1. Introduction As the legendary Nike slogan said: "Image Is Everything". Successful sportspersons are right up there with the famous actors, pop stars and other showbiz celebrities, as the commercial icons of our time. Even more so in this day and age of outer appearances and multimedia, the image of a sportsperson has become more than just the depiction of a sporting person - it has become a marketable asset often representing great value. In June 2009, Real Madrid took over striker Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for the astronomical amount of [euro]94 million, making for the most expensive transfer in football history. Although the payment of such a high transfer amount was frowned upon by many sceptics, Real Madrid allegedly recovered its costs within a year's time due to the enormous marketing income that Cristiano Ronaldo generated for the football club. It goes to show that Real Madrid didn't pay almost [euro]100 million just for Ronaldo's football playing qualities, but also for the value of Ronaldo as a commercial product, a marketing commodity. Cristano Ronaldo is the new Beckham. Well-known sportspersons, especially footballers, are the idols admired by their fans - the consumers - and therefore commercial organisations are eager to bind a sports personality with a positive reputation as the 'face' of their product or service, or to otherwise link their trade name or trademark to that sportsperson in order to boost sales by profiting from the positive image of the player reflecting on the company's product. Clearly, there is a significant commercial value in the exploitable popularity of sportspersons with a reputation. In this respect, exclusivity is of the essence. The popular player therefore has every reason to prevent third parties, without consent, from using and profiting of such player's reputation. This is where Sports Image Rights come into play. 2. Image Rights in the Netherlands 2.1. Defining image rights The term 'image' may have different meanings. It may refer to a particular depiction (portrait) of a person - a photo, picture, painting, caricature - or to one's physical appearance generally. Image may also have the broader meaning of: how a person is perceived by the public, i.e. a person's reputation. In the latter sense, one's image (reputation) will not merely be connected to a person's physical appearance, but the public will also associate such image to other elements of one's persona, such as name, nickname, voice, autograph and/or other symbols particular to such person (for instance, the shirt number of a famous football player). It goes without saying that sports personalities have an interest in controlling the commercialisation of their image in the broadest sense - image meaning the reputational goodwill value represented in one's persona (depiction, name and other personal elements). Such control lies in the legal protection enjoyed by (sports)persons against the (commercial) use of one's image by a third party without consent or valid reason. This is what is often referred to as 'image rights'. 2.2. Legal protection Dutch law does not recognise an image right as such - neither in the broader sense of one's right to (the exploitation of) his or her persona (reputation generally), nor in the sense of a right to one's own image (in the meaning of depiction) similar to the "Recht am eigenen Bild" as recognised in Germany. Nevertheless, in the Netherlands a famous (or less famous) sportsperson does have several grounds for legal action available to him or her to prevent third parties from (mis)using or profiting from such sportsperson's image without his or her consent. This legal arsenal - what's in a football club's name - can be found in the Copyright Act, the Civil Code and the Benelux Convention on Intellectual Property. The Copyright Act contains certain provisions that may protect sportspersons against the unauthorised (commercial) exploitation of their portrait. …


The rate of protein-protein association limits the response time due to protein-protein interactions. The bimolecular association rate may be diffusion-controlled or influenced, and in such cases, Brownian dynamics simulations of protein-protein diffusional association may be used to compute association rates. Here, we report Brownian dynamics simulations of the diffusional association of five different protein-protein pairs: barnase and barstar, acetylcholinesterase and fasciculin-2, cytochrome c peroxidase and cytochrome c, the HyHEL-5 antibody and hen egg lysozyme (HEL), and the HyHEL-10 antibody and HEL. The same protocol was used to compute the diffusional association rates for all the protein pairs in order to assess, by comparison to experimentally measured rates, whether the association of these proteins can be explained solely on the basis of diffusional encounter. The simulation protocol is similar to those previously derived for simulation of the association of barnase and barstar, and of acetylcholinesterase and fasciculin-2; these produced results in excellent agreement with experimental data for these protein pairs, with changes in association rate due to mutations reproduced within the limits of expected computational and modeling errors. Here, we find that for all protein pairs, the effects of mutations can be well reproduced by the simulations, even though the degree of the electrostatic translational and orientational steering varies widely between the cases. However, the absolute values of association rates for the acetylcholinesterase: fasciculin-2 and HyHEL-10 antibody: HEL pairs are overestimated. Comparison of bound and unbound protein structures shows that this may be due to gating resulting from protein flexibility in some of the proteins. This may lower the association rates compared to their bimolecular diffusional encounter rates.


A low power SAR logic-based resistive sensor readout circuit is proposed. A high sensitivity thermistor is used for local temperature measurements. The need for a low-noise front-end voltage amplifier is avoided by employing time-domain operation. In each operation step the sensor resistance is compared with the value of a reference resistive DAC which is implemented on chip. Therefore no stable, temperature compensated reference voltage is needed for operation. Furthermore the chip is operational with supply voltages ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 volts. Detailed analyses of the circuit gain and noise are provided. In addition, the effect of circuit topology on the noise performance is discussed. The effect of 1/f noise on accuracy of the circuit is also negligible due to resetting the charge-integrating capacitor after each comparison. A prototype chip is fabricated in 0.18- μm CMOS. The circuit dissipates 15 μW with 5.5 kS/s conversion rate from a 1.5 V supply. The complete interface circuit has 14 pJ/c-s figure of merit and 7.6 effective number of bits.


The transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs) regulate membrane insertion and appropriate synaptic targeting of AMPA receptors. Tomita et al. examined the interaction and dissociation mechanisms of AMPA receptors with TARP proteins. Stimulation with glutamate or AMPA decreased the association of AMPA receptors with TARPs and led to AMPA receptor endocytosis without disturbing the TARPs on the neuronal surface. Thus, agonist-induced allosteric changes in AMPA receptor conformation, even without ion channel activation, may be enough to induce the dissociation of AMPA receptors from their TARPs. S. Tomita, M. Fukata, R. A. Nicoll, D. S. Bredt, Dynamic interaction of stargazin-like TARPs with cycling AMPA receptors at synapses. Science 303, 1508-1511 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of rear-end collision warnings presented in different sensory modalities as a function of warning timing in a driving simulator. Background: The proliferation of in-vehicle information and entertainment systems threatens driver attention and may increase the risk of rear-end collisions. Collision warning systems have been shown to improve inattentive and/or distracted driver response time (RT) in rear-end collision situations. However, most previous rear-end collision warning research has not directly compared auditory, visual, and tactile warnings. Method: Sixteen participants in a fixed-base driving simulator experienced four warning conditions: no warning, visual, auditory, and tactile. The warnings activated when the time-to-collision (TTC) reached a critical threshold of 3.0 or 5.0 s. Driver RT was captured from a warning below critical threshold to brake initiation. Results: Drivers with a tactile warning had the shortest mean RT. Drivers with a tactile warning had significantly shorter RT than drivers without a warning and had a significant advantage over drivers with visual warnings. Conclusion: Tactile warnings show promise as effective rear-end collision warnings. Application: The results of this study can be applied to the future design and evaluation of automotive warnings designed to reduce rear-end collisions.


The study assesses trekking use pattern and perception of trekkers and
residents towards trekking tourism in the Annapurna Sanctuary Trail (AST) which
is one of the most popular trekking areas in Nepal. Two separate questionnaire
surveys, one representing 135 randomly selected trekkers and another involving
110 randomly selected households were conducted. The overall perception of
trekkers was measured by a composite index developed from their opinions for
six different attributes of the journey in the AST, where 1 represented most
favourable perception and 4 represented most unfavourable perception. Likewise,
residents' opinions on support for tourism, perception towards tourism's impacts
and opinions for progressive tourism management statements were used in
measuring the overall perception of residents, but in this case I represented most
negative perception while 4 denoted most positive perception.
It was found that the characteristics of the trekkers and pattern of use of the
AST were not much different from other wilderness areas in the world. The per
day expenditures of the trekkers in the AST was NRs . 222.2. They also spent
large sum of money on trekking fees and porters and guides. However, this money is not retained in the area. Although the trekkers expressed somewhat
unfavourable views towards litter condition and a few services, they in general
showed positive view towards all attributes of the journey in the AST. It was
noted that there were significant differences in the perceptions of trekkers towards
various attributes of the journey in the AST; and area features was the most
important factor in explaining the perception of journey in the AST.


English educators are responsible for preparing pre-service and in-service teachers to consider the ways in which people engage in meaning making by using a variety of representation, interpretive and communication systems. Today new technologies are radically changing the types of texts people create and interpret even as they are influencing the social, political and cultural contexts in which texts are shared. This research project was designed to immerse pre-service English education students in the creation of multimodal, multimedia texts as part of a digital composing workshop. For the purposes of this paper, three student experiences were drawn from a group of twelve pre-service English education students participating in the project. Each student represents a unique experience from which we may draw insight and direction as English educators. Despite the ever present barriers to integrating afterschool (Prensky, 2010) literacy practices into traditional schools and to ensure what we are teaching has the important element of "life validity" ( Mills, 2010) and reflects the evolving socio cultural literacy practices of contemporary society, English educators  must provide authentic, engaging opportunities for pre-service teachers to learn about and through multimedia, multimodal digital technologies.


