We describe a tiny new frog species of the genus Platypelis (Anura: Microhylidae: Cophylinae) from Marojejy National Park, northeastern Madagascar. Platypelis ravus sp. nov. differs from all other known Platypelis and Cophyla species by its small size (17-19 mm snout-vent length) and a combination of other morphological and bioacoustic characters. The new species seems to be most closely related to P. milloti with which it shares the principal colour pattern, but exhibits a yellow rather than red posterior venter. Uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence in a 16S rRNA gene fragment to all other known species of the genus (except P. cowanii for which no genetic data is available) is greater than 6%. We suggest the inclusion of the new species in the IUCN threat category "Data Deficient".


A functional material (Bt-MCCs) for the simultaneous adsorption of trivalent and hexavalent chromium has been synthesized by modification of natural bentonite with cetyl trimethylamoniumromide and chitosan. This functional material was characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red, SEM and X-Ray Diffraction spectroscopy, while the evaluation of adsorption performance against Cr species was evaluated by batch method. The results obtained show that the adsorption of Cr species was influenced by pH, contact time, and initial concentration of Cr species. Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to evaluate the adsorption isotherm, and the adsorption kinetics was studied with pseudo-first and pseudo-second order kinetics models. The experimental data showed that the adsorption of chromium species followed well the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms model, with adsorption capacity of 16.89 and 15.38 (mg/g) for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) respectively. The adsorption kinetics of chromium species by Bt-MCCs is best illustrated by the pseudo-second order kinetics model with the rate constants 0.0232 and 0.0024 (g.mg -1 .min -1 ) for Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Bentonite modification with cetyl trimethylamonium bromide and chitosan provides adsorption capacity for Cr species much better than unmodified bentonite and capable for adsorbing both Cr species simultaneously from aqueous solutions.


Abstract Although food and wine are beginning to be acknowledged as an important dimension of the tourist industry, very little research has been conducted into the nature or the role of restaurant experiences in adding to the tourist product. This research investigates the contribution restaurants make to a tourist destination's image. Twenty-two senior personnel from food-related tourist, hospitality and journalism fields were sought across Australia for the purposes of this study. Semi-structured telephone interviews were undertaken in order to gather timely and in-depth information on the topic. Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed six major categories. Results illustrated the growing popularity of regional produce in restaurants; the increased emphasis by tourist authorities on restaurants and food as an attractive element of the tourist product; and the worldwide recognition of Australia as an emerging gastronomic destination. These findings demonstrate the need for more research into consumer segments and the need for successful collaboration between the related food and wine industries. Keywords: Restaurants, Tourism, Australia Introduction Restaurants are a critical part of the tourism mix for destinations. They can enhance the image of a destination, they are a necessary support service, they create jobs and they can also create demand for foods produced in regions. Like any tourist destination, restaurants are important to Australia's tourist industry. The restaurant industry in Australia had just over 19 500 establishments as at September 1997 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998). The industry has continued to grow in the 1990s, with tourist destinations such as the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia reflecting a strong growth pattern increasing from 386 restaurants in 1994 to 596 restaurants in 1997 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998). With Australia's restaurant industry developing into an eclectic combination of Asian, French, Greek, Italian and `fusion' restaurants (Sparks, Tomljenovic, Collie and Morey 1998), the restaurant sector not only mirrors Australia's history but also evidences an exciting development of interest by consumers in visiting a destination for culinary experiences. Besides being one of the support components of a tourist destination, food and wine can also be a reason for coming to a destination. Instead of serving tourists that come to a destination, restaurants can create demand. `During the 1990's food and wine tourism has emerged as a growth market in the portfolio of Australian lifestyle tourist products. A growing consumer interest in food and wine generally, and particularly in unique regional cuisine, has given rise to a number of opportunities for industry, operators in the food, wine and tourist sectors to join forces to consider becoming involved in this specialist tourist market' (Fontane 2000, p.4). Certain Australian destinations are making a name for themselves on the world market as culinary destinations. For example, Sydney has been voted most favoured city to visit by Conde Nast Traveller magazine subscribers for the past five years (Wallace 1999). In 1999, subscribers gave Sydney's restaurants a rating of 80.5 out of 100. A leading newspaper in the United States also featured Sydney as one of the world's leading gastronomic food destinations, alongside London, Paris and New York (Apple 1999). Similarly, Melbourne and Adelaide have long-standing reputations of high-style dining experiences and these cities are being featured in overseas press as well (see e.g. Santich 1996). However, restaurants are not the only attraction for consumers interested in a culinary experience. Australian wines have earned global respect and Apple (1998) believes Australian cheeses are beginning to do the same. It is not only consumers who are becoming increasingly interested in cuisine. …


Dance as a communicative art form has diverse meanings, functions and interpretations depending on how it is used and its essence wherever it exists. This paper examines the sociocommunicative essence of dance movements of funeral undertakers (Apams) towards interpreting what gave rise to such creative choreographic act and its intended functions. Objectively, it is clear that dance is an indispensible art form in most occasions in Nigeria and beyond. But its sociological implications are based on the societal values of the deceased, the economic status of the deceased's family and the societal assessments of the deceased's deeds, all these are what this paper sets out to resolve . In order to understand the societal perception of 'Apams Undertakers', content analysis was used as a research methodology to examine the implications of the 'Apams Undertakers' dance form, context and style during funerals. It could be established that the communicative essence of dance has made dance a sociocommercial venture in the sense that it is used during various occasions especially in funerals to showcase aesthetics instead of arousing empathy. It also increases the 'smiling to the bank' syndrome of those who use dance as a commercial tool in 'Apams Undertakers'.  However, although the level of artistic aesthetics in 'Apams Undertakers' dance is commendable, their services should be made to accommodate the poor. Nevertheless, the deceased can still be buried curried peacefully without unnecessary waste of resources during funerals. Conclusively, through interpretative and communicative values of the various dance movements by Apams Undertakers during funerals, people understand the social status of the person being buried (the deceased)


Abstract Objective. The information concerning the morbidity and mortality of hereditary hemochromatosis is based primarily on clinical cohorts of symptomatic patients. The major aim of this study was to analyze the long-term prognosis for Swedish patients with this condition, with respect to both clinical features and survival, in relation to the route by which the disease was detected. Patients and methods. 373 patients with hemochromatosis detected through routine health check-ups (n = 153), family screening (n = 44), symptoms of arthralgia (n = 23), investigation of other diseases/symptoms (n = 108) or signs of liver disease (n = 45) were monitored for a mean period of 11.9 ± 5.8 years. The degree of liver fibrosis and survival were analyzed. Results. Overall survival among these patients was not significantly different from that of a matched normal population. The patients diagnosed through health check-ups and family screening were detected at an earlier age and had the highest rate of survival. Liver biopsy at the time of diagnosis revealed cirrhosis in 9% of those detected through the health check-ups and 5% in the case of family screening, compared with 13% for the group with arthralgia, 17% for other diseases/symptoms and 42% for liver disease. Conclusion. Health check-ups and family screening allow detection of hereditary hemochromatosis at an earlier age and with less advanced liver fibrosis, although a few of these patients have already developed cirrhosis. Our study indicates that iron indices should be included in health check-ups, and if abnormal, should lead to further investigation.


Inexpensive, simple, rapid
diagnostics are necessary for efficient detection, treatment and mitigation of
COVID‑19. Currently, the primary diagnostic tool being utilized is reverse
transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RT-PCR delivers results with
good sensitivity and excellent specificity, but is expensive, prone to access
challenges and is often slowed by transport to centralized testing laboratories.
Antigen-based assays are inexpensive and can be rapidly mass-produced and
deployed, with lateral flow assays (LFAs) being the most common inexpensive
antigen test. To date, few antigen-detecting LFAs for COVID-19 have been commercialized.
Herein, we present an open source LFA using commercially available antibodies
and materials for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Using an optical reader with
comparable sensitivity to a visual read, the LFA yielded a Limit of Detection (LOD)
of 23 TCID50/mL (95% CI of 9.1 to 37 TCID50/mL),
equivalent to 1.4x105 copies/mL (95% CI of 5.5x104 to 2.3x105 copies/mL)
irradiated virus in pooled nasal matrix. This LOD meets the criteria suggested
by WHO for diagnosis of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in a point of care format. A
clinical evaluation and further testing is ongoing.


Abstract. Solar absorption spectroscopy in the near infrared has been performed in Ny-Alesund (78.9° N, 11.9° E) since 2002; however, due to the high latitude of the site, the sun is below the horizon from October to March (polar night) and no solar absorption measurements are possible. Here we present a novel method of retrieving the total column dry-air mole fractions (DMFs) of CO2 and CH4 using moonlight in winter. Measurements have been taken during the polar nights from 2012 to 2016 and are validated with TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network) measurements by solar and lunar absorption measurements on consecutive days and nights during spring and autumn. The complete seasonal cycle of the DMFs of CO2 and CH4 is presented and a precision of up to 0.5 % is achieved. A comparison of solar and lunar measurements on consecutive days during day and night in March 2013 yields non-significant biases of 0. 66 ± 4. 56 ppm for xCO2 and −1. 94 ± 20. 63 ppb for xCH4. Additionally a model comparison has been performed with data from various reanalysis models.


