Because of the long, sorry history of American racism, perhaps nothing is more harmful to the libertarian "brand" than skepticism of antidiscrimination laws that apply to private parties. Yet race is only one of many protected categories under modern anti-discrimination laws. The proliferation of antidiscrimination laws protecting groups ranging from people over age forty to members of motorcycle gangs explains why even libertarians who are especially sensitive to America's history of racism are loath to concede the principle that the government may ban private sector discrimination. There is no natural limit to the scope of antidiscrimination laws, because the concept of antidiscrimination is almost infinitely malleable. To concede the general power of government to redress private discrimination through legislation would be to concede virtually unlimited power to the government.

Besides the political ramifications of opposing popular civil rights legislation, many critics of adopting a laissez-faire posture toward discrimination in the private sector seem to believe that antidiscrimination laws somehow magically transform members of despised minority groups into full equal citizens in the eyes of the majority. Antidiscrimination laws can plausibly accelerate trends toward greater tolerance of minorities. These laws can also force a local majority, such as southern whites in the 1960s, to heed the values of a national majority, such as non-southern whites, who by 1964 had turned strongly against racial segregation. Antidiscrimination laws are unlikely, however, to provide much protection to a minority group when the majority of the voting population is hostile to that group.

Given their strong anti-statist presumptions, libertarians will generally remain presumptively opposed to the panoply of modern private sector antidiscrimination laws. That said, the basic federal laws banning discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, as originally conceived in 1964—before the courts and civil rights bureaucracies devised problematic doctrines like "disparate impact" liability—were relatively benign. If everyone from farmers to military contractors to ACORN is able to successfully lobby the government to protect their interests, it's not especially troubling that members of minority groups, who have more legitimate grievances than most legislative supplicants, also use legislation to protect their interests. Indeed, it would be troubling if there was a sudden popular move to repeal antidiscrimination legislation, if it were unaccompanied by broader libertarian political trends, because it would suggest that opposition to such laws came arose from hostility to minority groups, not from opposition to Big Government.

Libertarians can and should insist, however, that a line be drawn at the point where such laws infringe on the constitutional rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, expressive association, and other civil liberties. The laudable goal of the ever-broadening antidiscrimination edifice is to achieve a fairer, more just society. Laudable goals, however, don't justify giving the government excessive authority, or disguising the implications of doing so.


Ichthyosaur diversity near the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, particularly from high paleolatitudes, is poorly known. Two recently collected specimens of medium- to large-bodied ichthyosaurs from the Slottsmoya Member of the Agardhfjellet, Svalbard, Norway represent two new taxa of ophthalmosaurids. The holotype specimen of Cryopterygius kristiansenae gen et sp. nov., PMO 214.578, is a nearly complete and largely articulated skeleton. The specimen consists of a nearly complete skull, the entire presacral and preflexural vertebral series, numerous dorsal ribs and gastralia, an articulated pectoral girdle and nearly complete forelimb, and an articulated left pelvic girdle and hindlimb. The new taxon is diagnosed on a unique suite of features, including a robust and moderately elongate rostrum, a reduced supranarial process, an elongate maxilla that bears a high number of teeth, the absence of a lacrimal-external naris contact, and an anteroposteriorly broad postorbital bar possessing an unidentified element (supratemporal?) that lies posterior to the quadratojugal.

Cryopterygius has 52 presacral vertebrae, a distinctive forelimb, including a humerus that bears only two facets at its distal end, and an articulated left pelvic girdle and hindlimb, which facilitates the unequivocal orientation of the ophthalmosaurid femur. The holotype specimen of Palvennia hoybergeti, SVB 1451, includes a nearly complete skull and fragmented postcranial remains. It is diagnosed on its relatively short rostrum, greatly enlarged orbit, narrow postorbital bar, very large pineal foramen, basioccipital with broad extracondylar area laterally, and a gracile stapedial shaft. The Slottsmoya Lagerstatte is established as one of the most productive horizons for Upper Jurassic ichthyosaurs and considerably expands our knowledge of ophthalmosaurid diversity and distribution in the latest Jurassic.


This paper presents the design, implementation, analysis, and experimental evaluation of speak-up, a defense against application-level distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), in which attackers cripple a server by sending legitimate-looking requests that consume computational resources (e.g., CPU cycles, disk). With speak-up, a victimized server encourages all clients, resources permitting, to automatically send higher volumes of traffic. We suppose that attackers are already using most of their upload bandwidth so cannot react to the encouragement. Good clients, however, have spare upload bandwidth and will react to the encouragement with drastically higher volumes of traffic. The intended outcome of this traffic inflation is that the good clients crowd out the bad ones, thereby capturing a much larger fraction of the server's resources than before. We experiment under various conditions and find that speak-up causes the server to spend resources on a group of clients in rough proportion to their aggregate upload bandwidth. This result makes the defense viable and effective for a class of real attacks.


The Catholic Theology of punishment, which for centuries had remained unaltered, has undergone during the last 20 years a deep transformation, due to the conciliar idea of the dignity of the human person, a better understanding of the biblical concept of divine justice, and a new awareness of the deficiencies of the criminal justice system, especially as regards prison. This article, through the analysis of different magisterial documents, illustrates the new perspective of reconciliative justice, which seeks to give retributive sanctions an authentic medicinal orientation, as a potentially meaningful process for their subjects, in order to enable their rehabilitation and reintegration in the community.


The advance selling strategy is implemented when a firm offers consumers the opportunity to order its product in advance of the regular selling season. Advance selling reduces uncertainty for both the firm and the buyer and enables the firm to update its forecast of future demand. The distinctive feature of the present theoretical study of advance selling is that we divide consumers into two groups, experienced and inexperienced. Experienced consumers know their valuations of the product in advance. The presence of experienced consumers yields new insights. Specifically, pre-orders from experienced consumers lead to a more precise forecast of future demand by the firm. We show that the firm will always adopt advance selling and that the optimal pre-order price may or may not be at a discount to the regular selling price.


On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court decided Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, holding that the Indian Child Welfare Act did not permit the Cherokee father in that case to object to termination of his parental rights. The case is ostensibly about a dispute between prospective adoptive parents and a biological father. This Article demonstrates that it is about a lot more than that. It is a microcosm of anxieties about Indianness, race, and the changing nature of parenthood. While made in the name of the child, moreover, the decision supports practices and policies that do not forward and may even undermine children's interests. Drawing on published and unpublished court records and testimony, this Article reveals that the Court's portrayal of the facts of the case was wrong. Instead of a deadbeat dad acting as a spoiler in the adoption of the daughter he had abandoned, the birth father sought to parent his daughter from the moment he learned his fiance was pregnant and was initially prevented from learning of the adoption plan by the actions of the parties and their attorneys. The decision distorted the law as well, doing violence to long-accepted interpretations of the statute. Why did the Court mischaracterize the facts and the law? The Article examines the narratives of the interests of the child, racial color-blindness, and even women's rights that surrounded the case to reveal that the decision in fact rested on racialization and colonialism of Indian people, condemnation of poor single mothers, economic interests of private adoption facilitators, and the class divides in modern paths to parenthood.


We have developed a semester-long laboratory project for an undergraduate immunology course in which students study multiple aspects of macrophage biology including differentiation from progenitors in the bone marrow, activation upon stimulation with microbial ligands, expression of cell surface markers, and modulation of cytokine production. In the first part of the semester, students differentiate macrophages from mouse bone marrow stem cells and perform immunophenotyping on their macrophages using myeloid markers that are either constitutively expressed or expressed upon activation with microbial ligands. Students use a low-cost image cytometer to both visualize and quantify cellular expression of myeloid markers. Students then perform literature research, design, and execute a series of experiments aimed at investigating the role of natural anti-inflammatory compounds on TNF- production in these macrophages. The soup-to-nuts investigative approach in which students generate "their own" macrophages and study their functions over the course of the semester fostered a sense of ownership and accomplishment


Anchored in the view that users' interaction with IT artifacts as social and interpersonal, this study introduces, defines, and examines the effects and consequences of perceived interdependence . This relational variable captures users' perceptions of how they and the artifact influence each other's experiences. The results of an experimental study reveal that users' perceptions of their interdependence with a virtual advisor affect their intentions to reuse it as well as their willingness to disclose personal information to it. To understand how perceptions of interdependence can be cued via the advisor's design, the study examines and supports the significant effects of the design-based construct of rapport on perceived interdependence. Perceived rapport, a multidimensional belief, is cued through the use of explanations and expressive speech acts.