Sea ice motion is triggered by wind and ocean currents. Its magnitude and direction can be automatically retrieved using pairs of satellite images acquired over the same area. However, external reference data for validation of drift retrievals, such as tracks from buoys, are sparse. Information about the reliability of the retrieved ice drift field is crucial for applications such as operational sea ice mapping or validation of computer models for simulations of sea ice dynamics. In this paper, we introduce an intrinsic measure based on the properties of radar image pairs to assess the reliability of the retrieved ice drift vectors. The proposed method combines different parameters, e.g., correlation coefficient and two textural quantities, to provide information about the suitability of subimage regions for pattern matching. In this way, we generate a quality parameter [called confidence factor (CFA)] for the calculated ice drift velocities. The CFA is compared to results obtained by "backmatching." The latter requires that the drift field is computed twice using the image pair, first in sequential and then in reversed order. For stable ice conditions, the results show that areas regarded as unreliable by the CFA compare well with the areas revealing larger differences from backmatching.


In this study, synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activity of chitosan-based biodegradable conducting graft copolymers namely polyaniline-g-chitosan, polypyrrole-g-chitosan, and polythiophene-g-chitosan with chemical oxidation method using (NH4)2S2O8 and FeCl3 as initiators were investigated. Characterizations of the materials were carried out by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, UV–vis, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and temperature-dependent electrical conductivity measurements. The grafting yield, grafting efficiency, particle sizes, dielectric constants, and densities of the conducting graft copolymers were determined. Grafting process improved the conductivities and thermal stabilities of the copolymers. The conducting polymer-g-chitosan copolymers were also tested against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Bacillus megaterium, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus microorganisms and relatively higher or equipotent antibacterial activities were determined against the microorganisms compared with Penicillin, Amikacin, Erythromycin, Rifampicin, and Trimethoprim antibiotics. POLYM. COMPOS. 36:497–509, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers


OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that high-dose vitamin A supplements will enhance recovery of children hospitalized for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia.

DESIGN
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of high-dose vitamin A supplements among children 3 months to 10 years of age (N = 95) admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia in Lima, Peru. Children </=1 year of age received 100 000 IU of water-miscible vitamin A on admission to the hospital and an additional 50 000 IU the next day. Children >1 year of age received 200 000 IU on admission and 100 000 IU the next day.

RESULTS
Children receiving vitamin A (n = 48) had lower blood oxygen saturation (the mean difference on day 3 in hospital was 1.1%), higher prevalence rates of retractions (37% in the vitamin A group vs 15% in the placebo group on day 3), auscultatory evidence of consolidation (28% in the vitamin A group vs 17% in the placebo group on day 3), and were more likely to require supplemental oxygen (21% in the vitamin A group vs 8% in the placebo group on day 3) than children in the placebo group (n = 47). Adjustment for baseline severity of disease and nutritional status did not alter the association of vitamin A with increased clinical severity, although the difference in blood oxygen saturation was no longer statistically significant. No differences were seen in duration of hospitalization or in chest x-ray changes 14 days after admission. No deaths occurred, and toxicity of vitamin A was not seen.

CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that high-dose vitamin A supplements cause modest adverse effects in children recovering from pneumonia and should not be used therapeutically in such patients unless there is clinical evidence of vitamin A deficiency or concurrent measles infection.


DNA logic circuits utilizing DNA hybridization and/or enzymatic reactions have drawn increasing attention for their potential applications in the diagnosis and treatment of cellular diseases. The compartmentalization of such a system into a microdroplet considerably helps to precisely regulate local interactions and reactions between molecules. In this study, we introduced a relay approach for enabling the transfer of DNA from one droplet to another to implement multi-step sequential logic operations. We proposed electrical fusion and mechanical splitting of droplets to facilitate the DNA flow at the inputs, logic operation, output, and serial connection between two logic gates. We developed Negative-OR operations integrated by a serial connection of the OR gate and NOT gate incorporated in a series of droplets. The four types of input defined by the presence/absence of DNA in the input droplet pair were correctly reflected in the readout at the Negative-OR gate. The proposed approach potentially allows for serial and parallel logic operations that could be used for complex diagnostic applications.


OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in young children are clinically challenging. This report was developed to inform the revised, evidence-based, clinical guideline regarding the diagnosis and management of initial UTIs in febrile infants and young children, 2 to 24 months of age, from the American Academy of Pediatrics Subcommittee on Urinary Tract Infection. METHODS: The conceptual model presented in the 1999 technical report was updated after a comprehensive review of published literature. Studies with potentially new information or with evidence that reinforced the 1999 technical report were retained. Meta-analyses on the effectiveness of antimicrobial prophylaxis to prevent recurrent UTI were performed. RESULTS: Review of recent literature revealed new evidence in the following areas. Certain clinical findings and new urinalysis methods can help clinicians identify febrile children at very low risk of UTI. Oral antimicrobial therapy is as effective as parenteral therapy in treating UTI. Data from published, randomized controlled trials do not support antimicrobial prophylaxis to prevent febrile UTI when vesicoureteral reflux is found through voiding cystourethrography. Ultrasonography of the urinary tract after the first UTI has poor sensitivity. Early antimicrobial treatment may decrease the risk of renal damage from UTI. CONCLUSIONS: Recent literature agrees with most of the evidence presented in the 1999 technical report, but meta-analyses of data from recent, randomized controlled trials do not support antimicrobial prophylaxis to prevent febrile UTI. This finding argues against voiding cystourethrography after the first UTI.


Cultural heritage was invented in the realm of nation-states, and from an early point it was considered a public asset, stewarded to narrate the historic deeds of the ancestors, on behalf of their descendants. Nowadays, as the neoliberal narrative would have it, it is for the benefit of these tax-paying citizens that privatisation logic on heritage sector have been increasing over recent decades, to cover their needs in the name of social responsibility and other truncated views of the welfare state. This volume examines whether we can place cultural heritage at the other end of the spectrum, as a common good and potentially as a commons. It does so by looking at Greece as a case study, lately a battlefield of harsh and experimental austerity measures but also of inspiring grass-roots mobilisation and scholarship, currently blossoming to defend the right of communities to enjoy, collaboratively manage and co-create goods by the people, for the people. Since cultural heritage -and culture in general- is hastily bundled up with other goods and services in various arguments for and against their public character, this volume invites several experts to discuss their views on their field of expertise and reflect on the overarching theme: Can cultural heritage be considered a commons? If so, what are the advantages and pitfalls concerning theory, practice and management of heritage? What can we learn from other public resources with a longer history in commons-based or market-oriented interpretation and governance? Can a commons approach allow us to imagine and start working towards a better, more inclusive and meaningful future for heritage?


Local government, in its democratic form, is a mere nine years old. However, the amalgamation and consolidation of municipalities and the establishment of new ones have all taken place at different times. The result is that the exact stage of development in which any given municipality finds itself may differ vastly from that of its neighbour. In the pursuit of developmental local government, the establishment, consolidation and sustainability phases that the sphere has undergone (and continues to undergo) have been well documented.


ARM TrustZone, a security extension that provides a secure world, a trusted execution environment (TEE), to run security-sensitive code, has been widely adopted in mobile platforms. With the increasing momentum of ARM64 being adopted in server markets like cloud, it is likely to see TrustZone being adopted as a key pillar for cloud security. Unfortunately, TrustZone is not designed to be virtualizable as there is only one TEE provided by the hardware, which prevents it from being securely shared by multiple virtual machines (VMs). This paper conducts a study on variable approaches to virtualizing TrustZone in virtualized environments and then presents vTZ, a solution that securely provides each guest VM with a virtualized guest TEE using existing hardware. vTZ leverages the idea of separating functionality from protection by maintaining a secure co-running VM to serve as a guest TEE, while using the hardware TrustZone to enforce strong isolation among guest TEEs and the untrusted hypervisor. Specifically, vTZ uses a tiny monitor running within the physical TrustZone that securely interposes and virtualizes memory mapping and world switching. vTZ further leverages a few pieces of protected, self-contained code running in a Constrained Isolated Execution Environment (CIEE) to provide secure virtualization and isolation among multiple guest TEEs. We have implemented vTZ on Xen 4.8 on both ARMv7 and ARMv8 development boards. Evaluation using two common TEE-kernels (secure kernel running in TEE) such as seL4 1 and OP-TEE shows that vTZ provides strong security with small performance overhead.


Communicating, interpreting and connecting service experiences with learning can be challenging for both a student and for a mentor/instructor. How does one realize a transformation? How does another interpret if that transformation has taken place? Previously, an assignment to write a reflection paper about service learning experiences during one of the core undergraduate RN-BSN courses at Regis University was in place but it did not seem to provide an avenue for the student to make those connections or realizations. Likewise, it was extremely challenging for faculty to objectively understand if the transformation and learning occurred. We found that by combining a blog format with reflection questions using the Ignatian Pedagogy Conceptual Model and an enhanced grading rubric, students are better equipped and faculty can objectively evaluate the depth and quality of learning as they read the students' journey through their service learning experiences. This paper will explain the thought process that went into transforming this assignment with technology and the Ignatian Pedagogy Conceptual Model.