'It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met...' Moonlight, sake, spring blossom, idle moments, a woman's hair - these exquisite reflections on life's fleeting pleasures by a thirteenth-century Japanese monk are delicately attuned to nature and the senses. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Yoshida Kenko (c. 1283-1352). Kenko's work is included in Penguin Classics in Essays in Idleness and Hojoki.


The objective of this research is to study the dividend policy in the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) in lights of its magnitudes, strategy and stability. The magnitudes will be measured using simple descriptive statistic over 11 years (1992 – 2002) for each sector therein. Meanwhile a dividend payment strategy in conjunction with company's earnings will be measured using multinomial logistic model. Finally the stability will be measured using Lintner Model (1956), utilizing panel data techniques. The result shows that over the observation periods, sector that pays dividend most out of its earnings is Consumption Goods Industry. On the other hand, sector that pays dividend less out of its earnings is Property and Real Estate. On the strategy side, the result on multinomial logistic model shows that when there is an increase in earnings, decrease in earnings, and negative earnings, most of the firms in JSX will follow the strategy of increasing, decreasing, and omitting dividends, respectively. Finally, using panel data on Lintner Model, firms in JSX generally follow unstable dividend policy, meaning that when there is a change in earnings, it will be immediately followed by a change in dividend payment. This results confirmed previous studies which conclude that firms in developing countries tend to follow an unstable dividend policy, while those in a well developed countries choose a stable dividend policy.


Off-line testing of large multiprocessor networks or VLSI chips with many outputs requires a large volume of memory for reference data storage. Space compaction combined with time compression of test responses can essentially reduce an overhead required for testing and diagnosis. In this paper, we discuss the problem of optimal design for space compressors (compactors), to minimize the number of observation points for detection of single faulty components in multiprocessor networks. A space compactor is assumed to be followed by a time compressor, to detect a fault not necessarily manifesting itself for a single test pattern. We formulate the rules of design for a space compaction matrix for the topology of the circuit-under-test (CUT) modeled by an arbitrary acyclic graph. Tree arrays and Fourier transform networks are considered as examples. The lower and upper bounds on the number of space compactor outputs are obtained, and optimal space compaction matrices are determined for above mentioned CUT topologies. Simple procedures for design of off-line testing devices with built-in self-testing are presented. Estimations on a complexity of proposed designs are given. >


AIM
To examine the impact of an individual resource factor (psychological capital) and an organizational resource (management support) on nurses' intentions to quit.

BACKGROUND
Nursing work can be stressful and as a consequence, nurses suffer greater stress and stress-related sickness, including depression, than the general population. Stress can be mitigated in the workplace depending on the availability of resources in the workplace. Resources can come from the organization or the individual themselves.

DESIGN
The study is quantitative using a cross-sectional design.

METHODS
The study analysed data from 242 nurses working in five Australian hospitals in the one regional network during 2013.

FINDINGS
The predictors explained almost half of the variance of nurses' intent to quit. Psychological capital had the dual benefits of reducing nurses' perceptions of psychological distress and simultaneously increasing their job satisfaction.

CONCLUSION
Psychological capital is an example of the personal resources a nurse brings to work. Nurse managers can now understand the impact of a new form of protective resources that influence the levels of strain felt by nurses. If nurses present with low psychological capital, then up-skilling nurses with these personal attributes will positively impact on their health and well-being and, in turn, enhance the care of patients.


Water scarcity has become a global crisis and an economic burden. Environmental challenges in climate change, population growth, and urbanization have raised serious concerns for safe drinking water, food security, social stability, and public health. Current physicochemical purification techniques are costly, chemically-invasive, or ineffective. The aim of this study was to engineer an eco-friendly and cost-effective water purification system using an ex-situ bioremediation approach. The main objective was to use limestone, denitrifying bacteria, and sulfate-reducing bacteria present in the soil as natural resources. Organic compost was added as a carbon source to enhance activities of intrinsic soil bacteria. All samples were collected from mining and industrial sites in Eastern Pennsylvania. We evaluated and verified the feasibility of a novel modular bioreactor system for the effective removal of nitrate, sulfate, and heavy metals from runoff water while increasing its alkalinity. The impacts of pH and temperature on the bioremediation efficiency were evaluated, revealing ideal temperatures to be above 16°C and pH above 7. Nitrate levels dropped from 80 ppm to 0 ppm, and pH increased from 4 to above 7 consistently. Combining neutralization with bacterial bioremediation proved to have synergistic benefits within 30 minutes of treatment. Results showed a successful removal of nitrate (NO3-), sulfate (SO42-), sulfite (SO32-), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Aluminum (Al), and Lead (Pb) from contaminated wastewater. This system is a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and practical tool that opens numerous avenues for generating sustainable, portable, and fast water purification options for low-income communities. A large-scale system could be adapted for commercial or industrial purposes.


Since the 1990s, young Asian Americans including Doo-Ri Chung, Derek Lam, Thakoon Panichgul, Alexander Wang, and Jason Wu have emerged as leading fashion designers. They have won prestigious awards, been chosen to head major clothing labels, and had their designs featured in Vogue , Harper's Bazaar , and other fashion magazines. At the same time that these designers were rising to prominence, the fashion world was embracing Asian chic. During the 1990s, "Asian" shapes, fabrics, iconography, and colors filled couture runways and mass-market clothing racks. In The Beautiful Generation , Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu explores the role of Asian American designers in New York's fashion industry, paying particular attention to how they relate to the garment workers who produce their goods and to Asianness as a fashionable commodity. She draws on conversations with design students, fashion curators, and fashion publicists; interviews with nearly thirty Asian American designers who have their own labels; and time spent with those designers in their shops and studios, on their factory visits, and at their fashion shows. The Beautiful Generation links the rise of Asian American designers to historical patterns of immigration, racial formation, and globalized labor, and to familial and family-like connections between designers and garment workers.


The rate of climatic‐niche evolution is important to many research areas in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology, including responses of species to global climate change, spread of invasive species, speciation, biogeography, and patterns of species richness. Previous studies have implied that clades with higher rates of climatic‐niche evolution among species should have species with narrower niche breadths, but there is also evidence suggesting the opposite pattern. However, the relationships between rate and breadth have not been explicitly analyzed. Here, we examine the relationships between the rate of climatic‐niche evolution and climatic‐niche breadth using phylogenetic and climatic data for 250 species in the salamander family Plethodontidae, a group showing considerable variation in both rates of climatic‐niche evolution and climatic‐niche breadths. Contrary to some expectations, we find no general relationship between climatic‐niche breadth and the rate of climatic‐niche evolution. Climatic‐niche breadths for some ecologically important climatic variables considered separately (temperature seasonality and annual precipitation) do show significant relationships with the rate of climatic‐niche evolution, but rates are faster in clades in which species have broader (not narrower) niche breadths. In summary, our results show that narrower niche breadths are not necessarily associated with faster rates of niche evolution.


Despite the consensus that the power of finance constraints central banks under financial globalization, the variation in their autonomy from market forces at the micro level of monetary policymaking remains underexplored. This article demonstrates that credibility endows central banks with situational power to make monetary policy decisions that involve less sacrifice of economic growth to price stability. Based on the comparative analysis of the policy decisions of central banks in two emerging economies, South Africa and Turkey, during 2013–2014, I show that this policy space stems from central banks' capacity to successfully influence market expectations. The argument relies on public texts and over 130 interviews with central bankers in South Africa and Turkey and financiers in Johannesburg, Istanbul and London. The findings contribute to literature on central bank credibility and communication by exploring how credibility functions and creates room for central banks to maneuver through influencing contingent and performative expectations.


Refeeding syndrome (RFS) is a serious and potentially fatal complication that occurs in patients with severe malnutrition of various etiologies after repeated, uncontrolled introduction of a diet, especially carbohydrates. Complications of RFS develop due to rapid metabolic changes that occur during the switch from catabolism to anabolism, and cellular depletion of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and micronutrients, and can affect one or more organ systems. Most of RFS complications associated with vitamin deficiency are related to thiamine deficiency. Due to its coenzyme role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and branched chain amino
 acids, thiamine is an important factor in maintaining the normal function primarily of cerebral energy metabolism. Understanding the basic biochemistry during starvation, and consequently the mechanisms and factors influencing metabolic changes during RFS, is important for timely identification of patients at risk and prevention of RFS and also many clinical complications it can cause regardless of nutritional support modality.


Snow cover is a key environmental component for tundra wildlife that will be aff ected by climate change. Change to the snow cover may aff ect the population dynamics of high-latitude small mammals, which are active throughout the winter and reproduce under the snow. We experimentally tested the hypotheses that a deeper snow cover would enhance the densities and winter reproductive rates of small mammals, but that predation by mustelids could be higher in areas of increased small mammal density. We enhanced snow cover by setting out snow fences at three sites in the Canadian Arctic (Bylot Island, Nunavut, and Herschel Island and Komakuk Beach, Yukon) over periods ranging from one to four years. Densities of winter nests were higher where snow depth was increased but spring lemming densities did not increase on the experimental areas. Lemmings probably moved from areas of deep snow, their preferred winter habitat, to summer habitat during snow melt once the advantages associated with deep snow were gone. Our treatment had no eff ect on signs of reproduction in winter nests, proportion of lactating females in spring, or the proportion of juveniles caught in spring, which suggests that deep snow did not enhance reproduction. Results on predation were inconsistent across sites as predation by weasels was higher on the experimental area at one site but lower at two others and was not higher in areas of winter nest aggregations. Although this experiment provided us with several new insights about the impact of snow cover on the population dynamics of tundra small mammals, it also illustrates the challenges and diffi culties associated with large-scale experiments aimed at manipulating a critical climatic factor.