Alliinase catalyses the release of a range of volatile sulphur compounds which are responsible for the distinctive flavour and odour of Allium species. Clones encoding this vacuolar enzyme were isolated by immunoscreening a cDNA expression library constructed in the vector AZAPII with mRNA extracted from sprouting A. cepa bulb shoots. Six clones were characterized by DNA sequencing. Four of the cDNA sequences (Alli6, 7, 8B and 9) were found to be identical apart from variation in the length of their 5' ends. These sequences contained three putative polyadenylation signals. A fifth clone, Alli4B, was also very similar but displayed a truncated 3' end with six divergent bases just prior to the polyadenylate tail and lacked the most 3' polyadenylation signal present within the sequences of the other clones. It was evident from these differences that the clones were unique. However, their high sequence homology suggested they were encoded by a single gene, or two that are very closely related. The sixth clone sequenced, Alli4A, showed no homology to the other five clones, nor to any sequences within the GenBank database. The five highly homologous cDNA sequences ranged in length from 1604 bp to 1757 bp, and all appeared to contain a complete longest open reading frame encoding a polypeptide with a predicted size of 54 884 Da. Four peptide sequences derived from purified A. cepa alliinase were aligned, and showed 93 % homology with the corresponding amino acid sequences deduced from the cDNA clones. Alignment of the native alliinase N-terminal peptide to the cDNA-inferred protein sequence predicted a hydrophobic 34-residue prepeptide sequence terminating in a peptidase cleavage site. Given the vacuolar location of this enzyme, it is probable that this region functions in targeting of the alliinase precursor to the endoplasmic reticulum. The inferred mature alliinase subunit polypeptide contained sequence motifs compatible with both Asn-linked glycosylation and pyridoxal phosphate cofactor binding. Conversion of clones to the phagemid form allowed the protein expressed in Escherichia coli from Alli6 to be western blotted. This analysis revealed protein moieties with molecular masses of 47 and 41.4 kDa. Southern hybridization analysis of A. cepa genomic DNA using an alliinase cDNA probe demonstrated the presence of a small multigene family with at least four members. Further genomic DNA hybridization analysis using a probe encompassing the 3' untranslated region of the alliinase clones demonstrated that the highest identity was to a single fragment, suggesting some alliinase gene family members may be transcriptionally inactive in sprouting bulb shoot tissue. A 1.7 kb transcript was detected by northern analysis of RNA extracted from developing A. cepa seedlings, indicating that the cDNA clones were near-full-Iength. Alliinase mRNA could be easily detected in seedlings up to 14 days after germination. Visual assessment and densitometer analysis of hybridization intensities suggested that alliinase transcripts were most abundant two to six days after germination and declined rapidly over the ensuing eight days. This indicated that alliinase expression is regulated at the transcriptional level during this period.


This research-in-progress considers the make/buy dichotomy common in research on IT outsourcing (ITO) transaction arrangements. Recent strategic management research finds that several kinds of transaction arrangements exist and categorizes them on three independent dimensions of control. Using a sample of 100+ ITO transactions from a small consulting firm, I plan to empirically test the relationship between use of these arrangements in ITO transactions and value created and captured by the transaction partners. Expected findings of the completed research will contribute to the outsourcing literature by validating a more nuanced means of analyzing outsourcing transactions. In addition, this research aids scholars' understanding of how transaction arrangements contribute to the creation of value for transaction partners. Finally, this research contributes an additional IS perspective on a prominent theory of the firm, transaction cost economics (TCE), and contributes to ongoing debate in the IS literature regarding the applicability of TCE to ITO transactions.


The Transition Network is a global grassroots network that supports community-led resilience in the face of global change. This paper reports on an ethnographic study of one of its longest-running projects, Transition Town Lewes (TTL) in the United Kingdom. The aim of the study is to analyse TTL as a community. More specifically, we ask two questions: (1) what type of community is TTL? and (2) what are the challenges TTL faces as a community? With this, we contribute to the existing literature on local sustainability initiatives and in particular on Transition initiatives, by providing an in-depth understanding of the challenges and social dynamics at play in a day-to-day setting. We conducted three months of intensive ethnographic fieldwork using participant observation, interviews, and a focus group. Our analysis shows that TTL is a community that, on the one hand, is motivated by explicit intentions and goals, but that, on the other hand, leaves openness and flexibility regarding the level and specifics of participants' engagement. We introduce the novel concept of 'light intentional community' to describe this type of community. We first investigate intentionality in TTL, finding that differences exist between individual participant motivations and stated TTL objectives. We go on to describe the 'light' aspect of TTL—the differences in levels of engagement between community participants. Our analysis shows that TTL and its participants face two main challenges. First, TTL participants experience 'multi-dimensional liminality': they operate in a liminal space between mainstream society and TTL practices, and additionally experience a continuous sense of transitioning toward a moving goal. Second, TTL as a community faces internal and external frictions. These challenges are interrelated and stem from the structure and dynamics of TTL as a light intentional community. We conclude by reflecting on our analysis of the nature and challenges of 'light intentional communities', identifying what opportunities this concept brings for overcoming the challenges of grassroots globalization initiatives amidst mainstream society.


The aim of the current study was to uncover conflict detection strategies in a simplified air traffic control simulation. The primary task in this study was to predict if two aircraft at the same altitude but different speeds on a converging trajectory would collide in the future. While participants made this judgment their eye-movements were recorded. Dwell time indicated that participants fixated longer on the aircraft than they did on the projected collision site. The results of the scanpath analysis indicated that participants were more likely to scan between the two aircraft than any other two interest areas. Results also indicated that the second most prevalent scanpath was between the collision site and the faster aircraft (SWA23). The least likely scanpath was between the collision site and the slower (and closer) aircraft (UAL74). The results suggest that the assimilation of speed and distance information demand more attention than is required for the projection of the collision site.


Mammography-based screening has been a valuable imaging tool for the early detection of non-palpable lesions and has contributed to significant reduction in breast cancer associated mortality. However, the breast imaging community recognizes that mammography is not ideal, and in particular is inferior for women with dense breasts. Also, the 2-D projection of a 3-D organ results in tissue superposition contributing to false-positives. The sensitivity of mammography is breast-density dependent. Its sensitivity, especially in dense breasts, is low due to overlapping tissue and the fact that normal breast tissue, benign lesions and breast cancers all have similar "densities", making lesion detection more difficult. We ideally need 3-D imaging for imaging the 3-D breast. MRI is 3-D, whole breast ultrasound is 3-D, digital breast tomosynthesis is called 3-D but is really "pseudo 3-D" due to poor resolution along the depth-direction. Also, and importantly, we need to be able to administer intravenous contrast agents for optimal imaging, similar to other organ systems in the body. Dedicated breast CT allows for 3-D imaging of the uncompressed breast. In current designs, the patient is positioned prone on the table and the breast is pendant through an aperture and the scan takes approximately 10 seconds [O'Connell et al., AJR 195: 496-509, 2010]. Almost on the heels of the invention of CT itself, work began on the development of dedicated breast CT. These early breast CT systems were used in clinical trials and the results from comparative performance evaluation of breast CT and mammography for 1625 subjects were reported in 1980 [Chang et al., Cancer 46: 939-46, 1980]. However, the technological limitations at that time stymied clinical translation for decades. Subsequent to the landmark article in 2001 [Boone et al., Radiology 221: 657-67, 2001] that demonstrated the potential feasibility in terms of radiation dose, multiple research groups are actively investigating dedicated breast CT. The development of large-area flat-panel detectors with field-of-view sufficient to image the entire breast in each projection enabled development of flat-panel cone-beam breast CT. More recently, the availability of complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) detectors with lower system noise and finer pixel pitch, combined with the development of x-ray tubes with focal spot dimensions similar to mammography systems, has shown improved spatial resolution and could improve visualization of microcalcifications. These technological developments promise clinical translation of low-dose cone-beam breast CT. Dedicated photon-counting breast CT (pcBCT) systems represent a novel detector design, which provide high spatial resolution (∼ 100µm) and low mean glandular dose (MGD). The CdTe-based direct conversion detector technology was previously evaluated and confirmed by simulations and basic experiments on laboratory setups [Kalender et al., Eur Radiol 22: 1-8, 2012]. Measurements of dose, technical image quality parameters, and surgical specimens on a pcBCT scanner have been completed. Comparative evaluation of surgical specimens showed that pcBCT outperformed mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis with respect to 3D spatial resolution, detectability of calcifications, and soft tissue delineation. Major barriers to widespread clinical use of BCT relate to radiation dose, imaging of microcalcifications, and adequate coverage of breast tissue near the chest wall. Adequate chest wall coverage is also technically challenging but recent progress in x-ray tube, detector and table design now enables full breast coverage in the majority of patients. At this time, BCT has been deemed to be suitable for diagnostic imaging but not yet for screening. The mean glandular dose (MGD) from BCT has been reported to be between 5.7 to 27.8 mGy, and this range is comparable to, and within the range of, the MGD of 2.6 to 31.6 mGy in diagnostic mammography. In diagnostic studies, the median MGD from BCT and mammography were 12.6 and 11.1 mGy, respectively [Vedantham et al., Phys Med Biol. 58: 7921-36, 2013]. Moreover, in diagnostic imaging of the breast the location of the lesion is known and therefore characterization and not detection is by far the primary consideration. The role of bCT is particularly compelling for diagnostic imaging of the breast because it may replace in part the multiple mammographic views of the breast under vigorous compression. Other non-screening potential applications of bCT include the assessment of response to neoadjuvant therapy [Vedantham et al., J Clin Imaging Sci 4, 64, 2014] and pre-surgical evaluation.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the metrics used to evaluate screening and diagnostic imaging 2. To understand the benefits and limitations of current clinical modalities 3. To understand how breast CT can improve over current clinical modalities 4. To note the early attempts to translate breast CT to the clinic in 1970s-1990s 5. To understand the recent developments in low-dose cone-beam breast CT 6. To understand the recent developments in photon-counting breast CT 7. To understand the radiation dose, clinical translation, and recent developments in diagnostic imaging with breast CT Supported in part by NIH grants R21 CA134128, R01 CA128906 and R01 CA195512. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official views of the NIH or the NCI.; S. Vedantham, Funding sources: Supported in part by NIH/NCI grants R01 CA128906 and R01 CA195512. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official views of the NIH/NCI. Disclosures: Research collaboration with Koning Corporation, West Henrietta, NY. Conflicts of Interest: J. Boone, This research was supported in part by NIH grant R01CA181081; W. Kalender, WK is founder and CEO of CT Imaging GmbH Erlangen, Germany.; A. Karellas, NIH R21 CA134128, R01 CA128906, and R01 CA195512 and Research collaboration with Koning Corporation.


