use, reputational harm requires special, more nuanced standards.


Multifunctional land use has become a widely supported pathway for Europe's countryside. Brussels and the national governments stimulate farmers to integrate primary production with non-agricultural practices from which they can also benefit. In favour of this development different stakeholders are encouraged to collaborate to produce the so-called farmer-managed public goods. This paper explores critical success factors for the production and maintenance of these public goods. In two Dutch case study regions we show a chronology of major events from 1975 leading to a shift from primary agricultural production towards a successful multifunctional land use. We evaluated which critical success factors crucial for managing public goods manifest themselves in our case study regions. Besides six critical success factors described in literature (Property rights, Asymmetric information, Administrative complexity, Governance, Time lags and Market structure) four other factors appear to be crucial in governing farmer-managed public goods: (1) establishing a system of rewards; (2) a mix of governance forms; (3) visionary leadership with networks in both the public and the private sectors and (4) time for new ideas to mature and to build commitment among the actors.


Abstract A multiyear simulation with a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM) is presented. The model consists of the UCLA global atmospheric GCM coupled to the GFDL oceanic GCM; the latter is dynamically active over the tropical Pacific, while climatological time-varying sea surface temperatures (SST) are prescribed elsewhere. The model successfully simulates the main climatological features associated with the seasonal cycle, including the east-west gradient in SST across the equatorial Pacific. The most apparent deficiencies include a systematic cold bias (∼2 K) across most of the tropical Pacific and underestimated wind stress magnitudes in the equatorial band. Multichannel singular spectrum analysis is used to describe the multivariate structure of the seasonal cycle at the equator in both the model and observed data. The annual harmonic in equatorial SST is primarily wind driven, while air-sea interaction strongly affects the semiannual harmonic.


Vertical measurements of ozone were made using a tethered balloon at the Linyuan site in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Ozone was monitored at altitudes of 0, 100, 300, 500, and 1000 m from November 23 to 25 in 2005. The potential temperature profiles revealed a stable atmosphere during the study period, largely because of the dominance of the high-pressure system and nocturnal radiation cooling close to the surface. The mixing height was low (50-300 m), particularly in the late night and early morning. The surface ozone concentrations that were predicted using TAPM (The Air Pollution Model) were high (33.7-119 ppbv) in the daytime (10:00-16:00) and were low (10-40 ppbv) at other times; the predictions of which were consistent with the observations. The simulated surface ozone concentrations reveal that costal lands typically had higher ozone concentrations than those inland, because most industrial parks are located in or close to the boundaries of Kaohsiung City. Both measurements and simulations indicate that daytime ozone concentrations decreased quickly with increasing height at altitudes below 300 m; while nighttime ozone concentrations were lower at low altitudes (50 to 300 m) than at higher altitudes, partly because of dry deposition and titration of surface ozone by the near-surface nitrogen oxides (NO(subscript x)) and partly because of the existence of the residual layer above the stable nocturnal boundary layer. The simulations show a good correlation between the maximum daytime surface ozone concentration and average nighttime ozone concentration above the nocturnal boundary layer.