Aluminium reduction cells have benefited from point feeding technology for a long time, but there are still smelters which are using the old technology of center break and center feed system. Due to several factors this system is no longer approved and there have been a few attempts worldwide to upgrade these cells so as to implement the newer technology by applying mechanical and automation changes. In this paper we will present an attempt which was made in order to retrofit a so-called center break cell to point feeder cell. The results show that this project has decreased the energy consumption and anode effect frequency. Furthermore, there has been a significant increase in current efficiency.


A survey of papers in the ASEE Multidisciplinary Engineering Division for the last three years shows three main areas of emphasis: individual courses; profiles of specific projects; and capstone design courses. However, multidisciplinary education across all disciplines requires a larger-scale model that can be incorporated into any discipline, a model that is both cost effective and scalable, and one that fully engages and benefits faculty. A consortium of 19 US and 5 international institutions has come together around such a model, the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program. VIP unites undergraduate education and faculty research in a teambased context, with students earning academic credits toward their degrees, and faculty and graduate students benefitting from the design/discovery efforts of their multidisciplinary teams. VIP is novel because it unites rich student learning experiences with faculty research, transforming both the context of undergraduate education and the concept of faculty research as a separate endeavor. It provides a cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable model for multidisciplinary project-based learning: students earn academic credit instead of stipends; typical teams consist of fifteen or more students from different disciplines; students participate multiple years as they progress through their curriculum; and faculty benefit from the research and design efforts of their teams, with teams becoming integral parts of their research. While VIP programs share key elements, approaches and implementations vary by institution. This paper presents: an overview of the VIP Consortium; the multidisciplinary nature of the program within and across institutions; and profiles of 4 international institutions and their implementations of the model. The profiled institutions are based in Colombia, Korea, Latvia, and Scotland.


Lipids produced by microalgae are viewed as a potential renewable alternative to fossil fuels, however, significant improvements in productivity are required for microalgal biofuels to become economically feasible. Here we present a method that allows for the use of Raman spectroscopy with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) droplet microfluidic devices, which not only overcomes the high Raman background of PDMS, but also achieves pairing of the high-throughput single-cell resolution advantages of droplet microfluidics with the direct, chemically specific, label-free, and non-destructive nature of Raman spectroscopy. The platform was successfully utilized for in situ characterization of microalgal lipid production over time within droplets, paving the way towards high-throughput microalgal lipidomics assays.


Based on the recent flood events in Europe and following the latest scientific reports on climate change IPCC, and urban development EEA it becomes evident that the areas in Northern and Middle Europe are becoming increasingly affected by flooding. In the changing environment, the conventional flood protection measures are not providing sufficient protection level and are very cost intensive. New strategies to cope with flooding have to be developed and implemented to adapt the communities to climate change in an adequate way. This paradigm shift from "flood fighting" to "living with floods" reflects the current EU Flood Policy formulated in the EU Flood Directive and adopted by national laws. Especially vulnerable are urban areas where the economic growth, in case of extreme flood events, can be irreversibly disrupted. Other than applying mere conventional protection, the innovative resilience concepts should be considered that integrate the building environment into flood protection by improving the resilience performance of the urban fabric and build capacity of stakeholders. In order to optimise the performance of flood protection, as alternative to resiliency measures for each household separately, integrative solutions for the area/ city quarter are to be considered. In general, which level of integration is to be implemented depends technical, economic and socio-political criteria. The adopted integration level can in any case be supported by the adhock measures that can serve as an intermediate solution and initial phase for active stakeholder involvement. For the historic area of the City of Lauenburg that was recently severely affected by flood events of the river Elbe (2002, 2006), resilience concepts have been developed. Without a solution for flood protection, sustainable development of the city, primarily focused on tourism, cannot be achieved. Different resilience solutions, based on different levels of integration and adaptability are presented and discussed.


Effective control and prediction of dynamical systems often require appropriate handling of continuous-time and discrete, event-triggered processes. Stochastic hybrid systems (SHSs), common across engineering domains, provide a formalism for dynamical systems subject to discrete, possibly stochastic, state jumps and multi-modal continuous-time flows. Despite the versatility and importance of SHSs across applications, a general procedure for the explicit learning of both discrete events and multi-mode continuous dynamics remains an open problem. This work introduces Neural Hybrid Automata (NHAs), a recipe for learning SHS dynamics without a priori knowledge on the number of modes and inter-modal transition dynamics. NHAs provide a systematic inference method based on normalizing flows, neural differential equations and self-supervision. We showcase NHAs on several tasks, including mode recovery and flow learning in systems with stochastic transitions, and end-to-end learning of hierarchical robot controllers.


The dinoflagellate Alexandrium ostenfeldii is the only known producer of toxic spirolides. Spirolides are macrocyclic imines that are derived via polyketide biosynthetic pathways production is therefore almost certainly mediated by polyketide synthase (PKS) genes. At the genomic level, studies on the biosynthesis of protist-derived polyketides have been very sparsely reported. For dinoflagellates this is due in part to the pecularities of the dinoflagellate genome in both structural and regulatory respects. Our research focuses on the identification and characterization of genes involved in spirolide biosynthesis, specifically PKS genes. Genomic characterization of A. ostenfeldii was conducted by generating two Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) data banks, based on normalized cDNA libraries of two strains of A. ostenfeldii (AOSH1 and AOSH2) from Nova Scotia, Canada, which produce distinctive spirolide profiles. About 5.300 and 12.287 ESTs were sequenced which yielded in 2.634 and 9.833 unique sequences, respectively. The ESTs were annotated and compared between the two strains. Several genes putatively related to toxin synthesis were detected, including genes encoding PKS. A Fosmid library was also generated to detect and further analyse toxin-related genes. Significant insights into the general genomic organisation of A. ostenfeldii and the relationship with putative toxin-producing genes are expected. The identification of polyketide biosynthetic genes from dinoflagellates provide the first steps for further research on this pharmalogically interesting enzyme group.


What now may be called mainstream research on violence to women in intimate relationships fails to fully recognise and theoretically account for the links between gender and other forms of inequality, and their implications for violence in intimate relationships. The need for such an expanded problematisation of gender and violence become apparent when focusing upon the issues of parenthood and children exposed to men's violence to women in their family. The first part of the presentation outlines a theoretical framework for understanding men's violence to women in heterosexual relationships where the man and woman are also co-parents, drawing upon the critique of a "pure" gender concept raised by, for example, black feminists and in the debates about "intersectionality", as well as the theoretical insights within the "new" sociology of childhood. The intersection and interaction between age, gender and kinship is considered crucial for understanding violence in a family setting, as well as for the responses to violence from outside. In the second part of the presentation this framework is set in dialogue with some empirical examples to illustrate the theoretical points made.


Our daily lives become more and more dependent upon smartphones due to their increased capabilities. Smartphones are used in various ways from payment systems to assisting the lives of elderly or disabled people. Security threats for these devices become increasingly dangerous since there is still a lack of proper security tools for protection. Android emerges as an open smartphone platform which allows modification even on operating system level. Therefore, third-party developers have the opportunity to develop kernel-based low-level security tools which is not normal for smartphone platforms. Android quickly gained its popularity among smartphone developers and even beyond since it bases on Java on top of "open" Linux in comparison to former proprietary platforms which have very restrictive SDKs and corresponding APIs. Symbian OS for example, holding the greatest market share among all smartphone OSs, was closing critical APIs to common developers and introduced application certification. This was done since this OS was the main target for smartphone malwares in the past. In fact, more than 290 malwares designed for Symbian OS appeared from July 2004 to July 2008. Android, in turn, promises to be completely open source. Together with the Linux-based smartphone OS OpenMoko, open smartphone platforms may attract malware writers for creating malicious applications endangering the critical smartphone applications and owners� privacy. In this work, we present our current results in analyzing the security of Android smartphones with a focus on its Linux side. Our results are not limited to Android, they are also applicable to Linux-based smartphones such as OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner. Our contribution in this work is three-fold. First, we analyze android framework and the Linux-kernel to check security functionalities. We survey wellaccepted security mechanisms and tools which can increase device security. We provide descriptions on how to adopt these security tools on Android kernel, and provide their overhead analysis in terms of resource usage. As open smartphones are released and may increase their market share similar to Symbian, they may attract attention of malware writers. Therefore, our second contribution focuses on malware detection techniques at the kernel level. We test applicability of existing signature and intrusion detection methods in Android environment. We focus on monitoring events on the kernel; that is, identifying critical kernel, log file, file system and network activity events, and devising efficient mechanisms to monitor them in a resource limited environment. Our third contribution involves initial results of our malware detection mechanism basing on static function call analysis. We identified approximately 105 Executable and Linking Format (ELF) executables installed to the Linux side of Android. We perform a statistical analysis on the function calls used by these applications. The results of the analysis can be compared to newly installed applications for detecting significant differences. Additionally, certain function calls indicate malicious activity. Therefore, we present a simple decision tree for deciding the suspiciousness of the corresponding application. Our results present a first step towards detecting malicious applications on Android-based devices.