Through a form of narrative inquiry involving the use of vignettes and ruminations about present and past, the author examines the role(s) of orality, literacy, and aurality in the intergenerational transmission of his language and culture. Weaving together stories from childhood, memories, and translations of his grandmother's poetry, the author raises questions about how we, as Indigenous peoples, might ensure that we are able to teach our own next generations our spirits, hearts, being/knowing of the world and who we are as human beings now that oral cultures are being discarded--or worse, written down.


In the paper corrosion-induced crack initiation and propagation are investigated experimentally and numerically, with particular emphasis on quantifying the proportion of corrosion products that are dissipated within the concrete pores and cracks, thus reducing the pressure exerted by corrosion products on the surrounding concrete. Initially, experimental data on crack initiation and propagation obtained from accelerated corrosion tests of reinforced concrete slabs are presented. A comparison of finite-element model results and experimental data is used to estimate the amount of corrosion products penetrating into concrete pores and cracks, which is an essential parameter for prediction of corrosion initiation and propagation. It was found that the amount of corrosion products penetrating into the concrete pores before crack initiation is larger than that obtained by other researchers. The paper also showed that corrosion products do not fully fill corrosion-induced cracks in concrete immediately after their initiation as the cracks are being filled gradually over time and the thicker the concrete cover the longer it will take to fully fill a crack.


Interview in eight sessions, February 2008-April 2009, with Jenijoy La Belle, professor of English, Caltech.
La Belle talks about her childhood, education, and family influences growing up in Olympia, Washington, and her early love of literature and poetry. She recalls her undergraduate years at the University of Washington (B.A. 1965), including studying with poet Theodore Roethke, who became the subject of her doctoral thesis (Ph.D. 1968) at UC San Diego. She describes her early years (1969-1975) as Caltech's first female professor, her Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) colleagues, including division chair H. Smith and J. K. Clark, her friendship with physicist R. P. Feynman, her initial impressions of Caltech students, and her research on poet/artist William Blake. She discusses HSS's shift in emphasis toward the social sciences in the 1970s, the impact on the division, and the appointment of economic historian R. Huttenback as division chair in 1972.
In 1975, La Belle's landmark Caltech tenure case begins when Huttenback overrules the English department's recommendation that she be granted tenure. She relates chronology and conduct of the case, detailing the involvement of HSS and other faculty, Caltech provost R. Christy, trustee L. Wasserman, numerous campus committees, and outside referees. She describes events leading to her decision to file an official complaint with the EEOC, the agency's investigation and subsequent citing of Caltech for gender discrimination in faculty hiring, Caltech's reaction, and her satisfactory resolution of the case with Caltech in 1977. (Verbatim excerpts of relevant letters, articles, memos, and other documents are included in this section.) She outlines Huttenback's subsequent career as chancellor of UC Santa Barbara and his Santa Barbara trial and conviction for embezzling university funds in 1988, and reflects on its significance for her own case.
She discusses her literary research into Blake, 17th-century poetry, and Shakespeare's plays, and the importance of the Huntington Library (San Marino, California) humanities collections in her work. She comments on her involvement with Caltech faculty committees, and her role as chair of Caltech's convocations committee (1986-1989). Interview concludes with her perspectives on teaching Shakespeare to four decades of Caltech students, team-teaching/staging the Bard in tandem with Caltech theater arts director Shirley Marneus, and a brief assessment of Caltech's presidents.


Chlorinated organic compounds (OCls) from anthropogenic sources are generally considered to be a class of chemicals with high potential for ecotoxicity, including infamous substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dichloro-dibenzo-trichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD). OCls are also produced naturally, sometimes at the same order of magnitude as anthropogenic compounds. The scope of this thesis was to develop and apply a method for isotope analysis of OCls, as a part of compound-specific chlorine isotope analysis (CSIA-δ37Cl) of trace level compounds. Isotope analysis of chlorine was performed with sealed-tube combustion and thermal-ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), in order to improve the analytical sensitivity by a factor 20 relative to conventional techniques. Chlorine isotope signatures of organochlorines (δ37Cl-OCl) can be used for source apportionment in the natural vs. anthropogenic spectrum. CSIA-δ37Cl was tested as a tool to resolve the origin of putatively natural PCDD found in ball clay from the Mississippi Embayment, USA. Combined with results from 14C analysis, the δ37Cl-PCDD was consistent with a natural abiotic formation of PCDD. Reactions involving the scission of a chemical bond to a molecular chlorine substituent will induce a shift in the δ37Cl-OCl of the remaining reactant. This concept was used to calculate the undegraded fraction of DDT in the Baltic marine environment (~7% DDT remaining) based on δ37Cl-OCl measurements of DDT harvested from seal blubber. Hence, it is suggested that CSIA-δ37Cl may be very useful in studies of fate and origin of OCls in the environment, and that further applications of the technique are warranted.


Background: Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) activates oncogenic signaling pathways and induces inflammation to promote colorectal carcinogenesis. Methods: We characterized F. nucleatum and its subspecies in colorectal tumors and examined associations with tumor characteristics and colorectal cancer–specific survival. We conducted deep sequencing of nusA, nusG, and bacterial 16s rRNA genes in tumors from 1,994 patients with colorectal cancer and assessed associations between F. nucleatum presence and clinical characteristics, colorectal cancer–specific mortality, and somatic mutations. Results: F. nucleatum, which was present in 10.3% of tumors, was detected in a higher proportion of right-sided and advanced-stage tumors, particularly subspecies animalis. Presence of F. nucleatum was associated with higher colorectal cancer–specific mortality (HR, 1.97; P = 0.0004). This association was restricted to nonhypermutated, microsatellite-stable tumors (HR, 2.13; P = 0.0002) and those who received chemotherapy [HR, 1.92; confidence interval (CI), 1.07–3.45; P = 0.029). Only F. nucleatum subspecies animalis, the main subspecies detected (65.8%), was associated with colorectal cancer–specific mortality (HR, 2.16; P = 0.0016), subspecies vincentii and nucleatum were not (HR, 1.07; P = 0.86). Additional adjustment for tumor stage suggests that the effect of F. nucleatum on mortality is partly driven by a stage shift. Presence of F. nucleatum was associated with microsatellite instable tumors, tumors with POLE exonuclease domain mutations, and ERBB3 mutations, and suggestively associated with TP53 mutations. Conclusions: F. nucleatum, and particularly subspecies animalis, was associated with a higher colorectal cancer–specific mortality and specific somatic mutated genes. Impact: Our findings identify the F. nucleatum subspecies animalis as negatively impacting colorectal cancer mortality, which may occur through a stage shift and its effect on chemoresistance.


Digital (computer) literacy is the new title for 'educated'. Both teachers and students have no option but to acquire a level of computer-literacy to catch up with the growing digital societies. Governments and higher education institutions (HEIs) are making all out efforts by providing eLearning environments to gain some levels of digital literacy of the masses at large and the university-constituents. Both developed and developing states are trying to figure out a required digital literacy curriculum for the training of teachers and the students. However, given that there are several meanings of computer-literacy therefore; research is going on about the contents of the curriculum and the pedagogical requirements of ICT-education. Furthermore, the concepts of global-village, globalization, information or knowledge society, ePedagogy, eStudents and eCourses – all are casting increasing pressures on the academicians, HEIs and governments to take digitial opportunity initiatives (DOI) for digital-literacy of the masses to generate workforce for the eGovernment, eCommerce and eLearning.Research reveals that learners hold different perceptions about the nature and role of ICTs such as: instrumental and substantive. Some consider it just like any other technology with no value-implications for the learner and society. Substantive theorists however believe in the determinist role of technologies for changing the society. Whatever the paradigm, learners are facing several hurdles in acquiring digital command like perceptual differences, demographic diversities, resistance to change, training issues, and so on. However, most of the researchers are coming up with the findings that, perceptions, theories, teaching/learning styles of the teachers, students and other stakeholders play decisive and determinist role in determining the speed and quality of computer-literacy.It is well-documented that the contents and dynamics of computer-literacy in any state depend on the objectives to be realized through ICTs. Depending on the perceptions about eLearning, technologies are either used to achieve immediate objectives for instant contributions (instrumental-view) or long-term and broader objectives (substantive or liberal-view). It is argued that none of the instrumental or substantive views are good or bad rather two stages or steps in the evolution of eLearning from objectivist thinking to social constructivist digital platforms. Almost every country and HEI is first experimenting with the instrumental benefits of ICTs and this practice is more rampant in the developing countries. This paper is an effort to draw a picturesque of digital-literacy in the background of


Objective To investigate the effect of the psychological intervention combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the mental status and the quality of life of patients with depression after cerebral stroke.Methods 45 patients with depression after cerebral stroke were randomly divided into the study group (n = 22)and the control group(n = 23). The two groups had the same clinical routine treatments including improving cerebral cirulation, reducing intracranial pressure, drugs to anti-infection, nervous nutrition and corresponding operation for 8 weeks as a course of treatment, and psychological behavior intervention combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy was added to the study group. The scores of Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) on both groups were evaluated before and spitzer' s quality of life index(QL-INDEX) were used and investigated on two groups at the end of 8 weeks. Results There was no significant difference on the scores of HAMD between the two groups before therapy (P > 0. 05). The scores on HAMD of the study group after the treatment notably dropped compared to the control group (P< 0. 01). The difference of the scores on group index of quality of life between the study group (8.57 ± 1.94) and the control group (7.30 ± 1.98) had statistical significance (P <0. 05). Conclusion Psychological intervention combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy plays an important role in the treatment of patient with depression after cerebral stroke to improve their mental status, treatment effectiveness and quality of life.