Over the past years the International Council on Archives (ICA) has developed the
"International Standards for Archival Description" ISAD(G). The last draft of the
ISAD(G) was adopted by the ICA in 1993 and was revised at the 14 th International
Congress on Archives held in Seville, in September 2000. However, at present the
ISAD(G) is not yet well known and not often used in countries with strong national
archival traditions. After giving an overview on traditional definitions of archival
description, my research analyses the current implementation of the ISAD(G) in
North America, in some European countries and in the institutions of the European
Union. The application of ISAD(G) with its innovative key-elements represents a
starting-point for future developments of archival description in the international
debate among archivists. This research deals also with the difficult implementation
of these standards in databases through the examination of several case studies. It
also looks at the impact of electronic records on traditional archival theory and on
archival description techniques. The thesis analyses the impact of the Internet on
archival theory and practice, and looks at the Internet's challenge to access policies
through the replacement of traditional finding aids. In the conclusions the thesis
analyses the ICA's revision of the "International Standard Archival Authority Record
(Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families)", ISAAR(CPF), in its relationship to the
implementation of ISAD(G) in view of possible outcomes for future techniques of
archival description, and makes proposals for future research.


The growth of international trade is increasing the separation between the location of consumption and the location of production and emissions. As a consequence of this growth, GHG emissions reported on a territorial basis can differ markedly from the global emissions required to produce the products consumed in a region. An overview is provided of emissions embodied in international trade, including an assessment of the role of both intermediate and final goods, and the impact that these flows have on territorial emissions. The global flows of embodied emissions driven by the EU consumption of aluminium are then examined in the context of the planned extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), which is to include emissions from aluminium production from 2013 onwards. At the aggregate level, it is found that only around one-third of embodied CO2 emissions in aluminium consumed in Europe are subject to a cost of CO2 under the EU ETS, although this may vary for individual products or producers. The data and analysis presented on the international flows of emissions embodied in aluminium are relevant for evaluation of mitigation options for the European consumption of aluminium and other emissions-intensive sectors. Although the method is robust, the analysis can be made more policy relevant and specific with more disaggregated data sets.


Zinc selenide is an infrared transparent semiconductor material being considered for use in space as an infrared optical coating. In this work, zinc selenide thin films of different thicknesses were exposed to an electron cyclotron resonance generated oxygen plasma, often used to "simulate" the low earth orbital environment. The maximum fluence used in our experiments was equivalent to ∼16 years in the low earth orbital environment. ZnSe thin film optical constants (both before and after oxygen plasma exposure) were determined using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry from the vacuum ultraviolet at 146 nm through the middle infrared to 40 μm. A parametric dispersion model (Herzinger–Johs) was successfully used to fit the optical data over the entire range from ultraviolet to infrared. Comparing the pre- and post-oxygen plasma exposure data, few changes were observed in the middle infrared region, while drastic changes were seen in the vacuum ultraviolet through visible to near infrared (0.73–8.5 eV). This suggests that chemical changes upon plasma exposure, including oxidation, are found mainly in a thin layer near the surface. As the proposed application is for infrared coatings, and few infrared changes were seen under conditions roughly equivalent to 16 years in low earth orbit, ZnSe may indeed be useful for space infrared applications. Performance simulations of ZnSe coated infrared-operating electrochromic thermal-control surfaces confirm this conclusion.


Colorectal cancer is a commonly diagnosed gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide with a high mortality rate. Accumulating evidence has indicated that the expression of a number of microRNAs (miRNAs) is associated with the development of colorectal cancer. However, the precise molecular mechanism of these miRNAs in regulating cancer progression is yet to be determined. In the present study, miR‑3651 was demonstrated to be overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues compared with normal tissues, and to be associated with the tumor‑node‑metastasis stage. The downregulation of miR‑3651 was found to induce growth arrest and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that the downregulation of miR‑3651 inactivated PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling in colorectal cancer cells. Bioinformatics analysis predicted T‑box transcription factor 1 (TBX1) as a potential target gene of miR‑3651, and a dual‑luciferase reporter assay confirmed that TBX1 was directly repressed by miR‑3651. The results of the current study also indicated that TBX1 was associated with the miR‑3651 mediated activation of oncogenic signaling and colorectal cancer cell proliferation. In conclusion, the results of the current study revealed the oncogenic potential of miR‑3651 in colorectal cancer.


This study identifies power relationships within forest conservation decision-making in
Nova Scotia, Canada. Rather than rely on the 'customary science' of resource
conservation largely based on biological and physical parameters, this analysis is steeped
in the traditions of social science and policy analysis. This study's central focus is the
Forest Improvement Act (FIA): 1962-1986. Forest conservation policies and legislative
initiatives developed prior to FIA enactment such as the Small Tree Act (STA): 1942 - 1965 are treated in this study as the FIA's policy gestation period. Theoretical and
practical insights derived from this pre-FIA period are used in the assessment of the FIA
and these combined understandings are subsequently applied to the analysis of
contemporary forest conservation policy. For contemporary analysis, six case studies
including the Nova Scotia Envirofor process and the St. Mary's River Landscape and
Ecology Management proposal, as well as a recent provincial government initiative are
examined.
This study utilises a broad range of decision-making and resource management theory to
tease out understandings of the particular character of the policy process. The analysis
utilises various decision-making models, theories of power, and multi-agency decision making models as well as the Environmental Modernisation literature developed by
Turner, O'Riordan and Weale and others. In addition to the investigative methodologies
used generally throughout this study, the Envirofor and the St. Mary's case studies
employed a 'participant observer' approach that provided otherwise unavailable insights
into these conservation initiatives.
Regardless of policy content, this study shows that external forces such as woodfibre
markets were key to the implementation of ground level forest conservation. Ironically,
this study links the renewal of forest conservation legislation to the demand for increased
forest exploitation. New forest policy initiatives were as much to do with pacifying
conservation interests as they were about promoting ground level forest conservation.


Over the last several years, scholars studying health innovation policy have carefully considered the ways in which policymakers regulate different types of technologies to encourage their development and dissemination. Scholars have examined a range of legal incentives, including patents, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exclusivity periods, taxes, grants, insurance reimbursement, and other tools to promote socially valuable innovations that our current system has structurally disfavored. However, this research has neglected the temporal dimension of the issue. Specifically, a large set of innovations in the life sciences may be considered to be intermediate innovations. Scientists continue to improve these technologies over time, even as the initial products are made available to patients. Yet the relevant innovation policy levers do not consider whether intermediate technologies ought to be regulated differently from technologies which are further along in the development process. Whether our existing regulatory frameworks are cognizant of an innovation's stage of development matters. If the regulatory structure around the intermediate technology is not appropriately calibrated, the technology could be frozen in time such that future development does not occur. This failure would be harmful both for public health and for societal welfare. Policy levers that appear targeted at early-stage technologies in fact lack a fit with these considerations. This Article articulates the problem of regulating intermediate technologies in the life sciences and considers how existing laws and regulations might be altered to accommodate the situation. It argues that some of the FDA's existing regulatory approaches are capable of addressing the


Isolates of Mesanophrys cf. carcini Small & Lynn in Aescht, 2001 and Parauronema cf. longum Song, 1995 infected a freshwater mussel (bleufer, Potamilus purpuratus (Lamarck, 1819)) collected from Chewacla Creek, Auburn, Alabama, USA. Free-living specimens of Metanophrys similis (Song, Shang, Chen & Ma, 2002) 2002, Uronema marinum Dujardin, 1841, Uronemita filificum Kahl, 1931, Pleuronema setigerum Calkins, 1902 and Pseudocohnilembus hargisi Evans & Thompson, 1964, were collected from estuarine waters near Orange beach, Alabama. Based on observations of living and silver-impregnated cells, we provide redescriptions as well as comparisons with original descriptions for the seven species. We also comment on the geographic distributions of known populations of these aquatic ciliate species and provide a table reporting some aquatic scuticociliates of the eastern US Gulf Coast.


Type classes enable a powerful form of ad-hoc polymorphism which provide solutions to many programming design problems. Inspired by this, Scala programmers have striven to emulate them in the design of libraries like Scalaz and Cats. The natural encoding of type classes combines subtyping and implicits, both central features of Scala. However, this encoding has limitations. If the type class hierarchy branches, seemingly valid programs can hit implicit resolution failures. These failures must then be solved by explicitly passing the implicit arguments which is cumbersome and negates the advantages of type classes. In this paper we describe instances of this problem and show that they are not merely theoretical but often arise in practice. We also discuss and compare the space of solutions to this problem in Scala today and in the future.


Something is wrong with our agricultural and food systems.1 Despite great progress in increasing productivity in the last century, hundreds of millions of people remain hungry and malnourished. Further hundreds of millions eat too much, or consume the wrong sorts of food, and it is making them ill. The health of the environment suffers too, as degradation of soil and water seems to accompany many of the agricultural systems we have developed in recent years. Can nothing be done, or is it time for the expansion of an agriculture founded more on ecological principles and in harmony with people, their societies, and cultures?This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


A route to the top-down fabrication of highly ordered and aligned silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays with degenerately doped source/drain regions from a bulk Si wafer is presented. In this approach, freestanding n- and p-SiNWs with an inverted triangular cross section are obtained using conventional photolithography, crystal orientation dependent wet etching, size reduction oxidation, and ion implantation doping. Based on these n- and p-SiNWs transferred onto a plastic substrate, simple SiNW-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) inverters are constructed for the possible applications of these SiNW arrays in integrated circuits on plastic. The static voltage transfer characteristic of the SiNW-based CMOS inverter exhibits a voltage gain of ∼9 V/V and a transition of 0.32 V at an operating voltage of 1.5 V with a full output voltage swing between 0 V and V(DD), and its mechnical bendability indicates good fatigue properties for potential applications of flexible electronics. This novel top-down approach is fully compatible with the current state-of-the-art Si-based CMOS technologies and, therefore, offers greater flexibility in device design for both high-performance and low-power functionality.