In 2010, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) in collaboration with the United National Development Programme (UNDP) introduced a new multidimensional measure of acute poverty for developing countries, referred to as the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) (Alkire and Santos, 2010). This paper focuses on the new analyses of sub-national decompositions and changes over time for 1.4 billion of the 1.65 billion MPI poor people identified by the MPI in 2011. It analyses the incidence, intensity and composition of multidimensional poverty at sub-national levels for 66 developing countries, and presents poverty estimates for 683 sub-national regions.


In order to be profitable, service providers must be able to undertake complex management tasks such as provisioning, deployment, execution and adaptation in an autonomic way. This paper introduces a framework, the semantically-enhanced resource allocator (SERA), aimed to facilitate service provider management, reducing costs and at the same time fulfilling the QoS agreed with the customers. The SERA assigns resources depending on the information given by service providers according to its business goals and on the resource requirements of the tasks. Tasks and resources are semantically described and these descriptions are used to infer the resource assignments. Virtualization is used to provide a full-customized and isolated virtual environment for each task. In addition, the system supports fine-grain dynamic resource distribution among these virtual environments based on SLAs. The required adaptation is implemented using agents, guarantying to each task enough resources to meet the agreed performance goals.


Financialization is persuading academics and policy-makers that the growth of SMEs can be unleashed by promoting their quotation on stock markets. Is that true? Answering this can give clues on the functions that stock markets actually perform in the financialized world. The market may allow collecting finance for productive investments, or mainly provide firms with opportunities for value extraction. It may work as a selection device or as a risk-sharing mechanism. In this paper, we test hypotheses linking the shape of the firm growth rates distribution to stock market functions, through quantile regressions. We use a sample of UK manufacturing companies listed on AIM, a junior segment of the London Stock Exchange, and comparably small and young unlisted companies. We find that the operating revenues and total assets of AIM-listed gazelles grow faster than for their unlisted peers, after controlling for lagged values of size, age, and growth. Yet, there is a loss reinforcing effect for companies listed on the AIM. After controlling for endogeneity by estimating instrumental variable quantile treatment effect (IVQTE), our findings dismiss the existence of a treatment effect of public quotation and are consistent with the stock market attracting relatively risky companies.


The results of a quantitative treatment of the visibility of the circumzenithal arc as a function of solar elevation are compared with records of the arc's occurrence in France and the Netherlands, 1894–1931. Both calculated and observed frequency distributions peak at a solar elevation of 22° (minimum deviation), and the width of the observed frequency distribution can be closely matched with the assumption that plate ice crystals in quiet air undergo oscillations of around 1° from equilibrium. This result agrees with other estimates based on studies of the subsun and parhelic circle. The circumzenithal arc is shown to be vertically polarized, with Ivert/Ihor ≈ 1.4 in the solar vertical near minimum deviation.


This paper examines whether a country's stage of development affects its climate sensitivity. The paper begins with a model of agriculture that shows that the effect of development on climate sensitivity is ambiguous, depending on the substitution between capital and climate. To resolve this issue, the climate sensitivity of agriculture in the United States, Brazil, and India is measured using a Ricardian approach. Relying on both intertemporal as well as cross-country comparisons, the empirical analysis suggests that increasing development reduces climate sensitivity.


It has been known that pitch frequency variation influences the formant frequency. In conventional studies, the data during a few pitches are regarded as stationary signals. If the estimated spectrum is the average spectrum in a few pitches, this cannot take into account the transition of formant frequencies and the influence of variation of pitch frequencies upon the vocal transfer function in each pitch period. The electroglottographic (EGG) is employed with speech data in order to cut the corresponding waveform of the glottal closure in each pitch cycle. The vocal tract transfer function of the Japanese back‐low vowel /a/, front‐high /i/ and back‐high /u/ was estimated for Japanese adults using the Fejer kernel mapping for short time analysis estimates fundamental frequencies and glottal closure quotients also. The facts that the variation of formant frequency is related to that of pitch, and that variation has an individual difference are discussed.


A short-cut review was carried out to establish whether icatibant is effective in the treatment of hereditary angioedema. A total of 168 papers were found using the reported search, of which one represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results, and study weaknesses of this best paper are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is there is promising evidence for the use of the bradykinin receptor antagonist icatibant for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema.


AIMS
To provide accurate and timely data on the determinants of smoking in countries of the former Soviet Union in order to facilitate the development of effective tobacco control policies in the region. Such data are urgently needed given the absence of accurate comparative data in the region and the recent changes experienced.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional surveys using standardized methods and representative samples of the adult population in eight former Soviet Union countries conducted as part of the EU-Copernicus Project Living Conditions, Lifestyle, and Health study.

SETTING
Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 18 428 adults aged 18 plus; response rates 71-88%.

MEASUREMENTS
The association of smoking with demographic and socio-economic factors was investigated using multiple logistic regression analyses, stratifying by gender.

FINDINGS
Age was a strong determinant of smoking in both genders, with elderly individuals being less likely to smoke. Men who were more socially disadvantaged (less educated, poorer economic situation and/or less social support) were more likely to smoke. In women, living in larger urban areas was the strongest predictor of smoking. Divorced, separated or widowed women were also more likely to smoke than married women. Muslim respondents smoked less frequently compared with other respondents.

CONCLUSIONS
Smoking is a major public health issue in the FSU particularly affecting socially vulnerable men and young women living in urbanized areas. These high-risk groups should be targeted in future smoking prevention and cessation strategies in the region.


Judging contests are an important educational tool. Someday young cattle producers will be faced with selection decisions that affect the profitability of their operations. They should be prepared to use all information available to them, including performance data. Therefore, to better educate future cattle producers, performance data should be included in livestock judging classes and in all judging competitions. The combination of evaluation through performance records and visual appraisal better prepares students for realistic selection decisions.


The study aimed to investigate the effects of instructional scaffolding on the students' reading ability. The study involved a group of Sixth Form students at SM Sunny Hill Sarawak. A quasi-experimental research design was employed which engaged an experimental group (32 students) and a control group (29 students). The experimental group went through reading sessions via instructional scaffolding for a period of 30 hours, where the students were provided with support and guidance to comprehend reading texts. The teacher's implementation of instructional scaffolding was observed by two observers using a self-constructed structured observation scheme. The students' perception of the usefulness of instructional scaffolding was determined using a 25-item likert-type questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted on the teacher in the experimental group to determine the extent to which instructional scaffolding was a useful tool. The quantitative data collected was analysed using SPSS 16.0 for descriptive statistics whereas the qualitative interview data was analysed inductively and deductively before any final conclusions were made. The two groups were also given a pre-test and a post-test to investigate their reading comprehension performance. The test scores were analysed using Pearson correlation test for significant difference. The non-parametric Pearson test results on the pre and post tests indicated that there was a significant increase in mean scores of both the experimental and control groups. The fact that the experimental group indicated significant improvement in their pre-test-post- test performance seems to suggest that instructional scaffolding is an effective teaching approach to help enhance students' reading ability.


Abstract This paper explores the potential for use of rutile geochemistry as a provenance tracer in Jurassic–Paleocene sandstones in hydrocarbon exploration wells from the Norwegian Sea. Previous studies in this area, concentrating on provenance-sensitive heavy-mineral ratios, garnet geochemistry, tourmaline geochemistry, and detrital zircon geochronology, established the presence of five distinct sand types (MN1, MN2a, MN3, MN4, and MN5), sourced from different parts of the Norwegian and Greenland landmasses to the east and west of the basin. Approximately 50 rutile grains from two samples of each of these sand types have been analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Differences in Cr and Nb contents indicate that there are significant variations in the relative abundance of rutiles derived from metamafic and metapelitic sources, with Norwegian-sourced sandstones (MN1, MN3 and MN5) having higher proportions of metamafic rutile compared with Greenland-sourced sandstones (MN2a and MN4). Application of single-grain Zr-in-rutile geothermometry illustrates variations in metamorphic grade of the rutile sources. MN1 and MN5 rutiles were mainly derived from lower amphibolite- or eclogite-facies metapelitic rocks of the Caledonian Nappe Domain of mid-Norway, whereas MN3 rutiles were largely sourced from amphibolite- or eclogite-facies rocks of the Western Gneiss Region and adjacent parts of the Caledonian Nappe Domain, where metamafic gneisses and eclogites are widespread. Upper-amphibolite-facies metapelitic rocks, probably the Nathorst Land Group of East Greenland, were largely responsible for MN2a rutile assemblages. MN4 rutiles were mainly derived from granulite-facies metapelitic rocks, probably the Krummedal sequence of East Greenland. The development of rutile geochemistry as a provenance tracer is especially important given the stability of rutile in both diagenetic and surficial weathering conditions. The technique yields information that can be utilized to reveal the ultimate source-rock lithology and metamorphic facies, even in highly modified sandstones that may have lost most other provenance information.