Key words:
Psychological intervention; Hyperbaric oxygen; Cerebral stroke; Depression; Quality of life


Oil palm wood (OPW) extracted from felled oil palm trunks during replanting could be a source of
replenishment for the depleted timber sources. Nevertheless, dimensional instability of OPW is one of the
drawbacks that need to be addressed before it can be utilised efficiently. Therefore, to improve its dimensional
stability, hydrothermal treatment using different buffered media was employed in this study and the optimal
treatment condition for OPW were investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) models for treatment
temperature, treatment duration and buffered media of hydrothermally treated OPW were developed. OPW
samples were hydrothermally treated with different buffered media (pH 4 to pH 9), treatment temperature
(60oC to 160oC) and time (13 min to 147 min). Water absorption (WA) and thickness swelling (TS) of
the treated samples were determined. It is demonstrated that hydrothermal treatment has improved the
dimensional stability of treated samples with treatment temperature appearing to be the most influential
factor. Samples treated in an acidic media displayed lower WA mainly due to the fact that higher amount
of hydrophilic hemicellulose was degraded under acidic condition. However, lower TS was observed in the
samples treated in alkaline media, probably caused by the removal of lignin that increased the porosity of
the OPW.


The Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is a widely used transport for real-time multimedia on IP networks. The Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP) is a transport protocol that provides desirable services for real-time applications. This memo specifies a mapping of RTP onto DCCP, along with associated signalling, such that real-time applications can make use of the services provided by DCCP. Information about the current status of this document, any errata, and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License. Perkins Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 5762 RTP over DCCP April 2010 This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF Contributions published or made publicly available before November 10, 2008. The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process. Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling the copyright in such materials, this document may not be modified outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other than English.


The dissertation reviewed "the causes of war debate in Africa, and its implications for African military expenditures" by levelling the argument of greed hypothesis as inconsistent with the pragmatic ground situation in Africa that can properly inform optimal decision-making. The arguments raised support the debunking of greed claim that opportunity to pillage state resources, supersedes issues of grievance as cause of civil war. This work discussed the major civil wars in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1990, the study raised concerns that, by taking stance with greed has the tendency to make traditional state security the utmost policy concern. That also provides cost benefit excuse for state actors to give milex priority over other social sectors in budget prioritizing. It is argued that greed does not offer the platform for durable peace pursuit. The dissertation then showed that grievance is consistent with causes of civil war in Africa due to its multifarious outlook of conflicts. Grievance hypothesis, is supported because it offers practically approach to pursue endurable conflict, and problem solving approach to conflict analysis in Africa. Grievance encourages a policy of milex reduction and encourages peacebuilding effort. The study concluded by saying that none of the debate grievance and that of greed's validity justify the heinous carnage and destruction involved in African civil wars. Therefore what compels leaders to find solution with violence as a result of opportunity not based on resource per se, but it also involves misplaced priority to find lasting solution to grievance issues. It also involves the opportunity to heroism based on distorted perception of power and lack of social education on appropriate means to conflict resolution, and lack of appropriate early warning mechanism and trivialization of conflict warnings as happened in ECOWAS, East-Central Africa. Nine recommendations suggested in the dissertation centres on the causes of new civil wars debates and policy; the study of cases of new civil wars in SSA; and on the influence of new civil wars debate on rnilex.


Among the most well-documented and long-standing gender gaps in political behavior are those relating to political ambition, as men have consistently been shown to express a significantly higher level of political ambition than women. Although this gap is well established, the reasons for the differences between men and women remain largely unknown. One possible explanation is that negative stereotypes about women's political ability are responsible. Stereotype threat, as it is referred to in the psychology literature, is a phenomenon where individuals of a social group suffer cognitive burdens and anxiety after being exposed to negative stereotypes that relate to their identity. These disruptions have been shown to alter attitudes and behavior. In order to test this possibility, we employed an experimental design whereby we randomly assigned 501 undergraduate students into threat and nonthreat conditions. While men exhibited higher levels of political ambition in both conditions, women in the nonthreat condition expressed significantly higher levels of political ambition than those women who were exposed to negative stereotypes. The results of this study therefore suggest that the gender gap in political ambition may be partly explained by negative stereotypes about women in politics.


A research method for investigating delusional beliefs is outlined by adopting the delusional belief that one is dead (the Cotard delusion) as a model delusion. Detailed analyses of published case reports of the Cotard delusion demonstrate that the term 'syndrome' as it is currently applied to the belief that one is dead is not helpful in terms of our understanding of the delusion. Four new case studies of the Cotard delusion suggest that preoccupation with belief may play a role in the formation and maintenance of delusions. Preoccupation with delusional belief was investigated using a variant of the 'emotional' Stroop paradigm, commonly used in investigating anxiety disorders. Three individuals with the Cotard delusion, and diagnosed as suffering from depression, showed attentional biases toward words related to the theme of death. Two of the individuals had no history of anxiety and showed no bias toward words related to generalised anxiety. It was therefore suggested that the locus of attentional biases in delusions may be preoccupation with delusional belief, rather than anxiety per se. Consistent with this, a patient with fixed grandiose delusional beliefs, diagnosed with schizophrenia, and not suffering from anxiety, showed attentional bias toward words related to his delusional beliefs. Attentional bias failed to be demonstrated in a group of people with delusions arising in the context of schizophrenia, and reasons for this are discussed. Finally, three groups of individuals, who were free form any form of psychopathology, each showed a trend towards longer colour-naming times towards words related to their respective interests, but none of these were significant. It is concluded that attentional biases in delusions serve to reinforce delusional beliefs by constantly focusing die individual's attention onto delusion- relevant material. Implications for further research are discussed.


It takes a book as versatile as its subject to cover Apache Tomcat, the popular open source Servlet and JSP container and high performance web server. Tomcat: The Definitive Guide is a valuable reference for administrators and webmasters, a useful guide for programmers who want to use Tomcat as their web application server during development or in production, and an excellent introduction for anyone interested in Tomcat. Updated for the latest version of Tomcat, this new edition offers a complete guide to installing, configuring, maintaining and securing this servlet container. In fact, with such a wealth of new information, this is essentially a new book rather than a simple revision. You will find details for using Tomcat on all major platforms, including Windows, Linux, OS X, Solaris, and FreeBSD, along with specifics on Tomcat configuration files, and step-by-step advice for deploying and running web applications. This book offers complete information for: Installation and startup procedures Configuring Tomcat-including realms, roles, users, servlet sessions, and JNDI resources including JDBC DataSources Deploying web applications-individual servlets and JSP pages, and web application archive files Tuning Tomcat to measure and improve performance Integrating Tomcat with Apache Web Server Securing Tomcat to keep online thugs at bay Tomcat configuration files-server.xml and web.xml, and more Debugging and Troubleshooting-diagnosing problems with Tomcat or a web application Compiling your own Tomcat, rather than using the pre-built release Running two or more Tomcat servlet containers in parallel This book also offers an overview of the Tomcat open source project's community resources, including docs, mailing lists, and more. Community interest fueled a strong demand for a Tomcat guide from O'Reilly. The result clearly exceeds expectations.


The video presents the first results of a Swiss-funded project focusing on symbiotic peer-to-peer interaction and cooperation between humans and robot swarms. As a first step, we considered human-swarm interaction, and selected the use of hand gestures to let a human communicate with a swarm of relatively simple mobile robots. In our scenario, a hand gesture encodes a command, that the swarm will execute. The robots that we used are the foot-bots, developed in the Swarmanoid project [1].


Polymer encapsulations of three different grades of easy dispersible carbon black, Nipex 35 with particle size 14, Nipex 90 of particle size 25 and Nipex 150 with particle size 31 nm were carried out using silica particles as a surfactant. The encapsulation was carried out by miniemulsion polymerization of styrene/butyl acrylateas a hydrophobe coating in presence of hexadecane. High initiator percentage wasessential because carbon black is an efficient radicaltrap. The morphology of the prepared encapsulated particles was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effect of hydrophobic coating on the life time of the food emulsion model of soybean soluble polysaccharides was studied. Moreover,the stabilityof emulsion that prepared by different Nipexgrades were studied to find the most appropriate carbon black for emulsion stabilization.