Persistent CB1 cannabinoid receptor activity limits neurotransmitter release at various synapses throughout the brain. However, it is not fully understood how constitutively active CB1 receptors, tonic endocannabinoid signaling, and its regulation by multiple serine hydrolases contribute to the synapse-specific calibration of neurotransmitter release probability. To address this question at perisomatic and dendritic GABAergic synapses in the mouse hippocampus, we used a combination of paired whole-cell patch-clamp recording, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy super-resolution imaging, and immunogold electron microscopy. Unexpectedly, application of the CB1 antagonist and inverse agonist AM251 [N-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-4-methyl-N-1-piperidinyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide], but not the neutral antagonist NESS0327 [8-chloro-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-N-piperidin-1-yl-5,6-dihydro-4H-benzo[2,3]cyclohepta[2,4-b]pyrazole-3-carboxamine], significantly increased synaptic transmission between CB1-positive perisomatic interneurons and CA1 pyramidal neurons. JZL184 (4-nitrophenyl 4-[bis(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)(hydroxy)methyl]piperidine-1-carboxylate), a selective inhibitor of monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), the presynaptic degrading enzyme of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), elicited a robust increase in 2-AG levels and concomitantly decreased GABAergic transmission. In contrast, inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) by PF3845 (N-pyridin-3-yl-4-[[3-[5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-2-yl]oxyphenyl]methyl]piperidine-1-carboxamide) elevated endocannabinoid/endovanilloid anandamide levels but did not change GABAergic synaptic activity. However, FAAH inhibitors attenuated tonic 2-AG increase and also decreased its synaptic effects. This antagonistic interaction required the activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor TRPV1, which was concentrated on postsynaptic intracellular membrane cisternae at perisomatic GABAergic symmetrical synapses. Interestingly, neither AM251, JZL184, nor PF3845 affected CB1-positive dendritic interneuron synapses. Together, these findings are consistent with the possibility that constitutively active CB1 receptors substantially influence perisomatic GABA release probability and indicate that the synaptic effects of tonic 2-AG release are tightly controlled by presynaptic MGL activity and also by postsynaptic endovanilloid signaling and FAAH activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Tonic cannabinoid signaling plays a critical role in the regulation of synaptic transmission. However, the mechanistic details of how persistent CB1 cannabinoid receptor activity inhibits neurotransmitter release have remained elusive. Therefore, electrophysiological recordings, lipid measurements, and super-resolution imaging were combined to elucidate those signaling molecules and mechanisms that underlie tonic cannabinoid signaling. The findings indicate that constitutive CB1 activity has pivotal function in the tonic control of hippocampal GABA release. Moreover, the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is continuously generated postsynaptically, but its synaptic effect is regulated strictly by presynaptic monoacylglycerol lipase activity. Finally, anandamide signaling antagonizes tonic 2-AG signaling via activation of postsynaptic transient receptor potential vanilloid TRPV1 receptors. This unexpected mechanistic diversity may be necessary to fine-tune GABA release probability under various physiological and pathophysiological conditions.


Firms regularly use incentives to motivate their employees to be more productive. However, often little attention is paid to the language used in employment contracts to describe these incentives. It may be more effective to present incentives as entitlements that can be lost by failing to reach a performance target, rather than as additional rewards that can be gained by reaching that target. However, emphasizing the potential losses incurred as a result of failure may entail hidden costs for the employer, as it may damage the trust relationship between a firm and its employees.


Enteroviruses belong to the Picornaviridae family and are small icosahedral viruses with RNA genomes of positive polarity, containing a single open reading frame. They mostly cause mild or asymptomatic infections, but also a wide array of diseases including: poliomyelitis, encephalitis, gastroenteritis, aseptic meningitis, myocarditis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, hepatitis and respiratory diseases, ranging from severe infections to the common cold. The projects described in this thesis have been carried out through reverse genetic studies of Enterovirus B and Rhinovirus C. In Papers I and II, a cassette vector was used to study recombination and translation of the RNA genome. It was found that the non-structural coding region could replicate when combined with the structural protein-coding region of other viruses of the same species. Furthermore, the genome could be translated and replicated without the presence of the structural protein-coding region. Moreover, it was found that when two additional nucleotides were introduced, shifting the reading frame, the virus could revert to the original reading frame, restoring efficient replication. In Paper III, a vector containing the genome of echovirus 5 was altered to produce an authentic 5'end of the in vitro transcribed RNA, which increased efficiency of replication initiation 20 times. This result is important, as it may lead to more efficient oncolytic virotherapy. An authentic 5'end was further used in Paper IV, where replication of Rhinovirus C in cell lines was attempted. Although passaging of the virus was unsuccessful, the genome was replicated and cytopathic effect induced after transfection. The restriction of efficient replication was therefore hypothesized to lie in the attachment and entry stages of the replication cycle. In Paper V, a cytolytic virus was found to have almost 10 times larger impact on gene expression of the host cell than a non-cytolytic variant. Furthermore, the lytic virus was found to build up inside the host cell, while the non-cytolytic virus was efficiently released. As a whole, this thesis has contributed to a deeper understanding of replication of enteroviruses, which may prove important in development of novel vaccines, antiviral agents and oncolytic virotherapies.


Much of the published data on the lipid profiles of athletes are based on studies of endurance athletes. Data on female volleyball players are rare. The purpose of this study was thus to examine serum high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) subfractions in collegiate female volleyball players. Twenty-six female collegiate volleyball players were compared with 26 age- and body mass index-matched control subjects. Dietary information was obtained with a food frequency questionnaire. The subjects were all nonsmokers and were not taking any drug known to affect lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. The volleyball players showed significantly higher mean HDL2-C than the control group. There were no significant differences in HDL-C and HDL3-C between the 2 groups. The results indicate that favorable lipid and lipoprotein profiles could be obtained by vigorous volleyball training and significantly higher HDL2-C could be obtained without observing significant differences in HDL-C and HDL3-C.