Genotypic abnormalities of the renin-angiotensin system have been suggested as a risk factor for the development of diabetic nephropathy and proliferative retinopathy. We studied the relationship between an insertion(I)/deletion (D) polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients with diabetic nephropathy (121 men and 77 women, age 40.9 ± 10 years, diabetes duration 27 ± 8 years) and in IDDM patients with normoalbuminuria (118 men and 74 women, age 42.7 ± 10 years, diabetes duration 26 ± 8 years). A total of 155 patients (40%) had proliferative retinopathy, and 67 patients (17%) had no diabetic retinopathy. There was no difference in genotype distribution between IDDM patients with diabetic nephropathy and those with normoalbuminuria: 63 (32%)/95 (48%)/40 (20%) vs. 67 (35%)/77 (41%)/46 (24%) had DD/ID/II genotypes, respectively. Patients with nephropathy had higher plasma ACE levels (609 [151–1,504] ³g/l) compared with patients with normoalbuminuria (428 [55–1,630] ³g/l) (P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the plasma ACE level in patients with nephropathy is partially determined by ACE/ID polymorphism, mean arterial blood pressure, and glomerular filtration rate (r2 = 0.30, P < 0.001). There was no difference in genotype distribution between IDDM patients with proliferative retinopathy and those without diabetic retinopathy: 52 (34%)/74 (48%)/29 (19%) vs. 26 (39%)/25 (37%)/16 (24%) had DD/ID/II genotypes, respectively. There was also no difference in plasma ACE concentration detected among patients with no, simplex, or proliferative retinopathy. We conclude that the ACE/ID polymorphism does not contribute to the genetic susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy and proliferative retinopathy, whereas the raised plasma ACE concentration may play a role in the initiation and progression of diabetic nephropathy in Caucasian IDDM patients.


Soil parameters were compared between serpentine oak savanna and grassland in Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, Maryland. Soils were analyzed for texture, depth to bedrock, bulk density, magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), potassium (K), iron (Fe), phosphorous (P), and acidity or alkalinity (pH). Oak savanna occurred on silt loam (61% silt) and grassland on sandy loam (64% sand). Silt loam had significantly greater depth (mean depth > 900 mm) than sandy loam (mean depth < 100 mm) and 50% higher fine soil bulk density. Rock fragment content was high in sandy loam (0.46 kg kg , 0.20 m m ) and very low in silt loam (0.01 kg kg , 0.01 m m ). The Mg:Ca ratio was not significantly different between soil types, pH was high for both soils (5.8 to 6.7), and bioavailability of Ni was probably not important ecologically. Based on the results of this study, soil physical properties contribute to vegetation differences between these soil types and not soil chemistry. Very shallow soil depth and high rock fragment content probably inhibit woody species establishment and development on sandy loam. However, based on the historical literature, woody plants may become established on sandy loam not excessively shallow for root system development.


Oral Cancer (Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma; OSCC) contributes to one of the important causes of mortality in human beings. These impending malignancies however may present clinically with warning signs and symptoms which is often neglected due to the lack of awareness in the population. Though there are developments in diagnosing early stage of oral cancer,the detection rate is continued to be minimal. Research proved a strong association between early diagnosis and better prognosis in these malignancies. Hence, knowledge regarding these warning indicators will certainly facilitate the clinicians to discover early cancer and provide an overall benefit pertaining to treatment in these patients.This review aims to highlight the early signs and symptoms of OSCC and their significance in improved prognosis of the patients. A Medline-PubMed search was conducted of the literature over the past years using the keywords: "oral squamous cell carcinoma", "warning signs", "Early symptom", "clinical presentation", "white lesion", "ulcer", "erythroplakia", and "abnormal growth". A total of 58 articles were reviewed, of which 11 were literature reviews, 15 were original studies and 32 were case reports. Appropriate Assesment and analysis were performed to identify prompt warning signs and symptoms of OSCC.The key findings of all the early presentation were Eloborated with its clinical significance. In addition,this paper also helps to identify particular type of oral malignancies with their common clinical presentation reaching its emphasis based on the warning signs and symptoms.The importance of re-evaluation and biopsy to diagnose/eliminate malignant lesion in doubtful clinical situation is also highlighted. Key words: Oral cancer, Warning signs, Symptoms, Persistent ulcer, White/red patch.


Optical bistability with a hybrid silicon-plasmonic configuration consisting of a nonlinear traveling-wave (disk) resonator side-coupled with a bus waveguide is theoretically investigated. The nonlinear response is studied with a theoretical framework combining perturbation theory and temporal coupled-mode theory. For the CW case, a general closed-form expression is derived. The effect of the parameters entering in the expression on the bistability curve is thoroughly investigated, and the physical system is accordingly designed so as to exhibit minimum power threshold for bistability and maximum extinction ratio between bistable states. Finally, the temporal dynamics are assessed. The system can toggle between bistable states in approximately 5 ps and is thus suitable for ultrafast memory and switching applications.


In this paper we present a cluster based approach to using a sensor's sensibility and laser signal to address both sensor node localization and K-coverage problems. After sensors were randomly deployed, a virtual grid was mapped over the deployment area. Location guided laser beams are projected to the centers of grid cells to trigger sensors within one hop of communication range to form sensor clusters in the virtual grid. Therefore, all clusters are aware of their locations within the precision of location guided laser beams. We assume there are redundant sensors in each cluster. Thus the cluster members can operate alternatively (duty-cycle) in active or sleep modes under the coordination of the cluster head to conserve energy while providing sufficient and robust coverage in the presence of both node power depletions and unexpected failures. We introduce two distributed algorithms to form sensor clusters and to manage cluster members in duty cycles while maintaining the required K-coverage. Simulation and analysis results show that our algorithms scales well with overhead cost as a linear function of sensor population in terms of energy consumption..


Introduction: Susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) infection varies in individuals and is linked to genetic variations in the toll-like receptors (TLRs) genes. The current study employed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to describe the most prevalent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from various TLRs and to assess the association between these polymorphisms and tuberculosis susceptibility. Methods: The PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases were searched for all articles published before May 25, 2015, that contained the target keywords. Following the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 37 relevant articles were identified that examined the association between the TLRs gene polymorphism and susceptibility to tuberculosis.Result: A meta-analyses approach to the research determined that there is a statistically significant association between TLR1 rs4833095, TLR6 rs5743810, and TLR8 rs3788935 in the allelic model and also TLR1 rs4833095, TLR1 rs5743018, TLR2 rs5743708, TLR6 rs5743810, and TLR8 rs3761624 in the co-dominant model with increased or decreased susceptibility to tuberculosis. No associations were observed between the other TLRs polymorphisms and tuberculosis risk.Discussion: Several studies have found that host genetic factors, such as SNPs in TLRs gene, may increase an individual's susceptibility to tuberculosis. Therefore, the identification of these SNPs is important to investigate immune responses to TB.Conclusion: The present study concluded that there is an association between some polymorphisms of TLRs and tuberculosis risk. Thus, for a better understanding about the role of SNPs to TB susceptibility, additional studies on alternative TLRs SNPs are needed.


Fanconi anemia group C (FA-C) patients, who lack expression of the FANCC protein, have hematopoietic progenitor cells that are hypersensitive to IFN-γ-mediated apoptosis. In vitro this problem can be corrected by transfection of FANCC into FA-C cells. STAT1 is not activated in IFN-γ-treated FA-C cells. Pang et al. sought to find the role of FANCC in STAT1 activation. STAT1 did not coimmunoprecipitate with the IFN-γ receptor alpha chain (IFNγRα) in IFN-γ-treated FA-C cells; however, reconstitution of FANCC in FA-C cells led to the association of STAT1 and IFNγRα. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-FANCC fusion proteins were able to associate with STAT1 from IFN-γ-treated FA-C cell lysates, which suggested that the function of FANCC is to aid STAT1 in docking to IFNγRα. Subsequent work by the authors demonstrated that, in unstimulated cells, FANCC was associated with STAT1; activation of IFNγRα led to the recruitment of FANCC and STAT1, whereupon STAT1 became phosphorylated while still complexed to FANCC. Pang, Q., Fagerlie, S., Christianson, T.A., Keeble, W., Faulkner, G., Diaz, J., Rathbun, R.K., and Bagby, G.C. (2000) The Fanconi anemia protein FANCC binds to and facilitates the activation of STAT1 by gamma Interferon and hematopoietic growth factors. Mol. Cell. Biol. 20: 4724 -4735. [Abstract] [Full Text]


We propose a new method for tuning an Er/sup 3+/-doped continuous-wave fiber-ring laser. We present a novel numerical model and confirm the model with experimental results. The numerical model relies on the implementation of the analytical solution of signal propagation over small (elemental) segments of amplifier fiber rather than using the usual Runge-Kutta algorithm. The validity of the model is verified by the good agreement between computer results and experimental data. Experiments demonstrating a 11.2-nm wavelength tuning range have been conducted using an electrooptic intracavity filter composed of two cascaded unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) integrated in lithium niobate. The numerical analysis shows that the tuning range obtained is limited by the combination of gain shape and filter characteristics. Increased tuning range can be obtained by decreasing losses or by using a more selective filter.