Why so many people pay their taxes, although fines and audit probability are low, has become a central question in the tax compliance literature. A homo economicus, with a more refined motivation structure, helps us to shed light on this puzzle. This paper provides empirical evidence for the relevance of conditional cooperation, using survey data from 30 West and East European countries. We find a high correlation between perceived tax evasion and tax morale. The results remain robust after exploiting endogeneity and conducting several robustness tests. We also observe a strong positive correlation between institutional quality and tax morale.


This book guides student researchers through the different stages of small-scale or practitioner research, a common component of study for students training to work in the lifelong learning sector. The authors look at the entire research journey, from planning a research topic and framing research questions, through the process of data collection and analysis, to writing up and presentation.

Using a step-by-step approach the book tackles common thorny issues such as:
Understanding the different genres of research
Discussion of qualitative and quantitative approaches to research
The importance of forming research questions and of locating them within current research literature
How to do a literature review
Dealing with permissions, access and ethics
The nuts and bolts of research methods
Interpreting data and writing up research findings
Together with case studies and examples of real-life research projects that have been completed by the authors' own students, this book tackles research in a student-friendly and accessible style, carefully unpacking and defining the different terms, concepts and theories that students need to know when beginning research for the first time.

This book is essential reading for students who are training to work in the lifelong learning sector or practitioners who are undertaking CPD to maintain their license to practice.


The effectiveness of 28 methods used to characterize the fractured Galena-Platteville aquifer at eight sites in northern Illinois and Wisconsin is evaluated. Analysis of government databases, previous investigations, topographic maps, aerial photographs, and outcrops was essential to understanding the hydrogeology in the area to be investigated. The effectiveness of surfacegeophysical methods depended on site geology. Lithologic logging provided essential information for site characterization. Cores were used for stratigraphy and geotechnical analysis. Natural-gamma logging helped identify the effect of lithology on the location of secondary-permeability features. Caliper logging identified large secondary-permeability features. Neutron logs identified trends in matrix porosity. Acoustic-televiewer logs identified numerous secondary-permeability features and their orientation. Borehole-camera logs also identified a number of secondary-permeability features. Borehole ground-penetrating radar identified lithologic and secondary-permeability features. However, the accuracy and completeness of this method is uncertain. Single-point-resistance, density, and normal resistivity logs were of limited use. Water-level and water-quality data identified flow directions and indicated the horizontal and vertical distribution of aquifer permeability and the depth of the permeable features. Temperature, spontaneous potential, and fluid-resistivity logging identified few secondarypermeability features at some sites and several features at others. Flowmeter logging was the most effective geophysical method for characterizing secondary-permeability features. Aquifer tests provided insight into the permeability distribution, identified hydraulically interconnected features, the presence of heterogeneity and anisotropy, and determined effective porosity. Aquifer heterogeneity prevented calculation of accurate hydraulic properties from some tests. Different methods, such as flowmeter logging and slug testing, occasionally produced different interpretations. Aquifer characterization improved with an increase in the number of data points, the period of data collection, and the number of methods used.


Plant pathology must address a number of challenges, most of which are characterized by complexity. Network analysis offers useful tools for addressing complex systems and an opportunity for synthesis within plant pathology and between it and relevant disciplines such as in the social sciences. We discuss applications of network analysis, which ultimately may be integrated together into more synthetic analyses of how to optimize plant disease management systems. The analysis of microbiome networks and tripartite phytobiome networks of host-vector-pathogen interactions offers promise for identifying biocontrol strategies and anticipating disease emergence. Linking epidemic network analysis with social network analysis will support strategies for sustainable agricultural development and for scaling up solutions for disease management. Statistical tools for evaluating networks, such as Bayesian network analysis and exponential random graph models, have been underused in plant pathology and are promising for informing strategies. We conclude with research priorities for network analysis applications in plant pathology.


Data are presented to show the effects of inlet-air pressure, inlet-air temperature, and compression ratio on the maximum permissible performance obtained with having a hemispherical-dome combustion chamber. The five aircraft-engine fuels used have octane numbers varying from 90 to 100 plus 2 ml of tetraethyl lead per gallon. The data were obtained on a 5 1/4-inch by 4 3/4-inch liquid-cooled engine operating at 2,500 r.p.m. The compression ratio was varied from 6.0 to 8.9. The inlet-air temperature was varied from 110 to 310 F. For each set of conditions, the inlet-air pressure was increased until audible knock occurred and then reduced 2 inches of mercury before data were recorded. The results for each fuel can be correlated by plotting the calculated end-gas density factor against the calculated end-gas temperature. Measurements of spark-plugs, cutting off the switch to one spark plug lowered the electrode temperature of that plug from a value of 1,365 F to a value of 957 F. The results indicate that the surface temperatures of combustion-chamber areas which become new sources of ignition markedly increase after ignition.


Research related to supports for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is under-developed. As an example, system and service development to support successful transition to adulthood and meaningful vocation for adults has received relatively little research scrutiny until recently, with practitioners and program developers lacking evidence-informed approaches guiding service delivery. A Special Interest Group (SIG) was convened at the International Meeting for Autism Research in May 2014 and May 2015, with a focus on transitional and vocational issues in ASD. The SIG consisted of 120 international delegates, including self-advocates, family members, researchers, program and policy developers, practitioners, and interdisciplinary ASD trainees. Following a summary of the literature, subgroups of attendees were convened in smaller groups to identify research needs and priorities. International researchers facilitated these discussions with notes taken in each subgroup. Using a qualitative analytic approach, key themes across groups were identified. These key themes, outlined in this paper, address the identified need to (a) advance research capacity; (b) build employer capacity relative to employing persons with ASD; and (c) enhance support resources for adults with ASD and their families. Heightened research activity guiding practice and policy, community/employer engagement, and person and family-centered services were recommended. Implications for advancement and implementation are offered. VC 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Prepare your students for physical therapy practice with this quick-reference imaging handbook that provides the essential information they need to accurately interpret patients' radiographic images, better understand the nature of a pathology or injury, expertly plan and implement a physical therapy treatment plan for each patient, and explain to patients why the treatment is needed and how it will help them. Covering the most common pathologies and conditions seen in a typical musculoskeletal physical therapy clinic, the book uses high quality images to illustrate the normal radiographic, CT, and MRI anatomy and, by comparison, changes in the skeleton caused by various diseases and trauma that typically prompt a physical therapy referral. Accessible and concise, Imaging Handbook for Physical Therapists is organized by body region, making it easy for your students to access information they can use in their clinical rotations.


This document makes reference to "Actuacion No. 1678/07" and lists the responses from the authorities to Resolution DP 87/07, according to Article 28 of Law 24.284. Authorities listed include the Secretary of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Government of the Province of Jujuy's Minister of Health and Secretary of the Environment. The document also lists the main points from a note from the inhabitants of Abra Pampa which states that the promised actions have not been completed. The document is signed by Virginia De Francesco, and also by someone else, probably Cristina Maiztegui. It is difficult to be sure of this second signature because it is hard to read and it does not include the stamp of her name.


Abstract Objectives: South Africa is striving towards a strong primary healthcare system. Since 2007, departments of family medicine have been established in Gauteng to improve quality of care through improved access to doctors, the coordination of health services and better referrals. There have been anecdotal difficulties around clinical quality, the role of the increasing number of doctors and the value of family medicine as a new speciality in Johannesburg since these changes. This study aimed to explore Johannesburg stakeholder views on clinical priorities, the role of doctors and family medicine in primary care. Design: The study design comprised qualitative focus group discussions. Setting and subjects: Groups of nurse clinicians, clinic managers, senior managers, doctors and interns within the Johannesburg Health District. Outcome measures: The content was thematically analysed and a model developed. Results: There were nine focus groups, with 6–13 participants per group. Addressing staff burnout and poor management were viewed as clinical priorities in primary care. Discussing the role of doctors reflected deep conflict between doctors and nurses. Nurses and managers expected doctors to help to "push the queues". It took some time for further roles, such as helping with referrals, training, research and administration, to emerge. There was initial confusion and tension when participants were asked about family medicine. However, its role was seen as useful. Conclusion: Nurses appeared to suffer from burnout and resented the increasing burden placed on them with regard to primary care in Johannesburg. There appeared to be confusion with respect to the role of doctors, with doctor-nurse conflict and poor teamwork. This may threaten attempts to re-engineer primary health care in order to increase the presence of doctors at clinic level. The discipline of family medicine can make a difference, but reorganisation of the system is required.


Background Antihistamines are used for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, chronic spontaneous urticaria and atopic eczema. Objective To study the reports of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in children using antihistamines to provide prescribers with an overview of the possible toxicity. Design We studied ADRs in children reported to the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb in the years 1991–2014, assessed the Naranjo score and, when possible, computed the reporting OR. Results Serious ADRs included one death (malignant neuroleptic syndrome), cardiac arrhythmia (one case) and convulsions (three cases). Skin eruptions, headache and somnolence were the most frequently reported ADRs. Aggression and agitation were also reported. Conclusions Toxicity can occur with second-generation antihistamines. The main toxicity relates to skin eruptions and central nervous system problems.