This paper is based upon analysis of Go Well's wave 4 (2015) community survey which for the first time included a question on food bank use, and a follow-up question on reasons for non-use.

The paper provides the first known analysis of a self-reported measure of food bank use in the UK and details the scale of food bank use among residents of Glasgow's deprived neighbourhoods. Characteristics of food bank users and non-users are also reported, focusing on a number of variables including: socio-demographic variables; personal factors; health variables; and financial variables.


Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is the most commonly used pain and fever medication during pregnancy. Previously, a positive ecological correlation between acetaminophen use and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been reported but evidence from larger studies based on prospective data is lacking. We followed 64,322 children and mothers enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC; 1996–2002) for average 12.7 years to investigate whether acetaminophen use in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of ASD in the offspring. Information on acetaminophen use was collected prospectively from three computer‐assisted telephone interviews. We used records from the Danish hospital and psychiatric registries to identify diagnoses of ASD. At the end of follow up, 1,027 (1.6%) children were diagnosed with ASD, 345 (0.5%) with infantile autism. We found that 31% of ASD (26% of infantile autism) have also been diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorders. More than 50% women reported ever using acetaminophen in pregnancy. We used Cox proportional hazards model to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confident interval (CI). Prenatal use of acetaminophen was associated with an increased risk of ASD accompanied by hyperkinetic symptoms (HR = 1.51 95% CI 1.19–1.92), but not with other ASD cases (HR = 1.06 95% CI 0.92–1.24). Longer duration of use (i.e., use for >20 weeks in gestation) increased the risk of ASD or infantile autism with hyperkinetic symptoms almost twofold. Maternal use of acetaminophen in pregnancy was associated with ASD with hyperkinetic symptoms only, suggesting acetaminophen exposure early in fetal life may specifically impact this hyperactive behavioral phenotype. Autism Res 2016, 9: 951–958. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In recent years, New Historicists have situated the iconoclasm of Milton's poetry and prose within the context of political, cultural, and philosophical discourses that foreshadow early modernism. In Carnal Rhetoric , Lana Cable carries these investigations further by exploring the iconoclastic impulse in Milton's works through detailed analyses of his use of metaphor. Building on a provocative iconoclastic theory of metaphor, she breaks new ground in the area of affective stylistics, not only as it pertains to the writings of Milton but also to all expressive language.

Cable traces the development of Milton's iconoclastic poetics from its roots in the antiprelatical tracts, through the divorce tracts and Areopagitica , to its fullest dramatic representation in Eikonoklastes and Samson Agonistes . Arguing that, like every creative act, metaphor is by nature a radical and self-transgressing agent of change, she explores the site where metaphoric language and imaginative desire merge. Examining the demands Milton places on metaphor, particularly his emphasis on language as a vehicle for mortal redemption, Cable demonstrates the ways in which metaphor acts for him as that creative and radical agent of change. In the process, she reveals Milton's engagement, at the deepest levels of linguistic creativity, with the early modern commitment to an imaginative and historic remaking of the world.

An insightful and synthetic book, Carnal Rhetoric will appeal to scholars of English literature, Milton, and the Renaissance, as well as to those with an interest in the theory of affective stylistics as it pertains to reader-response criticism, semantics, epistemology, and the philosophy and psychology of language.


Vadose zone soil moisture and groundwater recharge in forested ecosystems can be influenced by canopy architecture and root systems. Spatial distributions of surface rainfall and tree roots were observed at the canopy and intercanopy areas in a coastal sand dune forest of subtropical Australia. We further explored the effects of these vegetation‐associated spatial patterns on the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil moisture and deep drainage in this system using calibrated HYDRUS models. Simulated soil moisture and deep drainage were found higher at the intercanopy area than the canopy area due to the reinforced effects of rainfall interception and root water uptake. Spatial analysis of deep drainage at various locations across the canopy–intercanopy transect resulted in an average deep drainage of 1347 mm yr−1 (65% of annual gross rainfall), with 68% of total deep drainage occurring at the intercanopy area. The scenario analyses indicate that the spatial variability of rainfall at the soil surface is not important for the larger scale groundwater balance in our coastal sand dune forest. However, deep drainage was underestimated by 130 to 162 mm (9.7–12.0% drop compared with baseline scenario) as a consequence of uniform representation of heterogeneous root systems in one‐ or axisymmetric three‐dimensional HYDRUS models. Our HYDRUS simulations indicated that translating the hydrological effects of the two‐dimensional tree structure (rainfall redistribution and heterogeneous roots) to a one‐dimensional lumped vertical conceptualization in coastal sand dune forests needs to be undertaken with caution.