In the last years, there has been a growing interest in the design of multichannel neurocortical recording interfaces with wireless transmission capabilities for the untethered measurements of brain activity. These interfaces are expected to play a significant role both in clinical (as part of therapeutic procedures in patients with neurological diseases), brain-machine interfaces and neuroscience applications. They are usually implanted together with an array of multielectrodes in the brain of the patients at the cortex level. Each of these electrodes is able to capture the extracellular action potentials of the adjacent neurons. The interface circuitry is responsible of amplifying, filtering and digitizing the neural signals captured by each of these electrodes and of transmitting them wirelessly to an external spot, where they are processed, analyzed and classified. The wireless capabilities of these systems allow to implant them without any cables across the skull, which were a potential focus of infections and future problems. However, making these recording interfaces wireless presents some challenges in the design of the integrated circuitry. As they are implanted below the skull, completely isolated from any external supply source, the use of ultra-low power consumption techniques is mandatory, not only to prevent from harmful effects in the brain, but also to avoid the need for batteries. Thus, by making the power dissipation low, it becomes feasible to use energy harvesting strategies for supplying the implant. Moreover, the area occupation of the implanted electronics should be minimum in order to comply with the reduced area of the electrode sensors.

This thesis aims to contribute to this scenario and presents a multichannel wireless neural sensor array designed in a standard 0.13um CMOS process. It is composed of 64 channels in which neural signals are acquired, filtered, digitized and optionally compressed to reduce the amount of data sent through the wireless link. The system has two transmission modes; in one case the information captured from a selected set of channels is transmitted as uncompressed raw data, in the other, feature vectors are extracted from the detected neural spikes at every channel and transmitted to the external unit for further processing. A single wireless inductive link, inspired in RFID technologies, is used both for powering the implant and for data transfer to/from the external unit. This link uses a 40.68MHz carrier signal and employs On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation for data transfer from the external unit to the implant (forward link) and Load-Shift Keying (LSK) in the reverse direction (backward link). A 4MHz clock is used to send information through the backward link. This is enough for the implant operated in the feature extraction mode to characterize and serialize the detected spikes even in the unlikely case all the channels fire at the same instant. Experimental results show that the total power consumption of the system, including the recording array and the communication protocol, is only 377uW (5.9uW per channel), i.e., about one order of magnitude below prior art. This outstanding performance is achieved through an optimum design of the interface circuits embedded in the channels in terms of both their area and power consumption, an efficient compression of the input neural data and a low-power digital processing. Each of the channels includes all the necessary circuitry to amplify, filter, digitize and compress the input neural data. Specifically, this work presents the design of a bandpass filter and low-noise amplifier that implements the well-known capacitive feedback topology, in which some circuit-level improvements have been introduced to enhance its power/noise performance. Additionally, a dedicated design methodology that is able to map directly the system design constraints into transistor sizes and biasing conditions was used to get an optimum design in terms of power, area and noise. Measurements show that the amplifier and filter stage consumes 1.92uW and the total integrated input-referred noise is just 3.8uVrms, with a bandpass gain of 47.5dB over a bandwidth between 192 Hz and 6.7 kHz. The noise efficiency factor is as low as 2.16. On the other hand, this thesis presents a novel architecture that combines both PGA and ADC functionalities in just one block, thus saving area and power consumption compared to the traditional approaches. It was implemented using a SC-based circuit, which performs a binary search algorithm to complete the conversion. In order to optimize its power consumption, the bias current of the OTA is adapted during the conversion to the changing settling requirements. The ENOB of the ADC is above 7.5 bit for all the gain configurations (0-18 dB in 3-bit steps), while it consumes 1.52uW for a 90kS/s input sampling frequency. It only occupies 0.032mm2 and the energy per conversion is just 85.85 fJ. Besides, several digital power reduction techniques, such as clock gating and optimized clock frequencies, have been used in the digital parts to minimize their power consumption.


Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) is allowing that society use the ITS facilities to conducting their activities. At this scenario the paper presents a study case that was developed to SEFAZ (Treasury Department) of São Paulo state in order to use ITS technologies applied to conduct his activities, mainly for tax inspection. The study case presented in this paper used the tracking & monitoring technologies to make the monitoring of loads, including vehicles. All study case considers the use of existing ITS infrastructure, as well as the deployment of new infrastructure. In order to implement the tracking & monitoring technologies, the study case consider several dispositive and systems, including a integration with NF-e system (electronic invoice) and CT-e system (electronic transport declaration). The advantage of presented technologies is the ability to identify the loads and vehicles information without disrupting the normal flow or even causes a decrease in speed. Key-Words: ITS, BRT, Operation, OCR, LPR, Mobility, Transportation


This paper presents a simplified method for the design and analysis of non-prestressed, partially prestressed, and fully prestressed concrete beams subjected to pure torsion. The proposed model relates the torsional strength to the concrete compressive strength and to the amounts of transverse and longitudinal reinforcement. To check the adequacy of this simple method, the calculated strength and mode of failure are checked against the experimental results of 17 prestressed concrete 66 reinforced concrete beam tests available in the literature, and very good agreement is found. The simplicity of the method is illustrated by two examples, one for design and another for analysis.


This research examines public health mapping over two time periods, 1944-1954 and 2000-2004 and explores how mapping disease shaped scientific knowledge about disease. During World War II, the Atlas of Diseases was produced by cartographers and geographers well versed in the subjectivity of maps. Today professionals in a variety of disciplines use digital mapping software to produce maps of disease. This research takes a look at how public health maps and mapping of disease have changed over time and discusses the political implications of public health mapping as an aspect of geographic governance.


The preparation of superparamagnetic thin fibers by electrospinning dispersions of nanosized magnetite (Fe3O4, SPIO/USPIO) in a PMMA/PEO polymer solution is reported. The saturation magnetization and coercivity were not affected by the concentration (0, 1, 10, 20 wt%) or fiber orientation, showing hysteresis loops with high magnetization (64 A m2 kg−1 @ 500 kA m−1) and record low coercivity (20 A m−1). AC susceptibility measurements vs. temperature at frequencies from 60 to 2 kHz confirmed superparamagnetism. The mechanical properties were only slightly dependent on the particle concentration because the nanoparticles were separately encapsulated by the polymer. A uniform fibre fracture cross section was found at all the investigated particle contents, which suggests a strong interaction at the polymer/particle interface. A theoretical value of the magnetic low field susceptibility was calculated from the Langevin function and compared with measured values. The results show a distinct but concentration-independent anisotropy, favoring magnetization along the fiber orientation with no sign of exchange interaction, explained by complete nanoparticle separation. Superparamagnetism cannot be inferred from particle size alone, so a relevant interpretation and criterion for superparamagnetism is presented, in accordance with Neel's original definition. From the measurements, it can be concluded that magnetic characterization can be used to elucidate the material morphology beyond the resolution of available microscopy techniques (TEM and SEM).


Measles is an infectious disease highly marked by virus and it may result in a more serious complication, very potential to cause to spread epidemic. In Indonesia, for 2004 nationally, the frequency existing an extra-ordinance occurrence of the Measles itself got on the second rank following DHF with total cases noted 2,818 and caused 44 death or CFR rate of 1.56%. The environment is known as one of factors that it may increase spreading out the measles. The objective of this study is to determine the correlations of the house environmental and the immunisation stated against the occurrence of measles at Desa Hutaimbaru Kecamatan Barumun Kabupaten Padang Lawas for 2013 . This study adopted a descriptive survey method with Cross sectional design. The population to this research involved all families living around Desa Hutaimbaru 78 households, the population is 316 people. The sample on this research taken such as family with kids as children five years old and in school aged, included 40 households. Analyzed by uni-variant and bi-variant analysis using Chi Square test. The result of study indicated that there is a correlation on available ventilation with the measles (p = 0.011) and there is correlations between the measles immunisation stated with the measles disease (p = 0.0001). Regarding variable on crowded in people density and about lighting by ventilation has no correlation with the measles on the area. It is suggestible to the local community living around Desa Hutaimbaru , urged to improve the condition of houses environment, to recondition the environmental around at least fulfill the health requirement, still the authority should encourage the parents bring those kids to have immunization in measles preferable while age 6-59 months old and to all kids as going school to SD grade 1 through 6. Keywords : measles, house environment, measles immunisation statue Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE


Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterised by tumours of the parathyroids, pancreas and anterior pituitary that represents one of the familial cancer syndromes. The MEN1 locus has been previously localised to chromosome 11q13, and a <300 kb gene-rich region flanked centromerically by PYGM and telomerically by D11S1783 defined by combined meiotic and tumour deletion mapping studies. Two candidate genes, ZFM1 and PPP2R5B, from this region have been previously excluded, and in order to identify additional candidate genes we used a BAC to isolate cDNAs from a bovine parathyroid cDNA library by direct selection. One of the novel genes that we identified, SCG2, proved to be identical to the recently published MEN1 gene, which is likely to be a tumour suppressor gene. The SCG2 transcript was 2.9 kb in all tissues with an additional 4.2 kb transcript also being present in the pancreas and thymus. Mutational analysis of SCG2 in 10 unrelated MEN1 families identified one polymorphism and nine different heterozygous mutations (one missense, four non-sense, one insertional and three deletional frameshifts) that segregated with the disease, hence providing an independent confirmation for the identification of the MEN1 gene.