Private Investments in Public Equity (PIPEs) have become an important source of financing for young, publicly traded firms whose poor operating performance may limit alternative financing options. We propose that firms are motivated to sell these securities to minimize costs associated with asymmetric information. We find that both the security structure and the investor composition of a PIPE security matter in the subsequent performance of the issuing firm. Poor post-issuance performance is associated with securities where investors obtain significant repricing rights, which protect them from future stock price declines. Furthermore, companies that obtain financing from hedge funds tend to under-perform companies that obtain financing from other institutional investors. We argue that hedge funds act as investors of last resort, playing an important role in the market for young, high-risk firms with substantial asymmetric information. Hedge funds are willing to fund such high-risk companies because they can protect against possible price declines in the issuing companies by either negotiating PIPE securities with repricing rights or by entering into short positions of the underlying stocks of the issuing companies.


Disturbances by fire and harvesting are thought to regulate the carbon balance of the Canadian boreal forest over scales of several decades. However, there are few direct measurements of carbon fluxes following disturbances to provide data needed to refine mathematical models. The eddy covariance technique was used with paired towers to measure fluxes simultaneously at disturbed and undisturbed sites over periods of about one week during the growing season in 1998 and 1999. Comparisons were conducted at three sites: a 1‐y‐old burned jackpine stand subjected to an intense crown fire at the International Crown Fire Modelling Experiment site near Fort Providence, North‐west Territories; a 1‐y‐old clearcut aspen area at the EMEND project near Peace River, Alberta; and a 10‐y‐old burned, mixed forest near Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan. Nearby mature forest stands of the same types were also measured as controls. The harvested site had lower net radiation (Rn), sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes, and greater ground heat fluxes (G) than the mature forest. Daytime CO2 fluxes were much reduced, but night‐time CO2 fluxes were identical to that of the mature aspen forest. It is hypothesized that the aspen roots remained alive following harvesting, and dominated soil respiration. The overall effect was that the harvested site was a carbon source of about 1.6 gC m−2 day−1, while the mature site was a sink of about −3.8 gC m−2 day−1. The one‐year‐old burn had lower Rn, H and LE than the mature jackpine forest, and had a continuous CO2 efflux of about 0.8 gC m–2 day−1 compared to the mature forest sink of − 0.5 g C m−2 day−1. The carbon source was likely caused by decomposition of fire‐killed vegetation. The 10‐y‐old burned site had similar H, LE, and G to the mature mixed forest site. Although the diurnal amplitude of the CO2 fluxes were slightly lower at the 10‐y‐old site, there was no significant difference between the daily integrals (− 1.3 gC m−2 day−1 at both sites). It appears that most of the change in carbon flux occurs within the first 10 years following disturbance, but more data are needed on other forest and disturbance types for the first 20 years following the disturbance event.


Owing to the changing nature of international conflict, the 1990s witnessed a growing need for humanitarian peacekeeping operations, especially in Africa. The reluctance of the United Nations to be involved in peacekeeping operations in Africa compelled South Africa to take part in peacekeeping to assist neighbouring conflictridden states. There is, however, a discrepancy between the conceptualisation and application of peacekeeping and peace-enforcement operations. This notion is manifest in the changing nature of post-Cold War conflicts and requisite strategies, doctrines and operational procedures to execute these operations. A shift in South African defence policy was necessary to accommodate an expanded mandate to make provision for African peacekeeping missions. These humanitarian missions unfortunately also have unintended, latent consequences for the host populations, which can harm the peace operations as such. The aim of this article is to investigate traditional peacekeeping shifting to peace-building as a manifest, intended consequence and the way in which unintended, latent consequences of peacekeeping come about.


The Superpave specifications and equipment, introduced in 1993, represented a major advancement with respect to offering a better understanding of the behavior and characteristics of asphalt binders based on their rheological properties. However, the Superpave high-temperature test protocol has been shown to be inadequate for characterizing the high-temperature behavior (rutting resistance) of asphalt binders, particularly polymer modified ones. Recently, a specification based on the Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) test has been proposed to address the shortcomings of the Superpave high-temperature binder specifications. This study aims to investigate the merits of implementing the MSCR test and specification as a replacement for the conventional high-temperature testing in the Performance Graded (PG) system. A statistical analysis was conducted on a dataset from Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to see how MSCR and PG procedures differ in grading different binders used in the state. In addition, an experimental study was conducted using seventeen different modified and unmodified binders. In addition to binder tests, seven of the binders were selected to conduct asphalt mixture tests such as dynamic modulus and flow number. The results confirm that the MSCR test is a suitable replacement for the current PG high temperature test since it provides a better tool to rank modified asphalt binders as well as unmodified ones. That is, creep compliance from the MSCR test more fundamentally represents binder behavior at high temperatures compared to the PG rutting parameter. In addition, the very simplified approach, known as grade-bumping, used in the current PG system to account for high traffic levels and low speed limits can be eliminated when using the MSCR test. The MSCR test also provides a better coefficient of correlation (at both stress levels) with flow number test results than the PG rutting parameter, again indicating that it more accurately reflects binder performance at high temperatures.


(1) Aim: the aim of this secondary analysis was to report the variability in response to n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) supplementation in erythrocytes, plasma and whole blood of a previously published dose response study. (2) Methods: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of parallel design was conducted, whereby pre-menopausal women were randomly assigned to consume 0, 0.35, 0.7 or 1 g/day of supplemental eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fasted blood samples were taken at baseline and after eight weeks intervention. Erythrocyte, plasma and whole blood fatty acids were extracted using the method of Lepage and Roy and analysed using gas chromatography. (3) Results: There were significant increases in EPA plus DHA levels in the 0.7 g and 1 g dose groups, with the highest increase with the 1 g dose notably: in erythrocytes (from 5.69% to 7.59%), plasma (from 2.94% to 5.48%) and in whole blood (from 3.81% to 6.03%). There was high variability in response to the supplement in erythrocytes, plasma and whole blood across the different doses. (4) Conclusion: there is high individual variability in n-3 LCPUFA levels in response to n-3 LCPUFA supplementation, which should be taken into account in clinical trials using n-3 LCPUFA supplements.


Humans like to express their opinions and are eager to know others' opinions. Automatically mining and organizing opinions from heterogeneous information sources are very useful for individuals, organizations and even governments. Opinion extraction, opinion summarization and opinion tracking are three important techniques for understanding opinions. Opinion extraction mines opinions at word, sentence and document levels from articles. Opinion summarization summarizes opinions of articles by telling sentiment polarities, degree and the correlated events. In this paper, both news and web blog articles are investigated. TREC, NTCIR and articles collected from web blogs serve as the information sources for opinion extraction. Documents related to the issue of animal cloning are selected as the experimental materials. Algorithms for opinion extraction at word, sentence and document level are proposed. The issue of relevant sentence selection is discussed, and then topical and opinionated information are summarized. Opinion summarizations are visualized by representative sentences. Text-based summaries in different languages, and from different sources, are compared. Finally, an opinionated curve showing supportive and nonsupportive degree along the timeline is illustrated by an opinion tracking system.


This paper measures the response of bilateral trade flows to differences in industrial energy prices across countries. Using a panel for the period 1996-2011 including 42 countries, 62 sectors and covering 60% of global merchandise trade, we estimate the short-run effects of sector-level energy price asymmetry on trade. We find that changes in relative energy prices have a statistically significant but very small impact on imports. On average, a 10% increase in the energy price difference between two country-sectors increases imports by 0.2%. The impact is larger for energyintensive sectors. Even in these sectors however, the magnitude of the effect is such that changes in energy price differences across time explain less than 0.01% of the variation in trade flows. Simulations based on our model predict that a †40-65/tCO2 price of carbon in the EU ETS would increase Europe's imports from the rest of the world by less than 0.05% and decrease exports by 0.2%.


Due to the fact that many universities have now moved considerably beyond brick-andmortar walls and into the realm of online learning, the idea of learning "anywhere, anything, anytime" is truly becoming more of a reality. It is now suggested that universities could move beyond the clock and calendar boundary associated with a traditional course by providing ongoing access to the learning materials after the course is completed. This study used a mixed-methods research design that combined qualitative (in-depth interviews) and quantitative (survey; access log analysis) methods at two higher education institutions in order to inductively develop an understanding of the characteristics of the information environment and the influence of the environment and information quality on willingness to return to digital learning resources upon completion of an online course. The findings of this study suggest that in an established environment for willingness to return (EWR), learners have the willingness and even an expectation to return to digital learning resources following course completion. This study also seems to indicate that in an emerging EWR learners are likely to return to resources even when they do not remember the resources available from an online course if they are provided access to return, are reminded of the availability of resources, and have a need for these resources. However, it is not clear how the characteristics of the information environment or perceptions of quality influence willingness to return. Further study is needed to better define perceptions of information quality, understand the influence of the information environment, and determine other influences on willingness to return.