Results of experiments on stress-inhibited laser-driven crack growth and stress-delayed laser-damage initiation thresholds in fused silica, borosilicate glass (BK-7), and cleaved bulk silica are presented. A numerical model is developed to explain the crack arrest in fused silica. Good agreement is obtained between the model and a finite-element code. The crack arrest is demonstrated to be the result of the breaking of a hoop-stress symmetry that is responsible for crack propagation in fused silica.


MITAP (MITRE text and audio processing) is a prototype system available for monitoring infectious disease outbreaks and other global events. MITAP focuses on providing timely, multilingual, global information access to medical experts and individuals involved in humanitarian assistance and relief work. Multiple information sources in multiple languages are automatically captured, filtered, translated, summarized, and categorized by disease, region, information source, person, and organization. Critical information is automatically extracted and tagged to facilitate browsing, searching, and sorting. The system supports shared situational awareness through collaboration, allowing users to submit other articles for processing, annotate existing documents, post directly to the system, and flag messages for others to see. MITAP currently stores over 1 million articles and processes an additional 2,000 to 10,000 daily, delivering up-to-date information to dozens of regular users.


We combine SAURON integral field data of a representative sample of local early-type, red sequence galaxies with Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera imaging in order to investigate the presence of trace star formation in these systems. With the Spitzer data, we identify galaxies hosting low-level star formation, as traced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission, with measured star formation rates that compare well to those estimated from other tracers. This star formation proceeds according to established scaling relations with molecular gas content, in surface density regimes characteristic of disc galaxies and circumnuclear starbursts. We find that star formation in early-type galaxies happens exclusively in fast-rotating systems and occurs in two distinct modes. In the first, star formation is a diffuse process, corresponding to widespread young stellar populations and high molecular gas content. The equal presence of co- and counter-rotating components in these systems strongly implies an external origin for the star-forming gas, and we argue that these star formation events may be the final stages of (mostly minor) mergers that build up the bulges of red sequence lenticulars. In the second mode of star formation, the process is concentrated into well-defined disc or ring morphologies, outside of which the host galaxies exhibit uniformly evolved stellar populations. This implies that these star formation events represent rejuvenations within previously quiescent stellar systems. Evidence for earlier star formation events similar to these in all fast-rotating early-type galaxies suggests that this mode of star formation may be common to all such galaxies, with a duty cycle of roughly 1/10, and likely contributes to the embedded, corotating inner stellar discs ubiquitous in this population.


Background Patients with regionally advanced melanoma were treated with neoadjuvant ipilimumab in a previously reported study (Tarhini et al, PLOS One 2014). MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profiles of tumors of treated patients were investigated for their therapeutic predictive value. Methods Patients were treated with ipilimumab (10 mg/kg IV every 3 weeks x2 doses) bracketing surgery. Tumor specimens were obtained at baseline and following ipilimumab at definitive surgery (week 6-8). MiRNA expression profiling was performed on the tumor biopsies of 30 patients using Affymetrix miRNA array (v.4). Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) was performed to test the association of each differentially expressed miRNA molecule with outcome. Targets of the selected miRNAs were obtained from miRTarBase (http://mirtarbase.mbc.nctu.edu.tw). Functional annotation analysis of the list of miRNA target genes were performed using DAVID (https://david.ncifcrf.gov). The FDR method was used to adjust for multiple testing in SAM and the functional analysis. Results An expression profile consisting of a 4-miRNA signature was associated with improved progression free survival. The signature consisted of miR-34c (previously reported to suppress cancer growth and invasion), miR-711 (reported as a prognostic marker in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and to target and suppress Heat Shock Protein 70 highly expressed in melanoma), miR-641 (activates MAPK by targeting NF1 and cooperates with its host gene AKT2 in human cancer) and miR-22 (reported to function as a tumour suppressor). Functional annotation analysis of target genes for the 4-miRNA signature was statistically significantly enriched for various cancer-related pathways including regulation of cell proliferation (GO:0042147), regulation of apoptosis (GO:0042981), MAPK signaling pathway (hsa04010) and positive regulation of T cell activation (GO:0050870). Conclusions MiRNA expression profiling identified a 4-miRNA signature that is significantly associated with PFS in advanced melanoma patients treated with neoadjuvant ipilimumab. Preliminary results show that targets of these 4 miRNAs are biologically relevant and important. These findings warrant further investigation in relation to ipilimumab and other immunotherapeutics. Citation Format: Ahmad Tarhini, Priyanka Vallabhaneni, Theofanis Floros, William A. LaFramboise, Panayiotis V. Benos, Lucas Santana dos Santos. A tumor and immune related miRNA signature predicts progression-free survival of melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 473.


The use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine and a resulting development of antimicrobial resistance is a topic of major concern. Especially for primary care, evidence is needed to guarantee the efficacy of antibiotic drugs in future. For this, the correct dosage is an essential measure to prevent antibiotic resistance. Because veterinarians used practice differs from the manufacturer's recommendations, data is needed to describe evidence-based defined daily doses for animals (DDDA).
In 2011 data was collected on the usage of antibiotics in farm animals in conjunction with the VetCAb-study (Veterinary consumption of antibiotics) in Germany (see vetcab-s.de, van Rennings et al., 2015). Since then, data is continuously collected on the kind of antibiotics, the number of doses, number of animals treated and treatment frequencies. For this presentation the antibiotic usage in 2011 of 500 German pig farms totalling 18,150 treatment courses were recorded and analysed with regard to their dosage. The used daily dosage (UDD) was calculated from the amount of the drug used and a defined standard weight for the four different age groups in pig production: sows (200kg), piglets (4kg), weaners (15kg) and fattening pigs (50 kg).
Apart from the UDD the expertise of pharmacologists was also taken into account to determine a DDDA for each antibiotic. This definition of DDDA is pinpointed by the recommendation of the EMA and has to be determined for each drug in combination with animal species and the form of application.
The study showed that in pig production, the antibiotic groups tetracycline and s-lactams are mainly used. More than 90% of all treatments are given orally. For tetracycline the manufacturers recommend a dose of approximately 80 mg / kg orally in pigs. The DDDAs determined from expert opinions are around 50mg/ kg. In the present study with 500 analysed pig farms the average UDD was 39.6 mg / kg. Previous studies in Germany identified an identical image of evaluations in pig farms (Merle et al, 2014). This example shows the difference between the manufacturer's recommendations, expert opinions and in practice actually administered doses.
These data therefore form a basis for the determination of DDDA. The next necessary step would be to develop Europe-wide DDDAs for each antibiotic, animal species and form of application.


Paramedic clinical decision making (CDM) surrounding emergency airway management of the critically ill or injured patient in the pre-hospital environment is poorly understood. In order to deliver pre-hospital care effectively it is necessary to understand how paramedics make clinical decisions in this area and determine what influences clinical practice. This study primarily investigated the factors influencing paramedic CDM in the context of advanced emergency airway management with specific focus on the newly introduced skill of rapid sequence intubation (RSI). An evaluation of the correct application of RSI guidelines, the determination of the need for their review and the identification of measures to enhance CDM around RSI were secondary research questions.


Emotions are a vital component of social communication, carried across a range of modalities and via different perceptual signals such as specific muscle contractions in the face and in the upper respiratory system. Previous studies have found that emotion recognition impairments after brain damage depend on the modality of presentation: recognition from faces may be impaired whereas recognition from voices remains preserved, and vice versa. On the other hand, there is also evidence for shared neural activation during emotion processing in both modalities. In a behavioral study, we investigated whether there are shared representations in the recognition of emotions from faces and voices. We used a within-subjects design in which participants rated the intensity of facial expressions and nonverbal vocalizations for each of the 6 basic emotion labels. For each participant and each modality, we then computed a representation matrix with the intensity ratings of each emotion. These matrices allowed us to examine the patterns of confusions between emotions and to characterize the representations of emotions within each modality. We then compared the representations across modalities by computing the correlations of the representation matrices across faces and voices. We found highly correlated matrices across modalities, which suggest similar representations of emotions across faces and voices. We also showed that these results could not be explained by commonalities between low-level visual and acoustic properties of the stimuli. We thus propose that there are similar or shared coding mechanisms for emotions which may act independently of modality, despite their distinct perceptual inputs.


In this thesis we present a fluid model for plasmas which include spin contributions. Also, how to use the model is discussed. We then consider non-linear theories, such as coupled mode theory. The main theory considered is the Manley-Rowe relations for the coupling coefficients. It is easier to work with wave energy densities rather than amplitudes to show Manley-Rowe relations. Manley-Rowe relations are used, both as a test for a theory, showing that the theory has an underlying Hamiltonian structure, and when considering parametric instabilities of the waves. We define a linearised wave energy density for spin plasmas and demonstrate a Manley-Rowe relation for a given geometry for the waves.


South African securities law is up for revision. The Securities Services Act (SSA), which came into force on February 1 2005, is to be replaced by the Financial Markets Bill at some stage in the future. The review of the SSA apparently highlighted a number of critical provisions that must be given effect to in legislation to ensure that the integrity of the regulatory framework of the South African financial markets is maintained, that the regulatory framework continues to meet its objectives and the objectives of financial regulation in general and that it is aligned with relevant local and international developments and standards.