Law courts are important institutional settings in which public understanding of science is problematic. Courts have struggled with the question of how to handle scientific evidence in a system of justice in which lay jurors are responsible for deciding the facts of the case. Judicial conceptions of science and of jurors' capacities to understand scientific evidence inform decisions in particular cases. Such decisions, in turn, act as precedents that, for better or worse, embed judicial conceptions of public understanding of science into the workings of the legal system. This paper examines an English case in which the difference between "scientific" and "common sense" evidence was explicitly at stake. In this case Regina v. Adams, DNA evidence was used to convict the defendant of rape. The principal item of prosecutorial evidence was a match between DNA profiles developed from the defendant's blood and from semen recovered at the crime scene. Prosecution experts expressed the evidence in probabilistic terms, estimating a probability of one in 200 million that a DNA profile from a randomly chosen unrelated man in the relevant population would match the profile developed from the crime stain. Other so-called "common sense" evidence supported the defendant's not guilty plea. The case was appealed twice in the mid-1990s as the Court of Appeal deliberated over an innovative effort by the defense to counteract the prosecution evidence by converting the non-DNA "common sense" evidence into probability estimates. In its decisions, the Court reinstated a boundary between the "scientific" and "common sense" evidence, arguing that this boundary was necessary to preserve the jury's role as trier of fact. The paper's discussion of the court's boundary work addresses unresolved problems with the place of probability estimates in jury trials.


PURPOSES/OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of duration of infusion time on venous irritation in patients receiving vinorelbine tartrate (Navelbine, Burroughs Wellcome Co., Research Triangle Park, NC) in combination with cisplatin or mitomycin. DESIGN: Prospective and descriptive. SETTING: Five outpatient hematology/oncology units in southern Louisiana and Mississippi. SAMPLE: 96 patients receiving vinorelbine in combination with cisplatin or mitomycin through a peripheral vein. METHOD: Nurses completed the Venous Irritation Record (VIR), on which they documented the incidence of irritation reactions on the day of infusion as well as 24 hours and one to two weeks later. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Incidence and severity of venous irritation as well as the duration of administration. FINDINGS: Significantly lower incidence of venous irritation at 6-10 minute infusion rate was observed (p < 0.05). No difference in incidence was observed when vinorelbine was given with a vesicant (mitomycin) or a nonvesicant (cisplatin) drug. CONCLUSIONS: Although venous irritation is a problem associated with peripherally administered vinorelbine, it does not necessitate central line placement. Incidence of this problem can be reduced with a shorter duration of administration. The VIR was feasible, easy to use, and could be adapted for other drugs and other toxicities. The National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria are not adequate for grading venous irritation reactions. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Vinorelbine should be administered in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations as a 6-10 minute infusion. Determination of this rate came as a result of clinical nursing research. Nurses involved in clinical trials can and should play a role in describing emergent toxicities and investigating methods to prevent or minimize those toxicities.


This paper discusses the integration of physical and digital models in the context of building technology teaching. It showcases projects that explore the design possibilities of a chosen structural system with the use of parametric and behaviour-based computational modelling. It uses detailed mock-ups as vehicles to study, optimize, and evaluate the design as well as to provide feedback for student learning and the direction in which future designers may engage computational design. Finally, it investigates digital-to-physical design translations, the importance of which becomes more and more critical in the context of the current, computer-intensive architectural education and professional practice.


Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in the tropics produce extensive anvil clouds, which significantly affect the transfer of radiation. This study develops an objective method to identify MCSs and their anvils by combining data from three A-train satellite instruments: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for cloud-top size and coldness, Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) for rain area size and intensity, and CloudSat for horizontal and vertical dimensions of anvils. The authors distinguish three types of MCSs: small and large separated MCSs and connected MCSs. The latter are MCSs sharing a contiguous rain area. Mapping of the objectively identified MCSs shows patterns of MCSs that are consistent with previous studies of tropical convection, with separated MCSs dominant over Africa and the Amazon regions and connected MCSs favored over the warm pool of the Indian and west Pacific Oceans. By separating the anvil from the raining regions of MCSs, this study leads to quantitative global maps of anvil coverage. These maps are consistent with the MCS analysis, and they lay the foundation for estimating the global radiative effects of anvil clouds. CloudSat radar data show that the modal thickness of MCS anvils is about 4--5 km. Anvils are mostly confined to within 1.5--2 times the equivalent radii of the primary rain areas of the MCSs. Over the warm pool, they may extend out to about 5 times the rain area radii. The warm ocean MCSs tend to have thicker non-raining and lightly raining anvils near the edges of their actively raining regions, indicating that anvils are generated in and spread out from the primary raining regions of the MCSs. Thicker anvils are nearly absent over continental regions.


The benefits of exercise for both physical and psychological wellbeing are well established. The present study aimed to further investigate whether exercise is beneficial for memory and metamemory. Forty-one adults were randomly assigned to either exercise prior to encoding (n = 21) or not exercise (n = 20). Participants studied 100 word pairs and predicted the likelihood of recalling and recognising the target word in a memory test. There were no differences in mean number of words recalled between the exercise and control condition. Exercise had an effect on discrimination and confidence for JOLs, where the exercise condition was worse at discriminating between remembered and forgotten items (p = .003, d = 1.08) and had inflated confidence (p = .019, d = 0.78). There was also an effect of exercise on discrimination for FOKs, where those who exercised were worse at discriminating between items they remembered versus forgot (p = .077, d = 0.69). Although this difference did not reach statistical significance, it was a moderate to large effect. There was no effect of exercise on confidence. The data suggests that exercise prior to studying may be detrimental to both memory performance and the ability to accurately judge one's memory.


Abstract. To protect Australian amphibian biodiversity, we have identified and prioritised frog species at an imminent risk of extinction from chytridiomycosis, and devised national management and research priorities for disease mitigation. Six Australian frogs have not been observed in the wild since the initial emergence of chytridiomycosis and may be extinct. Seven extant frog species were assessed as needing urgent conservation interventions because of (1) their small populations and/or ongoing declines throughout their ranges (southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree, New South Wales), northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi, Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales), Baw Baw frog (Philoria frosti, Victoria), Litoria spenceri (spotted tree frog, Victoria, New South Wales), Kroombit tinkerfrog (Taudactylus pleione, Queensland), armoured mist frog (Litoria lorica, Queensland)) or (2) predicted severe decline associated with the spread of chytridiomycosis in the case of Tasmanian tree frog (Litoria burrowsae, Tasmania). For these species, the risk of extinction is high, but can be mitigated. They require increased survey effort to define their distributional limits and to monitor and detect further population changes, as well as well-resourced management strategies that include captive assurance populations. A further 22 frog species were considered at a moderate to lower risk of extinction from chytridiomycosis. Management actions that identify and create or maintain habitat refugia from chytridiomycosis and target other threatening processes such as habitat loss and degradation may be effective in promoting their recovery. Our assessments for some of these species remain uncertain and further taxonomical clarification is needed to determine their conservation importance. Management actions are currently being developed and trialled to mitigate the threat posed by chytridiomycosis. However, proven solutions to facilitate population recovery in the wild are lacking; hence, we prioritise research topics to achieve this aim. Importantly, the effectiveness of novel management solutions will likely differ among species due to variation in disease ecology, highlighting the need for species-specific research. We call for an independent management and research fund of AU$15 million over 5 years to be allocated to recovery actions as determined by a National Chytridiomycosis Working Group of amphibian managers and scientists. Procrastination on this issue will likely result in additional extinction of Australia's amphibians in the near future.


Various methods of hybrid integration of photonic circuits are discussed focusing on merits and challenges. Material platforms discussed in this report are mainly polymer and silica. We categorize the hybridization methods using silica and polymer waveguides into two types, chip-to-chip and on-chip integration. General reviews of these hybridization technologies from the past works are reviewed. An example for each method is discussed in details. We also discuss current status of our silica PLC hybrid integration technology.


Background
A critique of Complementary and Alternative Medicine is that its effectiveness is all placebo. In trying to deconstruct the placebo, scholars have looked at the context in the health encounter, identifying specific and non-specific effects in the doctor-patient relationship including communication; cognitive, psychological, and emotional element of the encounter; the meaning response during the encounter; the impact of the context on outcomes; and how the encounter is manipulated through such things as ritual.
Methods
This study used the chiropractic and osteopathic health encounter as a socially constructed space exemplars and used focus groups and a rapid ethnographic observation method in clinics to study the context of the encounter. The objective was to develop a systematic, valid, and rigorous methodology for collecting data about the contexts of health encounters.
Results
The study showed that the clinicians and clinical staff consciously construct social settings and the types of interactions that occur within them. This is done consciously and deliberatively.
Conclusion
The method we describe provided a rich data base on the context of the health encounter and it shows that these are not non-specific effects. The method could be applied to other health encounters in Complementary and Alternative Medicine and health care.


: Recently we proposed an acquisition process for a maximum-likelihood GPS receiver that considers the joint processing of all GPS satellite waveforms. The resulting estimator was shown to provide an elegant solution to the near–far problem and to perform better than the suboptimal sliding-correlator estimator. However, the proposed acquisition model included only the code search, which estimates just the time of arrival (TOA) between a GPS satellite and a maximum-likelihood GPS receiver. In this paper we enhance the acquisition process by including the estimation of Doppler along with the estimation of the TOA, which results in a two-dimensional Doppler and code search. A maximum-likelihood GPS receiver would require only one front-end hardware section for processing all GPS signals in view, thus simplifying the entire architecture of a GPS receiver. An assessment based on theoretical performance and simulation results indicates that a maximum-likelihood GPS receiver can achieve an order-of-magnitude performance improvement relative to a sliding-correlator GPS receiver. Simulation data will be validated in the near future using GPS acquisition data from the Novatel ProPack AG-G2+DB9-RT2, and the results of this work will be presented in a future publication.