The technological context surrounding the Supreme Court's landmark decision in FCC v. Pacifica Foundation allowed the Court to gloss over the tension between two rather disparate rationales. Those adopting a civil libertarian view of free speech could support the decision on the grounds that viewers' and listeners' inability to filter out unwanted speech exposed them to content that they did not wish to see or hear. At the same time, Pacifica also found support from those who more paternalistically regard indecency as low value (if not socially harmful) speech that is unworthy of full First Amendment protection. The arrival of filtering technologies has introduced a wedge between those who supported the constitutionality of indecency regulations out of a desire to enhance individual autonomy and those who wish to restrict speech in order to promote a particular vision of the public good. At the same time, commentators on the political left have begun to question whether continued support for the classic liberal vision of free speech may be interfering with the advancement of progressive values. This Article offers a qualified defense of the libertarian vision of free speech. Deviating from the civil libertarian view would require a revolution in doctrine and would contradict the postulate of independent moral agency that lies at the heart of liberal theory. Although some suggested institutions for ascertaining the idealized preferences that individuals ought to have could justify allowing the government to override individuals' actual preferences, such an approach is all-too reminiscent of the Rousseauian notion of being "forced to be free" and has never been accepted by the Supreme Court. Finally, claims that private censorship presents risks commensurate with public censorship fail to address the fact that liberal theory presupposes the existence of a private sphere into which the state cannot intrude, as well as the long tradition recognizing the special dangers associated with the coercive power of the state. Moreover, the rationales upon which the Supreme Court has relied to justify overriding individual preferences in broadcasting and cable have been undermined by technological change.


In 1927, China's newly ascendant Guomindang (GMD) regime had a fragile hold on authority in the country at large. Shanghai, China's most prosperous city, thus became a key place for the regime to establish control. In examining the policies of the Shanghai Municipal Government from 1927 to 1937 and their impact on daily life, Christian Henriot also addresses the larger question of state-society relations during the Nationalist period. Henriot examines the interaction of the three groups competing for power: the municipal administrators, GMD political activists, and members of the local business elites. By investigating the relations among individuals in these groups, Henriot highlights the complex web of connections in the city. He also explores attempts to modernize education, health, urban planning, and assistance to the poor, arguing that they were more effective than scholars previously thought. "Shanghai, 1927-1937" contributes significantly to our understanding of modern Chinese urban history.


We present the results of an interview study on the state of practice for Situational Awareness (SA) in the cybersecurity industry. Representatives from four global companies providing cybersecurity monitoring and analysis services and products were interviewed to get a view into the current state of practice in SA. The interviews were performed as a form of thematic interview, resulting in the classification of the results in three main areas of SA, i.e., how security is modelled, what information is collected, and how the data is analyzed. We describe the topics covered by the interviews, the common issues and methods, their differences, and provide a summary view on the current state of security monitoring and analysis in the cybersecurity industry. We also describe potential future work in terms of identified challenges in the area. The results help understand various aspects of cybersecurity situational awareness, to identify gaps between research and practice, and to build holistic SA solutions.


Root zone soil moisture is a key variable in many land surface hydrology models. Often, however, there is a mismatch in the spatial scales at which models simulate soil moisture and at which soil moisture is observed. This complicates model validation. The increased availability of detailed datasets on space-time variability of root-zone soil moisture allows for a posteriori analysis of the uncertainties in the relation between point-scale observations and the spatial mean. In this paper we analyze three comprehensive datasets from three different regions. We identify different strategies to select observation sites. For instance, sites can be located randomly or according to the rank stability concept. For each strategy, we present methods to quantify the uncertainty that is associated with this strategy. In general there is a large correspondence between the different datasets with respect to the relative uncertainties for the different strategies. For all datasets, the uncertainty can be strongly reduced if some information is available that relates soil moisture content at that site to the spatial mean. However this works best if the space-time dynamics of the soil moisture field are known. Selection of the site closest to the spatial mean on a single random date only leads to minor reduction of the uncertainty with respect to the spatial mean over seasonal timescales. Since soil moisture variability is the result of a complex interaction between soil, vegetation, and landscape characteristics, the soil moisture field will be correlated with some of these characteristics. Using available information, we show that the correlation with leaf area index or a wetness coefficient alone is insufficient to predict if a site is representative for the spatial mean soil moisture content.


We summarize the evidence on the new strategies for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Hybrid CABG implies surgical grafting of the left anterior descending artery and percutaneous treatment of the other target vessels, with the promise of combining the durable benefits of surgery with the less invasive approach of percutaneous coronary interventions. Robotic CABG and minimally invasive CABG are performed through minimal incision or port access with dedicated equipment and instruments. Anaortic coronary artery bypass refers to off-pump CABG using only in-situ grafts. The use of multiple arterial grafts has been shown to improve patency and is potentially associated with better clinical outcomes. All these techniques require dedicated training and are more complex than conventional CABG but can significantly improve the results of surgery. Validation of the results of these new approaches in large randomized trials is a priority for the surgical community.


As the hedge fund industry has grown, there has been increased concern that, during sharp market moves, hedge fund failures could exacerbate the deterioration in financial conditions and deepen a crisis. However, there has not been much formal analysis regarding the impact of financial market conditions on hedge fund survival. To help fill this gap, this paper examines the relationship between financial market conditions and the likelihood of hedge fund failure after controlling for performance and other characteristics. The analysis is conducted using data on individual funds and industry aggregates. We find that market returns and volatility influence fund failures, although the impact depends on the funds' investment strategies. The results of the analysis are then used to predict hedge fund failures based on actual market returns and on stress scenarios. We find that the hedge fund industry is generally robust to different shocks.


Abstract Jan Johansson: Georg Stubendorff, organist i S:t Jakob – En musiker i stormaktstidens Stockholm och hans concerto "O Jesu dulcissime", [Georg Stubendorff, Organ Player in S:t Jacob's Church – A Musician in Seventeenth Century Stockholm and his Concerto O Jesu dulcissime], Uppsala universitet, Institutionen for musikvetenskap, uppsats for 60 p, 2006. Georg Stubendorff, organ player in S:t Jakob's church in Stockholm 1663-1672, was one of the very competent foreign musicians that came to work in Sweden in the 17th century. The purpose of this essay is to contribute to the knowledge about him and about the conditions in general for church musicians in Stockholm during that era, and to present an edition of his Concerto a 3. It is shown that Stubendorff may have come to Stockholm from Livland, rather than Germany as earlier accepted. The Concerto a 3 is the only composition by Stubendorff that has survived (now in the Duben collection at Uppsala university library). He dedicated it to the Gustav Duben, Hofkapellmeister of the Hofkapelle, in 1663. Editions of Stubendorff's Concerto and of a similar anonymous composition with similar scoring and similar text are presented together with analyses and comparisons of the works. It is suggested that the anonymous composition in fact might be written by Gustav Duben himself.


We model the feedback effect of delta hedging for the spot market volatility of the forex market (dollar-yen and dollar-euro) using an economy of two types of traders, an option market maker (OMM) and an option market taker (OMT), whose exposures reflect the total outstanding positions of all option traders in the market. A different hedge ratio of the OMM and OMT leads to a net delta hedge activity that introduces market friction and feedback effects. This friction is represented by a simple linear permanent impact model for the net delta hedge volumes that are executed in the spot market. This approach allows us to derive the dependence of the spot market volatility on the gamma exposure of the trader that hedges a larger share of her delta exposure and on the market impact of the delta hedge transactions. We reconstruct the aggregated OMM's gamma exposure by using publicly available DTCC trade repository data and find that it is negative, as expected: the OMT usually buys options with either a view on the spot price or with the desire to hedge other positions and, thus, is net long on options. As the OMM provides liquidity as a service to the market, their position is reversed compared with the OMT. Our regressions show a high goodness of fit, a highly significant parameter for the gamma exposure of the OMM and, as expected, that the volatility is increased by the OMM's short gamma exposure. Quantitatively, a negative gamma exposure of the OMM of approximately -1000 billion USD (which is around what we observe from our reconstructed OMM data) leads to an absolute increase in volatility of 0.7% in EURUSD and 0.9% in USDJPY. If we assume that the hedge ratios in the two markets are the same, the difference can be directly explained by the higher market impact of a transaction in the USDJPY spot market compared to the EURUSD spot market, as the liquidity of the EURUSD spot market is higher than that of the USDJPY spot market. Our results are in line with and empirically confirm previous theoretical work on the feedback effect of delta hedging strategies on spot market volatility.


It is well known that newly formed planetary systems undergo processes of orbital reconfiguration and planetary migration. As a result, planets or protoplanetary objects may accrete onto the central star, being fused and mixed into its external layers. If the accreted mass is sufficiently high and the star has a sufficiently thin convective envelope, such events may result in a modification of the chemical composition of the stellar photosphere in an observable way, enhancing it with elements that were abundant in the accreted mass. The recent Gaia-ESO Survey observations of the 10-20 Myr old Gamma Velorum cluster have enabled identifying a star that is significantly enriched in iron with respect to other cluster members. In this Letter we further investigate the abundance pattern of this star, showing that its abundance anomaly is not limited to iron, but is also present in the refractory elements, whose overabundances are correlated with the condensation temperature. This finding strongly supports the hypothesis of a recent accretion of rocky material. (Less)


Background The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is among the world's largest investors in biomedical research, with a mandate to: "…lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness and disability." Its funding decisions have been criticized as insufficiently focused on disease burden. We hypothesize that modern portfolio theory can create a closer link between basic research and outcome, and offer insight into basic-science related improvements in public health. We propose portfolio theory as a systematic framework for making biomedical funding allocation decisions–one that is directly tied to the risk/reward trade-off of burden-of-disease outcomes. Methods and Findings Using data from 1965 to 2007, we provide estimates of the NIH "efficient frontier", the set of funding allocations across 7 groups of disease-oriented NIH institutes that yield the greatest expected return on investment for a given level of risk, where return on investment is measured by subsequent impact on U.S. years of life lost (YLL). The results suggest that NIH may be actively managing its research risk, given that the volatility of its current allocation is 17% less than that of an equal-allocation portfolio with similar expected returns. The estimated efficient frontier suggests that further improvements in expected return (89% to 119% vs. current) or reduction in risk (22% to 35% vs. current) are available holding risk or expected return, respectively, constant, and that 28% to 89% greater decrease in average years-of-life-lost per unit risk may be achievable. However, these results also reflect the imprecision of YLL as a measure of disease burden, the noisy statistical link between basic research and YLL, and other known limitations of portfolio theory itself. Conclusions Our analysis is intended to serve as a proof-of-concept and starting point for applying quantitative methods to allocating biomedical research funding that are objective, systematic, transparent, repeatable, and expressly designed to reduce the burden of disease. By approaching funding decisions in a more analytical fashion, it may be possible to improve their ultimate outcomes while reducing unintended consequences.