This work finds for the first time an almost continuous trend, as of the mid-1990s, in which the income gap between households of the two major ethnic groups in Israel (European/American versus Asian/African descent) has been reduced. In 2011 the net income gap was 27 percent, whereas in the mid-1990s it was around 40 percent. Paradoxically, it seems that increased inequality between educated individuals and uneducated individuals accounts for the economic rise of those of Asian/African descent. The increase in return on higher education has promoted less-educated people (of Asian/African descent) to increase their investment in education. This hypothesis is in line with the rise of education levels among those of Asian/African descent, which was faster than the rise among native Israelis of European/American descent. This work also reveals a significant improvement in representation of the Asian/African ethnic group in the past three decades. This improvement is manifest in a sharp decline in the proportion of households of Asian/African descent in the two bottom deciles, as well as a significant rise in their representation in the upper deciles. In the last two years of the studied period, the share of the Asian/African ethnic group in the upper decile was for the first time proportional to its share in the general population. Furthermore, this study shows that the wage gap between employees of both ethnic groups is larger than expected as per the measured differences in education level. The continent of origin can explain approximately 10 percent of the wage gap among men and 5 percent among women. However, these two estimates have fluctuated greatly over the years.


In Stop the Beach Renourishment v. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a Supreme Court plurality asserted that takings liability could arise from judicial acts, as well as from state or local legislation and executive agency decisions. The Plurality's rationale supporting "judicial takings" was that the Just Compensation Clause of the Fifth Amendment applies to State acts, not to particular State actors. This article starts by reviewing the doctrinal bases for the Stop the Beach plurality opinion. It provides prudential reasons why rulings affecting property rights might be legitimate under state law, but nevertheless constitute compensable takings under the federal constitution. It then analyzes the implications of the "state acts and not state actors" doctrine to existing regulatory takings law. Viewed through the lens of "state acts," the rationales of the Supreme Court's Williamson County "state litigation" prong and its Dolan "legislative vs. adjudicative" bifurcation are undermined. Similarly, takings distinctions pertaining to whether small-scale rezonings are "legislative" or "quasi-judicial" acts are drawn into question.


Some philosophers believe that two objects of value can be 'roughly equal', or 'on a par', or belong to the same 'clump' of value in a sense that is fundamentally different from that in which some objects are 'better than', 'worse than', or 'equally as good as' others. This article shows that if two objects are on a par, or belong to the same clump, then an agent accepting a few plausible premises can be exploited in a money-pump. The central premise of the argument is that value is choice-guiding. If one object is more valuable than another, then it is not permitted to choose the less valuable object; and if two objects are equally valuable it is permitted to choose either of them; and if two objects are on a par or belong to the same clump it is also permitted to choose either of them.


The argument of "Breakout Nations" is that the astonishingly rapid growth over the last decade of the world's celebrated emerging markets is coming to an end. The era of easy money and easy growth is over. China, in particular, will soon slow, but its place will not necessarily be taken by Brazil, Russia or India, all of which Ruchir Sharma shows how weaknesses and difficulties often overlooked in the inflated expectations and emerging markets mania of the past decade. To identify the economic stars of the future, he says, we should abandon the habit of simply extrapolating from general global trends and look at emerging markets individually. The new 'breakout nations' will probably spring from the margins - even from the shadows. Sharma identifies which they are most likely to be, and why. Sharma, head of one of the world's leading emerging market funds, has spent two decades travelling the globe to find out what is happening on the ground in developing countries. With this first-hand knowledge, he takes his readers on a tour of two dozen of the world's most interesting economies, introducing the critical players and describing and analyzing the forces - many unique to each nation - which will make the successes and flops of the future. The book is full of surprises: why the current mania for oil echoes the dotcom mania of 2000; how an industrial revolution in Asia is redefining what manufacturing can do for a modern economy; how the coming shakeout in the big emerging markets could shift the spotlight back to the west, especially American technology and German manufacturing; why the next two trillion-dollar economies will be big Moslem democracies. It contains warnings about command economies (some work, but many fail too), shows that the EU is producing model economies as well as basket cases, and suggests what we can learn from the $24 price of cocktails in Rio. Even Vladimir Putin's dog makes an appearance.