Metabolic rate determines the rate at which individuals transform resources from the environment into energy and use this energy to live. Within a population, metabolic rate varies among individuals, even after accounting for differences in body size, temperature, age, and sex. Although we are starting to understand the drivers and the maintenance of this variation in metabolic rate over time, its consequences for both individual- and population-level processes remain largely unclear. My work presents novel insights into how metabolic rate can affect individual performance and how such processes can scale up to affect population-level dynamics in the field.


eLearning is becoming the sine qua non of higher education due to its increasing popularity and numerous Learning Experience (Lx), sociological, and ecological benefits. eLearning can increase self-directed, active, social, and personalized learning opportunities. It reduces physical limitations, which can lead to higher student enrolment and more diverse, accessible, sustainable, and scalable educational opportunities. University students are increasingly into technology but digital literacy, online readiness, and completion rates do not follow this upward trend. To truly benefit from eLearning, we must increase students' desire and ability to learn and perform in this environment. This case study discusses the course eConcordia created for enhancing students' self-regulated learning, self-motivation, study skills, and technological self-efficacy. Students complete a self-assessment based on the Online Learning Readiness Scale and are given best practices, tools, and techniques grounded in educational psychology and educational technology. Optimizing eLearning design for online readiness while preparing students to be autonomous self-directed learners is central to successful eLearning. This case study will benefit faculty, instructional designers, and educational technologists in preparing students to succeed and in designing better online courses.


Cube-attack-like cryptanalysis on round-reduced Keccak was proposed by Dinur et al. at EUROCRYPT 2015. It recovers the key through two phases: the preprocessing phase for precomputing a look-up table and online phase for querying the output and getting the cube sum with which the right key can be retrieved by looking up the precomputed table. It was shown that such attacks are efficient specifically for Keccak-based constructions with small nonce or message block size. In this paper, we provide a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model for cubeattack- like cryptanalysis on keyed Keccak, which does not impose any unnecessary constraint on cube variables and finds almost optimal cubes by balancing the two phases of cube-attack-like cryptanalysis. Our model is applied to Ketje Jr, Ketje Sr, a Xoodoo-based authenticated encryption and Keccak-MAC-512, all of which have a relatively small nonce or message block size. As a result, time complexities of 5-round attacks on Ketje Jr and 7-round attacks on Ketje Sr can be improved significantly. Meanwhile, 6-round attacks, one more round than the previous best attack, are possible if the key size of Ketje V1 (V2) is reduced to 72 (80) bits. For Xoodoo-based AE in Ketje style, the attack reaches 6 rounds. Additionally, a 7-round attack of Keccak-MAC-512 is achieved. To verify the correctness of our attacks, a 5-round attack on Ketje V1 is implemented and tested practically. It is noted that this work does not threaten the security of any Keccak-based construction.


The process of data transfer via the Internet becomes an easy process as a result of the great advances in networking technologies, and now many people can communicate with each other easily and quickly through them. Because the online environment is general and open, the unauthorized one can control information were transmitted between any two parts and interception of getting access for it, because of that there is an emergency need for write covered, which is the science of hiding secret information in a digital cover such as an images, so it is impossible for the normal person and others unauthorized to detected or perceives. In this paper, the technology in the field of information hiding in the images is developed, where first, the cover (PNG, BMP) image is segmented using Chan-Vese algorithm, then the text will hide in the segmented image depending on the areas of clipping. The standards (PSNR, BER) are used to measure technical efficiency. In addition the algorithm of this technique is implemented in Matlab.


Whether you're running Access, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL, this book will help you push the limits of traditional SQL to squeeze data effectively from your database. The book offers 100 hacks -- unique tips and tools -- that bring you the knowledge of experts who apply what they know in the real world to help you take full advantage of the expressive power of SQL. You'll find practical techniques to address complex data manipulation problems. Learn how to: Wrangle data in the most efficient way possibleAggregate and organize your data for meaningful and accurate reportingMake the most of subqueries, joins, and unionsStay on top of the performance of your queries and the server that runs themAvoid common SQL security pitfalls, including the dreaded SQL injection attackLet SQL Hacks serve as your toolbox for digging up and manipulating data. If you love to tinker and optimize, SQL is the perfect technology and SQL Hacks is the must-have book for you.


The relevance of our definition for sensitivity in refractometric sensing, being the relative change in the transmittance of a certain output channel of an optical device over the change in the refractive index of the probed material, is discussed. It is compared to one based on spectral shift per refractive index unit change. Further, there is discussion on how group delay and sensitivity are interrelated and can be converted into each other and which physical quantities are relevant for high sensitivity. As a by-product of the theory presented, a general expression relating group delay and the ratio of the time-averaged optical energy and the input power is presented.


In congenitally deaf cats, the central auditory system is deprived of acoustic input because of degeneration of the organ of Corti before the onset of hearing. Primary auditory afferents survive and can be stimulated electrically. By means of an intracochlear implant and an accompanying sound processor, congenitally deaf kittens were exposed to sounds and conditioned to respond to tones. After months of exposure to meaningful stimuli, the cortical activity in chronically implanted cats produced field potentials of higher amplitudes, expanded in area, developed long latency responses indicative of intracortical information processing, and showed more synaptic efficacy than in naı̈ve, unstimulated deaf cats. The activity established by auditory experience resembles activity in hearing animals.


We investigated the effect of benthic substratum type (sand and rocks) and nutrient supply (N and P) on biofilm structure and heterotrophic metabolism in a field experiment in a forested Mediterranean stream (Fuirosos). Rock and sand colonization and biofilm formation was intensively studied for 44 d at two stream reaches: control and experimental (continuous addition of phosphate, ammonia, and nitrate). Structural (C, N, and polysaccharide content and bacterial and chlorophyll density) and metabolic biofilm parameters ( β‐glucosidase, peptidase, and phosphatase enzyme activities) were analyzed throughout the colonization process. The epilithic biofilm (grown on rocks) had a higher peptidase activity at the impacted reach, together with a higher algal and bacterial biomass. The positive relationship between the peptidase activity per cell and the N content of the epilithic biofilm suggested that heterotrophic utilization of proteinaceous compounds from within the biofilm was occurring. In contrast, nutrient addition caused the epipsammic biofilm (grown on sand) to exhibit lower β‐glucosidase and phosphatase activities, without a significant increase in bacterial and algal biomass. The differential response to nutrient addition was related to different structural characteristics within each biofilm. The epipsammic biofilm had a constant and high C:N ratio (22.7) throughout the colonization. The epilithic biofilm had a higher C:N ratio at the beginning of the colonization (43.2) and evolved toward a more complex structure (high polysaccharide content and low C:N ratio) during later stages. The epipsammic biofilm was a site for the accumulation and degradation of organic matter: polysaccharides and organic phosphorus compounds had higher degradation activities.


When international conflict causes an authoritarian leader's popularity to soar, extant theories lead us to treat such "rallying" as sincere preference change, the product of surging patriotism or cowed media. This study advances a theory of less-than-fully sincere rallying more appropriate for nondemocratic settings, characterizing it as at least partly reflecting cascading dissembling driven by social desirability concerns. The identification strategy combines a rare nationally representative rally-spanning panel survey with a list experiment and econometric analysis. This establishes that three quarters of those who rallied to Putin after Russia annexed Crimea were engaging in at least some form of dissembling and that this rallying developed as a rapid cascade, with social media joining television in fueling perceptions this was socially desirable.


High-resolution, non-destructive imaging with micro-computed tomography (mCT) enables in situ monitoring of tissue engineered bone constructs. However, it remains controversial, if the locally imposed X-ray dose affects bone development and thus could influence the results. Here, we developed a model system for mCT monitoring of tissue engineered bone-like constructs. We examined the in vitro effects of high-resolution mCT imaging on the cellular level by using pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells embedded into three-dimensional collagen type I matrices. We found no significantly reduced cell survival 2 h after irradiation with a dose of 1.9 Gy. However, 24 h post-irradiation, cell survival was significantly decreased by 15% compared to non-irradiated samples. The highest dose of 7.6 Gy decreased survival of the pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells by around 40% at 2 days post-irradiation. No significant increase of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity at 2 days post-irradiation was found with a dose of 1.9 Gy. However, ALP activity was significantly decreased after 7 days. Using our model system, the results indicate that mCT imaging with doses as low as 1.9 Gy, which is required to obtain a reasonable image quality, can induce irreparable damages on the cellular level.


This book is Winner of the National Book Award 2014. A young army captain who risked execution to swim from free-market Taiwan to Communist China. A barber who made $150 million in the gambling dens of Macau. The richest woman in China, a recycling tycoon known as the 'Wastepaper Queen'. Age of Ambition describes some of the billion individual lives that make up China's story - one that unfolds on remote farms, in glittering mansions, and in the halls of power of the world's largest authoritarian regime. Together they describe the defining clash taking place today: between the individual and the Communist Party's struggle to retain control. Here is a China infused with a sense of boundless possibility and teeming romance. Yet it is also riven by contradictions. It is the world's largest buyer of Rolls Royces and Ferraris yet the word 'luxury' is banned from billboards. It has more Christians than members of the Communist Party. And why does a government that has lifted more people from poverty than any other so strictly restrain freedom of expression? Based on years of research, Age of Ambition is a stunning narrative that reveals China as we have never understood it before.