The piece takes as its inspiration Jacques Derrida's article 'Like the Sound of the Sea Deep within a Shell: Paul de Man's War' (1988) through which Šimić understands her choice of the sea as her own 'unforeseeable appeal', a 'matter of responding and of taking responsibilities' (Derrida and Kamuf 1988: 595). The writing is also provoked by Emma Cox and Marilena Zaroulia's conversation 'Mare Nostrum, or On Water Matters' in the 'On Sea/At Sea' edition of Performance Research which touches on the image of Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian boy, found dead on the beach in Bodrum, Turkey in September 2015. The writing opens with the author's sense of loss and belonging to her birth country of Yugoslavia explored in her performance work Blood & Soil: we were always meant to meet …  (2011, with Jennifer Verson). The piece looks at a series of contemporary artistic responses to the migration crisis and children's deaths at sea. These include Ai Weiwei's crude re-enactment of Aylan Kurdi's death, graffiti artists Justus Becker (a.k.a. Cor) and Oğuz Şen (a.k.a. Bobby Borderline), Khaled Barakeh's censored photographic images of drowned children on Facebook, Franko B's carefully carved marble sculpture and the work of British-Iraqi hip-hop artist and political activist Kareem Dennis, better known as Lowkey. The writing closes with a remembering of Jill Greenhalgh's performance Las Sin Tierra: 7 Attempted Crossings of the Straits of Gibraltar seen at Transit IV: Roots in Transit theatre festival in 2004, Holstebro, Denmark. This article discusses the unforeseeable appeals, many of which include an appropriate sense of failure and shame, when thinking about the sea as artists and academics.


Prolonged, exhaustive exercise is associated with significant acute and chronic effects on the immune system of human athletes. Quercetin, a flavonoid ubiquituously found in the human diet, has been highly investigated for its potential use as a performance enhancing nutraceutical. The purpose of this thesis study was to assess quercetin's anti-inflammatory potential by first testing two of the biologically relevant quercetin conjugates in vitro using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This same in vitro model was used to optimize the ratio at which quercetin aglycone and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) combined might exert the most potent anti-inflammatory effect. The optimized flavonoid ratio was then utilized in subsequent in vivo testing using an exercising mouse model. Findings from this study indicate that conjugation with either glucuronide or sulfate eliminates quercetin aglycone's anti-inflammatory effect in vitro. In addition, EGCG failed to synergistically boost quercetin aglycone's anti-inflammatory effect in the same in vitro model. Nevertheless, a 5:1 ratio of quercetin to EGCG was chosen for subsequent in vivo testing. However, quercetin and cytokine analysis from the plasma of exercised mice failed to demonstrate a requirement for EGCG in either substantiating quercetin's effect on post-exercise inflammation or improving quercetin's bioavailability in vivo.


Water pollution in the electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) industrial production process is a serious problem, and the manganese and ammonia nitrogen concentration in the rivers near EMM plants still exceeds the standards. An environment-friendly regeneration method of the manganese electrolyte (ME) that reduces the duration of the electrodeposition process and saves water resources for ME preparation in laboratories was proposed. Thus, electrolytic manganese metal powder (EMMP) was dissolved in ME and the addition of hydroxylamine sulphate altered significantly the dissolution effect of EMMP in ME. The provided ME regeneration scheme allows to extend duration of the Mn coating deposition process up to one week without changing ME, just only adding the electrolyte prepared by dissolving EMMP in an anolyte. EMMP losses did not exceed 5–7% from the mass of the electrodeposited Mn coatings on the cathode. Ammonium selenate was dissolved in ME by periodically dissolving 2% of the salt from the mass of the electrodeposited Mn coating on the cathode at an electrolyte temperature of 30–40°C.


Herein, we report the effect of the laser illumination during the diffuse-reflectance laser-flash-photolysis measurements on the morphological and optical properties of TiO2 powders. A grey-blue coloration of the TiO2 nanoparticles has been observed after intense laser illumination. This is explained by the formation of nonreactive trapped electrons accompanied by the release of oxygen atoms from the TiO2 matrix as detected by means of UV-vis and EPR spectroscopy. Moreover, in the case of the pure anatase sample a phase transition of some TiO2 nanoparticles located in the inner region from anatase to rutile occurred. It is suggested that these structural changes in TiO2 are caused by an energy and charge transfer to the TiO2 lattice.


This thesis is comprised of three empirical studies on CEO pay and CEO turnover in the USA. It specifically examines the effects of the market for corporate control and governance on CEO turnover and CEO pay, and the effect of risk of dismissal on CEO pay. Using data on CEO pay, CEO turnover and acquisitions in the US, we analyze the risk of CEO turnover in the period 1992-2010 and the effect of market for corporate control on turnover probability. 31% of the CEOs in the sample are replaced in this period, either for performance related reasons or following takeovers. Post Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002, the performance sensitivity of turnover is stronger and CEOs face a higher dismissal risk, which indicates partial success of governance regulations in mitigating agency problems. Small and more independent boards are associated with higher likelihood of CEO exit. Takeovers act as external force of discipline and increase the probability of turnover for poor performing CEOs by 129%. These results contribute to the debate on the role of governance regulations in enforcing optimal contracting. Next, we examine the impact of acquisitions on the pay of acquiring CEOs to explore whether acquisitions exacerbate the divergence of interest between shareholders and CEOs. To examine systematic agency problems, we further examine if CEOs are rewarded differentially for shareholder wealth-generating (good) and shareholder wealth-destroying (bad) acquisitions. Controlling for firm size, our estimates suggest that CEOs are paid a 3.5-4% premium in post-acquisition pay, which increases the pay of the median CEO of an acquiring firm in the sample by US$ 173,000. Consistent with the earlier studies by Bliss and Rosen (2001), we find no evidence that post-acquisition premium in CEO pay is conditional upon the ex-post wealth-effect of the acquisition, thereby suggesting possible decoupling of pay and performance following acquisition. Further, our results that acquisition premium in CEO pay can be partially attributed to weak corporate governance is in agreement with managerial power and rent-seeking hypotheses. Controlling for post-acquisition survivor bias, we observe a smaller acquisition premium in CEO pay which may suggest that stronger governance exposes CEOs undertaking bad acquisitions to higher risk of turnover. Average CEO Pay has grown significantly in the last two decades but so has the risk of forced turnover. Most explanations for increased CEO compensation focus on market power - the increased competition in the external CEO market, or entrenchment - rent extraction by CEOs from captured boards. We attempt to provide an alternate explanation for the recent growth in CEO pay. We estimate the compensating differentials in CEO pay for increasing risk of dismissal. Our estimates suggest that CEOs are paid 2-4% premium in pay for a percentage point increase in the risk of dismissal, which is manifest in the form of increased cash payments. The compensating differential is higher in the post- Sarbanes Oxley sub-period (2003-2010). The increasing use of risk-free cash payments to compensate for higher turnover risk may lower the performance sensitivity in CEO pay. We highlight this as a possible inadvertent effect of governance regulations.


Abstract Background: Alcohol is one of the least intervened risk factors in the management of hypertension at the primary care level. In order to improve alcohol interventions, a better understanding of knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice of lifestyle interventions in the management of hypertension is needed. Method: As a part of a European study (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), 211 German general practitioners (GPs) were recruited in Bavaria and Hamburg and surveyed via an Internet-based questionnaire. Results were compared with the European sample (n = 2870). Results: One-third of the patients seen by German GPs had hypertension (36.2%, standard deviation (SD): 14.6) and among cases with hypertension, less than half were ever screened for alcohol (4.5 out of 10 patients). The foremost reasons for not screening for alcohol were that alcohol was not considered a major risk factor for hypertension plus the lack of knowledge of appropriate alcohol screening instruments. The majority of German GPs managed patients with hazardous drinking levels themselves or in their practice (71.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 64.6–77.2%), but only 42.0% (95% CI: 35.2–49.0%) managed alcohol dependent patients. German screening rates were slightly lower but interventions of screened positive patients higher than the European average. Conclusions: Rates of alcohol screening in patients with hypertension in primary health care may be increased by improving GPs knowledge of alcohol as a major risk factor for hypertension, increasing GPs education on alcohol and screening instruments, and providing reimbursement. This may increase treatment of alcohol problems in patients with hypertension and reduce hypertension.