We have developed a VLSI curriculum based on personal computers that can be used at teaching institutions and corporations alike. The curriculum consists of three courses: a capstone VLSI course, an analog design course, and an advanced digital design synthesis course. No workstations are necessary, laboratories may be given without teaching assistants, and the entire system can be used with minimal required infrastructure suppori. Emphasis of the teaching curriculum is on design methodology and practicable applications.


Sugarcane area is currently expanding in Brazil, largely in response to domestic and international demand for sugar‐based ethanol. To investigate the potential hydroclimatic impacts of future expansion, a regional climate model is used to simulate 5 years of a scenario in which cerrado and cropland areas (~1.1E6 km2) within south‐central Brazil are converted to sugarcane. Results indicate a cooling of up to ~1.0°C during the peak of the growing season, mainly as a result of increased albedo of sugarcane relative to the previous landscape. After harvest, warming of similar magnitude occurs from a significant decline in evapotranspiration and a repartitioning toward greater sensible heating. Overall, annual temperature changes from large‐scale conversion are expected to be small because of offsetting reductions in net radiation absorption and evapotranspiration. The decline in net water flux from land to the atmosphere implies a reduction in regional precipitation, which is consistent with progressively decreasing simulated average rainfall for the study period, upon conversion to sugarcane. However, rainfall changes were not robust across three ensemble members. The results suggest that sugarcane expansion will not drastically alter the regional energy or water balance, but could result in important local and seasonal effects.


Various concepts, models, and theoretical frameworks have guided the extensive literature that addresses natural resource management and the use and conservation of these resources as well as the diverse governance modes that are in use to steer resource use and management. These approaches have directed attention to different dimensions of governance and human-environment interactions. A brief summary of this literature is presented here, structured around the main themes that feature predominantly in the existing literature.


This paper highlights the technical, yet practical planning process and operations research methodologies used by the country's largest containership company to guide 21st Century container terminal investment decisions. This comprehensive process was used to plan the expansion and/or reconstruction of existing port facilities and the construction of new 'state-of-the-art' facilities in key worldwide ports. The resulting plans, when fully implemented, effectuated a return to higher corporate profits. Through sound planning, the corporation benefitted from marked improvements in marine production and cargo receipt/delivery operations; from better definition, justification and reduction of outlays for capital projects; from the elimination of many of the operational differences between and among port facilities; from facilitating the design of new or existing facilities to achieve the most functionally efficient operations; and from optimizing the utilization of all assets and resources. The 10 elements of the planning process are discussed as they were applied to define a major new 21st century hub terminal with a projected throughput in excess of 400,000 containers per year.


Despite significant strides in reducing poverty during recent decades, there are still about 1.2 billion extremely poor people in the world. In addition, about 870 million people are undernourished, and about 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiency. About 70 percent of the world's poor people live in rural areas, and many have some dependency on agriculture. Over time, however, there has been progress in reducing the total number of undernourished people and in reducing the number of poor people in Asia and in Latin America. Did agricultural performance help bring down the poverty and hunger rates? There is evidence that agricultural growth has a high poverty reduction payoff. Higher agricultural productivity growth underpinned early development in Japan, the United States, and Western Europe, and later in China, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. Analysis by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank, and IFPRI shows that there is a clear correlation between the developing countries with the largest reduction in poverty rates and incidence of undernourishment and those with the most rapid agricultural growth. For example, a 1 percent per annum increase in agricultural growth, on average, leads to a 2.7 percent increase in the income of people in the lowest three income deciles in developing countries. Investment in agriculture is 2.5 to 3.0 times more effective in increasing the income of the poor than is nonagricultural investment. And agricultural growth, as opposed to growth in general, is typically the primary source of poverty reduction. The contrary is also true: a decline in agricultural growth throws many poor people into poverty. This explains some of the increase in poverty and hunger in developing countries during 2008 and 2010, when food prices increased worldwide.