Astragali Radix are originated from Astragalus membranaceus and A. membranaceus var. mongholicus. However, Hedysarum Radix, the dried root of Hedysarum polybotrys, is often used as a substitute in Taiwan. In Chinese medicinal preparations, authenticity of Astragali Radix is difficult to be certified. The nested PCR and DNA sequencing method was used to identify Astragali Radix and Hedysarum Radix in preparation samples. Primer sets were designed for detecting Astragali Radix and Hedysarum Radix. The total DNA of all samples was extracted. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the DNA samples were amplified by nested PCR and the sequences received from an auto-sequencer. We compared ITS sequences of the preparation samples with the standard to check whether Astragali Radix or Hedysarum Radix was in the preparation samples. Results indicated that 20 out of 30 samples contained a mixture of Astragali Radix and Hedysarum Radix, five Hedysarum Radix as substitute and five Astragali Radix. The combination of nested PCR and restriction fragment lengths polymorphism (RFLP) was employed to rapidly differentiate Astragalus membranaceus, A. membranaceus var. mongholicus and hybrid. The nested PCR and DNA sequencing method successfully identified Astragali Radix and Hedysarum Radix in Chinese medicine preparations.


Through the investigation of provincial, municipal colleges and universities sports injury of college table tennis athletes and personal basic information, training conditions, the site of injury, type of illness and injury causes, carries on the preliminary data statistics, analysis and summary. It can provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and reduction of college table tennis sports injuries and analyze prevention strategies. According to the principle of randomized controlled, table tennis athletes in a random sample of 180 is the research object from colleges and universities in the city of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other provinces, to obtain the results of the study. By means of questionnaire survey and mathematical statistics methods analyzed the results. Injury rate of college tennis players reached 67.22%, susceptible to hurt muscle, ligament injuries, terminal disease, tendon injuries and other diseases. The prevalence of different table tennis player technical and tactical play is different. The incidence of table tennis player occurrence of sports injuries is high. The universities need to take reasonable and effective preventive measures for mainly due to injury, such as fully prepared activities, exercise reasonable arrangements, arrangements for body parts science exercise load, strengthen physical training to improve protection awareness and improve medical supervision work.


Accepted: 18.09.2013 Today, educators and researchers are taking advantage of the advances in the Internet more than ever before. With the advent of social media tools, a new paradigm of teaching and learning has emerged. This study aims to explore social media uses in informal learning activities among CEIT students. A descriptive survey method was used in the study. The participants of the study were 357 undergraduate students in the department of CEIT in a state university. Data was collected through a survey questionnaire developed by the researchers. 18 popular social media tools and 6 major informal activities were selected and integrated into the questionnaire so as to identify the social media tool preferences of the students. Additionally, the participants were asked to identify their main reasons for not using social media tools. The results were presented with frequency and percentage tables. The findings indicated that Facebook is an important social media tool preferred by the majority of the students to fulfill their informal learning activities. This study also point out that besides Facebook, other social media tools are used for different purposes. The results also revealed that barriers for nonuse of social media tools can be grouped under psychological and technological factors. In light of the study results, some methodological and practical suggestions are made for further studies regarding the utilization of the utilization of the social media tools for informal learning activities.


Unifying information theory and digital communication through the language of lattice codes, this book provides a detailed overview for students, researchers and industry practitioners. It covers classical work by leading researchers in the field of lattice codes and complementary work on dithered quantization and infinite constellations, and then introduces the more recent results on 'algebraic binning' for side-information problems, and linear/lattice codes for networks. It shows how high dimensional lattice codes can close the gap to the optimal information theoretic solution, including the characterisation of error exponents. The solutions presented are based on lattice codes, and are therefore close to practical implementations, with many advanced setups and techniques, such as shaping, entropy-coding, side-information and multi-terminal systems. Moreover, some of the network setups shown demonstrate how lattice codes are potentially more efficient than traditional random-coding solutions, for instance when generalising the framework to Gaussian networks.


BACKGROUND
Vertebroplasty is commonly used to treat painful, osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

METHODS
In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned 131 patients who had one to three painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures to undergo either vertebroplasty or a simulated procedure without cement (control group). The primary outcomes were scores on the modified Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ) (on a scale of 0 to 23, with higher scores indicating greater disability) and patients' ratings of average pain intensity during the preceding 24 hours at 1 month (on a scale of 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating more severe pain). Patients were allowed to cross over to the other study group after 1 month.

RESULTS
All patients underwent the assigned intervention (68 vertebroplasties and 63 simulated procedures). The baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. At 1 month, there was no significant difference between the vertebroplasty group and the control group in either the RDQ score (difference, 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.3 to 2.8; P=0.49) or the pain rating (difference, 0.7; 95% CI, -0.3 to 1.7; P=0.19). Both groups had immediate improvement in disability and pain scores after the intervention. Although the two groups did not differ significantly on any secondary outcome measure at 1 month, there was a trend toward a higher rate of clinically meaningful improvement in pain (a 30% decrease from baseline) in the vertebroplasty group (64% vs. 48%, P=0.06). At 3 months, there was a higher crossover rate in the control group than in the vertebroplasty group (51% vs. 13%, P<0.001) [corrected]. There was one serious adverse event in each group.

CONCLUSIONS
Improvements in pain and pain-related disability associated with osteoporotic compression fractures in patients treated with vertebroplasty were similar to the improvements in a control group. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00068822.)


A discounted-sum automaton (NDA) is a nondeterministic finite automaton with edge weights, valuing a run by the discounted sum of visited edge weights. More precisely, the weight in the i-th position of the run is divided by $\lambda^i$, where the discount factor $\lambda$ is a fixed rational number greater than 1. The value of a word is the minimal value of the automaton runs on it. Discounted summation is a common and useful measuring scheme, especially for infinite sequences, reflecting the assumption that earlier weights are more important than later weights. Unfortunately, determinization of NDAs, which is often essential in formal verification, is, in general, not possible. We provide positive news, showing that every NDA with an integral discount factor is determinizable. We complete the picture by proving that the integers characterize exactly the discount factors that guarantee determinizability: for every nonintegral rational discount factor $\lambda$, there is a nondeterminizable $\lambda$-NDA. We also prove that the class of NDAs with integral discount factors enjoys closure under the algebraic operations min, max, addition, and subtraction, which is not the case for general NDAs nor for deterministic NDAs. For general NDAs, we look into approximate determinization, which is always possible as the influence of a word's suffix decays. We show that the naive approach, of unfolding the automaton computations up to a sufficient level, is doubly exponential in the discount factor. We provide an alternative construction for approximate determinization, which is singly exponential in the discount factor, in the precision, and in the number of states. We also prove matching lower bounds, showing that the exponential dependency on each of these three parameters cannot be avoided. All our results hold equally for automata over finite words and for automata over infinite words.


Late Modern European Osterreich und der Heilige Stubl im 19. und 20. Jabrbundert. Edited by Hans Paarhammer and Alfred Rinnerthaler. [Veroffentlichungen des internationalen Forschungszentrums fur Grundiagenforschungen der Wissenschaften Salzburg, Neue Folge, Band 78.] (Bern: Peter Lang. 2001. Pp. 600. $79.95.) A Sammelband, this work presents the collected papers delivered at a conference held on May 18-19, 2000, in Salzburg, Austria, as the first results of an extensive research project dealing with relations between Austria and the Holy See. Several pictures of dignitaries and historians in attendance at sessions and socials show the ambitious intentions of the undertaking. And a worthwhile project it is. These twenty papers cover many aspects of an immensely rich history as strained as it was cordial, for the rise of liberalism in the nineteenth century involved great efforts to squeeze the Church out of public life that were at first resisted by the Habsburgs with the Concordat of 1855 assigning to the Church important competences such as the schools. Although Emperor Franz Joseph occupied the throne for nearly seven decades, his patronage ultimately fell to the power of domestic anticlericals. Pushed into ignoring the Concordat in the Imperial School Law of 1869, the Emperor used the definition of papal infallibility two years later as the grounds for abrogating the Concordat entirely. One of the principal interpretive schemes underlying this volume is that the Church responded to secularization by sacralizing more and more of its life. The defensive posture of the Church became an aggressive stance against its enemies, socialists and nationalists as well as liberals. The resulting centralism stopped short of integralism but not before modernism had been condemned-- here the paper on Ludwig Wahrmund is excellent-and Protestants were alienated more than ever. Gustav Reingrabner's essay on anti-Catholicism among Austrian Protestants brings this into focus. A few of the papers are prosopographies providing biographical data on diplomats, politicians, and church leaders, but more have to do with specific issues and themes of interest in church-state relations. Changes in ancient customs of naming and investing bishops receive attention, not only the rights of the Emperor but those of various bishops as well, although the outmoded right of the Emperor to veto the election of a pope gets scarcely a mention. …