Special Metals Inconel C-276 is a wrought, Ni-Mo-Cr-Fe-W alloy that has excellent corrosion resistance in a wide range of aggressive media. The high molybdenum content makes the alloy especially resistant to pitting and crevice corrosion. The low carbon content minimizes carbide precipitation during welding to maintain resistance to intergranular attack in heat-affected zones of welded joints. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, elasticity, and tensile properties. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: Ni-768. Producer or source: Special Metals Corporation.


The Great Depression devastated the economies of both Germany and Great Britain. Yet the middle classes in the two countries responded in vastly different ways. German Protestants, perceiving a choice among a Bolshevik-style revolution, the chaos and decadence of Weimar liberalism, and Nazi authoritarianism, voted Hitler into power and then acquiesced in the resulting dictatorship. In Britain, Labour and Tory politicians moved gingerly together to form a National Government that muddled through the Depression with piecemeal reform.In this troubling book about troubled times, Kenneth Barnes looks into the question of how theologians and church leaders contributed to a cultural matrix that predisposed Protestants in these two countries to very different political alternatives. Holding fast to the liberal social gospel, British churchmen diagnosed the problems of the 1920s and the Depression ao solvable and called for genuine reforms, many of which foreshadowed the coming welfare state. German leaders, in contrast, were terrified by the socioeconomic and political problems of the Weimar era and offered no social message or solution. Despairingly, they referred the problems to secular politicians and after 1933 beat the drum for obedience to the Nazi state.Based on extensive research in European archives, especially the rich papers of the interwar ecumenical movement housed at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, this book examines key intellectual figures such as Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Archbishop William Temple, as well as many lesser known church officials and theologians. Barnes brings to life the intellectual struggles and dilemmas of the interwar period to help explain why good people could, for moral and religious reasons, choose opposing courses of political action.


Vision-and-Language Pre-training (VLP) has improved performance on various joint vision-and-language downstream tasks. Current approaches to VLP heavily rely on image feature extraction processes, most of which involve region supervision (e.g., object detection) and the convolutional architecture (e.g., ResNet). Although disregarded in the literature, we find it problematic in terms of both (1) efficiency/speed, that simply extracting input features requires much more computation than the multimodal interaction steps; and (2) expressive power, as it is upper bounded to the expressive power of the visual embedder and its predefined visual vocabulary. In this paper, we present a minimal VLP model, Vision-and-Language Transformer (ViLT), monolithic in the sense that the processing of visual inputs is drastically simplified to just the same convolution-free manner that we process textual inputs. We show that ViLT is up to tens of times faster than previous VLP models, yet with competitive or better downstream task performance. Our code and pre-trained weights are available at https://github.com/dandelin/vilt.


Flugge's precise formulation for the linear theory of orthotropic cylindrical shell is represented together with the simplified formulations suggested by Donnell, Vlasov, and Schorer. The roots of the characteristic equation obtained for each of the simplified formulations are compared with those obtained from Flugge's formulation. This defines the ratio of length to radius of the shell for which the different approximation can be used without considerable error in the roots. The internal force components are also calculated showing that the accuracies of the approximate formulations are very limited for the case of shells supported along their four edges while better results are usually obtained in the case of shells with free longitudinal edges. The aforementioned study leads to alternative simplified formulation which improves the accuracy of the results without increasing the difficulty in obtaining a solution. Reliable analysis can be obtained using this proposed formulation.


Abstract.  This article proposes an extension to scalar component methodology for the identification and estimation of VARMA models. The complete methodology determines the exact positions of all free parameters in any VARMA model with a predetermined embedded scalar component structure. This leads to an exactly identified system of equations that is estimated using full information maximum likelihood.


Bioluminescence, the natural production of light by living organisms, may one day compete with electrical lighting as a form of light production. The limited gene expression of bioluminescent proteins is one hindrance preventing the widespread application of bioluminescence. The purpose of this experiment is to increase expression of Aliivibrio fischeri bioluminescence genes, study the effects of increased expression, and examine the dependence of bioluminescence on nutrient concentration. Discovering the connection between nutrient dependency and light production with A. fischeri could open new possibilities to receive maximal bioluminescence. Expression of A. fischeri genes from a high copy plasmid is expected to increase the gene expression and bioluminescence of Escherichia coli. We hypothesize that because of an increase in the gene expression of the

A. fischeri lux operon, the production of bioluminescence should be more dependent on nutrients, which provide cofactors and substrates for the bioluminescence reaction. After transfer of the A. fischeri genomic fragment to the high copy plasmid, the bioluminescence of the host E. coli increased significantly. Furthermore, bacterial growth seen in E. coli containing the high copy plasmid decreased. A complex pattern of regulation was seen after exposing the bioluminescent E. coli to various nutrients. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the higher expression of bioluminescence genes, achieved with a plasmid with a higher copy number, did not render bioluminescent E. coli more dependent on nutrients for bioluminescence.


'Kathmandu Valley' is vulnerable to air pollution problem due to its topography, which restricts the wind movement and allows pollutants to remain within the valley. Brick kilns, operating in the Valley, are known to be a prime cause of air pollution. There are currently more than 125 brick kilns operating in Kathmandu valley deteriorating its air quality and degrading the health of the people living near the kilns. Recent studies have found that the concentration of particulate matter in the air in an area with brick kilns is three times higher when the kilns are operating than during the off-season. Similarly, the health of students studying at a school situated near a brick kiln was found to be significantly worse than that of students studying in a similar school but located in an area without brick kilns. Other environmental costs of the brick kilns are the reduction in the soil fertility, reduced visibility, drying ground water sources. The use of an old and inefficient technology called Bull's Trench kilns and low quality fuel are the main causes of the problem. Recently the government has decided to ban Bulls Trench brick kilns in Kathmandu in a year and a half. As a result, entrepreneurs are searching for environment friendly and cost effective alternative technologies. There are some technologies currently in practice in India like Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln, Fixed Chimney Kilns which are environment friendly and economically sound. Introduction to these technologies in Nepal can save both ecology and economy.

 Himalayan Journal of Sciences 1(1): 59-61, 2003


Policy instruments can help put climate adaptation plans into action. Here, we propose a method for the systematic assessment and selection of policy instruments for stimulating adaptation action. The multi-disciplinary set of six assessment criteria is derived from economics, policy, and legal studies. These criteria are specified for the purpose of climate adaptation by taking into account four challenges to the governance of climate adaptation: uncertainty, spatial diversity, controversy, and social complexity. The six criteria and four challenges are integrated into a step-wise method that enables the selection of instruments starting from a generic assessment and ending with a specific assessment of policy instrument mixes for the stimulation of a specific adaptation measure. We then apply the method to three examples of adaptation measures. The method's merits lie in enabling deliberate choices through a holistic and comprehensive set of adaptation specific criteria, as well as deliberative choices by offering a stepwise method that structures an informed dialog on instrument selection. Although the method was created and applied by scientific experts, policy-makers can also use the method.


Despite significant interest in the attributions employees make about their organization's
human resource (HR) practices, there is little understanding of the antecedents of HR
attributions. Drawing on attribution theory, we suggest that HR attributions are influenced by
information (perceptions of distributive and procedural fairness), beliefs (organizational
cynicism), and motivation (perceived relevance). We test a model through a two-wave survey
of 347 academic faculty in the United Kingdom, examining their attributions of the purpose
of their institution's workload management framework. After two preliminary studies (an
interview study and a cross-sectional survey) to establish contextually relevant attributions,
we find that fairness and cynicism are important for the formation of internal attributions of
commitment but less so for cost-saving or exploitation attributions. Fairness and cynicism
also interact such that distributive fairness buffers the negative attributional effect of
cynicism, and individuals are more likely to attribute fair procedures to external forces if they
are cynical about their organization. This study furthers the application of attribution theory
to the organizational domain while making significant contributions to our understanding of
the HR-performance process.


The debate on the effectiveness of foreign aid has intensified in recent years as aid has come under increasing budgetary pressures in donor countries. Whatever the merits of the opposing arguments, the fundamental issue arises of whether conventionally-used measures of aid such as ODA, which lump together grants and loans, accurately reflect true aid flows. This paper analyzes the methodological shortcomings of conventional aid measures, and proposes a new valuation approach that measures official aid flows as the sum of grants and the grant equivalents of official loans. This conceptually superior aid measure can diverge significantly from the conventional aggregates and provide a quite different view on major aid trends.


A heart model that can be expressed mathematically in a computer is desirable. Heart modeling applications can be classified into four areas : clinical, research, educational, and communications. A heart model for clinical application can be used as prior knowledge for segmentation and registration in medical image processing. A heart model for research application could be constructed each time using a combination of selected elements to reproduce the behavior of interest. However, a heart model for educational use does not necessarily have to follow actual data faithfully. A combination of visualization techniques, rich text information, and interaction is most important for effective teaching. Also, graphical information is used frequently by medical staff to explain the disease condition to patients and their families. It is important to understand what is to be communicated in such cases. For example, it is not necessarily important to represent precise shape information. In this review, we present several applications of heart models. We also introduce a novel application of a congenital heart disease model for communications uses. Finally, we discuss future perspectives in this field.