With growing affective polarization in the United States, partisanship is increasingly an impediment to cooperation in political settings. But does partisanship also affect behavior in nonpolitical settings? We show evidence that it does, demonstrating its effect on economic outcomes across a range of experiments in real-world environments. A field experiment in an online labor market indicates that workers request systematically lower reservation wages when the employer shares their political stance, reflecting a preference to work for co-partisans. We conduct two field experiments with consumers and find a preference for dealing with co-partisans, especially among those with strong partisan attachments. Finally, via a population-based, incentivized survey experiment, we find that the influence of political considerations on economic choices extends also to weaker partisans. Whereas earlier studies show the political consequences of polarization in American politics, our findings suggest that partisanship spills over beyond the political, shaping cooperation in everyday economic behavior.


Objectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of advanced medical priority dispatch system (AMPDS) software used to dispatch public access defibrillation first responders to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). Design: All true OHCA events in North and West Belfast in 2004 were prospectively collated. This was achieved by a comprehensive search of all manually completed Patient Report Forms compiled by paramedics, together with autopsy reports, death certificates and medical records. The dispatch coding of all emergency calls by AMPDS software was also obtained for the same time period and region, and a comparison was made between these two datasets. Setting: A single urban ambulance control centre in Northern Ireland. Population: All 238 individuals with a presumed or actual OHCA in the North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust population of 138 591 (2001 Census), as defined by the Utstein Criteria. Main outcome measures: The accurate dispatch of an emergency ambulance to a true OHCA. Results: The sensitivity of the dispatch mechanism for detecting OHCA was 68.9% (115/167, 95% confidence interval (CI) 61.3% to 75.8%). However, the sensitivity for arrests with ventricular fibrillation (VF) was 44.4% (12/27) with sensitivity for witnessed VF of 47.1% (8/17). The positive predictive value was 63.5% (115/181, 95% CI 56.1% to 70.6%). Conclusions: The sensitivity of this dispatch process for cardiac arrest is moderate and will constrain the effectiveness of Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) schemes which utilise it. Trial registration: controlled-trials.com ISRCTN 07286796.


A widespread Mesobuthus caucasicus complex, which includes some of the most common scorpions found from the Caucasus to China, is revised for the first time based on new extensive collections from Central Asia, using both morphological and DNA marker data. Mesobuthus caucasicus (Nordmann, 1840), s.str. is restricted to the Caucasus Mts. Four taxa are elevated to species rank: M. fuscus (Birula, 1897) (Tajikistan), M. intermedius (Birula, 1897) (Tajikistan), M. kaznakovi (Birula, 1904) (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), and M. parthorum (Pocock, 1889) (Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan). Six new species are described: M. brutus sp. n. (Iran), M. elenae sp. n. (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), M. gorelovi sp. n. (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), M. kreuzbergi sp. n. (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), M. mischi sp. n. (Afghanistan), and M. nenilini sp. n. (Uzbekistan). The most common species in Central Asia is a psammophilic Mesobuthus gorelovi sp. n., widespread through lowland sand deserts across Turkmenistan (Karakum), Uzbekistan (Kizylkum), and Kazakhstan (north to Baigakum and Moyinkum). A key to all studied species is provided. A DNA phylogeny based on COI and 16S rRNA markers is presented including nine Central Asian species (M. elenae sp. n., M. fuscus, M. gorelovi sp. n., M. intermedius, M. kaznakovi, M. kreuzbergi sp. n., M. mischi sp. n., M. nenilini sp. n., and M. parthorum) and M. caucasicus from Turkey. A deep phylogenetic diversity across Central Asia is revealed. Historical biogeographic scenarios for this scorpion group are discussed, including fragmentation in mountain valleys and expansion across sand deserts in Central Asia. The monotypic scorpion genus Afghanobuthus Lourenco, 2005 and its single species A. naumanni Lourenco, 2005, from Afghanistan, are demonstrated to be junior synonyms, respectively, of Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950, and M. parthorum (Pocock, 1889) from the same area.


We demonstrate a uniquely designed microfluid logic gate with universal functionality, which is capable of conducting all 16 logic operations in one chip, with different input voltage combinations. A kind of smart colloid, giant electrorheological (GER) fluid, functions as the translation media among fluidic, electronic and mechanic information, providing us with the capability of performing large integrations either on-chip or off-chip, while the on-chip hybrid circuit is formed by the interconnection of the electric components and fluidic channels, where the individual microdroplets travelling in a channel represents a bit. The universal logic gate reveals the possibilities of achieving a large-scale microfluidic processor with more complexity for on-chip processing for biological, chemical as well as computational experiments.


This report describes a set of scientific procedures used to assess the impact of foods and food ingredients on the expression of appetite (psychological and behavioural). An overarching priority has been to enable potential evaluators of health claims about foods to identify justified claims and to exclude claims that are not supported by scientific evidence for the effect cited. This priority follows precisely from the principles set down in the PASSCLAIM report. The report allows the evaluation of the strength of health claims, about the effects of foods on appetite, which can be sustained on the basis of the commonly used scientific designs and experimental procedures. The report includes different designs for assessing effects on satiation as opposed to satiety, detailed coverage of the extent to which a change in hunger can stand alone as a measure of appetite control and an extensive discussion of the statistical procedures appropriate for handling data in this field of research. Because research in this area is continually evolving, new improved methodologies may emerge over time and will need to be incorporated into the framework. One main objective of the report has been to produce guidance on good practice in carrying out appetite research, and not to set down a series of commandments that must be followed.


With 1,033,513 Syrian refugees adding a strain on the Lebanese healthcare system, innovation is key to improving access to healthcare. Our previous work identified the potential for technology to improve access to antenatal care services and increase refugee agency. Using (1) paper mock ups and a mobile based prototype, (2) process mapping, (3) focus groups and interviews and (4) key informant meetings, we explored the concept of refugee led community radio shows to deliver peer-led healthcare. We observed the influence of community radio shows on Syrian refugee health education, community dynamics and community agency in relationships between healthcare providers and refugees. Refugees were positively impacted through situating the technology within the community. We highlight issues around trust, agency, understanding, self-organization and privacy that resulted from running the shows through mock ups and a mobile based prototype. Our findings inform future work in community run radio shows.


Analyzing economic development potential and activities in a region requires identifying factors essential for a successful strategy and analyzing the locale in terms of its resources and relative position within a broader economic environment. In order to examine Krakow's opportunities and steps already taken, it is necessary to analyze the region's strengths and weaknesses and relate the findings to academic theories on high technology's role in economic development and then evaluate the results in the context of Poland.The Krakow Region, located in southern Poland, prides itself as a dynamically developing center of advanced technologies and unmatched business climate. High technology, or high-tech economic development, has been incorporated into regional plans and strategies as most promising component of the region's development. Hence, this paper's intention is to look at the process of economic development based on high technology and compare the theoretic findings with the reality and practice of the Region of Krakow. The analysis presented in this paper identifies the region's strengths and weaknesses. It is found that despite the academic potential and multiple efforts to stimulate economic development based on advanced technologies, Krakow faces considerable challenges. These are the leadership of Warsaw, weak relationships between business and science and, consequently, insufficient application of research outcomes to economic practice. Recommendations to overcome these threats and weaknesses are presented in the final section.


Measurement of the radiation properties of low gain antennas at VHF frequency is in many cases a challenging task. Measurements performed in shielded anechoic chambers are usually preferred to outdoor ranges because they are not subject to the electromagnetic pollution and less affected by the scattering of the environment. However, different source of errors, such as truncation of the scanning surface and the presence of echoes caused by a poor reflectivity of the anechoic chamber, could affect the measurement results. In such cases, advanced post-processing techniques must be involved. In this paper, the results of two Engineering Models of a low gain VHF space antenna are reported. The first one has been tested in a multi-probe automotive hemispherical range and applying an advanced processing, in order to mitigate the truncation errors. The second has been measured in a spherical multi-probe system with smaller truncated area applying the standard data processing.


Optical pulse generation and compression have been numerically studied in anomalous dispersion decreasing fibers. We show that evolution of modulation instability (MI) observed with chirped wave packets in tapered fibers produces the mechanism for generation of ultrashort pulses with high repetition rates. The role of MI and Raman self-scattering has been also discussed. The simulations show that pulse chirping enhances self-Raman scattering at early stages of pulse propagation and improves compression of the generated pulses. It is also shown that the presence of amplitude and frequency modulation of the seed wave provide essential impact on the pulse train formation. The new method for increasing the pulse train repetition rate through frequency modulation of the seed wave has been proposed.