Abstract. In the framework of the VAHINE project, we investigated the spectral characteristics and the variability of dissolved and particulate chromophoric materials throughout a 23-day mesocosm experiment conducted in the south-west Pacific at the mouth of the New Caledonian coral lagoon (22°29.073 S–166°26.905 E) from 13 January to 4 February 2013. Samples were collected in a mesocosm fertilized with phosphate at depths of 1, 6 and 12 m and in the surrounding waters. Light absorption coefficients of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) [ag(λ)] and particulate matter [ap(λ)] were determined using a point-source integrating-cavity absorption meter (PSICAM), while fluorescent DOM (FDOM) components were determined from excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). The evolutions of ag(λ) and ap(λ) in the mesocosm were similar to those of total chlorophyll a concentration, Synechococcus spp. and picoeukaryote abundances, bacterial production, particulate organic nitrogen and total organic carbon concentrations, with roughly a decrease from the beginning of the experiment to days 9–10, and an increase from days 9–10 to the end of the experiment. In the surrounding waters, the same trend was observed but the increase was much less pronounced, emphasizing the effect of the phosphate fertilization on the mesocosm's plankton community. Correlations suggested that both Synechococcus cyanobacteria and heterotrophic bacteria were strongly involved in the production of CDOM and absorption of particulate matter. The increase in phytoplankton biomass during the second part of the experiment led to a higher contribution of particulate material in the absorption budget at 442 nm. The three FDOM components identified (tryptophan-, tyrosine- and ultraviolet C (UVC) humic-like fluorophores) did not follow the evolution of CDOM and particulate matter, suggesting they were driven by different production/degradation processes. Finally, the results of this work support the idea there is indirect coupling between the dynamics of N2 fixation and that of chromophoric material via the stimulation of Synechococcus bloom.


Vibrationally enhanced infrared and vibrationally enhanced Raman four-wave mixing spectroscopy are experimentally explored with the use of several model systems. Studies involving a mixture of chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, and deuterobenzene were performed to see whether a simultaneous resonance of a combination band could enhance the Raman ring breathing mode. The results show strong interference effects that may be responsible for a suppression of the Raman resonances. Studies were also carried out in systems of chloroform/deuterobenzene and hexane/deuterobenzene. The latter samples showed intensity increases and line-shape changes that are consistent with vibrational enhancement. The discovery of these enhancements form the basis for developing infrared four-wave mixing as a method for extracting new information about molecular vibrations.


Semantic exceptions mean undesirable contexts with respect to application semantics in context aware systems. Description of such semantic exceptions is based on regular expressions, which entails high complexity to detect exceptions. In this paper we devise a high level language with light-weight exception description features specific to context-aware systems. For more enhanced implementation, we also provide an intermediate language to bridge the gap between high level programming languages and event stream processing engines. We expect this approach to mitigate the complexity as well as to allow further opportunities to optimize exception detection process.


"Garlic and Sapphires" is Ruth Reichl's riotous account of the many disguises she employs to dine undetected when she takes on the much coveted and highly prestigious job of "New York Times" restaurant critic. Reichl knows that to be a good critic she has to be anonymous - but her picture is posted in every four-star, low-star kitchen in town and so she embarks on an extraordinary - and hilarious - undercover game of disguise - keeping even her husband and son in the dark. There is her stint as Molly, a frumpy blonde in an off-beige Armani suit that Ruth takes on when reviewing Le Cirque resulting in a double review of the restaurant: first she ate there as Molly; and then as she was coddled and pampered on her visit there as Ruth, "New York Times" food critic. Then, there is the eccentric, mysterious red head on whom her husband - both disconcertingly and reassuringly - develops a terrible crush. She becomes Brenda the earth mother, Chloe the seductress and even Miriam her own (deceased) mother. What is even more remarkable about Reichl's spy games is that as she takes on these various guises, she finds herself changed not just physically, but also in character revealing how one's outer appearance can very much influence one's inner character, expectations, and appetites.


BACKGROUND
Mutation analysis has identified a G-> A transition in the promoter region of TNF-alpha gene at position -308 (rs1800629).

OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of polymorphism in -308 GA promoter variant of the TNF alpha gene on metabolic response and weight loss secondary to two hypocaloric diets.

METHOD
A sample of 283 obese subjects was enrolled in a consecutive prospective way. In the basal visit, patients were randomly allocated during 9 months to diet HP (high protein/low carbohydrate hypocaloric diet) and diet S (standard hypocaloric diet).

RESULTS
There were no significant differences between the positive effects on weight loss in either genotype group with both diets. With both diets and only in wild genotype (diet HP vs. diet S), total cholesterol (-9.1 ± 3.4 mg/dL vs. -6.9 ± 2.0 mg/dL; p > 0.05), LDL cholesterol (-9.0 ± 2.9 mg/dL vs. -6.5 ± 2.1 mg/dL; p > 0.05) and triglycerides (-23.1 ± 5.1 mg/dL vs. -12.3 ± 4.8 mg/dL; p < 0.05) decreased. The improvement in triglycerides was higher in subjects without A allele. With diet HP and only in wild genotype, insulin levels (-3.1 ± 1.8 UI/L; p < 0.05) and HOMA-R (-0.8 ± 0.1 units; p < 0.05) decreased.

CONCLUSION
Carriers of -308 GG promoter variant of TNF-alpha gene have a better metabolic response than -308 GA obese with a high protein hypocaloric diet.


For almost two decades, the best-selling Visual QuickStart Guides by Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas have been the textbooks of choice in classrooms and the go-to tutorial and reference for art and design professionals. This edition includes their trademark features: clear, concise, step-by-step instructions; hundreds of full-color illustrations; screen captures of program features; and supplemental tips and sidebars in every chapter. This fully updated edition for Illustrator CC (2014 release) covers the new enhancements and features, including significant upgrades to the Pencil tool, Swatches panel, Artboard panel, as well as new Live Corners, reshaping methods, and much more. The new and updated Illustrator CC features are clearly marked with bright red stars in both the table of contents and main text. Readers can follow the steps in a tutorial fashion, or use the book as a reference guide to individual program features. Many of the key illustrations used in the book are available via Web download for practice by readers.


This thesis presents a comprehensive phylogenetic and taxonomic study of an acoel subgroup, the Childiidae. Members of this taxon are characterized by well-developed male copulatory organs with conical/cylindrical stylets. The phylogenetic analyses, by means of total evidence approach, based on three molecular markers (18S and 28S rRNA genes and Histone H3) and 50 morphological characters reaffirm the non-monophyly of the Childiidae sensu Dorjes, 1968 (Actinoposthiidae and Childia+Paraphanostoma). The total evidence phylogeny strongly support the Childia+Paraphanostoma clade separate from other former members of the Childiidae, which are now placed in Actinoposthiidae. The monophyly of Childia+Paraphanostoma is well corroborated by several morphological characters. A new taxon Childia is defined, in accordance with the PhyloCode, comprising all former Paraphanostoma species and a member of the monotypic genus C. groenlandica. A new diagnosis for the current members of Childia is provided.Several structures, shown to hold promising phylogenetic signals for unraveling acoel relationships, such as musculature pattern, sperm and male copulatory organs, are investigated, using a combination of traditional and modern techniques (ultrastructure, immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy), with main focus on Childia and its closest relatives. New characters are described and their phylogenetic significance assessed. Morphological characters relating to body-wall musculature, statocyst muscles, male copulatory organ musculature and ultrastructure, and sperm cytoplasmic granules are shown to carry important phylogenetic signals at lower taxonomic levels, while most of the characters related to sperm ultrastructure are useful at higher taxonomic levels within the Acoela. The data obtained undermine the phylogenetic use of the seminal bursa in Childia. In addition to this, it is shown that most of the classical morphological characters used in acoel taxonomy, obtained using traditional histological methods, may be misleading in identifying monophyletic entities within the Acoela.The most corroborated synapomorphies, identified in this thesis, are used in determining the taxonomic placement of a new viviparous acoel, Childia vivipara, into the taxon Childia.


Phase-locked loops are important building blocks for several different applications. Modern design and implementation of these circuits is largely advantaged by a mixed analog/digital simulation approach since phase locked loops are stiff systems and a full analog representation is in general too large to simulate in reasonable time. Even though current algorithms, based on a mixed analog/digital representation, lead to models characterized by outstanding properties, they do not allow efficient simulations of important periodic and small signal features such as modulation/demodulation or noise effects. In this paper a novel, reliable and efficient method is proposed that overcomes those limitations and makes possible to evaluate both modulation/demodulation and noise effects in the widely adopted class of type-II phase-locked loop circuits based on a digital three-state phase-frequency detector.


In the traditional design of round broach ,the impact tools of broach maybe unable to achieve the requirements for the processing precision,or even occur the situation of partial fracture due to a exaggerated partial deformation.In this article,by using Pro/E we complete the 3D solid modeling and the dimensional parameterization of the impact tools for combination round and spline broach,then import the 3D model into ANSYS,to analyze and solve the whole process of load and deformation at work.It can effectively improve the machining accuracy and the reliability of round broach, shorten the design cycle and reduce cost.