This article examines the case of Syrian refugees as seasonal migrant workers in Turkey and critically discusses the working and living conditions fostering their relative vulnerability compared to other workers. Syrian refugees are subject to discriminatory practices in terms of lower wages, longer working hours and improper sheltering conditions. This article explores how unequal power relations between ethnically different groups of workers in the agricultural sector are (re)constructed and the consequences of the emergence of Syrian refugees as a novel class. The essential aim of this study is to unravel the process and practice of ethnically hierarchized agricultural labour market after the entrance of refugees. To that effect, the empirical data was gathered through the ethnographic fieldwork (based on semi-structured interviews and participant observation) carried out in Manisa in August of 2013 and 2014 and in Adana-Mersin in September 2013 and February 2015. This study looks into the ways in which actors on farms (workers, labour intermediaries, land owners, village dwellers and state representatives) have responded to the current situation with regard to three controversial subjects: migrant employment, legal framework and the politics on Syrian refugees. It is argued that externalization of labour force realizes through creating new layers, which necessitates the construction of new ethnic categories such as Syrian refugees.


The traditional view that landfill waste is a long-term pollutant problem has been investigated as part of an evaluation of the properties of mature municipal solid waste (MSW) (>30 years old). This evaluation has shown that following the active biological period, the nature of the landfill waste mass has evolved from a pollutant source into a pollutant sink. The distribution coefficients (Log Rd) between the solution and the solid for Cd and Zn are in the order of Log 2.4 and maximum values of up to Log Rd 3.3 are reported here. This demonstrates strong net partitioning to the solid phase from the aqueous phase, over and above that retained as part of the primary landfill source material. The sorption characteristics appear to be due to an almost unique formation of a soil-like substance with significant calcium carbonate and stable organic matter content, interspaced with non-degradable material. Although sulphide minerals were not identified directly from the waste samples characterized, their presence is suspected from the methanogenic conditions the waste was subjected to during the biologically active lifetime of the site. The resultant sorption capacity appears to be related to the residual biological mineral formation that provides both pH buffering and available adsorption surfaces. This pH buffering capacity also appears to compensate for any secondary release of metals from sulphide oxidation under aerobic conditions driving the re-adsorption to other mineral surfaces. This detailed evaluation has shown that the long-term evolution of the site and subsequent reactions are a function of the biological processes that the waste was exposed to. The controlling factors for long-term pollutant release are therefore related to the substantial primary organic content degraded.


The 'LIGHTVAN' research aims to optimize the lighting design for healthy schools and modern senior housing and care homes with regards to the use of light as a cheap and important source of energy. A multi-functional mobile light laboratory was built into a delivery van, the LIGHTVAN. This LIGHTVAN has two clear aims: With this mobile light laboratory we can travel to the living environment of specific groups of people, such as children and seniors, so that they may be subject to specific age-dependent light studies. In this moving laboratory measurement equipment is present for this purpose and a table and chairs for the various subjects. Testing of luminance and color contrasts are possible, as well as the testing of "light and shadow" patterns. Even small eye tests can be performed. In addition, the rear side of the delivery van is adapted so that with opened doors all kinds of innovative facades can be tested. The LIGHTVAN travel to different locations to be accommodated and be positioned towards various sun directions. Several passe-partouts are available for building physics measurements of different facades sizes in order to allow test-subjects to indicate their preferences for specific facades in terms of comfort.


There have been numerous studies of lymphoma incidence in patient populations having diseases or taking medications that result in altered immunity. While many of these have uncovered substantially elevated risks, little has been done to use these observations to gain insights into the mechanisms of lymphomagenesis. Speculation about mechanism has centered on either immunosuppression or immunostimulation. The patterns of risk among kidney transplant recipients (higher risks for those receiving cadaveric grafts, having multiple transplants, or having received transplants in the earlier years of transplantation) favor the immunostimulation hypothesis. Likewise, the higher lymphoma risk associated with indices of increasing severity of disease among patients with sicca syndrome also support the role of immunostimulation over that of immunosuppression. However, an ordering of many of the more extensively studied conditions with altered immunity on the basis of the relative risk of lymphoma associated with these conditions reveals a pattern of risk which is not completely consistent with the level of either immune suppression or immune stimulation. Perhaps we have reached a point where epidemiologists working with laboratory and clinical immunologists can discern a more sophisticated underlying mechanism than the crude concepts of immunosuppression or immunostimulation that would explain the markedly differing lymphoma risks seen in various groups with marked immune abnormalities. If so, markers of more subtle alterations in this mechanism might be profitably explored for their role in lymphoma in general and as a tool to define the environmental causes of the epidemic increases.