The adipose tissue was considered a reserve of energy until the '80s, when it was found that this tissue was involved in the metabolism of sex steroids such as estrogens. From then on, the importance attributed to this tissue radically changed as it was then considered an active organ, involved in important functions of the human body. In 2001, for the first time, the existence of stem cells within this tissue was reported, and since then, this tissue has been gaining an increased importance as a stem cell source for a wide range of potential applications in cell therapies and/or tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies, mainly due to its wide availability and easy access. This manuscript provides an overview on adipose stem cells (i.e., adipose tissue-derived stem cells, ASCs) considering the tissue of origin, the niche of the ASCs, and their phenotype in all aspects. In this paper it is also discussed the markers that have been used for the characterization of these cells, their differentiation properties, and their immunological reactivity, reporting studies from 2001 until this date. The ASCs are also compared with bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs), until now considered as the gold standard source of stem cells, underlining the common characteristics and the differences between the stem cells obtained from these two sources, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of their potential use in different applications. Finally, this review will also focus on the potential application of ASCs in tissue engineering applications, particularly in the regeneration of bone and cartilage, commenting on the progress of this approach and future trends of the field.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of corn grains in different forms (corn dry grain, high moisture corn silage, moisturized corn silage) in the diet of confined lambs, and its possible effects on the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the carcass. Twenty male Bergamacia x Corriedade lambs were used. The animals were confined and fed ad libitum, assigned to five treatments consisted of dry corn: high moisture corn silage or moisturized corn silage (0:100, 50:50, 100:0). There was not effect of the treatments on the main carcass characteristics. The average true yield of carcass was 51.5%, while the yield of commercial carcass was 42.4%. Differences were not observed between the variable body condition and conformation of the carcass, in function of the treatments. The variables fat covering, fat color and fat thickness were similar. The forms of the corn grains used in the feeding of the lambs did not affect the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the carcass.


What is it like to do the back-breaking work of immigrants? To find out, Gabriel Thompson spent a year working alongside Latino immigrants, who initially thought he was either crazy or an undercover immigration agent. He stooped over lettuce fields in Arizona, and worked the graveyard shift at a chicken slaughterhouse in rural Alabama. He dodged taxis,not always successfully,as a bicycle delivery boy" for an upscale Manhattan restaurant, and was fired from a flower shop by a boss who, he quickly realized, was nuts. As one coworker explained, These jobs make you old quick." Back spasms occasionally keep Thompson in bed, where he suffers recurring nightmares involving iceberg lettuce and chicken carcasses. Combining personal narrative with investigative reporting, Thompson shines a bright light on the underside of the American economy, exposing harsh working conditions, union busting, and lax government enforcement,while telling the stories of workers, undocumented immigrants, and desperate US citizens alike, forced to live with chronic pain in the pursuit of 8 an hour.


The Swofford-Olsen-Waddell-Hillis (SOWH) test evaluates statistical support for incongruent phylogenetic topologies. It is commonly applied to determine if the maximum likelihood tree in a phylogenetic analysis is significantly different than an alternative hypothesis. The SOWH test compares the observed difference in likelihood between two topologies to a null distribution of differences in likelihood generated by parametric resampling. The test is a well-established phylogenetic method for topology testing, but is is sensitive to model misspecification, it is computationally burdensome to perform, and its implementation requires the investigator to make multiple decisions that each have the potential to affect the outcome of the test. We analyzed the effects of multiple factors using seven datasets to which the SOWH test was previously applied. These factors include bootstrap sample size, likelihood software, the introduction of gaps to simulated data, the use of distinct models of evolution for data simulation and likelihood inference, and a suggested test correction wherein an unresolved "zero-constrained" tree is used to simulate sequence data. In order to facilitate these analyses and future applications of the SOWH test, we wrote SOWHAT, a program that automates the SOWH test. We find that inadequate bootstrap sampling can change the outcome of the SOWH test. The results also show that using a zero-constrained tree for data simulation can result in a wider null distribution and higher p-values, but does not change the outcome of the SOWH test for most datasets. These results will help others implement and evaluate the SOWH test and allow us to provide recommendation for future applications of the SOWH test. SOWHAT is available for download from https://github.com/josephryan/SOWHAT.


In this work, three nanoparticles were applied as coatings on carbon steel using atomization method (cold spraying) by airbrush. The coatings included nano Al 2 O 3 , nano SiC and nano ZrO 2 materials. The characterization of coated surfaces has been investigated by AFM and SEM. All these inspections indicated that the deposition of nanoparticles on carbon steel surface was uniform and homogeneous. The thickness of coated layers was calculated using gravimetric method, while the particle size and roughness were measured from the analysis of atomic force microscopy. With constant conditions of coating, nano alumina coating gave the highest thickness (6.2216 nm) due to agglomeration of these particles compared with others as illustrated in SEM images. Corrosion test was performed to estimate the corrosion resistance, protection efficiency and porosity percentage which indicated the role of nano particle coating on corrosion control. These data showed that the nano alumina was better than other coatings and gave PE 99.69%. Cyclic polarization was also estimated to show the probability of pitting corrosion. The coating with alumina gave the best data for decreasing the chance of pitting corrosion.


Objective To evaluate the outcome of adenotonsillectomy (AT) in a cohort of children with Down syndrome (DS) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Design Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Setting Tertiary care centre. Patients Children with DS and OSA, without previous upper airway (UA) surgery. Interventions AT and full overnight polysomnography. Main outcome results A significant improvement of the obstructive apnoea-hypopnoea index (oAHI) after AT was obtained. No differences in sleep efficiency or sleep fragmentation were found postoperatively. Almost half of the children had persistent OSA (oAHI ≥5/hour). Results Data are presented as median (lower–upper quartile). Thirty-four children were included, median age 4.0 years (2.7–5.8), body mass index (BMI) z-score 0.81 (−0.46–1.76), and oAHI 11.4/hour (6.5–22.7). The majority presented with severe OSA (58.9%). AT was performed in 22 children, tonsillectomy in 10 and adenoidectomy in two. Postoperatively, a significant improvement of the oAHI was measured from 11.4/hour (6.5–22.7) to 3.6/hour (2.1–9.5) (p=0.001), with a parallel increase of the minimum oxygen saturation (p=0.008). Children with initially more severe OSA had significantly more improvement after UA surgery (p=0.001). Persistent OSA was found in 47.1% of the children. Conclusions AT results in a significant improvement of OSA in children with DS without a change in sleep efficiency or sleep stage distribution. Severe OSA was associated with a larger reduction of OSA severity. Almost half of the children had persistent OSA, which was not correlated to age, gender or BMI z-score.


Users in many domains, including urban planning, transportation, and environmental science want to execute analytical queries over continuously updated spatial datasets. Current solutions for large-scale spatial query processing either rely on extensions to RDBMS, which entails expensive loading and indexing phases when the data changes, or distributed map/reduce frameworks, running on resource-hungry compute clusters. Both solutions struggle with the sequential bottleneck of parsing complex, hierarchical spatial data formats, which frequently dominates query execution time. Our goal is to fully exploit the parallelism offered by modern multi-core CPUs for parsing and query execution, thus providing the performance of a cluster with the resources of a single machine. We describe AT-GIS, a highly-parallel spatial query processing system that scales linearly to a large number of CPU cores. AT-GIS integrates the parsing and querying of spatial data using a new computational abstraction called associative transducers (ATs). ATs can form a single data-parallel pipeline for computation without requiring the spatial input data to be split into logically independent blocks. Using ATs, AT-GIS can execute, in parallel, spatial query operators on the raw input data in multiple formats, without any pre-processing. On a single 64-core machine, AT-GIT provides 3x the performance of an 8-node Hadoop cluster with 192 cores for containment queries, and 10x for aggregation queries.


NFV-MANO has become the de-facto standard for network service orchestration in future programmable network infrastructures. Relevant standards define an architecture and a data model that allows an orchestration entity to deploy, dynamically configure and monitor virtual and physical network functions across virtualized datacenters. Although the model offers extensive details for network function management and host-level network configuration, end-to-end connectivity management beyond the datacenter remains limited. The responsibility for cross-site connectivity is delegated to a control abstraction, the WAN Infrastructure Manager (WIM), which is partially defined in relevant standards. The reference implementation of the NFVMANO standards, Open Source MANO (OSM), has recently released a reference WIM driver model, but no open-source WIM implementation is currently available, thus restricting the ability of researchers to experiment with multi-site service deployments. In this paper, we present the DataPlane Broker (DPB), the first open-source WIM implementation for software-defined networks. Using an extensive data model, DPB seamlessly translates NFVMANO requirements into SDN configuration, supporting point-to-point and multipoint connectivity with strong bandwidth guarantees. DPB is integrated with OSM FIVE via a WIM plugin. Initial experiments highlight that path computation can scale to large network topologies and a large number of services, with negligible computational overheads, while DPB increases by less than 10% the overall deployment delay of an OSM service.


We examine the gap in registered crime between the children of immigrants and the children of native Swedes. Our study is the first in Sweden to address the role of family and environmental background in creating the gap in recorded crimes. Lack of resources within the family and/or in the broader social environment, particularly in neighborhoods and schools, generates higher risks for criminal activity in children, and if the children of immigrants to a larger extent are underprivileged in those resources, a gap in crime may occur. In the empirical analyses we follow all individuals who completed compulsory schooling during the period 1990 to 1993 in the Stockholm Metropolitan area (N=66,330), and we analyze how background factors related to the family of origin and neighborhood segregation during adolescence influence the gap in recorded crimes, which are measured in 2005. For males, we are generally able to explain between half and three-quarters of this gap in crime by parental socioeconomic resources and neighborhood segregation. For females, we can explain even more, sometimes the entire gap. Resources in the family of origin appear to be the strongest mediator. In addition, the residual differences are virtually unrelated to immigrants' country of origin, indicating that 'culture' or other shared context-of-exit factors matter very little in generating the gap.